The Red Evening

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Pia had surprised me with a limousine. I entered the grandiose  vechile and admired the colorful lit interior. It was the perfect amount of extra and it was expected of Pia to be behind it.

I looked out the window as we drove to the destination. I expected it to be at a nearby location, realistically at a hotel but we were far from buildings. We drove away from the city and down the isolated back roads through the country side of Maryland.

I had turned off the interior party lights to admire the setting sun. The horizon had been painted by an opaque orange and navy blue. They were two colors that weren't associated with each other but brushed upon the skies, they were a perfect pair.

The clouds were great wings of gold that blessed the mountain tops. The beauty of it all overwhelmed me and my eyes started to gloss over. It all seemed rushed and surreal but I was headed to my wedding. The intensity of this moment had been growing at an unbelievable speed, but it was all splendid.

The limousine drove up a dark stoned path and towards to a small barn down the hill. It came to a halt and the chauffeur opened the door. Pia exited the vechile and then stood by the door with her small bouquet in hand. I stepped out and had been directly in front of the rain glass barn doors.

"It's time," Pia squealed.

I exhaled deeply and looked up, placing my bouquet in front of my chest.

Pia gave a thumbs up and an instrumental version of Can't Help Falling In Love began to play. It had a more mystical and faster tempo than the typical wedding songs, but it suited the moment.

Pia walked ahead of me and then I walked through the doors, in awe of the venue. It has been dressed with lights, vines, satin drapes, and the white aisle runner was bordered by extravagant flowers. Halfway through with walking down the aisle, I stopped admiring the barn and locked eyes with him, standing before a  white chiffoned draped archway.

I blushed deeply at the sight of him. His piercing blue eyes watched me with admiration and the butteflies in my stomach had erupted into a frenzy. Felix had stood besides him, looking at Pia who had assumed her position by the archway.

At last, I reached the archway and Elijah held out his hand. Without hesitiation, I held onto the man who was my home. He broke into a breathtaking smile as he watched me standing in front of him.

"This is beautiful," I whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you," he whispered back.

The minister welcomed us and our two best friends with a brief statement. It was followed by a lesson of marriage, love and dedication. We proceeded to exchange our vows which remained simple and traditional. The minister opened his mouth to speak but Elijah shook his head.

"Morena, I could write you a book about the love that I have for you. I'm going to keep this short, though. The moment I saw you, I realized that you were different. You tugged at my heart like no other could. I couldn't help but fall in love with you. After meeting you, the thought of anybody else being in life went out the window. Its been a hectic few months, but we made it out stronger than ever. I'm incredibly lucky to become your husband."

The minister nodded approvingly at speech and turned to me.

"I didn't write anything down..."

"It's okay," Elijah said, smiling. "This is enough."

"Speak from the heart," the minister said.

"Through all the chaos and madness that we've been through, I believe it led me to this moment. I needed my world to be turned in order to be properly positioned. I've been a nervous mess the last 24 hours, for some reason fearing this moment but it was such a waste of time. Today, right now, will probably be the only time in my life that I make the best decision for myself. That decision is to marry a man that has been selfless, loving, understanding, protective and overall, a beautiful being. Thank you for just being you, Elijah. I've said once, and I'll saw it again; I don't deserve you but I need you."