The guests were all gathered in the dance hall after the ceremony. Reyna and her husband Alexander were seated at their own table at the far end of the room while waiters strode in and out with trays of food and drink balancing on their hands. While the newlywed couple and their guests enjoyed dinner, I wandered off to take some pictures of the decorations near the entrance.
The dance hall itself was beautifully decorated. Champagne-colored drapes and twinkling fairy lights adorned the ceiling, hand-carved pedestals perched underneath each window, each decorated with a crystal vase containing a bouquet of white and peach-colored roses. White and gold tablecloths covered the tables, and the crystal glasses alone were enough to afford an entire year's rent on my apartment.
After the incident at the chapel with my phone ringing and me barely surviving the first-hand embarrassment, I tried keeping it low key and avoided as much eye contact with the guests as possible. But even with my back turned on them, I had a strange feeling I was being watched.
Acting casually, I appeared to be photographing the deer skull on the wall near the entrance with the gold-painted antlers. However, after the third shot, my camera's screen faded before switching off.
"Shoot," I muttered to myself and felt around my pockets for the spare batteries.
My fingers brushed against several cylinder-shaped objects. But in the process of retrieving them, my hand caught on the inside of my pocket. I cursed under my breath as the batteries, among other things, dropped to the floor, clattering against the marble tiles. My first instinct was to drop to my knees to stop them from rolling too far, but someone beat me to it.
I watched dumbfoundedly as the very same man from earlier crouched before me, picking up the objects one by one before rising to his full height to meet my eyes. He's a full head taller than me and his gaze alone was enough to give me a fever.
"I think you dropped this," he stated and dangled the batteries in front of my face.
"Yes, thank you. I completely forgot to change the batteries after the ceremony -"
"And this as well."
My words caught in my throat when I saw what he had in his other hand - a very obvious, cylinder-shaped feminine object. A tampon.
Shit.
His mouth corner twitched up, betraying his amusement. My heart nearly broke through my ribcage when he slipped the little object into my pocket, the heat of his fingers seeping through my jeans and into my skin.
"Best not to let anyone else see," he leaned down to whisper in my ear.
No doubt, my face is beet red, if not redder. How much bad luck can one person have? First my phone ringing during the ceremony, and now this? But no matter how much I'd like to die of embarrassment that moment, my eyelids still fluttered at the smell of his cologne and his warm breath fanning against my neck.
Just as I regained the ability to think straight, he stepped back and casually made his way back to the guests as if nothing ever happened. My eyes travelled across the length of his back and legs, appreciating how that suit clung to all the right places, how broad his shoulders were, how soft his hair looked...
I blinked when realizing that I am shamelessly checking him out, and mentally scolded myself. This was wrong, I'm dating Matt and we're happy. We make a good team.
My inner conflict came to an end when the maid of honor stepped onto the raised platform where the orchestra was playing. She tapped the microphone a few times to get everyone's attention. Realizing the toasts and speeches were about to begin, I crossed the room to crouch between the stage and the head table where Reyna and her husband were seated. With my back turned on them and the guests, I readied my camera and waited for the first toast to begin.
"Hi everyone, I'm Astrid, sister of the bride for those of you who don't know," she started and shyly tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "Most of you already know when confidence and leadership were handed out, Reyna happened to be first in line."
I managed to capture the smile on Reyna's face at her sister's opening line.
"And I'm not going to lie, I almost thought her confidence would be the reason why she'll never find love - but she proved me wrong. Because there you are, married with the most amazing guy in the world and ready to start your new life together," Astrid raised her glass, "The first toast goes to Reyna and Alexander, may your love and friendship last until the Great Hunt ends."
"Until the Great Hunt ends!" The guests repeated before taking the first drink.
"And to relieve me of the spotlight, would the brother of the groom please come forward?" She asked after everyone settled down. A chair slid out somewhere behind me and Astrid beckoned someone towards the stage with her glass, "Ladies and gents, I give you Rheon Balfour!"
I snapped one last picture of Astrid descending the stage before the brother of the groom took her place. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw who this Rheon was. What are the chances?
That guy.
"Isn't Reyna looking absolutely stunning tonight?" he gestured at Reyna, who rose to her feet and struck a pose in her wedding dress, "Not only is she lovely but she's also smart, and spontaneous and deserves one hell of a husband. Thankfully for Alexander, she agreed to marry him before she found one."
The guests cracked up and I snapped the perfect picture of Alexander covering his face with his hands and Reyna laughing hysterically beside him.
"But on a more serious note, I don't think their relationship was a coincidence," he continued and all of a sudden, his eyes were on me. "Sometimes all it takes is one look for you to know; this is it. This is the person I've been searching for my whole life. And every moment was worth it - the wait, the mistakes I've made on the way, the mornings I woke up thinking I'll never find someone like her...everything."
The room has fallen deathly quiet during his speech. I couldn't move from my spot on the floor while his eyes held mine. The way he was staring at me was so intense, I swear if it wasn't for the chill in the air, I'd melt into a puddle. But some of the guests were beginning to follow his gaze and were looking right at me. I swallowed dryly, begging him internally to just get this over with so I could retreat to the back of the room.
As if he could hear my thoughts, he tore his eyes from me and continued, "And that's exactly how I would sum up Alex's miserable past twenty-eight years before he met Reyna. She has ended his search for love, and we couldn't be happier to celebrate this day with them. To Reyna and Alex, may your love and friendship last until the Great Hunt ends."
"Until the Great Hunt ends!" The guests repeated and took another drink.
Rheon held my gaze as he descended the stage, only breaking it when he strode past me.
I felt lightheaded after what just happened and couldn't be more grateful when the bride and groom were called to open the dance floor. Taking a seat at the bottom of the stairs at the entrance, I observed their dance from a distance, snapping pictures whenever they shared a kiss or a smile.
Reyna made a beautiful bride. She looked truly happy as well.
'Because she gets to marry someone she chose,' a little voice in my head told me.
Immediately, I felt guilty about that thought. Matt's not that bad, I argued to myself. I could definitely see myself getting married to him someday, start a family, and grow old together. Not just yet though. I only recently turned twenty-two, I have my whole life ahead of me to travel the world, and the last thing I want now is to settle down and play house. That's what my father couldn't understand.
And speaking of Matt, he still hasn't called or texted me yet.
There wasn't time to wallow in my disappointment. The next thing I knew, the band began playing an upbeat song and the rest of the guests joined the bride and groom on the dance floor.
I managed to snap a few pictures of Craig dancing with three different women, all three half his age. When the first woman finally caught him dancing with someone else, she drenched his face with her martini and stomped off. Craig only chortled, licked the alcohol off his lips, and continued dancing on his own.
Next up was a song to slow dance to. As I focused the camera on another dancing couple, I heard someone clear their throat at my back.
The first thing I noticed was the intensity of Rheon's eyes before noticing his outstretched hand, "May I have this dance?"
I looked at him like he was joking, "I'm working actually."
"They won't mind," he gestured at Reyna and Alexander slow dancing, lost in their own little world.
My thoughts were blank, causing me to struggle to find words to say. "I... they... now?"
His mouth corners twitched upwards, "If you think you have enough pictures of Craig's terrible dancing, then yes, now would be perfect."
I was still gaping like a fish when my camera was pried from my hands and replaced with his. My feet were on autopilot, following Rheon onto the dance floor and through the guests.
Finally, he stopped and placed a hand on my waist, pulling me flush against him. We were chest-to-chest, so close I could smell the champagne on his lips and count the tiny flecks of green in his eyes. Every part of me his hands touched, left a burning trail in its wake, making me feel like I've plummeted into a fever that can't be broken.
The strange thing was, I didn't mind his hands on me. In fact, I wanted him to touch me, explore every inch of my body until all I could do was melt underneath his fingers.
It wasn't until those thoughts scared me back to reality that I noticed some of the guests were staring. I realized what this must look like to them; an ordinary photographer, who's supposed to be working, dancing with a respectable duke. For all I knew, I should be addressing him as 'my lord' or something.
Before he could predict my next move, I broke out of his hold and weaved my way through the dancing people, hoping he wasn't fast enough to follow. I grabbed my camera and ran from the wedding, sprinting down the halls of the castle and not once slowing down until I reached my room. Until all I could hear from the dance hall was the distant laughs of the guests.