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I never thought I would marry a perfect man, let alone a wealthy but kind hearted, stunning, sexy, down to earth man who I secretly adored and loved with every fibre of my being. Everything would be perfect if only this one particular problem didn't exist: He didn't love me!
I took a glance of my own reflection on the tall mirror inside the bride room of the church, making sure that my hair and make up were all right.
I touched a hundred thousand dollar diamond necklace that covered my neck, a gift from Tony Russo, my father in law. I wouldn't dare dreaming of wearing such expensive jewellery on my body and yet here I was with this stunning piece shone brightly against my pale skin.
I turned to my side slightly, checking my beautiful Steven Khalil's twenty five thousand dollar wedding dress that my fiancé ordered for me as soon as I said yes.
I could design my own gown, I swore I could, and helped him save twenty five grand easy, but he told me he didn't want me to get stress from the pressure of the wedding that he suddenly put on my shoulders.
He'd always spoiled me like a princess, way before he proposed to me. That kind of gentleman he was, a rare species in this modern world and I was happy that I was inside his circle of friends. This was why I helped him with his crazy idea to safe his family. He hadn't stopped apologizing, he hadn't stopped thanking me and he hadn't stop making sure I knew that I could change my mind anytime I wanted.
How could I say no? How could I refuse his request when he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for his parents by marrying me, a girl who he didn't love?
Besides, I wanted to be with him, I wanted to get his full attention. I knew it was selfish, I knew I was being silly for hoping for the moon. But what could I do? I was helplessly in love with him and the only chance I could get to be with him was by agreeing to be his fake wife. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance to win his heart, I wouldn't even dream of it but I wouldn't waste the opportunity to enjoy our togetherness for few months. I would cherish him every second I could once I said I do.
My mother entered the room with tears in her eyes and she gave me a proud hug. My father wheeled himself next to her and I bent down to receive a kiss on my forehead. I could see his content heart from twinkles in his eyes. His face was pale from the illness that he suffered but his lips twitched up.
My husband to be, he was an angel that saved my father. He sent the best doctors to take care of him, he poured fund into my mother's account so that she could buy medication for my father and this was one of the reasons I agreed to marry him.
"Are you ready?" she asked, holding my hand and I nodded. It was supposed to be my father who would walk me down the aisle but since he was on a wheel chair, my mother would walk with us too. We exited the room straight to the main doors of the church, I saw my bride maids stood there waiting, Rosa my colleague and Mandy my house mate. They both smiling brightly at me and helping me to get ready for the grand entrance.
Faintly I heard the famous Pachelbel Canon in D started to play. The heavy cello accompanied Rosa's steps to the altar followed by Mandy and slowly I walked behind them. My left hand clutched my bouquet tightly and my right hand was holding my father's. My mother pushed his wheel chair.
As soon as I was in the middle of the aisle, the violins started playing, I couldn't help but noticing a group of musician dressing up in tux playing the music from the side of the altar. I shook my head inwardly, amazed by how details he organized the surprise for me. He knew I loved classical music, he knew that I secretly had this unlimited membership where I could watch orchestra anytime I wanted at the Opera house.
His idea of giving me this life performance of the most beautiful song on my most important day moved my heart. I shifted my eyes to him who waited in front of the altar together with his best man Adam. I couldn't see his face properly, my veil covered my face and the aisle of this cathedral was long and my walk was slow.
When I got closer I was surprised by his glassy eyes, he looked like he almost cried, but his lips smiled at me, his cheeks blushed a little. He was in his Brioni suit, looking dazzling as usual. His wavy black hair was swept up and to the back, giving him clean look of his face and made his brown eyes shone brighter at me.
Both of his hands were clasped together showing the sign of nervousness. He shook my father's hand then gave my mother a kiss on her cheek before taking my hand and guided me to come closer to the priest. His warm hand wrapped mine and he squished gently to give me a reassurance that everything would be just fine. I looked at him behind my veil to thank him with my smile.
The priest went ahead with the ceremony and when the time to say our vows he turned his body to face me fully and started to talk. I was quite shock when I found out that he didn't use the one that our priest had it ready. He wrote his own vow, so beautiful that made few tears run down my cheeks.
How could he write such a vow while he didn't even love me? Did he pick it up from the internet? I wondered.
Luckily I was ready myself. Being in love with him for so long made my words flew easy and I felt his hands held me tighter and tighter over every word I said. He hadn't stop looking at me with his smitten face and I couldn't help but grinning at him. He wanted to play serious in this pretence game? I gave him serious!
After we exchanged the rings the priest told him to kiss me and at that moment I suddenly wanted to bolt off the door and run away from him. I was so scared, how would I react when he kissed me? I didn't know whether I should kiss him back or stayed still? Where should I placed my hands, around his neck or keep them on my sides? I haven't been married before. And he was my first love, I didn't know how to behave around him anymore, he would be my husband. No longer just a friend, no longer just a best friend and I felt lost all of sudden. I used to discuss the most private matter of my life with him and now I couldn't. I couldn't discuss him with him, that would be silly!
He let go of my hands and lifted my veil slowly, his eyes gazed tenderly at me. His right hand took my jaw and he lowered his face. I thought I would faint when our lips met if it wasn't for his left hand that pulled me closer to him.
All my nervousness was gone into the thin air as soon as his soft warm lips pressed against mine. All my questions were answered at that moment when our lips locked. My body reacted to him, it knew what to do without me having to order my hands to circle his neck or moved my lips synchronically with his.
He took his time kissing me and the cheer from our guests disappeared when I closed my eyes and surrender to him. His thumb rubbed my cheek and his fingers curled on the side of my neck. He sure kissed me thoroughly and when he pulled out I grunted in protest. He raised his eyebrows at my noise that came out involuntarily from my throat and I blushed.
"Are you allright?" he asked, his left hand still resting on my waist.
"Yeah." I replied shortly, still unsure how to talk to him. He was my husband now!
Guests congratulated us and we took some photos before the wedding planner literally pushed us into our vehicle so that we could go to our reception. He helped me climbed into the Limo then tucked my dress carefully so he wouldn't sit on it. He smiled when he took my hand, a shy smile that I'd never encountered before.
"Do you want something to drink? Champagne?" he offered and I shook my head. He knew I had low tolerance against alcohol. "Water?" he asked again.
"No, thank you." I replied.
"You look beautiful...." I heard this before about a dozen times when we were at the church, in different variation and different words but he kept telling me the same thing.
"And so do you." I lifted my face daring myself to look into his brown eyes, I was rewarded by his charming smile.
"I really can't thank you enough for doing this...."
"Will you stop thanking me? This dress makes me uncomfortable already, let alone you say this every five minutes." I pretended to sulk.
He chuckled, "I'm sorry...." Then there he stared at me again, just like before when we were in the altar exchanging our vows. Strangely his hand never left mine during the journey to our wedding venue which was at his grandfather's mansion which had been turned into a proper reception area by some professionals, whom their fee could put holes into normal people's pockets. He was awfully quiet and it made me nervous.
"Smile Luke, it's too late to back off." I teased him and he laughed. Oh hell, why did I suddenly become the ice breaker between us?
We were close, I recognize the corner of the street that we had to turn into to be at his family's mansion. I saw people lining up along the narrow street of Vaucluse, an exclusive suburb where rich and famous resided. They carried cameras and flash started to fire when our Limo drove pass.
"Oh my god! What are they doing?" I asked in shock.
"Trying to get a glimpse of my beautiful bride." He said lightly as if he used to it.
"What? Why?"
"You're part of Russo now, everyone wants a piece of us." "Um.... I am not sure I like this...." I trailed. Came to think about it I saw white cover around the church's fences before and I also heard some choppers circling the area. I wondered what they were doing and now I knew!
"Smile Sam, it's too late to back off." He repeated my mocking. His white teeth grinned at me.
Trusting the black thick tinting of the Limo's windows, I leaned forward to his side so I could take a better look to these people, his hand rested on my back and a jolt of shiver made me close my eyes to enjoy the moment.
I knew the wedding would be private but I didn't know that it would have five hundred guests that 90% of them I didn't recognize.
"Who are they?" I whispered at him.
"Dad's and Pops' friends and business partners...." He answered before waving his hand to some girls.
"And your ex girlfriends....." I retorted.
"They're my friends, just friends." He corrected me, oblivious to my suddenly change of mood. I felt pain in my chest when some of them congratulated him by giving him hugs and kisses. Did I get jealous?
They then turned to me and did the same thing and somehow I got the feeling that they weren't sincere.
"Congratulations Sam, you're a lucky girl!" one of them smiling brightly at me. Her strong perfume almost numbed my sense of smell.
"I am the lucky one." Luke interjected, his hand was suddenly on my hip, holding me possessively. The girls raised their champagne glasses agreeing to his defense. I breathed thank you and gave them a warm smile and for the last hour I had to maintain that smile for the rest of the guests until my cheeks hurt.
As soon as I saw a chance to escape the crowd I took it. I hide myself behind the garden's stone wall and leaned heavily against it. I didn't expect that being a Russo would be this hard. I cringed when I massaged my sore cheeks.
I took a peek on the guests that walked around or gathered in several small groups with expensive champagne on their hands and fingers food made for Kings on silver platters that distributed by waters in suit.
These guests dressed up differently, they talked differently, they moved differently. They looked rich, no, they were rich and it was intimidating for me. These were wealthy people, not my class, not my group, I didn't belong here. I started to freak out.
"Hey, here you are..." Luke appeared next to me and touched my shoulder, I jumped. "Are you allright?" he asked.
"Yes." I sighed.
"I don't think so." He easily knew that I was lying. Our three years friendship made him able to read me like a book.
"No, you're right.... No, I am not.... I am not allright." I was hyperventilating.
"What's the matter?" he turned me around so he could see my face, I looked down checking my trembling hands.
"I am scared....." I whispered.
"Of what?" He immediately looked around checking for whatever or whoever that made me shaking like this.
"Of this.... All of this. This isn't me, I am in the wrong crowd.... I will embarrass you, your family....." Tears streamed out from my eyes, I wiped it with the back of my hand and he stopped me before I could ruin my makeup.
Luke frowned but finally got what I was saying. He quickly took me into his arms, "You're going to be great. I am only marrying a great girl, you know?" he lifted my chin and stared into my eyes, "Nothing to worry about, everything will be fine, they love you.... Trust me." He took my hands in his and gazed at me.
Looking into his beautiful brown eyes calmed me a bit. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath." He whispered this time. His hand on my nape, his thumb was rubbing my jaw, shooting me down almost immediately. "Are you okay now?" he asked again when my breathing started to slow down.
"Yes..... Better."
"Good...." His eyes still concerned but I was a way calmer than before. I didn't know how he did this but his touches always soothing me.
"Are you ready to do our first dance? He removed strains of hair from my shoulder.
"Oh? It's time already?"
"Yeah, come on...." He took my hand and pulled me softly so I followed him to the dance floor. I didn't realise that the crowd were waiting for us, they formed a big circle and as soon as they saw us appeared behind the wall, they started cheering followed by the MC made the first dance announcement.
When we walked to the dance floor, a familiar notes from the piano played softly from the band tucked in the corner of the garden and a female voice started to sing, Heart beats fast, Colors and promises...............
I slightly disoriented. It was my favourite song, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. He picked this song, he knew I would normally close my eyes when the song started playing. I would ignore everything around me and just enjoy every second of it.
We stopped in the middle of the floor, looking at him I suddenly went blank. The dance course that we took went out of the door. He smiled as if he knew what was in my mind.
"Follow me...." He whispered. He took my left hand and placed it on his left side of his upper arm. I heard the crowd chuckled, laughing at my clumsiness I bet.
He then pulled my waist against him before taking my right hand and lifted it slightly higher than my shoulder. We glided graciously across the dance floor followed by loud cheers from our audience.
He guided me by pulling my body gently every now and then. His large palm rested firmly on my lower back, ready to catch me if I ever stumbled.
Slowly I regained my memory of the steps that I had to do and I started moving. We fell into a flowy waltz movement.
He smiled slightly at me looking happy that I finally enjoyed the dance.
"Dip...." He commanded and I arched backward trusting he would catch me and he did.
"Spin..." again he whispered. I wouldn't be able to do any of those routine if it wasn't for him guiding me from the start. He would always be there for me, I knew he would.....
I dared myself to look into his eyes, really looking into his brown eyes that slowly became darker and gentler.
As soon as the song became slower and softer, he squished my right hand, pulled it closer toward him and put it around his shoulder. He wanted me to hug him, so I moved my left hand up and tangled my fingers together behind his neck. Our routine was forgotten when I placed my head on his broad chest and pushed my petit body against his, lifting my shoulder a bit when his left hand traveling up to stay on my bare back.
I was nested perfectly inside his embrace. He rested his cheek next to my temple and he sighed contently. We moved slowly in circle, ignoring our surrounding, ignoring a dozen whistles that cheering our spontaneous unscripted affectionate dance.
It was crazy that I could finally be this close to him that I could pick up his masculine scent and felt his warm breath tickling my ear.
"I love you....." a strange sentence suddenly came out from his lips and I froze. I stood still for few seconds trying to digest those three dangerous words that I've been waited for so long to come out from a man's mouth, his mouth.
Our body still tangled together, and I pushed his chest slightly so I could look up to see his face. His eyes said it all, those words was nothing compared to the intense love that lingered there for god knew how long. I tried to search for humour that might be hidden behind his brown eyes but I found nothing. It was only love and tenderness that I caught there and I realized it had always been there. Since the first time we've met in that parking lot. That intense yet gentle gaze of his brown eyes was always there. It only took me a second to belief that he loved me, he had been and always would be. My lips moved slightly trying to respond to his confession. I wanted to tell him that I also loved him for so long, that I would always be there for him, that I couldn't picture how my life would be like without him in it. That his smiles were my undoing, that his touches eased my pain, and his laugh, his deep heavy laugh rumbled from his chest would take my breath away, but I couldn't even form a proper sentences and only similar simple words to his that came out from my mouth, "I love you too......"
He looked stunt, disbelief of what he heard and second later a big grin appeared from his beautiful face, and his eyes twinkled. I smiled back at him. "I love you Luke...." I repeated my confession, confidently this time.
There it was, everything was out in the open and I felt lighter all of sudden. I no longer needed to pretend, I no longer needed to mask my feeling and my affection toward this gorgeous man that I called my husband. I tightened my hands around his neck, trying to tell him that I accepted him, his love, his body, his soul.
Slowly he lowered his head, a second later his lips on mine and again my head was spinning like crazy. A soft moan came out from my throat as I tangled my fingers inside his hair. All my worry went away just like that. I felt safe, protected, I felt loved and I knew I belonged to him and he belonged to me........
"Is this mean our agreement not to sleep together isn't going to happen tonight?" I whispered in his ear when we finished our dance and people started to join us on the dance floor.
"I hope so." He grinned, grasping the meaning behind my question. "Come with me..." He took my hand, guiding me out from the crowd and headed toward the swimming pool area, a secluded section of the house that hidden from the guests. As soon as we were disappeared from people's eyes he pulled me against his chest and kissed me hard on my lips. I yelped, shocked of his suddenly caveman style of attack.
He deepened his kiss and pushed his tongue forward to explore my mouth. I parted my lips to let him in. He tasted champagne... sweet with a hint of caviar that he must eat earlier. My body was on fire when his hand explored my side and finally rested next to my breast.
"Luke..." I whimpered, trying to control my body when I realized that I pushed him against the wall and my hands were all over him.
"We need to stop." I pulled myself away from him. He panted against my lips.
"Yes.... Few more hours...." He laughed softly. His hands now rested on my hips while mine were pressed flatly on his chest.
I giggled seeing his flustered face and messy hair, he looked so damn sexy and it didn't help calming me down in this situation. I reached up to tidy up his thick black hair with my fingers then I pulled his suit down, fixing his tie and his shirt.
"Few more hours and I will be yours..." I sighed.
"Hmmmm...." His eyes dreamy. He then dropped butterfly kisses on my neck and I looked up to give him a better access. Seemed like our earlier intention was forgotten, soon we were back tangled to each other.
"Ehm... you two...." Adam's voice startled both of us.
"Dude!" Luke stopped his kiss and turned his head toward his best man to give him a deadly stare while his hands still holding my waist tightly.
"Sorry man, your dad is looking for you." He raised both palms in surrender gesture. "Make sure you wipe that lipstick clean Dude....." He shook his head and grinned at me, "Mrs Russo." He nodded mockingly before walking away, a light chuckle came out from his mouth.
"Your fault for taking me to a dark corner and attacked me." I laughed, slightly embarrassed for being caught red handed making out in the dark with my new husband, something that I would never consider doing before.
"You can punish me tonight." He stole a kiss on my lips.
"I'll make sure I will....."
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