Noelle
I lean back against the kitchen counter and watch him prepare his breakfast. He looks calm, not bothered at all. He's acting like it's just a normal day for him. Can I dare to say it?
I take a sip from my coffee to keep myself from saying something. He turns to face me and cocks an eyebrow. "Oh, get it over with," he laughs. "It won't kill me."
"Just once, okay? I just have to." I hurry towards him and throw my arms around him. "Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday. I love you so much." I press my lips against his and let them linger there for a second. Then I lean back to grin at him.
"Happy?" he asks, his eyes twinkling with amusement. I nod eagerly.
"Very." "Good. So, the thing we talked about yesterday?" he begins, quickly changing the subject.
I don't mind, though. I was expecting him to be really closed off and moody today, but it's okay for me. "You mean the bodyguard situation? I told you it didn't bother me that he went to work with me. I didn't pick up my phone, so you couldn't tell me that you sent him after me. It's okay. You can stop apologizing now."
"I just don't want to seem like a crazy, protective boyfriend. I just need you to be safe." "And I love you for that. I really felt safe, and I'm glad that—I can't remember his name—was there. It's a good feeling to know that someone can jump in when I need anything."
"Okay." He hugs me tightly to his chest. "This is the best birthday I've had in a long time. Thank you, Noelle," he softly whispers against my hair.
I squeeze him tighter and press a kiss on his chest, right over his heart. "You're very welcome." My voice breaks as silent tears stream down my cheeks. "I'm there for you. Always."
"I know, Baby."
"Hey, Milli, what's up?" I say into my phone as I walk out of my office.
"Are you finished working yet?"
"Mmh, yes. Why?" I ask suspiciously.
"I'm outside waiting for you."
"Ok—" I start, but she has already hung up on me. "Okay," I say again and stare at the black screen. That was... Weird. As I leave the building, she's waiting for me with a coffee in her hand.
"Hey there," she says cheerfully.
"I'm going to kidnap you now."
"Yo—You're going to—What?" I stutter.
She grabs me by the elbow and drags me to the waiting car. "Milli," I shriek. "Is this a fucking limo?"
"Yup, that's what it is," she says in a singsong voice as I sit down next to her in the back of the car.
"What is going on here?"
"Girls' day. We're going to make you all pretty and shiny. Uh, not that you aren't already pretty. You know what I mean."
"Damien," I mutter. A girls' day? Seriously?
"Come on, this is going to be fun."
"Mmh." I highly doubt it. She turns to face me.
"Chuck and I got married," she blurts out. "What? Oh my God, Milli."
"Yeah, our families are all crazy, so we just wanted to have a private little ceremony. We took off to—"
"Vegas? You two got married in Vegas?"
"What? No, of course not. Bahamas." She grins. "It was so beautiful."
"You look so happy. I'm so happy for you." I hug her. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." She sniffs. "I'm so glad that you're not mad. I really wanted to have you at my wedding, but it was all just too much."
"Hey, please don't worry about me. I totally understand." I take her hand in mine and squeeze it lightly. "I'm happy for you! Really!"
...
"Milli," I say, shocked as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. "You look absolutely stunning."
"I—wow," is the only thing I can say. My makeup is light, my hair is curly and pushed back with a few bobby pins. It's simple but... "I love it." I smile.
Milli jumps up and down like a little girl, her fishtail braid swirling around in the air. She's beautiful. "I knew you would love it."
"Okay, but what are we going to do now? We should go out or something."
"Well..." She begins, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "We already have plans." And as the words leave her mouth, a hairdresser walks around the corner with a dress in her arms.
As I see it, the world around me seems to stop in motion. And everything makes sense. I know that I should feel panicked or scared, but I don't.
As I see the white material of the dress, my heart fills with love. This kind of love is magical, and you live your whole life without it, and then suddenly—it's the air that you breathe, the sun on your skin. It's all-consuming, earth-shattering, mind-blowing—the kind of love where I can't live without this other person. The love I feel for Damien has rocked my world and made me realize so many things at once: I don't have to change to make him stay, I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. I can let myself fall, and most importantly, I don't have to face my demons alone.He's always going to be by my side.
So, as I realize what this white dress in that woman's hand means, I know with absolute certainty that I want this. I want to spend the rest of my life with Damien.
The dress is breathtakingly beautiful, and when I finally have it in my hands, I feel amazing—so amazing. I turn to face Milli.
"He did all of this for me?" My eyes are brimming with tears.
"You're not mad?" she asks, and I shake my head. No. How could I be mad at him? He knows me better than anyone else on this planet—I'm not worried that there is a single thing I won't like.
"I love him so much. I can't believe he did this."
"Oh, Christ," Milli says under her breath. "I was so scared you'd freak out." I laugh
"He wants to marry me. He really, really wants to marry me."
Of course he wants to. Okay, then." She wipes her tears away and walks towards me. "Now we're getting you ready. I'm sure Damien can't wait to see his bride."
"His bride." I sob. "Shh, no crying. You'll ruin your makeup." "Sorry," I sniff.
...
The car drives around the corner, and that's when I see it—the property Damien has bought for us. Our future home. And everywhere you look, there are flowers—red roses, white roses. It's breathtaking. "When? How–?" I ask Milli, my voice shaky.
"Last Friday, they got everything ready." The car stops, and someone opens my door.
"Finn." I breathe out, completely overwhelmed.
"Shh, stop or I'll start to cry again." He hugs me tightly against his chest. "You really want this too? You're not mad that he did all of this without you?"
"I want this more than anything. I'm not mad," I whisper back.
"You have no idea how happy I am for you. I love you so much."
"Love you too." When Finn takes my hand in his and leads me down the flowery path, I realize something. I look up to stare into Finn's face.
"You're going to walk me down the aisle?"
"Only if you want me to."
"Oh, of course, I want that. I love you!" I press my lips together and try to keep it together. His eyes are glistening with tears as he nods his head.
"No crying," he says to himself and squeezes my hand tightly. We walk towards the porch, and I try to spot Damien, but the only people I see are Chuck with Chloe in his arms. The other people are just blurry faces for me—I can't seem to concentrate long enough to recognize any one of them. But what I do notice is the beautifully decorated garden—the white pavilion—and the little path that the chairs, wrapped in silk, form. It's the path for me to walk down. The music starts to play, and I look at my best friend.
"Ready?" he asks me and squeezes my hand for one last time. "Ready." I smile at him.
And I am ready. I've never been more ready.
We walk down the little flower path, and then finally – I can see him. Relief washes over his face, as if he was genuinely afraid that I wouldn't show up.
The sight of him knocks the air out of my lungs. The way he's looking at me, his eyes burning with so much love, proves once again that we belong together.
"I love you," I mouth, and slowly but surely, I walk in his direction. I can't hear the music – I only feel the light pressure of Finn's arm around mine – but all I can truly see, the thing that consumes my mind, is Damien. It will always be Damien.
"I love you," he mouths back and reaches up to wipe the corner of his eyes. I let my eyes travel down his body, and my lips form a smile. "You're wearing the exact same thing you wore on the day we met," I say as we reach him.
He grins at me. "I knew you would notice." He clears his throat – his voice thick with emotions. "You're breathtaking, Noelle." Finn kisses my temple and places my hand in Damien's. "Finn." Damien rasps out, unable to say more.
"Take care of her." Finn winks at him before he turns around to sit with Ben. I glance at them briefly before my attention is back on Damien.
"Before we start," he says, looking at the priest and then at me. "I know this might not be how you imagined your wedding day. But I hope this day exceeds all your dreams. I love you more than anything in this world – I worship the ground you walk on. I would do anything to make you happy."
He pauses briefly to wipe away the tears that escaped my eyes. My lips are trembling as I take in his beautiful words. "You do so much for me. With every look you give me, every kiss you give me, it's more than I ever thought I'd receive. You have no idea how happy you make me. And on this day, you're giving me another incredible gift. By becoming my wife today, you give this day back to me—the day I erased from my life for years. This is a day I'll gladly celebrate for the rest of my life. By saying yes today, you make me whole again. So, will you do me the honor?"
"Yes," I breathe out, in a soft whisper. But he heard. And if not, he already knew. This day is not a sad day. We're creating memories that he gladly wants to remember and celebrate for the rest of his life.
On this day, we make each other whole again.
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thanks for reading xx