[to all who have experienced moments considered to be everlasting dreams.]
• • • •
|TWO MONTHS LATER|
"I think the word you're looking for is completely enamored," Emilia gushed with a keen smirk towards the elder.
It'd been nearly minutes after both women had helped Cassandra through the grueling process of makeup, decorating her pristine skin with ever so delicate color. They surely fortified every breathtaking feature the artist harbored. And although the evident glow on the young brunette's face could be credited to the speck of blush applied to her cheeks, the blonde seemed adamant that the rouge hue resting on her complexion had nothing to do with the makeup. Instead, she was convinced of the more undeniable fact that she would marry the love of her life in just a matter of hours.
"I like that reason better," Betsy chuckled sweetly.
It wasn't long before she faced the mirror with avid determination to make sure her own appearance was up to par with the glorious occasion. The elder's red nails grazed by her skin as she perfected her lipstick, and before she knew it, the older blonde found herself reminiscing on her precious Cassandra. She smiled as the artist walked over to the grand mirror and sat; her own reflection being displayed upon it of which did nothing but send chills over Cassandra herself. The delicate and angelic gown enveloping her was breathtaking, and it seemed as if every movement she made ignited lovely specs of diamonds to shimmer. Truthfully, the artist had never been one to be overly concerned with excessive makeup, and while the way her complexion was adorned felt rather natural, it didn't change the fact that she felt gorgeous with just a mere glance. A meek smile played on her lips as she focused on Emilia behind her— fixing each delicate curl within the elegant hairdo —and deemed it impossible for either of them to deny the amazing milestone seemingly hours away.
"Oh, dear... She just looks like an angel."
Cassandra blushed at Betsy's words as she kept her gaze fixed on the mirror. It was pretty difficult to fight the urge of an emotion, and while she was incredibly excited for what would transpire, the constant trembling of her hands suggested otherwise. Any sort of fear was definitely not involved in the inability to stay still. The jolt of energy through her veins could only be considered as pure adrenaline on her part, and it was nearly impossible to soothe herself.
"You really do look amazing, Cassandra."
The brunette smiled towards Paola's compliment. If there was one thing Cassandra was sure of, is that all of the women surrounding her seemed to exude the exact beauty she knew each obtained. Paola's fiery strands of hair seemed to only intensify the beauty against the aquamarine satin enveloping her, and she could only grin in awe at the sight. She wanted positively everyone she'd ever grown to love to be present that day, which eventually included the redhead and her blue-eyed Francisco to attend the happy ceremony. The inevitable friendship didn't even served as a surprise for her any longer. Her snippets seemed to only warn her of things that would happen whether she saw them to be plausible or not.
"My God, you're shaking, Cassy." Emilia furrowed her brows before placing her hands on top of Cassandra's shoulders.
An evident smirk played on Shay's lips— Cassandra noticed through the reflection —and it wasn't long before the blonde stood on her feet, letting the aquamarine satin material effortlessly flow down to her feet. She looked ravishing in her gown, and while Shay certainly felt grateful for a decent bridesmaid dress— unlike the ones she'd seen in every cheesy movie— she felt as if no one could ever outshine the bride's commanding presence and beauty.
"Of course she is," Shay chimed in with a quick once-over at her dress and hair. "This is a big deal! I mean, I cannot believe my brother is getting married. It was only yesterday that we met each other back in New York, remember?"
"Oh my God, yes!" the artist gushed. "Can't believe it's been so long since then."
"I know, but I still have the sketch you drew of me." The blonde noticed the light within Cassandra's eyes, a certain glimmer that reassured both of them about the distant memory. When silence took hold of the room again, the artist took the moment to voice out her feelings.
"I can't tell if I want this to happen already or if I'll be too nervous to actually live through it."
Light laughter emanated from the women towards Cassandra's remark. And while the artist did the same, the truth behind her words still reigned her thoughts. Despite the slow acceptance that perhaps each of her dreams about Ryan truly meant something, the real possibility of marriage being part of it was something that never made its way into the artist's mind until later on. Sure, it would have been futile to ignore the chances of it happening someday, but she never thought it would take form merely months after the couple had mentioned the idea.
"Well, I'm going to go tease my big brother for a bit." Shay snickered. It would be a lie to act as if Cassandra's heart didn't hammer against her ribcage at the sound of Ryan's name. Nevertheless, she smiled before turning back as Shay made her way to the door.
"Hey," she muttered, causing Shay to halt. "Can you tell him that I love him?"
The blonde smiled. Although, in any other moment she would've grimaced in disgust— the premonition of true love was something she was yet to get used to —a reassuring grin served as an agreement towards the artist's request. Cassandra smiled back before sighing through the nerves, regularly smoothing out the pristine fabric that couldn't have been smoother than it already was.
"Is this right?"
Francisco chuckled at Jason's grimace as he continued to fix his tie. Though not completely inexperienced with it, Jason Badal wasn't one to wear much of any tuxes in his day. The one time he remembered wearing such elegant attire had been back when he was a young lad— the ominous occasion being none other than the expected demise of his grandpa. With a quick recall of his past, the only other time he'd worn a tux was for his senior prom. And even Cassandra— the most platonic date he'd ever got to experience after Alaina, the prettiest girl in school, had rejected his proposal —didn't particularly care for whether or not he wore a tie with the tux, which he did not.
"Looks fine to me," Francisco mused with a shrug.
"I feel like a dog. Since when do black collars around men's necks make them look presentable?"
"You can take it off at the reception if you want," Ryan muttered with a smile.
"Gladly," Jason shot back before chuckling. It wasn't long before the three men gazed at the opening door, and all were rather surprised to see Shay Eckhardt on the other side.
"Well don't you guys clean up nicely," she gushed. "You all look like you could buy an island with cash" —that earned an airy laugh from Jason, who could barely afford his own apartment for three consistent months— "and by the way, your future wife says she loves you."
"Tell her I love her too," Jason chimed in, jokingly. When Shay laughed in response, both Francisco and Jason decided to leave the room for a minute, giving the Eckhardt's time for a private chat.
The blonde's smile remained as both men shut the door behind them, only to then turn back to her brother. "So, should I get some pen and paper to give to her or is the message that short too?"
"Just tell her I love her too," Ryan muttered with a grin. "Did you come over here just for that?"
"No, I wanted to tell you that you better not screw this up. You two look very cute and happy— it's going to stay that way."
"Yes, mother."
"Hey! No back talk either, young man. And speaking of mothers, there's a little surprise for you. Don't know how you'll like it but, it wasn't my idea."
"What is it?"
"Who," Shay corrected. "And you'll know in a minute. I should get going and tell your confession of love to Cassy before she faints."
"Wait, is she good?"
"Yeah, she's fine. Just nervous, excited. Kinda how you are right now." The blonde smirked before clasping Ryan's shoulder. She kissed his cheek sweetly with a light hug as she waltzed out of the room. And as Ryan smiled to himself and turned back to the mirror, he was unaware of the other person making their way into the room— who was now merely feet away from him.
"I don't think I've seen you this nervous."
The potent voice lingered around the room and it did its deed in making Ryan jolt unexpectedly. He'd fixed his tie with little to no expression moments beforehand, as if any response to what was happening could make him truly morph into a bundle of stress. Ryan turned around towards the source of the voice; though the immediate recognition of it left him breathless. He had an idea of who it was, but had categorized it as an impossible thought. It had to be hallucinations somehow; classic pre-wedding symptoms. The young man let out a suffocated sigh as his chest heaved seconds after turning around in response.
"Dad?"
Ryan stood in awe. The last time he'd seen his father, they didn't ended in the best of terms. In fact, the last thing he had declared in the presence of his parents was his blatant refusal to follow any of their wishes, including the outright decision in pursuing a woman neither of them knew much about. Because of this, the young man stood in silence before gulping at the presence of his father. It'd been a couple of months since their last encounter— though it never diminished the uncomfortable check-up calls Ryan would make just to calm his own conscience.
"Still remember me," Mr. Eckhardt chuckled under his breath. "I have to be honest, I barely recognized you."
Both men knew the statement had nothing to do with Ryan's outward appearance. In that regard, the young man was only prone to just subtle changes in hair length and personal choice of facial hair or not. But despite that, he was aware of his father's attempt in complimenting who he had become— qualities that were apparently noticeable to anyone willing to look for them. Ryan plastered a weak smile on his lips, nervous tugging on his sleeve more times than he could count before watching his father walk farther from the door and closer to him.
"I didn't think you'd come," Ryan muttered with evident surprise laced within his voice. "Is mom here, too?"
The young man's heart warmed up as his father nodded in confirmation. His brows furrowed at the mere fact that his father was in front of him after convincing himself both of his parents practically disowned him— it surely felt that way. Mr. Eckhardt mirrored the pained smile as he looked down at his hands. Despite the circumstances, he would've never been capable of missing his first born's wedding. With a focused glare at his son's own eyes, he tried to muster up the words he'd planned to say during the flight to Seattle.
"I can't miss it."
The father's words seemed to be enough to catch not only his son off-guard, but himself all the same. Gerald Eckhardt knew of his son's decision. And while it was a sure shock for both him and his wife, it didn't change his subtle pride towards his son's choice in taking control over the life he had. Interestingly enough, the respected lawyer felt out of place within the presence of his son because no amount of bickering could obscure a simple fact he was deemed to recognize. He realized that while his parenting was nowhere near adequate by any means, he'd been granted a chance to be the father of a young man that had little in common with who he was. And that, in his own reasoning, proved to be an incredible blessing.
"I just wanted to give you that pre-wedding speech before you get out there. Even though, I'm pretty convinced I'm the last you'd want advice from."
"I would've agreed," Ryan uttered with a solemn expression. Nevertheless, the immense amount nerves within him seemed to declare otherwise. "But, I'm willing to listen if you actually have anything."
Gerald shook his head in amusement. It was impossible to refute the detached tone of Ryan's voice as he spoke to him. "Are you willing?"
Ryan shrugged in response as he remained quiet for whatever would escape his father's lips. When he pictured this day for himself, having his dad by his side was a given. But unfortunately, the more secrets were uncovered and flaws exposed, the thought of having such a good conversation with him proved to be unlikely. That didn't mean Ryan didn't appreciate the mere fact that he was there in the first place.
"If you want this marriage to work, be who you are now."
Mr. Eckhardt's words hung in the air as his son waited for more to be said. Saying what he planned to proved to be far more difficult than given credit for because doing so would plaster his own flaws in the limelight. And for once, the brooding lawyer was far more incompetent with his son in front of him than a group of twelve jurors.
"I need you to stay who you've always been, Ryan. Everyone thinks children are generally just replicas of their own parents," —the lawyer shook his head to himself in disagreement— "but I think we both know your mother and I had nothing to do with the amazing young man you are right now."
"Dad, you don't have t—"
"I can't even understand this myself. After all I've become throughout the years, I would've thought you would turn out to be a copy of me. But, you're different. And that's why I know that even if your mother and I know nothing about this girl, she must be quite the catch to make a guy like you consider marriage." The lawyer felt immense realization draping over him with each minute he continued to see who his little boy turned out to be. "I thought you didn't want to marry Jess because of marriage in general... but turns out you knew exactly what and who you wanted."
"Just because you're not perfect doesn't mean you're a bad parent, dad." Ryan stood in silence as his words hung in the air, rather astounded by what he'd just uttered and the act of comprehending them for himself. No matter how flawed the man had become, there was one thing that remained sure throughout the entire transformation: Gerald Eckhardt would always be his father. The one father Ryan knew he would regret not appreciating until it was too late.
"That still doesn't make any of this okay...."
"I don't care, dad," the son muttered under his breath. In that moment, Ryan could only feel gratitude over the idea of having his father present during such an important moment.
Mr. Eckhardt smiled weakly at the statement. And as the lawyer's heart continued to soften with each moment in the presence of his son, he opted to show just how sorry he had been. The realization had set in along with the reality that the young Eckhardt— the one who had always yearned to be by his father's side —was no longer the little boy who looked up to him as a mentor. Instead, Ryan Eckhardt had become his own person— a much better one at that. With a deep sigh, the lawyer made his way over to his son and was greeted with an emotional hug from Ryan himself. The young man chuckled with tearful eyes at the hasty but deeply needed embrace.
"I love you, son."
"Wait," Jason halted. The sudden action caused Cassandra to stop as well, all while being enveloped by the sparkling white gown as she inched closer to him once more.
After long hours of preparation, the atmosphere was a clear testament to what would transpire in a couple of minutes. The artist knew well about the reality that all of her dearest friends were now on the other side of the grand door and would soon witness the confession of love she had for Ryan. And yet as she turned and examined Jason's expression, Cassandra knew whatever was about to transpire would make it impossible to hold back any tears. The very thought of Jason Badal having to wait and actually speak up about something during such a monumental day made her heart beat relentlessly. A tearful smile played on her lips once he lowered his gaze and fidgeted, glancing up eventually towards the one woman who had singlehandedly become the sister he never knew he needed. With a reciprocated grin, the artist laughed nervously at the silence and gave the young man proper time to muster up what he wanted to say.
"You have no idea how happy I am for you," he began, and it wasn't long before Cassandra's hypothesis was realized.
"Jason, please don't make me cry."
"No promises," he countered with an airy chuckle. Despite the sound of his laughter, it radiated evident nerves as he continued to lower his gaze to his hands once or twice. "I just— I want you to know how honored I am to actually walk you down the aisle. And that's only because I feel like we've walked hand in hand through life every since high school."
The artist could feel her eyes stinging right then, and it took every fiber of her being to hold back her desire to cry. She allowed herself to reminisce on her early years of high school, back when the world seemed to plot against her. It hadn't been long before she began her last year of school that her father had passed, and luckily, Jason had already become an incredible blessing— someone she could count on to be there through the hardest time of her life. She'd never guessed his ultimate role years later, and she surely didn't have any dreams to somehow alert her of the fact that he would become such an important person throughout her future. Now, there he was, about to not only walk with her down the aisle but also hand her over to a future he knew would benefit her in every way.
"I feel like we were meant to meet each other, Cass. We were both dumb teens just looking for someone or something to rely on, and I just never knew that it would be you. I love you so much," he declared with subtle tears peering through the corner of his eyes. Through his attempts to remain composed, he swallowed thickly with each sentence he spoke, pausing whenever he deemed necessary for his own sake. "And I know for a fact that your parents would've been so proud of you if they were here."
His words made the young brunette shut her eyes immediately, but as opposed to considering it as a grim trigger, it was the type of comfort she'd been hoping for. It wasn't long before Jason's hand held onto her own as she fought back tears, only to then lift her gaze up towards him once more as he finished.
"And you know what?" he murmured with a lopsided smile, tugging a small strand of hair behind her ear with a tender touch. "I'd like to think that they are here for you today."
"Jason," she whimpered softly with a grimace, nearly allowing her body to rest solely on his shoulder as she hugged him tightly. "I love you so much. You have no idea how important you are to me," Cassandra mumbled through as she sniffled, caressing the back of his blonde hair sweetly during the emotional embrace. As the pair hugged with overbearing emotions, Jason could surely feel Cassandra's instinct to let tears stream down. And it all honesty, it took him a lot more determination than he thought to stop himself as well.
"Don't cry, Cassy. This tux is a rental," he chuckled halfheartedly. And judging by the sudden vibrations against his chest, a smile played on his lips to hear the artist's laugh following shortly after.
"I think this is just a preview of what you'll see on the altar," Cassandra shot back meekly. Just as she declared it, her heart seemed to want to jump right out of her chest.
"He's a good guy," Jason muttered as he pulled back and looked at the brunette. "I didn't even have to threaten him with hot coffee, either. If you didn't know, that basically means he's passed the test."
Cassandra laughed before following Jason's lead, intertwining her own arm through his as she held the small and delicate bouquet of flowers on the other hand. She remembered the last time she'd held so many flowers, and while it was known to be for a heartbreaking reason, all she could do was smile at the ones she had now. Perhaps, Jason was right. Maybe her parents were there with her. Just maybe, they were encouraging her to not focus on their death, but rather the life she was given to live. The artist breathed in before shooting a reassurance glance at Jason.
"No tears," he ordered with a smirk.
The artist nodded before adding, "Only happy ones today."
With a sweet kiss on her hand, Jason echoed her words in a lively tone. "Only happy ones."
The minute her eyes scanned the premises, Cassandra's heart skipped a beat. She was surrounded by the people who had stolen her heart, and the more she walked with the gentle music looming over them, all the nerves seemed to dissipate. A bright grin took hold of her as she noticed Betsy wearing her incredible smile, just as evident as Shay, Paola and Emilia's as they stood at the altar with anticipation. The shocking presence of Ryan's parents was something she didn't expect at all and it only made her heart speed up as she clung onto Jason. And it wasn't long before her gaze landed on Ryan himself— the man avidly waiting on altar with a mesmerized expression. The deep love caged within his eyes was reassuring for Cassandra as she blushed, deeming it impossible to force the grin off her face.
"I better be the godfather of the kid," Jason muttered as he handed Cassandra over to Ryan. The couple withheld their laughs as the artist kissed Jason on the cheek, taking a hold of Ryan's own hand as they both proceeded up to the altar in unison.
Frequent words were said to announce their commitment to one another, and while she was completed present in the moment, Cassandra seemed to have drowned out most of them as she continued her focus on Ryan. In truth, she never thought the man could smile as much as he did throughout the entire thing. She thought back to the first time she'd truly seen that face up close a year ago as he pierced through the continuous rows within the plane. And now as she thought of herself, the idea of being so petrified of meeting him was just an appalling and comical fear. The same woman afraid of what her dreams could mean was now the one standing with a firm confirmation and a soothed soul. No matter how hard she would've tried to fight it, her own future was willing to catch up that much faster.
She returned to reality as Ryan prepared to give his vows. If he were being honest, the act of writing his vows beforehand was something he never found pleasure in. The pressure was excruciating, but after some revisions from Jason, he hoped it would somehow explain how he felt. His gaze lowered with a growing grin on his face as his chest heaved in preparation.
"Cassy, I love you. Before you, I found it really hard to actually get through each day. It was easy for me to grow a bit cynical about people and love too, so obviously finding out that I practically fell for a random girl sitting next to me during 6-hour flight left me a little bit worried." The young man smiled at Cassandra's own chuckle. "And the one thing that always reminds me of you has to be, without a doubt, windows." He laughed. "But, I think there's one thing you don't know about me... Even though I seem to take flights all the time, I don't really like flying. I did anyway, though. And that's only because I thought the flight was worth going through when I knew you would be waiting for me on the other side. That's when I knew you were the one for me... Because not only was I willing to endure countless flights just to see you, but I'm still willing to fly through 26 hours or more if I have to— only if you promise to be right beside me instead."
Cassandra caught on to his proposition, smiling at the idea that their entire lives would just be the most beautiful flight ever taken. She knew that with all great trips through air, turbulence would be inevitable sometimes. Fights and misunderstandings were a guarantee, just like a bit of rustling within the plane was deemed as a possibility. And just like any other flight, they would have to turn on the seatbelt sign. To regroup, reconsider, and recompose. Each sudden tussle through life would wake them up to the simple fact that some things were more important than others, and that just like any other instinct when facing rough paths, buckling up and fortifying the reminder of why they were so in love with each other would be the reoccurring wake up call for both of them. The window would be open sometimes— the moments when the sun rays would shine and all would be well. And other times, darkness would cloud over their journey. But, she was willing to face it all the same. Especially when she knew how safe she felt beside her favorite passenger.
A quick nod was given by the artist as she wore a bright grin. Her glossy eyes remained fixed on him as she promised to stay right by his side for the rest of their lives. When it was her turn to say her vows, Cassandra breathed in deeply.
"I love you. And I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to explain how much even if I tried, Ryan. I was so scared about a lot of things in my life. Recognition, the future, airplanes," she emphasized with teary eyes. "Maybe even love." Cassandra gripped onto his hands tighter as if the dream would be over at any minute. "But just like when you showed how silly it was to be afraid of opening the window during flights, you also showed me how easy it was to love again. I thought I was missing out on life because I didn't have a family of my own... but you reminded me that I already had one. And just like everyone in this room has become part of my family, you're the missing piece I never knew I needed until I had you. Just how you've become my family, I hope to be yours for as long as we live."
Infinite chills ran down her spine as she allowed tears to fall and watched the awaited wedding ring was placed on her finger. She did the same to Ryan's own hand, watching as his smile only seemed to mirror hers. If that was so, it would be impossible to believe she'd been grinning so much. And as the announcement that Ryan could kiss his bride run out, the words weren't fully spoken before their lips collided happily. She'd only be able to comprehend everything a few days later because as of that moment, the idea of finally being Mrs. Eckhardt was still impossible to accept as a reality.
• • • •
hella long chapter, sorry ah! but i guess it works as a makeup for missing a day to update. it was just really hard to write this week but i hope this was worth the wait.
LOOK AT HER ofmdkdjd my own book is killing me. is this normal? do you guys have any favorite characters? any that you have grown to love that much more as the story ends? let me know!
vote, comment and share!
xoxo
-Kayyyy