MAY 1919
ERIK
It had been five months since the proposal, and Lara and Gustave had been enjoying their engagement since then. There was a grin on my son's face that was nearly impossible to get rid of, no matter what happened. Whenever she could be, Lara was at our home with Gustave, spending as much time as possible with him while also using him as an outlet to get out her frustrations about her mother dragging her to social events to announce the engagement. She wasn't keen on going, not to mention that she felt out of place telling her parents' associates who her fiancé was. "I'm not ashamed of you by any means, my love, but seeing their faces when I say I'm marrying an architect who is the son of an architect isn't easy," she had explained to the two of us. The nobility had never been a group that I was overly fond of the way they thought they were above the men and women who could actually do hard work and support themselves while being waited on hand and foot. Finding exceptions in Philippe and Lara was quite remarkable, but hearing of those comments made by so-called 'family friends' of Lara infuriated me to no end. Who were they to dictate who she could love?
Those scenarios and comments did nothing to deter the happy couple, though, and they were eager to start moving forward with planning their wedding. They had arranged to meet at our home to finally get started, but as I was cleaning up after breakfast that morning, I noticed how heavy it was raining outside and began to wonder if that would have any impact on Lara joining us. Just as that thought crossed my mind, there was a knock on the front door. Going to open it, I found Lara, drenched and shivering on the front porch.
"Good morning. I am cold and wet, but let's get started, shall we?" she asked as she stepped into the front foyer and slipped off her shoes, her stockings squishing and leaving wet footprints on the floor as she did.
"Lara, darling, you're going to catch a cold," I said, racking my brain for something to offer her. "I...I have a couple of spare dresses of my mother's that I inherited. Do you want to change into one of those? She was about your size, they should fit."
"No, no, I'm fine. They were your mother's, I'm not going to get them dirty and wet," she replied, wiping her feet before stepping into the kitchen.
"Lara, they really aren't that special. There's no other woman in my life to use them, and I just want to get you out of that soaking wet dress." I followed her into the kitchen and watched her pull pieces of paper that had miraculously stayed dry out of her bag and set them on the table. "Really, I won't mind if you use one."
"Erik, you're very kind, but really, I'm alright." Lara smiled at me, standing on the tips of her toes and kissing my cheek before she walked out to the sitting room. "Come on, we need to get started!"
I shook my head as I followed her out of the room; that girl was remarkably stubborn, which made sense considering how she and Gustave butted heads now and again. As I walked past the stairs, I called up to my son to get him downstairs: "Gustave, your fiancée is here! She's cold and soaking wet, get down here!"
Immediately, I heard quick footsteps as my son ran out of his room and bolted down the stairs. He walked into the sitting room, grabbing a blanket as he walked and wrapping it tightly around her shoulders. "Papa, I boiled the kettle a few minutes before she got here. Could you go get us some tea?" he asked, pressing a kiss to Lara's cheek.
I nodded, making my way into the kitchen and preparing three cups of tea. I found a smile forming on my face as I listened to Gustave teasingly scolding Lara for refusing to change out of her wet dress, while she scolded him right back for worrying about her too much.
"You and your father are the same: overly stressed about everything," I heard her say as I walked back into the room with a tray in hand.
"We care about you, Lara. That's why we worry," I replied, setting the tray down and taking a seat in my armchair.
"I know and I appreciate it, but please stop fretting over me so we can plan this wedding," Lara said, pulling the blanket tighter around her.
"Alright, fine, we'll leave you be. Now, have you picked out a dress yet?" I asked.
Lara nodded, grabbing her bag and digging around in it before pulling out a piece of paper. "This is what it's going to look like. Don't show Gustave, he's not allowed to see it yet," she warned.
"Ah, yes. That old tradition." I took the piece of paper from her, looking over the sketch of her wedding dress; a lace dress with three-quarter-length sleeves and elements of a ballgown, in the skirt particularly. It was still conservative for the most part, but the neckline came down off of her shoulders, allowing for the individuality and break from tradition that Lara loved.
"It's truly beautiful, Lara. It's going to be even more lovely in person, I'm sure," I said with a smile.
She was practically beaming as she took back the piece of paper, shoving Gustave away when he tried to peek at it. "Thank you. I really hope everything is going well with getting it made and altered."
"I'm sure it will. Now, are you sharing the duties with Gustave? He's too excited about getting to marry you to not be doing anything," I said, looking over at my son with a smile.
"I've helped a bit. I would like to help even more but Lara is keenly aware of how indecisive I am. Now more than ever," Gustave replied, sighing and crossing his arms as he leaned back on the sofa.
I frowned. "Well, I'm also keenly aware of that, but what happened this time that made it so obvious?" I asked.
Lara laughed, reaching over and patting Gustave's cheek. "Tell him how long it took you to decide on tablecloths, my dear," she said.
Gustave sighed and mumbled something under his breath, only to clear his throat and repeat himself slightly louder when he saw the unimpressed look I was giving him for mumbling: "Twenty-five minutes."
I couldn't help but laugh to myself when he said it. Indecisiveness; a Destler family trait, it seemed. "Gustave, I love you," I said, setting a hand on his knee. "You are my son, my only child. The light of my life. But all that said, you are, in fact, useless."
"Well, thank you for that. I know I am, you didn't have to tell me," Gustave replied.
"You aren't completely useless, love. Still, let me pull out the samples you were stewing over," Lara said as she grabbed her bag again.
"Please don't do that. It'll only make it worse."
"Well, now I need to see them," I said.
Gustave groaned and buried his face in his hands. "God, I am useless. How can I design entire houses down to the minute details but not pick a tablecloth for my wedding?" he wondered aloud.
Lara handed me the two tablecloth samples at that moment and I smirked when I saw them. "To answer your question: You were trained by me to design homes. No one teaches you how to make the little decisions," I said. "But that said, Gustave, these are so similar. One is crisp white and one is off white."
"I know! That's why it was hard!" my son exclaimed.
"Yes, of course. My apologies for undermining your abilities." I laughed to myself as I handed the samples back to Lara. "Use the off white."
"Yes, that's the one he eventually chose. It just took him forever to do so," Lara said with a quiet laugh.
I smiled and looked over at my son, whose face was still in his hands. "Great minds do think alike, I suppose. Don't hold it against yourself, Gustave."
"Papa, please help," Gustave said, lifting his head and giving me a pleading look. "It's quite possible that if we continue like this, the wedding won't happen until next year."
"Well, we can't have that, now can we? Let's get down to it, then; what decisions have you made up to this point?"
"The date and venue, the bridal party and groomsmen, food, party favours, and of course, tablecloths," Lara replied, reaching over to ruffle her fiancé's hair.
Laughing as I watched him try to squirm away, I got to my feet to walk back to the dining room. "Well, all of this paperwork you brought should help, Lara," I said as I scanned the pages.
"I would hope so. I'm hoping they're detailed enough," she said as she and Gustave came to join me.
"I think they'll be perfect," I replied, looking at another dress sketch. "These are for the bridesmaids, I take it?"
"Yes, they are. We made a choice when I decided on my own dress; the girls found something they all liked and we decided on a dress accordingly."
"Are you sure you need me to help you? You seem to have most of it pretty much set up already," I pointed out.
"But the décor, Erik. I can't do that on my own. It's all so daunting, and honestly, I'm a little frightened. On top of all that, we don't have a proper guest list or seating plan yet," Lara replied.
"Alright, just relax," I said, setting a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "This is your wedding; you should be excited, not frightened. Considering it's planned for September, which is only four months away, we should get the guest list done so we can start on the invitations. Is someone helping with those?"
"Father can do beautiful calligraphy, so he's offered to help with them," Lara explained.
I nodded, taking a seat at the table. "Now, sit down, you two, so we can narrow down who you're inviting."
~
"There. Finally," Lara said, making one final note and leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "At last, it's done."
"Thank goodness for that," Gustave said. "Can we go call the bakery now? I want to figure out when we can go cake tasting together."
Lara laughed, kissing him before she stood up. Neither of us was surprised at the fact that that would be Gustave's favourite part of the planning process. "Yes, let's go arrange for you to eat cake for a whole morning. Then we can start figuring out some other little details of this wedding."
"Take your time, you two," I said, watching them go before looking back at the guest list. While it wasn't as big as a typical noble wedding, Philippe still definitely had his work cut out for him. As I read over the names I didn't know, I quickly realized just how unbalanced that list was. Lara had plenty of family coming, and Gustave...had me. Nadir was like his uncle, but not by blood. Of course, there was also Maddie and Charles along with little Lizzie, but still, those were all friends who had become family. I was his only real relative.
I thought back to the letter my mother had written to me before she died, telling me of the family I had in France and who knew where else. I hated that I knew that Gustave had great aunts and uncles and cousins out there in the world. Still, it was far too late for me to reach out to them. How could I even begin a conversation with them? "Do you remember Madeleine Destler, the shut-in from Boscherville with the deformed son? Well, I'm that son!" I wouldn't be caught dead doing that, not to mention that Gustave wouldn't know any of them even if I did. He already knew of the relatives I had been told of and didn't wish to form any relationships with them, so who was I to object? It wasn't that we needed them anyway; I had made the point clear to my mother that I had wanted nothing to do with her the last time I saw her. If I had to be his only family member on the most important night of his life, so be it; I would be there for him for every single moment.
I sat by myself for a moment in the dining room, Sasha sitting by my feet as I cleaned up the notes we had made about the guests; making the scribbles on the page somewhat legible would be beneficial to everyone, I figured. As I worked, I was eventually rejoined by Lara and Gustave, which gave me something else to do besides reorganizing notes I had already reorganized.
"Have you made an appointment to select your wedding cake?" I asked.
"That we have. It's in a couple of days, so we'll be able to make our decision then," Lara said, standing next to me and looking over the guest list again. "But now all of this is sorted, so I wanted to figure out the big wedding tradition of 'something old; something new, something borrowed, something blue'. My dress is my something new, Mother is giving me a sash to tie around my bouquet, which will be both my something borrowed and my something blue. I still need something old, though."
Immediately, an idea came to mind and I got to my feet to act on it right away. "I'll be right back," I said before I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. Opening one of the drawers in my dresser, I scanned its contents, looking for what I wanted to take back downstairs. When I had finally gotten my drawers organized some time ago, there had been one empty one that I had decided to use to hold little trinkets I had acquired over the years. Much of the space was filled with velvet boxes that I had used to hold the necklaces and rings that I had inherited from my mother; I had plans to pass them down to Maddie, but until the moment came, I kept them in boxes so they wouldn't be damaged.
What I had come up to find, though, was in the largest of the boxes. I gently set it on top of my dresser and opened it up, a small smile on my face as I picked up the necklace and looked at the large black onyx stones set in it, the diamonds and pearls around them complimenting them beautifully. I ran my finger gently over the centre stone and my heart felt like it was sitting in my throat. There were so many memories linked with that piece of jewelry; I still remembered crafting it. It had taken nearly a month of painstakingly detailed work, which Ms. Fleck had offered to help me with it, but I had been too desperate for perfection to trust anyone else to do it for me. Christine was too special for it to be flawed in any way.
Holding it gently in my hands, I made my way back to the dining room and tapped Gustave on the shoulder. "Put this on her," I whispered as I passed him the necklace.
He looked down at it with wonder in his eyes, so clearly recognizing the piece of jewelry from that fateful day on Coney Island, then back to me as if to ask for permission, just as he'd done with the ring I had given to him to propose with. I showed him how to unclasp the necklace and placed it gently in his hands, nodded back at him to confirm my statement, then gestured to Lara, who was too busy fussing over the papers on the table to overhear our conversation.
With a nod, Gustave walked up behind her, brushing her hair over her shoulder before clasping the necklace around her neck. "There's your something old," he said, a small smile on his face.
Lara turned to face him, her hand held to her chest over the necklace. I felt my heart jump into my throat when I saw her wearing the necklace; repressing my own emotions and memories was proving to be a difficult battle, but one that I was set on winning. I watched her step out to the foyer to look in the mirror and took advantage of that moment to wipe a tear away before it got a chance to fall. Her reaction reminded me so much of the reflection I had seen in the mirror of that dressing room all those years ago.
As she walked back into the room, her hand was still held to her chest, but there was a new look of amazement on her face. "Gustave...it's beautiful," she said. "But what about it makes it something old?"
I decided to pipe up, knowing I could explain the necklace's meaning a bit better than Gustave could: "I crafted it myself and gave it to Christine just before her final performance. The stones match the one in your engagement ring if you'll notice."
Lara's mouth fell open as I said that, and her free hand joined the other over the necklace. I noticed that she was touching the piece of jewelry as though it were made of glass, as though it would shatter if she pressed too hard.
"You...you made this for her?" she asked, her voice quiet. She was well aware of how delicate a subject anything involving Christine was for me, so she was undoubtedly approaching it carefully.
"I did, yes," I replied. "My gift to her to wish her all the best before the performance, to give her a piece of me to have on stage with her. Little did I know that it would be the last gift I would ever give her."
"Then you have to keep it," Lara immediately replied as she finally moved her hands from her chest to the back of her neck, starting to unclasp the necklace. Her efforts were in vain, though; I designed the clasp myself so that I would've been able to be there every time Christine put it on and took it off, having intended for it to be a special thing for the two of us. "I can't possibly take it, Erik. If it belonged to her and it was the last thing you gave her, it's far too valuable."
I gently grabbed her wrists and lowered her hands, smiling at her. "You can and you will wear it. I want you to, and believe me, Christine would have wanted that as well. Were she here, she would have given it to you herself," I said.
She smiled back at me, then hugged me. "Thank you," she whispered. "It's beautiful."
"It's my pleasure. Anything I can do to make your wedding all the more special for you and Gustave," I replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
~~~~~
The three of us took a break from planning shortly after I gave Lara the necklace, stopping for lunch and conversation, which we realized had ended up taking longer than we thought it would when Nadir joined us. We finally managed to get back on track, though, and decided to start trying to narrow down the flowers. It should have been straight forward, but in the end, it wasn't as easy as we had hoped.
"So the flowers for my bouquet and the other arrangements should be tiger lilies," Lara said.
"Roses," I said simultaneously.
The two of us paused and looked at each other, confused by the disagreement on what was such a basic subject. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Gustave get to his feet and briskly walk to the doorway. "I, uh...I think I hear Uncle Nadir calling me from the other room. Coming!" he declared as he hurried out of the dining room, leaving me and Lara to our disagreement.
"Roses..." I repeated, sounding slightly more unsure of myself than I had intended.
"Tiger lilies," Lara said, a much more firm tone to her voice.
"I really think roses would compliment the dress and the necklace, that's all."
"And I know that the lilies wouldn't be such a stark contrast against the white of my dress, making an even more beautiful pair. Erik, I love you very much and I hate to pull this card, but who will be walking down the aisle holding these flowers? I believe that would be me."
I opened my mouth to raise another point but stopped when Lara glared at me, almost daring me to proceed. "Lilies it is, then," I said with a nod. "I apologize, I don't mean to seem overbearing."
Her scowl disappeared and was replaced by a smile as she turned back to her notes. "Don't apologize. I just really wanted these flowers," she said. "Mother knows an amazing florist, so I'll get in touch with her about making the arrangements."
"Perfect," I replied as I watched her scribble down notes. "You frighten me slightly, you know."
"I think I would like to keep it that way." She looked at me and laughed before she looked back at her papers. "So what's next on our list of decisions?"
"Telling Gustave it's safe to come back now, I believe. Then we can discuss dances and the like."
"Probably a good idea. I'll be back," Lara said as she bounced up out of her chair and hurried out of the room, quickly returning with Gustave in tow and Nadir following close behind.
"Are we sure it's safe to be here when you two are at odds?" Nadir teased as he leaned on the back of my chair.
"I've already won that debate, so you'll be fine," Lara replied with a laugh. "But we just want to narrow down the dances. I think the father-daughter dance is pretty straight-forward, as Father has already said that he definitely wants to do it with me. So I suppose we just need to arrange the mother-son dance and..."
She trailed off then as she realized what she was saying and a heavy silence fell over the room. I looked down at my lap, starting to fidget with my ring, and sighed shakily when I felt Nadir set his hand on my shoulder for support. It hit me hard all of a sudden; it had hurt knowing that Christine wouldn't be there to see Gustave get married, but hearing Lara talk about the dance that he would never share with his mother made it worse. And I knew that if I was struggling so much, my son was fighting even more to hold back his emotions.
"Gustave, I...I'm sorry," Lara said quietly. "Would you like to dance with my mother, perhaps?" She was clearly trying to mend the situation so things could run smoothly and so that Gustave would be alright; I knew that she hated to think she had hurt him.
"No, thank you," Gustave immediately replied. "I appreciate the offer, Lara, but no."
"Gustave, it's tradition. Perhaps you-"
"Well, damn tradition!" His outburst made Lara flinch and I quickly lift my head to look over at him. His face was flushed like it always was when he was upset and trying to fight back tears. I'd seen that face before, but not on the man that stood before me; it had been on the face of the young boy with so much to say but not a large enough vocabulary to say it.
"Your mother is lovely, but...but I won't share that dance with anyone but my mother," he added, his throat tight as he spoke.
I was quick to get to my feet to pull him into my arms at that point, and I felt him bury his face in my shoulder, clutching my jacket in his fists. "No one is going to make you do it, my boy. You are going to have your mother with you that night, you know that," I said, gently rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him.
I felt him nod, but he didn't try to move away from my embrace. I glanced at Lara as she stepped over and wrapped an arm around Gustave's waist. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even suggested it, my dear," she said softly.
"No, it's fine. You didn't mean it," Gustave croaked as he straightened up, tears still in his eyes, and pulled away from my arms, only for Lara to hug him tightly, her head resting against his chest. "You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have snapped like that, it was unfair to you."
With a sigh, I set a gentle hand on his back, making a decision on his behalf: "Why don't we leave the planning for now? We can pick it up in a couple of days when you two have your appointment at the bakery. For now, let's just relax. I can get fresh tea made and we can have some of Madeleine's muffins with it."
Gustave nodded, looking over at me with a small smile, though I could tell it was forced. "Okay. Thank you, Papa," he whispered.
~~~~~
A couple of days went by, giving everyone some time to cool off and relax. The rest of the first day of planning had been difficult for Gustave; even after putting a hold on the planning process, after the incident when organizing the dances, he had been quiet for the remainder of the day, even going to bed early. The next morning had been when all his feelings spilled over and I had ended up simply holding him and letting him cry for quite a while. I was glad Lara wasn't there at the time; I knew that she held it against herself for even suggesting the dance and upsetting him in the first place, so seeing him in such a state would only have made her feel worse. Not only that, but I didn't believe Gustave would have been able to express the same level of grief in front of her; of course, he trusted her, but I knew my son, and he would rather bottle it all up in front of her than let her see the full depth of the pain.
Still, that difficult day passed and made way for a new one, which Gustave was already more cheerful about. He and Lara headed off for the bakery that afternoon after having lunch together at our home, leaving myself, Nadir, and Sasha to our own devices.
"So I don't think we've gotten to talk about this whole thing, just you and me," Nadir said, drying off a plate and setting it back in the cupboard. "Your son is getting married in a few short months. How are you feeling?"
"Old," I replied, sighing as I finished washing the dishes and leaned up against the counter. "I still can't believe that it's happening. It doesn't make sense to me that so much time has passed. Still, I'm happy for him. Thrilled, really."
"Yes, I am too. Especially since he asked me to be his best man."
I raised my brows, surprised to hear that. "He did?"
"Indeed. I tried to refuse, insisting he should leave it vacant in William's memory, but he's your son; persistent as ever," my friend explained.
"That is true. Still, that's very nice, Nadir," I said with a smile.
"I thought so too, yes. Anyhow, they grow up fast, Erik, there is no denying that," he said. "No matter how much you want them to stay small enough to hold, you can't stop it."
"Yes, so I've learned. I just wish he hadn't been forced to grow up so quickly because of the war. He didn't deserve to be thrown into adulthood the way he was," I said.
"I know he didn't deserve that, but I know you say that more so because his life mimics your own in a way you never wanted it to."
I sighed, absentmindedly twisting my ring around my finger. "Yes, that's exactly it. I'm glad he told someone other than me about what happened; he was so convinced people would hate him if they found out about that, about what he did that night, so to see that isn't the case is important for him."
"Of course it is. I hate to see how much of a toll it took on him; he hardly held it together when he told me," Nadir said. "It reminded me too much of you. It was hard to watch."
"I would imagine. Still, I appreciate you being as gentle with him as you were with me all those years ago. It makes more of an impact than you know," I said, shooting him a smile.
He smiled back, patting me on the shoulder. "That was my hope," he replied, turning his head when we heard the front door open and Sasha start to bark. "Here's the happy couple now. Are you ready for Gustave to be all hyper on sugar?"
I rolled my eyes. "I've gotten used to it over the years," I mumbled as Lara and Gustave walked into the kitchen. "Welcome back, you two. Did you choose the cake?"
"Yes, all of them, apparently," my son replied as he flopped down onto one of the chairs at the dining table.
"Right, I'm going to have to ask you to forego the sarcasm and elaborate, my boy."
"We love cake too much, it seems. We couldn't pick one!" Lara exclaimed, pulling her hair out of the ponytail it was religiously tied up in and running her fingers through it.
"Well, you have to pick something," Nadir said. "As much as Gustave would love to have every kind of cake at your wedding, that is not exactly practical."
"But Uncle, they're all so good!" Gustave protested, practically whining to Nadir.
"You two are as useful as children set loose in a candy store."
"Oh, we know."
I couldn't help but smirk at Gustave's confirmation of the ridiculous dilemma he and his fiancée were dealing with. "Well, are you leaning towards one?" I asked.
"Oh, red velvet, for sure," Gustave quickly replied. "Definitely red velvet."
"I was thinking of vanilla, but I realize now that I have gotten to decide most things for this wedding. We can do a red velvet cake," Lara said, smiling at her fiancé.
"Yes!" Gustave practically shrieked, throwing his arms in the air before jumping up and hugging Lara.
"That's yours. I do hope you're proud," Nadir said, looking over at me.
I sighed as I looked at my practically giddy child. "Am I proud of my son who was in the army and is getting married, but who I still didn't manage to make sure was mature enough to handle himself? I am, somewhat," I said, glancing at Lara. "There's still time to change your mind."
My comment was greeted with a glare from my son. "I truly feel loved, Papa," he said.
Lara giggled as Gustave lifted her and twirled her around, the skirt of her dress billowing up around her feet as he did. "I think I'll keep him," she replied.
When he set her down, he kissed her on the cheek and responded to her with a slight mockery in his tone: "Well, I would hope so."
~~~~~
"We have to plan the seating now."
That simple statement from Lara was enough to make Gustave groan, Nadir drop his face into his hands, and me lean my head against the back of my chair. The power so few words had over us was remarkable.
"Can't they just sit wherever they want?" Gustave proposed.
It was then that the four of us looked at each other, weighing the suggestion and if we could forfeit a seating arrangement altogether. However, I quickly realized just how impractical it would be to let people sit where they pleased and needed to vocalize that thought: "That would most likely be chaotic."
Gustave immediately groaned again, only to lift his head and frown when Lara flicked his cheek. "It's not that difficult, relax," she said. "Let's just get it over with and start with the head table. Besides Gustave and I, of course."
"Your maid of honour, your parents, and myself," I replied with a small smile on my face. Sitting at the head table, at the front of the room, for the entire night, did not make me feel particularly comfortable, but I was determined to put that aside for the sake of the couple.
"Oh, and Will!" Gustave said, jumping off of the sofa and running out of the room to go upstairs.
We watched him go, but Nadir was the one to get to his feet. "I'll go see what he's up to and bring him back. You two keep working," he said as he walked out after my son.
"Well, I suppose we should continue," Lara said, looking back to the sheet of paper in front of her. "Given that Nadir is the best man, he'll be at one of the front tables. Do you know if he's bringing anyone with him?"
I frowned, realizing that he had never mentioned it and that it had never come up in conversation. "I'm not exactly sure. If you leave the list with me, I can ask him tonight and try to get an answer. I have a feeling that if there is someone, he'll be too shy to talk about it in front of everyone," I said.
Lara smiled as she quickly made a note of a vacant spot beside nadir at his designated table. "I do hope he ends up bringing someone. I think that would be very nice for him," she said.
"Yes, I do too," I replied with a nod.
"Besides Nadir, I know Gustave wants Madeleine, Charles, and Elizabeth nearby. Perhaps one table for that group. I know our group that we know from school will need their own table as well."
"Yes, they certainly will. You are a rowdy young group when you're all together."
I ran a hand through my hair then, listening as Lara listed off her family members and giving my halfhearted opinion about where to seat them. When it came to her cousins, though, the list of them seemed endless and I progressively grew more tired of it to the point that I needed to say something about it: "Does it really matter where the cousins go?"
"Of course it does! They're family!" Lara exclaimed.
"But Lara, darling, how often do you see them?" I asked with a sigh, turning my head and frowning when I saw Nadir and Gustave trying to sneak out of the room, clearly making an escape attempt. "Get back here, you two, or so help me. I refuse to continue seating Lara's cousins by myself."
"Oh god," Gustave groaned as he walked back in. "Well, settle in, everyone. If we're doing the cousins, we're going to be here for a while."
~~~~~
Even with all of Lara's cousins, we had managed to complete the seating plan in about an hour before ending the planning for the night. We shared a meal before Lara finally went home and Gustave went up to bed, leaving me and Nadir alone. As I cleaned up the seating arrangement notes, I saw the empty seat beside my friend, reminding me to ask him about a guest.
"So is there anyone you intend on bringing with you to the wedding?" I inquired.
"Well, I haven't heard from Adele yet after I told her about it, so otherwise, I'm not sure," Nadir casually replied as he sat with me at the table after making tea for the both of us.
I looked up from the paper in front of me, finding a smile forming on my face as I looked at him. "Well, well. I didn't think you were going to pursue that," I said.
I laughed quietly to myself as I watched the tips of his ears turn red, making it blatantly obvious that I was already embarrassing him. "I...I hadn't intended to, but...things changed," he stuttered.
"And how are you feeling about those 'things'?"
"Why are you interrogating me, Erik?"
"I am not interrogating you. You should know, considering you are usually the interrogator in our relationship. I am merely asking simple questions that any concerned friend would ask. If you don't want my concern, I will take it elsewhere," I said with a haphazard shrug, attempting to make it look like I was hurt by him brushing me off.
"Look, I do appreciate the concern, Erik. I'm just still trying to figure out all of these 'things' myself," Nadir said.
"Well, if you need to bounce your thoughts off of someone, you know I'm here," I said, picking up my teacup to take a sip as I waited for him to talk.
My friend sighed, but eventually caved and started to explain: "So your suggestion to ignore her comments didn't go the way I wanted, and she kept making the comments in question."
"Now hang on. I don't remember saying 'ignore'. I recall telling you that you should figure out your own feelings before going ahead."
"I seem to think 'ignore' was in there, but sure, whatever," Nadir replied. "Either way, me not acknowledging the comments didn't do anything to discourage them, but...I didn't find myself disliking that so much after a while."
"Well, that's a step forward," I said with a smirk.
"I would say so, yes. Anyhow, we've kept up our correspondence, as you know; she's taken up residence in Switzerland now, which is where she went after stopping in France for Christine's funeral. And once I stopped ignoring her comments and...started returning them, things progressed a bit," he explained, the redness returning to his ears.
"How intriguing. I've heard Switzerland is nice at this time of year. Perhaps you could go visit."
"I will admit, I have been considering it more and more."
"You look like you could use a vacation, my friend. While you're there, the two of you can spend some time together, then you can bring her back and you'll have a date for the wedding," I said.
"Erik, you don't need to say that just because you want me to be happy," Nadir replied, setting a hand on my knee. "I know things are difficult, to say the least, between your family and her. Just know that if it's going to make things uncomfortable, she doesn't have to accompany me."
"For one, I'm sure Gustave would be intrigued to know how this has all played out. Besides, he loves you and would want you to be happy."
"Intrigued, maybe, but that doesn't mean I want to make him even the slightest bit uncomfortable on his wedding day just because I decided to bring the person I'm fond of along with me on my arm."
"Well, if you want to be sure, the easiest thing to do is go talk to him," I suggested. "You know he'll be happy to speak with you."
"Yes, I should do that. I'll go speak with him now. But if he says that he's alright with it...save a space next to me on the seating arrangement, please," Nadir requested.
"It's already done, my friend," I replied.
He smiled at me, patting my knee as he got to his feet. "Thank you, Erik. I appreciate it. Gustave is getting ready for bed, I take it?" he inquired.
"That's on the assumption he listens to me," I replied with a roll of my eyes.
"We'll go with that, then. I'll just go speak with him before I go home."
"Let me know how it goes," I said. "That way, if it all is well, I can write in her name and we can ask Philippe to get an extra invitation ready."
"Of course I'll let you know. You know that," Nadir replied.
"Just thought it was worth reminding you."
"Well, I appreciate it. I'll be back."
~
NADIR
Walking out of the kitchen, already nervous about the question I was going to ask, I made my way up to Gustave's room and found him sitting in bed reading. "You still don't listen to your father when it comes to bedtime, hm?" I asked.
"Never have, never will," he replied, not even looking up from his book.
"Yes, so I've realized," I said with a laugh. "I'm sorry to interrupt your reading, but I was hoping to talk to you about something."
Gustave turned to me then, quickly marking his page in his book and setting it down. "Of course. What is it?"
"I was...hoping to bring someone with me to your wedding. A 'date,' if you will."
"That's amazing, Uncle!" he said, a wide smile on his face. "Who is it? Why haven't we met her yet?"
I sighed, wanting to approach the subject delicately in case the response wasn't as favourable as I wanted. "You remember how I was writing to Adele Giry, don't you?" I asked as I sat next to him on the bed.
"Yes, of course. Papa and I made fun of you for being oblivious."
"You did, yes. But I have stopped being oblivious, actually, and have been writing to her more and more...sharing her sentiments."
I noticed his eyes going wide as he caught onto what I was saying; he was a quick study, just like his father. "Oh my god. Are you trying to ask for my permission to bring her?" he asked.
"Yes, but Gustave, if you are uncomfortable with that or with having her there, I completely understand. Don't feel bad about telling me no if that's how you feel," I said quickly.
"Of course it's alright with me. I want you to be happy and if she makes you happy, then I'm okay with her being at the wedding," Gustave said, only to laugh at me. "But come on, Uncle. I've never seen you so nervous to talk to me! You've never been one to beat around the bush. What were you so afraid of?"
"I just didn't want to upset you by asking. I know how delicate a topic anything to do with your mother and that night is, and I understand how difficult your relationship with the Girys is as well. I didn't want you to be upset by me even asking if she could attend such a major event in your life."
"The important thing is that you're going to be there as my best man. Whoever you choose to bring with you is irrelevant. Besides, it's mostly her daughter that I have an issue with."
I managed a laugh, though I knew that he was hardly joking. "Right. Well, it would only be Adele who would be joining me, naturally, but...thank you, Gustave. It means a lot to me," I said.
"I'm already going to be one of the happiest people on earth that day. I want to make sure that you're having a good time as well," Gustave replied with a smile.
"I appreciate that. Your father has already set aside a seat for her beside me, so that's all sorted. I mentioned the wedding to her in a letter; she can't quite believe you're getting married."
"Understandably. The last time she saw me I was ten."
"Yes, indeed. That was a long time ago, wasn't it?" I asked.
"It was. It's really crazy to think about sometimes; I've been living with Papa for half my life now," Gustave said, a fond smile on his face at the thought.
"Yes, you have. Madness, isn't it? It just makes your father feel older than he is," I said with a laugh.
"I know, and I won't lie, I do enjoy reminding him."
"Oh, you and me both. It's an enjoyable pastime, really."
"His face as he does the math in his head to get to his age is priceless," Gustave pointed out.
"It really is. It's hilarious to watch," I chuckled.
Gustave laughed, but quickly got his composure to continue our conversation: "So are you going to ask Adele to come through a letter or are you actually going to see her?" he asked.
"I am actually thinking about going to see her for some time and then have her accompany me back here for the wedding," I replied.
"That's a big step, Uncle. But that means you won't be here during the final stretch before the big day," Gustave said. I could tell he was being supportive of my endeavours, but his slight disappointment could be seen in his eyes.
"I know. I really hate to miss it, Gustave, you know I do," I sighed.
"This is important to her, to both of you. You should go see her," he replied.
"I really do appreciate the support, Gustave. I wish I could be here for those few days before the big day, but...Adele and I have been talking about meeting face to face for so long."
"Go for it, Uncle. I'm sure seeing each other will only mean good things. We'll be okay here, I promise."
"Oh, I'm sure you will be. As long as you can keep your own head on your shoulders as well as your father's, you'll be just fine," I said.
"Maddie will be around to help with that. Don't worry, though; at least one of the adults in our life will be here when you're not," Gustave replied.
"Yes, as long as Madeleine is here, Erik should be okay. Emphasis on the 'should be'," I said with a shake of my head.
"Exactly. You've raised him well, but it's time to let go." His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he set a hand on my shoulder and teasingly gave me a sympathetic look.
"Oh, if I must. It will be hard, but I'll get used to knowing that he's out on his own." I sighed and rolled my eyes, making the two of us burst out laughing. It felt good to sit and talk with him; it had been much too long since we had gotten a chance to speak, just the two of us.
"But who knows? If all of this goes well for you and Adele, we could be planning another wedding in the near future," Gustave teased, smiling wide.
"Oh, stop it. You...you're being ridiculous," I replied, feeling my cheeks burn and knowing he could tell by the tips of my ears when he laughed.
"You say that now, but you might change your tune in time," he replied.
I shook my head, shrugging his hand off of my shoulder. "Gustave, we're barely started courting...seeing each other...I don't even know what to call our relationship at the moment."
"Look, I didn't say that you were proposing marriage when you get there. I'm saying that, in time, who knows what could happen? Also, I'm saying that you should put me down for chicken at your reception."
With a roll of my eyes, I gave him a flick to the temple. "You're a little pest, you know that?" I asked. "Too much like your father."
"Ouch," he whined, rubbing his temple with his hand. "Look, I just want you to be happy with someone you love. I'm teasing."
"Yes, well, teasing or not, I can tell you are excited about this hypothetical wedding that I can see you planning out in your head."
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement."
I raised a brow, looking at him suspiciously. "Oh, okay. Let's test that - if you are planning my wedding, what colour suit would you have me wear?" I inquired. "If you aren't, then say nothing."
"I have every right to keep my ideas to myself," Gustave said, only for him to add, under his breath, "But on an unrelated note, you would look good in a steel grey."
"Ah, there it is," I retorted, giving him another flick.
"Alright, quit it! That actually hurts, you know."
"Indeed. That is the intention, you little twit."
"So now I'm a pest and a twit. However did I manage that?" Gustave asked.
"You're related to Erik Destler. That's how," I said dryly.
"I was summoned?" we heard Erik say and, looking to the doorway, saw him leaning against the doorframe, clearly having come to look for me after I didn't come down right away.
"Well, no. I just said your full name to explain to your son how he can be both a pest and a twit at the same time," I replied.
"Ah. I mean, you're not wrong. It is in the gene pool," he said with a shrug.
"That's what I was telling him, yes. He was wondering after I called him both of those names in the course of about two minutes."
"A new record. Well done, my boy."
"Thank you," Gustave said, looking at his father with a grin and a mock bow.
I shook my head. "You two share a single brain, I swear," I said.
"Are you only just figuring this out now, Daroga? You're getting slow," Erik replied, a smirk on his face.
"I've been told that comes with old age. You aren't that far behind."
Rolling his eyes, Erik sat on the bed with us. "Yes, you needn't remind me, thank you very much. Now, I trust you got the answer you were looking for, given that you look rather cheerful," he said.
"Yes, I did." I found myself smiling as I said it, quickly realizing just how happy my new situation was making me. I hadn't thought I could be happily romantically involved with someone after losing Rookheya, but having Adele in my life, I was starting to recognize just how wrong I had been.
"Good. Well, her seat has already been reserved beside you. I suppose you should write to her and tell her the good news along with whatever sort of flirtatious comments you usually make."
"You make me out as such a romantic, Erik," I said with a laugh.
He simply shrugged in response. "If the stories you told me about you and Rookheya are anything to go by, I would say so, yes."
"Listen. I like to think that with the help of literature, I have improved."
"I appreciate you confirming my assumptions about you being a romantic, first of all," Erik said with a smirk. "Secondly, it's interesting to hear your confidence in that area, my friend. It's been a long time since I've heard you be so confident about your chances with a woman. Not since Persia."
"I know. It feels odd, honestly. I haven't done this in quite some time," I admitted.
"I'm sure it will all be fine. You're quite the gentleman, you'll manage."
I frowned slightly, looking at him in surprise. "I think that's the first time in a long time that you have genuinely complimented me. I'm touched."
"Don't get used to it. Still, I can see you're quite taken with her. I'm happy that you're happy," Erik said, smiling at me.
"Thank you, both of you," I replied.
"We want the best for you, Uncle," Gustave said as he hugged me. "Come on, Papa, join the hug."
I heard Erik sigh but eventually felt him wrap an arm around me. "We do want the best for you, Nadir. We'll do what we can do to help make sure you get exactly that," he said.
~~~~~
As time passed, the more minute details of the wedding were worked out, and Erik and Gustave started losing the ability to help, since Lara knew what she wanted and, thanks to nerves and her personality, she stuck to it. In the end, as a bystander, I would most definitely describe Gustave, Lara, and Erik as useless, terrified, and overbearing respectively.
One night, Madeleine, Charles, and Lizzie visited so Lara had another female mind working on some of the details, which meant the men were banished to the kitchen for the evening. In the end, though, Charles decided to take advantage of that.
"So what are you going to do for your bachelor party, Gustave?" he asked.
"Ah, yes. That could always be fun," I said with a nod. I assumed he had already considered it, so I was hoping the following conversation wouldn't be too difficult.
"Bachelor party?" Erik and Gustave inquired simultaneously, though the former wore a much more confused expression on his face.
"You're joking, aren't you? Your wedding is only a few months away and you haven't even considered it?" Charles inquired with a laugh.
"I've been a bit occupied with helping Lara plan the actual wedding! It crossed my mind, but I haven't given it much thought," Gustave said in his defence.
"If I may interject: bachelor party?" my friend queried. I looked back to Erik and noticed a familiar look of confusion and frustration on his face - the same expression that he always wore when he didn't understand something.
"God, you're both useless," Charles mumbled.
"Hey, the only wedding I have ever been to was for a Persian vizier and there was no bachelor party there," Erik said in his defence.
"Charles, please just tell him," I requested with a sigh. "They need help if this is ever going to happen."
"Yes, agreed. Erik, a bachelor party is generally thrown by groomsmen to celebrate the last few days that the groom is a bachelor. A goodbye party to single life, if you will," Charles explained.
"That almost makes it seem like the groom is disappointed to give up his status as a single man," Erik replied, his skepticism blatantly obvious. "If I'm wrong, forgive me, but isn't marrying one's fiancée meant to be an enjoyable experience?"
"It is, yes, and it isn't that the groom is disappointed. It's more so that he's closing a chapter in his life and celebrating that fact."
"Well...I suppose I can see how that would be very enjoyable. We should certainly organize it."
Gustave frowned, turning to look at his father. "Thank you for, once again, making my decisions for me," he said.
"You implied that you had already considered it but hadn't gotten to solidify your decision. I'm doing it for you," Erik said with a shrug.
"I mean, I think it could definitely be fun," Gustave replied. "Does it have to be only my groomsmen? A couple of our friends who are also Lara's bridesmaids would kill me if I didn't invite them."
"Well, it is generally just the groomsmen, but it's your party, so it's up to you," Charles said.
Gustave grinned. "Good. Nat and Peggy would be furious if they couldn't join us. Anthony, Stephen, and Bruce will be pleased to have them too," he said.
"Well, if you have your group chosen, what would you like to do for this party of yours?" Erik inquired.
"Oh, I haven't the slightest," Gustave replied. "Charles, what did you do for yours?"
"Translation: how much trouble did you get yourself into?" I said with a chuckle.
Charles laughed, running a hand through his hair. "God, it's been years now," he said. "My groomsmen and I went out for the night. We had a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant with good friends. That was all I needed...of course, there was also the part where I got absolutely hammered and they put me up in a hotel for the night."
Both Erik and I were laughing as we tried to imagine our friend, twenty-odd years younger and drunk beyond belief in a hotel room. "Did you do something stupid? What kind of drunk are you, Charles?" Erik inquired.
"You act as if I remember it," Charles scoffed. "My friends had to tell me that it even happened."
"You know, you did something similar to me, Erik." I couldn't help but laugh again when my friend whipped around to look at me, that same confused look on his face. "Wow, that was quite the turn. Did you hurt yourself?" I teased.
"I think I did, actually," Erik replied, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "But what do you mean I did the same thing to you?"
"What do you think I mean?" I asked.
"When was I drunk?!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, this is probably a fantastic story. Do tell us," Gustave begged, a wide smile on his face at the prospect of embarrassing his father.
"This was in Persia. I was at home, enjoying a peaceful evening to myself when a messenger from the palace arrived and told me to come with him to the party that the Shah was throwing that evening. I had to get all dressed up in the overly fancy robes I wore to events like that to deal with this nuisance," I explained, gesturing to my friend with a sigh. "I was supposed to take him home before he did something he would regret."
"You were called in!" Gustave exclaimed as he burst out laughing.
"You partied with a shah?" Charles asked, his confusion evident.
"Indeed he did. The sight I saw when I got there was just priceless, Erik; a cup in one hand, your other hand dangerously low on a woman's waist. Not to mention the harem girls sitting around you. You were flirting and smiling; quite enjoying yourself."
"I was drunk enough to have confidence? What was I thinking?" Erik wondered aloud.
"I don't know what you were thinking. What I do know is that if there would be any night when you would have slept with the Khanum, that would have been it," I said, laughing to myself at the sheer horror that was gradually appearing on my friend's face.
"Alright, hold on. Who wanted to sleep with Erik?" Charles asked. "Explain that before you move on."
"The Khanum - the mother of the shah. Erik was her magician, but she tried to get him into bed the entire time he lived in Persia," I explained.
Charles frowned, glancing back to Erik. "God, how long ago was this?" he inquired.
"A long time ago. I was in and around nineteen. She was far too old for me to be comfortable with it," Erik replied with a sigh.
"Yes, that does seem...bizarre to say the least."
"I don't know what she saw in me anyhow." Erik paused then, slowly turning to face me again. "Nadir, for the love of all that is good, please tell me she wasn't one of the women I flirted with."
"Do you really want me to answer that question?" I asked with a raised brow. Knowing him, he didn't want that revealed to people, but at the same time, he was probably going to pester me until I told him, embarrassment or not.
"It was her, wasn't it?"
"I cannot confirm nor deny that at the expense of what little dignity you have left."
"God, it was her!" Erik groaned, putting his face in his hands.
I smirked as I noticed just how uncomfortable I was making him; it was always fun getting that sort of reaction out of him. Not to mention that Gustave's laughing was putting a smile on my face at the same time. "Well, considering you've said it yourself now - she was the only one that you seriously flirted with," I said.
"What do you mean 'seriously flirted with'?" Erik asked, looking back up at me with a frown.
"Well, her harem girls were there with her. From what I heard - and saw - at the party, they were not left out of your flirtations," I replied.
"Brilliant," Erik mumbled, leaning his hand in his hand. "I didn't do anything besides flirt with her...right?"
"Oh, I stopped you before any of that could happen. There were whispers that she kissed you once or twice and that you...well, reciprocated, but those were only rumours. Not to mention that you were drunk enough that you tried to get her to come home with you, but that didn't happen. If it had, that would have meant her coming to my home to spend the night with you, so I was not about to agree to that," I explained.
"Well, the shah would have had my head if he-" Erik trailed off, yet another thought dawning on him. "When we went home...did he see me like that?"
"He still had his sight at that point, so yes, yes he did," I replied.
"Sorry, again, to interrupt this priceless story, but when you say 'he', who do you mean?" Charles inquired.
"Reza, my son," I said with a small smile. I couldn't help but recall just how set on helping Erik my little boy had been, despite not having known him all that long then. He had adored Erik, that much was for certain.
"You're kidding! You were that close to something happening. You told me that it would never happen between the two of you," Gustave said through his laughs, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "That's incredible. What else happened, Uncle?"
"He said a lot of things that I will tell you about later," I replied.
"Oh, dear God. Please, just tell me," Erik requested, already bracing himself for what I had left to say.
I smirked, giving him a nod. "Well, you were far from pleased with me for taking you away from the Khanum; you cursed me out a little, actually. Despite that, everything after that is a happy memory for me because, even then, I knew that I would eventually be able to use it against you. Not to mention that it is so much fun watching you squirm when you don't know something," I explained with a nod. "And don't even get me started about the hangover you had the next day; you were hilarious. Needless to say, you took a day off from work."
"How bad was it? Please give us details," Charles said, starting to enjoy the idea of pestering Erik.
"I said I will tell you two later. It was very bad, though."
"That's the only thing I believe I vaguely recall; that splitting headache," Erik said with a sigh.
"You wouldn't even let me open the curtains anywhere in the house. Apparently, the light hurt that much," I chuckled. "Reza was very sweet to you, though. He made sure you had a cold cloth for your head and plenty of water to drink."
The mention of my son looking after him when he needed it was enough to put a smile on Erik's face despite his embarrassment. "Bless that little boy's heart," he said.
"Yes, he was set on making sure you were alright. Needless to say, you were quite tolerant of him despite how uncomfortable you were."
"Welcome to me during the first year of him being in my life; tolerant despite my discomfort," Erik said, gesturing pointedly at Gustave. "I like to think being with Reza set me up for being a responsible parent to Gustave."
"Responsible? Sure," his son scoffed. "Remember the time you forgot me at the store? And at school?"
"You forgot to come and get him from my house as well," Charles added.
Erik rolled his eyes. "You hear what I used to put in my body, yet you still point out that I have memory loss and a lack of responsibility. A little redundant, wouldn't you say?" he asked, only to shake his head. "How did we get so deep into my idiotic teenage actions? Can we get back to this bachelor party?'
"It isn't hard to do, Erik. I have plenty of stories. You were with me for three years, you know," I pointed out.
"Okay, I understand. I, like many, had a stupid teenage phase. Let's move on."
"Alright, fine. That's enough for now," I said, looking at Charles and Gustave with a wink. I was going to tell them more stories; Erik just didn't need to know that.
"So Gustave, the moral of all this is that we would all prefer that you didn't get totally drunk on your bachelor night," Charles said with a laugh.
"Agreed," Erik and I chorused, though the former sounded much less amused than I did.
"So just going out for dinner with my friends sounds like a plan. I'll get them to make plans and I promise that I won't get drunk," Gustave said.
"Wonderful. Now that's settled and we can never bring this up again," Erik said as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
I laughed, turning to the door as Madeleine and Lara walked in, Elizabeth asleep in her mother's arms. "What were you all laughing so hard about?" Lara inquired.
"For the record, they were laughing. I, on the other hand, was dying of embarrassment," Erik clarified. "Just so we're all on the same page."
"I'll tell you on our walk back to your house, Lara," Gustave laughed, taking her hand as she walked over.
"Do I get to hear this too?" Madeleine inquired.
"Oh, you will, my love. You certainly will," Charles said with a sly grin in Erik's direction.
"You all hate me, don't you?" Erik asked. "Every single one of you."
Madeleine gasped playfully as she passed Elizabeth to her husband. "Oh, it's at Erik's expense? That makes it even better!"
Erik groaned in response, but Madeleine was quick to giggle and wrap her arms around his shoulders. "I know, I know - you're teasing, you love me, I get it," he said, chuckling when she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're lucky you're one of my best friends, Madeleine Edwards. You are very lucky."
~~~~~
ERIK
"I can't believe you're doing this."
I rolled my eyes as I glanced over at Nadir, who was sitting on the edge of my bed and looking back at me. "You don't need to be here. Go home if you're going to sit here and gawk," I said, turning back to the mirror and adjusting the new hairpiece that I wore on my head.
"I can't help but gawk, Erik. You're standing here in a poet's shirt and trousers - the most casual I've seen you dressed in years - with a new hairpiece that has grey in the sideburns. This is new to me," Nadir replied.
"Yes, I get it. Me accepting my age and reflecting it in the way I look? Unheard of," I retorted, keeping my eyes on my reflection.
"Papa, I'm going to take Lara- what is that?" I heard Gustave ask. Turning to the door of my room, I saw my son looking at me with a confused frown.
I smirked, slightly amused by how baffling the slight change to my appearance was to everyone. "I just thought I would try a new style? What do you think?" I inquired.
"It's fine, it's just...strange to see," Gustave replied.
"Good, someone agrees," Nadir said. "I mean, he's late. I started getting my grey hair years ago."
"Not all of us aged as quickly as you, Daroga," I retorted.
"Well, not all of us had to deal with you for a good portion of their lives."
"Touché."
Looking back to the door, I smiled as Lara walked in with a slight frown on her face. "Gustave, what's taking so long? What deep conversation are you three having in here?" she inquired.
"Lara, look at this," Gustave said, gently pulling his fiancée over to me. "Look at him."
"Gustave, you're being-" I began, only to stop when he held his hand up to silence me. "Alright then."
"Just look at him and tell me when you see something different," Gustave instructed.
I sighed, watching as Lara looked at me with the same frown still on her face. Eventually, though, it faded and made way for a surprised expression instead. "Oh my, Erik, you didn't," she said.
"Trust me, love, he did," Gustave replied with a nod.
I couldn't help but laugh at the reactions I was receiving. "You all look so shocked. You make it out as if you don't like it."
"No, no, Papa, it's not that. We just weren't expecting it, that's all."
"Well, I'm indifferent," Nadir said with a shrug, getting up and walking over to stand next to my son.
I looked at him and shot him a glare. "When did I ask for your opinion?" I inquired.
"You don't need to ask. Consider it another one of the many services I offered," he replied.
"Don't you have your own home to spend time in?"
"Don't you have any other friends your own age?"
"Who needs friends when I have an enemy like you?"
"Oh, you know you can't function without me for extended periods of time."
I opened my mouth to retaliate once more, only to stop when Lara flicked my arm, doing the same to Nadir and Gustave, who had yet to stop laughing. "Stop it, all of you," she said, though she couldn't stop a laugh of her own from slipping out.
"Why? You have to admit that they fight like a married couple," Gustave replied, clearly seeking to defend his laughter.
Nadir and I looked back at each other, only to shudder at the concept and turn away again. "No we don't," we said simultaneously.
Lara couldn't help but laugh along with her fiancé by that point. "Well, they do talk at the same time," she added. "It's actually quite cute."
"No, we- oh, stop it!" Nadir and I snapped at each other.
"All jokes aside, though, I think the grey makes you look very dapper, Erik," Lara said, managing to stop laughing and looking at me with a smile.
I nodded, glancing back at myself in the mirror. "Thank you, Lara. That was somewhat the aim, besides accepting the fact that I am indeed ageing. At least someone bothers to say something nice," I said.
"You know what, Destler?" Nadir said with a raised brow.
"Alright, alright, I think we're all quite exhausted from the planning today," Gustave said, deciding to step in before Nadir and I started bickering again. "I'm going to take Lara home, and I expect to see you both alive when I get home."
"No promises," I said, glaring at Nadir as we spoke at the same time again. "As tempting as it may be to finally silence this echo that I seem to have."
~~~~~
GUSTAVE
"I can't believe your father was flirting with the Khanum herself," Lara said with a giggle as we walked hand-in-hand down the street to her home. "That's sort of amazing."
"I know, I still can't quite wrap my head around it either. Especially since he always denied anything happened with them," I laughed. "To be fair, based on his reaction, I don't believe he even remembers it."
"I'm surprised he got out of Persia with his head on his shoulders. The shah really must have missed that, or he just liked your father," Lara guessed as the two of us walked up the front steps of her home. "Either way, I'm glad that he made it out because it means that I got to meet you."
I couldn't help but smile at her, and that smile only widened when she mirrored the expression on her own face. Every day with everything she did, every word she said, made me fall more and more in love with her, and I was only getting more anxious to be able to call her my wife.
Taking her hand, I lifted it to my lips and gently kissed her knuckles. "Sweet dreams, ma chère," I whispered before I walked down the stairs.
"Forgetting something?" I heard her ask. Turning around, I found her watching me expectantly, a small smile playing on her lips and a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Ah, of course. How could I forget?" I quickly stepped back up the stairs and wrapped my arm around her waist, my other hand cupping her cheek. "I love you, Lara," I whispered as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, feeling even more perfect than I had before.
~~~~~
updated: 12-08-20
word count - 11,768
WOW this chapter was a beast but it was so much fun to write. i had the time of my life getting it done, and we hope you guys all enjoy it! it's long, so it gives you something to do in quarantine hahaha
this is genuinely one of my favourite chapters so far and the next couple are even better. we hope you love it as much as we do
thank you for reading!