•CHARLIE•
I looked down at my silk, long sleeved and navy blue Versace shirt that was tucked into fancy black pants. I wore black, equally fancy shoes and topped it off with a short necklace.
We were about to start off to go to Theodore's cousin's wedding and I wasn't okay. I was nervous and scared. I didn't know what to do when we got there. I'll obviously meet his family, that made me excited and terrified at the same time.
"Are you ready?",Ted asked as he walked in, his body adorned in a classy black tux and he held the jacket on his arm. His hair was neatly gelled back and a black bow tie lay in between the edges of his collar.
"Could we wait a little?",I asked nervously.
He chuckled,"You've been saying that since you woke up. If this continues, we won't go anywhere".
"Then let it be. Tell your cousin that we can't make it",my eyes brightened at the brilliant idea that clicked in my mind,"tell her that I broke my leg and you were too worried to leave me al-".
I was cut off by Theodore capturing my hands in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze and softly said,"Hey, I know that you're nervous about this but I want you meet my family. Even though some may be reluctant to accept you, I want them to see how good a person you are".
I blushed darkly and pulled my hands away from his,"God, Ted, again with the embarrassing words",then I smiled sheepishly,"but thanks. That's made me feel much better".
He pressed a soft kiss on my forehead and wrapped an arm around my shoulders,"Let's get going then. Victoria and the others are waiting downstairs".
The wedding was like every other wedding. Beautiful, emotional and boring. The decor was amazing and I kept staring at them throughout the service, the bride had a beautiful dress too. The father who was joining these two yet to be married souls was a very slow talker so I had to keep myself distracted or else I would have fallen asleep.
After the service, we went outside and I stretched my legs a little then held Ted's arm.
"Are you okay?",he asked as he looked at me with concern.
"Yeah, I'm just...",I trailed off, looking to the side in embarrassment.
"Exhausted?",he completed.
I looked up to deny it but he gave me a knowing smile,"I'm sorry for being rude".
He chuckled,"Don't apologise. I was expecting you to fall asleep but you tried your best to stay awake so I'm grateful for your effort".
I smiled at him and rested my head on his shoulder,"I'm really tired".
"Don't fall asleep yet. You need to meet my family, remember?".
These words made me stand up straight. I forgot that important bit of information. I brought up my hand to rush it through my hair but Ted held it.
"You'll mess up your look",he warned and I responded with a frustrated huff.
"You made it!",Blake exclaimed as she made her way to us. She wore a tight, short and beautiful red dress and her blonde locks fell passed her shoulders.
I let go of Ted's arm and hugged her,"Save me",I whispered, eliciting a giggle from her.
"You want Ted, don't you?",she asked, pulling away from the hug.
"Yeah",I mumbled stubbornly.
"Then be here. He wants to show off and rub it in their faces that even though you're a guy, you're made for him, okay?".
I frowned slightly,"You two have a thing for saying the most embarrassing things",I complained.
Ted suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. I looked up at him in confusion at the sudden public display of affection.
"Theodore",a woman called as she made her way to us with an older looking man in a dark grey suit.
"Mom, dad",Ted said, causing me to go rigid.
She stopped in front of him and smiled,"I'm glad that you made it".
He returned the smile,"Thank you".
"You came a little late though. What took you so long?",his father asked.
"Oh, about that",his hold on my waist tightened,"this is Charlie",he introduced,"Charlie, these are my parents".
I gave them a nervous smile,"Uhm, hello".
His father nodded,"Its nice to meet you. I've been very curious to meet the person my son's dating ever since he mentioned it at the table. I hope that you'll fit into the family, Charlie".
His words gave me confidence and it showed in my smile,"Thank you. I hope that I'll fit in too",I looked at his mom and my smile faltered at the disapproved look on her face.
"What about you, mom?",Ted pressed,"anything to say?".
"Even if I say anything it won't make a difference. Do what you like",with that heavy blow to my confidence, she walked away.
Mr. Bentley smiled at me apologetically,"I'm sorry about that. She's still upset so give her some time".
I nodded, my smile long gone,"I'll try my best then".
Mr. Bentley left and I let out a heavy sigh, my head now resting on Ted's shoulder.
"Don't mind her",he said and I tried my best to smile but it didn't come out right.
Later that night, we headed out to the reception event and it was even more lively than the church service. The large room was filled with many people and had a fine set up.
Ted and I were ushered to our seats and we took them. Everyone seemed to be immersed in conversation while I just sat and listened to whichever conversation seemed more interesting. Thirty minutes later, food was served and we all dug in.
It was soon time for desert and I stood up to serve everyone despite there being workers doing it.
Since Ted's mom was a hard nut to crack, I thought that I'd atleast impress her with the red velvet cake I baked especially for this occasion.
When I went to the kitchen, I found that the large cake had already been cut to the required number of pieces so I took one of the trays and set out for my mission.
After serving about half of the table, I reached Theodore's parents and lay down the small plates of cake.
I paused for a moment to witness Mrs. Bentley's expression. She took a bite of the cake and let out a small hum.
"This tastes good",she whispered to her husband.
The comment made me feel so elated that I resisted the urge to do fist pumps.
"The stuff Charlie bakes are always so good",Blake, who sat next to her mother, quipped in.
Mrs. Bentley rose a brow,"Charlie?".
"Teddy's boyfriend. He's been working at Lizzy's for half a year and he's already the second head patissier".
She nodded, a look of approval finally making its way to her features. She turned her head slightly and looked up at me,"You're really good".
My face slightly burned up in a light blush,"Thank you".
"I always fall in love with his treats, mom",Blake continued as she scooted a little closer to her,"the cream is wonderful too".
Mrs. Bentley nodded, taking another bite from the cake.
I looked up and my eyes met Ted's from across the table. He gave me a proud smile and I gladly returned it. I hope that she'll be okay with me someday because I put a secret recipe in this particular cake.
What's the most important thing on a cake?
For me, it's the cream. A plain cake can be made the most beautiful thing on earth with only cream whipped or swirled on it with wonderful expertise.
But I guess love works too.
•THE END•
~
We've finally reached the end of this book and I hope that you had a great experience!
I'm so proud of myself. This unfolded so beautifully. I've got a lot to say but everything will be said in the afterword.
Kindly check out my new book, Higan. You'll easily find it on my profile. Thanks~
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