Leaving it to chance [ Serendipity Series #01 ]

XXIV: kahangturan

Kahangturan — (adj.) time without end; forever, eternity [ bisaya/cebuano ]

* should there be any bisaya words used throughout the chapter, translations will be provided.

***

The day before the wedding, it was pure madness. And I, sadly, was one of those who was caught up in it. Guests were coming in, the venue was being stepped up, last minute arrangements were being made. I wasn't part of the planning process so I didn't know much, but all hands were on deck at this point, all to make sure that Ate Aria and Kuya Kiyo's wedding would be absolute perfection.

I felt bad that I wasn't able to spend the day with my friends and Mikie. I would check in on them from time to time, though. Josh had been on the phone with Tom the entire day while Astrid stayed in the spa. Hindi pa pala siya tapos kahapon? May appointment daw siya for a Thai massage and Ventosa? Basta 'yon. Mikie, on the other hand, had been asleep. When I finally had a break, I passed out in the living room of their villa, not even making it to either Mikie or Astrid's room. That was how tired I was.

I didn't know why, but I was a ball of energy on the wedding day itself. I woke up super early, took a shower, had breakfast, and dashed to the villa where the bridal party was going to get ready. The wedding wasn't going to be until the afternoon, but we convened early so that we could take pictures, fit our dresses one last time to check if any adjustments were to be made.

For the first time, I got a glimpse of Ate Aria's wedding gown. I was completely mesmerized by it. Initially, I thought she was going to have a big dress embroidered with gems and beads, but this one was the exact opposite of it. It had a soft A-line dress that had a V-neck neckline covered in delicate lace. The show stopper was the back that dipped into a low-V which looked almost backless. From each of her shoulders draped white tulle, cascading all the way to the floor. A train was not needed with how long the tulle was. The dress was a dream and I couldn't wait to see her in it.

The chaos started right after lunch. I slipped into my beige, silk, cowl neck floor length slip bridesmaids dress. It was a beach wedding so heels were not necessary unless you wanted to trip and struggle on the way to the altar; it was going to be reserved for the reception. I didn't mind anyway, heels and I weren't exactly best friends either.

I waited for my turn to be made up. Through it all, I texted Mikie. He updated me on what he was doing. I wanted to FaceTime to show the dress, but decided against it since I wanted it to be a surprise. I held back on sending selfies, too.

My heart pounded mercilessly as we began to line up, making our way to the beach. Ewan ko rin kung bakit kinakabahan ako. Hindi naman ako ang ikakasal? I was blown away with how beautiful the beach looked with the chairs and the decoration. It was filled with people, most I knew, some I didn't. I didn't have time to look for my friends because the coordinators quickly ushered us in place.

I found myself walking down the aisle right next to Kam. My eyes wandered around the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mikie before I took my place in front. Like a magnet, my sight gravitated towards him. In the sea of people, it was as if my eyes knew where to find him. Mikie, Astrid, and Josh sat somewhere in the middle. I gave them a small wave as I slowly took one step after the other. Mikie's smile grew wider and wider with each step I took. He wore a white dress shirt tucked into his black slacks. He gave me a small thumbs up before mouthing the words, "You look amazing."

The butterflies in my stomach doubled and it was so hard to tear my eyes away from him as I walked past them.

Napaisip ako bigla, kailan kaya ako?

Kailan kaya ako lalakad sa mahabang pasilyo patungo sa altar nang nakaputing bestida? Hawak-hawak ang pumpon ng magagandang bulaklak habang prinapraktis ang pagsabi ng 'I do' sa aking isipan?