The Wedding Plan

Chapter 38

The day to meet Lina finally arrived. Eleanor and Sebastian were on their way to Lina and her fiancé to spend some time with them for a few days before the wedding. And Eleanor could not be more nervous. She was going to meet someone she looked up to. Someone that happened to be Sebastian's big sister. And on top of that, she was going to be introduced as his girlfriend, and it wasn't a lie. There were high expectations on both sides. The reality was finally sinking in, as well as the nerves.

The wedding venue belonged to Lina's and Sebastian's parents. It had been in the family for quite some time; it was the vineyard in Tuscany, lost between nature. There was the villa where they would stay that had over one hundred years. Sebastian's parents also got married at the villa, and Lina wanted to the same in an intimate and small wedding. Only family and friends were going to attend. It would be their day, away from the prying eyes of the public.

'You're awfully quiet,' Sebastian said as he glanced at her while he was driving.

They were getting closer and closer to their destination.

'I think I'm having a panic attack.'

'Are you that nervous?'

She nodded.

'Don't quit on me now. We have come this far.'

'Well, I can just take a bus back to the airport or something and wait for the next flight back.'

He laughed.

'That wasn't what I meant. I meant that we've come to know each other for the past months. We even started dating. You are not just a date to deceive my sister anymore,' — he grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss on it — 'so, I guess we are going to be fine. You are going to survive hurricane Lina. Besides, let's not waste the time I spent teaching you how to dance.'

Eleanor finally relaxed a bit, allowing herself to a small laugh.

With her fingers interlaced with his, placed softly on her thigh, Eleanor became so calm. Even though the butterflies in her stomach were restless, she was able to fall asleep. She was so tired because she had barely slept; she stayed awake thinking about the week they were going to spend with bride and groom.

As they arrived at the front gate, Eleanor opened her eyes. The villa stood tall and majestic as the sunlight hit it. Still yawning, the woman looked at the estate, mesmerized.

The house was enormous. It had light stone walls where ivies grew, making it seem like such a whimsical and magical place, and big widows through which the sun flooded the rooms, engulfing them in a golden and warm atmosphere.

There were stone columns in front of the house that supported the porch that led the way to the front door, and on the roof round skylights made it seem even more unreal as the house seemed straight out of a fairy-tale.

'This place is amazing,' she gasped as they got out of the car.

The weather was warm, and the smell of spring was in the air. In front of the house there was a garden filled with so much color; green, yellow, red, violet and pink.

'I'm glad you like it. Wait until I take you on a walk through the vineyard. And the outdoor pool has an amazing view.'

'Did you spend a lot of time here growing up?' she asked, wondering what it would be like to grow up in such a place.

'Yes. Lina and I would come here every time school ended. As soon as we could, we would always rush to get here as fast as possible. And we would get so sad when we had to get back.'

Sebastian's face lit up as he was talking about the memories that he had there with his sister, and Eleanor could not help but to smile too, after seeing him with such a cheerful expression.

Lina ran towards them as fast as she could, and her fiancé walked behind her, laughing at her sudden burst of energy. She jumped to her brother and wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could.

'I missed you so much,' — she squeezed him even more — 'I don't get to hug you enough times. Do you hate me that much? You never seem to find time for me.'

'You know that's not it.'

Quite the opposite, actually. Sebastian would love to see his sister more often, but even though no one was aware of it, he was always trying to work harder so he could be better. He desperately wanted to become someone his sister would be proud of.

'And you must be Eleanor.'