Falling For The Nerd

Wedding Bells

this chapter is dedicated to keira_star for a regular reader...all her comments mean a lot to me.

When I woke up the next day, Jake and Leo were gone. I sat up still half asleep when yesterday's events came back to me. I shouldn't have run away last night because I would be seeing Melissa again today. It was Remy's wedding.

I freshened up and hurried downstairs, where Jake and Leo were being served pancakes by my mother. "Good morning Derek. Ready for breakfast?" I nodded and poured myself a cup of coffee. "So what did you boys do last night?" Mom asked as she served me a pancake. "Nothing much. Just drank a lot of soda and played video games." I answered glaring at the other two. They snickered and Jake said, "We went out for a small drive as well. Why don't you tell her D?"

If looks could kill, Jake would be slaughtered and served as shish kebab right now. "You did? Where to?" Mom asked. "We didn't. He's joking." I said. We gobbled our breakfast and the boys took their leave. I was all too happy to drop them home.

I got home just in time to see mom leaving the house in her business attire. "Mom, where are you going?" I asked. Her hands were full of files, she seemed to be leaving in a hurry. "Derek, there is some problem with the shareholders. There is an emergency meeting. I've left money for your lunch, order what you want" she said. "What about the wedding?" I asked. "I'll be back in time for that. They'll deliver your tux later, so stay home. Bye love." She kissed me on my head and got into the car waiting for her.

Great. I am in for a day of boredom. I wasn't going to call Jake or Leo back. I was still annoyed at them for almost telling mom about the escapade. Melissa would be preparing for the wedding, which was at 4 this evening. I walked into the kitchen, upset. The thing about being popular in school is that you hardly have any close friends. Lets do the math, shall we?

1- the guys who are on the football team.

2- the guys you hang out with at the back of the class

3- the random girls you meet at parties

4- and the one queen bee who you want to run away from.

That's my circle. It doesn't have a lot of people who I would call 'friends'. Just random people I hang out with at certain times of the day.

I went up to my room and watched tv until the doorbell rang. I answered it to find a delivery guy standing with an enormous box. I took the box to the kitchen and tore the wrapping open. It was my tux. It was traditional- white shirt with a black suit and trousers and a red tie. A normal red tie, thankfully. It also held a pair of black shoes to go with the suit. I shrugged. This could end up being fun!

At noon, I called up the closest pizza place and ordered a large pepperoni pizza for myself with a can of coke. As I ended the call, my phone beeped. I got a message from Melissa.
Lizzie: are u coming for the wedding?

Me: yup

Lizzie: good. I need to talk to you.

Me: about what?

Lizzie: you'll know. ttyl.

I put down my phone and popped a cookie into my mouth. Twenty minutes later, I was at the kitchen table with an enormous pizza in front of me. I was halfway through my pizza when mom came home.

"Derek! What have you done?" she said aghast. I looked around. I had managed to make a mess out of the kitchen while doing nothing. "I may have gotten a bit carried away while making my sandwich two hours ago." I admitted shamefully. "Clear this mess right away. We are leaving in an hour." Mom have me the evil eye and proceeded to her bedroom.

I cleared the kitchen and put on my tux. The shirt was stiff with starch. I had to chew at the button holes to loosen them up. I put on the trousers and suit, but I couldn't put on the tie. I went to mom for help. She was wearing this red gown that I had never seen before. She walked over to me and adjusted my tie for me. We hurried into the car and left for the venue.

It was a large lawn with a podium and rows of chairs arranged. A girl, probably one of Melissa's cousin's led me and mom to our seats which were on the third row. Once all the guests were seated, the ceremony began. Melissa was one of the bridesmaids. She was wearing a strapless lavender dress which was very flowy. It was knee length. Her hair was in a high bun with a delicate crown of flowers on her head. She wasn't wearing her glasses, which let everyone see her entire face. She caught me staring at her and gave me a small wave. I waved back, glad that she waved at me amongst all these other people.

Remy and Mike said their vows and the priest pronounced them man and wife. Everyone cheered as they kissed. The newly-weds shared one dance and everyone headed for snacks. I looked around for Melissa, but I couldn't find her anywhere.

The sun had set and most of the guests had left. Only my family and some immediate relatives stayed back at their house. I spoke to some people my mother introduced me to, but they eventually left, leaving me alone. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Diana. "I think what you're looking for is in the tree house." She smiled at me and went to entertain some guests.

I walked out through the backdoor and headed to the tree in the backyard. A rope ladder was hanging from the entrance of the tree house. I climbed up hoping it would take my weight. I poked my head through the trapdoor and there she was.

Her back was turned to me and a big torch was illuminating the shelter. Her hair was open, cascading down her back and I assumed she was wearing her glasses again. Melissa was sitting in front of a large chest and some book was in her hand. I was about to leave her alone when I heard a small sob. Worried, I got inside and softly called out to her.

"Derek? Oh, hi! What are you doing here?" Melissa said wiping her eyes. "I was looking for you, so your mom said I would find you here. Are you okay?" I sat beside her and laid my hand on her shoulder. "Um, yeah. It's just that Remy left me this g-gift and it is so sweet I-I couldn't help but-" she broke down again and I pulled her into a side hug. Once she controlled herself, she pulled back and said, "I'm sorry. I'm ruining your tux." "Nah. That's okay. What did she leave you?" I asked.

She handed me a letter which said:
Dear Liz,
Today I will be leaving home and heading for a new life in the city. On this occasion I wanted to leave you a memoir of our times together. To show you how much you mean to me, I made this present for you. I've been working on it for a long time, I hope you'll like it.
Love,
Remy.

After I read the letter, Melissa handed me an album. I went through it. It had photos spanning her entire life. From Melissa's birth to Christmas celebrations with my family to Melissa's sixteenth birthday, it covered everything. Also, Remy had small quotes below ever picture which made the book more special. "I see why it made you cry." I said as I handed the book back. "Yeah." Melissa smiled.

"You wanted to talk to me." I said. "I did. I don't know if it was dream or something, but were you in my bedroom last night? If you weren't, then I had a weird dream." Melissa said, blushing. "I was in your bedroom last night." I confirmed. "Oh. So it was real." Melissa said with a frown upon her face. "Did I do this?" I said before I leaned down and placed a small kiss on her lips. "Yes." she breathed out. "Then it was real. I love you." I said it out loud and kissed her again. And this time, she kissed me back.