Thorns and Petals

Chapter-20

Only a matter of time

Fall was here already. 

It reminded her that the ending of something was only a beginning of a new thing in life. It was the end of the semester and the beginning of the holidays. But nothing about it seemed exciting.

The fresh breeze from the open windows failed to soothe her, providing her with distress she couldn't express to anyone.

She sat on a stool, staring at the unfamiliar woman in the mirror.

"Looking at these fall leaves makes me happy," Ruby smiled, leaning against the table.

"How could dying leaves from a tree provide you with delight?" She asked, looking in the direction her eyes wandered.

She turned towards her and her eyes followed Ruby's brisk movements. She came behind Melina and pressed her arms gently, looking at her from the reflection of the mirror.

Her cheeks brushed against hers, "This only gets me excited for the spring bloom. The barren tree is soon replaced with beautiful flowers."

A wide smile made its way onto her face, "That's some knowledge."

She chuckled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You look beautiful, Melina. More beautiful than any bride I've ever seen in my life."

She rested her head against hers, "You, liar."

"I promise," She whispered, "He's one lucky man."

A month had passed and it was the wedding day. Her parents wanted it to be simple, inviting only close family members and friends from both sides and she couldn't care any less about their decisions. Whatever they wanted.

Maxwell made his way into the room, "Hey,"

Eyeing him head to toe, she smirked, "You look great."

His grey tuxedo fit him well, highlighting his features. They were used to seeing him in plain old shirts that they had forgotten how he'd appear in formal attire.

He rubbed his neck, pressing his lips firmly, "Thanks, so do you."

Ruby cocked her head to see him better, "Max, you okay?"

He remained silent, but spoke out after a while, "It's just. . .I can't believe this is happening," He threw his hands up in the air, sighing. He lowered his gaze to his shoes, "Melina, I hope you're all right."

Ruby gave him a puzzled look, mentally questioning his odd behavior.

"I'm fine," She lied, adding a little laugh.

She'll never be fine with this.

But no one had to know that.

"You sure?"

Before she could respond, Ruby cut in, "Of course, why wouldn't she be fine? At this rate, you'll be the one ruining her special day because of your overthinking."

"No, he won't be," She said, patting her back to calm her down, "Only my husband could do that."

The last few words missed her ears, but not his. Maxwell's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing her words, his lips went ajar. Turning his entire body to face her, he silently demanded further explanation.

She smirked, ignoring his sparkling irises.

Soon, voices of mindless chattering filled the air. From the reflection, her eyes fell on her mother and Mrs. Walker entering the room.

"Melina,"

Ruby stood up and dragged Maxwell to her side, making way for the women.

The glint in her mother's eyes only made her weaker. She always knew what ran through her mind, but not this time. Had Melina gotten better at hiding her emotions or had her mother overlooked them?

She slowly stood up, cautious of not ripping apart the dress.

Along with them, two figures made their way in. She briefly glanced at her father and stood there, uttering not a single word while everyone continuously blabbered something.

The spacious dressing room had now become noisy and suffocating. She was slowly losing her senses, unaware of what they were speaking. A wave of disturbance passed through her when she realized she had to face him today.

She was constantly reminded of one thing, Zayden didn't want her and no one knew that except for her.

"She's indeed a beauty,"

She snapped out of her thoughts, meeting Mr. Walker's stern but gentle countenance.

Her father skeptically eyed her, staying unresponsive to his comment.

She'd never be enough in his eyes.

Or in any man's eyes.

"A year ago, she looked so different. But now she appears more mature," Mrs. Walker spoke out with admiring eyes. 

That was the biggest smile she had ever given her, making everything even more brutal than it already was. She knew nothing about these people who she'll soon call family. But oddly, they seemed to know a lot about her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't put a finger on when she'd met them at a past wedding. 

Looking at her friends from her peripheral vision, she was assured that they didn't mind her being apart from them for a while.

"Come to think of it, we haven't had a pre-wedding photo shoot."

"Oh, haven't they arranged for it?"

She sheepishly smiled, "Is that even necessary?" 

Mrs. Walker seemed to be in deep thought, while her mother looked like she would break down in tears any moment now. 

"The church only allows you to take limited photos," Her father said, matter-of-factly. 

Everyone agreed with his words, much to her gladness. She couldn't imagine a more awkward scene with Zayden if there was a pre-wedding photo shoot. The wedding rehearsal was already a big hassle the previous day, with neither of them speaking to the other during the entire time. 

She had no clue where Stephan was and that had been bothering her for quite a while. As the wedding day approached, his attitude was heading to the worst. Fortunately, her parents did a decent job of placating him temporarily. 

A million thoughts were circulating in her head, but all she could do was sit there and wait for destiny to take its toll on her. 

Everybody had left the room, with only her and her father remaining inside. They both didn't exchange a word, and it had always been like that. But it felt different today, it was an overwhelming silence. 

She looked at his wrinkled eyes, which awaited her. 

It was finally time.