rewrite our love (rewrite completed)

Part 4

WEI

"H-how is it that no one recognises us?"
My breath escaped me in short, white puffs.
"Once we remove those flashy medals and pins, we look no different from ordinary people."
Raya's voice was soft, as it was struggling against the winter gale.

White coloured the streets of London as winter rests its icy grip over us. Dim street lamps lit up the lonely curbs, remaining a spectator to the hushed footsteps of the locals. However, the beauty of winter was not lost, making its magic apparent to children clamouring to play.
WInter , in its purest form, was upon London.
Pulling my coat tighter around me, I resisted the urge to turn back to the hospital.

"There, let's try our luck there."
Raya pointed eagerly to a pink and white banner decorated with dozens of flowers.

Squinting my eyes, I tried my best to make out the banner's contents.
"Wedding... Reception, Hall 3.." I mumurred incredulously.
" Raya, what are you planning on doing?"
Meeting her eyes, i was momentarily taken aback by the mischievous glint reflected in it.

"Follow my lead, Wei. From now on, we are known as the guitarist and lead singer in a 4 person band known was The Rolling Stones. The rest of our band members are currently stuck in a traffic jam and we are the only ones available now. " her voice droned on methodically, listing out foreign details one by one. Feeling a pull on my arm, I hurried through the open doors behind her, plunging into a sea of faceless people and endless chatter.
Straight into a well-dressed middle aged man whose irritated glare looked comically out of place in the pinkish backdrop.
What.
Are we crashing a wedding? Is this how she planned for our night to go?
Resisting against her, I tried desperately to chart a way back to those open doors we passed from.
"Raya! Have you lost your mind?" I half whispered, half screamed at her.
The gazes of the wedding guests were beginning to turn on us, the oddities, as I struggled against her.
Oh great ,my consciousness screeched at me, now we're stealing the spotlight from the bride and groom!

"Are you guys the band?"
A gruff voice interrupted my inner monologue.

"Yes. However our remaining members are stuck in a traffic jam. We will perform first, but we need half of the payment up front."
Horror shot through my veins, turning my blood cold as ice. The flurry of voices seemed to die down around us, before reviving with a gusto. My eyes swiveled to meet her in a shocked stupor. However, Raya seemed to brim with confidence, ignorant to my distress.

"Ah. Sure, just get up there and play. You guys are already 30 minutes late!"

"Haha, sorry about that. We will give our all."
The confidence in her voice deserved an oscar, as if she truly believed we were part of a band.
The bitter taste of bile crept up the back of my throat.

"C'mon We-William. It's time." Turning back for the first time since she dragged me into this god-forsaken mess, her face turned pleading.
By the time I allowed myself to be dragged on stage, the eyes of dozens of wedding guests were already fixated on us. The glaring lights surrounding us seemed to insist on shining directly into our eyes, blinding me briefly.
"Wei," her hushed voice crept to my side. "Sorry about this. We'll split the cash 50/50."
I sighed, it was impossible to stay mad at her anyways, and- my eyes swept over the crowd that seemed to have grown bigger- with any luck, we won't be recognised for who we really are.

"Ladies and gentlemen." her voice blanketed the room as I fiddled with a guitar hastily thrown to me. "We are The Rolling Stones. I'm your lead singer, Rachel, and this " she motioned vaguely at me "is William, our guitarist."
Her mouth promptly morphed into a charming smile, " we hope you enjoy this romantic piece ,My funny valentine. "

As if on cue, the lights previously directed on us dimmed, setting a comforting ambience to the stage.
My funny valentine, I scoffed inwardly. We used to sing along to this song in our childhood, i didn't know that she still remembered. Raising my gaze to her, she seemed to radiate a kind of joy I never saw on her, a kind of joy that seemed to be able to conquer the room. For a moment, she seemed human. I released a breath that I didn't realise I was holding, basking in her glow.