Bride of Lazarus

6; Reunion

It doesn't feel like my wedding day. Perhaps because I'm not in love. That seems to be a crucial part of getting married in this day and age. Oh, well. I'll just have to make due without.

Mom's in my bedroom at eight a.m. sharp, covering the vanity in a swath of various creams and compacts. I groan in protest as she tries (and fails) to pry me from the pillows. "So early," I grumble. "Coffee?"

"Waiting at the vanity, where you should have been twenty minutes ago," mom replies. She claps her hands twice and the echo wakes me. I suppose I can't put this off any longer... No matter how much I'd like to.

I shouldn't complain. I know that. As far as arranged marriages go, I'm almost certain that I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Lazarus is kind, good looking, and he cares about my mother. And his staff. That makes him alright in my books. Still, there's something about him that bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but I will. Just need to get a little closer, I think. After tonight, that shouldn't be a problem...

Mom spends two long hours primping my hair alone. I would normally object to anything other than my own natural curls. However, seeing as it's her only daughter's wedding day, I've allowed my mother free reign. And I have to hand it to her... I look damn good. My curls are still the star of the show, but mom has meticulously pinned them away from my face and added a few pearly embellishments. Makeup takes another hour. And then there's the dress... I've been dreading squeezing into it all day. There's hardly enough room in the cursed thing for one of my butt cheeks, let alone both. I don't know what mom was thinking when she gave her seamstress my measurements. Without measuring. Gods, she really roasts my chestnuts sometimes.

"Suck it in," mom instructs. "Like it's your wedding day!"

"I AM sucking," I shout as my ribcage practically collapses on itself. "It's not my fault that I grew since the last time you took my measurements. I was 15 then, you know! Some... things have developed!"

"Oh, hush now, Fae! When you talk, your lungs inflate and I can't get the seams of your corset together."

"Well, Gods forbid I actually breathe at my own wedding," I mumble. "We wouldn't want that."

"HUSH. And suck it in, you big bellyacher." With the deepest inhale I can muster, mom quickly secures the laces behind me. Lazarus better hope to the Gods that he's worth all this trouble, I think. His face certainly is... But it's his soul that I'm worried about.

By noon, I'm looking like a bride and the reality of it all has finally set in. This is it, I think. My last moment alone. Just then, mom pulls me into an abrupt and rather aggressive hug. Her sixth sense must be tingling. I take a mental snapshot of our embrace in the mirror, then I tuck it away for safe keeping. "Are you ready," she asks, wiping a single tear from the corner of her eye. Always the stoic one.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I answer for the last time. Then, Mom takes my train in her delicate hands and follows me down the stairs. Gods, I hope she comes to visit often. This place must get so lonely...

Otto greets me on the first floor with all his usual warmth. He takes a long bow, as if in the presence of royalty, and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. "My goodness... You certainly are a sight for these sore old eyes, Mrs. DeLuca." The sound of my shiny new name throws me for a loop. Mrs. DeLuca... I'll have to get used to that. I curtsy in return, cherishing the smile that appears on his weathered face.

"Thank you, Otto. You're looking rather dapper yourself. And where is Mr. DeLuca this morning?" Otto zips his lips with his thumb and forefinger.

"I am not at liberty to say. But he did ask that I take you and Mrs. Channing to the courtyard," he says. "The rest of your family arrived at eleven and I'm afraid... Well, I'm afraid they haven't warmed up to Mr. DeLuca just yet." Suddenly, mom's eyes look as wide as mine feel. She squeezes my shoulder and without exchanging a single word, we agree the three boys will require chaperones.

"Oh, Gods... What did Peter and Paul do?" Mom's grip grows stronger every second until I have to physically remove her hand myself. Otto assures us that the boys have done no more than mildly irritate Lazarus, but we know better. There is nothing mild about how irritating those two can be. Upon mom's insistence, Otto leads us swiftly into the courtyard at the back of the house. The familiar sound of overactive testosterone welcomes us. Before I can even say hello, Peter rushes me like a quarterback. He drives his shoulder into my stomach and scoops me up off the ground.

"Oof!"

"Peter, put your sister down! It is her WEDDING DAY," mom shouts, already pulling at her hair. Pete sticks his tongue out at her but he quickly obeys, after she flashes him the face. The one that says 'I put you on this planet and I could just as easily take you out'.

"How've you been, rat," he calls me lovingly. I never should have told Mom when the boys stole that garden gnome from Mrs. Barnum's lawn.

"Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

"Nope," Paul answers on Peter's behalf. "Not a chance." In spite of all their teasing, it's good to see my brothers. It feels like ages since they left for uni. I could almost swear they've grown. I force them both to hug me, mostly because I don't know how long it will be before I see them again. They only hug me back when I remind them it's my wedding day. Dad, however... Dad squeezes me hard until I'm squirming to get away. I know this has got to be killing him, seeing me in my new home. And Gods, meeting my soon-to-be husband... That must have been hard. Sure, he makes for a wonderful host. But Lazarus isn't exactly the kind of man dad wanted me to end up with. He had hoped for a doctor or a lawyer. Somebody who saves lives. I never could get him to see how unrealistic that was.

The five of us are polishing off a pricey looking bottle of champagne when Otto reappears.

"Mr. DeLuca is ready to begin the ceremony," he says, offering me an arm. My fingers quake at my sides like the last leaves on an autumn oak. I link my arm in Otto's and breathe deep.

"So am I."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

BIG THANK YOU for sticking around this long! Your reward will be in the next chapter and be warned, IT WILL BE SMUTTY 🥀

Can we all just agree to skip the ceremony now though?? We've all been to a wedding before, I don't wanna describe it 😩 It has taken FAR TOO LONG to get to the good stuff as it is. Okok I love you guys 🫶