home (halsey)

21

Ashley

"I want ten tables. Eight chairs at each, please," I explained to our wedding planner, Maria.

Maya and I stood in the heart of an empty banquet hall. The ceilings were high, I was guessing about twenty feet up. The floor we stood on was a mosaic of colored, broken tiles. All in all, it was a beautiful place, but we wanted to customize it to our likings.

"What color theme have you chosen?" The young woman asked, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear as it fell in front of her face. She looked at us curiously and waited for our responses.

I looked at Maya, shrugging. I'd leave this up to her.

"Since we're doing it in the winter-time, I'd like there to be white, silver, and ice blue colors in our decorations," Maya smiled hopefully, explaining her plans.

Maria nodded her head with a smile and jotted that down onto her notebook.

"Let's take a seat and discuss the rest, okay?" Maria said, leading us to an empty table. We sat down across from her and waited for her next question.

"For the centerpieces, can we have white roses with clear crystals in the vases? I'd also like fairy lights to be hanging from the ceiling," Maya smiled shyly, looking over at me for approval. I gave her a smile and squeezed her hand, letting her know that everything was fine with me.

"Great!" Maria chirped, shutting her notebook. "I'll go get the cake samples from the kitchen. It'll take just a minute."

She returned with a silver tray that was adorned with fragile, glass plates, each one holding a slice of cake.

"Okay, here they are. The first one is a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting," She said, pushing the plate towards us. We took the forks with open stomachs and watering mouths. I hummed in delight after my first bite, causing both Maria and Maya to laugh at me.

"The next one is a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Simple and one of our best selling ones. After that, we have a dark chocolate cake with raspberries. The last one is pink champagne cake with a strawberry cream filling. Enjoy."

The fork dropped with a clank onto the last plate as we finished trying them. I rubbed my stomach in satisfaction and watched as Maya did the same.

"I think my favorite is the pink champagne one," Maya said, licking frosting off her lips. I nodded my head in agreement and watched as Maria excitedly wrote it down. What a happy woman.

"Perfect. Now onto the entertainment. Will you be hiring a DJ for the entire wedding?"

"Yeah! For only half of the night, though. I have a secret performer for the end of the wedding. Maya can't know who it is," I teased, bringing her face closer to mine and kissing her cheek obnoxiously as she frowned.

Maria laughed and gushed at our behavior, muttering kind words under her breath.

Maya didn't and wouldn't know that I would be performing. With all this planning, her mind is too frantic to even think about who the performer will be. Little does she know that I wrote a brand new song for her, and I'm going to serenade her in front of everybody. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all.

"Winter wedding. December 31. White, silver, ice blue. White roses. Fairy lights. Pink champagne cake. DJ and special performer," Maria mumbled, reading her list to herself. "Is that all correct?"

We nodded our heads happily, intertwining our fingers and clutching each other tightly.

"Then my job here is done. The wedding invitations will come in the mail in a few days. Thank you for your business, and I wish you two the best," Maria smiled genuinely, reaching her hand out to shake ours. We said our goodbyes and hopped into the car, making our way back home.

"We're gonna have the most beautiful wedding," Maya gushed, her eyes twinkling with happiness. I tapped my fingers excitedly against the wheel, looking over at her and smiling.

"You're going to be so beautiful. Nothing will compare," I complimented, seeing her cover her face with her hands from the corner of my eye.

"Stop, my cheeks are heating up again. I hate when you do this," She laughed, the sound muffled as it came through her hands.

"I love you," I smiled, placing my hand on her thigh as we came to a stop at a red light.

"I love you," She repeated, placing her hand on top of mine.

The rest of the ride home consisted of a comfortable silence, the sound of the radio in the background playing Christmas music further increasing the comfort.

Maya had fallen asleep, her lips parting slightly so that her little snores could escape. Her head leaned against the window, her curly hair shielding her face. I pulled my keys out of the ignition and closed the door as quietly as I could, doing my best not to wake her.

I opened her door carefully, holding her so she wouldn't fall forward. Carrying her bridal style, I shut the door with my hip and slowly trudged my way into the house. She stirred in my arms, nuzzling her head into my chest and sighing in delight.

I took her into our room, placing her body gently onto the bed. She turned her back to me, moaning in her sleep.

"Oh, Ashley. Faster," She spoke in her sleep. My eyes widened as I watched her turn onto her back, spreading her legs as she moaned my name.

A sex dream? As crazy as it was, I was kind of turned on.

Her hand reached up to grab her own chest, squeezing while she remained asleep. I didn't even know that this was possible.

"Yeah, baby. Like that," She hissed, arching her back. Oh man, this was getting pretty wild.

I sat at the edge of the bed awkwardly as I watched her toss and turn, unaware of what to do.

I then remembered that we had made a promise not to make love again until our wedding, holding off because we had been going at it every single day. This was probably the cause of the dream.

I didn't want it to lose its meaning, so I believed that waiting would make things better for us.

Every day, I would have to resist the urge to push her against a wall and have my way with her. It didn't help that she strutted around the house in her silk shorts and camisole, seemingly teasing me to the point of madness.

I looked back at her once more and laughed quietly, covering her body up with the thick blanket. I kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear. I had hope that she would hear me, but I wasn't completely sure.

"Only 25 more days. Sweet dreams, my love."