Stories of Love

Clichèd, Right?

It was such a grand wedding, she smiled brightly at anyone all day without thinking. She thought her dress today is good and match the theme perfectly. She was still holding the bucket of flowers tightly, not knowing what to do. She couldn't believe it, what were to happen. Everyone's eyes were all on her, and her face that she tried to polished perfectly as best she could. Everyone was looking at her.

Except him.

Did she really not worth it? He said he liked her too, but why couldn't he see her now? See what she prepared herself for him?

As if.

"I......," She believed she'd still look dumbfounded after receiving this flying bucket of flowers so suddenly.

Myth and legend and folk things said that you'd get your wedding not long if you catch the bride's bucket.

As she thought of wedding her eyes fleeted back to his again. To the eyes so dark and black like nighttime. To the eyes who still didn't look back at her.

She wanted to be with him. But how could she when it's the flower of his bride that she was holding right now?

She wished she were the bride. She wished she didn't know they were related at all. She didn't wished her father to be once together with his mom in a marriage and had them. She never wished to be his sister.

But she was.

And now she had to smile and acted like nothing happened. Because they were so happy it hurt her eyes if she couldn't be happy too. Because his happiness is hers. Even if hers no longer his, not anymore.

She laughed and smiled widely, "....What should I do, now? I got the flower but I got no groom-to-be?"

They all laughed cheerily at her usual cheekiness. He glanced at her once without the tense in his shoulder, she was relieved she had finally stopped burdening him with their past.

Perhaps everything that happened happened for the best. Everything that complicated them finally led them back to who and what they were supposed to be.

Once in the past they would walk together as two close-friends being happy just having each other. They had held hands too sometimes. And she even said, "I love you," first with a bright red face which he scolded and laughed at for a while.

At least they were happy in the past. And now he's happy too with his new love and life. She should be too.

"You should find a guy soon, Sis," he said over the main gazebo that acted as the stage.

She smirked, "Watch me and I'll be the one holding my own child first before you could realize a thing."

He laughed with everyone.

Silly her.

She excused herself from the spotlight, saying she had to find this guy soon, and left accompanied by everyone's laughter.

She didn't know why she ended up sitting alone at the bar with a crushed flowers a few minutes later. No, she didn't cry. She really was happy. She no longer shed any tears, not anymore.

Happiness is a virtue, she thought, randomly out-of-nowhere.

"You shouldn't have said that, you know?" She heard a deep voice from behind her. Ah, that face. Strong jaw and such cheekbones that would make many women go jelly. One and only bestfriend of theirs--she and her brother--and only bestman at this wedding right now.

"They'll never stop nagging at you, silly," he continued.

She chuckled. Yes, she knew she was being silly, but she also said that aloud in hopes of having it come true too.

"I still wish everything's not this complicated," she sighed then. Lowering her gaze to the flowers, "Still couldn't look his face without having to force myself to feel otherwise."

"You still love him," he spit the word. She knew he hated how she was still longing at her brother.

She smiled sadly, "That, you know. But, no, it's 'loved', not love. Because it's in the past."

He snorted at her.

"Sorry for making your love unrequited for a while," she added then.

His face turned even more serious and his eyes stared even deeper at her blue ones.

"Marry me."

She tensed. Her eyes wide.

"Why......are you....," she started laughing uncontrollably with tears streaming down her face.

"I'm serious."

She tear-laughed histerically, while he still looked her with those serious expression.

Was she finally go insane?

"How can you just say that?" She still produced more tears even when he wiped them off with his hands, "Here I am thinking everything so hard it complicates everything that I see and feel, and you could just simply said it just like that?"

"No one told you to make it complicated." He said. "Just say yes and try to love me back."

Such a strong man he was.

She smiled, for the first time without caring and feeling obliged to. She laughed again at the stupidity and the clichè of her situation now.

He must think of her as a complete crybaby and a big drama-queen now.

Or maybe not.

Because he already knew her too well thanks to all his attentions that she had felt for more than five years. He had always loved her then, and she had known. Of course, he had confessed to her for the nth time now, even when she was still so fixated by her brother's shadowy love.

"Well.....?"

Ah, was he impatient just now?

"Yes."

There she said it.

She never knew his relieved smile after hearing that could make her feel this much.

..........

"He looks like me! I can't believe it!" His wife exclaimed excitedly, staring into their sleeping infant, in her arms.

He glanced at her, "Is he now? What part of him exactly? All I see in him is me."

"Narcistic jerk," she glared at him.

"Hey, don't spoil my kid with your bad words," he said pissed, but he still smiled.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly, "He has my brow."

"Aren't our brows the same?"

"Sheesh, you, I just need something to remind me he's still my child too, you know, because he looks exactly like you I can't even see myself in him."

"That's just because of how much you love me," he smirked.

Truth is, his son looked exactly like his wife in his eyes.

A knock came from the door, and the couple prepared themself to greet another guest beforw they let them in.

"Hi, sister-in-law, how's my nephew?" Her brother's wife greeted her happily.

"He's apparently so happy because he cooed everytime," she grinned while swaying her son in her hands, "He likes my holding better than his."

He suddenly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, then lamely making an excuse, "Ah, well, I was afraid I'd dropped him or something."

Aw. Could her husband really get a red face now? She loved it.

Her brother suddenly came forward to her bed and said with a smile, "Never knew you'd actually really be the one holding your own child first. When it's me who's married first."

They all laughed lightly, while the little guy cooed.

"Didn't I already warned you?"