timeless | sequel | d.w

19

   My wedding day.
It was finally here. As unreal as it felt, it was here. But something was missing. Everything was in its correct order; my makeup, my dress, my bridesmaids, the guests and Raúl. All of that was perfect. But something was missing. So what was it?

A piece of my heart. No, a piece of my soul. And that had to be here, but it was impossible to bring it back.

I stared at myself in the mirror, stunned by how I looked. For the first time in my life, I looked at myself and thought, "Damn. I'm beautiful." And for once it felt like I was allowed to feel that way.

Someone knocked on the door to the room, and I turned around. "Come on in. Unless it's you, Raúl." I called out softly, and the door swung open.

Gabe walked inside and closed the door behind him quickly, probably not wanting anyone to see the bride before her wedding. As soon as he laid his eyes on me, a wide smile spread across his lips. "Oh my." Was all he could manage, and I chuckled.

"Thank you?" I said hesitantly, as he came over to embrace me in a hug.

"You're very welcome." He said and as he pulled back, he looked me up and down again. "I mean... Wow. You're absolutely stunning, Gabrielle."

I blushed and looked down at my dress. "I feel beautiful." I mumbled and looked back up at Gabe.

"You are beautiful. As you are everyday, but today you're extra beautiful." He complimented me, and I lightly punched his chest.

"Stop it!" I said and laughed. My eyes travelled across his chest, all the way down to his toes, taking in and studying his outfit. "You're not so bad yourself, mister."

Gabe smiled, and thanked me with a nod. He then reached into his pocket and brought a folded piece of paper out. He cleared his throat. "He gave this to me before... I... I should probably give you this after the ceremony and everything, but I feel like it's better if you read this now." He said and handed me the paper, nervously biting his lip.

"What is it?" I wondered and sat down in one of the chairs, before slowly unfolding the note and looking down at it. My jaw dropped. I almost couldn't believe it.

It was Dallon's best man speech to me and Raúl.

I closed my eyes and swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. I could feel Gabe's hand on my shoulder, and it gave me comfort to know that he hadn't left me. I thanked him by looking up at him and flashing him a short smile, before looking back down at the note. I started reading.

Okay, I've never really written a proper speech before, so my apologizes if this is a little rusty. Raúl, I first of all want to thank you. For accepting me into your life as a friend, even if the woman who you now can call your wife was someone who I once planned to spend the rest of my life with. Thank you for letting me know you, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to be your best man. You have a big heart and a beautiful soul, and I know that you're going to treat Gabrielle the way that she deserves to be treated.

Gabrielle. Hi. I'm not sure what to tell you, mostly because you've already heard it all. From what an amazing person you are, to how much I appreciate you for accepting me into your life all those years ago. You have a heart of gold and you're someone that everyone should be lucky enough to have in their life. I am always going to love you, even if it's not in the way that Raúl loves you. I want you to remember that I will always be here for you, no matter what and support you in all the choices you make. Thank you for making memories with me that I will always cherish, and hopefully there'll be more of those.

Lastly, I just want to thank you for letting me and everyone in this room share this special day with you. You both deserve each other more than anything, and the love you two share is a truly special one that I hope everyone will experience sometime in their lifetime. I know I have.

That's where it ended, and I wiped off a tear that I hadn't noticed was running down my cheek earlier. I slowly folded the paper again, and raised it to hold it against my chest.

"Thank you." I told Gabe, and he carefully squeezed my shoulder a little.

"Of course." He said quietly. "Would you like me to read it out loud later?" He asked.

I thought about it. As much as I wanted everyone to hear how beautifully written this was, I didn't want it to be read at my wedding. I didn't want anyone else except for Raúl to read it at all, actually. It hit too close to home, it was too... private. This was something that would belong to me and Raúl.

I slowly shook my head. "No. It's okay." And it really was okay.

Suddenly, the piece of my soul that had been missing for a good while now, didn't feel so far away.

–

the end.