secrets

twenty-five

-ADELE-
______

The circular table, covered in an all white tablecloth, is beautifully decorated with red roses and gold name tags. Elegance is all around, not just in the people, but in the decor as well.

My cousin, who is also the bride, comes over to the table where Simon and I are sitting. His hand rests on my thigh as he talks to my aunt, who is completely enthralled by him.

"Adele, I'm so happy you're here!" She says, giving me a tight hug. The last time she saw me was just days before Alex and I broke up, and I am an entirely different person today than I was then, in both good ways and bad.

I congratulate her on her marriage and compliment how beautifully stunning she looks. We talk for a few minutes until she eyes Simon, which causes me to have a proud smile. I discreetly slide his hand off my thigh and say, "Ashley, this is my boyfriend, Simon. Simon, this is Ashley."

To my surprise, Simon stands and hugs her as if she was his cousin too, which makes me smile again. He congratulates her, then tells her how much he loves the roses.

She then whispers something in his ear, which almost bothers me until she looks into my eyes and winks. I've known her for years, so I know she would never do anything wrong. Simon eyes the bouquet of roses on our table and then quickly looks back to me.

He's definitely up to something.

After a while of us just talking with my family and eating, he takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. He wraps his one arm around my waist and holds my hand with the other. Just as we find the rhythm, the song changes.

At the sound of the first chord, both of our faces light up. Grenade plays and the flood of memories plays through our mind. This was the song that we sang together on the way to our very first date. It's a memory neither of us will forget.

Both of us quietly mouth along to the words and he holds me close. Everything plays so fast in my mind; the memory of him driving, the cold winter air, the movie, the moment our lips connected for the first time, and the moment he touched my bruises and everything changed.

Somehow, it feels as though only a minute had passed, and the song ended. I look up into Simon's eyes, the noise of the wedding and the environment becoming more and more distant. Our eyes lock, and we lose ourselves in each other. Then suddenly our eyes are closed and our lips are locked.

That's when the world around us disintegrates and becomes the last thing on our minds.

It lasts for a minute before he pulls away. The acoustic version of Sam Smith's song Latch plays in the background, causing the people on the dance floor to move slower. I rest my head on Simon's chest as he continues to keep his arm around my waist and our hands entwined together.

Taking in the moment, I appreciate everything around me. My family, a wedding, and the fact that the truest love of my life has me in his arms.

The only moment that could be better than this would be the day we danced just like this, but instead of being a guest couple, we would be the bride and groom.

______

When the older guests had called it a night, the atmosphere suddenly took a fun turn. With only younger couples left, Ashley suggests playing a game where a random couple goes into the dressing room and can do whatever they want with each other for seven minutes.

At first, I liked the idea, until she placed everyone's name tags in a basket and drew out two names. It was then that I realized this game brought the chance that Simon and I would be paired with people we didn't know.

For some reason, I couldn't accept the fact that Simon would be in a dark room with another woman for seven minutes. I bit my tongue and silently hoped that our names would be chosen together, as unlikely as it was.

After the fifth pair left the dressing room, Ashley reached in and pulled out two more names. Her eyes quickly looked straight at me. "Well, well, well. What a coincidence." My heart sank into my stomach in nervousness. "Adele," she said, pausing. "And Simon."

It took all my willpower to not jump and down and scream in relief. Instead, Simon grinned at me and led me into the dark closet.

The door was shut and locked, a timer being set. Our lips were quick to find each other, crashing together passionately.

Within thirty seconds, he pulls away and leaves a path of kisses along my jawline and down my neck. He pulls the fabric of my dress down and kisses my collarbone, fully aware that it is one of my favorite spots.

In his amazingly deep voice, he whispers, "Everything we do in these seven minutes is never talked about. Sort of like it's a-"

"Secret." Both of us say, my hand finding his chest.

Both of us love a good secret.

There is a heavy silence and a quick pause before things start moving fast. He lays me down on the carpeted floor and positions himself on top of me.

Our kisses become more and more intense, and he moves his magical lips down my neck and along my collarbone, caressing my legs and face.

Seven minutes flies by and from outside the door, a voice says, "Time's up!"

As I hurriedly get up off the floor, the door opens and my eyes squint to adjust to the sudden brightness. I find myself almost disappointed that we only got seven minutes.

One last couple is sent to the room and then the game ends. For a half an hour afterwards, all of us sat around a table and talked. It was really nice to spend time with couples around our age.

The whole time, Simon's hand rested on my thigh. It was dangerously high, much higher than normal.

He squeezed it after a while, as if to say "Let's go."

We said our goodbyes and congratulations to Ashley and her new husband, then drove home.

Simon seemed excited the entire way home, and it didn't take a genius to understand why. The moment we pulled into the driveway, he was quick to open my door for me and lead me inside.

I disappeared to the bathroom to take off my makeup and change into pajamas. When I returned, Simon was already in his own pajamas.

But something else stood out to me.

He had our bedroom dimly lit, and as I studied the bed, I noticed red rose petals scattered across it and candles lit on our nightstands.

It was more romantic than anything I ever dreamed of. It suddenly all made sense. Ashley must have told Simon to take a bouquet home.

Stunned, I walk over to him and gently kiss his lips. He holds me against him.

"You seriously are the most romantic man I know." I say.

"I try, baby." He says with a warm smile.

And just like that, our kisses become intense and we find ourselves in bed, the sheets around us as we finish what we started in the dressing room.

It became the most magical experience, the kind where I finally start to believe that dreams do come true.