Hiraeth (on hold)

Arrangement

As if the Palazzo Verde wasn't already beautiful on its own, the addition of white tulips, and red Ecuadorian roses, made it even more ethereal. The morning sun kindly shone in, lighting up everyone's mood as they await the entrance of the entourage.

The Faulkerson - Mendoza nuptial is far from normal. It's the biggest wedding in the world of Philippine businesses. Each guest - 500 to be exact - took time off of their hectic schedules to witness the symbol of two companies, merging as one.

The Faulkersons, famous for their airline, are always the first to introduce new direct flights from the Philippines to various international destinations.

On the other hand, the Mendozas own a prestige petrol company that not only caters to everyday cars but also to various airlines in the country.

The merging consists of full exclusivity of the Mendozas to the Faulkersons. What this means? The Mendozas will be internationally acclaimed, as they will have the chance to partner up with other companies in different countries that already supply petrol to the Faulkersons, as well as having assurance that business will always be running.

The catch? Well, let's just say that the Faulkersons have a tradition. A Faulkerson child has the option to get married by the age of 21. If they have not done so, then the choice gets transferred over to their parents to choose their 'match'. There were only a few Faulkersons who chose the former, which inevitably led to them being disowned by the whole line.

The Faulkersons' eldest child has already turned 22, but is still not married. Thus, they saw this as an opportunity as they were aware that the Mendozas' eldest is still single as well. Mr. and Mrs. Mendoza couldn't let the opportunity pass and so here they are now, ready for the ceremony and the signing of the merging contract right after.

The pianist starts to play gentle music, as the groom enters with his parents. They stand in front and await the others to come and fill the front two rows on either side of the venue. As soon as this is done, the organ player starts to play the wedding march, signalling for the whole congregation to stand up.

She enters the church, her eyes evidently swollen, and also a little stunned. Although she was crying, her face was expressionless. Everyone just assumed that she was nervous, and so they ignored the thought of her not actually wanting to be walking down the aisle.

She reaches halfway, and stops in her tracks.

She looks at him.

He looks at her.

She shakes her head.

He nods his head.

And as the bride and groom started to run away, the two sat still in their seats, eyes widened, mouths slightly agape, and shoulders collapsed.

Maine turns her head slowly, towards Alden's direction, only to find out that he was already staring back at her.

They bore into each other's eyes as if examining every detail of it. However, what they found was the shared thought of dread, anger, and frustration.

They are the epitome of ex-best friends, turned enemies, all because of one petty fight. And now, here they are sitting inside a church, with her, wondering if she'll have enough time to run after her brother and him, pondering the same thought about his sister. Both wanting to drag each one back inside the church, or else...it's going to be figurine versions of them that will be neatly placed on top of that wedding cake.

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A/N: I am super excited for what I have planned for this story. Don't let the title and cover fool you, this won't be as heavy as you would expect - but that doesn't mean na walang halong drama 'to, you know me naman 💁 .

Please bear with the slow updates as usual, I have an end of semester exam coming in the next few weeks, and so will probably not be able to do consistent updates until after that's done.

I would really really like to thank hxddles on twitter for allowing me to use her prompt. I can't say this enough, but she comes up with the most creative prompts. I really hope that I give justice to this one 😬

Thank you for taking interest in this story. God bless!