Hidden Dimples

Epilogue - Part 1

Storm's POV

"Storm, are you ready?"

I turned around as I heard his voice, giving him a tight-lipped smile as I adjusted my tie, "I'm a little nervous. I mean, wouldn't you be too?"

Griffin only laughed as he waved me off, "not really, I've been looking forward to this day. Now hurry up, show times in 10 minutes. Fix your hair, oh and your tie is lopsided."

I let out a frustrated grunt as I roughly pulled the tie to loosen it before meticulously trying to position it nicely. I really didn't want to fuck up — especially today.

It wasn't long until I was called to take my position beside Griffin, waiting patiently in front of hundreds of guests as we all waited for her arrival.

As time ticked by my palms only got clammier and sweatier as my heart pounded in my ears, knowing that in a few minutes she was going to walk down the aisle and take her place right across me. The thought of it left me in puddles of sweat, blood rushing to my face as I recalled all the sweet memories we had together, which both sent me into a state of calmness and nervousness.

I straightened my back, making sure not to slouch, while subtly wiping my damp hands against the surface of my pants. I closed my eyes and counted to five, willing myself to calm down and stop sweating before I looked like a greasy pig in front of her.

Soon enough the double doors opened as music started to echo through the room and there she was.

Gracefully, she walked down the aisle, in her hands were a bouquet of red roses, her dress gently brushing against the ground that she walked on. Hair delicately curled into waves as she smiled confidently, mischievous dimple making an appearance. Her eyes darted around before landing on mine and locking her gaze on me. I nearly choked as my heart skipped a few beats. Stay calm.  I almost smiled at her before her gaze tore away from my own as she moved aside, making way for the bride.

Sadly no, I wasn't getting married to Celestine today.

It was Griffin's grand day today — the day he got married to his fiancée of 3 years, Talia Roberts and today, Talia Vernice.

After the I-dos and the bride and groom's first kiss as a married couple, it was time for the reception. Everyone took their time to congratulate the bride and groom, while the children were busy playing with the balloons and flower petals. Then there was this one kid who just wouldn't stop crying and I couldn't understand why Griffin hadn't made an attempt to shove a pacifier into the baby's mouth, for all I knew he hated crying babies as much as I do.

The crowd only seemed to grow around the hall and it started to make me anxious with the amount of people around me, accompanied with the sound of children crying, I knew I needed to take a breather.

I headed outside, loosened my tie and ran my fingers through my hair. Taking deep steady breaths, I leaned against the railing of the bridge. As much as I was happy for my friend today, I never and will never like crowds, they're just too overwhelming and stressful to be around.

I braced my forearms against the railing of a small wooden bridge, enjoying how my skin cooled as a breeze swept by, soothing my anxiety. 

"Hey, are you okay?" A soft, familiar voice chimed behind me.

I turned to the source of the voice, gingerly wiping the condensation on my forehead with my hands

"Celeste. Hi- Hey! How are you?" I choked out in a rush, palms beginning to sweat again, blood rushing to my cheeks.

She gave me a somber smile, handing me a napkin and a bottle of water, "you might need this."

I  shakily took both the napkin and the bottle from her, unscrewing the cap before taking a few sips of the cool, refreshing beverage.