Life Without You

Chapter 13 - Beth's Wedding

"I now pronounce you, man and wife," announced the solemniser.

Theo leaned forward to kiss his beautiful bride. Everyone cheered and clapped, capturing that moment with their handphones.

The wedding was set in a wide, expansive white pavilion located in the middle of a huge park, lined around with red, pink, yellow and white roses which Rita and her team from the florist shop worked tirelessly during the previous weeks. The decoration was a reminder of how Theo would sneak a rose each day into Beth's locker at work while they dated.

Camila did Beth's make-up and styled her curls, making her look stunning in her pink pearl wedding gown.

Before, the hectic wedding preparation turned depressing for Beth, who was heartbroken when Ariel abruptly disappeared from their lives. Thank God Ariel arrived home five days before her big day, else she would most certainly have killed her. However, that meant that Ariel had little time to rehearse as she was rushed in the last minute to be among Beth's bridesmaids who also included Camila and Rita. While her friends had contributed to the wedding, Ariel's absence made it impossible for her to contribute anything. But she managed to bake two wedding cupcakes for both Beth and Theo, and decorated it with elaborate decadence of sugary flowers and laces.

Beth's facial expression of sunshine was a sign of her forgiveness and acceptance, as Ariel's presence on her special day was much rather preferred than a stream of luxurious buffet.

After the wedding cake cutting, Theo swept Beth off her feet, causing her to squeal as her new husband planted her cheek and neck with many kisses, garnering a more ferocious reaction from the crowd.

"When will my turn come?" Camila sighed dreamily while she and the bridesmaids posed with the newlyweds for their photo-taking. She caught a sneaky wink from Ryan, who was among the crowd.

"You're not alone," said Rita as she waved at Imogen and Evan who were seated across.

Evan and Ryan were delighted to see Ariel for the first time after so long. They chatted with her to catch up with things before the wedding started, being careful not to mention Leon's name as warned by her friends. It was to be a happy day after all. Ariel was no longer an employee so Leon's personal life was none of her concern.

Beth had invited Leon to her wedding, which she warned Ariel about beforehand. But Leon texted back saying it clashed his busy schedule and therefore he was unable to come, unaware that Ariel would actually be in attendance. Ariel was relieved at the news, else she would have sought Camila to disguise her or sit far, far behind hidden somewhere.

During the wedding lunch, the first song, "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles was played in the background, opening up the dance area. Beth was drowning in the arms and eyes of Theo, who was whispering sweet-nothings to her that constantly caused her to wreath in smiles. Rita guffawed at Evan's funny martial arts dance, while Camila's jittery toes stepped on Ryan's feet a few times, but he remained calm and shook his head at his girlfriend's bubbly nature. Even Andy was trying to teach Imogen how to twirl.

Ariel remained seated as she looked at her friends dancing with their new soulmates. Truth to be told, weddings were a turn off for her, never failing to conjure up a mixture of envy, pain, sadness and anger as it constantly reminded of her disastrous marriage and her ridiculous quickie wedding which was nothing more than a reception sign-up. She came nonetheless for Beth's sake, in order to honour a friend regardless of her feelings.

Since Darryl's death, her feelings towards weddings have softened, but she remained negative towards any prospects of being married again. As much as she tried her best to keep up her crescent-shaped lips, her heart ached at the sight of happy couples as they reminded her of the time when she and Leon danced.