Forever (Hold Your Peace) - KathNiel x JaDine

II. What To Do When He Says No

Anna Dunphy woke up to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, bacon, and eggs. To be exact, she wakes up like this every day. Her boyfriend, Klein Madden, is a chef at a 5-star restaurant. She loves his boyfriend as much as he loves her. Everything is perfect, except Klein is an atheist, and worst, he doesn’t believe in the essence of marriage.

“Good morning honey. Breakfast in bed” Klein went into their bedroom, holding in his hand a tray of breakfast.

“Honey, you know you’ll make a good husband, right?” She kissed him back.

“Not this again honey. Please? I don’t want to ruin your day.” Klein frowned.

“Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just that everybody is getting married and we’re not.” Anna sat up.

“Isn’t this why we call each other honey? It’s been 5 years. And what I have with you is more than marriage. It’s eternal.” He held her hand near his face.

“I know. I know. Love you.” She sighed.

“I love you too.” He released her hand and went to open the curtains. “It’s a beautiful day for working outside in the sunshine.” He exclaimed.

“Wait, what? Working outside? What do you mean working outside?” Anna stopped eating and turned to Klein.

“Honey, my boss appointed me to an event outside the country. It’s just 2-3 days, it will be like I never left. I’m leaving tonight.” He said still facing the windows.

“Why just tell me now?” She pushed the tray away from her.

“Because, my boss only told me last night.” He finally faced her.

“But what about our anniversary dinner?” She started to tear up.

“I know, I’m sorry. I will make it up to you when I come back. I promise.” He sat beside her.

“Okay. I know you love your job and I support you.” She kissed him. “How about an advanced session?” She smiled mischievously.

“Now that’s what I like.” He replied.

Anna headed to her office but before she could, she grabbed a latte from Starbucks. “I’m a white girl. What do you expect?” She always has to explain to Klein that she loves to drink coffee. “It’s like a medium to get into my zone.” She would say that while doing a stance which makes his boyfriend giggle.

When she arrived at her office, she saw two of her clients sitting outside. Anna is a wedding planner (quite ironic since her boyfriend wouldn’t want to marry her) and she had planned her “perfect” wedding long before Klein came to her life. She loved seeing brides walk down the aisle crying, not because she’s finally married, but because of the flow of the program and the design as a whole. She won many awards and she’s proud of herself.

“Good morning lovely brides.” She greeted them.

“Not a good morning for me.” Mary, one of her clients broke down into tears and the other two comforted her.

“What happened here?” She asked.

“He wants to cancel the wedding. That stupid fucker.” Mary cried even harder.

“Okay, let’s talk this out inside, Mary” She escorted her.

Anna was not having the best anniversary ever. Her boyfriend would not be with her on this special night, and she’s carrying the burdens her client is having.

“Please take a sit.” She offered Mary and sat. “So, tell me again why he wants to cancel the wedding?” She asked.

“He chickened out because he told me he wasn’t ready. That it was just puppy love.” She blew her nose.