A Surprise ⇢ Callum Ilott

INTRO

"...you may kiss the bride."

Some people would say that marriage will let you annoy one special person for the rest of your life, or that the right person you will marry gives you the same feeling you get when you see food coming towards you at a restaurant. There is nothing in between, they said.

However, Catherine couldn't give an answer or explanation on this. The 22-year-old woman never had a stable relationship before. She watched how friends, family and other people fell in love, but she always wondered when she would find the right guy. Catherine had been in multiple situations where she and the guy were more than friends, but just less than a couple. It was like love wasn't made for Catherine. However, she was young, but she was the only one who didn't have a solid relationship before.

And instead of hearing the words 'you may kiss the bride' and get kissed herself, Catherine visited weddings of friends and family who were getting married. She visited every one of them, just to make them happy. And it made her delighted to see them happy, but she was alone, she couldn't bring someone and witness the moment together. Catherine guessed that was how faith wanted it - Catherine was happy, but that still made it fucked up to see everyone around her getting married and falling in love.

The venue of this wedding was maybe Catherine's favourite of all the weddings she had visited - it was probably seven weddings in total, but that didn't matter. The venue was romantic, it felt like you entered a fairytale. Around every corner, there was a new treasure: a water fountain, castle ruins, an almost perfectly manicured garden and many more treasures. It almost felt like Catherine was in Italy or France, the castle had those vibes, and it was just in England. Catherine almost was disappointed someone else had their wedding at this venue, because she was in love with this venue and wanted to marry here. If faith allowed her to marry someday. But now was not the time to be upset, her cousin just married the love of her life.

A smile curved on Catherine's lips when she was looking at the newly wed couple: Masha and Vince. Her cousin Masha looked beautiful; she was wearing an A-line shaped dress in a soft pink colour. The now husband Vince was wearing a navy blue tuxedo and with some fancy Italian leather shoes.

Vince cupped Masha's face in his hands and leaned in. Their lips locked, and people around them started to cheer, so did Catherine. She clapped in her hands, and her smile only got bigger. Seeing those two people as a happy couple, as a married happy couple, made Catherine happy as well. Masha meant much to Catherine, meaning Vince did too.

When the couple walked on the aisle, Masha quickly looked at Catherine. Catherine shared a yes-girl look with Masha. Masha smiled satisfied and looked at her husband, Vince. Catherine's eyes quickly glided over the people in the area, who looked just as happy as Catherine. Her eyes locked with her brother's, who was smiling as well.

"They are such a beautiful couple," a woman who sat next to Catherine. "Aren't they?"

Catherine nodded and looked at the woman, it was the niece of Vince. "They are. And the venue is just wonderful, which makes it even more appealing."

"Absolutely, it's a beautiful place."

"Little secret, I am in love with this venue," Catherine softly said.

The woman nodded. "You're not the only one." They both looked at the couple who left the area. "Do you happen to know when the dinner starts? I lost my paper, and it's really unprofessional to arrive late at it."

Catherine softly smirked. "It's okay," she assured the woman. "Dinner will start at seven o'clock, an hour from now. Cocktail hour starts now. Someone will call us in when the time is there, don't worry about that. You can have my paper." Catherine gave the paper to the woman and kindly smiled.

"Oh, thank you, Catherine," the woman replied. The woman did know Catherine's name, but Catherine didn't know the woman's name; great. "You look amazing, by the way."

"Thank you," Catherine politely replied. "You look wonderful as well," she returned the compliment. The outfit of the woman wasn't Catherine's style, but staying positive was better than being negative. And women need to be hyped up.

The woman got up and smiled widely. "Thanks very much." She joined the group of people who were leaving the venue.

Catherine decided to stay for a bit longer at the venue, just because she could avoid all the people who were leaving at the same time. She placed her arm on the backrest of the stool next to her and stared at a random point in the space. After a few minutes, she got up and straightened her dress. Catherine was wearing a rust colour dress what hugged her body perfectly; it had a satin sheen finish, and it made her feel beautiful. She made her way towards the terrace and ordered a drink. Catherine looked around, and her eyes met two pair of eyes. She gave the man a quick smile and looked at her brother, who was talking to her.