Monthly Bonus #2 - Nat's Valentine's Scenario Special

The ceremony was, well, pretty much like all other wedding ceremonies: long. But finally getting to stretch my legs as guests all file into the community centre for the reception eases my aches from sitting.

“Here,” Nat offers, motioning her hands at me as we wait in the queue.

I turn my back to her, trying to resist letting out a moan of relief as she massages the top of my knotted shoulders with gentle but expert hands.

A chuckle sounds from her behind me. “Why on Earth did you get so tense? It’s not like you were the one getting married.”

“I just…worry things will go wrong when I attend things like this. And I really wanted everything to go smoothly for them,” I explain. Her hands slide from my shoulders as I turn to face her. “I’m a bit of a magnet for trouble these days.”

“I see.” Her two words hold a weight of sadness to them.

I decide it’s best to change the subject.

“And anyway, shouldn’t someone be the opposite of tense at their own wedding? Surely I’d be completely relaxed or excited?” I joke.

She shrugs. “Having never done it, my only reference on the subject is from books, as well as the stories I’ve heard from those that have.”

The doors to the centre finally open, releasing the sea of hungry restless guests like a dam bursting. The buffet table is overrun in seconds. Nat and I decide to get a drink before trying for the food.

We sit at one of the tables, its surface covered by a delicate peach tablecloth, a spray of peonies at its centre, spiralled around with glittering twigs. A small pouch sits on our plates as both a favour and name card.

I open the pretty little tulle bag and pull out a chocolate. The sweet melts in my mouth, and I enjoy the rich, slightly bitter flavour before turning my focus back to Nat. Instead of being enchanted by her candy favour, her attention is turned to the scene in the room.

She’s enraptured by it.

Her gaze sweeps across every glimmering decoration, every sniffling family member, every memento of the couple…

“No wonder it was easy to get you to come with me,” I note with a smile. “I’m guessing you love weddings?”

“Who doesn’t?”

I snort. “I mean, I can probably list a dozen people off the top of my head who would hate them.”

She half smiles. “Weddings are a culmination of people’s love. A true celebration of it. Romance and love are so easily cast aside and forgotten. Times such as these,” she sweeps a hand out, “are the rare times people can exclaim their love for each other to the whole world. Events like these should be cherished.”

“…You really seem like you’ve jumped right off the pages of a romance novel sometimes,” I comment, a couple of swoony sighs sounding from the eavesdroppers also sat at our table.

“I suppose it’s not really the wedding that interests me,” she continues, swirling her wineglass absent-mindedly. “It’s what comes after.”

I frown.

“The marriage.”

My brows shoot up from their creased position. “I…I didn’t realise you thought about that considering you’re a—” My lips snaps shut as I look over at our eavesdroppers, who do a bad job at pretending they’re not listening. “You know, being someone with your condition.”

“Yes. Marriage is more of a consideration because of my ‘condition’, I suppose,” she replies, smiling knowingly at our coded conversation. “But to promise not just my life, but eternity, to someone…I can’t think of anything I want more.”

The way she adds a subtle inflection to the word ‘someone’ as her gaze focuses solely on me has my heart speeding like it’s tap dancing in my chest. My body erupts into a shiver of goosebumps, my stomach light, and my breathing heavy.

I also notice our eavesdroppers staring at Nat with a little too much intensity, so I slide my hand across the table and rest it over hers. Their eyes turn so green with envy I think they might try to take me out with their butterknives.

When Nat places her free hand on top of our already joined ones, the world rushes back to me, and I focus on her again.

“The buffet table is free,” she says, tipping her head to gesture at it.

I glance over to see the initial rush of the crowd has indeed cleared from the food table. We get up and head towards it, hand-in-hand.

As I place food onto my plate, I barely notice what it is, my head still in a blur after the previous conversation. Nat grabs a couple of my favourite things and places them on my plate for me.

“Are you all right, [Name]?” she asks. “I wasn’t…trying to scare you with my talk of eternity.”

“No. It’s good. It’s fine.” I stuff a bite-sized pastry into my mouth.

“I wasn’t suggesting we—”

I freeze. “You were talking about eternity with someone else?” Pastry crumbs splutter from me and coat my lips.

She takes a soft breath and wipes them from my mouth with her thumb. “…Did you want me to be talking about it with you?”

“I certainly don’t want you to be talking about it with someone else.”

We stand together, gazing at each other, before Nat chuckles and rocks back.

“There is, and never will be, anyone but you, ya rouhi.”

Her words settle me instantly, and I smile, leaning in closer to catch her lips in a kiss. Her lips part over mine, and I forget where we are, what we’d been talking about, or what is to come.

Perhaps eternity isn’t so scary, after all.

…Not if it’s with her.