Invest In Me

A few moments of adjusting the lace and the dress and Bella appeared again dressed better than she had ever imagined. The white gown was long and falling widely after her middle, making her look like a princess. She always wanted to be a princess for her wedding.

“You look… Wow! Bella you’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever!” Thomas rose on his feet to come closer.

That was the last drop that triggered the tears to fall down her cheeks. Her reflection in the mirror and Thomas’s words and… Everything caught up to her. Especially the thought of her mother.

“Hey… Shh…” Thomas climbed the platform to stand before her.

“It’s normal for the brides-to-be to cry before their wedding,” the sales woman said, but seeing that they didn’t pay her any attention, she retreated somewhere behind the stalls.

“Don’t cry, honey…” He kissed her softly on the head.

“It’s just that… My mom would love to see me like this. She always dreamed of seeing me like this. In this dress. And…” Bella sniffled seeing Thomas’ fingers gently wiping the tears from her face.

“I’m sure she sees you, sweetheart. She sees you from wherever she is and smiles at the beauty of her daughter.” Thomas gathered her in his embrace and let her sob against his chest. It was a special moment between them. One that showed that they were ready to be each other’s support no matter the circumstances.

“You know… I even believed that seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding is bad luck. As it turns out… I have no other choice. I have no one to pick the dress with except you.”

Thomas laughed. “I didn’t lose my eyes, did I? And plus, there’s no one better in choosing a dress than me.”

They both smiled before their lips met. At first, Bella didn’t want a wedding gown, as the wedding was meant to be very small, but Thomas insisted and she eventually gave in. It was the first time she was getting married (and she hoped the last one), so she wanted the pleasure to appear all in white before her husband for herself.

Bella tried on a few more dresses, but at the end decided to take the first one both because of the emotions it awoke in her and the princess style. Content, she and Thomas both headed out of the store and to a café on the fifth floor to celebrate their successful shopping. Then they visited a cake store to pick a flavor, bought shoes that matched their wedding clothes, and finally ended sprawled in the car with their feet hurting. What a day that had been.

 “Where do you want the ceremony to take place? I was thinking about bringing the marriage officiant somewhere and…” Thomas began, but Bella interrupted.

“Wherever you choose, Tom. I don’t mind. Besides I don’t even know this city so well. How could I know the places for weddings?” she asked more seriously.

“What is it now, hmm? Something bothering you? Tell me and we’ll take care of it,” Thomas offered staring at her.

“See? That’s the problem. You take care of everything and I’m beyond grateful, but Tom… This wedding… I never imagined it to happen so fast and in a hurry, that’s all. And…”

“What?”

Bella bit her down lip and shifted her gaze somewhere to the car’s floor. “I’m not sure that we’ll make it work. This… Us… We just met and now we’re supposed to live in the same house. I don’t even know if you snore at night.”

“Maybe you don’t know that, but as sure as hell you know every bit of my body. And you know that it comes alive only under your touch,” Thomas said leaning closer.

“Is that so? And you think that’s enough?”

“For me it is, dear Bella. It’s more than I hoped I’ll ever have. I love you, never forget that.” He kissed her and she let him.

“I love you, too,” she uttered between kisses feeling butterflies in her stomach. “We’ll be happy, right?”

“We’ll try our best to be, I promise you that!” Thomas smiled fondling her skin.

She just nodded as they went out of the car to take the bags. Bella took hers and kissed him goodbye. He truly did everything in his power to bring things in order. She respected him a lot for that.

*****

The wedding day came a week later. Bella was running in and out of rooms, gathering and leaving stuff the whole morning. Even her roommate Sam joined in the craze, helping her put on the gown, jewelry and heels. The whole apartment was thumping with thrill that they forgot how tiny and cramped it was. That day, everything seemed more beautiful.

Sam sent her off downstairs, where a long white car was waiting for her. And inside she found the reason for it all. The man who gave her the hope she needed at the time when she was so desperate and she owed him for that more than he could imagine. It was unbelievable, but she was marrying that same guy.

“How are you?” He asked her, rubbing his hands off his black tuxedo pants.

She chuckled nervously. “F-fine. You?”

“Excellent.”

“In fact, I’m very, very excited.” Bella finally admitted. “I hope that everything will go well and we’ll be done with all of this.”

“I hope so too. Besides, I can’t wait to lay you on my bed and spend the whole day with you in my room.” He looked at her vigorously, making her want him, too. But first things first.

The long car brought them somewhere out of the city. Bella had no idea where Thomas had booked the wedding and that increased her uncertainty even more. What if it was raining? What if the place was too tight or too wide? What if the present ones would mock them for not having many guests? Were there a best man and bridesmaids? When she thought better, she knew nothing about her own wedding, making her feel like a guest on it. However, it was for the better that way.

Shortly, all her questions got their answers. The moment Thomas opened the door for her and gave her his hand to go out of the car, her eyes popped wide in surprise. Was she in heaven because it sure looked like it?

They were on a green field as wide as her look could reach, with the green grass fresh beneath them and a small wooden restaurant close by. A soft breeze tickled her skin and it was then that she noticed the table covered with a silky white cloth. One chair was placed at the head – she guessed for the marriage officiant – two tall ones for her and Thomas and two more on the other side. So there will be witnesses.

“It’s marvelous, Tom. Thank you.” She threw herself in Thomas’ arms and heard him sigh from above her head.

“I was scared that you wouldn’t like it. I… I wanted it to look like you’re in your home town. This is the only place near the city that could satisfy those requirements. And… Here we are!” He kissed the top of her head.

“I don’t like it. I adore it. I couldn’t have found a better place myself.”

“I’m glad for that,” Thomas said, hugging her tighter. “Now I want you to meet someone. Our witnesses.” Thomas flashed her a teeth-showing smile, pointing somewhere behind them.

Bella slowly turned on the green land, as a loud scream separated from her lungs and escaped into the air. Forgetting about her high heels, she began running in the direction of the two people approaching them.

“Amy? Amy!” she shouted, capturing her childhood best friend in her arms and crying. The make-up was not important anymore.

The both of them stayed like that swaying and crying while Thomas and his friend were observing from the side. They must have looked like lunatics, but Bella didn’t mind that at all. Seeing her best friend meant the world to her.

“I missed you… You don’t know how much,” Bella spoke when they finally separated from each other wiping their eyes.