Chapter 3: Married?

Buzzzzzzz… buzzz… buzzz…

Riiiing! Ring! Ring!

Rica woke up to the vibration and sound of the alarm clock on her smartphone. She turned it off and slowly opened her eyes.

She was about to get up when she realized there was a big man lying on the bed next to her. Quick as lighning, she quickly jumped out of the bed.

A naked man!

She clamped a hand over her wide-opened mouth. "Shit! Who's this guy?" she gasped as she looked around the room. "Where am I?" she asked, her brow furrowing while examining the unfamiliar bedroom. She tried to think of what could have happened yesterday but she could only remember the time she made a wish in front of the spring. That was her last memory of yesterday.

She gave her body a quick glance to check if she was wearing some clothes. "Phew! Thank God I have my clothes on," she muttered to herself. She was certain nothing had happened between her and the stranger man.

She tried to wake the man up for answers but his handsome face caught her attention. He had an attractive aquiline nose which complemented his projecting cheekbones and alluring lips. His black glistening hair was coiffed to perfection.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm just dreaming. Relax. This is just a dream,

Rica,” she told herself, pinching her own skin to wake herself up.

“This is not a dream and I am your husband.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the manly figure standing in front of her. "H-husband?" She could not believe what she had just heard. "Did he just say husband?" she asked in her mind, gazing at him.

His perfect amber-colored eyes met hers. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. She was so confused. She reached for her smartphone on the desk and quickly looked at the date. She might go crazy because she couldn’t understand what was going on.

Just yesterday, her boyfriend broke up with her, and now a stranger has appeared who introduced himself as her husband.

"Please tell me the truth. Are you real? I mean, is- is this real?" She asked. Her voice was pleading.

The man nodded. “This is real and I am real.”

She almost fainted at what she heard so she took another deep breath. When she looked at him again, she looked deeply into his beautiful eyes. She could see he was being honest. He was telling the truth.

Rica slapped herself on the face to wake up. "There must be a mistake," she told him. "I am not married and I haven't seen you before. I-I don't even know your name," she continued, biting her lip. She always did that when she was upset or didn't understand why things were happening.

"I am Cali," he replied. His face became serious. "And honey, I really am your husband. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!"

He beamed at her and pointed to the oversized pictures on the walls. Only then did Rica realize how huge the room was. It was way bigger than the bedroom in her apartment. It was unbelievably enormous! It was a cozy and relaxing sanctuary given with its luxurious look.

She stared at the big pictures on the wall. She couldn't believe it herself. She was indeed the bride. She was wearing an elegant A-line wedding dress. Her smiles were so sweet and beautiful. She looked extremely happy. She turned her gaze to the man next to her. She was shocked to see that Cali was undeniably her groom.

She walked out of the room and circled the house. Cali just followed her. The beauty and size of every room she entered was staggering. She was even more captivated when she arrived in the living room. It was like the one she could find in palaces on television or the fairy tale stories she read. She saw a gigantic picture hanging in the middle of the room. It was another wedding picture of them. She stared at it closely. Then, she noticed something else. A spring could be seen behind them. The spring looked so familiar.

"The spring!" She almost screamed. She sniffed, trying to remember the same scent she smelt when she was in front of the well on the mountain. The scent of beautiful and fresh red flowers! It was the spring from which she made a wish. After making a wish, she could no longer remember what happened next.

"Everything in front of me right now?” she thought. “Can this really be the fulfillment of my heart’s desire? And what about Cali, is he the man who will stay by his side forever?"

***Most of the time, we choose to hurry things. We forget that all (better) things come to those who wait (a proverb from a poem written by Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie). When we wait, we are allowing and preparing ourselves become the best we can be so by the time the right one comes along, we are ready.*** - Author

Rica couldn't take her eyes off the spring in the picture of her and Cali. She could not be wrong; it was indeed the spring from the mountain she had climbed. Even the flowers surrounding it were the ones she saw. She was not dreaming. She was convinced everything was true.

She turned to Cali. "Th-this spring, have you seen it before? Do you know anything about it?"

Cali smiled sweetly at her before answering. "Of course. That's where we met. You love that place so much you chose it to be our wedding venue. It was a great idea so I agreed." He approached the picture. "You looked so lovely on that day! Even the birds danced because of your charm and beauty."

"And how exactly did we meet?" she asked. She needed answers or she might go crazy.

"Well, to be honest, we don't really have that much love story to tell. And that's okay because we have all the time in the world to write our own."

She was already expecting that this must be the answer Cali would give her. It was a solid proof that nothing was really going on between them. He was a complete stranger, not her husband.

"Look, Cali or whoever you are. I don't know what on earth is happening right now.” She held her head. She was so confused that she was starting to get a headache. “I only know one thing, I shouldn't be here," she said. She turned and left Cali in the living room.