Tentative Reality

Tick tock.

The moment Rebecca snapped her eyes open, she was back in the bridal room, nervously sitting as she waited to be called out.

Tick tock.

Hadn't she stepped out of this room an hour ago?

She glanced around the room, confused—she could've sworn she was just in the hallway a second ago.

Was it a dream? Had she dozed off?

Tick tock.

The room was exactly the same as she remembered. The luxurious decor, the fresh flowers she'd admired when she was ushered in, and even the glass of water on a table beside her.

Her face scrunched up into a frown; she was sure she'd emptied the glass of its contents and handed it over to her attendant.

Perhaps she only thought she did.

Picking it up, she downed the content in a go, and just as she was about to drop it down, one of the attendants walked in as the first time. She hurriedly towards her.

"Oh, ma'am. Let me take that way."

Plucking the glass out of Rebecca's hand before exiting the room.

Rebecca could only stare in shock at the exact repetition.

Tick tock.

What was this déjà vu? And what was that awful ringing in her ears?

Her stomach churned with nerves, and the loudly ticking clock in the room only aggravated it further.

She narrowed her eyes on it, wondering why it was so noisy.

It made her aware of the time passing; with each second, it was getting closer to the scheduled time for the wedding.

She should be jittery... giddy... maybe anxious, yet for an unknown reason, her heart was beating rapidly against her chest.

It felt so unsettled and fearful.

Tick tock.

Rebecca felt her nerves going haywire. Not thinking much of it, she concluded it was because she couldn't wait to be with her fiancé.

To leave behind her devastating life and toxic families. She'll finally get her freedom and create the lovely family that she had always wanted with the man she loved.

There was no way she was fearful about the wonderful occasion. Maybe the unsettled feeling stemmed from the loneliness she felt, dressed in a pretty wedding dress but alone.

Not a single friend or relative. But it didn't matter. She'd come to expect the worst from them, so the fact that they were late didn't really hurt. As long as Jacob wasn't.

She only needed him.

Tick tock.

The clock ticked again. The uncomfortable sound made her restless but Rebecca ignored the disturbing feelings, heading to the restroom to freshen up a bit.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, straining the upward tilt of her lips to keep it in place.

"You've come a long way, Rebecca. Now you can be happy." She encouraged herself, then, holding her shoulders high, stepped back into the room just as the doors were thrown open.

Her attendants were back.

"Hello ma'am, it is time." They greeted uniformly, and a loud voice called from outside, "Bring out the bride."

Rebecca let out a shaky breath. Standing tall and proud, she gracefully walked out.

Carefully placing one leg after the other, she was almost at the door. She could see it right in front of her, yet for a split second, her gaze wandered.

Tick tock.

Then it met his.

Time stood still. She instantly recognized the unfamiliar face. That was when she knew something was off.

Tick tock.

She was out of the room yet she could still hear the sound of the ticking clock—it had gotten faster.

She'd never met the disabled man before, yet she could recognize his cold gaze from her dream.

Tick tock.

Her heart began to beat rapidly. She felt suffocated.

He was staring blankly from across the hall, watching as she moved closer to hers. She thought he wasn't going to look away and consider walking over to ask if he knew her but within a few seconds, he took his gaze off her. She had reached the entrance of her wedding venue.

"You may go in, ma'am."

As soon as Rebecca placed a foot in the hall, it was like she already knew what to expect.

The hall was empty.

Tick tock.

Where was everyone? The dreadful feeling returned with full force. There was no way the dream was real, right?

Jacob would never leave her stranded.

And so she marched up to the priest.

A few minutes turned into an hour. The priest left. The attendants gossiped. She ran out of the hall anxious once again. The betrayal scene was repeated...

Anxiety wasn't the only thing she felt.

Pain.

The feeling was becoming more prominent with each passing second, just as the echo of the clock.

The sound was almost deafening.

The events she thought were just a dream played out the exact way, and when she was being dragged towards the station, she saw him again.

This time, he tipped his head at her with a scrutinizing expression on his face.

Suddenly, the ticking halted. Time froze. And just as a loud bell rang, she stumbled to the ground, in anticipation of the fall which would never come.

At least not yet.

Rebecca's eyes snapped open.

She was back in her bridal room with the disturbing sound of the clock once again.

Tick tock.