Here comes the bride!

(ACCALIA'S POV)

The moment I regained consciousness, I regretted it instantly. My head throbbed with a relentless and heavy ache and the blinding sunlight filtering through the curtains felt like an assault on my eyes. As I tried to piece together the events of the previous night, I felt a strong feeling of irritation washed over me when the vivid memory of my parents asking me to marry Ken Peterson flooded in, and I hissed in annoyance.

I groaned in irritation, wanting nothing more than to bury my head under the covers and block out the world.

I intended to roll over and go back to sleep, to escape the impending storm of parental pressure, but then the distorted and blurry memories flooded into my mind. The club, the sultry proposition I had dared to make and the my goodness gracious, the handsome and mysterious stranger named Don, it all came rushing back.

My eyes widened in embarrassment as I remembered my reckless proposal to a man I barely knew. The last thing I recalled him saying before I drifted into an alcohol filled slumber echoed in my mind like a warning, "I'm not one to be messed with, pumpkin."

I screamed into my pillow in embarrassment, questioning my own sanity for making such a proposition. Had anything happened between us? What the hell was wrong with me? What had I been thinking? How reckless had I been to approach a stranger in such a manner?

Swallowing my embarrassment, I decided to leave the past where it belonged, forget all about my crazy act and i attempted to go back to sleep. But I could not sleep, my thoughts were consumed by the mysterious man named Don, his intense gaze was hatched deep inside of my brain, his smile had sent tingles all throughout my body…I shivered from the recollection.

His words echoed through my head, his voice echoing around my thoughts. The memory of his touch still lingered in my flesh. I could smell his scent still linger on my skin. My senses seemed heightened. My heart beat faster than usual. I was unable to control the fluttering in my stomach and my face blushed crimson. That was when the realization hit me that I was naked, oh my goodness! Did he also bath me? I couldn't really remember it all?

I quickly covered myself up with the bed cover in fear of him seeing me undressed and possibly… Noooo, don't even think that way. I tried convincing myself that I did not want anything more to do with the mysterious, mysterious man named Don. Was he still in the room? I had woken up to an empty bed, I couldn't remember if we had spent the night together.

"Mr.. Don, if you're in the bathroom, please come out!" I called out desperately, clutching the cover tightly around my body.

I heard no response so I got up from the bed and strode over to the bathroom, I opened the bathroom door and peered in but I was met with a spotless and exquisite empty bathroom. I let out a small sigh of relief. If he was already gone then there shouldn't have been any issue with me getting dressed.

Dressed and still overwhelmed by the whirlwind of the night, I checked out of the fine hotel, wondering if the stranger, Don, was as wealthy as the surroundings suggested. The encounter felt like a fever dream, but the memory of his dark, intense gaze still haunted me.

I hailed a cab and quickly entered, telling the driver my destination. I was rushing to my best friend, Bentley's house, I couldn't wait to spill the bizarre and captivating tale of my night with the most handsome and mysterious stranger I have ever met, Don. Bentley was the only person who could offer me the solace and advice I needed in moments like these. I also needed to tell her about my parents plans to marry me off to Ken Peterson.

The cab stopped in front of her family house, I climbed out of the cab and quickly paid the cab driver before I dashed into my friends house.

"Oh my God Bentley, you won't believe what happened to me last night." I screamed out as I spotted Bentley sitting beside their luxurious pool.

Bentley was a real beauty, she had long red hair that went all the way down to her back, pale skin and beautiful green eyes that always seemed to sparkle with mischief or excitement. She was also incredibly intelligent, she was quite boyish in many ways. She prefered to wear masculine clothes than dresses. Her favorite pair of dark black sneakers paired nicely with a black tank top and ripped black baggy jeans which made her look like some kind of hipster chick from the 90's.She also wore leather jackets with patches that were either made out of fake animal skins, feathers. She was the complete opposite of me and my feminine energy.

She laughed and asked, "What happened that has you so excited this morning?"

I plopped myself onto the edge of the pool where she was sitting. She was currently holding a book and I could tell from the book cover, it was one of those cheap romance novels with little good writing skills. That was just something weird about Bentley, even though she was boyish and hated the thought of being all lovey dovey, she loved romance novels and movies so much that there wasn't any she hadn't watched.

I narrated my whole ordeal to Bentley and I was grateful that she lebt me a listening ear. Though she had been really angry at the thought of me getting married to Ken, especially since she knew what he had done and what he was still capable of doing. I also told her about the handsome stranger and of course, she made fun of me and we just laughed over it, she made me forget my problems momentarily.

I avoided picking up my parents nonstop calls, knowing that they would want answers that I just couldn't provide yet. Hours passed and I had no choice but to head home much later than I had intended, lost in my thoughts and memories of the handsome stranger.

But as I entered my sitting room, I was met with an unexpected sight. Don was there, seated and he was in conversation with my parents. The shock of seeing him in such my home left me speechless.

My step mother turned to me and with a mischievous glint in her eye, she exclaimed, "Oh, here comes your bride!"