Chapter 4 - A Promise Before Wedding

That day might be her busiest day. How came? It was her wedding day!

Who was not busy preparing for the special day? No exception for her. Moreover, the marriage was held suddenly. Oh, she was great at still being able to keep her sanity.

"Done."

The voice seemed to command her eyes to open after only staring at the darkness. And as she slowly moved her eyelids open, a beautiful woman greeted her.

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair was styled so that it looked curly and volumed. The left side was intentionally pinned behind her ear and gave a beautiful hairpin there. While the right side was left to give the impression of being mature and elegant.

It was supported by her natural makeup. Her makeup accentuated her facial features and showed her best version without being too much. What looked the boldest was the color of her lips. It was a brick red that instantly obscured the simplicity of her makeup.

That was her. Anna.

"You look amazing!" Praise the makeup artist. She stood behind Anna and watched her work with her client.

"Thanks. You did a great job, too." Anna responded with a smile still on her lips.

"Thank you. You must be the most beautiful bride today." The artist smiled back. "Okay, I think it's time for you to get changed. Your wedding dress is waiting for you." She ended her admiring activities and reminded Anna to get ready. She was required to work fast that day.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." Anna responded like being dazed. It forced her to change her focus when she just started to stare at the unfamiliar yet familiar figure. However, Anna had no other choice because it was a hectic day. She would better sit back when all the preparations were done.

Anna got up from her seat and prepared for the next step. Wearing a wedding dress.

And so, for the next few minutes, she wore the midi dress. Yes, she deliberately chose a dress past her knees, not covering up to her feet with a long tail behind. It was too much trouble for an impromptu wedding. After all, there would be very few people attending the ceremony. And there would be no party, instead of an intimate dinner with Dave's family.

That was the plan.

"Wow, you're so beautiful!" 

The compliment came from Chelsy, Dave's cousin, who also caught her sleeping with Dave this morning. Oh, that was really embarrassing! In her entire life, she had never been seen in that condition.

"Thank you. You're also beautiful in your dress," Anna complimented as she found her wearing a long dress that fell beautifully on her body. It was soft pink, which looked perfect against her pale skin.

"I always look beautiful," Chelsy joked as she walked to Anna. Her smile showed until she reached her side and then turned serious. "Are you sure about your decision? There's no turning back after this." That was a classic question that might be asked to a bride-to-be before the wedding day. For Anna, it was asked on the D-day.

"What do you think would happen if I said no?" Anna asked back. She imagined it, but there were many possible answers.

Chelsy mumbled while thinking about that. "For sure, the wedding won't happen today."

"But the marriage might still happen, right?" she argued quickly. The reply was unsatisfactory. There were many meanings behind it.

A sigh escaped her lips. "My grandmother is a firm and stubborn person. It's difficult to change her mind."

"And that means I can't escape this. I will still be Dave's future wife," Anna concluded. Seeing how Grandma immediately made the decision, actually, it already gave a little idea of how her future would be. She couldn't possibly escape this unexpected fate.

"Unfortunately, yes. Grandma will chase you until you accept or give a solid reason to refuse."

And Anna giggled at that. That was not good news, but she couldn't help herself.

"What's funny?" Chelsy asked in confusion.

"No. I'm just laughing at myself for not knowing how to react appropriately in this situation."

"They usually freak out."

Yes, it should be like that. Perhaps this situation hit Anna so hard that her mind couldn't work correctly. She was suddenly getting married!

"I don't know. My brain is frozen."

Chelsy's gaze softened. She felt sorry for her fate but couldn't do much. "I'm sorry, Anna, because I can't persuade my grandma. I can only offer myself to be your friend," she regretted.

A smile graced Anna's lips. She then held her hands. "It's okay. Although it's still confusing for me, I'm sure I can handle it. Just promise me. We'll go out to have fun together. I really hope we can be friends."

Chelsy smiled back. "Sure. I'll be happy to have a friend like you."

And that was how their friendship was formed.

"You look good together." Suddenly, a deep voice was heard and caught their attention. That was Dave. He stood in the doorway while watching them.

"What did you expect? We had a fight?" said Chelsy sarcastically. They did not have a significant age gap with Dave's three years older. So, they are used to this kind of conversation. Yeah, like sibling relationships in general.

Dave began walking towards them. "I heard girls fight a lot."

Chelsy chuckled at that. She turned to Anna. "Should we fight?" She asked.

Anna only gave a laugh. She knew it was a joke. "I don't like fighting. I prefer to remain silent."

"Oh, you're the cold war type."

Dave arrived in front of them. He looked at Anna, then turned to Chelsy. "Can you give us some alone time?"

Chelsy knew he meant it for her, so she replied, "Sure. I'll be waiting in the lobby." Then she gave Anna a smile before leaving the room.

After Chelsy left, the remaining two people looked awkward.

"Hi." Even his first words started in awkwardness.

"Hi." And answered in the same state.

Silence. They acted entirely different from the meeting last night or this morning.

Dave seemed hesitant to say what he had in mind. But, in the end, he did it. "I'm sorry to put you in this position." He began to say. "I didn't think grandma would come up with this idea." His gaze was full of guilt. Anna was innocent in this case. Not like him, who had known her grandmother's character well.

Anna looked him straight in the eyes. It was a rare clear blue iris that looked glowing. "I'm also the culprit here. I agree with the marriage proposal."

Dave immediately shook his head. "No. This situation happened because I miscalculated something important. So, it's entirely on me."

That was difficult. It wouldn't end when two people blamed themselves for something that happened to them.

Anna thought of something to end this endless topic. "Then can you promise me something? We will work together to make this marriage well. We can start as friends, then share everything together." She expressed her idea. "What do you think?" She looked at him in hope. If they couldn't have control of this wedding, they could decide the fate of their married life.

Dave was silent, but his expression showed he was deeply carried over to her. Or her sentence. "Wonderful." He said whatever word came to his mind. He then forced his focus back. "It sounds beautiful to have such a relationship in our marriage."

"How about the promise?"

"Are you going to do the same?"

"Sure. It's our marriage. We have to do it together or never."

"Then, I promise you that. I promise to be your best friend in our marriage."

They smiled at each other. This time, in a more relaxed atmosphere. Only one remained as a source of nervousness. The wedding procession.