Anders was in the room with Lucas, helping him with his brooch before he went to the aisle to wait for his bride. Lucas hadn't stopped talking about how special he thought Amanda was and how lucky he was to have her as his bride. At first, Anders was receptive to the emotions flowing, even handing Lucas a napkin when tears threatened to fall from his eyes. But three hours into the day, Anders decided that it was getting on his nerves. And not in a bad way. The more his best friend spoke about love and the beautiful things it had done to him, the more he feared that his choice not to believe in love was more damning than it did him any good. It was becoming oddly real to him, that Lucas and Amanda were going to need their privacy after today, so he wouldn't be able to disturb them as often as he was used to.“Don't look so sad, Anders,” Lucas drawled, patting his friend's face affectionately. “We're still going to be your friends. Things are just going to be a bit different.”“How so?
Anders didn't bother to change into something else, getting onto the private jet from his landing. The tuxedo made him look like he was going to a ceremony, but there wasn't any time to go back home, especially since Anders made the decision in the spur of the moment.The usual readings of the weather, flight safety information, and weather forecast were announced before the jet took off from the ground, and Anders wished they could go faster. His legs bobbed in the aircraft and he shuffled between looking out through the window and scrolling through the magazines before him.He wasn't going to get to Veil in the next five hours and now that Anders was midair, he was beginning to think about the spontaneous choice he had just made. Perhaps, he should have celebrated the day with his best friend, then waited till the following morning before making the trip. He hadn't even considered if Veil would be open to receiving him. If that happened, was he just going to come right back?The ans
Anders walked into the house with trepidation since Veil hadn't said anything about welcoming him with open arms. He had taken too long to realize he was in love with her, and the thought plagued him as he stood in the center of the small and cozy living area, struck at how homely she had made it look.“This is nice,” he noted, not expecting Veil to dignify him with a response. That explained how his eyes raised in surprise when she smiled at him, a sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. “I'd always wanted my own space,” Veil explained. “But living with June has made me realize that perhaps, solitary living isn't for me.” She laughed awkwardly and sat on one of the mismatched couches. “It's been a little bit hard living alone. I don't know how to cook just for myself, and there's no one to fix me a quick snack when I'm too tired to lift a finger.”Anders wanted to tell her that he would happily do all of that for her, but something kept him mute. He wasn't certain how open she would
MONTHS LATERElvis Presley's “can't help falling in love” reverberated across the full hall as Veil walked down the aisle slowly, in the arms of her father, with June behind her, unable to stop smiling so wide. Veil's best friend seemed to be the most excited about this wedding, as she had been in such a great mood since Veil returned with Anders to Mexico, the news of their engagement in tow.She and Amanda had been responsible for all the planning, leaving Veil nothing to do than being doted on by Anders and taking care of her gradually bulging stomach. Veil thought it was better to do the wedding before she wouldn't be able to walk easily, and Anders was cool with whatever she wanted.Anders was at the aisle, with Lucas by his side, the roles reversed so beautifully. His wife, Amanda, was at the front pew, dabbing at her eyes and at the same time, glancing at her watch. She was in charge around here and since Amanda was the queen of perfection, she wanted everything to be in place
In the spaced parlor of a three-bedroom apartment, adorned with comfort requirements of a flat-screen TV, air conditioning, a modest-sized refrigerator, comfortable couches, and a glass table in front. With pictures of a light-skinned brunette hanging on the walls. On the glass table sitting in front of one of the two lemon couches, a bunch of local newspapers lay scattered across the table, a few others on the floor, and come across the other couch. Two brunettes sat across the table, ransacking the papers.Gazing at a particular heading on the paper with apt uncertainty evident in sea-green eyes, Veil let out a long sigh she didn't think she had been holding. Her expression was one of innocent frustration."I don't think I can cope with the job of a bartender." Flipping the pages of a paper with the picture of a male model as its cover picture, the other brunette gave a glance at the paper in Veil's hands."You're not working in a bar, we'd find something better."Veil bit on th
Veil trailed behind a group of young girls in mini-exposing dresses as they made their way through the entrance hallway. Under the blue lights, she could see a few couples making out, and hear groans and moans and soft music playing. The more they walked down the hallway, the louder the music got. Reaching the end of the hallway, she entered a place where the music was at its loudest. The room was more like a hall and was crowded. She stumbled upon a few insatiable love-making lovebirds, some drunks, coughed once and then twice at the choking smell of cigarettes. In less than five minutes, she was already regretting the decision she made in a state of excitement. Why didn't she just sit back and wait? First time in a club and she was already hating the idea of it.How was she supposed to find June in such rowdyism, and that too, with such lights?As she moved around searching for June, a group of drunk dudes in the company of three drunk ladies quaked her "Hey!" One of the guys scr
At 7:30 AM, Veil was up and preparing for a 9:00 clock interview. She had her shower, made breakfast, ate, and used the rest of the free minutes taking in deep breaths. Once it was 8:20 AM, she dressed up. In a white polyester V-neck long-sleeved shirt, a knee-length black skirt that accentuated her perfectly defined curves, and a pair of heels, she looked almost ready to rock. What was she missing....... Yap! Her hair. She brushed the waist-length hair and packed it to the back. She's never been a fan of make-up, so she didn't apply any, besides, her skin was pure and smooth. She picked up one of the bags they had gotten the day before, a Channel. Hurrying to June's room, she knocked on the sleeping girl's room and made her aware of her departure, before leaving. In a hurry, she almost flagged down a Bentley, but thank heavens she was quick enough to withdraw her hand......But. Why did the car feel familiar?....In the passenger seat of the black Bentley that had just passed Veil,
"Ms. Veil Smith. You're up next!" The speaker announced."Huh!!" Veil asked. Was it her or someone bearing the same name as her? Why was it her turn now? She had only been sitting there for five minutes. Some too many other people came before her, so, why was she next?As she stood up and confidently approached the door, she knew that others had the same thoughts running in their minds. Probably she was amongst the top firsts on their list. But! why was her name called, instead of her number? She noticed a lot of people staring at her with disdain and it made her feel strange in a way. She forced a smile in other to clear the air around her before walking in.As soon as she was out of sight, a few women turned to each other."She's the last person to walk into this room, yet she gets called before us all, and that too, by name?" One blonde asked."I think she must be acquainted with the CEO. Hmm! Lucky her." Another, a short-haired brunette murmured with a fixed gaze on the door V