The Moment We Met (Chapter-33)

 

Felix's pov-

A wedding. A ceremony. So full of colors and happy faces. Chatters and waves of laughter radiate happiness. An infectious energy that wrapped around every guest like a warm embrace. Joviality is hanging around like sparkling and twinkling lights.

So many happy faces. Is everyone really happy? Is there no one who feels otherwise? A bitterness so deep that makes you feel hollow inside? Like me?

"Stop scowling! You are scaring people away," Ian whispers beside me, flashing a grin with a nod to the group of girls crossing by us. I glare at him in response.

"He is right. You are looking like shit." That's James. Yeah, surprising, even more hearing him using profanity. That means, I actually do look quite bad. 

"Thanks for the reminder," I mumble, watching guests arriving and filling up the area, greeted by mom and dad, Ian and James, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. I feel that sudden twist in my chest, like I have been feeling all this week, and cough out to ease the pain. That doesn't help much though.

Yes, it all started a week ago. I'm still trying to figure out how it all went wrong all of a sudden. We fell apart. Maisara and me. It probably sounds pathetic that my whole life turned upside down for her but that's the truth.

I don't know what I did wrong or if I did anything wrong at all. I must have done something wrong. Otherwise, why would she stop all contact with me all of a sudden? 

Our last contact was a small phone call the next night after I sorted out everything with Ryker. After our reading session in the library, I dropped her home before driving back to mine. At night, we usually chatted a little but never talked on a call. I don't know why I even called her that night after going home. In my subconscious, I probably knew that was going to be our last conversation. We talked a little about random things before saying goodbye. That was it. I couldn't reach her in any way after that night. 

There was absolutely no way that I left following to only talk to her for a second. Phone calls and texts were the least. I waited hours in front of her apartment, knocking on the door until my knuckles started to go numb. She didn't answer. I waited in the library in the hope that she might show up there. She didn't. Maria couldn't tell anything about her either. I waited in her office too and couldn't meet her there either. 

It is as if she completely vanished from the world within a few hours. I would have easily believed that if I hadn't checked with Lydia. The last option was Lydia. Even I am surprised how I didn't think of talking to her earlier. Lydia said that Maisara is fine but quite busy. She didn't even attend other wedding functions because of that. But she promised to stay for the exchange of the vows. 

I didn't believe that the whole reason for all of this was simply because she was busy. But she will be here today. So, I am looking forward to that. I will talk to her today no matter what. If I have to tie myself to her for that, I will do that. I'm ready to go to any length only for her to talk to me for a few minutes. I just want to hear why she cut me out all of a sudden when everything was going so well. I just want to know what was my mistake.

I feel the familiar burning sensation in my eyes and my throat starts to close up. Taking a deep breath, I keep chanting "Everything's gonna be fine" like a prayer to keep myself calm, just as I have been doing all this week. I have a feeling that nothing is gonna be fine but that chanting somehow works. 

"Finally, the queen of the show is here," Ian's awestruck whisper snaps me out of my thoughts as he whistles slowly. My initial thought is that he is talking about Lydia because it's her wedding, so 'The Queen of the Show' is supposed to be her. Reluctantly, I turn my eyes towards the gate. When I finally see 'The Queen of the Show', I quickly realize that Ian isn't talking about Lydia. He is talking about Maisara. 

As my eyes land on her, all the outside world around me vanishes instantly. I think my body vanishes too with it, only my soul remains. Because all my physical activity pause, my breathing hitches and my heart stops pumping blood. I feel nothing, hear nothing, and only can see her. I might either be crazy or dead.

She is looking like an ethereal beauty, straight out of a fairytale. I'm suddenly reminded of our first day at the library. That day, she looked like an ancient beauty too. Today, it seems a hundred times stronger and more powerful. It is as if she was some royalty and was in disguise that day, trying to look normal and today, she comes out in her real identification, like a true royal character straight out of ancient novels or movies.

She is dressed in golden, glowing like a star. The skirt of her gown, either satin or silk, I can't tell from this far, is sweeping the ground with each step she takes. The top of the gown is glittery, sparking brightly under the rays of sunlight. Her hijab matches her skirt. She is smiling at someone invisible which is why I cannot see her face clearly. But then, she turns her head and I feel a pause again. 

The first thing that catches my eyes is her lips, painted in the same shade of red that had me captivated on the first night we met. The shade of red that had the power to destroy me. And it did, in a certain way. 

And the next thing I catch is her eyes, staring right back at me. This time, I don't feel anything stopping or pausing, rather I feel a hit somewhere in my gut or heart, I'm not sure. Because I have never seen those pretty dark eyes swarming with so many emotions all at once in the past few months I have known her.

Maisara's pov-

I glance up at the building at our right for the tenth time in the past two minutes. It would be much more appropriate to say a manor rather than a mere building. The dirty shade of copper on the manor wall gives it a rustic look. Ivies snake its way up the walls, giving it a more weathered appearance. Men in suits and tuxedos and women in gowns are entering through the giant metallic double doors. The ve-

I feel a warm grip over my own cold hands covered in gloves which cut my chain of thoughts. I glance up at the owner of the hand. Vicky stares right back at me, her pale shade of eyes holding a soft look in them. She is dressed in a lavender flowy off-shoulder gown. The way she brags about her secretive behavior, I didn't think she would actually agree to come with me to the wedding. Luckily, she agreed when I asked and here we are, waiting outside Lydia's wedding venue, in my car for the past half an hour because I feel like I'm this close to having a nervous breakdown any moment.

Damn, I never really thought I would live to witness such a day, well, not after Rose, but well, here we are.

"I seriously have no idea what to say to you that can help you get less nervous," Vicky says softly, squeezing my hand when I turn my head away to look back at the guests entering the manor. "I am bad at communication."

"You are not," I reply, my voice comes out so solid that it even surprises me. Vicky chuckles in response. 

"You are saying that because I'm comfortable with you." She pauses for a second, before continuing, "You don't know how I am with strangers." The remarkable change in her tone doesn’t go unnoticed. 

"I remember perfectly the first time I met you," I retort, watching a baby boy in a light blue suit crying his lungs out and pulling what seems like his mother's gown. The mother is trying to calm him down but it doesn’t work.

"Then you would also remember how little I talked," Vicky counters back as the father runs up to the mother and son and kneels beside the son. I shrug in response. "I talk little with people I know."

"That's different." She pauses. It's surprising how I pull my eyes from the interesting scene ahead and turn my head to look at Vicky. She gestures between us. "You and me. Different."

"How?"

She shrugs, waving her hand in my direction. "Well, you are......you. Like the biggest star in the Universe." That is surely an exaggerated expression but okay. "And I am me. Like some.....some particles that nobody notices." She moves her hands a lot when she is talking. "So yeah, huge difference."

I roll my eyes, turning my head to look at the little boy from earlier. Surprisingly, all of them are gone. "Stop acting like a pick-me girl. You are better than that."

Vicky gasps dramatically. And she is telling me that she is bad at communication. "What? No, I'm not. I'm just trying to-"

I turn off the engine. "Come on, we are going in."

That obviously is out of nowhere and catches her off-guard. "But I'm not done ta-"

With a loud click, I unlock the car doors and unfasten my seatbelt. As I am about to get out of the car, Vicky grabs my hand. Naturally, my eyes go back to hers. She has that uncomfortably soft look in them again. When she opens her mouth, I notice that her voice has softened as if to match the look in her eyes. "Like I said I am not good with words but I am an expert in logic. Whatever happens, just remember you did nothing, you knew nothing. If anything happens at all, all the credits go to him. Okay?"

That is the thing. What she said, I already know. And I should have been acting on it too instead of getting nervous. Getting nervous and me, huh? When did I become so soft, so emotional? Well, I know exactly when it happened but I rather not think about it now.

Instead, I offer her a tight-lipped smile. "Let's go."

It doesn't take more than fifteen minutes for us to walk to the gigantic gate of the manor. By the time we are there, the gate is clear. I mean the guests are there but no one is entering or crowding the gate. I don't know why I expected otherwise.

Just before we step on the threshold, I feel a hand slipping into mine. Needless to say, that's Vicky's. We exchange a look. She offers a small smile and I offer a nod. Together, we cross the threshold and enter into the wedding hall.

I obviously expected the interior to match the exterior. That is, in fact, not the case. The inside of the manor is decorated in a more modern and stylish touch. The whole front yard is decorated mostly using warm colors. A makeshift roof is made above using golden metal beams and beige and peach organza, satin, and chiffon threading around the beams. Chandeliers are hanging from the middle beam. There is a giant tree truck almost in the middle but it doesn't seem to ruin the decorations or the vibes.

A red carpet is placed down the aisle. The aisle is lined with lanterns, either hanging or placed on the floor, filled with candles for a romantic glow. Interspersed among the lanterns are small floral arrangements. The chairs for the seating arrangements are golden metallic with soft beige cushions.

At the far end, the altar stands under a metallic hexagonal arch. The arch is adorned with flowers and sheer fabrics. A giant foyer is situated beyond the arch.

"Everything is okay until you start seeing the lights and candles on in broad daylight," Vicky voices out her thoughts from beside me. "I mean I can clearly see everything around here and I seriously don't see any use of those lightings."

I don't know why that earns a laugh from me. Even I know it isn't that funny. Maybe the ridiculousness of the whole situation is finally getting to me. Or maybe I'm just going insane.

I shake my head. "That is not respectful, Vicky."

"Fuck respect. I only do that for those who actually deserve it." That is her response. I smirk, turning my head to see if anyone else heard her. That's when I see something that I most definitely isn't supposed to see. At least, not this early.

A man. The only man I have met among all the males I have seen in my twenty-five years of life. The only person I have never dared to see a future with knowing full well he is the only person I should have done that with. The only person I have dared to let in my heart knowing full well what it could do to me. The only person I have dared to cut out of my life knowing full well that I may never recover from the loss it is going to cause me. 

Maisara Kamal can only be born once in a lifetime, after all.

If I decide to be honest, I didn’t exactly know how much this would break him. I mean I knew it would be somewhat hard for him if I suddenly broke the connection. But I didn’t have any idea how much damage it would be. That hits me right in the face when I finally see him today.

How many days have passed since I last saw him? Three days? Five days? A week? He looks like he has aged more than a few years in these past few days. He looks rugged and devastated. Like he is barely holding himself together. The haunted look in his eyes is going to leave a permanent imprint in my mind. 

I feel a wet drop on the backside of my right thumb. I realize that's a teardrop. I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes. After all this time, I'm not going to lose it today. I have to hold it in for the day to be over. After today, I will let it destroy me in every way possible. But not today.

Just then, a familiar voice says from somewhere so close. "Good afternoon, my beautiful ladies." Reluctantly, I look away from him and turn my head to meet the blonde idiot with a wide grin on his face bowing in front of us. 

"Good afternoon, Ian. How are you doing?" I reply with a forced smile as he stands straight. His grin widens if that's even possible, cerulean eyes twinkling with mischief as usual. 

"Lovely, thanks for asking. You are looking breathtaking today. Just like a goddess." He blows me a kiss and extends his hand for me to take. I shake my head.

"Thanks. You are not looking bad yourself." He is dressed in an ashy grey two-piece suit. His blonde locks, which is normally unkempt, is neatly brushed back. It’s almost eerie seeing him looking this tidy but that would be too rude to say to him. 

"I know. I'm always looking handsome." He flashes me his teeth before sliding his eyes to Vicky standing beside me. "And who might be this gorgeous young lady with you?" I clearly see his eyes doing a quick check out with a glint in them that I know too well. 

I clear my throat to gain back his attention. "This is Vicky, my date for the day. Keep your hands to yourself and stay away from my date."

In response, he lets out a loud laugh tilting his head back slightly as if I've uttered the funniest joke in the world. I glance at Vicky to find her turning red like a tomato and trying to find a way to get out of here. I squeeze her hand in a gesture of assurance but I'm not sure whether she gets it or not.

Finally, when he is done laughing, he releases a deep breath before saying, "Damn, woman, you know how to joke."

I shake my head again. "I wasn’t joking."

His eyes widen slightly. "Trust me, I would believe that's jealousy if I didn’t know better." Seeing the glare that I'm giving him, he closes his mouth in an attempt to prevent whatever else he is going to say. Then brilliantly, he takes on a difficult route. "Okay, I promise not to touch the young lady." He winks at Vicky. "But you have to come with me." That, he says to me.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Where?"

As if on cue, I receive a message on my phone. I open my phone to check the message. At the same time, he leans closer, whispering his response, "Lydia wants to see you."

I would really not believe him if I didn’t get the message at the same time. Surely, it is from her. It says, "Can you please meet me before the wedding? It’s urgent. Ian will show you the way."