The Moment We Met (Bonus Chapter)

 

Maisara’s pov

Ever heard of the bride or the groom or both running away together after their wedding? Sounds impossible and mostly idiotic, right? We are those idiots.

Near the end of the ceremony, though it hasn't been chaotic exactly, Felix has pulled me with him and we have slipped up. Hand in hand, obviously with me managing the gown with the other hand, we run down the hallway and outside, giggling all the way like teenagers in love. This scene reminds me of another similar scene and I realize we have just recreated that one, this time in our wedding dresses. Who would have thought?!

We come to a convertible McLaren that Felix has brought for the wedding. Just then, someone calls after us. We both turn around to find Ian calling out from the gate. I'm pretty sure I let out a squeal, which is pretty cringeworthy I'm aware, before both of us jump into the car and take off. 

We laugh and talk all the way, well, technically yell over the sound of the growling engine. We aren't going anywhere. Felix is the one driving and I'm not even seeing where he is going. I'm pretty sure there is no destination. He is holding my hand in one hand and driving with the other as if I will vanish if he lets go. Everything else is passing by us as a blur, like forgotten scenery in a dream. The breeze is hitting my face just with the right force. I think this is what the birds feel like when they fly high in the sky. This feeling of ecstasy and freedom is surely something a creature on the ground can never feel.

After driving for what feels like hours, it's a little past evening when Felix finally stops the car. I let out a tired sigh from the exhaustion of yelling and laughing so much. As I look around, I find that we are in the middle of a dead-end road. To my right, I see a familiar food cart. 

‘Tacos Taqueria’, the bold red letters on a yellow background are still just as radiant as I remember. The name and the sight of the food stand alone give me a feeling of nostalgia. We have been here once together and it brings so many memories now that we are back. How Felix has saved me that night and how he has behaved afterwards are still very vivid in my mind. Have I known back then that he is the one?

The stall has just opened. The vendor is taking out the ingredients and getting ready for business. There are no other customers in sight. 

Felix gets out and hurries to my side to help me get out as well. Gathering my gown, I step carefully on the concrete, my heels clicking as they touch the ground.

Hand in hand, we approach the cart. The vendor glances up, eyes sweeping over our clothes, and his face lights up with surprise and delight.

 

“How lucky I am to have a bride and a groom gracing my stall straight out of their wedding! He walks up to us and shakes hands with Felix. 

“Your stall holds a special place in our journey. If you say it's the most special place, it won't be wrong either. Maybe this place has changed our destiny.” I glance up at him and just like always I find his eyes on me with a soft and adoring look in them. As our gazes meet, he pulls me closer and plants a kiss on my forehead. Turning back to the man, he finishes, “So, yeah, we are here to celebrate the beginning of our forever.”

The vendor blinks, moved by his words. “Words can't express how honoured I am to even be a small part of your journey,” he says, placing a hand on his heart. “I could have given you everything in the house but you see, I'm a small businessman. So, I'm giving you a fifty percent discount on everything!”

I flash him a smile, giving a small bow. “Thanks. That means a lot to us.”

He gestures around, making a sad face. “Take a seat anywhere you like. I'm just opening the shop, so it may take awhile to get your…… Oh, you didn't order.”

We let out a synchronized laugh as the realization hits us at the same time. 

Felix places his hand on my lower back. “Let's place the order.”

The man nods with a smile and turns to leave. I stop both of them. With a confused look from Felix, I tell the man, “Give us what's the best you think you have on the menu.”

It requires a moment for him to get what I mean. When he understands, he smiles again and I see a mixture of grateful and satisfied look in his eyes. “Coming right up!” And he goes back to his van.

We choose the seat we have sat the last time. After helping me with my gown and making sure I'm sat properly, Felix takes his seat beside mine on the bench. We look at each other at the same time and that puts a smile on both of our faces. He opens his mouth but his phone starts ringing before he gets a word out. Startling, he pulls it out of his pocket.

“Ian,” he announces, frowning at the phone in confusion. “Why would he—”

“Pick it up,” I tell him, stifling a laugh. He glances at me and his frown soothes. Nodding, he slides the green bar and turns on the speaker.

“Bitch, where the fuck did you run off with your bride? She is yours, we aren't—”

“Ian.” Felix stops his rumbling with a chuckle. “You are on the speaker.”

There is a long silence on the other end. I can sense the awkwardness from here which brings out a quiet chuckle from me. I press my lips together, trying to stifle it. Felix catches it. With a grin, he mutes the call. We both burst into laughter.

With a cough, Ian regains his posture and greets me, “Good evening, Mrs. Reyes. Hope you are doing well.”

My cheeks flush. “You don't have to—”

Sensing what I am about to say, Felix's hand wraps around my face and covers my mouth, stopping me mid-sentence. My heart spikes as he brings his face to the side of my face and touches his lips to my earlobe. A shiver runs down my spine as he breathes. “Don't. I like hearing it.”

“Hello?” Ian interrupts the moment, his response sounds confused hearing no sound from this side. I realize that he hasn't heard me when Felix unmutes and responds to him, “She's a bit occupied right now.”

Then he does the most unexpected thing. His hand unwraps from my head and cups my chin. Before I fully process what's happening, his lips crash onto mine. For a second, my brain freezes, unsure of how to respond to this sudden change of behavior. A moment later, I feel myself automatically responding to his action.

His lips are warm and soft against mine, moving in a tempo with mine. It's unlike anything I have felt before. This is our first kiss, I realize with a startle, and the thought alone is the reason I make a noise.

“Occupied with what?” Ian's voice crackles through the phone just as Felix slips his tongue inside. Reality crushes in. I jerk back, pushing Felix away and breaking the kiss abruptly. Felix looks at me with a pair of dark and glazed eyes, clearly reflecting my own feelings. With my pulse racing, I swallow, starting a pretend play. “Oh, who are you talking to?”

He looks at me in confusion. The mixture of confusion and arousal looks so adorable on him. However, a second later, he blinks and everything is replaced with his natural calm demeanor. 

“It's Ian.” Both he and Ian speak at the same time. I let out a soft chuckle, putting both of my arms over Felix's shoulders and intertwining my fingers behind his neck, pulling him closer in the process. 

“Oh, hello, Ian,” I say, keeping my eyes locked with Felix. His lips turn into a mischievous grin as he sees the look in my eyes. 

“Hello. I just wanted to make sure that y'all are doing well. I mean, you know, you ran off suddenly.” Ian's voice reaches us from somewhere far away. Or maybe it seems that way because we are too invested in each other. Felix keeps leaning forward and I keep going backward just to tease him until my back is touching the table. 

“We are doing great,” Felix responds against my lips. “Our order is here. Call you later.”

He doesn't even wait for Ian's response to cut off the call before leaning his elbows on the table behind me. I still have my arms wrapped around his neck. 

“We are in public, Felix,” I warn him. His eyes hold a dangerous glint in them. “Then let go of me.” 

He leans forward more and I turn my head to the right as there's nowhere else to go behind me. He makes a ‘tsk’ sound. I unwrap my hands from him and push him away from me again. 

“Go and see if our order is actually ready.” I shove him again, nearly pushing him off the bench. He squints at the van from where we are sitting. “I don't think—”

“I'm hungry!” I whine and cringe at the sound that comes out of my mouth. Felix looks a little surprised as well. However, he lets out a small chuckle, getting up. “Okay, Queen. As you wish.”

One hour later-

We are back on our journey, this time it's me who is driving. This feeling of driving in my reception gown is definitely something special. Felix is the perfect passenger princess, looking so proud of me that he is beaming at me with sparkling eyes. He has taken tons of pictures of me, and another tons of selfies.

“Where to now?” I ask, yelling over the rustling sound of air and the grumbling noise of the car. Felix takes in the scenery around us before replying, “I don't know.”

Fair response. I shrug, deciding to just drive around for a few hours before returning back. 

I step on the gas, running the car at the borderline limit. The wind hits my face like sharp blades, ruffling my hijab but still it feels so good. The street light rushes past us changing us from the light to the dark and then back to the light within a second. Felix makes an appreciative sound from the side. This feels like a fever dream as I feel way more alive than any other time.

Hours later-

I stare at my reflection in the mirror to check if everything is okay. It is. Still, I can't shake away this feeling of nervousness.

After driving around for no reason for hours, we have finally come to the hotel suite that has been booked for our wedding night. After the power play of adrenaline and dopamine, it all vanishes at once as we enter the suite and the door closes behind us. I hear my own heartbeat in my ear. The suite is too silent except for the sound of our breaths. None of us even moves for a minute. When the tension starts getting thick and the silence starts feeling weird, I tell him that I'm gonna go and take a shower. 

I've already planned how this is going to be. Because for this night, not only is Felix excited, but I am as well. I may not have mentioned it to him but it's true. So, after the shower, I start preparing myself. 

Now, I'm staring at my reflection which looks exactly as I've imagined. I'm so glad that it has turned out perfectly and I haven't messed anything up. Taking a deep breath to mentally prepare myself, I decide to take the next step. Turning around swiftly, I open the door and step outside. Here goes nothing.

Felix's pov

The sound of the bathroom door clicking open resonates through the soundless suite. I swallow, holding my breath, my mind already running through hundreds of possible reactions on her part.  

I have been excited all day for this moment but when it actually comes, I feel nervous, a little scared maybe. I've never done this before. Considering how much of a mess my dating life has been, it's understandable.

I have a vague plan of how it's going to be. It's okay if it doesn't go that way. But planning reduces the anxiety. 

I have the hotel staff get the room prepared with reddish dim lights and rose scented candles to get the mood. Is it too much? I don't know. Well, I don't even know what she has in mind for tonight. Oh, shit! What if she doesn't have any plans of doing anything like this? What if it's just me getting my hopes up? What if—

Footsteps echo breaking my chains of overthinking. A second later, I see her. 

She is wearing slide-on slippers which don't go with the rest of her. My eyes travel upwards, clinging to her long bare legs, reaching the hem of her dress at her mid-thighs. She is wearing a blood-red satin bodycon dress with criss-cross straps as a neckline. The dress is hugging her body exactly where it should be hugging. Her auburn hair is in waves, the front bangs framing her face while the rest of it disappears behind her back. She has light makeup on, it seems. And that nosepin is still glinting in the dim reddish light.

I suck in a sharp breath, my hand rising to my neck as if to anchor myself. I feel my skin prickling. How do you describe this feeling? It's like finding yourself the treasure you didn't know you wanted or that it existed. Now you can't even think about letting it go.

The earlier feeling still lingers, now mixed up with a dark sort of curiosity. I feel a strange, magnetic pull that makes me visibly lean forward. However, I don't take a step forward.

“Say something,” she whispers and I realize I have been quiet for an insulting amount of time. I rasp like a man who's strangled by a wire around his neck. “I've never seen you like this.”

She furrows at me. “You don't like it then?”

I take a step. “That's not what I meant. It's just—” I pause, realizing no amount of words will be enough to describe how perfect she looks. I also realize that my overthinking has turned out wrong. She's definitely into this. 

I cross the remaining distance between us. Reaching her, the first thing I do is run my fingers through her hair. They are just as soft and shiny as they look. I bring a few strands to my lips. They smell nice too. Oh, how many times I have dreamt of her hair!

“I don't know how to describe your beauty in words now honestly. You have left me wordless and breathless,” I say honestly, touching the bangs on the side of her face. She tilts her head with a soft smile.

My hand moves to the side of her face. Brushing my fingers against the smooth skin of her cheekbone, I admit the truth, “I'm not really experienced in it.”

She closes her eyes, leaning on my touch and placing a hand over mine. “Don't worry. It's just me.”

“What if I mess up?” I press a kiss where her hairline has started. She stands on her tiptoes, touching her lips against mine for half a second. It's so fast that I might even have imagined it. 

“You won't. I'm here with you,” she promises. She moves back a little and I see that the look in her eyes has shifted so slightly. I don't really see it. I sense it when she starts giving me doe eyes. 

What I feel is probably what one would feel if Cupid strung a bow to his heart. I take a deep breath as she pulls up her hands and puts them on my neck lightly. She chuckles. “Relax, I'm just fixing your collar.”

“Maybe I should take a shower as well?” I ask like the dumbest person in the world as her fingers move over the fabric near my neck, occasionally brushing my skin making the hair on my neck stand up. I keep touching her face and her hair, unable to keep my hands to myself.

She shakes her head. “No need.” Then she does a rather unexpected thing. She pulls me down by the collar and presses her face to my neck. I shiver at the touch. She whispers against my skin, “The smell will be gone.”

I let out a laugh, wrapping my hands around her waist and picking her up. She squeals, gripping my shoulder. I walk towards the bed with one hand around her waist and the other below her hips so that she doesn't slide off.

“You already had one,” I complain, gently placing her on the bed. She moves her hands from my neck and leans back, placing her weight on her hands. I move forward, placing my palms over her hands, bringing my face to her level. Grabbing her chin, I tilt it upwards. Our noses are touching as she whispers against my lips, “Is my smell gone then?”

“Never.” I rasp again before crashing my lips onto hers. She must have been waiting for this moment as she doesn't waste any time responding back. Our lips move in sync as if dancing to a silent rhythm. She tastes sweet, probably it's her lipstick, but I love it. In no time, our tongues get involved. I tilt her head a little by her neck to get better access, now straddling her. Her fingers grip the fabric of my shirt, tugging me closer, anchoring us. As the kiss deepens, she lets out the faintest whimper which I feel in my bones making me melt in her embrace. She falls back on the mattress and I follow her without breaking contact, our bodies pressed together, hearts thudding in sync. My hand runs over her curves, feeling them as well as memorizing them. 

I pull back a little to catch my breath sharing the air with her between us hot and shallow. My eyes easily find hers, wide and glimmering. Under the dim light, she looks so dreamy, someone pulled out of a hazy memory or a story I have never thought I’d live. Everything looks dreamy, feels dreamy. Nothing seems real. Yet, I’ve never felt more alive.

“Are you real? Or are you my dream?” I ask her, caressing her face the way you would caress a perfectly shaped sculpture. 

“I'm your reality. You have married me,” she answers, pulling me by the neck for another kiss. And I believe her.

What happens in the next few moments or hours, doesn't need any explanation. Hands wrapping around hands and legs around legs, breath mingling and exchanging, the whispers of fabric shredding and the feeling of skin touching against skin, two bodies and souls becoming one. I have always seen this as just an act that other adults do for a sick sort of pleasure. I have never known this could be something so beautiful and perfect, just like an art. Neither have I ever thought that I would get to experience this and I'm so fucking glad that I haven't. I'm so glad that it's Maisara I get to experience this with.

So when it's midnight and she is sleeping on my chest with a blanket covering us, I can say with certainty that I have succeeded in finding someone for me just like mom and dad have found each other. Now I'm definitely the happiest man alive on the face of Earth.