POV: Ava |
Six years ago
The first time I saw him, he was walking across the basketball court like he owned the universe.
Tall, hair slightly messy like he didn't care—but obviously cared. Cold eyes. Sharp jawline. That lazy bounce in his stride, the way his teammates trailed after him like satellites orbiting a star.
Alex Ren.
I was thirteen, and I dropped my juice box.
Not metaphorically. I literally dropped my juice box, splashed it all over my white uniform skirt, and stared like he was Michelangelo's David walking in high-tops.
He didn't notice me.
Of course he didn't.
He was seventeen. Captain of everything. Smartest guy in school. The kind of boy whose name echoed down hallways, whose picture was in every school brochure, and whose eyes never once looked down at awkward middle school girls with braces and glitter notebooks.
But I remember the exact moment I fell in love.
It wasn't the looks—though hello, have you seen him?
It was when he stopped in front of a crying first-grader, kneeled down, and tied the kid's shoelaces. Quietly. Quickly. Without anyone noticing.
Except me.
That's the day I decided I was going to marry Alex Ren.
Now
I'm marrying Alex Ren.
Today.
TODAYYYYYYY.
Oh my God. Ava Chen—correction, Ava Ren—calm down. Deep breaths. Do not explode from happiness. That would be messy and undignified, and also possibly delay the ceremony.
I smooth down my dress for the tenth time. I've been smiling since 4 a.m. when I woke up and screamed into my pillow. Not because I'm scared. But because I'm marrying the man I've been in love with for six years and he has no idea!
No, he knows we're getting married.
He just doesn't know I used to write "Mrs. Alex Ren" in the margins of my textbooks and doodle little hearts around it.
"Ready?" the wedding planner peeks in.
I practically skip to the door. "I was born ready. No, I was in love ready."
She blinks.
I giggle. "Sorry. I talk a lot when I'm excited. Or nervous. Or breathing."
The ceremony is small. Just our families. It's supposed to be "quiet," "simple," and "lowkey" because he wanted it that way.
And I said yes, of course. Because when Alex Ren asks you to marry him—even through a legal document arranged by your grandmothers—you say yes.
He stands at the altar in a black suit that probably costs more than my entire university tuition. Cold. Distant. Perfect.
He doesn't smile.
But I do. I'm beaming like an idiot. I probably look like a human sunflower. Whatever. Let me shine.
Our eyes meet.
And for one brief second, I think I see something flicker. Confusion? Curiosity?
Then it's gone.
We say the vows. Or repeat them, anyway. I say mine with a little too much emotion and almost cry.
He says his like it's a business deal. Efficient. Clean. Polite.
I don't mind. Because I know I'll love him enough for both of us. At least for now.
The ceremony ends. My heart is a confetti cannon. My cheeks hurt from smiling.
I'm Mrs. Ren.
Married to my first love. The man I've dreamed about since I was a kid.
No one knows, except our families. He wants to keep it quiet.
But someday…
Someday, I'll make him fall in love with me.
Even if it takes forever.