The room hummed with polite conversation and soft laughter. She sat with poised composure in her white flowing wedding gown, delicate lace and subtle shimmer catching the light as she moved. She acknowledged each guest with a measured smile, every gesture precise and elegant, as if she had stepped out of a storybook.
He leaned against the doorway, silent, his eyes fixed on her. The way she moved, the calm in her expression, the effortless grace in her posture—he was utterly enchanted. The gown, the soft glow of her skin, even the faint scent of flowers around her marked the end of one day and the beginning of everything that followed.
He couldn't stop looking at her, mesmerized. He didn't want to blink, didn't want to miss a single moment of this exquisite sight. He kept staring, as if a single blink might make her vanish. The way she sat, the way she moved, the curve of her lips, the calm in her eyes—everything about her enchanted him. He could hardly breathe. How could someone look like that and still be real? Ethereal.
He had married her. Her. The woman he had wanted, dreamed of, begged fate for. And now… now she was his wife. His wife.
The thought looped in his mind like a fever. He almost laughed at the madness of it—that she was right here, beside him, within reach. He smiled to himself, chuckling like a fool. The moment she turned her head toward him, a flashback hit him. The first time he saw her.
*** The memory of the first encounter floods his mind. It was a charity event. He was volunteering, diligently carrying out his duties, caught up in chaos, barely noticing anything else.
He remembers the first moment their eyes met. It felt like something out of a movie. She was the chief guest, and he was just a volunteer, doing his part. But the moment he saw her, everything else faded away. It was like seeing the sun for the first time.
He was instantly smitten, and as he fumbled through his tasks for the event, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He kept stealing glances at her, awed by her confident stance, her commanding presence.
He watched her from a distance. The way she confidently addressed the crowd, her every word carrying so much authority and conviction. He was in awe. But it was during the children's activities that she really got his attention. He saw her playing with the kids, laughing and smiling, a side of her that was completely different from the authoritative figure who had just addressed the crowd.
His heart melted at the sight. She was so gentle, so caring, so different from the other stuck-up socialites he was used to. He was entranced. She was stunning, yes, but seeing her like this, so human, so warm—it was breathtaking.
He noticed her struggling with her heels, the way they wobbled under her weight as she continued to play with the kids. She was trying to maintain her composure, but he could see the discomfort in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it. He could also tell that the event venue wasn't up to her usual standards—her expression gave it away.
He approached her hesitantly, noticing how she was discreetly massaging her foot, clearly frustrated. He cleared his throat to get her attention.
"U—uh, excuse me… are you alright?"
She looked up at him and smiled, just the slightest curve of her lips, eyes lingering on him for a fraction longer than expected. A quiet, almost shy laugh escaped her at his awkward approach. Her shoulders eased, a subtle lean drawing her toward him, and a nod made him hopeful that she wasn't as distant as he had imagined.
"Oh… these heels! I seem to have broken them." She paused, noticing he was still looking at her with full attention, a small smile on his lips, his eyes dreamy, completely caught up in her.
"Thanks… I think I'll survive, but you're sweet for asking." A quiet, small laugh escaped her at the awkwardness of the moment, and he couldn't help but chuckle as well. Their laughter mingled, brief but warm, bridging the tiny gap between them.***
Her soft voice broke through his reverie, and the low murmur of the room pulled him back to the present. He stepped closer, leaning in to hear her better, and she brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead. He blinked, suddenly aware of the guests around them again. She whispered, voice soft and tender, eyes locked on his. "Finally… My groom…"