Chapter 7 - Mistakes were made
1636 Words
#musicvibe - Marry you, Bruno Mars
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Roberta POV
I fidgeted with the bouquet and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My mermaid style wedding dress hugged my body tightly and flowed around my legs. I traced my fingers across the lacy bodice and looked at my perfectly manicured nails. I had never gotten a manicure before, and I really liked how it looked.
My jet black curls were styled in a half updo with the hair cascading down my shoulders and small white pearls were pinned into my hair, making it look even more beautiful.
In 20 minutes, I was about to marry my high school sweetheart Keith. He was a quarterback on the football team and I had been his girlfriend since freshman year. Last Christmas, Keith had proposed to me and I said yes. We decided to tie the knot right after we graduated and our wedding date was a month after graduation.
So during the last semester, I juggled school and wedding planning, studying for finals while checking out venues. Keith wasn’t all that interested. He said that he was fine getting married at city hall, but I didn’t want that. Keith’s parents scolded him and offered to pay for the whole wedding. Being married could get Keith some stability when applying for college and jobs, so they thought that it was a smart move.
“Oh my gosh, Robbie!” My mom gasped as I turned around to face her. “You look absolutely stunning!”
I smiled and forced myself not to cry.
“Thanks mom.” I replied and took the handkerchief that she held out to me.
“Are you nervous?” She asked.
That would be an understatement.
I felt like I was going to pass out.
Before I could reply, my father walked in the room.
“You look so beautiful, my dear girl.” He beamed and hugged me.
When he pulled away, he held me at arm’s length.
“Remember.” He said, sounding serious. “I know that you are about to get married and spend the rest of your life with someone else, but I want you to know that you are always our little girl, and you always have a home with us.”
I smiled at him, even though his words made me a little uneasy. Did they not want me to marry Keith? I already had a sinking feeling in my stomach and if it turned out that my parents didn’t like this, I would probably run out of here and call the whole thing off.
I told myself for the fiftieth time that it was probably wedding jitters and that I was being ridiculous.
“Thanks dad.” I replied and hugged him again.
“It’s almost time.” My mom chirped and we started to leave.
My bridesmaid Laura fixed the last details on my dress and we started walking to the church.
When the organ started playing, I felt my heart race and I gripped my father’s arm a lot tighter. The doors opened and I gulped as we started strolling down the aisle, Laura walking ahead of us and standing opposite Keith's best man Andrew beside the altar.
When the priest started talking, I found myself zoning out his voice and all I could hear was a slight beeping in my ears.
I almost jumped when the priest looked intently at me.
“Now it’s time for the vows and the bride will go first.”
I cleared my throat and unfolded the small piece of paper that Laura had been holding on to for me.
“Keith.” I started. “Since I’ve met you, you’ve been the light of my life. You are my first thought when I wake up in the morning, and the last before I go to sleep. You make me feel seen and loved, and I’ve never laughed so much as I have when I’m with you. I am the best version of myself when I’m with you, and you really bring out the best in me. You are my partner and my rock, and I know that everything will be alright as long as I’m with you. Now that we’re taking the next step into the rest of our lives, I want to do it by your side, and I can’t wait to live the rest of my life with you. I love you, and I’m so excited to be your wife.”
While I spoke, I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes and I blinked rapidly to make them go away. When I finished my vows, I saw several people wipe their tears in the audience.
The priest turned to Keith and nodded at him to say his vows.
Keith cleared his throat and smirked at me, and I noticed that he didn’t have a paper with him like I did.
Did he rehearse his vows until he didn’t need the note?
I blushed a little when I crinkled the paper in my hand, but I froze when Keith started talking.
“Robbie.” He said, calling me by my nickname. “You were the hottest girl in school, and everyone was always jealous of me for that. Since I was the quarterback, it was only fair that I had the hottest girlfriend, and you were perfect. I ruled the school with you, and I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to be your husband, so I can smack that ass every day.”
My eyes widened at his words and I let out a nervous chuckle while I felt my cheeks heat up.
I tried calming myself down, saying that Keith wasn’t much of a public speaker and that he was probably just nervous.
The church was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. I held my breath when the priest gave Keith an annoyed look.
“Is that your vows?” He asked.
“Yup.” Keith replied and smiled at me.
I gulped and forced a smile back as we exchanged the rings.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The priest announced. “You may kiss the bride.”
Keith wasted no time wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to him. He slammed his lips on mine harshly and I gasped in surprise at his sudden movements.
When we pulled apart, the crowd cheered and we walked out together hand in hand.
Once we had made our way to the reception, my dad came up to me and gave me a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, princess.” He whispered. “Your vows were beautiful.”
“Thanks dad.” I replied and grinned at him.
“I can’t say the same for Keith.” My dad added silently and my smile faltered a little.
“Well, he’s not much of a public speaker anyway.” I chuckled nervously. “Let’s get something to eat.”
I really enjoyed the rest of the night. We had our first dance together, and even though neither of us were particularly good dancers, I lost myself in Keith’s eyes as we swayed to the music.
“You look hot.” Keith whispered, and I blushed.
“Thank you.” I replied. “You look very handsome too.”
Keith leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear.
“I can’t wait to take off this dress tonight.”
His voice made goosebumps rise on my skin, and I felt a feeling of anticipation build up in my stomach.
I gave him a seductive smile.
“Me neither.” I whispered back.
When it was time to cut the cake, everyone gathered around the table. Keith and I stood side by side, holding the cake knife together. We cut out a piece of cake together, and put it on a plate. I took a spoon and fed Keith a small piece of the cake. I expected him to do the same, but I gasped and staggered back in surprise when Keith took a large chunk of the cake and smeared it on my face.
I looked up and met the eyes of my horrified parents while Keith’s friends started laughing hysterically.
Forcing myself not to cry, I took the napkin Laura offered me and started to wipe away the cream and crumbs on my face. Keith was still doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach.
“You should have seen your face.” He wheezed. “That was awesome.”
“You just ruined her makeup.” Laura snapped. “Grow up!”
She led me away to the bathroom to clean me up while the guests started helping themselves with the cake.
“I’m so sorry.” Laura whispered as she cleaned out the cake from my hair.
I forced a smile.
“You know how he is.” I chuckled. “Always a bit of a prankster.”
Laura frowned.
“Sure.” She replied. “But maybe he could try to be serious on his wedding day.”
It became harder and harder to force that smile, and I turned my head away so that Laura wouldn’t see my tears.
“We should probably get back to the party.” I mumbled.
“Yeah, right.” Laura said and we walked back out to see Keith dancing away with his friends on the dancefloor.
I stopped at the edge of the dancefloor and watched as my husband moved to the beat.
My husband.
The thought made butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I smiled.
This is going to be great.
I repeated it a few times over in my head, hoping that I could make myself believe in it too.
- Writer
