WARMING THE BED OF MY BROTHER-IN-LAW

THE WEDDING

The sun illuminated the entire garden as the love of my life, Noah, stood nervously at the altar. His eyes reflected a sense of excitement and apprehension, a whirlwind of emotions became too evident in them. Adjusting his neck-tie, he stole glances at the aisle. The petals of the daisies lined its path.

Shortly, my sister, Anna, adorned in a mesmerizing white gown that flowed like the whispers of the wind, made her way towards the beautiful landscape. Unlike her usual self, she seemed excited and elated to be a part of such an auspicious union.

My sister’s smile painted a joyful atmosphere, something that nobody from the audience could dare escape. As she moved towards the altar, her gaze locked with the groom’s. Consequently, time seemed to freeze for the two of them.

As Anna made her way towards Noah, memories of moments shared between Noah and me began flooding my mind. Echoes of laughter, late-night conversations and heartfelt kisses reverberated within me. The contradictory emotions of satisfaction for their union and bittersweet nostalgia washed over me.

“They both look so beautiful. I know they were meant for each other from the very beginning,” remarked my mother, unsympathetic in her remark, since she was oblivious to my pain.

Vows were exchanged between the groom and the bride, each word resonating with promises of love and commitment, something I had hoped to experience when Noah had told me how much he loved me, a thought that didn’t escape me without painting a pathetic frown on my face.

There is nothing more painful than watching the person you love, holding somebody else’s hands and vowing to take them as their better half. Although I wanted nothing more than to let my pain abandon me in the form of tears, I had to stop myself for the sake of my older sister. She wouldn’t want to see me with tears on her big day.

Just like everyone else, I wanted to appear joyful and agog to bless the couple. The conversation, however, that I had with Noah the other day just couldn’t make it possible for me. Nonetheless, I stood up to walk towards the newly-married couple.

“Oh, Christie,” said my sister, opening her arms to embrace me. “I am so happy that you made it to my wedding.”

As soon as she wrapped her arms around me, the guilt of not being able to be happy for her tormented me even more. I wished I could’ve done something to overcome the disappointment that emerged from seeing her with somebody I had loved for the past ten years, but I couldn’t do anything about it. If anything, the best thing for me could’ve been to disappear.

Pretending to not know the cause of my grief, Noah gazed at my face with false pity before asking me, “Are you alright, sister-in-law?”

Through his deliberate attempt to address me as his sister-in-law rather than by my name, I understood that he was over me and didn’t want to bring up anything about the past. I wanted to seem aloof, but that only made me sadder.

“I am fine, brother,” I responded, even when that’s not what I wanted to say.

My sister finally let go of me and kissed me on both of my cheeks before expressing her gratitude over my ability to join her on her big day, “I don’t even know how our mother would’ve managed everything all by herself. I am so grateful for having you here.”

I nodded before forcing a smile and then retreated without congratulating the groom. His cold eyes, therefore, were fixated on me. It was clear he wasn't pleased to see me. He couldn’t say anything, not in front of all the people watching us.

More than hurt, I felt betrayed. How could he forget all those nights we’d been together, promising to spend the rest of our lives with each other? How could he not remember the promise ring that he had given me? There were so many questions that tormented me, but I knew I wouldn’t be getting any responses.

Frustrated, I turned to the bar and ordered enough drinks to ensure I couldn’t feel anything. Neither the hurt of being abandoned by the man I had loved with all my heart nor the pain of watching him with my own sister, I didn’t want any of it. I drank till I couldn’t bear to even stand anymore.

Before my butt would hit the hard floor, I felt the strong arms of someone grabbing onto me. To register the face of my rescuer, I looked up and found him to be none other than the man who was the cause of my aching heart, my brother-in-law, Noah Rutherford.

“What do you think you’re doing, Christie Jennings?” chided Noah, displeased with my behavior. “Don’t you dare make a scene!”

After rolling my eyes at him, I placed my palms over his chest and pushed him away before demanding to be left alone, something that annoyed the guy and compelled him to drop me on the floor.

“Ow,” I lashed out at the unruly man. “Did you really have to be this harsh?”

“Weren’t you dying to escape my arms?” retorted the man. “I simply fulfilled your wish.”

Being inebriated, it was next to impossible to get back to my feet, which was why I didn’t refuse when a handsome stranger offered his hand to me. By relying on his strength, I managed to get back to my feet, something that painted an unpleasant frown on Noah’s face, something that gave me immense pleasure. It was my mini-revenge.

To ensure Noah could feel the same pain that would seem like being stabbed by a thousand knives at the same time, I wrapped my arms around the stranger and urged him to take me away from the venue. My trick worked a little too well. Noah not only snatched me from the stranger but also gave him a black eye while bellowing, "Stay away from my woman!"

My woman? What? Was I hearing everything right?