2. Wedding Jitters
1197 Words
Something flashes behind my eyelids, making my eyes flutter open. It was like a bolt of lightning.
My hand automatically reaches the spot in my chest where I remember the knife going in last night.
Wait...am I alive?
Someone takes my hands, and I nearly scream when I see who it is.
There he is, Axel Jensen, looking like a tall drink of handsome in his sleek black tux. The same guy who may or may not have tried to kill me last night. Or was it last week? My memory's a bit fuzzy from all the excitement from me dying.
I shake my head to clear the confusion, but it only makes my brown hair flail wildly around my face. Focus, Chloe.
But why is he holding my hands and staring at me so lovingly right now?
"You look beautiful," Axel whispers and squeezes my hands, adding to my confusion.
I quickly scan my surroundings, feeling overwhelmed and disoriented. My heart races as I realize I am standing at an altar, facing a man dressed like a priest who beams at me with a smile. The room is adorned with flowers in shades of light pink and white - just like I had always dreamed my future wedding would be.
Suddenly, it hit me: this is exactly how I had described my dream wedding in my diary.
Hang on...am I getting married right now? To Axel!?
"Are you okay, Chlo?" Axel asks.
"Where did all these people come from? Am I being punk'd?" I glance around, hoping for a camera crew to burst out from behind the floral arrangements.
"Chloe..." Axel's tone held a warning, but his eyes danced with suppressed laughter as if he knew a secret punchline I was still fumbling to grasp.
"Ah, the bride has a strange sense of humor!" the priest bellows.
Oh, so this is definitely my wedding!
"She is fine. It's her nerves. Please continue the vow, Father," Axel assures the priest.
"Chloe," the priest starts, "do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"Uh," I stall, mind racing. Every instinct screams this isn't real—it can't be. Yet here stands Axel, looking every bit the part of a groom.
Maybe I did die and ended up in hell, and this is my punishment by god.
"Could we, um, skip to the 'I do not' part?" I quip, but my attempt at humor falls flat against the seriousness of the vow-laden air.
"Chloe!" Axel hisses, a note of genuine annoyance threading through his amusement now.
"Sorry," I murmur.
Okay, so either I am in hell, or this is some bizarre dream. Maybe after I was stabbed, I went into a coma, and now I am dreaming about marrying my possible murderer.
So this means if I go through with this, it won't hurt me because it's just a dream.....right?
"Just having a momentary existential crisis. Carry on," I say cheerfully.
"Chloe," the priest repeats with saint-like patience, "do you take this man..."
"Sure, why not?" I blurt out, surrendering to the dreamlike farce. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
Besides, I already survived being dead once. A fake wedding should be a cakewalk.
"Then by the power vested in me..." the priest continues. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
"Wait, no, I—" But it was too late. Axel was already leaning in for a kiss. Oh crud...I have to kiss my stepbrother? How disgusting!
~-~
The ring on my finger is a cold, metallic shackle, sealing me to Axel as the priest's words faded into the floral-scented air of the church. I lean slightly towards Axel. "Psst, Axel," I whispered urgently, my voice barely audible over the soft murmur of the gathered crowd. "What in the wedding cake-flavored fiasco is going on here?"
Axel's chuckle rumbles through his chest, and he casts me a sidelong glance that holds a flicker of joy. "Come on, Chloe, stop joking around," he says. "You're not getting cold feet on me now, are you?"
I stare back, my sarcasm souring into something similar to panic. "Ha. Cold feet would imply I willingly walked myself up here. More like abducted by matrimony."
Around us, the reception continues. I see my Mom running up to me with a big smile on her face.
"Oh, honey! You look so beautiful. I am so happy for you," she gushes.
"Oh good. Just the woman I need to see. Axel, would you excuse us for a moment?" I look at him and bat my eyelashes.
"Sure. I will go talk to the guests over there," he says and walks away.
"Is there something wrong, sweetheart?" my Mom looks at me with concern.
I grab her shoulders. "Mom, what's going on here?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" she plays dumb.
"Mom, seriously, what's happening? Am I in some alternate dimension? Did I accidentally stumble into a parallel universe where I'm marrying Axel?"
My mom laughs, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, honey, you never stop joking around, do you? This is your dream wedding! You've been planning this for months!"
Planning this for months? I pinch myself, half-expecting to wake up. Nope, still here.
"Axel is a great guy. You two are perfect for each other," she continues, blissfully ignoring the absurdity of the situation.
"Perfect for each other? Mom, he might have tried to kill me! And, oh, did I mention he's my stepbrother?" I hiss, trying to keep the panic at bay.
"Where is this coming from now? It's not like you two are blood-related. You're overthinking it," she dismisses my concerns with a wave of her hand.
Overthinking? I just got married to someone I suspect might have stabbed me, and I'm overthinking it?
Axel reappears, his smile wide and charming. "Everything okay, ladies?"
"Oh, just some pre-wedding jitters," my mom replies, giving me an encouraging smile.
"Chloe, my love, let's dance," Axel suggests, extending his hand. I reluctantly place my hand in his, casting a desperate look at my mom.
"Go on, sweetheart. Enjoy your special day!" she encourages.
As Axel leads me to the dance floor, I can't help but feel like I'm trapped in a surreal nightmare. The soft music envelops us, and Axel holds me close. I can feel the weight of the situation sinking in—married to a man who may or may not be my attempted murderer.
"So, um..." I stammer as Axel closes the distance between us. "How did this happen?"
"How did what happened?" Axel asks, tightening his embrace on me.
"How did we come to the decision to get married? It's quite the surprise... for me, at least." The sarcasm is a thin veil over my confusion.
"Your sense of humor is one of the things I love about you," he chuckles, kissing my forehead.
I shiver but don't push him away.
"Right, humor," I mutter.
"But I will go ahead and humor you. We decided to get married because we fell in love, obviously," Axel says.
Me? Fall in love with this asshole? I really am in the alternate universe!
- Writer
