Tender Infatuation

A bride has an unwanted visitor before her walk down the aisle.

     “I never stood a chance, did I?”

“That’s the sad part �" you did once.”

The extremely tall man stared down at his interlocked fingers that were resting on top of the wooden, circular table. His chocolate eyes hid from the world behind his olive eyelids.

“I’m sorry Aiden,” the woman apologized, staring at the crown of his skull that was covered with hair the color of the night sky.

“Don’t be,” he grunted out, sitting back against the unforgiving chair. “I’m just a villain who deserves not a bit of happiness.”

The female’s ocean blue eyes stared at the man before turning to face the mirror. “You weren’t always a villain,” she murmured as she fixed a stray strand of hair back into place. “I only have a little time left.”

He shrugged. “You know that I can have as much time as I want.”

Her snow white dress rustled like leaves in the wind as she twisted the upper half of her body. “Don’t you start that now. You knew that this was going to happen for months,” she snapped.

“I never received an invitation.”

“You know why, Aiden.”

“Natalia, I can’t change the past but I will become a better man if you will have me.”

Her French-tipped fingernails dug into the white, flower-pattered, lace gloves that covered her scarred hands. “No! What you did to me was and still is unforgiveable.”

His large, olive palms ran down his face. “How many times do I have to apologize?”

Her sandal heels incessantly clicked across the tiled floor as she stomped towards him, her dress tightly clutched in her hands. “You left me in the middle of an explosion that you knew was going to happen at that exact moment! You locked me in a f*****g bathroom! You left me there to die,” she sobbed, wiping the tears away as quick as they came.

Aiden handed her a couple tissues that he had pulled from a small, rectangular box. “I could not interfere with that event; I could only protect the one I loved and who I still love.”

Natalia ripped the gloves from her hands, revealing puffy, pale skin with patterns engraved into the back along with the palms of her hands. She shoved them in front of his face. “I bear these every single damn day, hiding them, because of you. No one cannot stop themselves from staring at them without wondering ‘what happened’. These are permanent reminders of painful memories in which you gave to me.”

“In that bathroom surrounded by porcelain was the safest area in that tragic event. Think about the other people and their injuries compared to yours, well the ones that lived anyway. I was not trying to hurt you. I was in fact trying to save you,” Aiden explained.

The woman smoothed out the wrinkles in her white dress which were caused by her clenched, white-knuckle fists. “Still, I can’t help feeling betrayed, she muttered, staring at the spotless floor.

He closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand. I only wanted you to realize that before you were locked into contract.”

“This is not �"“

Aiden held up his hand with his palm facing outwards, effectively silencing her. “It is, but I’m not here to argue. I simply wanted to explain myself.” He stood to his feet, buttoning his navy blue suit jacket. “I shall go. You have a ceremony to attend.” He grabbed a brown hair clip with soft, mesh material attached to the end of it. He walked towards her until he was a finger-length away from her. His hands slipped the comb into her hair, the material obscuring her face. He stepped back and turned to face the door.

As soon as Aiden’s hand turned the door knob, Natalia sighed and reluctantly muttered, “Wait.”

His fingertips slipped from the handle while he turned to face her. “Yes?”

“How do I look?” she asked while her arms were slightly outstretched.

His pearls for teeth made an appearance while his lips stretched slightly. “As gorgeous as the first day I met you.”

Her giggles sounded like bells, beautiful and vibrant. “I was literally soaked in rain, wearing clothes filled with holes, and had makeup running down my cheeks.”

He nonchalantly shrugged. “I guess you are always beautiful to me.”

Natalia’s cheeks appeared even rosier than before. “Thank you.” She bit her cherry lips before suggesting, “Do you want to stay for the ceremony? I have to be behind doors in about ten minutes.”

Aiden shook his head. “I don’t want to intrude.” He faced the door once more but then turned his body back around. “I just have to ask you one question. Are you as happy as you are with him compared to when you were with me?”

The woman bit her lip once against before pulling the obscuring material towards the back of her skull. “Honestly, I’ve never been as happy as I was when I was with you, yet I trust him more than I ever trusted you.” She chuckled, slightly shaking her head. “That is possibly where all the fun came from I guess.”

He smiled but contained no true warmth in it. It was simply a movement of muscles in the face. “If you say so.” He finally opened the door that led to a dimly lit hallway. “I believe that it’s nearly time for the proceedings to begin.”

“Will you walk with me to there?” She stared directly into his chocolate eyes.

“Of course.”

The couple slowly strolled down the silent, seemingly endless hallway side by side. The man stared down at his footsteps as he walked with his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. Every couple steps, Natalia would stare up at his face before returning her gaze to the floor.

Suddenly, the woman stopped only a few feet away from the closed double doors that appeared to be made of oak. “I’m not sure that I can do this anymore,” she mumbled, pulling the veil from her hair.

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t marry this wonderful man…”

He gently set his large hand on her tan arm. “Why? Don’t you love him?”

She shook her head. “I don’t, at least not as much as I love you. I know that there’s a greater possibility of me getting hurt both physically and emotionally if I am with you, but if you live a safe life with that man in there, it will be an empty one without true feelings.”

“So you choose me?”

She held out her hand. “I choose you.”

Author's Note

Let me know what you think. Just disregard the grammar and spelling. I did not edit it before posting.