Chapter 296: The Wedding
Weddings in Eldoria City were a blast, with a ton of stuff going on.
So, the bride kicked off her day super early, getting all dolled up with skincare, makeup, and hair done by a pro. Then she had her last single-girl breakfast at her folks' place.
When it's time to scoop up the bride, the groom rolled in with his crew to ask for her hand. They played a bunch of goofy games, and then the groom scooped her up and they headed to their new pad.
After all the formalities at the new house, the happy couple headed to the hotel, and everyone's buzzing with excitement.
The big wedding ceremony went down at the hotel.
This was my first time at one of these shindigs, and I was pumped. I snapped a ton of pics and vids and sent them all to Brad.
There were four groomsmen and four bridesmaids.
Being the tallest bridesmaid, I was right next to Isabella. Mia, who's tiny, was fourth in line, with two of Isabella's cousins in between us.
The host was giving this super emotional speech, and everyone was clapping and laughing non-stop.
I took a quick look around.
And guess what? I spotted something off.
At the table way in the back, there was this guy sitting alone. He was good-looking, all sharp in a well-fitted suit, playing with a shiny lighter in his right hand, head slightly down.
The distance, his side profile, and the dim lighting made it hard to see clearly. But his silhouette reminded me of someone I really didn't want to bump into on this trip.
Feeling jittery, I glanced at Mia.
She was standing there, all smiles, looking as graceful as a freshly bloomed flower.
The next part needed the bridesmaids to join in. To make sure Isabella's wedding went off without a hitch, I focused on helping the host. But I couldn't help sneaking glances in that direction, trying to see his face and confirm if it was who I thought it was.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom changed outfits and took a breather before toasting the guests.
We bridesmaids followed the bride off the stage to the dressing room for touch-ups. I glanced that way again and saw the guy in black stand up and head outside.
Even though I still couldn't see his face, his walk gave him away. It was definitely him.
My first thought was, 'why the heck is he here? Isabella hates him as much as I do, so no way she invited him.'
Then it hit me, 'Eldoria City isn't that big, and we're all downtown, so running into each other isn't that crazy. Just seeing the bride's name on the hotel sign could've drawn him here.'
But I didn't want him to see Mia again.
His presence might drag Mia back into the mess she was in before.
This was my biggest worry and the last thing I wanted to happen.
I couldn't let it come to that.
So, during the second half of the wedding, I kept scanning the crowd, hoping to spot him and give him a heads-up to stay away from Mia.
But, no luck. Couldn't find him again.
That made me super uneasy.
After the wedding, before Isabella and Caleb took off, she made sure someone got Mia and me back to the hotel to crash.
We'd been up since 4 AM, running around all day without a break. Mia and I were wiped out and hit the sack right after a quick shower.
We slept until almost 6 PM. If it weren't for our growling stomachs, we might've slept straight through to the next morning.
First thing I did was grab my phone and saw a bunch of messages from Brad on Facebook. He was ragging on my photography skills but totally loving the wedding. His last message was: [Don't be jealous. I'll give you the most unique and romantic wedding in the world, making my darling the happiest and most joyful bride.]
Brad was trying to reel me in again, but I still hadn't said yes to marrying him.
Gotta admit, when it comes to being smooth, Brad's got me beat.
After thinking it over, I shot back a quick reply: [Who wants to marry you?]
Brad replied instantly, not with words but with a pic of a little kid in shorts showing off.
He cracked me up.
Since we started dating, Brad had dropped his mature and steady act and started showing a bit of a playful side, which was kinda cute.
Feeling good, I put my phone away and chatted with Mia about what to eat. I remembered Benjamin mentioning this famous street food market in Eldoria City that run from evening till early morning.
We'd always wanted to check that place out.
I wasn't into fancy restaurant dishes; they felt too formal and not filling enough. Plus, who wants to eat with all those rules?
Street food, especially the local stuff, was more my jam. When I first got to the Northern Institute of the Arts, Mia and Isabella took me to try all the food on the street behind the school.
Eldoria City's street food market is way more famous than the one at the Northern Institute of the Arts, so it must be packed with even more delicious stuff.
I really wanted to go but was worried about running into someone I didn't want to see.
To play it safe, I thought about just eating at the hotel.
"No way, hotel food is boring. Jane, change your clothes. I'm taking you to the famous Eldoria City street food market. You'll find everything you can think of and more," Mia insisted.
I told her I wasn't feeling it, but Mia said not hitting up the street food market in Eldoria City would be a huge regret, something I'd kick myself for later.
Was it really that serious?
To avoid any future regrets, I went along with her.
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