Chapter 52 Chapter 51

'Having someone in yours life who gives you their
? ? ? ? ?? -time and affection
? ? ? ? ?? -love and affection
? ? ? ? ?? -care and loyalty
Is a bliss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes and take wrong train and get struck somewhere....fall in love alot. Keep changing your majors, keep changing your mind since nothing is permanent. So make as many mistakes as possible, as much as you can, that way, someday, when they ask again 'what we want to be, we won't have to guess, we'll know", a girl from senior year finished her graduation speech.
A loud sound of applause filled the auditorium. Kathleen, Laura and Janice were seated at the back row while their boys were smiling happily as this was their graduation day.
EJ was wearing the blue denim shirt that kathleen specially brought for her boyfriend. Janice was on the verge of tears as her boyfriend was about to bid farewell to the university and their new, reformed relationship was like a new day to them, it was like a fresh start to them, with everything a clean slate all their cliches come tumbling out be cause they belonged together so well.
The idea of them being together, the way they behaved with each other, and? Janice's stoic loving soul brought such a serenity to Gerald. She was she. He would be he. They thought that's enough for the both of them, and their relationship officially made them stand out of the crowd.
Laura and Nathaniel, they were just going with the flow, they let each day build a picture until they feel certain that when they are with, they were a better and happier version of themselves. And that's smart, as they were giving enough time for one other to flourish and cherish. They were only trying to get to know each other over time. It's just that they are comfortable together and real, and of course they talk in way best friends do, that things are right between them. It was beautiful. So, that couples remained relax and belived everything will be okay.
"I can't tell you how sad this day is actually", sobbed Janice making the other two blink at her direction.
"Come on, Janice. Gerald is just graduating nothing else. He will come around more often to spend some quality time with you. Don't stress out", Laura rubbed Janice's shoulders.
"Anyways he is flying away for doing his majors. I'm gonna miss him so much", she mumbled feebly.
"Just in case to remind you, he is 4 hours away from you. It is not that far away", teased kathleen.
"So, what have you guys planned to do??", Janice asked between her sobs.
"Right now, we are about to dance", a male voice interrupted the conversation all of a sudden. It was EJ.
"Hey", EJ hugs kathleen from behind and pull her out of the seating. He takes her to the dance floor where a lot of people were busy dancing, making moves that was funny. The music player played capital letters by hailee steinfeld.
****Never was a leader
Never had a thing for fairytales
Not really a believer, oh-oh
Small voice in the quiet
Guess I never dared to know myself
Can my heart beat quiet? No
But then there was you (but then there was you)
Yeah, then there was you
Pull me out of the crowd
You were telling the truth (you were telling the truth)
Yeah (yeah, yeah)
I got something to say now
'Cause you tell me that there's no way I couldn't go
Nothing I couldn't do
Yeah
I want to get louder
I got to get louder
We 'bout to go up baby, up we go
We 'bout to go up baby, up we go
We're blowing out speakers
Our heart a little clearer
We 'bout to go up baby, up we go
We 'bout to go up baby, up we go
For worse or for better
Gonna give it to you
In capital letters
We put a crack in the shadows
And you tell me it's okay to be the light
And not to swim in the shallows
No, no
And I wanna get drunk with you
When we lie so still, but you're taking me places
Holding me onto you
And we don't care who's watching us, baby
But then there was you
(But then there was you)
Yeah, then there was you
Pull me out of the crowd
You were telling the truth
(You were telling the truth)
Yeah (yeah, yeah)
I got something to say now
'Cause you tell me that there's no way I couldn't go
Nothing I couldn't do (no, no, no, no)
Yeah*******
As soon as the song came to an end, EJ left kathleen alone in the dancing floor and moved out of the hall as he got a call. After some time he dragged her out of the dance floor in a hurry.
"Where are we going?", yelled kathleen trying to stop EJ who was pulling her to his car. He hasn't removed his graduation cap yet.
"I have planned a small surprise for you. Well I'm a sure if you like it or not", he stated with a chuckle.
"What does that mean?", she eyed him getting on to the car. EJ made few phone calls before bringing the engine to life.
"Ethan, can you atleast tell me what are we up to?! I'm totally clueless", she announced.
"Wedding", he chuckled.
"What??! Whose wedding?? Friend of yours?? Or someone from your family. Well I'm sure if this outfit would work up for a wedding!", she sounded excited and she looked down at her cobalt blue bodycon dress. She chose it specifically for EJ'S graduation.
"We will find you something better to wear", he agreed to her.
"You haven't told me whose wedding was that?", she questioned him again to which he remained silent for a while.
"Ours", he mumbled after few minutes of silence. Kathleen's face lost it's blood, she was stunned. She thought she misheard what he actually said.
"You got to be kidding me!", she stammered.
"No I'm serious. I have made the necessary arrangements for now. All you have to do is kiss before a group of people and the wedding officiant", he stated with a smug smile.
"Ethan, this is not funny", she claimed in a serious tone.
"What is funny? Me wanting to marry my girlfriend?. I don't find anything funny here", he stated with a smirk.
"Come on Ethan, what is the need? We still have time, you are 23 and I'm 22. Doesn't it seem to be too fast to get married?", kathleen signed.
"There is no feeling in the world like knowing you have a partner to face whatever life throws at you. I want you to feel that as well", asserted EJ.
"Of course, you I do. I love you idiot, even the distance between us won't stop me from loving you because you are the best part of my life", she vowed.
"You are my fire that brings me warmth to my soul and that was so new to me. You are my t intensity, anyways you steady this beating heart in a way I have needed for so long.
You knew my strengths,weakness differences, things that I run from, and you find them all beautiful instead. You have become more than my anchor, to my storming heart, you are also the boat and the warm sunny rays that kiss me softly.
You are my rest, a calmness to soothe my flames to a steady heat instead of the consuming inferno that has raged within, unable to quell. To find someone like you is flattering, joyous, and that creates higher highs but I just love it, this is better. I feel like finding the other half to my broken locket, a feeling of completeness that makes me smile often", she confessed for the first time ever. EJ was thrilled to hear it out from her.
"Kathy, then why can't you marry me?"
"Ethan, don't you think it's too fast to marry???", kathleen rolled her eyes.
"Kathy, tell me a valid reason for disagreeing this marriage proposal", EJ demanded for an explanation.
"What! Ethan it's so early to get married. I love you, isn't that enough!".
"Kathy, I just want you make you mine", he stated firmly.
"I'm already yours", she assured him.
"No, I'm saying like officially. Love is like a quiet emotion that in time becomes part of the oxygen and I need you so that i can breathe, and so maybe, you may feel not sure about my plans, but I'm", reassured Ethan. This made Kathleen so silent for a minute.
"But......... but!!", she stammered.
"No buts. I have said about my plan to my mom, she has made the necessary arrangements", declared Ethan.
"Ethan...... what about my dad?? He would definitely lose his nerves when he comes to know about any of this", kathleen faltered on remembering her father.
"No one is telling him now. Anymore questions??", ethan continued to drive at the maximum speed to reach the destination on time.
"What about our friends?? Laura and Janice would kill me for sure. I can't betray them. I want them there when I walk down the aisle", she stuttered.
"Gerald and Nathaniel will finish the task since they knew about our wedding".
"What,?? How do they actually know??", kathleen was surprised to find? EJ'S friend getting involved in his personal life as he has never left them to indulge in his life.
"I said Robert and he wanted people to make necessary arrangements so asked them to join this", Ethan explained.
"Ohh, so how long have you been planning this?", kathleen signed.
"A week".
"Inform Laura and Janice to join you near pink bridal stores since I'm taking you there now for choosing your wedding dress", he summoned and Kathleen nodded taking out her mobile phone.
????????????????????????????????
It was an Autumn wedding in the late afternoon. The area faced the breathtaking sunset.?At the end of each seated aisle, jasmine scented candles hung from naked tree branches. Spread down the aisle was white flowers, as far as the Kathleen's eyes could see, the flowers were slightly moist so they wouldn t crack when you stepped on them.?
Only small group of close family and friends were invited to their big day and the boys were dressed in formal attire for comfort. On either side of the aisle, friends and families sat on the white chairs set up for them on the green grassland.
Wedding is usually a visual celebration of the beautiful, natural surroundings and EJ chose a open grassland for his wedding. The wedding ceremony might have been held in outdoors or in indoors, but EJ often the believes that styling elements of the areas will reflect the surrounding landscape that inturn shows how wonderful a wedding is. He wanted a wedding that is usually mixed? well with?rustic elements and styling choices.
This wedding basically focused on food, wine and local produce and therefore the guests present in Kathleen's wedding preferred a sit-down dinner. EJ never asked kathleen on how she wanted the wedding to be either she wants the wedding to be as formal as much or as informal as she want, nor she chose the key players in the bridal party, everything happened according to EJ'S plan and Kathleen never had the time to wonder about any of this.
Kathleen has always wanted a wedding theme or style that has a styling theme which should be inspired by the simplicity of country life and must have references of the outdoor. Yes, EJ has fulfilled one of her wishes from her wedding bucketlist. And Kathleen want her wedding to incorporate a lot of rustic elements such as timber, metal and natural unstructured bouquets and flowers and her list goes on..
"Some weddings are usually held, and tend to work best, in venues like barns, sheds, vineyards and outdoors under a marquee or tree, and the reception will usually have great dinner and I hope Kathleen's wedding is on among them", stated Janice looking around the open yard.
"I have seen weddings that usually have the ceremony and reception at the same location, or on the same property. What have they planned anyways?", Laura questioned Nathaniel as she knew that he was a part of EJ'S plan.
"Some formalities may be present, however, I think this wedding is typically quite relaxed and laid back, as opposed to being very?formal. EJ doesn't want to invite too many people. He wanted it to be a compact event" Nathaniel explained.
"What a wonderful day it was for an outdoor wedding: warm, but not terribly so", exaggerated Gerald leaning towards Janice to kiss her cheek.
The evening sun peeked out occasionally. A pleasant breeze from the north rustled the surrounding bushes and shrubs, cooling the guests, friends and family members as they took their seats on either side of the walk leading to the gazebo. Sweet strains of classical music drifted through the whole crowd, it was all planned out beautifully.
To this wedding, EJ has invited a music band who were a jazz ensemble, not elevator music, but the kind everyone hope to hear in some enlightening sceneries. The music was full of soul, emotion sung for the ears by a golden saxophone. They played the big hits from each decade in a sort of random jukebox manner in such a way that there was something for everyone in the wedding to enjoy from the teenagers, all the way to the most wrinkled old couple on the guest list.
The playground off to the right of the grassland was empty, although a few children standing around the rows of chairs eyed the playground with a desire to play.
Obviously, Janice and Laura was jumping and climbing, instead of being fussed over by the fact that this was all planned without their knowledge, though they were furious on EJ for hiding out this and inviting them at the last minute but they just forgave them and concentrated on their beautiful dresses.
Balloons and streamers fluttered around the railing and banisters, a festive mixture of red, light blue, and white. To the left of the place, were a rows of cars glittering in the sun. A stretched bmw stood alone, decked out in ribbons and twisted coils of streamers, it was Sarah's present to his son's wedding. She wanted the newly wed to own a car of their own.
'To mine' was painted across the dark rear window of the blue car. Everyone who sat there thought to themselves on how perfect and lovely everything was. The smell of fresh cut flowers filled the air. It was a day to remember forever.
This wedding reception was a garden party held upon a day of blue skies and sweetly rising heat. Love was in the air as if it were a new kind of electricity, so palpable and real. Kathleen looked so beautiful in white.
Amid the flowers, amid the petals in romantic hue, she was gorgeous enough to stand out anywhere in the crowd. The wedding cake was the hues of soft blue roses, everything from champagne to cake was glittering. Rather than being one large wedding cake, it was assembled from many tiny small cakes that arose in columns with cream in between. And amid the rose-hued cake were fresh roses from nature's garden which was romantic... as marriage should be. The wedding bouquet was a poetic ensemble of the flora of all these parts, for it is by virtue of nature that they thrive so well. It sung of the vibrancy of living and the every-giving earth, of bright hues and the sweetest of aromas.
The wedding gifts were from only good wishes. The guests wrote them on special cards so that kathleen and EJ could fix into a memories book. So that kathleen and EJ could write back to the guest one by one with a special wish for them over the upcoming years. And, this universe being the wonderful place it is, those wishes always arrived in a moment when the couples needed it the most. It was the gift that kept on giving over the years that they should treasure it more than any material thing could ever be treasured.
Her wedding dress was made for royalty. That's how wedding gowns around here are made. The wedding dress was totally a new style! It was made with so much effort that would make this day so perfect. Kathleen's dress was like the Cinderella-Princess gowns and she was the most beautiful bride ever. It was her dream-dress for a perfect dream-day with her own Prince Charming.
. ...............
The wedding ended with a beautiful kiss.
"Love", EJ cleared his throat by getting the attention of the crowd.
"Some call love bewitched, I call it love. I say there is a emptiness in the freedom of being alone and a liberty in being caught in that divine spell. And I was caught in Kathleen's spellm And so when I see her eyes i could see the feeling of my forever, and thus we became one... and if that isn't magic then I cannot say what is then", he took a deep breath. Kathleen couldn't stop blushing.
"I love you like you're my everything. It is as if you speak the same language as I, yet no other is able to do that. To be around you, kathleen is like finally not being alone - as if all my life I've been isolated, in a windowless room, in a doorless room and then suddenly you walk in and I feel like as if I'm strolling over a summer meadow. How is that you are so much more than sunshine?", he lean towards her and kiss her hand.
"How is it you breathe life when no other can? Why is it you who have become my medicine? Who could love me more than you? So, my love, know this while I breathe I am yours in mind, body and soul", he confessed and kissed her forehead right before the guests.
"Falling in love with you was the easy part but it's hard for me in admitting to myself that it happened. You don't see that I've had these very efficient defences for so long and you didn't even notice them, nor put any efforts to take them away. How rude", kathleen laughed.
"Before you I always considered love was fake and thus was fake lovers to me. Now, even with you, neither in promise nor bodily presence, there is only my love for you. And so now, for the first time in my life there are no plans at all but to be only with you. Love must be free I guess. So all plans stop for me right from today.
It is as if my soul has stopped the search for the right pairing soul it has been on for a time that feels like forever, as if it no longer sees nor seeks a path, yet my soul feels like sitting on soft grass upon a gentle hill.
It was the simplest thing for you, with your eyes and voice, your touch and sexy confidence to take what no other ever could. It's not that I didn't want them to, I've wanted a love such as this for forever, it's simply that they weren't able to, as if my soul was in a different room and the others didn't have a key but you had it though.
You had it as if God put it in your pocket with a whisper and a heart to capture. In a way, when I met you I never had the slightest idea to fall for you though.
My soul had been alone so long it was almost unsettling to suddenly have company. To find or seek another would be condemning myself to a lifetime in darkness, knowing full well what I was hiding or running from.
Once we have felt the real thing, we can never go back actually. So. All these miles away with the memories of our brief time together. It's all so silly to think how much I have been so rude to you. But it's all so real. It's all so colorful to look behind the path we have come. I wouldn't have it any other way. Though if I could wish for a magic
carpet to bring you here, I would have done it a long time ago. I love you Ethan", kathleen pulls him to her and crash her lips on his.
Everyone was asked to say few words about love and about the couple.
"The depth of the sky's blue is as their love, that only over the years to, we notice the strength of the hue. Up close it is as clear as pure water, yet when we see the miles it is the blue of fairytale dreams", appreciates Laura with a smile.
"So I wanted to give a small lesson that I learned over the years", sarah began.
"The true enemy of love is when emotional indifference takes command of logic for only when love takes command of logic can good choices be made. Indeed, love in command of both our higher logic and our primitive drive", Sarah smiled at the couple who sat right opposite to her.
"If you can love and make love neither master nor aim, yet rather let it be the way it is then that's eternal", stated Janice. Then it was Gerald's turn. He began his line looking at Janice,
"As sunlight enters raindrops and emerges as rainbows, so love enters the soul of each person and emerges as their passions in their nature... in whatever sparks their curiosity and drive. It is how they find their truth and purpose. It is how they give of themselves to others. Love is what makes us who we are, it is the energy that brings us to life. So now on this beating day, I ask you Janice, the soul of my life, will you marry me??", Gerald pull out a ring box from his pocket. The crowd cheered and beamed happily.
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Hey readers happy to say that will you ever be mine has come to an end finally! Thank you all for supporting and continue reading. Thanks and loads of love to my sister and my oxymoron- the best friend that I was blessed with. Without them it wouldn't have been possible.
See you all through another book.
With love
Bharathi