'Today's the day. The day I finally get married to the beautiful and popular Stella Edemode.'
My heart was pounding like a drumbeat with the thought. I adjusted my tie for what felt like the hundredth time, letting out a silent breath. Soft music filled the air as Stella, hand-in-hand with her father, walked down the aisle. Her silver gown shimmered with every step.
Gabriel, my best man, gave me a knowing look. He didn't need to say anything; I knew I was a mess.
"Chill out, Jordan," he whispered, his eyes still fixed forward. "Fuck sake, you're sweating like a pig. The paparazzi aren't going to eat you, you know."
I knew that. But being a loner my whole life, surrounded by a swarm of photographers on my wedding day wasn't exactly calming. A few were focused on me, but most were already snapping away at Stella.
I glanced down at my black Armani suit. It had cost me four months' salary, but it was worth it for her.
As Stella approached, smiling radiantly, my nerves began to fade. Her eyes held me captive. She had the most beautiful smile.
When she stood beside me, her eyes were glistening with tears. She loved me, I knew it, and she'd told me countless times.
We turned to face the priest, and my anxiety crept back in. A few paparazzi had stationed themselves near the altar, their cameras looking like tiny cannons.
I wanted this wedding to be perfect for her. I wanted to be perfect for her. That's why I'd let them in – for her.
"Still nervous about the wedding?" the priest asked, a twinkle in his eye. I chuckled nervously. "It's unusual not to be," he spoke again, then gave me a conspiratorial wink.
Stella giggled softly, and I turned to look at her. She was breathtaking. I longed to take her hand and calm my shaking nerves, but her fingers were occupied with a five-thousand-dollar bouquet.
The priest said something that made everyone laugh. I joined in, clueless about the joke. Focusing back on the priest, I felt my heart racing.
Everything happened so fast, it was overwhelming. Vows were uttered.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Those were the words I'd been waiting for. I cupped her face gently in my hands. Her skin was like velvet. I searched her eyes, and I knew she wanted this as much as I did.
I kissed her with a hunger I hadn't known existed. Like a deprived human. To be fair I was deprived of it, she'd enforced a strict no-kissing rule until the wedding.
I heard gasps and grinned. If given the chance, I would devour her whole. And I knew that was part of the reason she loved me. At least forty percent of her love was probably due to my ability to make her body react without even touching her.
I pulled away slowly, relishing the sight of her swollen lips. That was more like it.
Her eyes held a sultry look that almost made me laugh. It was payback for giving me days old blue balls.
"For a second there, I almost ordered a mattress," Gabriel muttered, rolling his eyes. I stifled a laugh with a cough.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. I watched as Stella spun around excitedly, ready to toss her five-thousand-dollar bouquet.
Couldn't that thing be resold or something?
The girls went absolutely crazy when Stella tossed the bouquet. It was like a feeding frenzy – they pushed and shoved, totally forgetting about the paparazzi snapping away.
A slim girl ended up catching it. Her eyes lit up, and she held the bouquet up like a trophy. Some of the other girls looked like they wanted to rip her apart.
Holding Stella's hand as we walked down the aisle, I wanted to hear her laugh. So, I scooped her up and carried her outside. She giggled like a schoolgirl, her arms wrapped tight around my neck.
A bunch of security guys surrounded us as we got into our car. We were headed straight to the hotel. The reception started in an hour, so we had time to change and grab a bite to eat.
I walked into our hotel room, already missing Stella's warmth. She'd wanted to go back to her room. Gabriel followed me in, peeling off his jacket.
"Man, I'm exhausted," he groaned, heading straight for the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle, took a huge gulp, then flopped onto the bed. "I think we switched places. Why am I the only one who's stressed out?"
I shrugged, taking off my jacket. "Maybe it's because of Selene. She looked amazing in that dress."
Gabriel threw the bottle cap at me. "Shut up," he said. I laughed. "To be fair, I didn't even notice her."
"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "You didn't notice the girl standing right next to you, holding a tiny bouquet."
He nodded slowly.
"I know you wish it was your wedding today." I stated.
Then he threw an empty can at me. "Jerk," he muttered, jumping off the bed and checking his watch. "I need to change too," he said, grabbing his jacket. He glared at me. "I hope you get a blue balls tonight." he joked, stepping out of the room.
I tried not to smile. Getting blue balls was only possible when Stella wasn't in the same room as me. If she was here right now, she'll be needing an extra hour before showing up at the reception or she would fall after a short walk.
A few minutes later, I was in the bathroom, drying my hair. I had my hair styled back, but it still had a little wave to it. Stella wanted me to dye it black to match hers, but I liked being blonde.
There was a knock at the door. Knowing it was Gabriel, I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the door. I froze when I saw who it was.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry!" A girl in a white shirt and pants spun around, holding a room service cart.
I was surprised too.
"It's okay," I said, leaving the door open a crack while I went back to the bathroom for a robe. When I came back, I opened the door wider. She was still facing away from me. "You can turn around now."
Slowly, she turned, her cheeks a little pink. She pushed the cart into the room and stopped at the table, setting down the dishes.
"Wait a minute, who ordered this?" I asked, frowning.
"You did, Mr. Everyman," she said politely.
Gabriel.
I looked down at her name tag. She was new. I hadn't seen her before.
"Okay," I nodded. She left with the cart.
After she closed the door, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and called Gabriel. He picked up on the first ring.
"Got my order?" he asked, trying not to laugh.
I nodded. "Yeah, I got the..." I opened the dish and saw a salad. "Salad, thanks a lot, man." I glared at it.
He chuckled. "Not that, the other one."
"I only got one dish," I said.
"She's pretty, huh?"
"Oh, shut up," I said. I looked at the clock. "Crap, I'm running late." I asked, "Are you ready?"
He sighed loudly. "Yeah, I'm about to head out. Got a lady to impress."
"Who? Mariah?" I laughed.
"You read her name tag, huh?" he smirked.
I shrugged, putting the phone on speaker. "I needed to know who's hand I was taking a dish from, didn't I?" I walked over to the table and set the phone down on loud speaker. "She's new."
"I fired someone yesterday and hired her," he sighed. "Gotta go. I'll be working my butt off tonight. You owe me, Jordan."
I tried not to laugh at him. He didn't really want to run the family hotels. He wanted to hand them off to me, but I wasn't interested.
The call ended, and I really wanted to call Stella. But I couldn't. No contact today. Darn it.
I didn't need a stylist, so I quickly put on my brown suit. I wanted something nice, but I also wanted to be myself.
I took one last look at myself in the bathroom mirror, put my phone on silent, and headed out the door.