A couple weeks had gone by since that emotional breakdown. I was determined to not let it get me down. With only a week left before my wedding, all the invitations were sent to those close to the Bartholy brothers and myself. Those we trusted to not reveal news of our union had all replied with the notice that they will be attending. Peter and I chose to have our ceremony in the garden and the reception on the terrace since we wanted it to be a private celebration at home. We also chose to write our own vows. Only a few more things needed to be done to prepare for the special event. I was grateful to have both Victoria and Sarah to assist me, and make things less stressful.
I had been staying in Peter's room with him each night since the evening of our engagement. Waking up early in the morning, I stretched my limbs and turned to give my man a 'good morning' kiss. Sitting up, I swept my legs off the side of the bed and reached for my robe to put on over my nightgown. It was the day the three of us ladies, along with Lorie, had an appointment scheduled for me to try on dresses at a store in town, which only sold evening gowns and wedding dresses. "Busy day today, right?" Peter asked. I told him what the day's schedule was for us ladies, with visiting the dress and flower shops, and making time for lunch in between. He smiled and informed me, stating, "I will be busy as well. My brothers and I decided to get new tuxedos, so Nic invited a private tailor to come by later this morning." When I looked at him in confusion as to why they would need new suits he explained while combing his fingers through my hair. "Our wedding day is special, so to wear suits we have worn before would taint it and dampen our day's special meaning." "Oh, Peter... I love you," I said as I hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and replied, "I love you too."
After I got ready for the day and had my breakfast, Lorie, Victoria, and I were on our way into town in Nicolae's car. We met up with Sarah and walked in where the beautiful gowns were on display in the front windows of the store. The bell rang when we opened the door, signaling our arrival. A lady appeared from the back to greet us and ask if we had an appointment. I mentioned my name and she found me listed on her computer for a morning appointment. "Ah, yes, of course. Right on time. We can go over the style you are looking for and pull out a few dresses for you to try on, one at a time. If you will all follow me to the lounge, please?" We followed her and sat down to discuss what I wanted while a store clerk brought out glasses of champagne and water for us. The store owner then led me into the dressing room to take my measurements.
When she finished marking my measurements on paper she left me alone to go look on the racks of dresses in another room. A few minutes later, she and one of her assistants had returned, carrying many dresses in their arms and hanging them up on the rack by the mirrors. "Each of these are the only Grecian designs we carry in this store. Hopefully, you will find one to your liking." She took one out of its plastic covering and hung it on a clothes rack inside one of the dressing room stalls for me. Closing the stall door behind me, I took my shoes off and undressed to put on the first dress. I stepped out and took a look at myself in the mirrors before going out to show my friends and Lorie.
Walking out into the main area and stepping up on a small platform, I revealed the first of many dresses I was to try on. We all agreed that, though it was Greek in nature, it had too long of a train to be simple, which is what I was looking for. The second dress was too flowery, the third too revealing for my taste. Though, it did make me look sexy. The fourth and fifth dresses were either too short or too white in color, and I began to feel discouraged; not finding the perfect wedding dress. With only three more dresses left on the rack, the lady paused a moment before handing one of them over for me to put on. After coming out to look at myself in the mirrors again, I gasped. "I do think we may have found your dress. Let us show your friends and see what they think." I walked out and stepped up on the platform once again and twirled around. Sarah gulped down the rest of her champagne before expressing her thoughts out loud.
"Oh, Lydia, that dress.... It's positively stunning on you," Victoria said, speaking up first. "I think this is the one," I announced in excited satisfaction. Lorie stated I looked really pretty. Then I saw my best friend begin to tear up as she spoke out, saying, "Lydia, you're just so beautiful, absolutely gorgeous!" One of the staff ladies brought out a box of tissues for us when I joined my friend in tears. "Peter is going to love you in that dress," Sarah finished after wiping her eyes with the tissue and thanking the lady. "So I assume you have made your decision then?" the store owner asked. "Yes, I have. I do not need to try on anything else. I will take this dress." "Excellent! Perfect choice. Will your friends be needing to try on bridesmaid dresses?" "No thank you. We ordered dresses online for them." "Very well then. I will have this dress wrapped up for you." Walking into the dressing room stall, I removed the dress and put my own clothes and shoes back on.
Victoria paid for the gown, stating that it was her gift to me, which I was incredibly grateful for. We thanked the owner and her staff before leaving with the decorative box and walked outside toward the car. Victoria put it in the trunk and offered to take Lorie shopping while Sarah and I ate lunch. We promised to meet up at the flower boutique afterwards. Since everything was within walking distance, we kept the vehicle parked where we had it. Sarah and I decided to try out the Greek restaurant since I had let her know a few days prior that Peter stated he was taking me to Greece for our honeymoon. I wanted to sample some of the cuisine before we traveled to the beautiful country, so that I knew what foods I'd like when we arrived. Sarah had eaten at the local restaurant before and made some suggestions on what she thought was delicious.
Later that afternoon, we were looking around at all the different types of roses the flower shop had on display, along with other plants and flowers. I mentioned to the shop owner what I was looking for and the date and location the ceremony was to take place. The gentleman put together an example of what he imagined for me; right then and there on the spot. After expressing my thoughts of how beautiful it was, he asked me what my wedding colors were, so that he could order the bunting and ribbons to go with the flower arrangements and my bouquet. He complimented me on how perfect the two colors were together and told me he would have the cost estimates for me within a couple days. I then gave him my contact information and what time of day was best for him to get in touch with me.
Sarah and I said our goodbyes for the day after Victoria mentioned to her she had just received a text from Nicolae, notifying her that the emerald dresses ordered for both Sarah and herself had been delivered to the mansion. Victoria chose to order the first dress out of the three options I went with after I told her which gown Sarah wanted to wear. She also already had Lorie's and her doll's dresses made. The finished looks of the stitched fabrics were even more beautiful than what the material the original pattern called for had looked. Lorie was ecstatic and couldn't wait to wear it. Everything was coming together smoothly as planned. There was just one more thing I needed to do, but I wanted Peter's blessing beforehand.
When we arrived home I went to Peter's room after hearing from Drogo where he was located at the moment. I could faintly hear piano notes being played and pausing in between as I approached; it seemed like Peter was writing a new song. He stopped as soon as he heard me, though, which I briefly felt disappointed in not being able to hear the whole song. Walking inside, he was already there to close the door and give me a hug. "You look radiant. I assume you ladies had a productive and lovely day?" "Yes, we did." I then explained how everything went without giving him too many details about my dress, and that I was expecting a call from the florist later that week. He was happy and eager to listen, as well as share how his day went when I finished telling my tale.
Changing the subject after several minutes, I struck up the courage to ask him what I planned to do. "Peter, there is something I wanted to tell you, and ask for your blessing." "Yes, of course. What is it, my sweetness?" "Well, since Nicolae accepted to perform the ceremony and Drogo will be your best man, I don't have anyone to walk me down the aisle since... you know, my father is dead." "It's all right, Lydia, I understand. It is indeed sad your family couldn't be here with us. You wouldn't need to have anyone walk down the aisle with you, though. There have been plenty of brides who have walked alone." "I know, but.... There is someone I want to ask, but before I do, I need to know it will be okay with you, if he says yes." I looked into his eyes to see the assuring expression on his face as he came to the conclusion of whom I spoke of.
Peter grinned and reached up to caress my cheek with one hand as he acknowledged me, saying, "Of course I am okay with you asking him. I only hope that he will accept, despite the history between you two. He has my blessing to give you away." "Thank you, Peter," I said with relief. "I appreciate you wanting to come to me first about it. It confirms how much you care, how much you love me." 'I do love you, Peter," I reiterated in affirmation. "I know and I, you," he whispered as he leaned his head against mine. We stayed like that with our arms around each other for a moment before letting go. I then told him I would make the call in my own room to see if I could come by his place that evening, which Peter nodded and sat down at his desk to write. After having been gone for a few minutes, I peeked my head in to say I was leaving and would be back in a little while. "Good luck, Sweetness. I hope he doesn't disappoint," he said, wishing for the best.
-Sebastian's POV-
Sitting at my desk at home while selecting the curriculum for the next school year, I had my phone laying on the desk next to my laptop. Suddenly, it began to move as it vibrated, signaling a call coming through. I looked down to see who was calling and saw Lydia's name. I hesitated a moment, but then chose to pick up my phone and press the screen to answer, swiping the green phone symbol to the right. "Good evening, Lydia. I hope you are doing well." "Hello, Sebastian, and yes, I am doing better. Thank you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "Oh, no. Just prepping for the new school year, but that can wait. What is it you would like to talk about?" "I was wondering if we could talk in person. It's something important." "Of course, I was just about to cook myself some dinner. Would you like to join me? I am at home," I offered her, praying she would say yes. "Okay, when should I come over?" she asked me. "You can come on over anytime," I said as I stood up from the desk chair and headed for the kitchen. "All right, I'll be on my way in a few minutes then," Lydia stated before hanging up.
Opening the fridge, I pulled out the pan of steaks I marinated overnight, thankful that I did more than one. I put them on the grill that stood out on the patio in the backyard after determining the heat temperature reached to the point I wanted. I then walked back inside to pull out the bell peppers, onions, and squash, setting them on the cutting board to chop up. After scraping them off the board into a skillet, I drizzled olive oil over them and set the right front burner temperature to medium. When the vegetables finished cooking on the stove I walked outside to flip the steaks over and placed slices of pineapple on the grill, turning the heat down. As I lowered the lid a bit, I heard a knock at the front door. On my way to see if it was Lydia, who had finally arrived, I grabbed a hand towel to wipe my hands and placed it down on the kitchen counter. Looking through the peephole, I saw that it was indeed Lydia.
I opened the door to let her in and hesitated for a moment with my arms open in greeting. To my relief, she accepted my hug without question. "Dinner is almost ready. Make yourself at home," I said as I offered to take her jacket and purse to hang on the coat rack for her. I invited her to sit down either in the living room or on a barstool at the kitchen bar counter. "Thank you," she said. Taking a deep breath, she continued, saying, "Smells delicious, so what's on the menu for tonight?" "I am currently grilling a couple teriyaki marinated steaks and slices of pineapple, and just finished sautéeing some veggies as well." "Ooh, sounds really good. I can't wait to eat it all," she replied with pleased anticipation.
Keeping the patio door open, we conversed about random things while I grabbed the tongs and removed the fruit and steaks from the grill and placed them on a platter to bring inside. I turned the propane heat off and left the lid open to cool down before stepping inside and shutting the glass door behind me. I proceeded to set the dinner table with two place settings. When I finished I invited Lydia to sit down while I fixed her a plate of food. "What would you like to drink? I have water, beer, or wine," I listed for her. "A small glass of sweet red wine, if you have it, would be nice," she answered. After laying down her food and drink on the table in front of her, I sat down with mine at the end of the table, perpendicular to her position next to me. "I hope you enjoy the food." "I'm sure I will, thank you."
I waited until she took her first bite before I started to eat the food on my plate. She nodded in approval and continued to eat. I was thankful she liked my cooking since I never had the chance to cook for her before. Being given the opportunity to do so, even if just the one time, was good enough. I was grateful for it. "That was the best steak I've ever had, and the pineapple.... Mmm. Thanks, Sebastian." I smiled and replied, "You are most welcome. I'm glad you liked it." I then took her plate and mine to the kitchen and placed them in the sink before returning with the wine bottle to refill our glasses. "Join me in the living room where we can sit comfortably?" I asked, extending one arm in an inviting gesture. "Sure, thank you again." We sat down on the couch slightly facing one another a couple feet apart. Lydia looked down on the coffee table to see the opened envelope with the letter sticking halfway out of it. "I see you received Peter's and my wedding invitation." I nodded before she continued, stating, "I wasn't sure if you were going to be there, given what happened, you know, in your office."
A brief moment of silence fell between us before I responded. "I have to admit that, at first I did feel like I didn't want to, that I couldn't go," I began to confess. She lowered her head with a frown on her face, so I finished what I wanted to say. "But... after thinking about it, I realized you were always meant to be with Peter, and I am happy for you." She raised her head to look at me for reassurance. "So yes, I will be there." "I'm glad to hear you say that," she sighed with relief before speaking up once more. "I came here tonight because there is one thing I wanted to ask you. I'll completely understand if you want to say no, though." "Lydia, it's okay. Go ahead and say what it is you want to ask me," I encouraged. "Well, as you know, my father isn't alive to walk me down the aisle, so I was just wondering if... maybe...," she said as her words trailed off without finishing her sentence.
I remembered her informing all of us, after we rescued her, that she learned what had happened to her family. My heart wrenched at the news of their demise. In another brief moment of silence, I realized what she was asking for. She lowered her head again when I didn't answer right away. "Of course," I started to say and she quickly popped her head up again. Continuing, I stated I would be honored to walk her down the aisle. "Really? Oh, thank you, Sebastian. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." She swiftly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a big hug. I laughed as she made me fall back a little on the couch from the force of impact. Returning her hug, I welcomed her.
Soon after, we stood up and walked to the front door. I said good night as I saw her off. Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it and took a deep breath, and then smiled to myself. Seeing her look so happy was worth it all. I slowly moved away from the entrance to my home to go and clean up after the meal we shared together that evening. Putting the dishes in the dishwasher after rinsing them in the sink, I turned it on and shut the lights off before heading to the bathroom. After I finished getting ready for the night, I laid on the bed and began to read a book under the light of the table lamp before going to sleep.