Loud...
The music was too loud...
Good.
It was exactly what I needed right now—something that should be louder than my own thoughts.
The lighting wasn't very solid, as it kept shimmering in the hall. Sometimes, I saw a person in black but after the light dimmed and lit up the place again, they were in red.
Good...
It kept me curious and confused such that my thoughts always stayed in place.
The place I was in was a bar near "that place" I was coming from. It had a good wine and many more people I could watch too.
Perfect for me, who wanted to be distracted. I didn't even care if someone asked me to sleep with them—I would readily oblige, but they needed to be—
As I was thinking this, my face suddenly crunched up as I felt a headache as those thoughts started to resurface.
No, I didn't think if I could agree to sleep with anyone.
The reason was simple...
It was something I should be doing right now because...
"What the fuck, Rea? What are you doing here?"
As I was sitting on one of the velvet armchairs on the bar stand—drinking God knows what number drink—suddenly a crisp voice resounded from behind.
I turned my head and looked back.
There, a beautiful woman wearing a black elegant dress with her red hair styled beautifully walked towards me.
But her expression didn't go with her dress—or her hair. Her brows were knitted into a deep frown as her mouth curved downward—not hiding her clenched teeth behind those rosy lips. As she walked, her high heels clanged on the polished floor loudly, even in this loud music.
She was supposed to be attending a function right now...
"I swear to god, Rea, if you don't answer me honestly, I will drag your ass on the street until you apologize to Angelic—"
"Do not speak her name, damnit."
Seeing my messy state, Ella paused and also taken aback by my rebuke, slowly put her purse down as she sat on the seat beside me.
"You are not making any sense here, Rea. And who was even that woman?"
She paused as she hastily tried to make my appearance—well, less of a mess, I guess, after continuing.
"The bride, I mean?"
The bride? Right, that was who she was or she became, now...
That was a good question...
Who was that woman?
The function Ella was supposed to be attending right now was actually...
My wedding...
...That somehow became a mess. And the bride she was speaking of...
I didn't think of that too much, as I thought my situation couldn't be worse even if I knew who that bride was than it was right now and I flatly replied to her.
"I don't know."
Hearing my answer, Ella's eyes widened as her hand stopped. Then, tilting her head to look straight at my face, she mumbled something before slumping back to her seat.
I, indifferent to her thoughts, took a big gulp of my drink, emptying it in one go.
"Fuck."
I ignored that too and raised my hand to call the bartender.
"Next one, please."
When I came here, I didn't know what I wanted to drink, nor did I care. So, I asked for the first drink on the menu and after finishing it, I ordered the next one and the next and so on.
The bartender looked at me with a nervous expression before turning his head towards Ella,...probably hoping she would stop me or at least would say something but...
"Make that two."
She spoke to bartenders, who—I didn't know what kind of face that was—made it and turned around and left,...doing what he was ordered.
"Now, tell me everything, Andrea Patson. From the start."
I sighed as I slumped down on the counter.
This...
This was not why I called Ella here.
But I still rub my face and steady my thoughts.
"Well, from the start, huh!"
The thoughts that I wasn't trying to recall suddenly filled my mind and the despair soon fell on my face...
A day ago,
I pushed the button for the parking lot on the elevator and stretched my arms as I felt my whole body stiff.
It was late at night and tomorrow was my wedding day but here I was...working...
Money could really move the people. Right?
But I was not frustrated or anything because it was for a good reason and besides...
I was going to marry tomorrow with the perfect girl. How could anyone be sad about a little work, right?
Just then, I heard a soft chime from my phone. I quickly took out my phone and with a chuckle, a bright smile appeared on my face.
It was my fiancé,...or soon-to-be wife.
I opened her chat without even reading a message, as it was very long. My smile didn't falter one bit as I was thinking she would be nagging about me working late but then my smile froze as I read a certain line...
-I am sorry, but I can't go with this marriage.
Huh? What a drama queen!
But my breath was still stuck in my throat. I slowly shook my head and read further but as I did, I realized it was not a joke...
She meant it. There was a long explanation explaining why but I didn't understand it, as the first line kept repeating again and again...
The elevator bell rang and the door opened but my feet didn't budge as they rooted in their spot.
I kept mindlessly scrolling the message up and down with widened eyes and had a twisted smile as the door of the elevator closed again.
If I think about it, I had a minute feeling about this and I just disregarded it...
Because of my own selfishness?
The elevator started to move again as the number on its screen started to change...
But on the other hand, I had worked so hard for this marriage and Angelica knew that too...
So, why?
Anyway, one thing was sure...
"I am fucked."
Just at that time, the elevator came to a halt, and the door started to open...
"I am fucked."
Just as I spoke out loud, I heard the similar words coming from outside the door.
Jerking my head up, my eyes fell on the woman who was leaning on the door with a gloomy expression—no, actually, she appeared angry more than just gloomy.
Seeing her face, I suddenly thought of my own.
I was an accomplished woman—a perfect job, a perfect house and now the only thing that was missing was the perfect marriage.
Why did I want it to be perfect? There were many reasons and that was why I might have hastened with the marriage...
So after seeing her face, I was reminded of how big of a fool I was going to become when people heard of this.
Thinking that, the stiff smile suddenly turned into a sneer.
"What's funny?"
The woman's face turned cold after seeing me sneering as she leisurely walked inside.
The woman in question was in a business suit that was tailored perfectly according to her figure and no doubt beautiful but thankfully, I didn't know her. Just like I said, the company I was in was a very good one and had well-numbered employees, so she should be one of them...
"Haha, my situation..."
Though I was smiling, my body was crumbling away.
"Tomorrow is my wedding day,...and I was working till now. I mean, who does that these days? But it is alright—though I may be working now, it doesn't mean I am not going to attend my own wedding....Yes, as long as I get there before the vows, it will happen...as you know the only thing a wedding needs is me and my fiancé—maybe a priest? but as long as these people are there, the wedding will happen."
Naturally, I would hide that fact but after hearing those three words from the unknown woman's mouth, I felt some sort of connection between us that came from being—well...
"But not anymore..."
Suddenly, the smile on my face became brighter but the woman still didn't say anything as she pressed the button on the panel and the elevator again started to move down.
"Because my partner is actually not attending....And you know the worst part? I definitely saw that coming from miles away but I still charged on and now,.... a perfect collision."
I raised my hand and mimed it as a car and rammed it to the door but my fingers didn't even touch the door as, before it would, the door suddenly opened.
My hand paused for a moment as I looked for what happened and then I broke into laughter.
Even the universe was now laughing at me.
The woman, even after the door of her designated floor opened, didn't move and with a serious expression, kept her eyes on me before finally saying.
"That's too bad. Are you going to just let that happen, then?"
Was I going to let that happen? No, that wasn't the question she should be asking me—instead...
"Is there anything I can do now?"
She then raised her leg and placed it at the door, not letting it close and then turned her head towards me.
"You said only two people are needed for the wedding, so if you lose yours, then find the new one."
A new one?
That was the funniest thing I had ever heard but from the look on her face, that woman didn't appear to be joking.
And now, I was looking at her face—she was actually more beautiful not maybe like my fiancé was but since she was coming from her company's building, she should have a decent job, too...
Suddenly, I could finally see it again...
My perfect wedding...