Page 91 of When Night Falls
"She might still show up," I try to reassure her as I reach out to pat her arm. "Don't give up hope."
In true Troian fashion, she feigns a sniffle and I smile at her perseverance.
"So about last night," she proceeds, bringing up the moment I saw her with a man, bleeding from his neck while she made out with another girl.
"I don't judge," I hold up my hands in mock surrender. "But does Rivian know you're-"
"Gay?" She finishes for me and I have to do everything in my power to prevent my jaw from dropping at her bluntness. "I screw around with boys occasionally, but they’re just that . . . boys. Rivian knows I'm gay. It's not a secret. He just doesn't know who I'm gay with." She says it with her whole chest, serious tones and everything.
It takes everything in me to not burst out laughing and I know she can tell I'm holding it in, so she gives me the go ahead as she belts out her own laugh.
We both crack up, bent over with our hands on our knees.
"That's the realest thing you've ever said," I tell her.
"Bitch, I keep it real twenty-four-seven, what are you talking about?" She clicks her tongue but then a look of instant regret washes over her face when she realizes she called her future queen a bitch.
But now it's my turn to bust out in full-blown laughter, and when I do, she joins me again.
It takes a minute for us to come back down to Earth but I don’t miss the enjoyment that comes from this moment. I haven’t hada laugh like that in forever and I mentally thank her for allowing me this reprieve from all of the intensity I’ve been invited to.
"Wait, so why can't he know who you're with?" I decide to ask, hoping to settle down the humor a bit, and Troy gives me a very cryptic glare before saying,
"That's a story for next time.” Her smirk tells me that something dramatic hangs in the air at her admission and it makes me more curious about her rendezvous. But she steps forward and reaches her hand out, signaling me that it’s time to go.
“It's time to get you hitched, your highness."
Anxiety finally attacks me; I feel every kind of emotion one can imagine as I stand beyond the curtain that leads me to my forced fate. A fate that I decided to accept because it's the only way to guarantee I'll have any kind of chance at a home and a family and more elusively . . . love.
But I am also drawn to the idea of power and respect, the reasons Rivian promised me to this life in the first place. But I won’t give up hope.
Nothing feels more real than being here, soon to be wed; to be someone's wife.
Troian smiles at me as her cue to head down the aisle arrives. "No matter what, you have me," she whispers before she walks away, and I can't help but feel that she means those words because she's not normally the sentimental type.
I take a deep breath and allow myself to feel worthy of this moment, even though I'm only here because a vampire killed my father and decided that I was his soulmate. The events that have perspired afterward are a bit of a fever dream compared to this moment right now.
The music that cues my time starts to fade in and I take one last deep breath before pushing through the curtain to face my future husband.
I step out onto the little path between two giant seas of people; over a hundred attendees who seem to have their eyes wide, their mouths hanging open and some even audibly gasp at my appearance.
The Hollows Trace Society.
I don't recognize any faces, only Kacian who is off on the side, and Troian who is now standing up at the top left of the altar.
Troian's eyes move from me to the same blonde she was with last night, who sits a few rows back on my left and I grow curious about their story. Before I can look away, the blonde turns her eyes on me and pins me with something that exudes hate.What is her problem?
I hold the bouquet of black roses in my hands, pressed against my chest, as I take one slow step after another.
The roses are symbolic and I do love that he included that small gesture into this day, even knowing that I once dreaded the arrival of his elusive floral gift. Only to realize I craved it all the same and having them here now is a thoughtful act of his dedication toward me.
I only take a second to skim the room before everyone stands, nearly startling me, before I continue walking.
I find myself slowly making my way down while searching the room for the little details I’ve grown to admire, examining the decor and aesthetic of my wedding day.
The Hollows Cathedral has a vintage yet pristine feel to the space that surrounds us. White flowers line the ceiling as gold accents cover the chairs and the walls. I hear a water fountain gently splashing somewhere beyond the standing crowd, creating a serene ambiance of wedded bliss as I make my way to my king. The altar at the end that waits for me is an arch covered in more white florals and gold lace intertwined into green vines. A priest stands just under it, waiting for my arrival.
I can't see Rivian, though, assuming he's hidden behind the crowd of people who stand for my walk on top of red silk beneath my feet.