"What do you mean by you're not coming?" asked Vivienne in a serious voice as her perfectly shaped brows scrunched up a little.
"I was on my way but my editor suddenly wants me to make some changes to my article. It's not like I'm purposely doing this, Vivi," Aurora's tone over the phone was still as light and melodious as always.
"Don't forget that I'm only here for you," reminded Vivienne as she felt like her forgetful best friend was overlooking this very important fact.
"I know and I'm sorry for not being there with you," replied Aurora sincerely. "But Vivi, you can still go inside. Angie is also your high school friend too. Even if it's been years since you saw her, she still went out of her way to invite you to her wedding. There won't be any high school acquaintances there. If you didn't come, it'd be one thing but you made an effort to come to the door. Don't you think it'd be bad if you left just like that?"
"I..." Vivienne seemed to be hesitating before she said, "I can leave after dropping the wedding gift."
"That's even worse!" Aurora raised her voice making Vivienne push her phone away from her ear. "Listen to me, Miss Vivienne Pearl! You are not such a rude person. So, you better walk in there and have fun! I'll try to finish my work as soon as possible then I'll come to join you. How does that sound?"
"Not very good," was Vivienne's honest response.
"Well, suck it up!" With that Aurora disconnected the call leaving Vivienne feeling lost.
Today was the wedding of her high school friend Angelina Cooper. Back in high school, they were pretty close but after high school, everyone went their own ways and lost contact. She didn't even know why Angelina even invited her to her wedding. She looked for her email through Aurora and reached out to her. She was inviting so sweetly and sincerely that Vivienne couldn't refuse her. But the biggest reason she accepted the invitation was Aurora who promised to accompany her there.
Standing in front of the entrance, Vivienne took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "Here goes nothing."
With that, she stepped inside the venue after showing her invitation at the entrance. The wedding venue was a private winery in Southern California. Nestled among rolling hills and verdant vineyards, the winery exuded a rustic charm and understated elegance. Tall cypress trees swayed gently in the breeze, casting dappled shadows across the manicured grounds.
The warm sun bathed the landscape in a golden glow. Rows of grapevines as far as the eye could see, their lush foliage a vibrant backdrop for the festivities about to unfold. A quaint wooden gazebo adorned with cascading vines served as the focal point for the ceremony.
As she was ushered to her table, Vivienne could hear the clinking of glasses and the hum of animated conversations around her. Wooden tables draped in crisp linens were set beneath sprawling oak trees, adorned with centerpieces of freshly picked blooms.
The table Vivienne was sitting on already had four people but she didn't recognize any of them. She didn't know if she should feel happy about it or sad that she was all alone. The seat on her left was reserved for Aurora and the seat on her right was also empty for now. Vivienne greeted everyone at the table with a polite smile before she took out her phone to check her emails.
Anyway, she had no one to talk to here so she'd rather get some work done instead. She had a bad habit of forgetting about the world around her once she focused on something. And she was currently in that state where the world or people around her had nothing to do with her. All her attention was on her phone and that's why she didn't even pay attention when someone came to sit beside her on the right side.
She also didn't notice when someone's scrutinizing gaze was fixed on her. Seeing her lowering her head and typing something on her phone, he tapped the tabletop with her knuckles to get her attention but she seemed to not care.
"I didn't think you'd still have the habit of living in your own world, Vivienne!"
Vivienne heard her own name being called which broke through the soundproof walls she had built around herself to isolate herself from the world around her. Hearing that low and deep voice, her heart shook violently and her whole person was frozen still. She couldn't believe her own ears but also didn't dare to look up to confirm whether the voice really belonged to the one on her mind.
"Earth to Vee!"
She held the hand that was waving in front of her eyes to snap her out of her daydreaming. The touch of that warm hand was so real but she was feeling cold. Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings before she lifted them to look at him. She looked straight into his blue eyes and forgot to react for a minute.
Noah had been observing her from the moment she entered the winery. Her chestnut hair was tied in a loose side braid. Dressed in a moss-colored mini dress with a sweetheart neckline, she looked both beautiful and elegant. Her grey eyes looked around at everything as if she was lost. He didn't know why he had the urge to come over to sit beside her but he did it.
As she looked into his eyes, Noah's lips curled up in a smirk. She looked like a deer who was caught in headlights. He didn't expect her to look so cute with this expression.
"We meet again," he said.
Vivienne inhaled before exhaling and smiled at him, "Indeed, here we meet again. What a pleasant surprise!"
It was so not a pleasant surprise. If there was someone from high school that she really did not want to meet again, that was this man, Noah Sullivan.
Contrarily, if there was someone she truly longed to see again from high school, it was also this man sitting beside her, Noah Sullivan.How to put it? Mmm... He was a very conflicted existence to her.He represented the complex blend of emotions for her.He was her first love and you know what they say about first love? No matter how far you run from it, a shadow of it always follows you and lives within you. First love leaves an indelible mark. Vivienne couldn't have agreed more with those sentiments. Noah occupied a special corner of her heart and despite her attempts to deny it, she couldn't ignore the influence he had on her. She couldn't just ignore what this special person had brought to her life and how it changed her life.With how her heart was beating erratically at the moment, at just the sight of him, she was certain that her heart still had a place for him. Despite her years of denial, at this moment, she couldn't deceive herself. It was impossible to lie about something
Vivienne wanted to say something to him but before she could, he rose, preparing to leave. She watched his retreating back with a deep and contemplating look in her eyes. His back overlapped with her memory from ten years when he walked away from her after rejecting her confession so coldly. She still couldn't snap out of the fact that he actually apologized to her for his rude behavior. She couldn't believe this turn of events.Seeing him walk over to stand beside the groom, only then did Vivienne realize that he seemed to be the best man. That answered her question as to why he was at this wedding.She picked up her phone from her lap and unlocked the screen. She opened the chat with Aurora and wanted to tell her what just transpired just to remind herself that it wasn't a dream and it actually happened. But she held herself back at the last moment and locked the phone again.At the appointed hour, the bride made her grand entrance with the live orchestra playing in the background.
Noah stood with the groom like the competent best man who was forced into the role. And it was true that he was forced into it. The groom, Liam Parker was his maternal cousin. Seeing his distracted look, Liam couldn't resist probing, "What's on your mind?" "Nothing." Liam didn't believe his words even for a minute. "Are you upset about the venue?" "Why would I be?" countered Noah. Liam wanted to tell him that it was an accident that his secret wedding planning diary was seen by his then-fianceé, Angelina when they were planning their wedding. And she just loved the idea of having a wedding like that. That's how they ended up here. Even though he had asked Noah beforehand, Liam still knew it would be quite uncomfortable for Noah to even be here much less, playing the role of his best man. Seeing his expression, Noah patted his shoulder and said, "Liam, you should be more worried about how you are gonna handle your hyperactive wife. Stop looking at me with such pitiful eyes. I am
"What are you sorry for?" Noah laughed at her reaction. He couldn't comprehend why she was looking like she had done something wrong. "It's just a breakup," he told her. "It's not that serious." Vivienne's expression didn't change much even when she couldn't obviously see how hard he was trying to lighten the mood. He seemed to not know that she was the girl who had an unrequited love towards him. And unrequited love is often etched on your very bones and becomes a part of your soul. You begin to read the object of that unrequited love closely in silence. Vivienne did that too. Therefore, she could see he wasn't as fine with this breakup as he was trying to appear right now. "If it wasn't that serious, you wouldn't be drowning your sorrow in alcohol right now," she responded. Noah's hand paused as he glanced at the glass of whiskey he was holding and glanced at her, "How about I show you around? There is a beautiful place in the back of the estate where you can really enjoy your
"You better not regret this tomorrow," whispered Vivienne against Noah's lips. Noah chuckled huskily in response and replied, "I won't. Who would regret kissing a beautiful woman? They had to be a fool. And I certainly ain't one."Vivienne smiled and bit his lips making him grunt, Noah's eyes darkened at her action before he claimed her lips once again. His other hand tugged her hair gently, angling her head for better access to her luscious lips that he seemed to be craving more than whiskey at this moment.He was slowly losing his sanity, not understanding whether it was because of the whiskey he consumed or because of the intoxicating taste of wine on her lips. Which ever one it was, he was willing to lose himself into it, indulge in this moment.Vivienne groaned softly at the sudden but uncontrollable sensation that she felt in the pit of her stomach which was so unfamiliar to her. It was like she was having her first kiss. She felt like a novice being led by his rhythm. Her hand
Noah's heart pounded erratically as he gazed at her under the dim lights. Her eyes were closed, and her lips, slightly parted and swollen from his kisses, made her look irresistibly alluring. He was kissing her passionately throwing all the thoughts behind him. His well-defined hands roamed around her body and she did the same to him. Noah actually felt himself shivering a little because of her soft fingers. His hand slipped back down to her sensitive areas and started massaging it. He stood up at the foot of the bed and began unbuckling his pants slowly and seductively. His gaze was still locked with hers. He gently eased his briefs off of him.He watched as her eyes moved from his eyes downwards and settled on his manhood that was proudly on display right before her eyes. She slowly licked her swollen and red lips making the temperature rise around them and making no effort to hide her desires. But in the end, Vivienne still looked away from his proud manhood with a tinge of shynes
Because of her tightness, Noah had to be extra patient and it also took an extra effort as his face sweated but his eyes were still full of desire. He showered her with butterfly kisses and whispered sweet nothings. With much patience and effort, he managed to settle inside her core but didn't instantly start moving. He first let her get used to his length and girth. He didn't rush the process even once giving her enough time to be ready. Buried deep inside her warm cave, Noah actually felt a sense of satisfaction as he couldn't help saying, "Baby, you feel so good."Vivienne had already gotten used to his inexplicable words during this time so, she didn't bother saying anything. Instead, she moved her hips against him, inviting him to move and stop enjoying the slow process that was killing her. With a grunt, Noah began to move inside of her slowly at first and then after a couple more pushes as Vivienne began to feel more comfortable with his member inside of her core, her moans we
The soft glow of the dawn filtered through the curtain, casting a gentle light in the room. Noah woke up and slowly, his senses came alive, and he became aware of the warmth and softness pressed against his chest. Vivienne was nestled in his arms, her head resting on his chest, her silky chestnut hair cascading over them both. He could feel her steady breath against his skin, each exhale, a whisper of comfort and intimacy.Noah wondered if he had been celibate for too long for him to yearn for this serene comfort and intimacy. His heart beat erratically as he gazed down at her peaceful sleeping face. Her elegantly arched eyebrows relaxed, and her long, curly eyelashes cast shadows beneath her eyes, accentuating her pert nose and full lips. He almost etched every single detail of her facial features into his mind with his intense gaze as if he were looking at her for the first time. As memories of last night flooded his mind, he felt like this might not be their first meeting but it h