1: Here We Meet Again

"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.