The Wedding.

“She just wanted to know if I was getting cold feet about the wedding.” I told him bluntly.

“Ignore her.”

“I already did.” I studied his face for a while and saw how worried he made my face look. “You'll go through a lot with the makeup and everything, do you think you can handle it?”

“How hard can it be?”

A knock came on the other side of the phone.

“Miss Ava, it's time for you to begin preparation.”

“I guess that's your cue, I'll see you at the altar in a few hours.” I winked at him and was almost smiling when a stupid thought ran through my mind. “Uhmm, Ivan?”

“Yes?” He had an inpatient look on my face.

“This is a bit stupid, but I'm going to say it anyway.”

“I don't have all day, hurry up with it.”

“Don't you dare have any perverted thoughts, when washing my body. I'll try not to do same.” I let it all out in one breath.

The confusion on my face was very evident at this point. “Are you really..”

I ended the call, before he could say another word. That was the craziest thing I had ever said to anyone in my entire life. I stared at his body and shuddered in fear.

“Will anyone notice if I skip bathing this morning?” I asked myself as I stared at the different perfume fragrance, that was lined up in his collection.

“What if this last forever? Does that mean I'll never bathe again?” I continued questioning myself.

After a long thought, I finally got into the shower. He was right about the dials, it sprayed out water at a perfect temperature when I pressed the second dial.

I took off his clothes and tried to avoid looking down there, but I could not help it. My eyes wandered all the way down, after admiring the well built abs he had.

“Stop it Ava! You are not a pervert.”

He was going to be my husband anyway, so I had all the right to do whatever I wanted. But, I was not going to bring myself low to that level.

I quickly finished up and prepared in minutes, which was strange for me. It takes me almost an hour and some minutes to get ready, so this was new.

Looking around the room, I knew there were some changes I had to make in here if we finally got married. I picked up my phone and called Gerald.

It did not take up to three seconds, before he picked. “Yes Sir.”

“Call Martha, I don't need her to come in today.” I said. “Come to my room, after doing that.”

“Okay Sir.”

I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to understand why this was happening. My mind went back to the ring, I had removed it and kept it in drawer.

It was a family heirloom and Ivan had made it seem like it was a very big deal. “I should keep this in a safer place.”

There was no sight of any safe around, even if there was one. The chances of me knowing the password was very low.

I was still contemplating where to keep it, when I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.” I sat up, trying to assume the position I had seen Ivan sit in the few times we had met.

“You called for me Sir.”

“Yes.” I opened the folder again. “All of this on my wedding day is a bit too much, don't you think?”

“Sir?” He looked at me confused.

“Why do I have so much lined up to do on my wedding day?” I asked directly. “Was all of this your idea?”

“I'm sorry, Sir. Your schedule was packed, it was the only free opening we had.”

Poor thing! He was obviously used to his boss being all over him like this, but there was no way I was breaking in character. “Cancel everything.”

“Sir, I don't think that is a good ide…..”

“Are you questioning me?” I turned and looked at him, with an icy look.

“No Sir, I'll do that right away.” He was about leaving, when I stopped him.

“Who's my best man?” I knew it sounded crazy, but I just had to do it.

“Oh, that's me.”

“Fair, come to me once it's time to leave for the wedding.” I waved him off, after saying that.

As soon as the door closed, I breathed out loud in relief. “Damn! It's so hard being Ivan.”

I set my alarm for the next four hours, it was hard enough trying to figure out what happened. I was certain I needed my strength for later, as I drifted out to sleep.

It felt like two minutes to me, but I woke up as soon as my alarm rang. I touched up my face and waited for Gerald.

“It's time, Sir.” He announced after he knocked on the door. “The car is ready to leave for the venue.”

I stepped out of the master bedroom and tried to move with strides, that was similar to the one I had watched Ivan move with.

On the way to the venue, Gerald briefed me on the sitting arrangement and everything else I needed to know. He handed me a tab that contained every information I needed.

As I entered the cathedral, I felt all eyes on me. It was hard but I struggled to maintain the aura Ivan would have, in situations like this.

“Perfect entrance, Sir.” Gerald commended me, as I got to my seat in one piece. “Your mother is in the third row on the left and she has already asked me twice whether you've eaten breakfast, which I believe is code for something else entirely."

I glanced left and saw her, the woman who had called me last night. She was staring at me with a straight face and eyes, that were trying to mask whatever emotions she was feeling.

I gave her a small nod and watched as her eyes softened, before she looked away. My phone buzzed, with a message from my own number.

It read: If Olivia approaches you before the ceremony, tell her Gerald will follow up.

I typed back: Who is Olivia exactly?

Ivan: Someone I made a mistake with two years ago.

I stared at the message for a moment, before typing: Does she know about the body situation?

The response was immediate: No one knows about it.

I put the phone back in my pocket and looked up, my groomsmen were around me. They were friendly and seemed to find my silence as something normal.

Gerald reappeared. "Ten minutes, Sir. The bridal party is in position."

My heart skipped two beats, this moment was surreal for me. I had tried to play along, but at this point I was nervous.

I walked to the center of the cathedral and watched my mom in tears as the music changed.

My father was walking Ivan down the aisle in my body. It was the strangest thing I had ever experienced.

Ivan was walking like me, with a smile on his face. The makeup looked flawless on him too.

When he reached the altar and stood opposite me, my father left him and went back to his seat as the priest came up.

"You walked beautifully." I muttered under my breath, just enough for him to hear.

"The shoes are instruments of torture."

I could not help smiling, as I stared at my beautiful face.

The priest began. “Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness a union of love.”

When it was time to say the vows, he turned to me first. “Do you, Ivan Cross take Ava Sinclair to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Five hundred people held their breath, as the question was asked. I could tell by the silence that filled the cathedral.

I moved closer to a microphone that carried sound clearly to the very last row and answered in Ivan Cross's voice.

“No”.