The sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway came to an abrupt halt as a Woman in her late twenties , wearing a long dark blue gown
As she barreled down the hallway, her black hair dancing about her shoulders, she came to a sudden stop at a door.
With a forceful twist of the knob, she burst into the room, sending a loud and jarring noise echoing throughout the hallway.
Karuizawa Kei, who was dressed in a beautiful wedding dress, nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound. She looked up at Mei, who was standing in the doorway, with a startled expression on her face.
"Mei-chan, you scared me!" Kei exclaimed, blinking back the surprise that had overcome her.
"Can you please not barge in like that?" Kei added
But Mei was unfazed, simply grinning from ear to ear. "Sorry, sorry. I was just a little too excited to see you in the wedding dress. But, oh my goodness, you look absolutely stunning, Kei."
Mei's eyes were sparkling with excitement as she looked Kei up and down. "Honestly, Kei, you look drop-dead gorgeous in this dress."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Honestly, I think you could ditch the groom and just marry *me* instead."
Kei couldn't help but laugh at Mei's blatant forwardness. "I don't think the groom would appreciate that very much," Kei teased.
"Who cares about that" She shrugged "well, talking about Groom..." She hesitated a bit but decided to talk it out.
"Don't want to sound rude about your soon-to-be husband," Mei huffed as she crossed her arms and frowned, "But isn't he playing a bit too much 'mystery-mystery'? Like seriously, he asked for your hand in marriage from your father in exchange for saving your family business, but we don't even know his name! Let alone what he looks like!"
As Mei grumbled on, Kei couldn't help but recall the countless times she had dreamt of walking down the aisle, dressed in a beautiful wedding gown, with the love of her life at the end of it.
Her memories drifted back on that certain memory that she hide way deep inside her heart, that one person who she knows she is helplessly in love with, who had graved his name on her heart, yet leaved her just like that, its being long time, she wants to believe that she has completely gotten over him but she knows, no matter what she can never gotten over him, once he appears in her life again, all the walls she built up on her heart will crumbled again..
...she knows..
But now, with this mysterious groom who had suddenly entered her life, she didn't even know what to except anymore.
She shook her head aggressively, removing all the stupid thoughts
"Well, it's not like I am being forced to marry him or anything, right?" Kei muttered to herself, trying to convince herself that she was ready for this step. "I'm at marriageable age, and I'm not dating anyone or have anyone I like currently. It's okay..."
She felt Mei's hand on her shoulder as the older girl pulled her chin up making her look at her in the eyes
"I knew it," Mei chuckled, "You're having second thoughts about this marriage, right?"
"I..." Kei hesitated, unsure of what to say. Since she didn't know anything about her mysterious groom, soon-to-be husband, she couldn't help but doubt whether she should go through with the wedding or not.
"Not to worry, I got your back," Mei grinned
Kei raised her eyebrow "what you mean?"
Mei smirked as she pulled kei near the window "look down"
Kei peered out the window, her eyebrows raised in surprise as she saw Mei's older brother outside with a car, waving at them. "Souta-niisan?"
"Well, if you didn't like the groom, just say you don't want to marry this guy and run directly outside," Mei explained her master plan with a mischievous grin. "Souta-nii will help you escape while I deal with the groom and the guests."
"Seriously?" kei rolled her eyes, she didn't knew wether to appreciate Mei's thoughtfulness or should she smack some sense into her head..
She appreciated her friend's thoughtfulness, but it was clear that she was getting a bit carried away.
"Mei, that is absolutely ridiculous," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to run away from my own wedding."
Mei's grin only widened as she leaned in closer to Kei, her voice a low whisper. "But if you change your mind, just give me the signal, and I'll get you out of here, no questions asked."
Kei shook her head again, still laughing. "Mei, you're ridiculous. I'm not going to run away from my own wedding. But I appreciate your concern."
Mei nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it. But if you need anything, just let me know. I'm always here for you," she said, her voice sincere.
Kei couldn't help but smile "I know"
As the two friends were talking the door open again as Kei's mother enter the room
Kei's mother entered the room and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw her daughter in her beautiful wedding dress.
Her heart filled with a mix of emotions as she recalled the memories of Kei growing up. She was proud and happy to see Kei's transformation from a little girl to a gorgeous bride-to-be, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that her daughter was about to leave her and start her own family.
"You look stunning, Kei-chan," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she approached her daughter and took her hands in hers. "I'm so happy for you, but I'm also going to miss you so much."
Kei's eyes filled with tears as she listened to her mother's words.
She hugged her mother tightly, feeling grateful for all the love and support she had received over the years.
.....
As Kei and her father walked towards the stage, the crowd hushed in anticipation. Kei's father held her hand tightly, giving her a comforting smile as they arrived at the altar.
But Kei's attention was not on her father or the crowd, but on the groom standing at the other end of the aisle.
Kei's eyes widened in shock as she saw the groom's face for the first time.
What she saw was not some stranger she never met before, but someone who had left a deep impression on her heart.
She recognized the man before her, all the memories came flooding back to her. All the painful feelings washed over her as she saw the man who had caused her so many sleepless nights.
It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the person who she had fallen in love with a long time ago, the person who had left her without a word. The memories came flooding back, and her heart felt like it was going to burst with emotions.
Kiyotaka..." Kei murmured, unable to believe her own words.
For weeks, she had tried to convince herself that she was over him, that he was just a distant memory, but now, seeing him again, she knew that was never going to be true.
Kei's father turned to look at her, sensing the change in her expression. "Kei, are you alright?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
