Compound 41

Chapter 10

Evelyn couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched as she left the bar. The feeling persisted as she went into her ground floor apartment that she called home. She didn't turn the lights on when she entered, until she had closed all of her curtains. She didn't know why she felt the way she did, but she felt like she wasn't alone.

Evelyn quickly got ready for bed and climbed in, ready and eager for sleep that didn't immediately come. She felt stifled in her room and couldn't pull her thoughts off of the stranger she had seen at the bar. She had wanted to meet him, and wanted him to introduce himself. She wasn't shy, and had always been outgoing with her friends. But when it came to men, she felt self-conscious. Over the years, there had been more than one instance of her being put into the 'friend-zone' or even completely ignored by men, simply because she lacked the physical mobility of her peers.

The air in Evelyn's room felt hot and thick, so she decided to open her window a crack to let in the cool night air. As soon as she had, she noticed a strong scent of honeysuckle. It struck her as odd, because she was aware that there was no honeysuckle growing outside of her window. There were trees and grass, as her window faced toward the woods, all which she could smell. But those scents paled in comparison to the comforting springy scent that now seemed to fill her room. As her senses were seemingly enveloped by the new fresh scent, it wasn't long before she was sound asleep.

The alarm clock was blaring as Evelyn forced her eyes open. She knew there was no time to spare today, as she didn't allow herself to snooze it, and began the process of getting ready to head to the venue for the wedding. She knew that everything was ready as it could be, but she was always nervous before a big event. So many things could go wrong, and Evelyn knew that it would take all her skill and attention to detail to be able to ensure that everything would run smoothly.

Evelyn unlocked the doors to the venue, and let herself in. She began turning on lights and made her way toward her office. She had arrived early enough to go through everything that was planned for the day and double-check it all, before anyone else was expected to arrive. She checked every room to ensure that everything was ready; dresses, shoes, tuxes, flowers and candles were all in their places, ready for everyone's arrival, having been placed and prepped the day before. Evelyn's time disappeared quickly, and soon the bridal party was entering the building, heading to the suite where they would begin their preparations for the event.

It was scheduled that Olivia and her attendants would arrive first, giving a full hour before the groom and his portion of the bridal party arrived, to ensure there was no overlap or opportunity for the bride and groom to cross paths prior to the ceremony.

"Good morning, Olivia" Evelyn greeted as the bride gleefully entered the building. Everything needed for the wedding was already in place in the dressing suite.

"Good morning!" Olivia said with a grin that couldn't have been hidden, had she wanted to do so.

"Everything is ready for you ladies in the suite" Evelyn said, feeling the excitement that was beginning to fill the air. "Just let me know if you need anything!"

"Thank you so much!" Olivia said, stopping to give Evelyn a hug. "I know you've done everything possible to make this day amazing, and I really am grateful."

"It's really my pleasure" Evelyn said warmly, always pleased to receive gratitude. She had been doing this long enough, that she had crossed paths with more than one ungrateful 'Bridezilla' who seemed intent to ruin their own special day.

From that moment on, it was fully contained chaos that erupted. Evelyn had everything coordinated, had directed everyone, including those helping with hair, make-up, gowns and immediate family on where and how to assist with the bride and her portion of the preparation. They were all exactly where they needed to be when it was time for the groom to arrive. Right on schedule, Peter came in followed by his groomsmen.

"Good morning, Peter" Evelyn began, but then suddenly stopped and wasn't able to say anything more. Right behind Peter was the man she had seen at the bar the previous night. The man who had captivated her thoughts through the morning. Thoughts that she had needed to repeatedly revert back to the task at hand. And with him, came the comforting scent of honeysuckle much like what she thought she had smelled last night through her window.

"Evelyn, good morning!" Came the cheerful reply from the groom. "These are some of my best friends, they're helping me out with getting ready this morning" he continued with a grin as he gestured toward the man Evelyn was staring at, along with the man who had been with him last night in the bar.

"I'm very excited to meet you" Jackson said, as he reached out his hand toward Evelyn.

"I, uh.." Evelyn faltered, realizing that she hadn't yet lifted her own hand in response to the greeting, and not being able to find any other words in the moment.

"I'm Jackson" he continued, still extending his hand toward Evelyn who finally composed herself enough to return the greeting and shake his hand.

As soon as Evelyn had placed her hand inside of Jackson's she felt like her entire body caught on fire. It was only a brief sensation, as he quickly withdrew his hand from hers after a quick shake. It startled her, and she had to question herself, as for a fleeting fraction of a second, she thought she could feel her toes. Something she hadn't felt in almost a decade. She quickly chided herself internally as being ridiculous and foolish, and reminded herself that she had a job to do. She quickly reached out her hand to the other man that Peter was now introducing to her.

"This is Dante" Peter said, "He's always been like a big brother to me."

Evelyn shook Dante's hand, noting that there was nothing like the feeling that had been produced when she shook Jackson's hand. She directed the men where to go, answered a few questions and presented herself far more calmly than she felt inside. She tried to avoid looking at Jackson, but repeatedly felt her eyes drawn toward him and had to force herself to look away. She felt like a silly school-girl with a new crush.

Evelyn focused on ensuring that the wedding went as planned, handling every detail, getting everyone in their places, cueing the musicians, facilitating every aspect to perfection. It was a bit of mental gymnastics for her to keep her focus, especially as the guests were being seated, and on more than one occasion she found herself pulling her thoughts away from Jackson and back to what she was doing.

The wedding concluded as planned, but it wasn't until the reception was well underway, food served, the cake cut and the first dance out of the way, that Evelyn finally felt like she could catch her breath and relax. The schedule of events had been completed, and now it was just a party and waiting until everyone left. Evelyn sat in a dark corridor, away from the festivities and leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.