The Wedding Planner (Open Novella Contest)

Chapter 4

"I thought you said you'd be helping Brian? Instead, all you've done is sit there and make stupid remarks about how stupid this all is!" Rachel snapped, Luke laughed at Rachel's outburst which only angered her more.

"I am helping. I'm keeping Brian calm." He shrugged, Brian elbowed Luke in his side, silently pleading for his brother to stop.

"Whatever. If you carry on with your stupid jokes and useless remarks, then you can leave!" She grabbed her notebook. "Okay Brian, I want to go over the proposal date quickly before we sort the first two. Mainly because it'll be the biggest date and the most important, okay?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." Brian nodded. "I know I'll have to do some sort of speech, so I need help with that."

"Progress. The other day you couldn't even tell me how to help you. Now, look at you!" She praised him, Brian felt a rush of endorphins as he was praised. A compliment from Rachel was almost like receiving a knighthood, well Brian didn't know what that felt like but he could imagine it.

Rachel began to scribble furiously in her notebook. Moonlit garden walk, followed by dinner in the garden. Fairy lights, candles, music. Maybe the violin? Maybe the piano? Blue and white theme would mesh well with the garden theme and nighttime theme. Speech and then proposal. Rachel circled the plan and handed the book to Brian. "That's the plan."

Rachel watched Brian read the plan intently, she watched him turn pale, panic washed over his face. "I- I can just about form a sentence. Never mind a speech!"

"And how do you think you're going to propose to her then Brian? Just hand her the ring and say something like oh hey let's get married? It's special, especially for the woman. Rachel, would you play the role of the future bride whilst I show my brother how it's done?" Luke was confident, cocky even. Rachel wanted him to fail, she smiled and nodded. She had used this technique before to encourage her clients when they wrote their own vows, so this was something she was used to.

Luke closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a breath. He opened his deep, brown eyes and gazed at Rachel softly, almost like a lover would. He gently took her hand and smiled bashfully, Rachel was taken aback.
"When I was younger I never believed fairytales were real, I knew they existed and it was nice to get lost in that fantasy as a child but I never, not even for a moment, believed in them." Luke looked at the ground for a moment, feigning embarrassment. He stroked the back of Rachel's hand before gazing into her eyes, she felt her heart quicken.
"That was until I met you." Rachel's mouth went dry as Luke said those words.
"I never believed in a love that would truly captivate me, that would render me immobile to anything else when I thought of it or felt it. But you, you didn't just make me believe it. You let me feel it. You made all those fairytale stories real for me." He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. "Rachel - you - I love you." He opened his eyes. "Waking up beside you, seeing that pure smile you give me before you've had the chance to do your hair and makeup... before you've even had the chance to completely wake up. When you're at your purest and most vulnerable. I can't get enough of it. Seeing that smile, that face, gazing at me lovingly as I wake up, I know that - that smile is what I want to wake up to for the rest of my life." Luke gently brought his hand up to Rachel's cheek, he stroked her face ever so slowly as he continued his speech.
"That smile is better than anything. Better than my morning cup of coffee. Better than any book I've ever read. Better than anything I've ever felt. Because in that moment, when you're at your weakest and you smile at me the way you do, it makes me feel things I've never felt. It makes my heart beat so fast it feels as though it could break free from my chest. It makes my day worth living. It makes me, well, it makes me realise how much I love you and want you to walk beside me in life." Luke crouched down onto one knee, never breaking his eye contact with Rachel. "Will you be my partner in crime? Will you walk beside me through every day? Will you give me your smile every day for the rest of our lives by becoming my wife?"

Rachel's heart was beating beyond her control, her stomach had churned at each and every single word he had said, why? Rachel had sworn love off, ever since what had happened when she was younger she had refused to feel anything for a man. What was this? Why was she feeling this way? It was refreshing in a sense to hear a man say those things, of course, none of it could be true as Luke had never seen her first thing in the morning. But some part of her, deep down inside, longed to hear a man say those things to her. Every time a man had gotten too close to her, every time a man had tried to break down those almost impenetrable walls she had created, she had simply ended things with them and moved on. Everybody has a fantasy, everybody wants a perfect life. Some people want a family life, some people want a career and some people want it all. They want love, children, success. Rachel didn't want the kids, the perfect family home or the love - or so she thought. But at that moment, for just a millisecond, she did.

Her heart ached, longing for a man who would actually love her for who she is, not for his silly dream of the ultimate perfect life, but somebody who loved her for her. Somebody who wouldn't care if they didn't end up having children. Somebody who wouldn't care if they didn't live in a four bedroomed house with three bathrooms and a newly fitted kitchen which was all tucked away in a new three-story house. Somebody who wouldn't care about anything other than just being in love with her. But that wasn't reality, everybody in the world want something alongside their love. Be it something minuscule such as a promotion to something greater such as a whole package. Everybody had an ulterior motive.

"That's how it's done, Brian." Rachel forced herself to swallow those feelings, those thoughts, she forced herself to remain professional. "Although it was a little - well it was a bit much." Rachel rolled her eyes, "Sometimes there can be a thing as too much romance. It needs to be similar but not as full on." Rachel wrote down the notes in her book and ripped out a page and handed it to Brian. "Study these notes and bring me the first draft tomorrow, then I'll help plan your first date." Rachel smiled.

"My speech was ace, I make women melt with my words." Luke beamed, Rachel laughed.

"Women aren't the wicked witches from the Wizard of Oz. Some women like the over-the-top romance, some women don't. I am one of those women who don't. So I didn't see the appeal. Sorry." Rachel looked at her phone. "I have another appointment in five minutes, but I have a free day tomorrow. So we will have more time to go over all this. Okay?" Brian and Luke grabbed their coats and made their way to the door. "Remember! Practice speech tomorrow!" She waved as they left the office. She closed the door slowly, leaning back against the hard wooden door, she closed her eyes. For the first time in years, Rachel felt tears streaming down her face. Rachel felt things she had never felt. For the first time, ever, Rachel wanted to be loved.