Mirage | 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣

Chapter 27

People say you shouldn't be nervous or scared whenever you meet the person that's meant to be with you. 

Michael felt fear in his feet, it was a tingling feeling he couldn't get rid of even though he was tapping his foot as he was anxiously waiting for Louisa to come in.

But for him, it had been different.

From the first time he'd ever seen her, that didn't count — he wasn't seeing her, he hadn't noticed her true self back then. Her ponytails and her little white dress she had worn on his father's birthday, when he was around six and she was four. His father had jokingly introduced her as his future wife.

"Who knows?", Joseph Jackson said, still kneeling beside his son and in front of a four-year-old Louisa that was hiding behind her father's legs, eyeing Mr. Jackson and his son closely. "Future is something we might never know or fully understand, am I right, Michael?"

Six-year-old Michael had nodded shyly, looking down at his shoes, the same way adult Michael was doing now.

He didn't fear spending the rest of his life with someone else, but he feared everything else. He feared death, sickness and bad luck. Those were the things that had marked their lives as individuals and all that he wanted now, was better things — good things.

And when the music started playing, letting everybody know that the bride was making her entrance, Michael remembered the day he had seen her in a new light. When they met after so many years in the company that his father had brought to life.

However, his eyes finally came up to find her coming down the aisle, holding Bill's arm as she looked at him and at him only.

Wise man say, only fools rush in

Michael didn't know Janet could sing. Hell, there was a lot of things he didn't know about Janet. But his eyes didn't even went her way as he kept looking at his future wife coming to him with a big smile on her face.

But I can't help falling in love with you

Neither of them knew that Janet had hired a pianist and a few violinists to accompany her through the opening song. The whole room was carefully decorated and even though neither the groom nor the bride were looking at the decorations, everybody was feeling emotional at the sight of Michael's softened expression.

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea

"Mr. Jackson, this is so emotional", Michael heard Daniel Jameson say at his left, he was slightly regretting making him his best man. And even though Jameson would sometimes irritate him, Michael knew damn well that he was a friend to him.

Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

"This is taking too long", Michael thought, but he hadn't realized how impatient he was. It wasn't taking a long time for her to finally reach him. But he was just stuck in the moment, slowly realizing that maybe there wasn't any other event in life that could ever top this very moment.

And when Louisa finally reached him, Bill hugged her and whispered words she'd never forget: "Thank you", he said and she knew what he meant. Turning slightly around to Michael, she held her breath, watching him as handsome as ever, offering her a hand to walk the stairs up to him.

Take my hand

Janet's voice was the only thing to be heard now, as the musicians stopped. Louisa's eyes glistened in emotional tears at the sight of an smiling Michael. Taking his hand softly, she finally stood pair with him.

Take my whole life too

Mrs. King, or should we say Mrs. Jackson now? Was weeping quietly as Mrs. Oaks was holding her hand tightly. The happiness couldn't even compare to anything in this world. This was one of the few times they had ever seen him this happy.