A few months into the future
...
There happened to be a knock on the door the very moment Raye had pushed through the last button on her white shirt. Her gaze had pinned itself to the source and she issued a firm "come in", putting her attention back to fixing her button-down.
When the door quietly creaks open, she lifted her head in time to see Luca entering the room. The older man was casually dressed, a cigar in between his lips, he seemed quite jovial.
"Ahah," He chuckles, shutting the door and making his way up to his niece.
"Don't chuckle at me, you aren't even dressed yet Luca, you're supposed to be my best man," Raye fusses when she truly realized the man's apparels.
"Why worry, I'll get dressed faster than you ever could," Luca replies, smoking his cigar and slipping a hand into the pocket of his dark jeans. Raye knew the man had previously showered because traces of dampness still clung to his dark brown hair, making her believe his statement.
"That's true, but still, being on time today would be nice."
Luca grins at her through the curl of smoke and she rolled her eyes, pinning her gaze elsewhere. She was still fidgeting with the buttons despite them all being laid.
"You're nervous, aren't you?"
"No shit Sherlock," She whispers and the man laughs, walking further into the room. He stood really close to the girl that basically towers over him. He puts a hand on her shoulder, gripping her firmly and giving her a little shake.
"It's okay to feel nervous, it's your big day."
"It's why you're here?"
"To give you a pep talk, yes. I knew you'd be a little jumpy."
Raye stays quiet, but her uncle saw past her feigned toughness. At that moment she reminded him so much of her father. In fact, the entire day reminded Luca of Martin's wedding. He remembered the pep talk Paul had given to the man.
"So any words of wisdom from the wise?" Raye questions.
"Just relax and enjoy the day. Enjoy the honeymoon at the resort, protect Brienna. Remember, a happy wife, happy life or so the fellas say." He winks.
The girl laughs, shaking her head at the man's words of wisdom. He was right nonetheless. She needed to relax. She'd spent the entire morning overthinking about the wedding, people's safety, the honeymoon, several years from this point, kids, a home. Raye needed to focus on the good things she thought, like Brienna.
"I really can't wait to see her," she confides and Luca could see the love in her eyes, he could hear it in her tone too.
"You will," he pats her shoulder, stepping away.
"I merely dropped by to see if you were making out okay, give you whatever support you needed for the big day. You seem, fine."
"I am," she lied. She was still so nervous and for no reason if one truly thought about it. She was going to marry the love of her life around their loved ones. That level of nervousness she felt was uncalled for but Raye guessed it was like that sometimes. Marriage was a serious thing and she could only hope to herself that she was doing the right thing.
The two individuals continued to speak amongst themselves while Raye calmly slips into the rest of her clothing. Luca told her about her parent's wedding and she stayed silent throughout his words, listening to the memories of that portion of his life she'd been told before. She felt a pang of sadness that she often ignored.
