Is this destiny?

In the tent with the guys…

The guys need much less time to get ready compared to the ladies, and most of them are dressed up and chatting in a great atmosphere while waiting for their turn in front of the mirrors.

There are three large mirrors and the guys are stopping by to check their appearance from different angles before heading out to join the party outside.

Aiden is almost ready. Out of his completely white outfit (just how Sarah saw him in her dream), Aiden is wearing white pants and a shirt which has top two buttons undone. His necktie is loosely draped around his neck. He will tighten up the necktie and put the suit jacket on at the last minute to avoid wrinkling it or sweating, because it is a warm, summer day.

Aiden is sitting on the chair and looking at the two wedding bands in his hand. Both bands look like they are made out of white gold, one with the black diamonds in it, the other one with the green ones. Every few seconds, Aiden combines them into one ring and then separates them again. When he places them on the table in front of him, the color of the bands fades into black, and when they are in his hand or touching each other, they turn white.

Aiden asked Felix to make them like this: two bands with grooves which can be locked into one, just how Sarah and he are missing pieces of each other, perfect when together, making a whole. When apart, the black gold shows itself as the base material and when together, the two rings turn white. It is a perfect symbolism for Sarah and Aiden who are each other\'s light and bring out the best in one another.

He is not paying attention to the noise around him because his mind is drifting into the past and diving into memories which are marked with Sarah.

Aiden remembered their time at the University: her blush when he called her his girl for the first time in the cafeteria, her neat notes and symmetrical doodles, him waiting for Sarah after class and her bright smile directed at him as soon as their eyes met in the hallway.

He cherishes the time they spent in his apartment: the aromatic lavender tea, working on projects, Sarah sleeping off during a movie and waking up in his bed.

Her apartment where Hugo was disturbing them. Aiden wondered, what is Hugo doing now? Is he still living there with his father and working as a doorman? At that time, they didn\'t know that their neighbor across the hall is King. Vivian used to visit there as well. That apartment is full of amazing memories, even though they were surrounded with unpleasant people.

Aiden smiled when his thoughts drifted into the period when he and Sarah lived in Los Angeles, in the penthouse with a swimming pool. In his mind, he can still clearly see her bikini top floating next to them. Ha! He told her that swimsuits will not be necessary, but she still insisted on wearing one. Oh, yeah… and he remembers when she made pancakes for him and bent to get the plates, revealing that other than the apron she is not wearing anything else… and the pancakes got cold.

He frowned slightly when he remembered Sarah in the hospital, non-responsive. He was desperately talking to her with hope that she can hear him. And she did. Later Sarah told him that she was trapped in the darkness and that he was her light, showing her the way out. At that time, he ended up blurting out his plans for their first Valentine\'s and spoiled the surprise. But they still had a good time.

Aiden is amazed how many good memories they have. He could sit the whole day and smile like a fool while remembering the scenes: the two of them on the white sand in front of the Beach house, training at the Cabin, beating up troublemakers during their Valentine\'s in Greece, treasure hunting for her birthday at the Adriatic Sea, everything related to the Cliffside Villa, ziplining through the jungle on a private island in the Pacific Ocean, holding hands in a small coffee shop in Paris, enjoying Aurora Borealis through a large window in the cabin in Canada, setting up new fighting records in the Black & White club in Austin… numerous amazing memories in a year and a half. Everything related to Sarah is good. Even the hellish training with Master Hollow puts a smile on his face. That is Sarah\'s power over his life, she makes everything enjoyable.

Aiden\'s eyes turned gentle while thinking that soon, the rings he is holding onto will symbolize Sarah and him becoming one in the eyes of the law, in front of their friends and family. He looks forward to it. She will officially be his, and he will be hers.

Steve sat next to Aiden and observed how the bands change color. "That is cool."

Aiden hummed in agreement with Steve\'s statement. "I hope that Sarah will like it."

"She will.", Felix said confidently from the side. He saw that Aiden is looking at him questionably, and he admitted: "While you were in a coma, I showed them to her."

Aiden frowned. "Why?"

"Uhm…" Felix paused while remembering what happened half a year ago. "She came to the workshop and said that she knows I made wedding bands for you and demanded to see them."

"Did she say anything?", Aiden asked Felix.

Aiden is sorry that he missed Sarah\'s expression of that first time when she saw the bands and how they are changing color.

"No. That was shortly before you woke up. It was tough on all of us, and especially on Sarah. Just how these two turn black when separated, she was in a dark place without you around.", Felix responded solemnly. "While she was holding onto it, I noticed a small change in her expression. She believed that you will wake up."

Aiden remembered when Eve told him that while he was in a coma, Sarah didn\'t cry, and she didn\'t laugh either. She held it all inside, not allowing anyone to see how much she is hurting. He can only imagine whirlwind of emotions she experienced while looking at the wedding bands and not knowing if they will ever put them on.

Aiden combined two rings into one and closed his fist around it firmly. He promised silently that they will never be apart going forward, and he will not allow darkness to surround Sarah again. Just how she is his light, he will be hers. Forever.

Aiden saw that Jesse was about to exit the tent and called. "How are things, Jesse? Or should I call you Michael?"

"Michael is fine."

"Did you sort out things with Oni?", Aiden asked.

Aiden knows that Oni called Sarah for an advice what to do (he listened in for a part of that call), but he does not know what happened after that. Also, he wants to hear Michael\'s side of the story.

Michael paused while thinking how to answer this question. Did they sort out things? No. Nothing is sorted out. He told her what he feels and thinks, but she is not accepting him. Michael is aware that he messed up too much for Oni to forgive him easily. The ironic thing is that Oni probably wants to forgive him, but she is unable to do so. He can see that her smile is forced, and the light in her eyes is not back. However, he has no intention of giving up. He will keep on proving himself to her until she realizes that he will stay by her side and not stray off his path, and until he finds a way to erase all the ugly memories from her past, including the ones he created and she directs her dazzling smile his way again.

"We talked and she is aware of my intentions.", Michael responded.

Aiden nodded in understanding. He knows how much Sarah struggled with the ghosts from Aiden\'s past, and they were in the past and she never saw him fooling around. If Sarah saw Aiden how Oni saw Jesse, Aiden is confident that Sarah would fall apart completely and probably self-destruct. In this regard, Aiden admires Oni, and he knows that Michael is not in the clear. "Now comes the hard part: don\'t mess it up."

"I will do my best.", Michael confirmed before stepping out of the tent.

"Nervous?", Jeff asked when he took a seat next to Aiden.

Aiden smiled. "No."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

Jeff spread his hands helplessly. "What kind of answers are that? How can I give you big brother advices if you have things under control?"

Aiden laughed. "I am waiting for this for a long time. I thought about everything more than a hundred times already. Thank you for your concern, but I got it covered. I know what I am doing, and I will not mess it up."

"Listen to the cocky one.", Jasper snorted.

Aiden lifted his eyebrows, ready to tease: "Not everyone is like you, busting the television and rushing to see the bride in order to make sure she didn\'t run away."

Jasper frowned, displeased that Aiden brought this up. "How can you be so confident?"

Aiden looked at Jasper smugly and responded: "Sarah and I went through a lot together, and if there is one thing I am confident about, that is: Sarah loves me, and she looks forward to this just as much as I do. The two of us are meant to be together."

Vincent and Russel exchanged knowing glances.

"Let\'s go and kidnap the bride.", Russel said playfully.

Aiden burst into laugh. "Good luck with that."

Russel was outraged. "You think I can\'t?" 

Jeff patted Russel\'s shoulder and warned him: "Don\'t go there."

Russel frowned. Even Felix and Steve nodded in agreement with Jeff and Aiden. What is this? How can they claim that he can\'t take care of one skinny girl? Russel was joking, but now he feels that his manliness took a big hit. The only comfort is that Anita is not here to witness this scene. He looked at Vincent for help, but Vincent only shrugged indicating that he will stay out of it.

Oscar entered the tent and looked around. "What is the status?"

"Status?", Jeff asked back.

Oscar snorted and explained that he is forced to be here. "Your mother in law sent me to check what is the status."

Aiden bolted to his feet and started buttoning up his top button with haste. "Is Sarah ready?"

Oscar shrugged. "How would I know?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "We can be ready in one minute. When girls are almost ready, let us know."

Oscar sighed and walked out. Why are they making him do this messenger work? He went to Stella to repeat what Jeff told him: something about needing a minute and girls being almost ready…

Aiden looked at the door of the tent and then at Jeff. "So, are they ready or not?"

Jeff pulled his phone and texted JoAnna. Ten seconds later he got a reply and told Aiden: "Sarah is putting her dress on."

Aiden plopped back on the chair. This might take a while.

---

If you are not reading this at \'W e b n o v e l .. c o m\', then the content you\'re reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.