Memories of a Bride
Saturday morning at a church in California, a bride waited restlessly at the entrance to the ceremony hall. Her presentation could only be described as perfect. There were no flaws with her hair, the dress, the veil, everything had been chosen with confidence from the bride.
Cordelia was her name. A professional trainer and a fan of romance novels. This perfect maiden had everything going her way from the start, from good looks, intellect, and charisma that made her popular. She had everything going her way, with the exception of her love life.
She took another look at her reflection. Her red hair had been let down, styled and brushed to avoid any stray hairs or split ends on her wedding day. Her attire consisted of an extravagant white dress, with a silk light blue ribbon to wrap the dress around her waist. She felt the envious gazes of the female guests, jealous over how easily she made their husbands gawk at her appearance. She turned back to look at the hall to make sure the groom was still present.
The groom was still there, and she gave a sigh of relief. His presence could only do so much to help with her anxiety. She felt more warm while wearing the dress and it seemed as though the walls of the church were spinning. Memories of her past filled her mind with intense speed as her breathing began to pick up an alarming pace, only for a grip on her shoulders to bring her back to her senses.
"Cordelia!" Her best friend Sumia had grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly, stopping when she received the attention of Cordelia. "Get a grip! I thought you would be the most composed one today, but you're sweating more bullets than me when I got proposed to!"
Cordelia sighed before wiping her forehead. "Sorry Sumia. I suppose this must be the last hurdle a bride faces before she walks down the aisle." Her friend smiled in relief before fixing her own bangs.
While everyone admired Cordelia, she too had her envies. Sumia was one of them, being so carefree and happy living a life with her love. During her years as a bachelorette, she yearned for an experience similar to hers. Worst of all, her heart yearned for Sumia's husband Chrom. The man had her infatuation since highschool, and she had remained a heartbroken romantic cursed with the aching pain of unrequited love.
It was Cordelia's first day off in a month. She had spent many hours of days of months working with many clients as a personal trainer and the fatigue had finally caught up with her concerns of finance. She decided to treat herself to a special date with herself in the comfort of her shared apartment, paid for by both her and Sumia. Her roommate was going out on another date with Chrom and she could not help but feel bittersweet about the matter. Although she was happy for her best friend finding happiness, she also held feelings of sadness over the relationship.
She gave out a long sigh as she finished another chapter of the romance novel she was reading. It seemed as though sighing had become a part of her lifestyle now, and she often blamed it on her tiring job and unrequited love. Her eyes were directed to the window as she admired the serene atmosphere a city could rarely offer, with a perfect balance of sunlight and clouds, sparse civilians and vehicles, and birds that reigned the skies instead of planes with loud turbulence.
Contrasting the serene setting, a loud banging erupted from behind entrance of the apartment. Cordelia stood up in alarm, holding her book as a makeshift weapon as she made her way to the door with utmost caution. Upon reaching the door, she took a look through the peephole to see her best friend and roommate Sumia bouncing up and down with sweat, a scarlet blush on her cheeks as she continously banged on the door.
Cordelia maintained a docile expression as she opened the door in a swift fashion that resulted in Sumia running up to her and speaking in an undiscovered language that put her off for the entire exchange.
"Sumia, what are you saying?!" She demanded, gripping Sumia's shoulders with a firm group to keep her still. Sumia blanked out before gaining the ability to speak with proper english.
"Date...Chrom...one knee...ring...proposed...so happy!" She muttered in a multitude of gasps.
Cordelia could almost feel her heart shatter at the news. Her best friend had won the heart of her love interest and she never even got the chance to say anything to him. She wanted to cry, she wanted to throw a fit, she wanted to crawl up in a corner, but all she did was congratulate the lucky girl and scolded her a bit.
"That's...great, Sumia." She said with attempted confidence. "But where's the ring?" She also pointed out, gesturing to Sumia's empty ring finger expecting an answer.
Sumia's face flashed with horror as she resumed her earlier fit. "Oh dear, I was so happy I just left him without an answer!" Sumia screamed as she realized her mistake, running out the door and slamming it shut. "I have to go back and tell Chrom yes!"
Cordelia's smile soon turned to a sigh as she opened the page she left off in her novel and went to lie in bed.
"If anyone deserved happiness, I'm sure it would be Sumia." She whispered to an empty room.
She first met Robin at Sumia and Chrom's wedding. As the maid of honour and the best man, both were required to stand next to the bride and groom. During rehearsals she and Robin made few exchanges of small talk about their mutual friends, discussing about the latest antics of said friends or any good books they read.
He was...good company, or that is what Cordelia would think. While the many guests went to praise the couple, she and Robin enjoyed the reception food and drank spirits throughout the celebration. She was taller than him and arguably more muscular, the white haired best man being fairly slim for someone in their twenties.
As the two continued talking, the live band took a twist and went with a slow song. Couples sn flooded the ballroom with Chrom and Sumia in the center of it all. Cordelia watched the scene take place and was taken aback when Robin held out his hand to her.
"May I have this dance?" He asked with a polite tone laced with sarcasm, earning a giggle from the maid of honour. In the heat of the moment, she took his hand and joined him in a slow dance, her eyes closed as the music flooded her head with tranquility. She was in a sanctuary with a man she already trusted. The two danced at the edge of the crowd, enjoying the space offered for not being in the mess.
She made the mistake of opening her eyes, seeing Chrom and Sumia dance with not a care in the world. She let out a sob that Robin was able to catch.
"Is something wrong Cordelia?" He asked, his gentle eyes both calming and filling her with guilt for indulging in his kindness. She could feel the contact with his hands break as she slowly pulled away.
"I'm sorry…" She cried as she fled the ceremony building.
"I'm sorry I love Chrom…"
A year had passed since her small incident with Robin, and she had managed to compose herself overtime. Sumia had moved in with Chrom to a fairly big house, Sumia also hoping to raise a child.
Yet here she was, still in the little apartment paying the rent by herself. She was standing in the kitchen, preparing herself a bowl of vanilla ice cream that she bought on sale at the supermarket. She treated herself to two scoops for her bowl and sat on the sofa playing a drama adaptation of her favourite romance novel. As she took a spoonful of the frozen treat her phone buzzed, signalling a message.
She glanced at her phone to see a message from Sumia. She sighed and unlocked her phone to read it.
"Me and Chrom are at Feroxi. Wanna join us?" She read aloud to herself, falling into a state of thought. Was it really worth drinking now that she had to cover expenses on her own? She took a look at the clock above her television and saw that it was only 9'o clock. She grabbed her handbag and put on a nice pair of slippers.
A drink or two wouldn't hurt.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw herself back in the church still holding the bouquet and seeing Sumia frantically tapping on her shoulder.
"I zoned out, didn't I." She said in a plain tone.
"Mhm." Sumia agreed with a nod.
Cordelia gave another sigh as the music of the organ was blaring through the walls, not helping with her anxiety. She took a sniff of the bouquet in her hands and remembered that the roses were devoid of their scent. As a solution, Sumia sprayed her wrist with a perfume from her handbag she left at the side and brought it to Cordelia's nose.
The actions of her friend were undeniably ludicrous and comedic, Cordelia found herself laughing and relaxed at the scent of vanilla perfume. She smiled in relief and hugged Sumia.
"Thank you so much for being there for me." She whispered, breaking the hug to let a Sumia walk down the aisle with Chrom as the best man and maid of honour. As she watched them leave, she felt...happiness for them.
Chrom and Sumia never mentioned they invited a friend. Normally she wouldn't mind, but if she knew it was going to be Robin she never would have gone. The four of them sat in a booth, the wed couple on one row and the mutual friends on the other. All four remained silent in the awkward tension until Sumia broke the silence with a cough.
"I-I think I'll go powder my nose-" She announced with hesitation.
"I'll go with you then." Cordelia stood up only for Sumia to grab her by the shoulders and place her back down on her seat.
"No no no no." She rambled. "I mean, uh...cocaine! Yeah powder my nose with cocaine!" She retreated to the toilet in a hurry, oblivious of the strange looks she received from the other customers. Chrom stood up with a grunt and exited the booth.
"I'll...buy us drinks." He said and attempted to laugh, but gave a poor chuckle and earned a look from Robin. As soon as he was out of the booth he ran for the toilet of his respective gender. Cordelia dared to not move and took a sip from the complimentary water they got from the waitress. Robin turned to face her and she could feel herself dying from shame.
"Look, Cordelia, I-" He began.
"I'm sorry." She groaned and rested her face in her hands. "I shouldn't have left you there, and I…" She couldn't continue and could hear Robin sigh.
"I want to ask for a chance." He said, which made Cordelia shoot up in confusion and almost choke on the water she just drank.
"What?" She asked in disbelief. Robin only smiled as he gave her a slip of paper with a phone number. "This is-"
"My number. Cordelia, I want to ask for a chance to take you on a date. Maybe grab a coffee, get to know you. I don't want to rush you so just call me whenever you want. I understand if you can't get yourself too."
"..." Cordelia remained silent as she tried to find the words needed. "Robin, this really...nice of you. But I don't want to waste your time. I…" She could feel herself about to break down from the guilt she was feeling until Robin helped her with only three words.
"You love Chrom?" He suggested.
She brought a hand to her mouth in shock. "...If you know, then why?"
"Is there really a true reason to love someone?" He asked. "Love takes place in many ways, and I found myself thinking about you ever since the reception."
"But I can't promise anything. I-I won't be able to give you all of my heart. I-"
"Then I'll just have to work for it the, don't I?" He laughed, stood up, and paused before speaking. "I think I'll go now. It was nice to see you again."
Cordelia watched Robin leave the bar with a heavy heart and looked at the paper in her hands.
"No true reason…" She whispered and looked back up to see the door still swinging.
Almost out of instinct, she found herself running out of the bar and screaming his name.
She failed to see Chrom and Sumia smiling from the booth.
"And I know you may not be able to give me all of your love, and that I may not even be able to give that love you want, but I want to ask…"
Cordelia stood at the top of a grassy hill. The wind blew and her hair moved with the breeze. Tears formed in her eyes as Robin stood on his knee, a small case with a ring and tears of his own.
"Will you marry me?"
She ran up to him and embraced him a hug full of love. She finally knew what true love was. She knew who she loved. She knew who loved her. She knew who was perfect for her. She knew the man that embraced her imperfections.
She knew what to do.
"Cordelia." Her father's voice snapped back to reality, her eyes meeting his as they held eye contact for a brief moment. "It's your turn." He said, and she knew what it meant.
She took his arm and the two waited at the entrance to the ceremony hall in silence.
"You do want this, right?" He asked, turning to her with an all-knowing smile.
"..." She gave an earnest smile. One she almost forgot how to bear had it not been for Robin.
"I do."
She walked down the aisle.
(A/N) I hope that you guys enjoyed the one-shot. As my first one-shot, I am open to reviews on how I can improve/what I did well. Was I able to capture the concept of unrequited love well? I hope you guys enjoyed reading!