An Imprinted Heart – Chapter One
Today's guests will be gathered for a wedding between Cole Farrell and Phoebe Daly. The festivities bring together family and friends who share in this joyous occasion. Such friends include the Best Man and the Maid of Honor, Danny Desai and Lacey Porter respectively. This wedding brings Danny and Lacey together for the first time in years.
Lacey and Danny had been high school sweethearts off and on again for years. Their relationship had continued through college until the couple had broken up due to Danny not being fully honest with his feelings. His emotional exclusion reminded Lacey of their high school days when he would dwell in those dark periods and not allow others to help him find levity again.
They had broken up during their senior year and had deliberately chosen grad schools out of state. They both lived in New York but had not visited Green Grove at the same time. Lacey would visit her family in Green Grove some holidays but would purposely visit several days before the holiday and then leave the next morning after.
Conversely, Danny wouldn't arrive in Green Grove to visit his mother until the very day of the holiday and then stay several days afterward. This would be the first time in which Danny and Lacey were in Green Grove the exact amount of time and attending the same event.
Danny had remained Cole's friend while Lacey had still been Phoebe's friend. Phoebe and Cole strategized that the two would be the most honored of the wedding party. When they chose Danny and Lacey as Best Man and Maid of Honor respectively, then they hoped the forced closeness of the festivities would rekindle the flame between the two. They knew the two former lovebirds still carried feelings for each other – even if Danny and Lacey chose to deliberately avoid each other.
At the wedding rehearsal, Danny and Lacey had given each other a hug as they greeted one another. The smiles had been genuine even though each felt a little sadness within their heart at the state by which their interactions had stopped years ago. However, several times during the wedding rehearsal, their gazes collided and they each realized that their connection was still very tangible even if neither acknowledged it verbally.
The rehearsal dinner had gone well. Danny and Lacey were even able to talk about their lives during and after grad school. Each had done well. They had timidly inquired about each other's relationship status. Each had dated casually but neither had experienced a significant relationship after their own romance had broken apart. Each was presently single.
Wedding Day….
Lacey arrives early to the Evanston Mansion at 4PM where the wedding will take place. She walks toward the East Wing where Phoebe and her bridal party will be getting ready. The wedding will occur outside at the back of the estate and the reception will be held several yards away in the event hall built upon the estate.
As Lacey enters the massive suite, she encounters a flustered mother-of-the-bride, hairstylist, and makeup artist. They point towards the door at the side of the room. This door leads to a bedroom and adjoining bath where Phoebe is in preparations for her wedding….or at least, Phoebe is supposed to be preparing for her wedding.
"Good afternoon, Pheebs! Happy Wedding Day! Why is everyone out there…" Lacey stops short as she sees that Phoebe is a weepy mess and pacing back and forth. She shuts the door and rushes to see what is bothering Phoebe. "What happened, Phoebe?"
Phoebe abruptly stops to look incredulously at Lacey. "Oh, my brother is what happened! All he had to do was order the alcohol that I wanted and arrange for the dj who would play songs from the playlist I had created. That's all he had to do. My mother and father made me include him in some capacity in my wedding. Hell, he didn't even want to do anything at all – which would have been just fine with me! I already had added him – reluctantly added him – as part of the groomsmen. He was already 'included'. But noooo, I had to be a good daughter and do as my parents wanted. Tyler even agreed to do a 'good job' at the two tasks he now had." Phoebe begins to blubber. "Two freaking little tasks…I should have never trusted him. I should have known he would take this opportunity to sabotage everything…."
"Phoebe, calm down, okay? This is your happiest day, remember? You are marrying the man of your dreams. You will be a beautiful bride. Having a breakdown on your special day just will not do. Remember all the meditative exercises you have learned over the past three months?" Lacey gently reminds the fretful bride. Lacey tries to coax the bride into a better mood. Phoebe is being stubborn as she lets out a low groan and tries to speak.
Lacey pursues on before Phoebe can start to complain. "Good. Then, this is the time to use those techniques. Let's practice your breathing to connect to your senses. Visualize in order to be 'in the now' and to re-stabilize your center. We need to imagine the negativity floating out of our body. We need to close our eyes and picture a blank canvas. Clear all thoughts from the brain. Remember the different mantras you have been informing me about?"
Lacey tries to calm her hysterical friend by reciting several methods Phoebe has been practicing the last three months. Lacey hopes that one of the routines will appeal to Phoebe to utilize it – or else this was going to be a very, very long day. Damn, Tyler Daly. Too bad his mother didn't also pay for those classes for him.
Stephanie Daly, Phoebe's mother, had paid for a 'From Zero to Zen' class for Phoebe since her family couldn't cope with the Bridezilla-in-the-making. With a penchant already for drama (since she was an actress in off-Broadway productions), Phoebe's personality had gone from quirky amusing to commanding, slightly tyrannical bride within 6 months of planning this wedding. Luckily, Stephanie had intervened and provided a more pleasant environment once again for everyone - through her gift of the meditation classes to Phoebe.
Now, whenever Phoebe had any impending hysterics, then her loved ones could remind her of the methods she had learned in the class. Thus, sanity and calm could prevail again. Normally a reminder of the meditation was all Phoebe needed; however, today, 'Tyler the Menace' (as Lacey mentally called him) was the source of today's affliction.
"But, Tyler…" Phoebe starts to complain about her brother.
"Let me handle Tyler, okay? I am your Maid of Honor…aka 'Crisis Control Manager'. Besides, when have I not been able to handle your brother?" Lacey wants to quickly squash any tensions for today. Over the last few years, Lacey has learned a few methods of her own – namely how to stop or avoid Tyler's pranks, flirtations, and troublesome situations. While she could enjoy some of his antics, Tyler didn't know when to stop or when to be a serious adult.
"Meanwhile, this is the perfect time for me to spring my wedding day surprise on you. Just look!" Lacey reveals a pink hoodie with words embroidered on the back that read 'Soon-to-be Mrs. Cole Farrell'.
The hoodie gets the reaction that Lacey was seeking. Phoebe coos in delight over the garment and rushes to put it on over her robe. "Thank you, Lacey! This is perfect. It is very thoughtful."
Lacey reminds Phoebe "Now, focus on what that hoodie implies. In a few hours, you will be Mrs. Cole Farrell. That is the only important thing for today – not any brother, not any caterer, not any dj…just focus on marrying Cole today. Okay?"
"Okay…I will entrust this over to you. You are right. I am marrying Cole. I love him. Today is my day. I will not allow outside interferences to decide how I will react. Instead, I will choose my own reactions. Everything does not have to be perfect. Everything can be guided towards a better outcome. I can influence the positive results that I seek…" Phoebe closes her eyes and begins reciting quotes learned in her classes. Lacey softly walks out of the bedroom to open its door to the rest of the bridal suite and signals to the makeup artist, the hair stylist, and Stephanie Daly that they can attend to Phoebe since the hysterics have disappeared. Lacey whispers to Phoebe's mother that she will be back shortly.
Lacey herself needs to practice some of Phoebe's zen recitations as she walks determinedly to find one meddlesome Daly brother. She finds him smoking a cigar outside.
Tyler grins as he sees Lacey approaching him. "Hey, Lacey! Wow, you look stunning! Hey, you should be getting married today yourself. Why don't the two of us make this a double wedding? I am sure Pheebs won't mind since it will be you as the other bride. She would share the stage with you."
Lacey takes a deep breath of which she transitions into a pleasant smile as she exhales. "Good afternoon, Tyler. Do you like living?"
Tyler looks a little taken aback as he let out a laugh. "What – are you going to do something to me?"
Lacey gives a closed mouth smile as she lifts her eyebrows at his comment. "Hmmm…not me, but a very emotional bride. You know her…your theatrical sister…who is itching to destroy anything that harms her wedding. And you know what? I am just tempted to let her to that very thing…destroy her only sibling. I am sure you won't be missed."
"Aw, come on, Lacey. I don't even know what I am in trouble regarding but surely, it is not worth the banishment of my whole existence." Tyler tries to charm his way into Lacey's good graces.
"Tyler, what assignment did you have for this wedding?" Lacey inquires.
"Booze and music. Check and check…I have done both." Tyler takes another drag from his cigar and blows out the smoke upward into little circles one after the other.
Lacey tucks in her lips into a flattened line of displeasure as she nods at Tyler. She releases her lips to ask "Did you confirm with them this week?"
Tyler shrugs one shoulder as he takes another puff of his cigar. Turning his head away, he exhales and blows the smoke away from Lacey. He glances back at her as he gives a small smile and shakes his head. He replies "Geez, you're turning into a micro-manager like my sister, Lacey. Look, I confirmed two weeks ago. My credit card has even received the charges so everything should be a 'go'. Why?" He looks puzzled by her questions.
Lacey smirks as she responds to him. "Well, this is your sister's cell that I am holding and there is an irate message from the female bartender you hired to attend to the bar. She is very angry that you have been sleeping with her and some other girl, who was the dj for our event today. So, the bartender destroyed several bottles of the expensive champagne that was ordered and she quit…oh, but not before confronting the female dj. Phoebe also received a call from that dj, who left an equally angry message that she was quitting due to your two-timing. Thus, no server, no dj, and some alcohol will need to be replaced."
"What? Shit! I knew Kathleen was wild but I didn't know she was that crazy. I noticed my phone had some calls from her but I avoided answering them. Why did she have to ruin everything! Man, I liked Jennifer though. She was cool and we bonded over music…I enjoyed hearing her dj parties. Damn, I guess I should have been a little more careful." Tyler laments as he stubs his cigar out on the decorative dark granite and jet agate rocks on top of the short pillars nearby.
"Well, now you will call that warehouse from which you had ordered the alcohol and purchase more champagne. You will find another server or you yourself will be the server for the reception. You will also find another dj – pronto!" Lacey commands.
"Warehouse, I can do. I can also line up another server…some buddies owe me a favor. However, a good dj at the last minute is going to be hard to do." Tyler frowns as he goes through the list of things he needs to do in order to fix what has gone wrong.
"Maybe I can help." A voice intrudes into their conversation.
"Danny…" Lacey is surprised to see him…well, she shouldn't be since he is the Best Man and undoubtedly arrived early to attend to Cole – as she had for Phoebe.
"Hey, Lacey. Hey, Tyler. I heard part of your conversation as I was walking up towards you two. My grad school buddy was a dj all throughout his years at college. He gave up the paying part-time gig once he received his MBA. He lives about a half hour away from here. I can call him to see if he – or someone he can recommend – can come play the reception. It won't hurt to try." Danny offers.
"Wow, man, cool! If it works out, you saved my ass literally." Tyler is thankful for any assistance Danny can provide.
Danny smirks. "Saving the day for Cole and Phoebe was my main priority but sure, I can save your ass at the same time."
Lacey ends the banter by reminding Tyler that he has a mission. "Okay, Tyler, go…go…go…you have alcohol to round up and a bartender to find. I will check in with you in 1 hour to see how you have accomplished both of those. Meanwhile, I will keep your sister calm and keep her far away from you. Don't make me wish I had not saved you from her wrath." Lacey threatens.
"Will do. Thanks, you guys." Tyler gives Lacey a one-armed hug and a peck on her forehead, much to her surprise, and heartily claps a hand on Danny's shoulder before he rushes off to complete his tasks.
"Well, he seems grateful." Danny smirks and looks at Lacey. "Wow, you look absolutely breathtaking."
"Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself." Lacey's eyes take in the very appealing picture that Danny makes dressed in a black tuxedo, white shirt, black vest, and single rose in his lapel. His hair is down and flowing in waves. With Lacey's back to the sun and with Danny basking in the direct rays of the sun, Danny's eyes reflect various shades of molten brown that make his eyes even more mesmerizing.
There is a charged moment where Danny and Lacey just look into each other's eyes…until Danny clears his throat and speaks. "I should probably call my friend, Matt, to see about the music for tonight's reception."
Lacey offers a brief smile. "Yes, you're right. I should also check on Phoebe again. See you soon." Lacey gives a greeting goodbye. As she walks away, she suddenly turns back "Hey, I forgot to say 'thank you'. You are saving the day for Phoebe and Cole."
"Anything for those whom I care about…" Danny's response is accompanied by a long look at Lacey.
Lacey is nervous and a little shy by the remark and by the attention. She nods and turns away again to walk back inside the house and towards the East Wing. As she walks, she feels butterflies in the pit of her stomach and some giddiness that she doesn't want to analyze. She knows that Danny is the cause but today, her thoughts need to be on Phoebe and Cole.
Therefore, Lacey starts reciting some of the Phoebe zen quotes that she has learned by osmosis. Lacey has found herself flustered from a different kind of source altogether. Danny Desai was an affliction of which no particular cure had been found. Believe it, Lacey had indeed tried to no avail.
Here comes the Bridal Party…
Although Danny had seen Lacey earlier in her Maid of Honor gown, he experiences an overload to his senses as he views her coming down the aisle. Danny glances first at Lacey's hair, which is partially upswept into a Hollywood glamorous style with some of her hair remaining tousled around her face and gently falling over one eye. It reminded him of a Bridget Bardot style from some of the old movies. The style fit Lacey and definitely fitted Phoebe's vision of old Hollywood style, which was the inspiration behind the hairstyles and dresses the women wore today.
Danny's gaze travels next to Lacey's face. Her makeup is sexy but not overdone. She has the smokey-eyed look, dewy skin, and a light color to her plump lips which are parted in a smile as she walks down the aisle.
Next, his gaze travels down her body which is encased in a body hugging sequined gown with a low bodice. Now, normal weddings may have deemed this too risqué or too revealing for a wedding, but Phoebe is known for over-the-top moments (given her acting profession). Thus, her choice of wedding attire would be no different; it would be dramatic as well. Looking at Lacey right now, Danny highly approved of the dramatic effect.
As Lacey walks down the aisle, her focus is on Danny. He looks amazing in that tuxedo. She had seen him earlier and had admired how he looked. Nonetheless, with the lighting in this room and with Lacey's own emotions running high, her heart skips a beat as she views him. Per Phoebe's dictate, his hair is down and hanging majestically just past his shoulders. His hair is tucked behind each ear which allows his beautiful eyes to look even more intense and his strong jawline to be more pronounced. His goatee makes him look even sexier.
Lacey's gaze continues down the lines of Danny's form in the custom-fitted vest and tuxedo which showcased his tall height, broad shoulders, and fit frame from all those years of playing soccer. As Lacey's perusal rises back again to Danny's face, her gaze connects to his. He smirks at her assessment of him. Lacey blushes as she smiles back as she finally arrives at her designated spot near the flowered alter. She tries to slow down her racing pulse as the guests stand to turn towards the incoming bride while the pianist begins the notes to the 'Wedding March'.
During the service, both Danny and Lacey try to keep their attention off each other as they stand as head witnesses for the elated couple. They are very aware of each other especially when they hear the minister's words. The gentleman speaks of a partnership where the couple learns to face obstacles together…that the marriage eschews the 'solo' to instead function as a 'duo'. The union has to allow sharing of the joys and failures with each person offering to the other whatever is needed at any particular time. It is hard for Danny and Lacey to hear the minister talk without imagining how these words translate to the past experiences they have had together.
The minister announces for the exchange of rings. Lacey gives Phoebe the ring to give Cole; vice versa, Danny passes a ring to Cole to exchange with Phoebe. Cole and Phoebe bumble some of the words of their vows because they are filled with emotion. This makes everyone smile or give a small chuckle for this cute moment.
The minister pronounces them 'man and wife'. There are cheers from the crowd as they kiss. Danny and Lacey are amongst the loudest to celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. Cole Farrell.
The newly wedded couple leads the party's procession down the aisle. Each bridegroom has an extended arm in which the bridesmaid clasps a hand in the crook of his elbow to accompany down the aisle together. Lacey feels nervous as she copies that motion with Danny, who is her escort.
Danny does his own interpretation of escorting. He places his free hand over her hand in the crook of the elbow…making the gesture far more intimate. Perhaps it just feels that way because of the long history they have shared together. For Danny and Lacey, this evening is filled with reminders of that intimacy as they have to cross paths constantly. During the session with the wedding photographer, they are either posing together in pictures with Cole and Phoebe or else having to view the other take a picture within specific picture formations. This act of being an onlooker allows Danny and Lacey respectively to gaze at the beauty of the one being photographed.
During the reception dinner, there is the toast by both Maid of Honor and Best Man. Lacey gives a speech about how the couple met and that she is thrilled to have witnessed every step of the love that brought them to this day. She ends her speech with a poem about love deeply embedding itself to leave an imprint that lovers should always remember when encountering good times and bad. The imprint reminds that love can never truly be lost…it can be rekindled over and over again.
Lacey had helped Danny a couple of nights ago to find his poem. Well, she had suggested a couple of poets. From her list of suggestions, Danny found one to suit the occasion. In his mind, he picked the one that fit for Lacey, too. In his recitation, he imagined he was declaring its sentiments to her. His poem depicts that love can never be contained or limited – for it starts mysteriously without intended purpose, provides the longevity needed for its recipients, and endures even when the heart stops beating.
The guests respond well to both speakers. Both Phoebe and Cole tear up at Danny and Lacey's selections. The bride and groom each raise a responding glass towards Danny and Lacey as a thankful salute to the beautiful toasts that they gave.
The next reminder of Danny and Lacey's intimate connection is when they share a dance at the reception. The wedding party enters the dance floor after the bride and groom's first dance. Danny pulls Lacey close to dance to a love song. She allows her body to relax against his and her eyes slowly close as her head drifts closer to Danny's. His head closes the gap as they lean into their embrace as they sway to the music. Lacey remembers several dances they have had over the years and some erotic physical closeness they have had which were not dance-related. Danny experiences the same memories. Neither shares these thoughts aloud.
Nonetheless, when the dance is over and Lacey's gaze locks with Danny's, each knows precisely what the other had been thinking. They both stand still as they swallow and try to form words to say. Unfortunately, other members of the wedding party want to interrupt to dance with Lacey and Danny. They smile and thank each other for the dance as they turn to now dance with a different partner. However, Danny and Lacey each continue to gaze often at each other while they are dancing with someone else.
*Lovely Readers, please continue to Chapter Two for the conclusion of 'An Imprinted Heart'. I hope you enjoy reading. I thank you for your continued support.
Oh, as a side note…when viewing Twisted's character names on , I discovered that Tyler and Phoebe technically had different last names even though the tv show portrayed them as siblings. Perhaps they were half-siblings or step-siblings. At any rate, I gave them the same last name for this story. DimplesValntina