Author's Note: So I have three and a half tests next week and was going to study, but I read this awesome writing prompt and couldn't help myself. It had to be written. Sorry in advance, I hope you guys enjoy ;)
He wakes slowly as sunlight streams through the sheer curtains in the room. It's early he realises, earlier than his alarm anyway. The stirrings of excitement begin in his stomach as he gradually wakes and he can feel a wide grin settling on his face. Today is the day. It feels like forever that he's been waiting for this day to come. Years? Decades? Too long. Excitement and nervous energy are thrumming through him as he rises from the bed and heads into the bathroom. It's still early but he can't stand to just sit around wasting time. He needs to do something, keep himself busy to some extent. It's almost surprising that his hands don't shake whilst he shaves, considering how he's feeling. There is so much riding on today. All his dreams, his hopes and wishes coming true. He never thought it would happen. It has always been one blockade after another. Wrong timing. Wrong person. Wrong circumstance. Always wrong. Until now. Now they'd finally got it right. Their last chance. He can't imagine their journey to this day being any different though, try as he might. Maybe they would still be together, maybe they would've gotten together sooner or maybe they wouldn't be together at all. Trying to imagine his life without her is near impossible. Just spending the night apart from her was hard enough as it is. A life without his Melinda May… Well that's no life at all. Just thinking about her causes a smile to form on his lips. He can't wait to see her, her warm smile, the mischievous glint in her eyes, the amber glow of her hair in the sunlight. She's everything to him. His world and more. Just the sound of her laughter can make a bad day into a good one, a simple touch reassuring him whenever he doubts himself. Her presence alone can soothe his worries and he, to this day, has no idea how she manages to do that.
There is the slightest of tremors in his hands as he buttons up his shirt, nervousness and anticipation beginning to settle in. Looking at himself in the mirror his fingers tug at the bow tie around his neck, lips pursing as he contemplates whether to keep it on or take it off. Frowning at it for a moment he finally comes to a decision, fingers undoing the knot and pulling it off, just leaving the top few buttons of his shirt undone. Melinda always did prefer him without ties. He smiles at his reflection, yes, much better. He can't wait to see Melinda in her dress, he's sure she'll look beautiful; she always looks gorgeous no matter what she's wearing. Running his hands over the lapels of his jacket he takes a deep breath before turning away from the mirror. Picking up his phone from the top of his drawers he glances at the screen seeing a message from his best man. The wedding is well and truly underway now. His keys jingle in his hand as he leaves the house. Sliding into the driver's' seat of his red corvette his palms sweat just a little as he grips the steering wheel tightly. He can't remember having felt this way in so long. Usually he is unflappable, calm in the most serious of crises, even in the face of death.
Pulling into a parking bay, he turns off the engine before hopping out of the car. Tucking the keys safely into his pocket he walks through the tall iron gates into the garden. A glorious area filled with so many different shades of green, and vibrant colours from the assorted flowers spread throughout. A sensual paradise filled with the sweet fragrance of so many flowers and the beautiful sight of bright and exotic flowers. There is a large patch of green grass where white chairs have been arranged in neat rows,a walkway dividing them into two sections. Only a few people have arrived already, his groomsmen and best man, along with the celebrant and a couple of guests. Walking down the walkway, they all turn to look at him and he can only imagine how it will be for his soon to be wife when she makes her way down. His wife. How many times he'd thought that to himself with longing, never thinking that it would ever be a possibility. It's funny how life works out sometimes.
Standing up at the front, he tries to look calm and confident when he is honestly feeling incredibly scared and excited and amazed all at once. It's an odd combination of feelings, but regardless, this is the one thing in his life that he has felt absolutely sure about. When one of the bridesmaids appears he feels his heart rate pick up because he knows what comes next. It's finally time. Receiving their cue, the band begins to play, and slowly the bridesmaids make their way down. The time between the last bridesmaid and when she finally appears feels like a lifetime, but when he does see her, she takes his breath away. For him, it feels like everything has stopped. Time ceases to exist and all he can focus on is her. Their eyes meet, and for a moment he forgets how to breathe. It's perfect. She's perfect. A brilliant smile forms on her lips, lighting up her features as she seems to float across the ground towards him, her expression of happiness most likely a mirror to his own. Her dress is simple, white with a deep v-neckline, a cinched waist and draping skirt. Stylish and classy with just a small bit of embellishment, a sparkling design of a branch wrapped elegantly around a part of the side of her bodice just above her waist. Meeting him at the top, in front of their small gathering of friends and family, she hands off her bouquet to her bridesmaid before turning to him, eyes sparkling with happiness. A warm feeling rushes through him, and like the first time they touched, his entire arm tingles as she holds his hand, grasping it tightly in her own.
It's almost impossible for him to tear his eyes away from her as the ceremony begins. Her eyes flick over to his and she smirks at him squeezing his hand briefly before flicking her eyes back over to the celebrant. Always the practical one, and she's right, he really should focus on what the celebrant is saying. He smiles at her squeezing her hand back in response before trying to focus on the celebrant. For something that he's waited so long for, it all seems to happen so quickly. Suddenly they are turning towards each other and two rings are being pressed into his hands as he hands one over to his soon to be wife. Feeling the cool metal of the ring in his palm his hands are practically shaking as he takes her small one within his own and slides the slim gold ring slowly, gently onto her finger. It rests snugly beneath her knuckle and he can't stop himself from tenderly sweeping his thumb across it. Her lips curl up in a smile as she looks up at him, dark eyes filled with so much love he feels like it's almost too much. The soft pads of her finger tips trace his knuckle before she slides the ring onto his finger, his hand warm holding her own cooler one. It sends tingles down his spine and he steps forward, even closer to her as he cups her cheek. Their eyes flicker closed as they lean towards each other, her lips soft and sweet against his as he slides an arm around her waist holding her closer to him. He can feel her smile against his lips and her eyes sparkle at him as they pull apart slowly, foreheads resting against each other, neither worrying about their audience only a couple of metres away. Brushing his thumb gently over her cheek, he places a soft kiss against her lips again before pulling back.
"I lov-"
His eyes snap open in the dark as his heart thunders in his chest, heartbeat racing, the sound of blood rushing through his ears is all he can hear in the silent room. On instinct his arm reaches out to the other side of the bed as he sits up, and the harsh truth of reality comes crashing down upon him as his hand closes around empty sheets, cold from not having been slept in, still tucked in neatly on the other side. A lump forms in his throat as he closes his eyes, hand still clenching the cold empty sheets. Breathing in deeply through his nose he practices the breathing technique she once taught him. In, one, two, three, four. Out, one, two, three, four. It's been months now, months since she crumpled in his arms and left him alone in a world without her. Every night he still dreams of her and the future they almost had. How close they came to having their happy ending. Instead he now lives with a constant ache in his chest, a familiar feeling since she died, his heart shattered in a most irreparable way. Swallowing down the sob that bubbles up in his throat, he wipes away the tears that spill from his eyes. She meant everything to him, his whole world, his universe. His guiding light throughout the dark now extinguished, leaving him alone in pitch black. A part of him died too when she died in his arms, something within him lost. Something that only she could find. Almost subconsciously, a hand drifts up to the chain around his neck, fingertips running over the small gold ring hanging from it.
She never even got to wear it.
A/N
Well that was about a cup and a half of angst. The prompt I found was along the lines of your OTP at the altar about to kiss and then person A wakes up sobbing staring at the empty space beside them because in reality person B died years ago. I tweaked it a little but that's pretty much it. I'm sorry for causing you guys all this extra pain, but please drop a comment. Even leave a fluffy prompt if you'd like me to write you something nicer :)
