It took a while. Actually, Tereza and Matej's chapter wasn't supposed to happen this soon. But they were coming easier to write due to things in my personal life that made me project onto them. I've never really written either characters before, and so it was kind of weird. I do enjoy that Czech doesn't get along with Liech and is jealous of Hungary's spas, and think that it made for a very interesting bridal party dynamic.
Shout out to the shitty OC Mila who is only there for plot purposes.
IDK when the next chapter will be up. I have one chapter in the works, but their dialogue isn't flowing. Sighs.
HUMAN NAMES OF ALL OUR CASTS OF CHARACTERS:
Switzerland ~ Sebastian 'Basch' Zwingli
Belgium ~ Josephine 'Fien' Van Dijk
Luxembourg ~ Benjamin 'Bennie' Van Dijk
Netherlands ~ Johannes 'Jan' Van Dijk
Vietnam ~ Lien Nguyen
Iceland ~ Erikur Thomassen
Thailand ~ Kiettisuk 'Kiet' Sripuy
Liechtenstein ~ Elise Vogel
Moldova ~ Nichita Costin
Czech Republic ~ Tereza Lukáč
Slovakia ~ Matej Lukáč
Austria ~ Roderich Edelstein
Hungary ~ Erzsébet Edelstein
Prussia ~ Gilbert Beilschmidt
Australia ~ Christopher 'Chris' Walters
Monaco ~ Camille Leroux
Hong Kong ~ Leon Wang
Taiwan ~ Mei Xiao
Portugal ~ Domingos de Silva
Macau ~ Joaquim Wang
Belarus ~ Natalya Braginskaya
Seychelles ~ Nichelle Laurent
CAMEOS IN THIS CHAPTER: Viktor Ivanov (Bulgaria), Andrei Costin (Romania)
The Wedding Bell Tolls
Tereza Lukáč
"Reza, can I ask you something kind of personal?"
Tereza frowned as Fien twirled in her dress, smiling as she admired the reflection. "Yeah, of course, Fifi," Tereza responded, brushing her caramel blonde hair from her face as Fien fidgeted with the cap sleeves of her dress.
"Have you spoken to Matej recently?"
"Not recently. Why?"
"It's about the wedding and Matej."
Tereza was afraid of this. Ever since the divorce five years ago, everyone tredded on pins and needles around her when bringing up Matej. Erzsébet pulled the same shit in the months following their finalization because she had invited both Matej and Tereza to her wedding.
Tereza didn't go end up going to that wedding, twenty percent because she didn't get along well with Erzsi at the time (or, you know, ever) and eighty percent because she didn't want to face her ex-husband. It was still so fresh at the time, and honestly, why would you be miserable at a wedding when you can be miserable at home?
Plus, her pajamas were way better than the ugly magenta bridesmaids dress she had to wear for Fien's wedding.
"You can invite whoever you want, it's your wedding," she replied, monotone. She really wasn't in the mood to start any drama. Fien shook her head, waving her hands as Tereza added, "the wedding is gonna be big, anyway, so I won't see him much if you do invite him and he does end up going."
"Well, no, he's not really invited, per se…"
"Then why bring him up?
Fien flushed, looking anywhere but at Tereza, who glared at her reflection in the mirror. "Basch said I had to tell you," Fien cracked. "Matej offered to do our wedding photos pretty cheap, and well, we agreed. He's going to be photographing our wedding party and the big day, and I think he said he'd even film some of it. He has an intern now who…"
"Excuse me?"
Fien flinched, looking up into the mirror, finally meeting her eyes with the death glare she was on the receiving end of. "He was cheap, and the money we save using him went to…"
"You weren't going to tell me?" Tereza shouted.
"I didn't want to because you get defensive!" Fien responded. "Bennie said you'd act like this, and we agreed telling you would be stupid. Basch said it was better to give you a heads up then wait until we did the wedding party pictures and he's the one taking them…"
Tereza appreciated Basch for the pure fact he knew she had to have a heads up, but the little respect he had earned from that was quickly overshadowed by the fact Basch agreed to let this man take photos of the wedding at all. Damn, that cheap bastard. Any common sense he would've had was overshadowed by his desire to save a quick buck.
"So, I'm actually going to have to interact with him?"
"Well, uh…" Fien bit her bottom lip, trying to find a way to appease her bridesmaid but keeping her photographer. "Probably. I mean, he's taking the wedding pictures, Tereza. You're a bridesmaid. You're going to have to interact with him." Tereza resist the urge to scream, because while they had been divorced for five years now, Matej still was a pest in her life. They had the same group of friends still, even if Tereza would rather him not be around for outings.
She thought this would be the one time she got away with being at a group event without Matej. Basch didn't quite care for him, and Fien only knew him as Tereza's ex-husband. Sure, he was friendly with a few wedding party members, but Fien and Basch weren't close enough with him to warrant an invite.
Tereza subconsciously gritted her teeth. Fien raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is this going to be an issue?"
Fien and Basch were her friends, so she shook her head. "No," she answered. "Of course not." Tereza was hoping if she died, she would be named a saint for all the shit she had to put up with.
"Are you sure? I know you two tend to… uh… banter…"
"I'm sure Matej will be very… professional…" It hurt her to physically say that to someone. Matej was kind of lazy and unorganized, in her opinion, but she assumed he had to have fixed that in order to constantly be getting hired. Fien turned her head toward Tereza and Tereza gave the bride a smile.
"Thanks, Reza!"
"Anytime, Fien," Tereza managed to get out as the bride-to-be's attention toward the mirror. "Your dress is gorgeous…"
Fien went back to nitpicking small details and Tereza tried to focus on something other than the impending interaction with her ex.
x x x
"Vik? Who's here?"
"Reza!"
Viktor was quick to meet her at the front door, giving her a nervous, lopsided grin as he grabbed the doorknob and opened it again, placing a hand on her back. Tereza slammed the door shut again, whirling around to glare at her roommate. "I, uh…" Viktor gulped, lowering his green eyes to stare at the floor.
"Matej is here, isn't he?"
"What? No!" Viktor forced a laugh as he shook his head, waving his hands in a shaky dismissal as Tereza rolled her eyes.
"You're shaking, which you do when there is confrontation. You tried to push me out of the apartment – which is in my goddam name by the way – and you are laughing, which you do when you lie. Matej is definitely here!"
She didn't even bother to remove her heels as she dodged past Viktor and into the kitchen, where Matej sat at the small table, looking sheepish as he gave her a small wave. "Tereza, you look good…" he said.
"I thought we agreed you want to hang out with Vik, you don't come here." Tereza crossed her arms across her chest. "To my apartment."
"And I thought we agreed you wouldn't move in with Vik when we got divorced," Matej shot back, narrowing his eyes as he glared at her. "But, here we are."
"I can't believe you're still not over that! You know rent was cheaper and Vik was homeless, you selfish prick!" Tereza shouted. "Why is this still an issue?"
"How about the fact you slept with one of my best friends before we even finalized the divorce? Like he would be a better lay than me!" Matej yelled back. "No offense, Vik."
Viktor rolled his eyes, muttering, "None taken."
Matej returned his attention to Tereza. "And now you're practically dating him!"
"Oh you know as well as I do we aren't dating! Like I am gonna ever date Vik! No offense, love," she said as she turned to Viktor.
"None taken…?" Viktor sighed quietly as the couple went back to glaring at each other. "I'm just so glad we're all here in the damn kitchen yelling at each other and not solving our problems, and making backhanded comments about me. This is why I hate being around you two…"
Viktor's complains fell on deaf ears as Tereza placed her hands on the table. "I hear you're filming the wedding."
"And taking wedding pictures," Matej added.
"You know I'm only going to be civil because it's Fien's special day, and I do not want to bring outside drama to the wedding," Tereza explained. "Otherwise, if I could, I would have nothing to do with you."
"Babe, you can't go ten seconds without yelling at me…" Matej rolled his eyes and flipped his hair, smirking at Tereza as she fumed. "I'm a professional. And my work is nothing less…"
"I lived with you. The only thing professional about you is that you are professionally lazy!"
Viktor glanced nervously between the two feuding ex-lovers as he muttered, "So… dinner… who wants?"
"You know, you never have anything good to say about me! That's why we broke up!"
"Chinese?" Viktor asked.
"You are missing the whole point of why we couldn't make it work, Matej!"
"Well, Mila says…"
"Mila? Who the fuck is Mila?"
"Should I tell her Vik?" Matej asked, smirking at Viktor. Viktor shook his head.
Tereza turned to Viktor, ignoring Matej's little ramble as Viktor gulped. "Mila is his… girlfriend? That we promised to never mention in front of you? Because you're going to…"
Viktor didn't even get to finish his explanation before Tereza turned back to Matej. "You're dating someone?" she asked. "And why is she coming up now?"
"Why do you care if Mila and I are dating?" Matej asked.
"I don't fucking care," Tereza jumped in. "But the way you just named dropped her is suspicious."
"You were going to find out eventually, anyway," Matej muttered. "Anyway, Tereza, Vik, it's been fun, but I don't want to be subject to scrutiny anymore."
"Why are you even here?"
"Oh, to invite you to my gallery viewing in two weeks!" Matej grinned as he pulled out an envelope. "I think you two should come to it!" Tereza glanced at Viktor, who looked over at her in shock. "Yes, Reza, I think you should come!"
"Tereza," she corrected. "Why?"
"I think you'll enjoy some of the pieces." Matej slid the envelope over to Viktor, winking at the two of them as he stood up. "Anyway, I'm leaving now. Vik, we still getting drinks on Saturday?"
"Yes," Viktor sighed, rather exasperated by the interactions he was forced to weather just recently.
Matej gave him two thumbs up. "Reza, I'll see you in… two weeks for the viewing? Maybe three at the wedding?"
"Tereza!" she shouted as he was quick to leave the apartment. Tereza waited until she heard the front door close, turning toward Viktor who just glared at her. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine," Viktor grumbled. "I love being in the middle of your fights. Because after five years, you two still think it's enjoyable to recreate that one time Matej found me in bed with you."
"Someone feels nostalgic," Tereza deadpanned, rising to her feet as she walked over to the fridge. "Have you met Mila?" Her voice was dripping with venom and Viktor shifted uncomfortably.
"Yes," Viktor replied. "She's a bitch. Plain and simple." Tereza smirked. "She's hot though. I'd consider being straight for her."
"Even if news field reporter Andy Conklin tried to propose to you?" Tereza turned around and winked, causing Viktor to turn bright red. "Well, not like Mila is important to me…"
"Except she is, because you're doing the jealous twitch," Viktor muttered. "I don't support Matej bringing her up in that manner, because he only did that to get a rise outta you. Honestly, you both may be twenty-eight, but watching you two is like reliving high school and college."
"Do you think we could've made it work?" Tereza asked.
Viktor got really quiet, before muttering, "Well, you both kind of decided you didn't want to. You both shut each other out and argued and never wanted to fix anything. Honestly, had you not been caught in bed with me, Matej probably wouldn't have signed the divorce papers."
"You think so?"
Viktor grabbed his cellphone, walking over to the fridge. "Reza, I know so."
x x x
"Matej Lukáč is taking pictures at the wedding, I hear," Bennie teased, leaning across the desk as Tereza rolled her eyes. "Coincidentally, Tereza Lukáč is a bridesmaid. Tereza also never changed her last name back…"
"Can you not talk about me like I'm not here?" Tereza asked. "I'm the only one here and you're being a dick, Benjamin Van Dijk."
"I am just processing this information." Bennie smirked. "Is there a chance that both Matej and Tereza Lukáč will rekindle a romance?"
"He's dating someone named Mila," she hissed. "She's very pretty." Bennie watched as Tereza furiously began to type on her keyboard. "Are you done being an idiot? And if so, can you either do your job or get me coffee?"
"You know, you sound jealous."
"You're lucky I haven't fired you," Tereza threatened, but she knew he would call her bluff. She loved Bennie too much and Fien was a good friend, so she probably wouldn't dream of firing him. He grinned, before she added, "We've been divorced for five years."
"There's been signs of the fact you both want reconciliation," Bennie encouraged. "I've seen how he looks at you and talks about you. I see you enough, I know…"
"I'm ready to fire you on the spot," Tereza interjected, glaring daggers at Bennie as he smirked. "I'm over it. I'm over him. He is just fucking ridiculous and…" Bennie raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to continue. "We're done. We're over."
"If you say so, but you wouldn't be this worked up over Mila if you weren't jealous…"
"I'm just annoyed is all," Tereza clarified, although she refused to make eye contact. "He came over to flaunt a new relationship and then invites me to his gallery showing, like I'm suppose to be okay with that?"
"He invited you to the gallery thing?" Bennie's tone caught Tereza off-guard, because it was far from his teasing one he had earlier when discussing Matej. He seemed a bit frazzled. "Are you going? You're going, aren't you?"
"Probably not, Vik says I should go," Tereza muttered. Bennie shook his head. "Why do you care? Not like he never showed me his art when we were together…"
"I mean, that was five years ago when he really was kind of a nobody in the art world…" Bennie explained. "Now he's evolved and people recognize how good he is…"
"Yeah, well, I don't want to really see him or Mila." Tereza opened the folder on her desk as she tried her hardest to ignore Bennie's stare. "How's your mom doing?"
"Losing her mind before the wedding," Bennie muttered.
"And your brother? Is he glad to pass off Fien onto Basch?"
"Your utter avoidance and how you go about it is honestly fucking cringe worthy," Bennie grumbled, staring at Tereza with intent. "Jan is currently in his own dramatic world with trying to get with his co-anchor. Now, let's talk about you and Matej."
"There's nothing to talk about," Tereza muttered. "I think you are delusional as always." Bennie smirked as she grabbed her pen and began to scribble a few things down on a notepad as she added, "You should probably get back to work."
"Whatever you say, Boss!"
x x x
Tereza knew that she should probably go grocery shopping, but she was too hungry to care, and everyone knows you don't grocery shop on an empty stomach.
Currently, she was standing in line at the fast food restaurant, waiting quietly for her order number to be called. There were about five families and two single individuals in front of her, and she knew she was picking up both her and Viktor's orders, so it would take a while.
After work today, she really just wanted to curl up in bed and binge watch something sad on Netflix. Everybody for the last week decided to ask her about Matej, as the wedding party had heard who was the photographer for the day. Even Elise had asked if she wanted her to talk Basch into changing the photographer.
Tereza would be damned if she allowed herself to let prim and proper, annoying and snobby Elise Vogel give her any kind of favor. Not on her watch.
"Reza!"
"Tereza," she immediately snapped, not even bothering to figure out exactly who she was correcting. She didn't let just anyone call her Reza. Turning around, she frowned as she realized Matej was standing behind her, grinning like an idiot. "Oh, hello, Matej."
"Hey, sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly the other day," Matej said, paying no mind to her annoyed tone or the death glances she was giving him. "Glad to see you though. Have you given any thought to coming to my gallery showing?"
"I haven't. Been so busy with my job," she gritted, clenching her ticket in her hand as she watched Matej's expression warped into something that resembled disappointment. "And with the wedding."
"Oh yeah! You know, if you don't want me there, tell me."
Tereza took a moment to register exactly what he had said to her. "Excuse me?"
"Reza, I know you're pissed about how awful it was between us and how we ended…" Matej looked everywhere but at her, and she didn't even have the heart to correct him over her name. "And I know with this wedding, it may bring up… memories. I know that I haven't done wedding photography because of that…"
"So you agreed to do Fien and Basch's wedding why?"
Matej said nothing. Tereza gave him a bit of a pause to clarify, but when it became evident he wasn't going to explain himself, she moved on.
"I don't care, it's not my wedding, anyway." Tereza turned around, watching a small child running around and playing with the toy from the kid's meal. "Matej, why do you want me to go to your gallery show thing?"
"So I look really cool and popular?" Matej muttered, forcing himself to laugh after the fact.
Tereza noted how he seemed a bit dodgy about the whole topic. "And you want to invite your ex because why? You have enough friends for that reason."
"Because, it'd be rude to invite Viktor in front of you and not extend the invitation?" Matej offered a lopsided smile in the half-assed attempt to make his excuses seem convincing. Matej was always a terrible liar, but even more so when it came to lying to Tereza.
Tereza crossed her arms and tapped her foot and Matej sighed. "Look, a few of the pieces are from when we were together. I finally finished them. I just thought that maybe you'd like to see them? You didn't get to see a lot of the shit I didn't finish then."
Tereza frowned. "Really?"
"Yeah, you know, I put a lot of time into those pieces, and I think that since you were there to deal with the craziness at first, maybe… you'd like to see the end result?" Matej turned pink, huffing as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I mean, a few did genuinely take five years to finish, and a couple were on hiatus while I dealt with the divorce…"
Tereza's heart began to pound in her chest. "I don't know… I don't want to overstep boundaries…"
"Terezie…"
"Matej, don't start with that."
"Please Rezie?"
Tereza gulped, immediately red at the old nicknames he had called her for many, many years. She couldn't bring herself to correct him. Matej looked like a kicked puppy and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt so bad for how rude she was to him earlier about his intentions. Matej, when they were together, never let her see his work in progress.
She remembered, the first year they were married living in the dingy little one bedroom apartment that was too small for two people when Matej would show her photographs he had taken, drawings he had completed, and paintings he wanted to hang in a gallery one day. It was always kind of weirdly intimate – Tereza was the first person that got to see any completed project. He cherished her opinion more than anything at that point in time, even if she was clueless about art.
She wondered if Mila had that luxury now…
"I'll see if I can make it. I've been swamped at work. No promises."
Matej grinned, clapping his hands together. "Thank you, Rezie! I think you're gonna really be impressed at what you see."
"Order Number Fifty-Three!"
Tereza nodded, turning her back to him to quickly grab her food and make an escape. She could not be bothered to say a quick goodbye, out of fear her heart would leap out of her chest.
…there was no way she still had feelings for him, right?
x x x
"Ugh, why didn't you tell me Erzsébet and Roderich were also invited?"
"You and Erzsi need to put your stupid competition behind you," Viktor muttered as he grabbed her coat. He passed it to the doorman, grumbling, "Viktor Ivanov and Tereza Lukáč, here for Mr. Matej Lukáč." Tereza watched him check their names off and smiled at her. She returned it as she followed Viktor inside.
The gallery had a section roped off for people attending Matej's showing. Erzsébet and her husband, Roderich, stood by talking with Gilbert, who returned to town for the wedding. Erzsébet caught sight of Viktor and Tereza and waved them over. Tereza wanted to ignore the light brown haired woman, but Viktor grabbed her arm, leading her toward the trio.
"Erzsi!" Viktor released his hold on Tereza as they reached the three. He opened his arms up wide, inviting Erzsi in for a hug.
"Viktor! It's been awhile!" Erzsi embraced him tightly, before pulling back to examine him. "You look well!"
"What's up, Reza, you bitch?" Gilbert asked, earning a swift elbow to the gut from Tereza. "Hey! I can't be in the hospital for the wedding!"
"Gilly, nobody would miss you much," Tereza deadpanned.
"I'm surprised you're here, Tereza," Roderich intervened, mostly to protect Gilbert from any future harm. Tereza made a face and Erzsébet nodded. "Considering… well, Matej is your ex and his new girlfriend is also here."
"He said he really wanted me to come," Tereza grumbled.
"Have you seen that Mila though? She's quite the catch," Erzsi interjected, wiggling her eyebrow suggestively in Tereza's direction.
"She's a fucking babe!" Gilbert shouted.
"Should I get you a cocktail?" Viktor whispered, chuckling nervously as Tereza gave him side-eye.
"You can get me three," she emphasized. "One for each one of these goons I have to interact with. And another two if I have to speak to Matej. Another four if I see and speak to Mila."
"This is a gallery party, not the bar on your twenty-first…" Tereza glared as Viktor finished his sentence. "Fine," he sighed in defeat. "Go on in with the Terrible Trio, I'll grab some drinks."
Tereza entered the section dedicated to Matej with Gilbert, Roderich, and Erzsébet. The four found themselves talking about the stress Basch and Fien were putting them through in light of the fact the wedding was next week. Tereza would occasionally glance around, searching for Viktor in the crowd of people as Gilbert made an inappropriate joke, only to be hit by Erzsébet and earning a scolding by Roderich.
Tereza sighed after about twenty minutes of this. "Guys, I'm going to find Viktor… he's been missing for a bit." Tereza broke away without the other three paying much attention to her as she made her way through the crowd. Occasionally, she'd stop and muse over some piece of work.
"Rezie!"
Tereza froze as she felt a hand grab her shoulder. After forcing herself to turn, she plastered a smile on her face. "Hi, Matej," she greeted. "Just looking around. These newer pieces… they're good…"
"Well, the best part of the exhibit hasn't been revealed yet," Matej explained. "There's more pieces I'm unveiling soon." He seemed nervous, almost bouncing up and down and shifting his weight from leg to the other. "Did you… come by yourself?"
"Oh, no. Viktor was suppose to be escorting me and all…" Tereza made a face and Matej left. "He went to get a drink and I'm afraid he just up and ditched me."
"Uh, well, he's still here…" Matej rubbed the back of his neck. "I caught him and well, introduced him to Andrei Costin…"
"Who?"
"Andy Conklin, from the news." Tereza rolled her eyes. She knew that Viktor had a crush on the dimwitted field reporter. Of course, he was one of Matej's friends and just so happened to be at this event, where Tereza did not want to get abandoned. "They uh, went to view the gallery together…"
"I blame you."
Matej chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'll accept the blame here," he replied. Offering his arm, he nodded as Tereza glanced in confusion. "How about I make it up to you?"
"Meaning?" she asked, blushing as he gave her another dazzling, Matej smile.
"Terezie, why don't I show you around? Explain what I've been working on with some of these before the big reveal of the latest collection of pieces?" Tereza shook her head as Matej frowned. "Why?"
"Uh, no offense, but you escorting your ex-wife around…"
"Of, come on, Terezie, I'm just trying to extend the olive branch here," Matej countered. Her face began to heat up at the use of his old nicknames for her again. "I'm tired at being at each other's throats. It's not good for our mutual friends and it's not good for us."
Tereza frowned, because she hated how he had a point. He could be such a pain, but the man was smart. "Fine, but no funny business." She took his arm and he whispered something under his breath. "I'm really impressed, Matej."
"That I'm not a lazy bum?" he replied, rolling his eyes. Tereza turned red and lowered her gaze. "No, no, you were right back then. But I've grown up a bit. You're still a control freak, Vik says…"
"Am not," she huffed. Matej bumped his elbow into her and laughed loudly, drawing attention towards the pair. "So, this is what you've been doing the past few years?"
"Yeah, I really focused on painting," Matej explained, stopping in front of two pictures. "I love photography, don't get me wrong, but I feel with painting, I can capture more emotion, you know? I can transfer my emotions."
"And is that what your latest collection is? Mostly paintings?"
Matej did not respond, but his cheeks were a shade of dark pink. Tereza pouted, poking his arm. "Matej, answer the question!"
"That collection is a mixture of photography pieces and paintings, but the photos aren't the focus," Matej admitted. "It's all been works I've kept under wraps. Most of these pieces I've shown around, but I think the collection I'll be revealing is very… intimate… and the photos are very personal."
"It's not nudes, is it?" Tereza grumbled, rolling her eyes.
"It's not. You've already told me nobody would be impressed, so I didn't bother."
Tereza finally let out a genuine laugh. Matej smiled, bright and dazzling as always, making her feel like she was back in high school, with the first time he made her laugh and the first time she fell in love with him.
She paused, reaching the end of the section before a closed door. "Well, I'm glad you took my advice," Tereza muttered. "About the nudes, anyway."
"Well, I always would listen to you, since you always kept it real with me." Matej's smile didn't fade and Tereza felt her heart began to pound. Her stomach twisted up into knots as she licked her lips. She stepped a bit closer, and he mimicked her action.
"I can't wait to see the new stuff," she admitted. "Five years is a long time…" Matej's smile finally faded.
"Listen, Rezie, about the collection…" he started.
"There you are, Matko!" a shrill voice cut him off, calling his name from a distance. The heavily accented voice made Tereza's skin crawl as she peered over towards a tall woman, walking towards her and Matej.
Her dress was skin tight, sans the skirt that flared out when she was walking, revealing a slit that was a little too high for her taste. The woman had short, black hair, cut into a bobbed hairstyle, with lips as red as her dress. Tereza didn't like her, not one bit, and she immediately recognized who this woman was, without having ever met her.
"Mila, hi," Matej greeted. The woman leaned in, pressing her lips against his. Matej leaned back, obviously uncomfortable with the fact this twig was trying to lay on the affection right in front of her. Tereza rolled her eyes and Matej looked away. "Mila, I want you to meet Tereza. Tereza, this is Mila."
"I'm his girlfriend."
Tereza watched the woman stick out her bony hand. Rolling her eyes, Tereza just nodded at her, refusing to shake hands with the tall woman. "So I've heard," she replied. "Matej and I were just talking about his latest collection of works…"
"Really? Why is that?" Mila asked, glaring at Tereza as if she had murdered her whole family. Matej winced, glancing between the two women as Tereza bit her lip.
"Tereza's known me for pretty much our entire lives, so she's always known about my love for art." Matej's expression was unreadable. "What have you been up to Mila?"
"Schmoozing with your artist friends," Mila snorted. Tereza glared, noting how Mila seemed to think this event was a big joke. "Honestly, it's so stuffy…"
"Well, I'll catch you later, Matej," Tereza interrupted, turning her attention back to Matej. Mila snorted and Tereza decided she wasn't even worth the effort. "I look forward to the reveal."
"Terezie, wait…"
Tereza nodded and waved, quickly turning on her heels and stumbling off. Mila laughed at her brief lost of balance, using a stage whisper to tell Matej, "You never mentioned she was so short… and plain… kind of pudgy." Mila laughed again, causing Tereza to pick up speed and run into someone in a white dress shirt.
"Reza! There you are! Andrei, this is…" Viktor's voice trailed off when he looked over at Tereza, who was struggling to hold back her tears. "Reza?"
"Oh, this is the infamous Tereza Lukáč?" Andrei reached into the pocket of his suit, removing a handkerchief and passing it toward Tereza. Viktor practically swooned and Tereza mumbled a quick appreciation before dabbing at her eyes, careful to preserve her makeup. "Well, she is everything I was told she was…" Andrei gave her a dazzling smile that reminded her why he was on television in the first place.
"And what was said about me?" Tereza forced out, sniffling a bit.
"That you were petite, doll like, and looked like Aphrodite herself," Andrei replied, winking at her. "And I've been told you have a fiery personality."
"Viktor said all of that? Really?" Tereza and Viktor exchanged confused looks as Andrei laughed.
"I've known Viktor for all of an hour, and I can't imagine him saying that!" Andrei laughed. Tereza giggled too. Viktor turned bright red as Andrei shook his head. "No, no. My good old friend, Matej, told me that. He said I might be lucky enough to meet you."
"Oh, did he now?" Tereza grumbled. Viktor tilted his head in confusion as Andrei nodded in confirmation. "How odd. Must've been drunk."
"I don't think so. He's been talking non-stop about how you might be coming to this. I'm sure he's over the moon that you're even here, Tereza." Andrei grabbed a cocktail from a waiter walking by, passing it to Tereza. "I swear, I almost slapped him because he wouldn't shut up about it!"
"You should've, he probably needed it."
The three laughed and Andrei and Viktor made another round with her. Andrei was obviously flirting with Viktor, who was awkwardly making passes back. Tereza felt like the awkward third wheel, who sometimes had to jump in to save Viktor from total embarrassment. Tereza had a few cocktails here and there, and slowly was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol.
"Attention, attention everyone!"
Tereza looked up from her third or fourth drink, sloshing it around as Matej's voice lulled the room to a hush. "Hi, it's really great to see so many of you all out here to support me!" Matej held up a glass of champagne with his right hand. Tereza ignored how Mila was attached to his left hip. "Before I reveal the real reason you all came out here, I wanted to give you all a bit of a backstory."
Inhaling sharply, Matej bit his lip. He was generally a charming person, who could easily talk to a crowd. This was new. "This collection took five years. Well, no, it took more than five years to conceptualize, but I started working on it five years ago."
Matej's smile seemed to fade, but plastered in its place was something fake and sorrowful. Tereza raised an eyebrow as Viktor and Andrei whispered next to her, obviously still trying to be as close as possible. Tereza rolled her eyes at Viktor's attempts to flirt during a friend's special moment.
"Anyway… because this collection has taken five years, I think the reason why will be self-explanatory," Matej concluded. "It's personal. This collection represents a part of me that I will always live with."
He paused again. "And in addition to the original paintings, I included photographs. These are less artistic and more… insight. Personal. That is what I'm going for here."
Opening the door behind him, Matej's fake smile quivered a bit, a trait that he had when he was obviously nervous about something. "Without further delay, please, enjoy the exhibit. I don't have a set title, because nothing fits the exhibit… and nothing will give the true inspiration justice in a title."
Matej stepped aside as the large crowd filed in, with Mila giving him a quick peck before walking inside the room. Tereza rolled her eyes as she mouthed something to Viktor. He nodded and took Andrei's hand, walking into the room. Following closely behind, Tereza paused short of the room and turned around. She saw Matej, watching her intently.
She cleared her throat. "Well, Mr. Hot-Shot-Artist, why aren't you going in?"
"Why aren't you?" he asked, his voice shaking. "I'm gonna step outside for some air quick, I'll be back in soon. I don't want to get swarmed with questions." Matej turned and quickly walked away from her. Tereza bit her lip and turned around. Viktor stood in the doorway, looking a bit pale.
"Reza! Ah, I think… I need to give you a heads up…"
"Oh, so there are nudes?" she joked, nudging him as she tried to push past him. Viktor shook his head. "Then what is the problem? Move it, Vik! I want to see! He's been talking about this shit all week!"
Viktor sighed and moved out of Tereza's way. She entered the room and immediately felt all eyes were on her, watching her every move and expression. "What's gotten into everyone?" she asked, her eyes darting around the room.
Then, she saw it.
Straight ahead was a large canvas, with a petite woman painted, caramel blonde hair loose on her shoulders as she was surrounded by what appeared to be red fabric, holding a black rose. The rose was covering her lips, and her eyes were almost honey colored.
"Reza? Tereza?" Viktor whispered.
"Is that… me?"
"Reza, look at the other pieces…" Tereza's eyes darted around the room as she grabbed Viktor's hand, holding on for dear life as she made her way around. One painting bore resemblance to a playground from their childhood, with two kids sitting on top of the play set. A collage of photos, shaped into the letter "L" were snapshots that Matej had taken himself on their wedding day seven years earlier. Tereza's face was bright red when another photo was displayed.
She remembered when Matej had taken it. It was right before the fighting happened, when she jokingly tried on one of his "ugly" painter shirts. The photo he took was focused on her in the mirror, dressed in his oversized shirt for her little body, himself distorted into the background as she became the main focus.
She turned on her heels, dragging Viktor to the door. "Reza, what's wrong?"
"I can't even look at the rest!" Tereza hissed quietly. "Where's Matej?"
"That's what I'm wondering," Viktor whispered. "Are you okay?" Tereza nodded, but she felt so conflicted. She wasn't supposed to want to run to him and kiss him and beg for a second chance. She was supposed to be mad. She hated how she felt right now, and she was mostly pissed because his intimate collection was all about her. She felt embarrassed, like everyone was expecting a reaction from her and wanted to know what she thought. She couldn't figure out what his angle quite was.
She finally shook her head, snapping herself out from her thoughts. "I need to use the restroom!"
"Reza…"
Viktor released her hand as she stormed off, wiping her eyes as she tried to process exactly what she was feeling.
x x x
"Tereza?"
The door to the bathroom opened and Tereza realized she had been staring at her reflection for a good twenty minutes. Shaking her head, she rummaged through her purse, trying to find some kind of makeup to fix the mess that was on her face. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, causing her to jump and turn around. "Erzsébet. Hi."
Erzsi smiled and opened up her own purse, pulling out a package of baby wipes. "Just take it all off now, Reza. You're already naturally pretty without makeup." Tereza didn't bother to correct her, taking the package as she scrubbed at her face. "How are you feeling? Vik's worried."
"I feel like I'm so confused. Why is there an exhibit dedicated to me?"
Erzsi gave her a look that Tereza was sure she had given her kids countless times before, when her oldest would ask an obvious question. Before the brunette could reply to her question the door flew open.
"I could be asking the same fucking question!"
Erzsi stepped in front of Tereza as Mila approached the two women. "Oh, get loss, bitch," Erzsi snapped. "You jealous?"
"Hardly," Mila sneered. "I could have any man I wanted. I know I'm a good looking woman. What I can't fucking fathom is what he saw in you…" Her eyes narrowed and she clicked her tongue. "You're a controlling, OCD, fat, ugly little midget!"
"Mila, what the fuck?"
The door opened to the bathroom and Mila froze. Tereza's eyes widened, but she looked away as soon as she saw Matej enter the women's restroom. "Oh, like you expected me to be okay with your little gallery exhibit?" Mila snarled. "Dedicated to this troll of an ex-wife?"
"Mila, get lost," Matej demanded. "I've explained to you what she means to me over and over."
"What can you possibly see in her? You complain about her constantly!"
"I said get lost, Mila!" Matej repeated, his voice echoing in the bathroom. "Tereza is my muse. She always has been." Mila scoffed.
"Whatever! Like I wanted to be with a greasy little nobody like you!"
Storming off, Erzsi stuck out her tongue – very mature for a woman who was thirty – and turned back to Tereza. Tereza shook her head and grabbed her purse from the counter. "I need to go."
"Terezie, wait, I want to speak to you…" Matej was cut off by Erzsi's hand. Tereza pushed past him, unable to look at him.
She just couldn't process.
x x x
"So…"
"So… what?"
"Uh, well Erzsi… uh, she told me. What happened… at the gallery thing…"
Tereza didn't look away from her laptop, clicking away at her keyboard aggressively as Bennie sat down across from her. Normally, he was boisterous and playful, but he seemed on edge, trying to gauge her reaction to his words.
"Cool. Glad to know I'm the town's newest gossip topic."
"I heard he broke up with Mila." Tereza rolled her eyes and kept on typing. She realized she had typed the same sentence three times and deleted it, trying to regain her train of thought. "Have you spoken to him?"
"No," she deadpanned. "He made a fool out of me."
"I wouldn't say that." Bennie fiddled with a pen, muttering, "I think he made a fool out of himself. He said it was a personal collection. That he was putting himself out there."
"And what did I have to do with it?"
"He so desperately wanted you to see it," Bennie explained. "He obviously is trying to tell you something."
Tereza blinked, biting her lip as she finally stopped typing. Matej had spent five years painting pictures of her, about her, making collages, editing old wedding photos of them… he had spent five years to put together this show. He called her his muse. He wanted her to see it.
"Do you think… he wants me back?"
"You two can't stay the fuck away from each other," Bennie grumbled. "All you two talk about is either your jobs or each other."
Tereza nodded. She hated how right Bennie was.
"I'm taking off early. Finish the email to Joaquim for me, please, Bennie."
"Yes ma'am!" Bennie saluted, watching her shove everything into her large bag and stand up, rushing out of her office.
x x x
Tereza opened the door to her apartment with such force and was in the kitchen before Viktor could react or try and force her out. Matej was seated at the table, eyes wide in shock. "You're supposed to be at work, Reza!" Viktor whined.
"I had a gut feeling Matej was here." She dropped her bag and placed her hands on the table. "I want an explanation."
"Well, Viktor invited me over to chat…"
"I mean about your collection, Lukáč." Tereza balled her hands into little fists as Matej gulped. Viktor's eyes were as wide as saucers. Matej looked past Tereza, nodding towards Viktor to leave the kitchen as he stood up. Viktor scrambled out of the room, presumably to his own bedroom.
"Rezie…"
"Don't start that," Tereza commanded. "I won't let you call me Reza anymore. You can't call me Terezie and Rezie… and then go and toy with my emotions like that. What's your fucking deal?"
"Whatever." Matej sighed. "I spent the last five years pouring my heart into that collection. At first, it was supposed to be therapeutic. I was supposed to get over you and move the fuck on."
"How do you think I feel? Seeing that?" Tereza shouted.
"Let me finish!" Matej snapped. "Every time I saw you, I worked on a new piece. That wasn't even half of what I've been working on in five years, Rezie. It wasn't therapeutic anymore. It was obsessive."
Tereza said nothing as he approached her, keeping a safe distance as he inhaled sharply. "The truth is, I only took this wedding gig because you'd be there. I generally don't photograph for weddings anymore. Because I think about ours and I realize I still am in love with you. You've been my day one. You've been my first and only love."
Tereza's lip quivered. "Matej…"
"Even when we were little and you would always pick on me and beat me at everything. Even when in high school you'd get mad because of how messy I made your locker with my snacks I stored in there, because Gil kept eating the ones in my locker. Even in college, when you got drunk and threw up on me after I proposed to you on the dance floor at the bar. Even when we fought. Even when I caught you with Viktor."
Matej smiled, although it was hollow. "Even when every time after our divorce, you insulted me and got mad at me and told me you were glad we were separated."
"Matej, hold on…" Tereza was shushed. She pouted.
"And I'm not asking for you to love me back. I'm not asking for a second chance. I don't care if you even believe me or not, but I still am in love with you, Tereza Sofie Lukáč, formerly Tereza Sofie Veselá. You are my Terezie. And you always will be."
Tereza stared back at him, mouth hanging open. She was in complete and utter disbelief at what she had just heard. "Matej, I… I didn't know."
"Now you do…" Matej sighed, looking at the floor. "Listen, if this is too much, my intern can cover the wedding. I don't have to be there. I know, I just threw a lot at you."
"No!" Tereza shouted, taken aback by her own volume. "Don't. Don't cancel. First, Erzsi and Elise will blame me, and I need some kind of self-preservation here." Matej rolled his eyes. "And second… do you mean everything you just said?"
"Rezie, I would never have signed the divorce papers if you hadn't been so adamant on moving on…" Matej was bright red.
"Matej Lukáč, would you like to escort me to the wedding of Fien Van Dijk and Basch Zwingli this weekend?"
Tereza found the words leaving her mouth before she could even think about what she was saying. Matej's natural, easy-going smile returned and he crossed his arms as Tereza now turned bright red. "I believe I have to photograph an event. What will your friends say if your ex is escorting you to the wedding as your date?"
"It's not a date!" Tereza protested. "It's a test run… to see… if we can make it work this time. I don't want to get any hopes up."
"Are you trying to admit you love me too, Rezie?"
"Shut up." Tereza rolled her eyes.
x x x
"I feel so bad for Matej's intern, getting stuck with all the guys…"
"The only real problem is Gilbert."
The girls giggled and gossiped around Tereza, who was seated in a chair as the hairstylist toyed with her messy hair. She was already agitated by the crazy makeup that she had to endure, and only Fien would make everything this complicated for her wedding.
The door opened and Matej stood before the bridesmaids, his dress shirt untucked and the first few buttons undone. "Sorry! Had to show Matthew the ropes. I think he's about to have a heart attack!"
"It's okay, Fien is still ugly," Mei, an international student the Van Dijks were hosting, called out from the makeup chair, giggling as Fien made a face.
"When my hair and makeup are done, I'll be the most beautiful bride you've ever seen, Mei Xiao!" Fien shouted. Tereza rolled her eyes as she heard the camera shuttering nearby. She looked up to see Matej aiming it right at her.
"Well, the second most…" He winked at her and she turned bright red. Elise raised an eyebrow as Matej turned to Fien. "Fifi, are we doing the pictures before the ceremony still?"
"Yes! It'll be the best time! My makeup won't be a runny mess!" Fien exclaimed, examining her hair in the makeup as she walked over to her garment bag. "Oh, this is so exciting! I'm getting married!"
Matej snapped a few getting ready pictures before being unceremoniously tossed from the room to allow the girls to get changed into their dresses. Fien and Elise had already left to do bride, groom, and family pictures, leaving Tereza to deal with maid-of-honor Erzsi and the other two bridesmaids, who were giggling messes. About thirty minutes later, they joined up with the rest of the wedding party and Matej began to instruct them on how to stand and place themselves for pictures.
Almost an hour later, they finished, with time to spare before the actual ceremony. Matej stepped forward, smiling at Tereza as she excused herself from a conversation with bridesmaid Camille.
"Matej," she greeted, trying to hide the small smile.
"Magenta is not your color, babe."
She rolled her eyes. "Sorry I've been neglecting you."
"We're both busy today, but I have Matthew photographing most of the reception, since I did most of the wedding pictures." Matej smiled, shifting uncomfortably. "You were the most beautiful bride ever."
"I love you."
Tereza covered her mouth as Matej chuckled, trying not to laugh too loud. "Tereza, Jesus. I thought this was a test run? Coming on really strong."
"Says Mr. I'm In Love With You Forever."
Matej took her hands and gripped them tightly. "Tereza Lukáč, let it be known, I'll be your husband again. A year from now, we will be married again."
"Is that a proposal?" Tereza joked.
"Well, I do still have our wedding bands in the house somewhere…" Matej shrugged his shoulders. "What do you say, Reza? Wanna try for Hashtag-In-Love-With-Lukáč-Version-Two?"
"Only," Tereza began, chuckling quietly. "Only if we change the hashtag."
Leaning in to press a chaste kiss onto her lips, Matej muttered, "That can be arranged."