The Flaw in the Plan
Chapter 7
Diaval didn't get much sleep the night before the wedding, replaying his conversation with Mallory over and over again. He'd been completely honest, but he'd also been brutal and he wished he could have done something to assuage the pain she felt.
Since he was operating on a few hours of sleep, organizing everything before the ceremony was more difficult than usual. He was all over the place, rushing and making sure all was set perfectly. It took longer for him to get it together, but he managed with the barest of margins. An hour before the wedding, he checked in on his client.
It was Mallory who answered the door.
Awkwardly, he greeted. "Uhm, hi."
Mallory gave him a tentative smile, opening the door wider. "Hi. Do you want to see Leila?"
"Yeah. Just to check in."
"Okay." She finally let him in, making a motion to leave.
Just as she was about to exit the room, he called her back in a surge of bravery. "Mallory?"
Wary yet hopeful eyes turned back to him. "Yes?"
"You look wonderful."
Her features softened, smiling as if she was genuinely touched. "Thank you."
He continued to gaze at the door after she was gone, until he heard a giggle behind him.
"I take it things are alright now?" Leila asked, grinning. She was decked in her wedding gown and shiny accessories. The best thing she wore, though, was her radiant smile.
"I don't know. We talked yesterday but… I don't know." Diaval replied. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. Everything alright with you?" Hands in the pockets of his slacks, he walked closer to her.
"More than okay, actually." She cupped her face with her dainty hands and exhilaratingly exclaimed, "I'm getting married! I can't believe I'm getting married!" Diaval surmised that she probably woke up smiling and hasn't stopped ever since.
"Everything's set outside. Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Well, then. It has been a pleasure working with you, Miss Halloway, and congratulations." Diaval said congenially, extending a hand for her to shake. Leila, however, moved to hug him.
"Thank you, Diaval. For everything."
Diaval left the room knowing she was no longer just a client, but a friend he'd like to keep for a long while.
The entire ceremony passed by in a blur. Diaval watched the entire thing unfold with a sense of pride, thinking that this might be his best work yet. Guests were wiping tears of joy during the vows, and they laughed when the couple kissed before the officiator even finished his proclamation.
Diaval finally relaxed during the reception, his job for the night over at last. The celebration was in full swing, and practically everyone was having fun on the dance floor. Even little Aurora was twirling and jumping all over the place, probably on a sugar high. However, the maid-of honor contented herself in observing everything from the sidelines. Diaval spotted her, and with a lump on his throat, he approached her.
"Mind if I joined you?" He asked, waving an arm at the table she occupied. Mallory smiled, shaking her head.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the festivities, uncertainty palpable in the atmosphere, when Diaval decided to speak up.
"You know, in a couple of weddings I've been to, the best man and the maid-of-honor almost always hit it off. Leads to a second wedding sometimes, sometimes a temporary fling." Diaval remarked in jest.
Mallory turned to him, amused. "Are you suggesting I get together with the best man now?"
"Just sharing a fun fact." The wedding planner shrugged, biting back a grin.
"Too bad it can't happen tonight. For one, the best man is married. Look", she pointed in the direction of the best man, who was currently making out with someone he assumed was the man's wife. "Secondly, he's not really my type. And I'm interested in someone else, anyway."
Diaval's pulse quickened at her words, his palms getting sweaty. Rubbing them on his slacks surreptitiously, he croaked out, "Oh? Who?"
Mallory's expression clearly said do I need to spell it out for you? However, she doesn't answer his question out loud and instead posed another query of her own.
"Why did you become a wedding planner, Mr. Blanchard?"
He mulled the inquiry over, wondering why she was asking this now.
"Well… it wasn't really a conscious decision on my part. I didn't wake up one day and decided that this was what I wanted to do. But a friend of mine got hitched a couple of years ago, and they didn't have enough to hire a wedding planner. It would have been alright if they weren't so panicky, clueless and pathetically disorganized. Everything was a mess, with only a few weeks to go before the wedding date. I felt sorry for them so I stepped in, and we managed to pull off a decent ceremony. They spread the story to other friends, and they asked me to try my hand at organizing another wedding, and another, and another, until I realized I was making money out of it and it just became a thing."
Mallory was looking at him intently, listening to every word he says. The attention is admittedly flattering, he thought to himself.
"Do you enjoy it?"
Diaval's eyes roamed over the place, taking in the merry scene. "I do. I've had people make fun of my work because they think it's demeaning for a man or some other crap, but the thing is, it pays and I'm good at it. Besides, I like having a hand in other people's happiness, however transient it might be for them."
Mallory's smile turned wistful, and she fiddled with the napkin on their table. "I used to feel that way, you know?" At his questioning glance, she expounded. "I loved cooking, but I wanted to start my own restaurant because it was important for me to provide people a place they could enjoy. I've always believed good food was a catalyst for a good social experience. If the food was great, then people are more able to enjoy each other's company. I wanted my food to be something that connected people, something that helped them communicate and build relationships. But somewhere along the way, I lost that. I forgot that, and it made turning my back on that part of my life easier than it should have been."
Voice getting more impassioned, she continued, "Meeting you reminded me of that. You were right- I was the obstacle to my own path. I had no one else to blame for my failures. I was so desperate to have Stefan love me and care for me the way I did for him, and in doing so I allowed him to take hold not only of my affection but also my passion. I lost sight of my ambition, but you… you were just so convinced that I still had more to give. You forced me to reevaluate my life, and somehow I found myself wanting to validate your belief in my capabilities. I was wrong when I said you were like everybody else. Your first impulse wasn't to be the guy who fixed my broken heart, as if romance was the secret to being complete, like so many are prone to believe. It was my passion, my life's dream, that you saw, and even then you didn't want to fix it for me, but to help me do it myself."
Mallory's words rendered him speechless, unable to believe that this woman, this exquisite woman, is speaking about him with such warmth and fondness. Diaval thought the pleasant surprise ended there, but then he felt Mallory's hand slip into his, squeezing tightly. "I guess, what I'm saying, in my woefully inadequate way, is that I'm grateful I met someone as unprecedented as you."
He stared into her eyes, not daring to say anything, for what felt like minutes. With wonderment, he ran a thumb over the knuckles of her fingers, and he finally broke the silence.
"I really wouldn't call that inadequate."
A laugh escaped her, partly sheepish, partly embarrassed. Not pulling away, she asked, "Can I tell you a secret?" He merely nodded, not trusting his voice.
"One of my college classmates owns a restaurant, and they recently lost their head chef. Since the sous chef replaced him, they've been left with a vacancy and my former classmate has been pestering me to accept the position for weeks now. Well, this morning, I e-mailed him back. So… I am now the new sous chef of The Mediterranean." Mallory bit her lip, trying to contain her palpable excitement. Diaval, on the other hand, had no qualms reigning in his enthusiasm.
"No way, really?! Congratulations! When do you start?"
"Three days from now."
"Wow" Diaval paused for a moment, regaining his breath. "I'm so proud of you! We should celebrate! How about dinner, tomorrow night?"
She laughed again, this time a carefree sort of laughter. "You're pretty sneaky, aren't you? But yes, I'd love to have dinner tomorrow night. I'll even cook, if you want."
He added the dinner invitation in jest, not thinking she'd actually bite. Gleefully, he asked, "Really?"
Happily, she nodded. "Still, we shouldn't have to wait tomorrow night to celebrate, don't you think, Diaval?"
His name sound like music on her lips, in her voice- smooth and rich and perfect. Diaval felt as if his face was going to split into two, the way he's grinning so widely, but his smile doesn't waver in the slightest as he pulled her to the dance floor, one of Leila's cheesy wedding songs playing in the background, Mallory's chuckles ringing in his ears.
Epilogue (5 years later)
When Diaval started out in the wedding planning business, he only thought that it'd be a way to pay the bills, not a career. However, it's been more than half a decade and yet, here he is, in a tux for the umpteenth time, seeing the culmination of several months' effort and organization.
Diaval went to visit his client, like he usually did before the ceremony.
An old friend and a familiar face answered the door. "Hello, Diaval. Come to check on your client?"
"Yes, can I see her?"
The maid-of-honor grinned. "I shouldn't allow you in, but I'm sure she'd love to see you. Go ahead but make it quick!" She left to give him privacy, closing the door behind her.
Diaval walked into the room, finally seeing the bride, the person he's planned this wedding for- Mallory. Hearing his footsteps, she turned around to face him.
"You're not supposed to be here." Mallory admonished, the smile on her face negating the scolding in her words.
Hands in the pockets of his trousers, he sauntered to her. "It's my duty to check on the client, you know. Part of the job and all that."
Smirking, she remarked, "Or you just couldn't wait any longer to see me."
"That too."
Diaval pulled her to him, one hand on her waist, the other reaching out to touch her cheek. His eyes roved over her form, taking in every detail. "You look absolutely breathtaking, love. Stunning. Ethereal."
Fiddling with the lapels of his suit, she shyly mumbled, "Oh, go on."
Lips quirking upward at the sides, Diaval listed off, "Alluring. Scintillating. Indescribable. Angelic-"
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Diaval." Mallory interrupted.
"Don't need to. I've already gotten what I want."
Mallory flicked his nose. "Dork."
"Your fault entirely, Miss Moor."
She smiled cheekily at him. "In just a little while, it's not going to be 'Miss Moor' any longer."
A huge grin came unbidden on his face. "Good thing, that." Diaval leaned forward to kiss his soon-to-be wife, but she pushed him away lightly and tutted.
"No, Diaval. This one, you have to wait for."
"Aw, come on. For luck?"
"No means no, Diaval." He groaned and pouted, while Mallory laughed at his antics.
Disentangling herself from his embrace but still grasping his hands, Mallory commanded, "Go now before somebody else barges in here to get you."
Reluctantly, he made to leave. "Meet you at the altar?"
Mallory nodded, eyes alight with joy. "I'll be the one in white."
Fin
A/N: And that's it, people! Posted this earlier than I wanted to because the power outage due to the typhoon hasn't been resolved, and I'm posting once again on borrowed time- I'm at my dad's office, which, mercifully, has electricity.
Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this little foray into Maleval modern AU. I hope you guys drop me a review one last time.
Thanks again, and Cheers!
