Chapter 11: Tonight, We Are Young. (Part 2)
Leona's cottage is the venue of Pop and Menru's wedding rehearsal dinner. The courtyard of the place is nicely decorated with warm color of lights and cozy theme. Melody has filled in the air of this starry night. Friends are surrounded by each other, making a cozy atmosphere yet spaces are available for everybody's comforts. Foods are served deliciously and drinks are prepared at a quota set by Furora, since there is a plan to go to the club after the dinner.
Menru is beautiful. With the fair skin and gorgeous face, she is stunning in the long white gown that shows her elegant style. Her black hair is simply let open, her slim and beautiful neck is revealing, so is the lovely shoulder. Personally, Pop is not sure how would he handle the moment seeing Menru in the wedding dress tomorrow.
To make a speech at the dinner before the wedding is a tradition the bride cannot skip. Menru doesn't have any natural confidence on public speaking and following no rules, Pop ensures her it's not neccessary. However, Menru places high importance on the value of family and marriage, she was determined to overcome this challenge to make their wedding fullfilling, if it may not be perfect.
The moment Menru stands up and make a speech, she has nailed it at once. Delightedly, the more she talks about Pop, the more she finds how natural it is.
Pop listens carefully to every word that he will remember forever. In later years, it is still easy to play back in his mind. "When I first met Pop, he was a young person who is full of energy, courage and loves for friends. I'm touched by his great friendship, by his fun loving characteristics and an attitude of never giving up. Pop always inspires me." He will also never forget Menru's emotional facial expression and the way she is trying to hold back her tears. "I know whenever you are by my side, my way would be lighten up and I'm kept warm. I love the way you take care of me and share with me everything. I can't wait for tomorrow to be your bride."
He stands up instantly to embraces her. "I can't wait, too. But at this moment, I have already loved you so much, Menru." He looks into her eyes and whispers to her.
"Kiss her!" Somebody says and the rest seem expecting it, too.
Obviously the couple is expecting it themselves.
Pop leans forward to softly kisses Menru's lips and she is responding to him tenderly.
"And please don't get drunk tonight, Pop, so we can successfully get married tomorrow." Menruru smiles, officially ends her speech with the last sentence.
And the night is going on like that.
Pop's groom cake has come to surprise him. It's a cake that figures the amusement park that he is fond of working for. They take a lot of pictures and enjoy the sweet creation.
The biggest surprise comes when the courtyard turns into total darkness. In a glance of eyes, colorful lights are on and Menru, Leona, Marm, Marlin, Carly are walking out in the strong beat of dance music. They are going to dance! Friends and family cheer for the girls loudly.
Menru is a soft-speaking girl. However, she is very creative in arts and is not as introvert as she appears. Dancing is a kind of art for Menru and is one of her hobbies. Because of this, she has no problem dressing in a dance costume that is different from her daily dress code. She initiates the idea to perform a dance at her wedding rehearsal dinner as a way to thanks all guests and most important, as a lovely surprise for Pop. She selects the music and trains her friends hard, including Carly who replaces Emmi in the very last minute.
In the middle of the song, Menru takes her husband-to-be to the dance floor. Pop excitedly cooperates with Menru and he even manages to acknowledge his privilege by holding her body and leads her in the dance.
As Menruru's body moves like the flower petal, feeling her elegant gestures and the way she looks at him, Pop has an unforgettable and luckiest night that he has never had so far.
Everybody joins the dance floor and they make a line lead by the groom and the bride. They continue the night with music and favorite alcohol drinks. Leona's courtyard has become a great club and dance floor.
Larhalt is helping Leona to drink, as his observation, the young queen has a low ability to consume strong alcohol.
"You are cheating, Leona, how come Larhalt is drinking for you?"
"Because he is my guardian. Don't you know?" Leona stands by him and replies to Carly. Her hand is on his shoulder in a friendly way.
Carly has been very actively giving drinks to Leona and Papunika's fun-loving queen happily took all. "Not fun, you people are not fun!" Carly nags and laughs with Leona, "I'm looking for Marm to drink with me."
Carly sneaks away, but she is soon seeing Crocodie and Avan and immediately joining them, forgetting Marm.
"She has run away." Leona laughs.
"How about you? Time to sleep?" He asks.
"Come on, you are supposed to be more awesome than this." She turns into him and grabs his hand, "Let's dance."
He enjoys dancing with her. Leona can really inspire happiness to others. He knows she is slightly drunk, but she is drunk in a lovely way. She is still devoting all her energy to the happiness of the occasions and making everybody involved in the fun. Tonight, she is gorgeous. According to him, most of her attractiveness comes from the inspiration she gives to others.
Avan is delicating a romantic love song for Pop and Menru. The sensei is making an announcement. The crowd supports him cheerfully but nobody really expects a very good vocal, until Avan starts the song.
Just like everybody, Leona and Larhalt are delighted by the great vocal of Avan. The sensei is indeed very good at singing and the song is delivered so well, bringing the main couple Pop and Menru into the mood of dancing and enjoying their love.
Standing next to each other, Larhalt places Leona's hands on his shoulder and leads his Queen to the dance floor.
"What...?" She asks.
"Let's dance." He smiles. "You drags me to the dance song and now I drag you to this good one, it's fair enough, right?"
She looks at him and moves her hands around his neck.
"Ok."
She lets him circle her waist, remains a close distance to her and they move with Avan's songs together.
"You always inspire the beauty inside you to others, I see happiness in people around you."" He tells her.
"Is that why you like me and care for me?"
He nods. That's probably why.
"Do you know why Hyunkel loves Marm?" She asks.
"I don't know. But I guess it's difficult to explain why you love somebody."
"So since you are very sure you like me and care for me with a reason, it's not that kind of feeling, is it?"
"I..."
"I'm just saying. Don't ever dream of loving me."
"I know, my Queen." It hurts abit.
"My happiness is stuck in a traffic jam. Whoever loves me now is not going to feel it."
"The happiness of your life must be very big so it's stuck everywhere." He says. "You are a bit different now. Are you drunk or is there something bothering you?"
"I'm not drunk...You make me imagine that my happiness looks very cute." She bursts into a smile. "Oh Larhalt, why aren't you my friend." She still laughs and rests her face into his chest.
"Why can't I be?" He wonders.
"No, you can't be." She whispers to him."I don't know why. I can make friend with Hyunkel, but not with you."
He doesn't understand a thing. He assumes this is the language of Leona when she is not conscious.
"Ok, I don't care, as long as I can protect you."
"Ok... I don't care, too." Still wrapping her arms around his neck, and her face in his chest, she leans closer to him to make herself more comfortable. She is a bit tired, she never knows she has been this tired until she leans on him and it seems to comfort her really well.
He is confused. Initially he would like to enjoy the song with her, but now he ends up having some affections toward her, which he always try to avoid. He looks at Leona and she accidentally looks at him, he cannot say any other things.
They just keep quite and follows the melody, throughouly.
"Why is Marm smiling?" Hyunkel asks. Sitting with Marm on the sofa in one corner, he is helping Marm to remove the high heels shoes that are causing a lot of pains to her.
"Today there are many things you have said and done for the first time. You have to remember today." Her cheeks are blushed and her mind slightly gets shattered due to wine and the atmosphere of the night.
"Yes, today is the best." He agrees and lets her lay on his chest.
It is almost three o'clock in the morning. Near to them, on the dance floor, friends are still dancing and drinking, loud music is still filling up the place. Strangely, everything Marm can hear and feel is only his heart beats, his warm breath and the pleasant smell from his body. Hyunkel is holding her tightly, all that surround her are his closeness. Feeling good in his embrace, she starts finding the warmth of him under his shirt. Hyunkel lets his angel do all the things she likes, he has already known that she likes kissing him alot.
"Why am I only cute?" To her surprise, this bothers her more than she thought. She is not happy to be cute for him. She likes to be like a woman for him.
"What?" He doesn't understand.
"In the pub, you said I'm cute. Why am I only cute?"
"Because of the head band you wore." He explains.
"How about without it, do you find me beautiful or less cute?"
He knows he'd better be careful with the answer. But in anyway, he only has one.
"Beautiful, very beautiful."
"The answer is too quick to sound truer."
"Then this can be." Caressing her beautiful face, he decides.
"What is it?"
"Close your eyes."
She shakes her head, "I want to look at it."
He covers her eyes himself. Marm then tends to remove his hand but after one moment all she can feel is familiar friction of him in her mouth. She can feel the excitement courses through them. Her hands move around his neck and she responses to his kisses hungrily. He gives her the passion that make them barely catch the breath, but the way she copes with it surprises him more.
"Marm kisses so well now..." He slowly uncovers her eyes.
"I've copied from you." Marm lets out the soft sound as she speaks. "You taught me all the bad things." Her voice and the way she looks at him can make him lose control again.
"You are a bad angel, you are quick to learn bad things." He tells her as his fingers playing on her lips. He kisses her again. To his very awaken sense he knows he is kissing Marm and destroying her innocence, but...
"How old are you?" He asks in a sudden.
"Twenty... Why?" Don't tell me I'm too young for you.
"In one second I thought you are sixteen."
"That was four years ago." She cups his face in her hands, "that was when I first met you. If...it was Emmi who met you first, would you love her instead of me?"
He doesn't answer and only embraces her, "I didn't meet anybody the way I met you. There was only the talkative Marm."
She looks at him while he is getting another glass of wine. "Give me a sip." She smiles, thinking of showing him something new.
He can't resist the temptation for Marm's lips when looking at her drinking. Meanwhile, she is excited to teach him, "You continue from here and we've had the indirect kiss."
He looks at the lipmark and finishes remaining drink at one. "That tastes very good...but now I need a real one. Is it ok?"
"Ok..." She moves her hands around his large shoulder and closes her eyes. He doesn't make her wait.
Marm loves to be loved by him, very much.
Across them, Avan, Furora and Matoriv are drinking.
"Let it be this way, Matoriv, it's not necessary to let Hyunkel and Marm know. We never know whether your discovery is true or false. Meanwhile, it would spoil their happiness." Avan says.
"It's about Hyunkel's dark magic. Marm goes against it the most and Hyunkel won't be able to face Marm if he knows he conducted this to her in the past." Fufu sighs. She turns to Matoriv, "Are you sure you are correct? Why even don't Avan and Pop notice this?"
"In terms of magic no one here is more experienced than me."
"Then how come Hyunkel deny it? I don't believe he would lie to Marm."
"Maybe he made himself forget it, too."
"No, it can't be." Furora rather doesn't believe the "experience" of Matoriv.
Avan looks at his students across the table. Hyunkel and Marm now dragged by Pop and Leona to the drinking table with Larhalt, Menru, Crocodie, Hym, Marlin and Apollo. Almost everybody is still awake and full of energy. It interests Avan that they are playing the drinking game. The kids are really having fun. He believes Hyunkel is not telling a lie. Even at the time when Hyunkel was against them, he didn't hurt any women, especially Marm.
"Matoriv, can you do me a favor?" Avan asks.
"Hmm?"
"Until we really understand what happens, don't let anybody knows, ok? Now let's join the kids!"
Their party goes on until almost morning. Fufu and Avan are those who participate the most while other seniors have slept earlier. The guys lift up Pop and Menruru and everybody enjoys their night at its fullness. When they awake the next morning, almost none of them can remember how did they went to sleep.
End Chapter 11