Kennash one-shot here. Frary wedding vibes included. Enjoy.
Ever since she was a little girl, she wanted the big, white dress. The big, beautiful wedding venue. The perfect tiara. The most fitting music. The lights. The attention. The envy from other people's eyes. The perfect groom.
It's not her wedding, but she is close to the bride. The bride's her best friend since childhood and she's been made maid of honour. It's that thing - always the bridesmaid, never the bride. All four of her friends, since childhood, are married now and everyone, including her parents, wonders when she's getting married.
She's two years away from thirty, her older brothers married and parents, as well as her younger sister, being engaged at twenty-three and her youngest brother in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend since they were fourteen and now are twenty-one.
She's had boyfriends, none lasted. They think she's too... vain. Perhaps judgmental and mental overall. She talks a lot, and they hate that. She's materialistic but she's working on that. But she's a great person, lovely and kind and not bitchy... most of the time.
She's quite beautiful, all of her friends' husbands wondering why on God's Earth she's not taken for good and even offer to give her their friends' numbers or whatever. She doesn't need help finding romance.
All she needs is a good, stiff drink and to dance the night away. She's a good dancer and a good drinker.
Her eyes fall on the happy newlyweds, ending their first dance before the groom accepts his mother's hand for the son/mother dance and the bride dances with her mother instead, her father long-since dead. Her half-brother joins in. The former family of three laughs with each other, hug each other and dance together, and it puts a bright smile on her face.
Then her eyes land on her parents who watch in slight disappointment that their daughter can't find a life-long partner.
She turns away and heads to the bar, ordering a Vodka shot. Dutch courage. For what? She doesn't even know, but she downs it and requests for another which is quickly swiped by a man and is later downed.
"Thanks for that," Bash says.
Kenna rolls her eyes. "I'm not in the sharing mood."
Bash frowns, ordering a bottle of champagne. "No? Not when there is a beautiful new marriage to celebrate?"
Kenna scowls. "You mean a sign that I'm the last one to get married?"
Bash chuckles, eyeing his brother and Mary. "Is that what's got you so upset?"
"Shut up!" Kenna whines, knowing he will make fun of her. "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I guess there had to be one in the friendship group."
"Cheer up, you can be the drunk godmother-"
"Sebastian," she says warningly but giggles herself.
He chuckles, collecting two flutes from the bartender. "The perfect bachelorette. You're halfway there with your shiny London apartment and perfect Instagram page. You are a lot of people's envy and awe."
Kenna rolls her eyes playfully. "Whatever."
"I'm going to go upstairs to my hotel room. Starting to feel partied out and if I have one more aunt come up to me and ask me why I'm not married despite my younger brother and two of our sisters being so, I'll commit murder," Bash tells her.
She laughs and eyes the flutes. "Got room for one more person?"
"Oh, no. This spare flute is for the ghost that lives in my room," Bash says jokingly. "I promised her a drink in return for her stopping haunting me."
"Huh, okay," Kenna says, laughing. "Good luck with-"
"Come on then," Bash says, already walking off. "There's always tomorrow to make peace with ghosts."
...
"So, your parents are on your back to get married too?" Kenna asks after their second glass.
Bash nods, clicking his tongue. "I'm thirty-one, unmarried, childless... I don't know, I don't really scream 'marriage material'. Whatever that means."
"Have you ever wanted marriage?" Kenna asks him curiously.
Bash shrugs. "I thought I'd eventually find the one and have kids. It's not like I'm actively searching though. I work a lot, I'm better suited to being married to myself than someone else because she'd hate the fact that I'll barely be home."
"Then you need someone who is independent," Kenna states. "A woman who doesn't rely on a man but is also good in bed."
Bash laughs, almost spilling his drink. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah," Kenna sings. "Someone who shouldn't expect the world. Who should take things at face value."
"Seems impossible."
"I wouldn't give up so easily," Kenna tells him. "Even if it's a fake marriage just to please your parents and aunts who keep chasing you down."
Bash ponders the thought. "My ear would stop hurting for all the listening it does to high-pitched voices that are shocked to learn I'm still single. Apparently, I'm handsome and a catch, if they weren't related to me and were twenty years younger..."
Kenna bursts out laughing, shaking her head. "No!"
"Yep," he says, cringing.
"My aunties just tut and kiss their teeth," Kenna replies. "Then proceed to show me my cousins' beautiful, over-the-top weddings to their spouses that lasted four days. One of them got married in Dubai last year, I can't deny, my maternal aunts can throw good parties."
Bash sighs wistfully. "Maybe I'm the problem."
"How so?" She asks, swallowing a gulp of her drink down.
Bash looks down his own flute. "I'm not the easiest man in the world and my parents... their romance was messed up. I was born when they were married to other people. My mother's divorced now and onto her fourth husband and my dad's still with Catherine so I guess I never learnt what love was."
Kenna nods knowingly. "I see. My parents adore each other but my mother was eighteen when they met and by then, my dad divorced my older brothers' mother. They're still going strong almost thirty years later and I'm not getting any younger - I want that. Thirty, forty, fifty years down the line - my husband and I cackling at each other as we complain that we can't hear the other and keep saying 'what did you say?' as we're surrounded by our over-excited grandchildren or great-grandchildren..."
"Wow."
"You should hear me talk about my dream wedding," Kenna says self-deprecatingly. "It will never happen anyway."
Bash looks out the window, staring at the lights illuminated in the night sky. His eyes land on a giant Elvis sign and he turns to Kenna thoughtfully. He checks his wristwatch and sees that it's just gone past eleven - it's almost a new day.
"Does your dream wedding involve an Elvis impersonator?"
"I'm sorry?" Kenna asks, almost spitting out her drink.
Bash chuckles. "An Elvis impersonator."
"No..." She frowns. "More like a professional opera singer-"
"See that sign over there?" Bash asks, quickly cutting her off. "When we were at the bachelor party, I saw a marriage license office or whatever they're called in America beside it. It's still open until midnight."
Kenna starts to laugh, incredulous at what he's insinuating. "No... You couldn't be saying..."
He's dead serious. "I'm serious," Bash says firmly. "Dead arse. Like, even this champagne isn't enough to get me drunk so my ideas are sane. What do you say?"
Maybe it's the drink. Or maybe she's just fed up of all the whispers and disappointment that she's not married. Or maybe it's the fact that Bash is a wonderful choice.
She'll be independent. It's a marriage of convenience. She knows the sex is good, they slept together once after Lola and Julien's wedding six years ago - coincidentally, both were best man and maid of honour as they were at this wedding.
And his house in Paris... God, it's Heaven and she's only been there once to pick up some wedding favours he, Francis and the guys were sorting out so Mary could take a break from wedding planning.
"Let's do it," she whispers, grinning.
...
"Oh my God-"
"Did we just-"
"Get married?" Kenna breathes out, in shock before giggling. "At least we're in sync."
They're sitting together in front of the Elvis-filled chapel, on a bench and Kenna stares down at the cheap ring they bought after all the expensive shops were closed.
"I'll give you something better when we get back to France," he promises her. "A family heirloom, if you will." He winces down at his finger and removes the ring. "I think I'm allergic to something in this."
Kenna winces, taking his left hand onto her lap and massaging his ring finger. "Yep, that's making such a horrible rash."
"Take yours off in case. I wouldn't trust it," Bash suggests.
She does as told and they get up, hand-in-hand and head to the large fountain in front of the hotel. "Let's dump them."
After a count of three, they throw the rings into the water and watch as they sink to the bottom, next to each other. Kenna looks up at Bash and smiles widely, leaning her head into his shoulder as he presses a kiss on her forehead.
"We should return to the party before everyone notices that we're gone and starts making assumptions," Kenna says softly.
Bash snorts. "We just got married."
She laughs. "True. I still don't want anyone to suffer from heart failure."
"If we must..."
Kenna turns to him and kisses him softly. "Thank you."
"Thank you," he breathes out, kissing her.
They split up when they return to the hall where the wedding takes place. Kenna finding Mary and Bash finding his brothers and friends for a round of shots. As they engage in their conversations, the new newlyweds can't keep their eyes off each other and this doesn't go unnoticed.
"Ask her out," Francis finally says, exasperated.
Wouldn't you know, Bash cheekily thinks. "Nah. She's alright."
"But you're making googly eyes with her," Leith states.
"Just ask her out," Charles tells him. "What could go wrong?"
Bash chuckles. "Nothing," he tells the men. "Let me just do things my way, okay?"
"If you say so..." Julien trails off, his drink on his lips.
With the women, Mary glares at Kenna playfully.
"You had a chance to ask Bash out and you didn't take it!"
Kenna giggles loudly, gaining looks from a few guests. "Why are you so for this?"
"You're both single," Mary states.
Are we now? Kenna thinks, grinning stupidly.
"She's gone mad!" Lola cries out. "How much did you drink?"
Kenna pouts a little. "I had shots," she tells them. "And champagne... A little Scotch. Uh, three mocktails."
Greer chuckles. "You never could handle your drinks. But seriously, Mary's right."
"You and Bash could be compatible," Aylee tells her.
"You both did sleep together at my wedding," Lola adds. "You know how good he is in bed."
Kenna blushes. Now, I'll have forever to enjoy that. "I don't know... What if he's not the one?"
"Don't be ridiculous. It wouldn't hurt to have one date," Greer says. "Come on!"
"Yeah," Mary says. "Come on!"
Kenna feigns defeat. "Urgh. Fine."
She walks over to the men and they quickly cease their conversation, greeting her happily and offering her drinks. She declines their offers and turns to Bash, giving him a knowing look to which he nods, bowing his head and smiling to himself.
"I have an announcement to make, Francis," she says to the blonde. "Do you and Mary mind?"
Francis checks his watch. Past one in the morning. "Not at all. I don't think anyone would argue against another speech. The stage's yours."
After everyone's settled and quiet, eyes on her, Kenna taps the mic. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," is scattered across the room and she beams.
"I've had a little bit too much to drink," she starts, making her parents roll their eyes. "But I'm sober enough to tell you all how much Mary and Francis mean to me." Awes go around. "Mary and I have known each other since we were one and I've known Francis since we were five. I always knew they'd end up together, they're soulmates and I always told myself that I would find my own one day. Mary and Francis are amazing people and they're so amazing, they help me jump into the deep end and do things that scare me. Today, this early morning, they helped me do that without even intervening because I..." She finally eyes Bash and he nods. "I got married."
"What?!" Mary cries out.
"When?" Lola asks.
"Who?" Greer demands.
"Why?!" Aylee adds dramatically. She then turns to the women who eye her, amused. "I wanted to be a part of it."
Kenna giggles. "Everyone has been asking me when I'm tying the knot or who I'm with and I got fed up and decided to take over my life. by doing exactly what they want," she says, making everyone laugh. "But in my own fashion and craziness. I'm very... impulsive and I do things on a whim. I didn't take this decision easily and by the time it was done, I didn't feel regret. I felt hope. And my new husband is wonderful, he's everything I could ever want and I'm glad I've known him for twenty-three years." Everyone turns to Bash in shock. "Yes, I married Sebastian de Poitiers and all of you are wondering how you missed the signs or whatever. You didn't miss anything because we've not been conventional. We didn't date first and get engaged... We just jumped in the deep end. So, Mum, Dad - I'm married. What have you got to say to that?"
Her mother stands, still shocked at first before she smiles. "You better have that wedding we both dreamed of you having."
"Definitely," Kenna says, giggling.
"Well, I guess he is better than some random man from the street," her father mutters. "Welcome to the family then."
"I can't believe you... you had us thinking..." Francis is at a loss for words and so is his new wife to comes over to lightly smack Kenna.
"I can't believe you!"
Kenna laughs, accepting a hug soon after. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, you better be!" Mary says, sniffling. "Congratulations!"
Kenna bites her lip happily and looks at Bash who winks at her, surrounded by his own family who berates him for letting them miss out on such an important event in his life.
...
Two Years Later
Kenna winces in pain and when she gets up, she feels a rush of liquid release from her body. She stands there in slight disbelief and annoyance.
"Baby, you couldn't have waited until Mama was out of the office, surrounded by wires and all?" She asks, rubbing her bump. "Oh, well, time to go and find Papa to take us down to the hospital."
As she navigates her way around the large palatial home she's come to adore, she can't believe it all began with an Elvis-impersonated wedding in Vegas. She laughs at the incredulity of it all and heads into the informal living room to find Francis laying down on the L-shaped sofa with his four-month-old son in his arms and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter playing with his hair. His half-brother is in his favourite plush armchair, the men watching football on the TV.
"Sebastian?"
"What have I done now?" Bash teases her, not leaving his sight on the TV as their team start heading to the goal. "Come on, come on, come on."
"Shoot the ball!" Francis cries out.
Their team narrowly misses and the men curse in French before Bash quickly eyes his wife.
"I'm listening," he says.
"You better be," she says firmly which makes him falter.
"What did I do?"
"You left the toilet seat up," Francis whispers, chuckling when Bash throws a pillow at his head and the blonde catches it before it falls onto his sleeping baby.
Kenna tuts. "Nope. Just the fact that my waters have broken."
"What?!" The men cry out as their team scores.
"We missed the goal," Francis whispers, eyeing the TV.
"Sebastian!"
"I'll grab the hospital bag," Bash quickly says, jumping up from his seat to peck her cheek and head upstairs.
Kenna laughs, shaking her head. "Better hope this baby brings you guys luck."
Francis grins. "I'll call Mary and see if she can leave work earlier."
Kenna nods and heads to the foyer where she moves side to side, rubbing her baby bump, her ring sparkling in the sun rays that fight through the glass of the front door. His grandmother's ring.
"I can't wait to meet you, little one," she says softly. "Your papa is amazing. Your uncles and aunts are amazing. Your grandparents are all crazy, from both sides... But you have a sweet older cousin and one who is closer to your age. I think we'll be just fine, won't we?" She feels a kick and she bites her lip happily. "We will. I seriously can't believe your papa and I started off by getting married the day after your Aunt Mary and Uncle Francis with an Elvis impersonator."
Bash comes down with her hospital bag and smirks. "Let's just cross 'Elvis' out as an option right now, okay?"
Kenna laughs. "Definitely."
"Let's go have a baby."
Kenna nods happily and follows him outside, getting into the car when he opens the door for her. "How about 'Presley'?"
Bash raises his brows. "You're serious?"
"No!" She laughs. "I love you."
"I love you more."
Fin.