Got a girl with California eyes
And I thought that she could really be the one this time
But I never got the chance to make her mine
Because she fell in love with little thin white lines
London girl with an attitude
We never told no one but we look so cute
Both got way better things to do
But I always think about it when I'm riding through

Bad at Love- Halsey


Yusei stood at Bruno's side at the altar. He was solemn. He could barely pay attention to the ceremony and almost missed his cue to present the wedding bands. His eyes roamed the hall trying to catch at least a glimpse of the burgundy haired woman that plagued his mind. His encounter from last night was on replay in his mind ever since last night.


"I can't have children!"

"So, what? W-we can adopt or get a surrogate. There're other methods out there...w-we can consult with a professional-"

"S-stop trying to fix me!" Aki cried in between sobs.

"I-I'm sorry if I'm being insensitive it really isn't my intention."

"You see me as a problem to fix, don't you? Pity fills your eyes when you look at me."

"It's not pity you see. It's compassion, Aki. What happened to you? I mean something must've happened if you have so little faith in humanity."

Her tears seemed to slow down, and her hiccups and sobs were dwindling. She took a deep breath in to calm down.

"Do you really want to know why I'm so fucked up?"

"T-that's not what I meant."

"No, it's okay. You want to know. Fine. Maybe this time when I push you away you'll stay away."

"Nothing could possibly keep me away, Aki."

"You think that now." Aki mumbled.

Yusei tried to take her hand in his, but she snatched it away.

"When I was young, I fell in love. Madly, completely, and utterly in love. My boyfriend was the most popular boy in school, and he picked me, a social outcast. We became high school sweethearts and when I was of age we eloped. It didn't take obviously. As soon as I was legally his, my prince charming turned into a devastating monster. My love for him blinded me of the truth for so long. It began with short, small, but violent bursts of anger. Everything that happened was my fault and like the idiot that I was, I would beg him to forgive me. Over things that were obviously out of my control." Aki paused as she took a breath.

"You don't have to do this, Aki." Yusei took the opportunity to reassure her. She simply shook her head and continued.

"Then the emotional abuse began. All the sweet nothings he used to whisper became bitter and venomous insults. I still stayed, but I became afraid when he began to punch and throw things. I have a small scar above my left ankle from a glass cup that he threw near my feet. The final straw was when I was going down our apartment stairs and we were arguing. H-he tripped me...a-and I fell." Aki's voice began to tremble as her eyes grew distant.

"Aki it's okay to stop-"

"No! I-I must do this. I've never spoken about this to anyone. Even my parents pretend that the whole ordeal never happened, because it's easier than to talk about it."

"Then I'm all yours."

"W-when I woke up in the hospital he was there pretending to be a worried husband. He feigned innocence in front of the officers investigating the 'accident'. His acting was so perfect, and I witnessed it from front row seats. When I watched the officers leave empty handed even as I yelled at them that he was at fault...that he tripped me. That's when the veil finally lifted."

Aki stopped to wipe away her tears angrily.

"What we argued about that day...makes my story even sadder. I was pregnant, and we were arguing about keeping it. I wanted my baby so badly... I was so overjoyed when I found out that I didn't even think...it didn't register that he wouldn't feel the same way. He wanted me to abort and I was disgusted and utterly baffled by his response. I begged and pleaded with him and I think it made him angry that for once in my life I was standing up for what I wanted. He saw that as an act of rebellion and I needed to be taught a lesson."

"Aki-"

"The miracle was that I didn't lose my baby..." Aki's lower lip began to quiver as she spoke. Her voice began to crack, and he tears began anew.

Yusei reached out to comfort her, but Aki took another deep breath in and managed to get control of herself.

"I-I'm ok. After the officers left, he was angry, and he put his hands around my neck and I thought 'this is it. This is where I die. My baby I'm so sorry I couldn't give you a proper father...a loving family. I failed you.' I didn't die though, so later that night I gathered up my courage and risked everything to save my baby. I was naïve. I left the hospital and I climbed into the nearest taxi. I really believed we would be safe...finally. What I didn't know at the time was that he saw me. I also didn't know that he was filled with jealous rage and believed that the child I was carrying was not really his. He never really knew me. He thought I would be unfaithful to him, because I loved him too much to the point that he didn't believe I was sincere with my affection."

"Oh, Aki."

"I-I loved him too much. H-he saw me climb into that taxi and in a fit of rage he got into his car and followed us. The driver became afraid and his face will haunt me forever. He ran us off the road and into a nearby construction site. The driver died on impact and I was impaled by a metal rod through my...baby. My baby gave his life for mine." Tears streamed down her cheeks as her sobs overtook her.

"The second time I woke up at the hospital... I felt him or her gone and it was the worst feeling I ever felt. I was hysterical up to the point I was thrown into a psych ward for a few months. The man who caused me so much pain died in that accident, so I had nothing...nothing to live for. No revenge, no baby...nothing. I-I don't know how or where I found the will to live on...especially in such a short time span and numb on drugs. I suppose I always dreamed of weddings and I never got that, so I decided I wanted to live in that dream every day of my life even if it wasn't my own. I became a wedding planner and with the first few dozen weddings I did I managed to gather enough to buy my car and then a property I had my eye on and I began to work on restoring the garden." Aki gave him a tiny smile.

"As the garden grew and flourished so did I. I-I don't know for sure if I can have children, but the doctor was very clear on her diagnoses. I became too afraid to get close to anyone to even care to look for another opinion, but it's too painful either way. Now you know why I am the way I am." Aki stopped speaking and instead shifted her distant and sorrowful eyes back to her window.


"You may kiss the bride."

The outburst or claps and cheering snapped Yusei back from his flashback. He clapped along and followed behind the newlyweds. Watching Sherry and Bruno smiling and holding hands, he felt like he was watching a fairytale ending from the sidelines. As they stepped out of the ceremony venue, Jack pulled his elbow making him take a few steps back.

"What the hell man? Are you trying to die?"

Yusei realized that he had almost walked in front of the limo that Sherry and Bruno had just climbed into. He really was out of it. He could have sworn he was just up at the altar.

"Sorry." Yusei muttered.

"Come on man you have to snap out of it. You have Sherry and Bruno and basically everyone even more worried about you than before." Crow was on the other side of him.

"I'm-"

"Don't say that you're fine. Obviously, you are far from being fine." Kalin joined in.

The next thing he knew all his friends, except Sherry and Bruno who were en route to the reception venue, had gathered around him. He was in the middle of trying to give them an explanation of some sort, when he saw a glimpse of burgundy hair.

"E-excuse me. I'll see you guys at the reception." Yusei ignored their protests and followed the trail of burgundy hair.

He caught up to Aki in the parking lot. He stood admiring for a couple of seconds before getting her attention. Her dress was burgundy A-line skater dress with a boat neckline short sleeve dress. The front stopped right above the knee with the back slightly longer. He blamed hours of trying to find the perfect wedding dress cut for Sherry...that's how he knew how to describe her dress.

"Hey. Um you look beautiful."

"You? What are you doing here? You must go catch up to the wedding procession. You must be there to greet the bride and groom at the front of the venue. Go. Hurry." Aki pushed him lightly in the direction of his car.

"H-hey. Okay, ok I get it I'm going, but first-"

"Don't. Don't bring up anything." Aki let go of him and turned on her heel making her way back to her car.

"Wait." Yusei reached out and caught her wrist. Aki stopped, but kept her head lowered without glancing back at him.

"Y-you're going to be late. Just let me do my job. After tonight, I will be out of all of your lives just let me get through tonight." Aki whispered before taking her hand back and walking off.

Yusei could only watch as she climbed into her car and drove away.

"But I don't want you out of my life." Yusei whispered after her.

Yusei managed to make it before the limo Bruno and Sherry were in. Aki was busy placing everyone in their places. She barely paid any attention to him only to tell him where and how to stand.

"Perfect. The limo is two minutes out. As soon as they arrive, you all clap and wait for them to open the door before filing out by pairs starting with the last couple on the end and ending with the first facing the door. After that all the other guests will be showed in. Understood? Any questions?" Aki asked.

"No? Good." Aki spared them one final glance before nodding in content. She walked off towards the doors and placed herself out of sight.

True to her word the limo pulled up and the driver got off and opened the door for them. The couple climbed down, and everyone cheered and clapped. Aki waited as the couple walked through the parted crowd and once they got close enough, Aki opened the doors for them with her signature smile.

Before they entered, Sherry gave her a glare confusing Aki. She stood watching as the rest of the pairs walked in until Yusei was left. He spared her a glance before walking in. She slipped in after him and before the guests. She guided the guests to a wedding sign in book and to welcome table for their assigned tables. Once everyone was taken care of, she went into the venue and helped settle guests. She guided confused guests to their seats until everyone got the hang of it.

The rest of the night was a blur for her. She made her announcements, took care of alcohol deliveries, and even helped serve when a waiter went missing, turns out he had a fever and had to go home. She also made sure to give the DJ got his signals for all the dances and announcements she had given him beforehand. Now, she sat in the lavish bathroom her heels in her hands. She stared at her reflection in the fancy mirror.

She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place, her smile bright and white, but her eyes gave her away. Her cat eyes dull and empty. No matter how long she stared at the woman before her she could not for the life of her recognize the person staring back. A porcelain doll is what she was. The red, angry, cut stark against her heel was the only proof that she was a living, breathing human.

"So, you don't like what you see? Because from where I'm standing, I don't very much like it." A French accented voice broke her trance.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Aki asked as she turned towards the blonde.

"You bet. See I don't know what you think you're doing with my friend, but I don't appreciate how you've turned his whole world upside down. You have him all messed up and that is all your fault, so what do you plan to do, hmm? It is your responsibility, cher." Sherry said angrily.

"If you didn't want me here then you should have fired me." Aki responded.

"I wanted to, but Yusei stood up for you. You can't even give him the time of day. Do you know what he sacrificed for you?"

"That was something I never asked for."

"You don't get it!" Sherry slammed her fist against the sink.

"Get what?"

"That when someone loves you as much as that man does, you don't have to ask for anything you just do. You do whatever is in your power to make the other person you love everything they need even if you don't ask for." Sherry explained.

"You know what you aren't even worth it, Aki. He practically gave up his inheritance and company for you."

"I-I didn't know..." Aki trailed off.

"He's given up everything and you...you just stand there watching like an idiot! You're telling me that you can't even give it a try. You're a shame to your own legacy. A fighter, a warrior, a successful businesswoman my arse." Sherry yelled at her before leaving her alone again.

Aki stood in silence. She looked at her reflection again and realized the thing bothering her about herself was what she worked so hard to build up. The mask and façade she wore and the walls she placed around her bottled up emotions and now there was a kink. The persona of a successful businesswoman was too much work to keep up every single minute of every single day.

She put her heels back on and placed her smile back in place. She still had a job to do and that was to do a sendoff after the bouquet throw, which should have been done by now. Aki walked out of the bathroom and quickly covered her face to shield herself from the onslaught of women. She thought she would be tackled down, but before she was, she felt a strong pull on her elbow sending her straight into someone's chest and behind protective arms.

"Woah. I didn't realize women were this crazy over a bunch of wilted flowers." Yusei's voice vibrated into her back.

"T-thanks."

"Looks like we missed your chance of catching them, sorry."

"I'm not interested in a bunch of squished flowers. I prefer not to be squished by a bunch of women." Aki responded.

Yusei gave her a small squeeze before letting go of her and stepping back, letting her go.

"I-I have to go let the DJ know to make the announcement of their departure, so we can give them a proper sendoff." Aki said.

"Thanks again for the save."

"Anytime Aki."


Aki waved as the last of the guests left. She took her heels off again and sighed in relief. She went back into the venue to help the cleanup crew. All the tables were cleared off and the floors were already swept. The DJ was almost done packing up his things. The caterers and the baker were already done breaking down their stations and all that was really left to do was to pack up the chairs and tables.

She began to stack chairs in their respective corners. When she finished she realized the room was empty and she was alone. She looked around and realized everything was taken care of except the tables and some mopping.

"Hey, Aki I was told you needed me." Yusei said as he walked in.

"Um no not me." Aki shook her head confused.

"The cleanup crew was only hired for an hour and that hour is up, so Carly told me you asked for me. That you needed help with some tables?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't ask for help."

"Well, I'm here now."

Yusei began to flip the tables over and Aki pushed the legs in. They both carried the tables up against the walls. Between the two, they finished in no time. Aki pulled a mop and a bucket out of a closet.

"I'll fill that with water."

"Thanks."

Aki waited for him to get back. When he did, she poured some floor cleaner into it and dipped the mop into the bucket. She crouched down to squeeze out the excess water. She straightened up and realized Yusei had been staring at her backside with lust filled eyes. She cleared her throat before starting to mop.

"You can go home now. I can close up."

"Nope I'll go check that all the other doors are locked."

"Fine."

Aki continued to mop until the water in her bucket was practically mud and the floor was whiter than before. She wiped her brow exhausted. When she went to go to the bucket she saw Yusei walking away with it.

"I'll go dump this out and then we can go."

Aki put the mop away and when Yusei returned with the empty bucket, she closed the closet door. She smiled satisfied with her work.

"Another perfect wedding." Aki grinned.

"So, when I went to dump out the dirty water out the back...the door wouldn't open from the inside." Yusei began.

"What? Maybe you didn't unlock it?"

"I'm pretty sure I did."

Aki frowned and went to the main entrance doors, but as she pushed the door didn't budge. She tried to pull it in next, but it didn't budge, which she didn't expect to anyways.

"Are all the other doors like this?"

"Yeah."

"Great just perfect. We've been locked in and my phone died a while ago. What about yours?"

"Sorry, left mine in the car."

Aki sighed.

"I guess this is a good time as any to talk." Aki relented.

"I'm tired of talking." Yusei said before pulling her into his chest and kissing her.

Aki gasped letting Yusei enter her mouth. Aki put her hands against his chest and tried to push him away, but Yusei wasn't having it. He kept kissing her deeply until Aki gave in. She stopped struggling and instead wrapped her arms around his neck and got on her tiptoes to press herself closer into him. Yusei moved his hands to support her waist. Yusei didn't want to part from her, but after the need of oxygen became too much, they finally parted. However, instead of running away from Yusei, Aki stayed in his arms unmoving.

"Aki?"

"I-I'm afraid...b-but I want to..." Aki trailed off looking away for a second before looking back at him vulnerability clear in her eyes.

"Y-you w-wouldn't hurt me on purpose, would you? Y-you're different, right?" Aki whispered.

"Aki, I would never harm you. You don't deserve to punish yourself. Your only mistake was falling in love with the wrong person."

"Who's to say I haven't repeated the same mistake twice already?

Before Yusei could ask what, she meant, she was pressing her lips against his again. Her timid kiss caught him by surprise and Aki nervously began to move away, but Yusei leaned in and deepened their kiss. Their kiss became more heated and passionate. Yusei backed her up against the nearest wall and slid a hand down to her exposed thigh. Their kisses became fervent and Aki moaned between their nips and kisses. Aki began to tug at Yusei's suit jacket, so he shrugged it off. Aki wasn't satisfied with his long-sleeved shirt so she groaned in protest making Yusei chuckle.

"Patience." He whispered near her ear making her shiver.

He untied his tie with steady fingers as Aki began to unbutton his shirt with her feverish and trembling fingers. They accidentally bumped heads and Aki was struggling with Yusei's buttons. Yusei sighed and took her hands in his. Aki looked up at him unasked questions clear on her face.

"Not like this." Yusei shook his head.

"W-what? A-am I not what you want after all?"

"N-no of course not. I want you, lord knows, I want all of you, but not like this. Not our first time." Yusei explained.

Yusei caressed her cheek softly. Aki leaned into his touch and closed her eyes feeling at peace within that moment in time.

"I don't want this to end." Aki confessed.

"It won't as long as you allow me to stay by your side." Yusei responded.

"I-I don't know how this happened, b-but...I-I... l-love...you." Aki mumbled.

Yusei smiled.

"I know."

"You suck." Aki playfully slapped his arm.

Yusei chuckled. Happy to see her smile.

"I love you." He said.

"I know." Aki copied.

"Now who's being the smartass?" Yusei grumbled pretending to be offended.

Aki was about to respond when the front door suddenly opened. They stepped away from each other as they watched another couple enter the venue.

"Miss Aki?"

"Carly is that you?"

"I saw your car still parked outside and I got worried." Carly explained.

"Don't let the door close!" Aki called out.

Jack who was right behind his wife quickly turned around and caught the door before closing. It was comical watching a grown man in a suit run like a child and do a weird back bendy movement to stop a door from closing. Aki laughed, and everyone froze. Jack looked at her like she was a weird bug or something and Carly was genuinely shocked. Mouth open and everything. Yusei simply placed her hand in hers and squeezed it lightly.

"Aki? Y-you and Y-yusei...too much...cuteness!" Carly squealed.

"Finally." Jack grumbled before rolling his eyes.

Aki blushed unsure of what to say.

"I hate to interrupt this moment, but I kind of want to go home now and I'm going to let this door go soon." Jack spoke up.

"Oh, and since I'm stuck here for the moment, can someone please bring my wife over here I think she's frozen again." Jack sighed.

Aki and Yusei nodded and between the two guided her towards the door. Aki switched off the lights and Jack was finally able to let go of the door. Jack took his still frozen wife and bid farewell before going his way. Yusei took Aki's hand and they made their way to their cars.

"I see you parked next to me." Yusei began.

"Yeah, well you're pretty insistent about walking me to my car all the time, so I figured make it easier." Aki explained the tips of her ears bright red.

"So, what now?" Yusei asked.

"Meet me tomorrow at my garden 9 am sharp. Don't be late." Aki gave him her biggest Cheshire cat grin making him suspicious. However, before he could accuse her of anything, she leaned in and gave him a peck on his lips before climbing into her car.

TBC...


So, the next chapter will be the epilogue. Also, I'm going to be on a mini vacay and might not be able to update for a month, so that's why the update was so fast. Love you guys!

-MMXX