AN:Thanks guys for the support and wonderful reviews, I totally appreciate it. Sorry for the long wait guys! My college break is over now , it's been a bit chaotic but I've managed to get some time to put this chapter together. Also I was trying to really put down to paper my imagination for this whole chapter, hope it worked out. I got carried away a little in this one but well, it comes with being the writer I suppose lol :P Hope you enjoy this second from last bit! Forgive the mistakes and typos, I had little time to thoroughly go through everything, I'll need a beta for my next story I guess.
For interest's sake the songs I used in this chapter are When A Woman Loves A Man by Westlife and Sajna by Michael Bolton&AR Rahman. I googled the meaning of "Sajna" it's a Hindu word meaning "Beloved"
A cool late afternoon breeze blew across the open space surrounding the lush and exotic gardens. It was just two hours before the sunset and there was a beautiful glow to the day. Rows of white satin draped chairs adorned with blue bows lined the neatly trimmed lawn and were separated by an aisle graced with a red carpet. There was a serene atmosphere that surrounded the wedding venue, giving it a sense of peaceful intimacy. The few guests had already gathered and they waited with anticipation for the bride to arrive. The groom and his best man had already arrived and everyone couldn't stop staring at the tall, striking man who stood at the end of the altar waiting for his bride.
"You okay ninja?" Maslow asked Raizo who looked unusually nervous and edgy.
"Yes" Raizo replied his best man with a hint of a smile despite the nervousness that he felt. He was not afraid of getting married to Mika, no, in fact he couldn't wait to declare his love for her in front of everyone and be tied to her for life. He was just afraid of getting too overwhelmed and getting lost in the moment that he would end up tongue tied and get everything wrong in front of all these witnesses. Being the center of attention was not something Raizo was used to and the idea of all eyes on him was a bit unsettling, however it was something he could not avoid, especially today.
After their return from Italy they both decided it was time to meet Mika's family before they progressed with their wedding plans. They had flown to the United States, and this time they had taken Henriech with them, it was partly to spoil him and mostly to make him get used to the idea of being with both of them as a family. He still had Marlene but both Mika and Raizo had decided they also wanted to play an active role in his life, and if Marlene was willing, to share him with them.
Raizo had been afraid of what the Corettis would think of him, provided that they had never met him and he was also going to marry their only daughter. Mika had rarely discussed her family with Raizo, after much of what they had been though there was really no time to fully go into family talk over drinks. It was during their stay in Italy that Mika had fully opened up about her family, mostly her parents and told him all he needed to know, giving him another insight into his future wife's life.
However the Corettis had been quite a surprise to Raizo. Just like their daughter, they were warm, compassionate and open minded people; they treated him with so much respect and adoration. He knew that their daughter's happiness mattered so much to them and it included him too. He could tell where Mika had gotten her nurturing personality; it was from Renato Coretti, her father, the marine biologist. He was a calm, reserved and objective man and was still as much in love with his wife Charmaine, Mika's mother. Charmaine was a feisty Caribbean woman who had no doubt played a hand in Mika's headstrong character, both Charmaine and Renato had made it clear in their actions and words that Raizo was welcome to their daughter. They were more than thrilled when Mika announced that she and Raizo intended to get married here. Charmaine also being a pediatrician was already doting on Henriech who basked in all the glory and attention he was getting.
Raizo, who had never really known his own family, finally came to understand that the concept of family was more than just a blood relationship. It was a feeling of togetherness and support, family meant so many things, and the main thing that cemented this unity was love. Love cut through all the invisible boundaries that seemed to be set for people, including race, color and many other differences and it all bonded into one. It was the reason why they were all here today, and there was no other better reason than that.
The guest's low chattering was suddenly drowned by the sound of a soft tune that began to play. There was a timely hush as everyone became aware of the fact that the bride had arrived.
"Are you okay carra?" Renato asked his daughter just before their slow march down the aisle began.
"Si, daddy, just wedding blues" Mika gave him a reassuring smile.
"You look so beautiful, we're so proud of you" Renato said in his calm voice and hugged his daughter.
"Let's do this!" Mika squawked while her cousin Bianca, who was her maid of honor, fussed over her dress for the last time. The soft melody began to play as Mika set her feet on the carpet. She had specifically chosen that as her marching song, and it really resounded inside her.
When the stars are in her eyes
And the sun is in her smile
The only moment in her life
This happens the same time
Is when a woman loves a man…..
Her eyes were quick to find her soon to be husband's, his face immediately lit up when he saw her and the amazed look on his face was something she could never forget for a very long time.
She'll be a mother and a child
Sacrifice her days and nights
And no other will exist
She'll put her life in every kiss
When a woman loves a man
There was a murmur of approval from the guests as Mika slowly walked down the aisle past each row. Her dress was really demanding its own fair share of attention. It had always been her dream to walk down the aisle in a Vera Wang creation and that dream had somehow come true. She was in a long white strapless dress adorned with a light blue bow under the bust and the rest flowed down showing her generous curves and then widened into frothy organza ruffles that swept the carpet.
And you'll be amazed at when you're stumbling
She'll fight for you
And won't let you give in
She'll do all that she can
When a woman loves a man.
Raizo couldn't take his eyes off Mika, she had always been lovely and now she just looked like an angel as she made every step towards him with a hint of a smile on her face. Her hair had been pulled back into an elegant chignon with the front part sweeping sensuously down her forehead, making her look so breathtakingly gorgeous. She had an extra glow to her that somehow wrapped around him and gave him such a warm feeling and it dawned to him that there was nothing to worry about. Even if he got his lines wrong or stuttered through the whole ceremony she would still be his and it would never make a difference in any way.
A soothing breeze always blows
Somebody understands another soul
It's like the planets have aligned
Every sentence has a rhyme
When a woman loves a man
Oh, you'll be amazed how when
You're needing it
She'll fight for you
From the beginning to the end
And she'll do all that she can
When a woman loves a man
Mika gave Raizo a smug look as they approached him; she had endlessly teased him about never wearing a tuxedo before but it seemed he had done justice to it. He looked so dashing and simply scrumptious in his newly cropped hair, again another surprise for her. She was totally sure that the women among the guests couldn't get enough glances of her man and the thought somehow made her feel fiercer.
It's the greatest gift of all
Knowing that unconditionally
She'll catch you when you fall
She'll be your air,
She'll bring you life
She'll make me sacrifice
When a woman loves a man
Raizo looked down at Mika as Renato handed her over to him as the tradition was. He could see she was just as happy as he was. They partly listened to the minister's opening lines and partly got lost into each other's eyes. He had made her promise not to cry the day before but he could already see the glistening of tears from the corners of her eyes. The minister turned to focus his attention on them and made them say their vows to each other.
"Raizo, you're the love of my life, my best friend, my protector. Today I give myself to you, I promise to love you, to honor you, to stand by you, to comfort you, to inspire you. I believe that somehow meeting you was destiny, through it all, I've found in you a partner for life. In my eyes you'll always shine and I'll love you as we both shall live"
"Mika, before you, my life was empty; you came into my life at a time when I needed you the most. You saw in me the goodness and beauty that I never saw in myself. You believed in me when no one else did and you stood by me still. You made me believe, that every moment of my life, every breath I've ever taken; every step I took, has led to this, to you. You set my heart on fire, and it's a fire that will always burn for you. For this I am grateful and I love you so much, I'll always love you"
There was the distinctive sound of noses being blown throughout their vows and the unmistakable clapping of hands and throat clearing as the newly pronounced husband and wife exchanged a lengthy kiss to seal their vows. Mika had stars in her eyes and could hardly see anything around her as they made their way down the aisle, now as husband and wife.
When you smile, I smile with you,
When you cry, I feel it too,
You are my soul, my heart coming out to you,
Be my eyes when I can't see,
Be my voice when I can't speak,
Be my life when darkness creeps on me,
"See, you're not so bad, you just follow where the music leads you" Mika said encouragingly to her husband while they partook in their first bride and groom dance with everyone watching. Raizo had repeatedly voiced that he couldn't dance but Mika was not letting him get away with it. It was their first dance ever and it really meant so much to her aside from the fact that it was tradition.
Sajna sajna sajna re,
A ja sajna sajna sajna re
Sajna sajna sajna re
A ja sajna sajna sajna re
"As long as I have my wife with me, I can do anything" Raizo in a satisfied tone that made her grin.
"I can't believe I've just signed up to this, you!" Mika joked with a mock grimace on her face.
"Should I convince you again?" A teasing note crept into Raizo's voice.
"Hmmm maybe" Mika said with a smile. Raizo took her face in his hands and gave her such tender kiss that made her forget for a while that there were people watching them.
"Raizo!" Mika exclaimed with a blush after they drew apart. He was laughing at her, he knew he always surprised her sometimes and that made him feel a little invincible.
Throw the stars that shine so bright,
Cross the sky and cross the night,
Making ways to be right by your side
Hold me close don't let me go
Hold me tight don't you say no
Save the love we have for ever more
Ho, sajna sajna sajna re,
A ja sajna sajna sajna re
Sajna sajna sajna re
A ja sajna sajna sajna re.
The rest of the song played as they danced together teasing each other and exchanging snarky jokes. And they both couldn't hide the anticipation that they had towards their upcoming honeymoon to Bangkok in Thailand; Mika couldn't hide the excitement she had.
'Maybe we should just take globe-trotting as a hobby you know" she suggested with a smile already remembering their recent trip to Italy.
"I'll take you anywhere you want sarang" Raizo replied confidence.
"Really?" she widened her eyes; the prospect of travelling to distant places with her husband was such an intriguing one.
"We could take an extended honeymoon if you like, and get to see places together before we come back to our home"
"You're so sweet Rai"
"That, Mika Guilliana Coretti is what you've just signed up for" Raizo reminded her with a smirk.
Soon the slow music and all the slow dances changed into loud and catchy Caribbean music and everyone took to the floor to dance as individuals and as pairs. Gown and all Mika danced gracefully with her cousins to a Kat De Luna track. She caught glimpse of the ladies who danced closer to Raizo so they could each have a turn at dancing with him and he now seemed to be having fun because he never ran out of partners. She winked at him with a grin as one of his partners was teaching him how to dance to the songs and he looked a little rattled trying to learn the moves. She spotted Ryan too, he seemed to be besotted with one of the lady guests and was trying to impress with his sly dance moves which came out a little ridiculous but the lady seemed to be enduring.
It was what Mika had always dreamed of, not only to have a wedding, but to have it with her soul mate. Some only got the wedding but never the soul mate but she had gotten the full package and it was all she could ask for.
"Ready, babe?" Mika asked her husband after they had just said their thank yous and goodbyes to their guests and got ready to drive to the airport.
"I've been waiting for you all my life Mika; I'm ready for anything, with you" Raizo took her hand in his then Ryan, Marlene, Henri, Charmaine and Renato joined them for another farewell scene.
"Thank you babe" Mika murmured to Raizo whilst they drove to the JF Kennedy airport. For an answer Raizo took her hand with his free one and held it all the way.