i told you so
Caitlyn went back to her bridal suite. She retouched her make up, her hair, and she took a deep breath. She gathered herself and shrugged off everything that just happened. She looked at her reflection and saw the glistening of the gem on her neck. She ran her fingers through it once again, before fixing it in the middle.
After fixing herself and taking a few minutes to breathe, her best friends, Jayce and Mel entered the room, their faces showed sympathy and sadness, Jayce’s also carrying a sorry look.
“Honey, you’re still going through this?” Mel asked worriedly.
Caitlyn sighed and held back her tears. No more tears, she thought. “Yes, Mel.”
“I’m so sorry, sprout,” Jayce said. “I thought maybe—“
“You don’t have to explain, Jayce. It was actually quite good. It was uh—,” Caitlyn can’t seem to find the right words to describe what happened, it was exhausting, draining, absolutely fucking crazy,she didn’t know what to say but she settled with: “It was a closure. It felt like it.”
It didn’t feel like it.
It felt like the unattended wound was cut open from skin to bone, it’s like her heart was ripped from her being and dissected in front of her- that’s what it felt like. It was ripped open a lot more than it is closed.
You could see on Mel and Jayce’s faces the hesitation for what Caitlyn said. She suddenly wondered if they heard any of the girls’ conversation inside the room.
Her friends weren’t convinced, but they’re not about to ruin this day a lot more than it already is. So, they let it go.
“Okay, then, let’s get you married, yeah?” Mel said and forced a bright smile. Jayce did, too.
-
“You ready?” Cait’s father asked her as he held out his arm for her daughter to cling onto. Cait quickly clung onto her dad and smiled.
“Ready.”
The music started playing, an orchestra of a love song beautifully played by a live band. Caitlyn could not stop looking around the place.
From where she was standing, she could see the hotel behind her, the parking lot, and the rest of the beautiful garden. She could not see the guests, nor her future husband, due to the curtain in front of her. She’s under a arch covered with flowers and the only thing separating her from the party is a piece of cloth.
“You seem anxious, Caity. Relax,” Tobias said, he tried to initiate a conversation to stop Caitlyn from spiraling, “That’s such a beautiful necklace, is that your something blue?”
Too bad that his question made Caitlyn question everything a lot more. She started to become more anxious, she fidgeted the bouquet of flowers in her hand, she’s so consumed by her anxiety that you could even see that she’s tapping her foot rapidly despite her big gown covering it.
“Caity. Calm down, darling,” Her mother said from her left. Caitlyn let out a breath and clung onto her mother. She have her father on her right, her mother on her left, she decided that she wants both her parents walking her down the aisle.
“Ready when you are, Ms. Kiramman.” The coordinator said.
“Let’s do this.” Caitlyn answered, she removed her arms from her parents and stood tall. Her parents stood beside her, with her father holding her in the waist.
When the curtains opened, everybody rose from their seats, she could see her future husband at the front, crying. Her friends at the side, even Ekko and Viktor were there. They were all smiling, clapping, some holding back their tears, and some letting it out.
She saw the smiles from her fiancé’s parents. The excitement from both of their families. She saw him, the one she claimed she wanted. She looked around, and somehow, her eyes went to the parking lot.
She saw a red truck, Vi’s.
She shrugged it off. She’s leaving. It’s Vi’s turn to leave and Cait will let it because she’s having the time of her life getting married.
When they arrived at the ‘altar’, her parents gave her a kiss. Her fiancé took her hand and smiled at her, he gave her hand a kiss and guided Cait to his parents. Caitlyn took a hug from his parents and she gave them a smile afterwards. Him and Caitlyn finally went in the middle with their officiant in between them.
The ceremony started. Caitlyn really couldn’t give a fuck. She couldn’t understand and process everything that’s being said and done, her mind being flooded by thoughts she’d really like to push down for now. She’s thinking about what happened in the room, rethinking her choices, rethinking the wedding- the wedding she’s in right now, she’s thinking about Vi, she’s thinking about if it was Vi in front of her she wouldn’t have these thoughts.
Caitlyn’s mind was elsewhere that she didn’t even realize that the ceremony is nearing its end, her attention was captured by the officiant when her name was called, to her shock, it was already time for their vows,
“Caitlyn, repeat after me,” the officiant said, Caitlyn nodded, “I, Caitlyn,”
“I, Caitlyn,”
“Take you, to be my lawfully wedded husband,”
“Take you, to be my lawfully wedded husband,”
“To have and to hold, from this day forward,”
Cait started to get something stuck to her throat, every word started to become heavy, harder to say each time, but she pushed through, and repeated, “To have and to hold, from this day forward,”
“For better or for worse,”
“This is the worse thing that could happen! Why would it rain the moment we’re at the beach?!” Vi groaned, “Man, I really wanted to show you how beautiful Zaun is.”
Cait took Vi’s hand and ran to the beach getting soaking wet from the rain. She then said, “It’s beautiful. You’re here. It’s not bad. Everything’s much better as long as you’re here.”
Caitlyn’s eyes started to build up tears again from the memories flashing in her mind, “For better or for worse,”
“For sickness and in health,”
“Cupcake, you’re sick. Please, rest,” Vi said and tried to stop Caitlyn from working.
“Nooo, I’m almost done.” Cait answered and sneezed. Vi immediately went to her and held her.
“Cait, you’re burning. Let’s get you to bed, okay? Finish that up after you get some rest, please.”
Caitlyn cleared her throat, she repeated, “For sickness and in health,”
“To love and to cherish,”
Caitlyn saw a silhouette at the elevated lot. She’s there, at the side of her truck. It’s far away but she knows it’s Vi. She didn’t leave. Caitlyn blinked her tears away, cleared her mind, and looked again to confirm she wasn’t hallucinating, and Vi? Vi was still there.
The love of her life is watching her get married. For some reason, this is the first time Caitlyn realizes that it’s not Vi in front of her, that tomorrow, she’ll wake up next to this guy and she’ll be nothing more than his wife. Caitlyn suddenly remembers that day where Vi had told her she’d give her the necklace and promised her marriage. She wants that.
“Cait.” He said and squeezed her hand.
She looked up to his eyes, she looked around, she looked at the crowd, her friends, her parents, all looking up to her confused.
The officiant cleared his throat and repeated, “To love and to cherish,”
She looked at her mom, trying to tell her using her eyes that, this is not what I want.She looked at her parents as if she wanted them to stop this and let her go.
She looked at her friends, do something.
Someone, do something.Because she couldn’t do it. She can’t break his heart, and she can’t embarrass their families. She looked towards the lot again, she’s still there.
Cassandra followed Caitlyn’s eyes, and she saw it. She saw the pain in her daughter’s eyes, the longing, the wanting in her eyes. Tobias squeezed her hand.
Caitlyn looked back again at her parents, especially her mother, who mouthed, “Go.”
Caitlyn smiled, tears started rushing down her cheeks, she mouthed back, “Thank you.”
She looked at her fiancé, he’s still looking at her all confused and worried, she said, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
She stood up from the altar, she heard a collective gasp from the crowd, but she ignored it— she stood and looked at the parking lot, she then ran towards it as fast as she could, with one hand gripping the necklace, one hand holding her dress. She ran fast and she called for her love’s name, “Violet!”
Vi got the hint. She jumped over the fence and ran towards Caitlyn to catch her. Cait could feel all the eyes glaring towards them, the confusion, anger, and utter shock in their glares, Cait could feel it without even looking at them- and for the first time in her life, she did not care. Vi was running towards her and she did not leave. She stayed for Caitlyn, maybe knowing she’ll run away, or maybe getting comforted by the fact that the wedding would be the perfect closure. Caitlyn did not care which is which. All she cared about is Vi.
As they’re finally in front of each other, they looked each other in the eye, Vi cupped Caitlyn’s cheek and the woman rested her head at the comfort of Vi’s hand, Cait held her hand and squeezed it. Caitlyn was trying so hard to catch her breath, and Vi uttered the words,
”You’ve grown a bit predictable-“
Before Vi could even finish, she held Vi’s face and pulled her in for a kiss. How’s that for predictable?
In front of a hundred people, on the day she was supposed to get married to someone else, she kissed her. Passionately, with love and gentleness. Vi relaxed into the kiss and kissed Caitlyn back, she put her hands onto Caitlyn’s waist and held her near.
Caitlyn could hear their friends, Mel, Jayce, Viktor, and Ekko, clapping and whistling. One of them screaming, ‘Finally!’
Caitlyn pulled back, gave Vi a smile. She looked around, seeing confused and disgusted faces in the crowd. Then she saw their friends, cheering for them, and suddenly all her worries and fears are gone. Caitlyn gave them a smile, she looked back at Vi and threw her arms around the woman’s neck and pulled her in for another kiss.
Vi giggled when they stopped kissing to catch their breaths, “You sure about this, Cupcake?”
“I can’t really go back and regret this now, can I?” Caitlyn jokingly said, she caressed Vi’s cheek and added, “I would have stop the world to stop this feeling, so, yeah, I’m sure, Violet.”
Vi smiled, she then pulled Caitlyn and helped her to jump up the elevated lot and through the fence to reach her truck. When they entered the car, Cait could see the guests starting to leave, and she could see the parents’ of the guy she was going to marry near her parents, probably screaming at them about what the fuck had just happened.
“You could go back.” Vi said.
Cait immediately shook her head, “No, I want this. This is what I wanted. You, us. This is what I want. I don’t care anymore, Vi. I just want you.”
Vi smiled and said,
“I told you so.”
Vi started the engine and they went off. Hand in hand, smiling. Caitlyn was supposed to promise a life with someone today, and in a way, she did. She promised her life to Vi. From this day forward, she’ll be nothing more than Vi’s, and she did not care. She’s glad she’s going to spend her life with this woman.
She finally chose something for herself. She’s finally doing something she wants. And she’s finally leaving. She left before, but this time?
Caitlyn would not stop, think, or falter. She would not look back. Only forward, only wherever the roads take her and Violet.