Monthly Bonus #2 - Ava's Valentines Scenario Special

The hall was already buzzing with chatter, everyone excited for the ceremony, especially with the hall looking spectacular dressed in an explosion of flowers and ribbons. But when five minutes passed after the ceremony was supposed to begin, the excited wave of chatter began turning into a confused wash of mutterings.

It’s now been fifteen minutes, and a full-blown panic is about to ensue.

My mind has been entirely distracted by how well Ava looks in her sleek, grey-silver dress and suit ensemble—still in disbelief that she actually agreed to be my plus one—that I barely notice anything is amiss until Tina jabs me with her elbow.

“Ouch.” I force my eyes away from Ava and shift my focus to her. “What?”

“Do you want to go check on Mila?” she whispers, leaning in towards me while keeping a faux-calm smile fixed in place.

I frown. “Why?”

Tina huffs. “Because she’s not here getting married like she’s supposed to be.”

I blink and snap my gaze about the hall, finally taking in the tense ambience and confused groom fidgeting at the end of the hall.

“You believe something untoward has happened to her?” Ava asks, her chair creaking as she angles in towards our hushed conversation. She leans slightly in front of me, and my attention is once again distracted by how good she smells.

Like the gentle morning waves of the sea and the kiss of its chill but refreshing breeze.

My eyes fall closed as I get lost in her.

“[Name]. Focus,” Tina murmurs.

I clear my throat. “Right. Sorry.”

I ignore the small, pleased smile that seeps across Ava’s lips before I get distracted again.

“Considering the amount of times something…unusual follows you two, I wouldn’t be surprised if something untoward has happened, yeah,” Tina replies to her original query.

I glance at Ava. My stomach sinks, thinking the couple’s big day might be ruined by some supernatural trying to get to me once again.

“We’ll go check,” I mutter, trying to keep my voice lowered beneath the anxious mutterings of the rest of the crowd.

Ava and I stand and shuffle out of the row of chairs before heading from the hall at the back.

There are only a few rooms off the main area, usually used for storage or offices, but today have been converted into makeshift dressing rooms for the couple.

Ava eyes me warily, and I pat at my clothing where I have a Volt gun concealed beneath to let her know I’m prepared. Silently, we move down the corridor, finding nothing but discarded confetti and garlands of bunting.

That is until the sobbing starts.

It echoes down the hall like the muffled cries of a banshee, and we draw to a stop outside of the bride’s room.

Ava grabs the handle, and I grab her wrist to stop her.

Shaking my head, she withdraws, and I knock on the door instead.

“Mila?” I call. “Is, uh, everything alright?”

The door snaps open.

We both flinch back at the unexpected motion, as well as the teary-eyed bride on the other side, blowing her nose into a piece of ragged tissue.

“Come in. Quick,” she hisses.

We do so.

She slams the door behind us and immediately begins pacing the room—which I assume she’s doing for a while considering there’s a definite path walked through the heaps of clothing and bags.

I look at Ava.

Ava looks at me.

I shrug at her, and we both wait for her to speak.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” Mila eventually mutters.

I tense. Oh no. I really, really don’t want to be the one dealing with this.

I eye the door and the exit it offers from what’s going to be a life-altering conversation I seriously don’t want to be part of.

“It’s marriage, you know?” she continues, sniffling around the words, glancing at us as she throws her hands up. “It’s forever!”

I open my mouth to utter some kind of reply when Ava gets there first.

“Some people would give anything to spend forever with the person they love,” she says.

The statement halts both Mila and me in our tracks.

“What?” Mila asks with a frown.

“We have a vehicle parked outside. Come with us, and we will take you away from this. If it’s truly what you want.” Ava offers a hand out towards the bride. “No wedding. No marriage. No…”

“Jake,” I whisper to her when she fumbles for the groom’s name.

“No Jake,” Ava finishes.

Mila’s breath catches. “No Jake?”

“No forever.” Ava reaches closer to her. “Is that not what you want?”

A hushed, tense quiet falls over the room. My gaze flits between Ava and Mila, Mila and Ava, waiting for someone to break the stalemate.

Finally, Mila’s teary eyes glimmer as she smiles at Ava. “Thank you.”

Ava nods at her, letting her hand fall back to her side.

“We’ll wait for you in the hall,” I say with a tight smile.

She fluffs out the skirt of her wedding gown, the beads sparkling in the sun filtering through the square windows. “I’ll be right there.”

Out in the hallway, after closing the door, I release my tension through a chuckled breath.

“Who knew you’d be the perfect person for this kind of thing?” I comment.

“She is in love. It was not difficult to remind her of the fact,” Ava states.

“How did you know?”

“I could see in her eyes what she feels for him.” She looks at me, holding my gaze. “And I know how it feels to think you’ll be taken from someone you love so deeply forever.”

She continues down the hall, and I watch her go, stunned in place as I process her words.

Sometimes, I think I know Ava so well, and yet…she can still leave me speechless.

…Something I hope she’ll be doing for the rest of our lives.