Chapter 35

        “So Care-bear, is this how you pictured your wedding to be?” Stacie asked as she walked up behind Caryss and wrapped her arms around her waist.  The ceremony had ended three hours ago and the reception was in full swing.  All the guests were gathered in the spacious yard of the castle-house and seemed to be having a wonderful time. 

        A dance floor had been built in the middle of the yard and tables and chairs were placed around it.  An open ceiling had been constructed using strings of lights, flowers, and ribbons, and now, as the sun was beginning to set, the full beauty of the illumination above the guests’ head was finally starting to come through. 

        Caryss looked around her, taking in all the friends and family, the people having fun on the dance floor, the beautifully decorated yard, and anything else she could possibly commit to memory at that moment before replying to her friend’s question.  She knew this was exactly what she wanted, and she knew she would not have planned it any differently. 

        “Stacie, I think you may have actually done a better job than I would have,” she replied with complete sincerity as she turned around to face her friend.  “This entire thing was, is, extraordinary and unforgettable and I don’t think I will ever be able to thank you and Liz enough.  I love you Stacie.”  She hugged her friend tightly as the tears that had been glistening in her eyes a moment ago trickled down her cheeks.   

        The two ladies released each other and Caryss looked around in search of her groom. 

        “I haven’t seen Nick in a while, have you?” Caryss asked as Stacie joined her in trying to spot him. 

        “He was standing on the other side of the dance floor talking to someone when I came to talk to you, but he’s not there now.  If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.”  Caryss nodded her head at Stacie and the two women parted ways, Stacie heading for the dance floor and Caryss heading into the house to continue her search inside. 

        “Maybe we should do this?” suggested Liz as she and AJ danced slowly to the song that was floating through the speakers. 

        “Do what?” he responded, looking around in hopes of figuring out what Liz was referring to. 

        “This…” she said again, motioning around her to the wedding reception happening around them.  “Have a wedding.”

        AJ was silent for a minute or so, causing Liz to really wonder what his intentions with her were.  She didn’t know if he was planning on them getting married one day or if she was just his latest fling. 

        Flings don’t usually last for almost two years though, she reassured herself as she waited for his response.  She could feel his heart racing through his shirt as they swayed in unison to the music and just when she thought it was absolutely going to burst out of his chest, he took in a deep breath and opened his mouth to talk. 

        “Come on Lizzie, let’s go inside and talk,” he instructed softly as he pulled her hand a little.  They started to walk towards the house but were stopped halfway there by Stacie. 

        “Have you guys seen Nick?  He seems to have disappeared.”

        “I saw him talking to some girl a little while ago, I assumed it was his cousin or something, but I didn’t see where he went after that,” responded Liz with a shrug of her shoulders.  “We’re actually heading into the house for a minute so if I see him in there, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.”

        “Caryss actually went inside to look for him, so if you see him, let him know that his wife is looking for him, not me.”

        “Will do,” said AJ hastily as he pulled Liz towards the house quickly.  When the two lovebirds were secluded in the house, AJ began fumbling in his pants pocket. 

        “What are you doing?” asked Liz, highly amused by his actions. 

        “Looking for this,” he said victoriously as he pulled something out of his pocket and held it tightly in his hand so Liz could not see it.  He took another deep breath before continuing. 

        “The past year and nine months have been the most wonderful months of my life.  You make me happier than anyone has ever made me, and I want to make you happier than anyone has ever made you.”

        “You do Alex, you make me so happy,” she interjected quickly, trying not to assume she knew where he was going with this but hoping to he ll that he was. 

        “I have been carrying a little something around with me for the past month, waiting for a sign that would tell me this was the right thing to do, and out there on the dance floor I got my sign.”  He bent down, resting his weight on his left knee as he opened his hand to reveal a ring. 

        “Oh my God,” Liz breathed as she waited for the question. 

        “Elizabeth, my love, my best friend, my Lizzie, will you be my wife?”  He picked the ring up out of his palm and held it up to her, the diamond solitaire sparkling in the light. 

        “There is nothing or no one I would rather be,” she whispered.  He slid the ring on her left finger and then jumped to his feet, and wrapped his arms around his fiancé, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around in excitement. 

        “You have no idea how happy you’ve made--” he started to say but stopped abruptly when he heard raised voices coming from another room.  Neither he nor Liz could make out what was being said, and before they could get any closer to the voices, they stopped just as quickly as they had started. 

        They both shrugged their shoulders and began laughing, deciding it was better to go back to celebrating and being happy than to try and investigate the spat between two unknown people. 

        “Should we go tell everyone or would that take away from Nick and Caryss’s day?” asked Liz, gazing at her beautiful diamond ring.  Now I understand why Caryss keeps doing it!

        “I don’t think I can possibly keep it a secret so we might as well let it out!” said AJ with a smile.  Liz grinned back and the two took off running through the house towards the backyard.  As they made their way past the parlor, however, their happiness became shadowed by the sadness and heartbreak of two people very close to them. 

        “I don’t think I can do this Nick,” she said softly, unaware that anyone was outside the door listening.  “I love you, I do, but this was a mistake.”  She turned to run out of the room, and Nick followed right behind her. 

        “Caryss, please, let me explain,” he begged as he exited the room after her.  She stopped suddenly, seeing Liz and AJ standing there and Nick almost ran into her.  The two couples stood there, staring at each other, wondering what the other was going to say. 

        They remained unmoving for the longest time, trying to read each other and find the words to say.   Nick and Caryss looked so miserable, Liz and AJ looked so happy, but neither couple knew the reasons behind the expressions. 

        A few hundred yards away, hundreds of people were outside laughing, dancing and celebrating the marriage of two people they loved dearly, completely ignorant to the drama that had unfolded inside.  Caryss’s heart wretched a little bit more with every giggle or happy sound that floated inside to her ears, knowing that they everyone out there would expect an explanation, one she was not ready to give. 

        Both couples sought a happy ending, but only time would tell which one would receive it.