Wedding Bells

Playlist for this Chapter: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, Hesitate by The Jonas Brothers, I Like Me Better by Lauv.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I grabbed my clutch, the bouquet of roses and my phone and quickly made my way downstairs with Adriana.

The guys had already left for the church and everyone including the guests were there. We were the only ones left and quickly shoving Adriana and her dress in the black limo while Ava and Abby sat with me in another car.

My phone dinged with a notification and I quickly opened it when I saw it was from Jake.

"Where are you guys? Stuart's freaking out here and thinking Adriana's run off." His message said and I chuckled.

"On our way." I reassured him and he replied with a thumbs up.

In another twenty minutes, we had reached the large church I gaped at the beautiful sight and it's intricate architecture.

"Wow... this place is beautiful." Ava gushed as we got out of the car and saw Jake running over to us with Matteo.

"Finally you guys are here." Jake said catching his breath as Adriana's car arrived and we all turned to it.

"Come on guys, help us out." I gestured to Stuart and Matteo who helped get Adriana out with her huge dress.

"You look lovely Addy." Matteo said and hugged Adriana who beamed at him.

"How's Stuart?" She asked Jake who chuckled.

"He thinks you ran away." He said and we all laughed with him as Adriana's father walked over to us with a huge smile on his face and hugged her.

"You look so beautiful darling, just like your mother. She would be so proud of you today." He said hugging her as Adriana sniffles lightly.

"Aw thanks dad, now you're making me cry." She said as he chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"Where's Ace?" He asked Jake who shrugged.

"He was right here a moment ago. Probably trying to calm down Stuart." He replied and Matteo chuckled.

"Well that isn't good." He said and we all laughed just as Nico came out of the church and walked over to us slowly and boy he looked hot.

He was wearing a black tux with a small rose pinned to his side pocket and a green pocket square matching my dress, just like the others.

His gaze met mine and he scanned my body with his scrutinising gaze and I saw the satisfied look in his eyes as he made eye contact with me and walked over to me, eyes never leaving mine.

"You look so fucking beautiful." He whispered in my ear and kissed my lips sweetly, with a promise of something more later. When we pulled away, everyone was looking at us and I blushed, burying my face in his chest and inhaling his intoxicating scent that drove me crazy.

I heard his chest rumble when he chuckled as he took hold of my arm, hooking mine through his and kissed my forehead.

"Are we ready?" Jake asked us all as I handed Adriana her bouquet of flowers and she smiled at him in affirmation.

He gave us a nod and Nico and I went to stand directly in front of the church gates, the other bridesmaids and groomsmen taking place behind us and Adriana at the back.

The door was opened and a soft piano melody was heard as peoples heads turned and I felt Nico give my hand a small reassuring squeeze before we walked down the aisle.

I felt his lips on my temple briefly and smiled up at him as we walked down the aisle that was covered in rose petals.

We looked into each other's eyes full of love, promises and so many hopes and dreams, like there was no one else but us. When we reached the front did I look at the front and saw Stuart watching us with a smirk on his face.

Nico and I left each other's hands as we took our places and so did the other bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Finally, the wedding march began to play as Adriana came into view. She looked absolutely beautiful in a white off the shoulder lacy dress that hugged her waist and flared from then onwards. She was holding a bouquet of red roses in her hands, and I briefly glanced at Stuart to watch the emotional smile on his face as he watched her walk up to him.

Beautiful.

She took Stuart's hand when she came to the front and he gave her a big smile when she turned to hand me her bouquet. A lone tear had already fallen from my eye when I saw the love in the air. The undying love Stuart and Adriana had for each other was so amazing, and it didn't help that I got emotional at weddings.

The priest started speaking but I tuned everything out when my gaze fell on Nico, who was already looking at me with a somber expression, his eyes never wavering form mine as he held my gaze. We got lost into each other's eyes so much that we almost didn't hear the priest ask for the rings.

Only did Abby nudge me from behind did I break eye contact and heard peoples chuckles as I handed Adriana her ring and Nico gave Stuart one too.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The priest announced as Stuart pulled Adriana in for a sweet kiss and we all clapped and cheered for them. I wiped the tears that made their way down my face and hugged Adriana who was also crying.

"Congratulations!" I told her and she beamed at me as Stuart took her hand and they walked down the aisle to her to the reception that was being held at Nico's place.

Nico came closer to me and wiped my tears with his thumb and kissed me sweetly which only erupted more cheers from the crowd. I saw Adriana and Stuart laugh at us when we pulled apart.

"You might as well get married too Ace!" Adriana shouted and everyone laughed including me but Nico only looked into my eyes with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Not long now my love." He whispered and kissed me again, add I had to push him away forcefully with a laugh as he offered me his arm and we followed the wedding party back home.

I went home with Nico in his car that he drove himself and we reached before everyone else. Hand in hand, we walked to the backyard where everything was set up beautifully.

A dance floor was in the middle, with a large table to the side for the couple and the maid of honour and best man. A DJ sat in a corner and tables were spread everywhere with flowers everywhere.

"Everything's looks amazing." I beamed up at Nico who nodded, when Adriana and Stuart entered, gawking at the setup. They both walked over to us and I hugged them both.

"Congratulations to the both of you so much." I said and they thanked me and Nico for the reception before they went off to greet the guests. Adriana had changed into another suitable white dress for the reception so it was easier to move around.

I got separated from Nico somewhere while saying hi to everyone when Jake signalled to me telling me it was time for the first dance. I quickly made my way to the piano and took the mic from Jake.

"You ready?" He asked me and I took a deep breath.

"Been a while, but yeah... I am. Thanks." I said and he gave me a wide smile.

"Good. Break a leg." He said and patted my shoulder and I turned the mic on, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Hello everyone, thank you for joining us all on this special day and now, let's welcome the newly wed couple for their first dance!" I said and immediately the crowd parted and Adriana and Stuart came to the middle of the wooden dance floor and looked at me confused.

I quickly got behind the grand piano, running my hands over the keys and pressing one to grab everyone's attention as I sat down on the seat.

I looked at the DJ who gave me a thumbs up when the mic on the piano was turned on. My eyes scanned the crowd before they fell on him.

I took a deep breath, his intent gaze giving me all the confidence I needed as I started pressing the keys gently after giving the couple a nod who got into position.

And then I got closer to the mic and started singing the lyrics to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

As my hands glided over the keys effortlessly, the lyrics flowed from my lips naturally and I glanced at the couple who were looking at each other with so much love and dancing to the beat.

My eyes went back to him and saw him smiling faintly at me as we both got lost in a daze, and I realised I was singing to him all along.

Stuart twirled Adriana who laughed and earned a couple of cheers from the crowd as the song came to an end.

I gracefully changed the music and switched to another song, my fingers dancing over the keys as I started playing Hesitate by the Jonas Brothers.

"Everyone grab your partner and come out on the dance floor!" I said into the mic as I started singing the lyrics slowly and people made their way towards the dance floor and started slow dancing with their significant others.

My eyes went to him again and saw him leaning against a pillar, a cigarette in between his fingers as he blew out smoke and watched me intently with hooded eyes.

Finishing my song, the DJ switched to another slow love song as I got off the stage and heard everyone's cheers and rounds of applause, but I had my eyes set on one person as I approached him with a large smile.

He dropped his cigarette to the the ground when he saw me approaching and took my hand, pulling me closer and burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"You're so damn perfect. So beautiful. And all mine." He said kissing my neck and I smiled, grabbing his face and crashing my lips to his. He kissed me back passionately and we had to pull away when we heard Stuart calling out our name.

"Come on dance you guys!" He called out and I chuckled when he was pulled back by Adriana. I looked back at Nico who offered me his hand.

"May I have your first dance, my lady?" He asked me and I beamed at him.

"I'd love to my fine sir." I said and he smiled at me, leading me to the dance floor. His hands came to my waist and mine went around his neck as he pulled me closer to him.

We danced to the music and he twirled me around, pulling me back as I crashed into his chest, laughing. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat that was like my own song.

He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. I pulled away to look into his eyes and saw so much emotion in them.

"I love you." He whispered as he placed a kiss on my lips. I smiled against his lips and kissed him back.

"I love you too." I whispered and felt his smile too as the song changed to a more upbeat one and I pulled his hand, dancing to the beat.

I like me better by Lauv was playing and we all cheered, dancing and moving ourselves to the beat. Adriana, Abby and Ava moved towards me and we all danced together. I closed my eyes and moved my hips to the steady beat, running my hands through my hair when I felt strong arms on my waist.

I smiled to myself and turned around, pressing my body to Nico's and pecking his lips, dancing with him.

When it was time to cut the cake, the waiters brought it out as Stuart and Adriana went behind it to cut it. I had the knife with me and as I was walking toward them, I saw Sofia talking to a guard from the corner of my eye.

At first I ignored it but then I remembered she was a traitor and I discreetly watched her talk to the man, looking around every now and then and then give him something.

I walked closer a bit and recognised what she was giving him. It was a key, and not just any key, it was the key to Nico's room. I recognised it immediately because only Nico had one and the other spare was with me. No one else had it. And I mean no one. Not even Jake.

I knew this guard was suspicious, so I quickly handed Adriana the knife who gave me a confused look before I trudged towards where the guard and Sofia was, except, Sofia was no longer there and the guard was walking away.

"Hey! You there! Stop!" I yelled at him, grabbing some attention including his as the guard briefly glanced back. His eyes widened a fraction and he made a grave mistake and started to walk faster, only making him more suspicious.

"Stop!" I yelled again and he suddenly pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at me, but before I could do anything, I heard the shot and then the next moment I hit the grass as a heavy body covered mine.

I was flipped over and saw a worried and furious Nico scanning me for injuries.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked me and I sat up, looking at the retreating guard's figure and stood up quickly after pushing Nico away and pulled up my dress where the slit was and pulled the gun out of the garter belt and shot at the guard.

Once.

Twice.

He fell to the floor and Nico suddenly stood up behind me and started barking orders.

"Get him now!" He shouted and guards immediately grabbed the injured guard and pulled him away with them, disappearing from view as I sighed in relief.

Nico grabbed my arm and spun me around, assessing me.

"Are you hurt?" He asked me but I shook my head.

"I'm fine, don't worry." I told him but he frowned.

"Are you fucking mad? Are you trying to get yourself killed? You should have told me if something was wrong." He spoke furiously and I hugged him quickly, making him shut his mouth.

"I'm okay, it's okay. He was running away and there was no time, but I'm okay. Thanks for saving me." I said and felt his arms wrap around my waist as he pulled me closer and kissed the tip of my head.

"Please be careful love." He whispered and I nodded. We pulled away after a minute and I kissed his cheek to ease him and we both walked towards the others hand in hand to continue the ceremony.

We all ate the delicious red velvet cake and I got to eat Nico's too since he only took two bites. Although the tension from earlier still lingered, we tried our best to ignore it.

"Sorry for all that." I told Stuart and Adriana who smiled at me.

"What's a wedding without some drama? Don't worry, we knew something would happen. Thankfully, it wasn't anything big." Stuart said and Adriana agreed with him as we all made our way to the car that was waiting for them at the front.

Everyone had gathered there to watch the couple leave and were waiting patiently. I spotted Nico talking to Jake and Matteo who seemed to look worried.

"All the single ladies, gather round!" Adriana suddenly shouted and all the single women gathered behind her as I stood aside and watched them.

"You too Dove, come on!" Stuart nudged me and everyone looked at me and called at me to join.

"It's fine guys you go ahead." I said but I was pulled into the crowd by Abby and Ava.

"Come on now Dove." Adriana said as I reluctantly went to stand behind her with the other ladies.

"Three, two, one!" Adriana shouted and tossed the bouquet. I saw the flowers glide in the air before they started coming down, and down, and down until they landed.

Everyone became quiet and everyone became silent. Even the guards and staff looked shocked when they saw the bouquet in my hands.

Oh wow.

Suddenly everyone erupted into a cheer and clapped out loud, whistling. They were all probably laughing at my lost expression.

"I guess we all what this means, don't we Ace?" Jake said clapping his shoulder and Nico smirked as he walked over to me and suddenly picked me up and kissed me, twirling me around while everyone cheered, but his words rang in my ears.

Not long now my love.