The Wedding Night

"Sorry I'm late!" Mily said, playing the role of me. She rushed forward with her luggage and hug me tightly.

"The traffic was horrible! i can't believe i missed the ceremony?"

Our mother's face squeezed in confusion. "But Lily, why do you have a luggage?"

"Oh!" Mily laughed. "I come straight from a business trip."

Dad was studying us both. "Something seems different about you two today."

I could feel calvin's hand steady on my back and i wondered if he could feel my heart pounding against my ribs.

 Different!" Mily and i said in unison. 

"It must be the wedding glow," Calvin interjected, his voice carry casual confidence. "And the stress of almost missing." Was there something knowing in the way he squeezed my waist?

Our parents exchanged glances sensing that something was off but they are unable to put their finger on it.

Mom opened her mouth to say something else, but Mily who was still playing me, cut her off with enthusiastic wedding chatter."The dress looks even more beautiful than in the photos you sent me, Miley!" Her enthusiastic response clearly shifted the focus "And Calvin, you look nice!"

"Thanks, sis," I replied with a bright smile on my face.

As the guest began to disperse, our parents still wore a matching expressions of confusion glancing between us as if they are trying to solve a puzzle with piece that didn't quite fit.

"There's is something.." Mom started again.

"We really need to get going," Calvin announced, checking his watch. "Long drive ahead of us."

"Of course, of course!" Mily interjected, she hugged me once again and whispered quickly in my ear: "Call me when you get there. We need to talk."

As calvin led me to the car, everyone waved at us with smile on their faces as they watched us drive away.

Calvin's hand found mine in the gathering darkness in the car. "Everything okay?" he asked, his voice carrying an undertone that I couldn't quite read. "You seem tense..Mily."

The way he hesitated before saying my sister name made my heart skip a beat.

"I turned off my phone, my hands was shaking. In the driver's seat, calvin hummed quietly. it was the same tune he used to whistle in the halls of our high school.

We arrived there 45 mins later. The key card beeped, and a green light flashed as Calvin pushed open the door to the honeymoon suite. The door clicked shut behind us with a soft finality that made my heart race. Calvin's hand never left my back as he guided me inside, and I found myself holding my breath at the sight before us.

The room was a sublime romance with rose petals scattered across the carpet, creating a trail of king-sized bed adorned with pristine white linens. Candlelight flickered from the corners of the room casting intimate shadows across the walls.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Calvin's breath was warm against my ear, making me shiver.

Before I could respond, he spun me around, his hand was cupping my face. The kiss caught me off guard, it was deep and passionate. This wasn't the polite kiss from the wedding ceremony. This was a primal passion.

For a few blissful seconds, I lost myself in it. The warmth of his hands, the insistent press of his lips, it all felt dizzyingly right. For a dangerous moment, I lost myself in it. My hands found their way to his chest, feeling the solid warmth of him through his shirt. His heart thundered beneath my palm, matching the rhythm of my own. When his lips traced a path down my neck, a small gasp escaped me.

The sound seemed to snap me back to reality. This wasn't right. This was Mily's husband. My sister's husband.

I pushed against his chest, trying to create space between us. "Wait"

"Are you shy?" His voice had dropped to a seductive whisper that sent shivers down my spine. His fingers traced patterns on my shoulders, making it hard for me to think straight.

"No, I just.." I struggled to form a clear thought as his lips found that sensitive spot behind my ear. "I need...i should take a shower first."

Calvin pulled me back slightly, his eyes hooded with desire. "No sweetheart, I want you now." He leaned in again, his kiss was more insistent this time. His arms tightened around me, one of his hand played across my lower back, pressing me closer.

I tried to resist, but my body betrayed me. Each kiss weakened my resolve until I found myself responding with equal fervor. His fingers tangled in my styled hair, dislodging pins until the curls tumbled free around my shoulders. 

When we finally broke apart, both gasping for air, I seized my chance. "Please," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just a quick shower. i want to..to freshen up for you. to make it special."

Something in my pleading tone must have convinced him. Calvin stepped back, running a hand through his disheveled hair. The gesture was so charming that my heart clenched.

"Alright," he conceded, dropping another quick kiss on my lips. "But hurry back. I'll get us something to drink from the bar downstairs."

The moment the door closed behind him, I quickly took my phone with my hands trembling.

Me: Where are you?

Mily: Just got to the hotel! i am in the elevator!

Me: Room 15. HURRY. Calvin went to get drinks.

Mily: OMG. I am on my way!

I paced the room, checking my appearance in the mirror. My lips were swollen from Calvin's kisses, my hair half-done, my cheeks flushed. The wedding suddenly felt too tight.

The soft knock at the door nearly made me jump out of my skin. Mily entered quickly, she was still in her travel clothes, pulling her small suitcase.

"Oh my God! Lily!" She hugged me tight. "I am sorry about everything. The storm, the delay, it wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Less talking, more helping," I hissed, already working at the complicated buttons down the back of the wedding dress. "Calvin will be back any minute."

Milly quickly moved forward to help and we managed to pull the dress off. Mily pulled a black lace negligee from her suitcase that made me blush just looking at it.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked her, watching her adjust the revealing garment in the mirror.

"Of course," she replied, but something flickered across her face, it was an expression I couldn't quite read. "It's my wedding night, after all."

As I changed into her travel clothes, a comfortable leggings and an oversized sweater. i couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Mily seemed nervous? Guilty? But that didn't make sense.

"The connecting room is ready for you," she said, gesturing to a door I hadn't noticed before. You can stay there tonight and we'll figure everything out in the morning."

The footsteps we heard in the hallway made us both freeze.

"Go!" Mily whispered urgently,shoving me towards the connecting door. "Text me if you need anything!" 

Suddenly we heard the main door opened!

I quickly entered the connecting room just as i heard the main door open, Calvin's voice was sliding through the wall.

Calvin swiped the key card and entered the honeymoon suit. A soft music was already playing filling the room with a romantic atmosphere that seemed to mask any other sounds. He found Mily lying down on the bed in a black lace negligee with a seductive smile playing on her lips.

She moved towards him gracefully, as she reached out to pull him close. "I've been waiting for you."

Calvin stepped back sharply , his face hardening as he put distance between them. "What are you trying to do?"

"What does it look like?" Mily's smiled as she tried to close the distance between them again.

He caught her wrist before she could touch. "Where is she?"

"She left," Mily smiled casually, as she pull her hand free.

"What do you mean she left?" Calvin's voice rose in anger. "Didn't we discussed about telling her everything tonight?"

Mily's seductive demeanor dropped instantly, it was replaced by something colder. "You won't be telling her anything."

"What do you mean by that? She deserve to know the truth."

"Oh really!" Mily's tone turned threatening. "And what will you tell her? Because one word from me, I can make sure she never trusts you again, Oh! i forgot that she doesn't even trust you, every cruel thing you did to her in university, every taunt, every moment you made her life miserable, I can twist it all and make her think that this whole thing was just another one of your games to torment her."

Calvin's face turned pale. "You wouldn't dare"

"Try me." Mily stepped closer, her voice was nearly above a whisper. "Who do you think she'll believe? Her twin sister who has always protected her, or the bully who made her highschool and university life hell?"

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" Calvin asked in a calm tone.

"All I want is for us to live as a couple that we are." Mily replied with a devilish smile on her face.

Frustration and anger raged on Calvin's face, and without another word, he turned and stormed out of the room samming the door behind him.

Mily stood in the middle of the honeymoon suite with victory gleaming in her eyes. In the connecting room, I slept peacefully, the music drowning out any hint of the confrontation that had just taken place. Whatever was being played, I remained blissfully unaware that I was merely a pawn in it.

I woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains. For a moment, I was disoriented, then yesterday's event came rushing back. The wedding, the switch, Calvin's kiss. My cheeks burned at the memory.

A knock on the connecting room door made me jump.

"Lily?" Mily's voice was unusually tense. "Are you awake?" 

"Yes," I replied, putting on a robe from her suitcase. "Come in."

Mily slipped into the room, already fully dressed. but something seemed off, her unusual confidence was replaced by a nervous energy.

"Lily?" Mily's voice was rushed. "You need to leave now. I've called a cab for you."

I sat up, still disoriented. "What? What time is it?"

"6:30. The cab will be here in fifteen minutes."

"But what about.."

"No time for questions,"Mily cut me off. "Just get dressed and go. I'll handle everything here."

I was still confused but sensing the urgency in my sister's voice, I quickly changed back into her travel clothes, shoving her things into her suitcase. The music last night had long stopped, and the honeymoon suite was silent.

"Are you sure everything is fine?" I asked her out of curiosity.

"Everything is fine sis." Mily replied with a smile on her face.

i nodded and hugged her tightly before slipping out through the connecting room's separate entrace, not daring to look back. The hallway was empty. In the lobby, the morning staff barely glanced at me as I hurried past them.

True to Mily's word, a cab was waiting outside. As we pulled away from the hotel, I caught a glimpse of the honeymoon suite's balcony. The curtains were drawn tight, hiding whatever secrets lay behind them.

The city was just waking up, streets was still quiet in the early morning light. I leaned back in the seat, exhaling deeply. We actually pulled it off. The switch, the ceremony, everything. Even if it hadn't gone exactly as planned..

My phone buzzed, but this time it wasn't Mily. The name on the screen made my stomach drop: Dr. Reynolds, the Head of Department.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Martinez, I apologize for calling so early," My boss's voice was tense. "But we have an emergency situation with Mr. Anderson's project. We need you in the office within an hour,"

"But.." I wanted to protest, then caught myself. How will I explain that I was an hour away, having just left my sister's honeymoon suite where I pretended to be her at her very own wedding?

"The client is threatening to pull out," he continued. "You're the only one who knows the full scope of the project. Can we count on you?"

I closed my eyes, figuring, if the cab driver took the highway... "Yes, I'll be there."

"Excellent. And lily? Bring the blue file folder I gave you last week. We'll need those projections."

The call ended, leaving me in a stunned silence. The blue folder. The one I placed on the desk at home, which was in the opposite direction from the office.

"Change of plans." I told the driver, giving him my home address. "And please hurry."

As we sped through the awakening city, my mind was in turmoil. The project, the client, the deadline. My real life was crashing back in with frightening speed. Yesterday felf like a dream to me, it looks like something that happened to someone else.

The cab turned onto my street just as the sun fully emerged from behind the buildings. I paid quickly and rushed inside, I quickly opened the door, that was when I found out the blue file was missing.