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melissabik

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Aiden was never coming back?  I still couldn’t believe it.  I was never going to see him again…  Of course, that was how things were going to be anyways, but now he was going to be hundreds of thousands of miles further…  How could he do this to me?  I loved him…  He was leaving me for good…  As I listened to my innermost thoughts, I realized how selfish I had become.  Everything was about me; even though I had confused things with every person I come in contact with, I still held out for myself.  No wonder I was never happy.  I was too afraid to let someone else take over my life that I pushed everyone away.  I wanted things to go the way I had planned them; I had planned to marry Vince because Vince was stable and safe.  Aiden came along and screwed that up; he was different; he was unlike any other; he was the man I had been searching for my whole life…  Why had I thrown it all away?  I was never going to be happy with Vince the way I was happy with Aiden.

I could be with Aiden for two minutes and be the happiest person on earth, while I could be with Vince for a whole day and still not feel as happy…  What was I doing?  How could I marry Vince?  “Anne, it’s time to walk down the aisle,” my father stated as he nudged my shoulder.  I began to walk mindlessly as I continued to think about Aiden.  He couldn’t leave!  I couldn’t lose him forever!  I didn’t think my heart would be able to take it!  Suddenly I was standing at the altar, holding hands with Vince, a wonderful man, but not for me…  As I thought about it, I realized that I could be taking a wonderful experience from some other girl.  Maybe Vince was meant to find happiness with someone, feeling the way that I felt with Aiden…  “You look so beautiful,” Vince whispered as the pastor began to speak.  I felt terrible; I didn’t deserve any compliments from this man.  I couldn’t believe how wonderful he could still be after what he had seen me do the day before…

I couldn’t do it; I couldn’t marry Vince…  It wasn’t fair to either of us.  He would just end up hating me in the long run; I couldn’t do it to him.  “Stop,” I muttered as the pastor continued.  I guess no one heard me.  For a minute, I thought of just pretending like I didn’t say it.  But something inside of me had been stirred.  I wasn’t going to marry Vince; I was going to marry the man I was in love with…  I was going to fly to England and bring him back if that was what it took.  I would do anything to be with the love of my life…  “STOP,” I stated, much louder.  Every eye turned to me in shock.  “What’s the matter?” Vince asked with worry.  I couldn’t break it off in front of all of these people…  “I need to talk to you in private,” I whispered.  Vince nodded as he turned to the people.  “We need a moment alone, if you’ll just excuse us…” he explained.

We walked off in the sand far enough so no one could hear us.  “What’s wrong, Anne?” Vince asked again, grabbing my hand.  This was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do…  I took a deep breath…  “Vince, I have cared about you from the very beginning of our relationship… but this can’t happen.  I love you, but I’m not in love with you…  I am in love with Aiden.  I don’t deserve a man like you…  And now the man I love is leaving forever,” I stated.  Vince just stood there in silence.  “I’m sorry; I know that I have hurt you…  That’s the LAST thing I would ever want to do.  You are the most wonderful and compassionate man I have ever met; you care far more than you should…  I see that in you, and I wish that I could love you the way that you love me… but I can’t.  I can’t marry you, Vince…” I took off the wedding ring and gently placed it in the palm of Vince’s hand.  “I hope that someday you will forgive me,” I muttered.

Vince looked away in astonishment.  It was quiet for a few seconds; all I could hear was the sound of the waves crashing on the sand.  “I forgive you; and I don’t blame you…” Vince muttered as he finally looked up at me.  I was speechless.  He didn’t have to forgive me, but he did…  “I will always love you…  Go and find the man you’ve been searching for,” he added as he slowly began to walk back to the wedding guests.  “Vince,” I called as I ran after him.  He turned back to me as I ran straight into his arms.  “I love you, Vince…  Thank you,” I whispered.  Vince kissed me on the cheek as he continued walking.  Lindsay saw us from afar and ran past him towards me.  “What just happened?” she asked, grabbing my arm.  “I ended it,” I stated simply.  Lindsay began to smile.  “You’re going to get Aiden?” she asked.  I shrugged my shoulders.  “I don’t see how…  He’s probably half way to England by now,” I muttered.

Chicago is definitely not a good place to be riding a horse…  I was getting looks left and right.  I was surprised I wasn’t being followed by the police.  I also wasn’t very good at riding a horse…  Occasionally, my steed would stop to eat a tree; I had to pull at him to make him trot down Michigan Avenue as I suddenly had a flock of pedestrians taking my picture.  I guess I was a sight; I was in a wedding dress on top of a white horse…  That made for front page news, if I had anything to say about it.  Suddenly I spotted a taxi; there was no way I would make it to O’Hare airport on a horse…  I jumped off Mr. Ed and ran towards the taxi.  “Sorry, sweetie; only room for one in this taxi,” I stated to the horse as I hopped in.  “Take me to O’Hare airport and step on it,” I urged as the taxi driver literally stepped on the gas and we were pulled back from the force.

I couldn’t believe what I was doing…  It was all so surreal.  “Come from a wedding?” the taxi driver asked as he peered at me through the rearview mirror.  I smiled.  “Yeah… but the groom is at the airport,” I stated.  The man nodded as he suddenly sped up even more.  We were at the airport in less than 10 minutes; it was a new record.  That’s when I realized I didn’t have any money.  “It’s okay; the ride is on me…  You have to find your groom,” the taxi driver stated, shooing me out of the car.  “Oh; thank you so much sir!” I yelled as I jumped out.  I ran into the airport as I got more stares and more people took snapshots.  I frantically searched the departure boards to find Aiden’s flight.  By the time I located it, there were only five minutes as everyone was all ready boarding.  The gate was gate B25.  I ran up the escalator and began to run down the hall, searching for B25.

My shoes were doing me no good, so I threw those off and continued running.  Where was gate B25 for goodness sake?!?  Suddenly, I realized I had ran passed it.   I back tracked and searched the gate.  The plane was gone; there were no people except for a lone flight attendant.  Aiden was gone…  I was too late…  I couldn’t believe it.  That’s not the way the fairy tale works…  I searched frantically, hoping to see Aiden waiting because he never got on the plane.  That didn’t happen either.  My fairy tale didn’t come true…  I slumped down onto the bench in front of the gate and began to sob.  It was over…  I couldn’t run after him to England…  Maybe it was never meant to be…  “Anne?” I heard someone call my name from a few feet away.  I looked around me in confusion.  Maybe there was another Anne…

“Anne?  The one in the wedding dress?” I heard the same voice call again.  I don’t think there are two Annes wearing wedding dresses…  I stood up and searched for the voice.  I looked towards the gate across from B25 to see Aiden standing there with his luggage in his hand.  I looked up at the gate I was sitting at and then at the gate Aiden was at.  I was at gate B23, not B25…  STUPID!!  I rushed over towards Aiden in embarrassment as he looked at me in shock; he was still waiting in line to get on board the flight.  “What are you doing here?” he asked as he looked me over.  “You look beautiful,” he muttered as he clutched his plane ticket.  At first, I didn’t know what to say.  “I was wrong; I was wrong about everything…  I caused this whole mess…  I pushed you away because I was afraid.  It was new territory for me,” I muttered, looking down at the ground.  “I was terrified to love you because I didn’t want to feel the pain of losing you…  But I DO love you, and I couldn’t marry Vince because of it.  I realized that all I really wanted was you; I wanted you to be the man standing next to me on the beach today; I wanted you to be the one I rode off into the sunset with…” I stated as I finally had the courage to look up at Aiden.

Aiden was silent.  “I told you I was letting you go…  I told you that I was going to let you be happy,” he stated, still staring down at his ticket.  “I understand; I just had to see if I could keep you from leaving me…  I rode here on a horse and a taxi, hoping you would forgive me for being so stupid…  I love you, Aiden Rupert… but I understand if it’s too late; I had to try,” I stated as a tear threatened to fall.  Almost everyone had boarded the plane.  The flight attendant looked over at Aiden.  “Sir, will you be boarding?” she asked.  Aiden put his hand up.  “One moment please,” he stated.  “How do I know you really love me?  How do I know you really want this?” he asked, this time addressing me.  I really had screwed things up.  Now Aiden didn’t believe me…  “You can’t know that…  I can’t prove it to you if you leave, but I really love you, Aiden.  I am standing in front of you in my wedding dress with no shoes as my hair falls all over my face…  This is who I am.  I am a controlling, judgmental, terrified freak.  You can take it or leave it; but take me for who I am.  I love you for who you are; that is for certain,” I assured him.

Aiden stood there in silence.  I shifted his feet nervously.  “Just go, Aiden,” I stated with disappointment.  Obviously Aiden had had enough of me…  I began to walk away, limping from the injury I had acquired from running.  “Sleeping Beauty…” Aiden called.  I stopped in my tracks and turned around.  “You can’t leave without Prince Phillip,” he added as he walked over towards me and pulled me into an embrace.   “I love you, Anne Tanner,” he stated as he squeezed me tighter.  “I love you, Aiden Rupert,” I replied as I looked into his eyes.  This felt freeing; this felt right…  He leaned in and kissed me as he never kissed me before.  It felt so wonderful; I drank him all in as I drown in happiness.  Aiden lifted me off the ground and began to carry me.  “Where are we going?” I asked as he walked past groups of people who remembered me from before.  I was the “wedding lady.”  “How many weddings have you done?” asked Aiden out of curiosity.

I smiled.  “396,” I answered, not counting the last one; it didn’t actually happen.  Aiden smiled as he set me down.  “397,” he replied as he got down to one knee and pulled out the ring I had seen long ago.  I was speechless.  “You knew I was going to come,” I mused as I stared at the ring.  Aiden laughed.  “I believed that you would follow your heart and eventually find me…  And you did,” he exclaimed.  “Anne Tanner, will you make me the happiest man alive and become Mrs. Anne Rupert?  Will you be my wife?” he asked.  I slapped him playfully in the arm.  “You are sneaky,” I replied.  “Is that a yes?” he asked.  I smiled, taking in this wonderful moment.  THIS was the moment I had imagined my whole entire life.  THIS was the man I was waiting for.  “Yes,” I stated.  Aiden jumped up and put the ring on my finger.  “She said yes,” he whispered as he kissed my hand.  I pulled Aiden close and kissed him.  “He’s my prince,” I whispered as Aiden picked me up again and headed down the hall.  “Where are we going?” I asked again.  Aiden shrugged his shoulders.  He answered, “Wherever this fairly tale takes us…”

Wedding 397…  White orchids where definitely in my future; two months after Aiden proposed, we were walking down the aisle and getting married in an intimate ceremony.  There were not very many guests, but it was the best wedding I had ever planned; it was perfect.  There were butterflies, but they were the good kind you get when you’re nervous.  I looked at my handsome fiancé as I walked down the aisle; he was the biggest treasure I was lucky enough to find.  I almost lost it; but I came to my senses and held onto it as if my life depended on it.  We were married in the little church I had stumbled across with the vines and the skylight…  I knew I was always meant to get married there.  The reception was on the beach, and I danced to “More Than Anyone” by Gavin DeGraw with my husband.  I couldn’t believe it; I was Mrs.  Anne Rupert...  It was altogether a happy ending; I proved Lindsay wrong…  I got my fairy tale.