Chapter 8 - Our Wedding

In the Ballroom, the Beverlys Hotel

Canberra, Australia

Invited guests had started to enter the five-star hotel in Canberra’s ballroom. The Beverlys Hotel was one of Australia's five star hotels which for the past two days had been fully booked by the marriage of the eldest son of the owner of Chagall Corporation, Australia's largest electronics company.

There were so many congratulations bouquet on the marriage of the Hemingway famous family’s eldest son that was on the side of the main entrance of the hotel, a bouquet of flowers that had been sent by Chagall Corporation business colleagues. In fact, the senders of the bouquets had also come as wedding guests, perhaps they sent the wreaths as a congratulatory marriage representing their company, in contrast to the arrival of the directors' officials who came as the names of invited individuals.

A beautiful girl with black hair in a knee-length pink dress came from the direction of the fitting room towards a man in a neat black tuxedo who was greeting several invited guests, that girl was the maid of honour at this wedding, Nancy Hemingway, sister of Skandar Hemingway.

The girl since the blessing of the morning was only one those where the supposed Skandar Hemingway should be grateful, if he should not, her brother’s wife would not want to join her wedding reception this afternoon. Especially because her brother's unromantic behaviour, she was sulking and couldn't attend her own wedding reception.

"She is ready, you can pick her up at the fitting room right now." Nancy whispered after making sure no invited guests came over to greet her brother.

"He's not crying anymore, right?" Ask Skandar quickly.

"No, except you want to comment on her anymore. Why can't you stop yourself for a moment from rising your annoying character?” Nancy complained to her brother. Hemingway's man was too much.

"I'm just trying not to do indecent things to a young girl, Nancy." Said Skandar defensively.

"What kind of obscene do you mean? It's a common thing at weddings, she's your wife now. Twice! You have embarrassed her in front of invited guests twice. One for your blessing, one for your wedding cake cutting session. After that, where else?” Nancy gave sharp gaze to his brother.

"Yes, Nancy, don't remind it again!" Skandar cut, he already felt guilty, especially when he overheard a mistress whispering to each other, and accused Charisa and he had marriage before accident because their sudden marriage, the mistress might have thought they were married because something was wrong.

"I'll pick him her now, after this is the welcoming session for the invited guests."

Skandar left after Nancy nodded at him, the mature man walked away from the road where his mother was involved giving instructions to his wedding organizer. He did not want to deal with his mom for this moment.

The fitting room in the ballroom was a large white room in the hotel. There was a large mirror that filled the wall on the right side. While on the left side there was a thick white curtain hanging from top to bottom, between the side of the curtain and the side of the wall was separated by a large sky blue vase with lots of white roses in it. Meanwhile several of flower had been decorated around the seats on the other side of the room. Skandar thinks the room was like a fitting room in his mom’s favourite boutique, only it looked more spacious and luxurious.

"Charisa Zwetta Davis?" Called Skandar.

The cold man had walked over and called the girl who was looking down at the several of flowers earlier. The girl had changed her wedding dress in the first session with a white long-sleeved dress, it was the second of the other dresses that his mother had prepared during the series of events in his reception.

A flower crown was put on her beautiful hair. Skandar observed his youthful wife for a long time. The mature smiled a little, the young high school girl turned into a mature girl who was very beautiful this time in his eyes.

For a moment, Skandar forgot that he had just said a lifelong marriage vow with a high school girl. One thing he had been trying to stop thinking all along. He also asked his mother to keep Charisa's identity secretly in public while Charisa was still in high school. That was why, none of the guests were from Charisa's friends or school teachers, except Yuta, and Anna. Skandar was not a bad guy to burden his young wife's mentality, except.... If they had done too far and the girl would have been pregnant with his baby later.

"Uncle Skandar?" The girl said quietly, when she realized her husband's arrival.

"I came to get you." Obviously Skandar. "After this, we had to go around the table to welcome the invited guests."

"Alright..." The girl said understandably.

He remembered his wedding’s schedule list. The girl walked ahead of her husband then, Charisa Davis was seen completely away from the mature man’s gaze behind her. Skandar shook his head once. He knew if his young wife was still angry on him.

"Mrs. Hemingway..." Called Skandar, and at the next second, Charisa had already been pulled back after her arm was pulled by her husband in the black suit.

Charisa was in Skandar's arms rightly. The girl looked at Skandar by her round eyes when their eyes met. Charisa Davis tried to get her hands off from her husband's hands, however it was just in vain. Skandar Hemingway refused to let go of his hand. The grown man raised his big hand and stroked his wife's cheek gently, then his hand came down and touched Charisa's lips.

"You changed the colour of your lipstick, hum?" Skandar asked softly, his memory was never wrong, and as far as he knew Charisa's lipstick colour now looked one level paler than this girl's makeup this morning.

"In order not to be called too threatening by uncle again." Said the girl who immediately turned to the side when she felt the man’s eyes in front of her seemed to explore her iris.

Skandar grinned at the girl's answer in front of him. That was what he said, when he refused to give her a wedding kiss.

'Your lips are wearing too much gloss, they are so oily!' or

'How too much of your lipstick, Charisa Davis!!'

At that time he just gave Charisa a stroke on the hair with his hand in their blessing and cake cutting session. Skandar tried to avoid kissing the young girl in front of public. He still remembered that he married a seventeen years old girl. Even though under Australian marriage law, girls were legally married at seventeen years old if the situation was not possible, she still felt alike a sex criminal if he kissed her in front of a large crowd.

"Are you mad because I have not kissed you?" Skandar asked and pretended to sound seductive to tease the girl. Charisa immediately looked back at Skandar. The girl's cheeks started to turn red.

“I- I'm just angry because uncle made fun of me earlier. It's not because I want to be kissed by uncle." Charisa said it by her usual panicked face.

Skandar smiled faintly as the girl gave a long explanation in such her confused style. Charisa Davis looked a lot like teenager belong to his eyes now.

"I'm just not comfortable kissing high school girls in public, and I don't want you to get into a scandal at your high school before you graduate."

"What do you mean, uncle?"

"I agree to keep our marriage between your high school friends secretly, there were not press or journalists at our wedding, and I have arranged and forbidden it." Skandar said it calmly.

Charisa gasped. She did not expect, the cold man remembered her request at McDonalds yesterday. She already had negative thinking if a grown up man like Skandar Alexander Hemingway just acted as he pleased. She thought if a cold, bitchy guy would not listen whatever another one to talk. In fact, she was wrong, the tall man who had the status of her husband was also kind.

Charisa looked at Skandar's handsome face, the man knew that the young girl in front of him was staring at him. Skandar Hemingway raised his eyebrows, smiled again.

"Hava you just realized that I'm handsome?" Said the man with his charm. The man looked around, the fitting room contained only the two of them, just like when he first entered earlier.

"What!?"

"Charisa Davis, can you use your own lipstick, right?" Skandar asked suddenly to the young girl.

"Yeah, it is just lipstick, why can't I-"

Charisa's words stopped immediately, because a soft touch landed on her lips, His kiss made her heart beating very hard. The girl wanted to stop him, but Skandar's hand went down and tugged her waist even more. Skandar deepened their kiss, the man took turns taking Charisa's lower lip, until the girl felt her legs felt weak, unable to support her body. Skandar pulled the girl's body to get closer to him then.

A few moments later, Skandar took off the kiss. Charisa took a big breath, even though their kiss was not long. It was only for a minute or two minutes. The man mature looked at Charisa's lipstick, which still didn't look too faded and neat, then he smiled to the young girl. Charisa had had legal status as his wife.

“I've been trying to control myself not to spoil your make-up. Since the blessing in this morning, and I've been wondering, how does it feel? The taste of your lips." Said Skandar shamelessly now.

The man looked at his wife's cheeks now, which were already very red. James Bloom and his Mom were not good examples for him, but they were right for this time. This innocent wife felt different to him. He loved it.

"Is that your first kiss?" Asked Skandar again.

Charisa lowered her head, confirming the man's question, it was indeed her first kiss, and she never kissed before. In fact, she just found out that the sensation you got when kissing someone felt like that, like your whole body was frozen and you could not move, but it felt tingling at the same time.

"It’s good." Said Skandar, he was smiling proudly when he heard it. "Let's go out now."

Skandar grabbed the girl's hand, then took his wife out, and just as they were out of the room, they met the bridesmaids of Charisa. There was also Anna among them, she was the other young girl whom was wearing a dress as same as Nancy's. In Charisa’s heart, Charisa was grateful that her bridesmaid came a little late, what would happen if Anna caught her kissing with uncle Skandar.

"Charisa, congratulations..." Anna said sincerely, the girl hugged her best friend for a long time.

After her, Skandar’s cousins congratulated their cousin-in-law. Skandar thought a little when Anna talked to him too friendly. It didn't mean that he automatically became his wife's friends as his friends, did it? To have friendship with those high school kids? The man forgot the fact.

Charisa moved her hand which was being held by Skandar. The taller grown up man looked down at her. The man was looking for his wife's bridesmaids who were no longer there, the group of girls had returned to the ballroom in front of him.

"What are you dreaming, uncle?" Asked Charisa innocently. "Watch out for being possessed!"

"And then, should I trance and pounce on you?"

"Uncle, don't scare me!"

“There was no ghost during the bright day, Charisa! Hold my arm now! In order you don’t get lost!" Said Skandar and bent his left arm so that it was embraced by Charisa.

“Does uncle think that we are at the market?" The girl sounded irritated. However the girl obeyed into Skandar's instructions.

Skandar and Charisa then came into ballroom, lots of white chairs neatly arranged around the table. The invited guests were already sitting there. Many waiters around the table to serve menus and dessert foods. The ballroom decoration at the wedding was dominated by white and ivory. Many white roses were found there.

Skandar guessed easily if there were many white roses contributed on his young wife's mood flowery. The grown up man was actually just desperate to follow his instincts to kiss the young girl, their first kiss, and Skandar enjoyed it. As he said earlier, he'd almost forgotten to crush her lips, if he hadn't forgotten that they hadn't finished their wedding yet. Luckily for him, Charisa turned out to be very lazy for slaping him as a husband did not ask permission first like that.

"Congratulations on your wedding, Skandar." Said one of Hemingway family's business colleagues from Perth.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Brown." Skandar said and greeted respectfully to his dad’s friend.

"Your wife is very beautiful, and looks very young." Praised the wife of Mr. Brown, the woman was patting Charisa's shoulder.

"Thank you." Charisa said politely to the mothers.

“Thank you. We apologize for welcoming other invited guests first. Let’s enjoy the desserts." Skandar asked Charisa to the next table then.

Several times they had to stop from table to table to greet. Skandar’s mom and dad, who were at the same table as Skandar's grandmother, Noah and Amanda, looked at the newlyweds by a lopsided smile. They did not think that Skandar Alexander Hemingway, their eldest son, was so easy to conquer like this. If they knew the end was like this, they would have forced Skandar to marry since long ago, without doing any drama with the man first.

"Uncle, walk slowly, please! I'm wearing heels." Said Charisa when Skandar turned and approached her.

"Do your legs hurt?" Asked Skandar worried.

The man immediately invited the girl to sit in the nearest chair. The man had not realized it, if it was a table where his friends were gathered. The three friends of Skandar looked at the newlyweds with a look as if they were hunting dogs who had just caught a pair of rabbits who had come voluntarily.

"Not anymore, uncle." Charisa said while turning her dress a little below her knee.

“You finally brought him here!" Someone started to talk suddenly. James Bloom had gotten up from his chair so that he could see Skandar’s bride better.

"Oh my god!!" Said Skandar reflexly, she was very surprised to see James at his side.

"What are you doing, stupid!?" Asked Skandar again, exclaimed a little. James just laughed at the surprise of the boy. Skandar immediately closed his wife's dress. James who saw him laughed even more.

Skandar finally found out, if they had come to the wrong table. His friends’s table which he should attend when his wedding had been over. The man tapped his forehead lightly, he could not have gone straight away without small talk to James, Adam and Hannah altogether. After all, they were invited by him all.

"Do you not congratulate me?" Said Skandar, deflecting the topic of his three friends.

"Congratulations on your marriage, dear Skandar... May your marriage be till ever after. Can I still call you at night?" Hannah asked hopefully.

"Call office hours, I'll be busy if it's night now." Said Skandar ambiguously as he glanced on Charisa who was trying to guess who the person was staring to them interested. "Call Adam before you're drunk! I'm not sure you'll be safe if you return with James."

"Ckk, you make her calling me later! May your marriage always be happy, Skandar." Said Adam. "May you have a baby soon.”

"You sound alike my mom, you know?" Said Skandar, then laughed. "Thank you."

"Who are they, uncle?" Charisa asked by her low voice, when James looked at her very sharply.

"She's still young, Skandar ... All of her own are so small. Are you sure she is your wife?" Asked James, the idiot's sentence was never sent to school.

"Uncle...." Charisa hid behind Skandar's chair. The girl looked scared. Skandar rose from his chair and disguised his little wife from his friends’ gaze after James's words just now.

In the eyes of Skandar’s friends, Charisa was only a teenage girl who was still growing up. The girl looked as a teenager although the bridal make-up that was put on her face added a little bit of maturity to the girl. But still, for those who already know the girl's real age, Charisa Davis still seemed so young. Maybe if time gave her another five or ten years, when the girl had been mature, Charisa would definitely grow up to be a very beautiful woman.

"Do you call him uncle?" Asked Hannah interested on what his best friend's wife’s words.

“Uncle Skandar...” Charisa looked scared more. Skandar took her calmly.

"Skandar, are you called uncle by her?" Adam asked him to make sure.

"You seem as uncle who loves young girl out there!" Said James enthusiastically.

"Shut up!" Said Skandar, wishing they were silent soon. He remembered his kiss with Charisa in the fitting room. James’s greeting had been like a slap.

"You don't expect this little kid to keep calling you uncle when you guys are in bed right?" Skandar raised his eyebrows when James had not continued his words yet.

"What do you mean?"

"It is time when you make a baby by her, what else?"

And at that moment, Skandar immediately pulled Charisa away from the table and left her to Amanda’s seat, before he turned to his friends' table to give them a calculation. His friends’ greeting could pollute Charisa’s mind, especially if it talked about James Bloom how pervert it was!

------ To be continued ------