It was natural to want to explore a new place and culture with people you were comfortable around. Didac did not hesitate to concede to Vivian’s request. Bradford tightening face made him look as ugly as his soul. “Of course, you can bring them along.”
Vivian struggled to continue. “If you have enough room, I would also like to bring a few of my most treasured belongings.”
“You will have everything you need in Constel·lació.”
How did the woman in Constel·lació ask? Maybe if she went down on her knees, he would grant her request. That’s how her father liked it, sometimes. The idea made him feel powerful.
She kneeled down before him. ”I would like you to grant this as a wedding present. There are memories from my childhood that I would like to bring along.”
There was a collective gasp from the aliens. Didac pulled her up as if embarrassed. His mate might be angry and unwilling right now, but with time she would learn that all he wanted was to love her and be loved by her. Only slaves knelt before other people. In his planet, slavery had been abolished for centuries. All species respected and feared them. The peace and the freedoms they so much enjoyed had taken over centuries to obtain.
Okay, I guess woman didn’t do that in Constel·lació.
“You do not have to kneel to no one, especially me.” Didac rubbed her cheek tenderly, to soothe her, to make her understand, his voice soft. “We have enough room; you can bring anything you want to bring.” He soon realized his mistake. He turned back to his authoritative tone to exterminate any implications that he could be forgiving especially in Bradford presence. He preyed on people’s weaknesses. ”After the wedding, we leave. I will give you and your siblings enough time to pack what you want to take along with you. After you are done just let me know, I will instruct my man to put your belongings aboard.”
“I cannot express how grateful I am.”
Vivian had laughed when Didac had told her that his sister would go with them. Her laughter had turned into tears as she realized the gravity of what had just happened. She had embarrassed herself.Annais soft embrace had calmed her as her sister Paka led them to her room.
That is when her mother had stepped in. She was a traitor, fraternizing with the enemy. All the feelings she had always felt about her mother erupted like a volcano.
Agusti stared at the women as they disappeared into the building. He turned to look at his friends, Severus and Primo and returned their smiles. “What?” He shrugged when he noticed Esteve’s pointed look. ”Come on man! Let he who has eyes see.” At Esteve’s cocked eyebrow, he continued.” I can’t help but stare; these human females are so beautiful."
"Don't, this is not the time,” Esteve warned the younger males.
“Come on Esteve; you know us better than that.”
"Just checking, that’s all."
Esteve had to agree even if he didn’t voice it. These human females were such exotic creatures. They came in different skin colors, sizes, hair types and cultures which were unheard of in any planet. Under different circumstances, Mother Earth would have been an adventurous playground for the younger males, but they were soldiers first and foremost. His sense of aesthetics recognized that the more adolescent males were stunners. Women loved and adored them too. He had never felt jealous of them until now. Esteve, the geek, followed behind the younger males to the White House, feeling older than he had ever felt in his life
.
Chapter 6
When Vivian got to her room, she went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower, stripped her clothes. She quickly brushed her teeth and stepped into the hot shower. She let the water run down her back, her mind racing, the questions in her head causing it to pound. Once she was done, she wrapped a towel around her hair and took another one from the rack and put it around her body. She put on her underwear and bra and stepped into her room. When she walked into her room, she found her mom and Maxine, sitting on the bed, her half-sister, Paka on the dressing table chair and Annais on the leather stool at the foot of her bed. Michelle quickly helped Vivian into her dress in silence.
Paka took her large makeup bag, removed her brushes and primer and started applying it to Vivian’s face. Facials, Brow Tinting, different brands of makeup, eyelash extensions, you name it, Vivian had tried it all. It left her skin feeling like an oil refinery. It was a heavy burden to carry. Literally. It was a habit that had drained her monthly allowance and disqualified her from being low maintenance. In her late teens, she had abandoned her makeup bag, plucked, prodded, massaged and started smothering her skin in the most decadent products. It had done wonders for her skin.
Her daily beauty routine consisted of washing her face, rubbing a face cream on her face or maybe plucking an eyebrow or two and then heading out of the door. The closest she came to wearing makeup in a long time was a tube of tinted lip balm that she had kept in her purse at all times.
Paka watched her sister’s expressions as she applied her makeup. Vivian and Michelle had been nothing but supportive ever since they had found out about her. Her father didn’t even acknowledge her at all. On this rare occasion; she was allowed to enter the white house without hiding. Maybe this is what she needed. A change of planet. Paka almost laughed out loud. Her job was to look pretty, and physicality was part of her job description. It was starting to niche on her psyche. At Annamarie Cosmetics, she was the first thing everyone saw when people glided through those doors. A full face of makeup and immaculate hair was expected daily.
She hated her job. Every day she had to remind herself that this was not permanent. She will be graduating soon. Each night she came home, she felt wrong. Uneasy. Each time she thought about going to work, she felt physically sick. She hated that feeling. It was nothing her work had done. They had laid down the rules in training; she expected it. She just wasn’t cut from the proper fabric to handle a job like that. Some of the girls seemed to enjoy it. She felt so lost and stuck. Heck, it paid the bills; it was hard to stay afloat trying to pay for her tuition. She just hoped she was making the right choice by abandoning all and following her sister to Constel·lació.
The only thing she liked was her star-trek inspired uniform. It sure was sexy. Paka resisted the urge to laugh out loud,again.
“Vivian, don’t worry in all romantic movies, the heroine starts out in a bad place. In Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts was a freaken hooker. Worse, it is in the beginning, the happier the ending. ”Paka finally broke the silence in the room.
“Don’t let those movies get to your head. That is just a modern version of Cinderella. And Cinderella is nothing but a fairy tale.” Maxine plugged the curling iron.
Vivian was startled by Annais’ comforting touch on her shoulder. “As his sister, Didac might appear hard and unbending because he takes his responsibilities seriously. As a woman, I am sure with the right motivation; he can be accommodating.”
Okay.
Annais watched confusion cloud Vivian’s expression.” I can see you are perplexed by my words. I have lived a long life, Vivian. I know that a man can be a good brother and a bad mate at the same time. Didac is a good male by all accounts, one thing I know is that he would never intentionally harm you whether it is emotionally or physically, you have to understand each other so you can coexist together. And these things take time, and I have complete confidence that once you become acquitted with his personality, you will learn to love him.”
“I just hope you are right,” Vivian responded.
“I would never lie to you. I just hope you realize that the struggles we go through as women transcend every species.” Annais reassured Vivian.
Vivian intently stared at Annais. The unhypocritical statement made Vivian feel so much better.
Paka looked at Maxine. ”I am done with her makeup; you can start doing her hair.”
Paka started cleaning her makeup brushes as Maxine worked on Vivian’s hair. She sighed and looked up dreamingly. “Did you see those alien men down there? They are so
handsome. Serious…… tall……. Muscled..…. Sexy…. I have never been surrounded by such virility before.”
“Can’t you think of anything else besides sex? Everything you say has bedroom connotations.” Maxine stated
“Experience has taught me that a man is a man. They all want sex any way they can get it. The rest you work it out.”
“There we go again! Please don’t take advice from a girl who sleeps with anything that moves.” Max said.
Paka didn’t look insulted, contrary to popular belief that wasn’t true.” Come on Vivian, stop looking so sad. It’s not like you are marrying some fat general with large sweat stains under his arms who will force you to satisfy his ugly desires. Did you see your husband to be? Isn’t he fine? If the thought of him over and under you does not turn you on, something is definitely wrong with you.”
Annais and Michelle felt so old listening to the young women talk, but they couldn’t resist smiling.
“I guess he is okay,” Vivian said shyly.
“Okay! Are you kidding me?”
“I guess he has a nice butt.” Vivian's face broke into a smile.
“Is that all? Let your mind wander.”
“He looks so strong and big.”
“You are getting warmer. Come on, and a woman can appreciate the beauty of a man without feeling embarrassed and ashamed.”
Vivian’s pale skin turned red. ”Paka.” She whined.
“Was that bad?”
Everyone in the room broke into laughter.
“Girls, focus. We have to be downstairs in less than fifteen minutes. ”Michelle tried to keep a straight face.
Maxine's eyes glistened with tears. ”Okay group hug. I am going to miss you guys. Call me.”
“No crying, you will ruin your makeup.” Michelle resisted the urge to cry too. She ran her hands over Vivian’s last minute bridal dress. It was a classic short, sleeveless dress with an empire waist that accentuated her figure. “You look so lovely, dear. The lace is so beautiful and soft.”
“What do I do now, mom?” Vivian sounded desperate.
She felt like a fraud. Being a bride was the closest thing possible to living out every girl’s childhood fantasy of being a princess. Finding the perfect prince, putting on the perfect wedding pageant and live happily ever after. It was an alluring story. How could it not be?
Vivian’s marriage to Didac was a conscious way out of an awkward situation perpetrated by her father, and usually, that didn’t have the staying power that came with mature love, shared values and a commitment to the future of two mature adults. She had hoped that her daughter would marry for love. She trusted Didac’s word to keep her daughter safe, but she was still worried.
“I know everything looks blink right now, but Didac seems like a supportive, well balanced and stable guy. He seems protective. He is nothing like your father, Vivian.”
“Supportive! Well balanced! Stable! You sound like you are describing a chair.” Vivian laughed scornfully and shouted, “Stop! Just stop mama.”
Everyone looked stunned at Vivian’s outburst.
“What do you want me to do, Vivian. “
“I am ashamed of you, Just look at you, I can’t take it anymore. What does everything have to be so prissy?”
Michelle looked surprised. She had no idea her daughter felt that way. “What do you mean? I tried…………”
“Not hard enough.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You never stood up for yourself. You made it seem alright for him to beat you. You let him humiliate you. How come you couldn’t be the woman you tried to make me?” Vivian cried.
Michelle slapped her hard on the face. “Damn it!”
Everything she had ever done was for her children. She wouldn’t be the woman she was if she had left their care to Martin. “You are so perfect, and you would look down on me. I handled my responsibility the best way I knew how under the circumstances. You are old enough to know how things work around here.”
Michelle sat down on the bed. ”When I first met your father, I was only seventeen years old, my heart stopped, I ceased breathing, and nothing mattered. I took his fists because I loved him. Then I had you and your brother, I could have left, but I didn’t because he would have taken you away from me. I did everything I could to protect you. I’m so sorry, Vivian………… if I could do anything different I would. This is not what I imagined for you or Michael……………. How do you think I survived without giving up on life? Every day I would wake up and hate the light and wish I was dead because I was stuck in a situation I couldn’t get out of. Every time I got tired of life, I would think about you and your brother that made me want to go on. Hoping and wishing that something would happen and I would be able to take you away from all this.”
Annais opened herself to absorb the feelings in the room. She didn’t have to try hard. Even if these women looked more composed outside than on the inside, they had no control over their emotions. Though never been a victim of abuse herself, her empathetic nature allowed her to feel first hand what victims felt. The emotions in the room were suffocating her. It took her a lot of effort to muffle her choking. Paka, though untrusting was excited, Vivian, unsure, perhaps, of what the future held, Maxine, skeptical and Michelle, broken but they all shared one emotion. Fear. An all too familiar feeling.
“Don’t do this to yourself or your mother. I have felt the evil in your father. Sometimes life does not give you choices. Your mom loves you, and I can feel that you love her too. You might not see her for a long time. She has chosen to remain behind with your father, are those the last words you want to remember to have said to her?” Annais intervened.
“I am so sorry mama; I didn’t mean it, I’m so afraid.”
“I am afraid too baby if anything ever happened to you, I couldn’t take it. I wish things could be different.”
“I know.Me too. Whatever happens, I promise to be strong.”
“That’s my girl.”
A loud knock on the door interrupted them.
“Didac wants you to come down now.” A voice Annais recognized as Primo’s sounded through the door.
“We will be down in five minutes,” Annais shouted back.
“You better hurry; Didac is not looking too pleased right now.” Primo’s retreating footsteps could be heard through the door.
“One more thing…” Michelle opened the box on the bed, took out a veil and securely placed it on Vivian’s head. ”You will be the most beautiful bride.
Michelle appreciated that her mother was trying to make this farce of a wedding as normal as possible. ”Thank you, mom.”
"Do you remember when you were young?" That was before Bradford had corrupted her children. "You took a lace curtain and pretended you were getting married.”
"Mum, I was only six."
Michelle cried. "Now you are doing it for real
"No, don’t cry. If you cry, I will cry too."
"I am so sorry."
“Me too.”
Chapter 7
Vivian ‘s heart was thumping so hard when she emerged thirty minutes later in her last minute bridal gown. She placed her arm around her father’s as she scanned the conference room. The tables had been removed, and the room was arranged with the smell of flowers filling the room. A dozen of Didac’s soldiers were seated on her left, her father’s delegates, sister, mother, and brother on her right.
As the music began, she tried to focus her eyes on the priest and the elder that Didac had insisted be there as she walked towards Didac’s enormous graceful form. Didac was dressed in a black military uniform just like his men, yet he had an elegance that could not be explained.
Vivian pasted a smile on her face, which turned into a grimace. Her toes were throbbing in pain. Vivian wiggled her toes, but the heels didn’t leave her enough room. This wedding had better be fast before she found herself crippled for life.
High Heel Heaven.
When she ha
d left her room, she had felt like the personification of glamor only to be reduced to a hobbling kyphosis before the wedding had even begun. The soft gel cushions, her sister had suggested did not lessen the pain. Why the hell did she even bother? It wasn’t like she was excited to marry him. The temptation to remove her heels and walk barefoot was almost irresistible, but she wasn’t keen on dirt or bacteria. The only dirt these feet were going to have an affair with was sand.
Ziza, the elder from the House of Amor, was administering the ceremony. Didac anticipation made his palms sweat. He watched as his mate walked towards him to the altar. His heart skipped. Her transformation was breathtaking. She was beautiful but still so unsure. He took her small hands in his and looked into those eyes and a deep sense of peace settled within him.
“We gather today as planets, inspired by the union of this couple. Tonight we honor the unification of the two present bloodlines. With this union, we choose to embrace Vivian’s human nature. With this union, Didac will share his unique gifts.”Ziza’s angelic voice filled the quiet room. He placed a lit candle in their joined hands. ”And now your vows?”
“I pledge to honor and defend you and yours above all. I will be your comfort and sanctuary as we both shall live, to share in everything, to be your advocate and champion, to be your family.” Didac turned around to look at his soldiers.” Our joining today will seal the loyalty of all the Constel·lacións to you, you will be Queen to an army who will protect you as their own. Long live the Queen.”
“Long live the Queen. We pledge our lives to you and yours.” The soldiers stood up and bowed in unison.
Vivian was speechless. This reminded her of her Sorority pledge which was time-consuming with a lot of drama involved. And just like it, she knew she was on a time trial; the only difference was that quitting the marriage wasn’t going to be that easy. After a few moments, she realized that everyone was waiting for her vows. ”Um, um, I'm a little nervous because I have no idea what I’m going to say, I was not given enough time to think of what I was going to say, and I'm somewhat uncomfortable being the center of attention, okay.” Everybody in the room chuckled.” I hope to become more than just your wife; I want to be your friend and your confidante.” Vivian shrugged her shoulders. ”I guess this is the easy part, saying our vows right? The hardest part is the future ahead. I make no promises, but this; I will try to be the best wife I could be.” Vivian looked at Ziza, and the Minister administering the wedding nervously hoping she had done justice to her vows. ”That’s it.” She said with a shrug to her ‘not so thin but looked it next to Didac’ shoulders. Laughter charged the room. ”You can skip the “I do” part.”
Just A Bit Of Trust (Constel·lación #1) Page 5
