Once Upon a Wedding Day

(Let the Curtains Roll)

Three days ago was Alice Colette Evans’ wedding, and now she was an Evans no more but a Woodville. Though she realized the dilemma she entered just before she starts to walk the aisle, she just had to get married already. It was Alice’s decision in the first place. The only dumb thing she wasn’t able to comprehend immediately was what she actually entered.

Marriage.

She actually had the choice to say yes or no to her mom when Claudette asked her if she wanted to have an arranged marriage with the Woodville’s grandson. But what she told her mom was, “Okay that sounds cool!”

“Hell getting married wasn’t cool at all!” she thought the moment she opened her eyes and still didn’t see her ceiling that was filled with glow in the dark stickers she would always look up to when a scary dream suddenly wakes her up. The curtains weren’t the curtains she personally picked as well which had different baby colored shapes drawn on it. And even her bedside table that still had stickers she stuck when she was eight wasn’t there as well.

“Day three in this oh-so-wonderful house,” Al murmured after a sigh. She thought of things she would do that day but the main thing she really wanted to do wasn’t possible. Al wanted to go to their house and just stay with her parents but Claudette knew her daughter too well. Al’s parents decided to visit and at the same time fix business matters in Europe which left Al no choice but to stay in her new home.

She got up from her bed which was filled with pillows, like literally filled with pillows plus her Mr. Frog stuffed animal, and entered her walk-in closet and got dressed for breakfast. The moment she was done, Al opened her door sneakily so that Stephen, whose room was across hers (if he was still asleep) wouldn’t wake up and irritate her early in the morning.

“Ha-ha-ha,” Al whispered with a smirk on her face as she almost tiptoed her way to the dining area but was suddenly passed by Stephen.

The two didn’t share the same room yet because they both insisted on having their own rooms. Mainly Al was the one to be reactive and began begging when Fredrick and Isabel mentioned the room thing.

“What in the world are you doing awake?” Al muttered and caught up with him. No more use for her ‘trying not to wake him up’ scheme. Stephen even saw her sneaking out her room looking like Shaggy and Scooby when they would try to sneak away.

“What do you think of me, an owl asleep in the morning?” Stephen replied in his usual monotone as the two still continued to walk towards the same direction. It was time for breakfast and the others were already down, eating.

“No, I was just asking why you were already awake,” she responded with a smile and walked faster to go ahead of him, ‘Oh well,’ she thought.

“How about you?”

“What about me?” that made her stop and look behind slowly at Stephen who was now nearing her.

“Why were you tiptoeing your way out and even made a pathetic laugh?” He asked emphasizing every word as his face grew nearer Al’s and then smirked at her.

“Stephen’s a shrimp! Aaaahh!” she yelled in response and ran down the dining place, her cheeks turning red like cherries.

The moment she reached the dining room, where Fredrick and Isabel together with their granddaughter were, she greeted them, “G’morning!” she muttered, trying to catch her as she stood by the door.

Stephen's five year old sister, Alessandra, was a very sweet and cute little girl with brown hair that turns extremely light brown when hit by the sun. She was like the girl version of Stephen with a fair complexion though with a different eye color. She had green eyes like their dad’s wherein Stephen got his eyes from their mom.

“Everything alright dear?” Isabelle wondered why she looked all flushed and a bit shaken.

“Yeah, I’m—,” but before she was able to finish, Stephen had gotten her arm and was dragging her to the table to sit and then finished for her what she was saying.

“She’s fine grandma,” Stephen cleared as he pulled out a seat for Alice and then sat beside her wife to eat breakfast.

Alice glared at him secretly he saw from the corner of his eyes which made him smile furtively, “Stay out of trouble stupid girl,” he murmured.

“And how am I gonna get in trouble dumbo?” Al answered whispering back while looking at Isabelle with a forced wide smile trying not to let anyone notice what they both just said.

“With your stupidity I’m sure you’ll find your way there,” he muttered quietly in reply when he suddenly felt someone step on his right foot. He looked at Alice who smiled at him sarcastically and then took a spoon full of her cereals.

“Can Wai-wai help Alessa with the piano piece later?” Alessandra asked his brother.

(Wai-wai is pronounced like the question ‘why’ but without the H.)

“Sure,” he answered shortly.

“Why are you called Wai-wai?” Alice couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

Fredrick and Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh a bit with what she suddenly asked. They still remembered from way, way back when they found Stephen holding a bottle of Tanduay rum—already opened which they later on found out was owned by Ross, their butler.

“Pops told Alessa why Alice, Alessa knows why!” she informed her sister-in-law gladly.

“Why?”

“Alessa!” Stephen called her but wasn’t minded by the two girls all ears with what they were talking about.

“When he was young Pops found him drinking Tanduay rum which was Ross’, but Wai-wai found it somewhere and drank it,” Alessa told Alice as she smiled at her older brother.

“Then how did it become Wai-wai?” she asked again.

“Oh cause he didn’t know how to say Tanduay, he called it wai-wai,” Isabel responded for Alessa and all four of them laughed except for Stephen.

“Aw, don’t worry it ain’t ugly, it’s actually cute,” she muttered teasing Stephen who was beside her and then tapped him on the head.

“How about you dear, why does your mom call you Cherry?” Fredrick who was also called pops by his grandchildren asked sweetly with a smile.

“Oh cause my mom said since I was a kid, whenever I cried or got embarrassed, my cheeks turned really red like I had cherries on my cheeks,” she answered not really noticing that she was actually feeling quite at home already, with the people around her.

The family Al entered was wonderful there was not doubt about that and even other families knew the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Woodville. They have a lot of money but were able to keep their feet planted on the ground and that was one of the reasons why, when Claudette was asked by Fredrick about the marriage thing, she wasn’t against it at all, although if it were another family who asked her for her daughter’s hand, she wouldn’t even think twice of saying no to them. But it was a different case when it was Fredrick Woodville who asked her.

“Really, how?” Stephen questioned as he drew his face about an inch away from Alice's head. That was why when she faced him; Al was shocked to see his ocean blue eyes piercing through hers and made the cherries on her cheeks show.

This made Isabelle and Fredrick laugh at two of them. They were funny with the way one treated the other though they didn’t know Al actually used to bully Stephen.

“I’m not really sure how though,” Al muttered shocked and quite anxiously which caused her forehead to bump Stephen’s as well, “Ouch.”

“I told you to stop being stupid!” Stephen mumbled and rubbed the spot Al accidentally hit him with her forehead.

Alice smiled playfully at him and immediately smiled at the old couple whom she saw were laughing at probably what happened.

“That’s alright dear, we’ve seen it already,” Fredrick said with a small laugh.

“Yeah? Probably when I was young,” Al said in response, smiling widely. Not knowing her cheeks already turned red when Stephen’s face was only an inch away from hers, “Yeah I think when I was young. I remember seeing you guys sometimes in parties before.”

“Probably.”

“Grandma Belle, can Alessa play? Alessa is done with her food,” the little one asked and the moment her grandma smiled and nodded, she got out of her chair and looked for Della who was her personal maid.

“Dear, do you like parties?” Isabelle asked Alice with a sweet smile as she wiped the side of her lip with the napkin.

Stephen knew what was coming and so answered for Alice before she was able to, “No grandma I’m sure parties bore Alice,” he immediately said.

There were parties every Friday which Isabelle and Fredrick would always attend and the one time Stephen agreed to accompany the two, he ended up bored with always having to dance with the old friends of his grandma because there were barely people his age he could hung out with.

“Hey! I think I can answer for myself,” Al said as she hit him on the arm, “I absolutely love parties grandma, don’t listen to Stephen!” and then gave him a fierce look.

“I told you to stay out of trouble stupid girl,” Stephen whispered looking at Alice with a glare.

“Well then that’s great, you and Wai-wai can go with us this Friday,” Isabelle said gladly.

“Pops!” Stephen exclaimed. Fredrick knew Stephen hated that specific kind of gathering but Fredrick just nods at what his wife decides about when it has nothing to do with business.

And so, “Alice should try the party son,” was the only thing he heard from his granddad.

“Fine,” he then agreed with a nod, “You will regret not listening to me, stupid girl.”

“Mmhhmm whatev,” Al muttered and totally wasn’t affected by what Stephen told her.

“Let’s go shopping for what you’ll wear then, shall we?” Isabelle offered, talking to Alice.

“Yay! Really?"

“Of course dear, and our wonderful husbands can accompany us too, am I right?” Isabelle asked with a laugh, looking at the two men seated.

‘Mwahahaha, slaaaave!’ Alice thought evilly, referring to Stephen.

Fredrick, who was just smiling, and Stephen whose expression was priceless just looked at his pops, “We'd love to, honey."

A/N:

Yay! I'm so happy! I got reviews!! Thank you so much! (Keena Clipp Katfish VII, .pants, Songs of an Angel, Coffey ville, I quoth Nevermore, Sydney-J 14, Masquerade hide your face, and Princessbleachhead)... Sorry this is the fastest I can update... :( I have school to worry about ... Thanks for reading :D comments? my many mistakes i wasn't able to fix? heheh please review :) thanks! c: