Til Death Do Us Part || Trades
Just past seven in the morning, Trish was awake. She stared silently at the hotel ceiling, not entirely ready to make a sound and call attention to herself. She just wanted a moment, a moment of silence and reflection about the day that was slowly unfolding before her. George slept, softly snoring, on the other bed in the room. He had taken her from the comfort of her apartment the night before and insisted that she spend the night away from her husband-to-be. Of all the traditions that man had in him, she was actually a little bit surprised that this was one of them. It was a nice thought, though, she didnât argue one bit. She did miss Hades, however, even though sheâd be seeing him later that day. It was just the tiniest bit upsetting not to wake up in his warm embrace. At least she wouldnât have to worry about that for more than one day. Not long now, she thought to herself as she mentally went down her list to make sure she had taken care of everything. Luckily, she did have a safety net when it came to events like this. George was spectacular. For such an intimidating man, he had impeccable planning skills â in hindsight, the intimidation is probably how he got everything done so perfectly. He made sure everything was in order, the venue was set, the dress was delivered, the decorations perfect. It wouldâve been easy to just do all of this herself, but having him around was a godsend.
The sound of someoneâs throat clearing made her eyes drift over to see George sitting on the edge of his bed, staring her down with a knowing look, âButterflies?â Trish smiled softly, this man could read her mind, âMore like bats, but they are tiny.â The smile he gave her in return was one she only assumed was reserved for daughters from their fathers on their wedding day. She wasnât blood-related, but for all intents and purposes she was his family â he had made that clear from the moment she met him. âCome, itâs time for you to get up. Big day today,â he extended a hand out to her and pulled her out of bed and pushed her in the direction of the restroom to get ready. After taking a quick shower, she got dressed in a simple outfit of yoga pants and a t-shirt. There was no use in making too much of an effort yet, as that was the point of the rest of the day. Sheâd be getting pampered and taken care of in all imaginable ways just to get ready for the night. Of course, she could have gone and done her own styling and make-up and looked just as great but there was a special thing about oneâs wedding day â it was a day meant for having everything done for you. She met George by the door where he was holding the large black garment bag that contained her dress. That dress was perfect, sheâd spent a sizable amount of time finding the perfect one and then an equally sizable amount of time having it fitted and refitted so it was absolutely perfect in every single way. It was probably the one thing for this wedding that she was the most nit-picky about. It had to be perfect, and after the fourth fitting, it was.
Trish spent the first half of her day in thoughtful silence as various people were flitting around her. She wasnât usually the type to keep so to herself, especially on a day full of attention directed her way, but she couldnât keep her mind from drawing her back into that quiet space. Today was the day that sheâd be legally paired with one man for the rest of her life. It wasnât something that she had always pictured for herself, she was never that little girl who had dreams of her wedding day. There were no play ceremonies with stuffed toys as her audience. There was no veil made from a bed sheet. She had imagined becoming a famous artist, or for a fleeting and very short lived moment â a ballerina. Being a bride was always in the picture, but it was never the immediate thing on her mind. Even now, she didnât see it as the main point of the day. Today was about becoming Mrs. Aidoneus, not about being a blushing bride. She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, something sheâd been doing periodically through the day. Just another way to calm the flutters that entered her system at the thought of finally getting exactly what she wanted. In their hearts, they already knew that they were meant to be together in every way. Getting married was just a way to put it into writing for the rest of the world to see, they werenât to be swayed. They couldnât be. Hades would be waiting for her at the end of that aisle today, ready to join her on their continuing adventure as a couple. An excited chill ran up her spine as a grin spread across her lips, a couple of hours away from being right where she was meant to be and she almost couldnât believe it was real. âYou know,â she finally broke her self-induced silence at lunch, addressing George and the girls that had just arrived a few minutes before, âI think marriage is a very good color on me.â Kida chuckled, her familiar raspy tone tinged with happiness for her friend, âI think a married Trish is also a bit more terrifying than an unmarried one. Just think of the ego.â The rest of the table, including Trish, laughed.
After a leisurely lunch, the group of four headed to the venue on the all too familiar beach. Upon arrival, Trish smiled serenely as the memories came flooding to the surface. This place had many memories and it was only right that it would hold this one as well. Before hiding herself away in the cabin to get ready, she took her chance to get a good look at the decorations. The reception area was beautiful with crisp whites and deep blues, at night it would look like a sparkling beacon with the fairy lights draped carefully around. Her heart leapt into her throat as she stood at the end of the aisle, facing the spot where sheâd see Hades later on. She gently touched a rose petal on the nearest bunch as there were tons upon tons of them around. Georgeâs voice sounded from behind her, âIs it everything you wanted?â His tone was light, but she knew for certain that if she said it was anything less â heâd go find someone to beat into fixing it. âItâs perfect,â she murmured as the sheer realization of where she was standing washed over her. She turned as she heard a car approaching and before she had a chance to actually check to see if it was Hades, George had ushered her in the direction of the cabin, âNope. Not yet, youâll see him later.â Trish laughed lightly, âYouâre a very weird man, you know that right?â He pushed her into the room and pulled the door closed slightly before stopping, âI am, but youâll thank me later. Itâs all about the reveal,â and with that, he closed the door and stood guard.
She didnât have long to dwell on the random parts of Georgeâs life that actually had a weird normalcy to them, this tradition of not seeing the bride included, as she was pulled away and started to get ready for the ceremony. It was almost as if this was the final performance after several trial runs, her make-up and hair were done quickly. Both very simple with a little bit more finesse than her usual look. Her curls had a little bit more shine to them, small jeweled pins were placed strategically to hold curls into place as well as give the impression of stars in the night sky. As she stepped into her dress and held the bodice in place, she heard a familiar but mildly unexpected voice, âMove aside other blonde, Iâll be securing this dress for my queen.â Trish grinned at the reflection of Zoe in the mirror, watching her push the younger and taller blonde out of her way playfully. She rolled her eyes, âI was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up.â Zoe shrugged, beginning to pull the satin corseting into place, âI wouldnât miss this. And you know it.â Trish only smiled in response, if she were being totally honest she was glad Zoe could make it. She wanted everyone who was important to her here, and with the arrival of her old friend â they all were. Slowly but surely, the bodice was tied tightly and securely in place. It cinched in all the right places, even though she really didnât need cinching. The dress was molded perfectly to her body in every possible way. Trish smiled at the image in the mirror, of her flanked by Am, Kida and Zoe. This was one of the many moments sheâd remember for a lifetime.
The music started and she looped her arm around Georgeâs, suddenly all the nerves sheâd been doing such an amazing job at pushing down came bubbling to the surface. She closed her eyes and a voice in the back of her mind soothed her. She knew better than to assume it was a telepathic link, but the voice sounded a lot like Hades calming her down, breathe Cara Mia. Taking a deep breath, she felt George squeeze her hand comfortingly. Smiling lightly down at her as he started walking her to the head of the aisle, he muttered, âDonât trip.â Trish laughed quietly, âI would never.â They rounded the corner and suddenly all she could see was Hades. Nevermind the fact that she was fully aware that all the eyes were on her, the only ones she cared about were his. A light pink crept onto her cheeks as she made her way towards him, the look in his eyes was one she would never forget. Her emotions flitted between complete and total awe, smugness and a tiny bit of bashful. When they reached the end of the aisle, George reached his hand out to shake Hadesâ and in a low voice stated, âYou donât hurt her.â Trish shared a knowing smile with Hades as George kissed her on the cheek and took his seat. Stepping forward, she gently placed her hand in Hadesâ grasp as they stood before friends and family. Trish shifted to face Hades as he stated his vows, her heart swelling at the words. When it came to her turn, she could have turned to Am to hand her the paper but she, much like he did, felt as if she could do this without the words in front of her since they were in her heart so fully.
She squeezed his hands softly before taking a quick calming breath. The vast amount of emotions clouded her voice as she looked into his eyes. The familiar blues made her smile before she spoke, âI could probably spend a lifetime standing before you and telling you every reason that I love you. I could tell you that those reasons keep evolving and changes. All of this would take so long so Iâll just tell you this: you make it so easy to fall in love with you more and more everyday. You are my other half. From the moment I met you, I knew weâd be in each others lives, it just took me a small while to realize in what capacity. I am marrying you today, but I already knew that weâd be with one another even without the title. I love you with all of my heart, body and soul. You are my everything and more. I am proud to be yours and have you as mine. I look forward to being your wife, living our life and seeing our future unfold. I love you,â she smiled at him, happy tears welling up in her eyes but not falling, âI love you so much. Now, and until the stars go out.â
Trish fidgeted slightly, not enough for anyone but Hades to fully notice. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and keep him close forever but the ceremony wasnât finished yet. The rings hadnât been exchanged. Twisting around slightly, she took the ring from Am â smiling warmly at the brunette before turning back. Speaking the words she was told to recite, she slipped the ring onto his finger and felt another chill of excitement race up her spine. That simple act gave her goosebumps, especially when followed by âI do.â Finally he pulled her close as their lips met. It may have been shorter than their usual but it was not short of the affection they always shared. Resting her forehead against his, she laughed breathily â glad to finally have that title, âAnd I love you, Mr. Aidoneus.â She kissed him quickly once more before they turned to the crowd of friends and family, finally as husband and wife.