Chapter 5
Andrew wandered off, looking like he'd lost his soul.
Emelia threw me a taunting glance, but honestly, I couldn't be bothered anymore.
I was worried James might get uncomfortable seeing Emelia and Andrew.
I gave him a worried glance. After all, we hadn't seen each other in so long, and now we were about to get married. It was kind of nerve-wracking for me.
"What's wrong, my fiancée? Staring at me like that?" James teased, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "So, what do you think? Your fiancé's not bad-looking, right? Once we are married, you can stare at me all you want, and no one's stopping you."
My ears turned red at his words, but I forced myself to stay calm and shot back, "I've known you since we were kids, and I never thought you'd get even more full of yourself after going abroad."
I carefully studied James's chiseled features. The boy I used to spend time with had definitely become even more handsome than before.
Suddenly, I looked up at him and finally asked the question I'd been holding back for so long, "Why did you agree to marry me? Everyone thought it was just a joke."
He took my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, his voice suddenly serious. "I figured you already knew."
I scrunched up my brows. "Knew what?"
James let out a quiet sigh, smiling softly as he spoke, "You're not someone who jokes about stuff like this. And honestly, it's worth a try even if it was a joke."
His words caught me off guard for a moment.
We just stared at each other, and it suddenly hit me that my face had gone bright red.
I blurted out, feeling a little awkward, "Don't tell me you've liked me all this time?"
He let out a soft laugh. "You really are a bit slow. Yeah, I've liked you for over ten years."
James kept holding my hand as he walked me home.
When we got to my place, he ruffled my hair affectionately, speaking seriously, "Even though our wedding is happening so fast, I still want to give you the best one ever.
"My parents will come over tomorrow at noon to discuss it. Let's do this with the book, okay? My dear fiancée."
That weird nickname made my ears burn red.
Seeing me standing there all shy, James just grinned and left, clearly in a great mood.
For the next few days, James and I were basically glued together, figuring out all the wedding stuff side by side.
Those few days just flew by, and soon enough, James and I had decided on a hotel with a beautiful lawn not far from home for our wedding.
Even though everything was happening so fast, what really surprised me was that James didn't cut any corners at all.
He handled everything, wedding photos, the ceremony, custom rings and dress, and even our new place.
James had it all covered, not missing a single detail.
James stuck to me like glue throughout the whole wedding, never letting me out of his sight and always making sure I was okay, no matter how I felt.
I glanced at James, looking like a total heartthrob in his suit, his eyes practically overflowing with love as he stared at me.
Feeling a bit curious, I teased, "Custom dresses and rings take forever to make. Don't tell me you had all this planned way ahead of time?"
The usually serious James suddenly turned bright red at my question, awkwardly looking away.
He mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, I've been planning this for a long time."
For the first time, someone had chosen me with absolute certainty, and my heart felt so full of happiness.
I could really feel happy.
My family and I couldn't have been more pleased with James.
As the ceremony wrapped up, I spotted a familiar figure bolting out of there looking all flustered.