WestFiction- "If You Love Something" by Mary

stories

readers

authors zone

character call form

authors

www

home

If You Love Something...> chapters 35-36

Mark woke with a start, clutching his throbbing head. The distant sound didn’t help his head either. It took sometime before he realized it was Bryan banging the door.

“MARK! OPEN UP I NEED TO TALK TO YOU,” he shouted as he continued banging the door, “NOW!!”

“Alright. ALRIGHT!” Mark said, irritated. He focused his eyes at the clock beside him. It’s 3 a.m.! What could he possibly want at this hour? Mark let him in. Bryan just brushed passed Mark and began pacing around the room.

“Mark, do you realize I’m getting married?” he asked.

“Duh! Bry.”

“In less than 6 hours? I mean is it the right thing to do? What if it’s not?” he asked a little to hysterically then sat down on Mark’s bed then got up and perched up on the small table in the room.

“Hey, Bry-” Mark tried to interrupt him.

“What if it’s not the right time? Maybe it’s the right thing but not the right time?” Bryan went on and on getting more hysterical every second.

“Bryan,” he tried again, his head was going to split anytime soon if Bryan doesn’t stop pacing around.

“I mean look, statistic shows 1 in every 2 marriages fails. That’s not a good chance to take. What if it’s not supposed to be me and Ashley? A million things could go wrong. What if-”

“HEY MCFADDEN!” he shouted and immediately regretted doing so, his head throbbed even more, but at least that got his attention. Mark stood up slowly, taking Bryan by the shoulders, he said, “Bry, listen to me. Go down, make a pot of coffee. I’ll be down in awhile, Ok?” Bryan just nodded and left.

He went to the bathroom and he splashed some water on his face and wished he could sleep off this hangover. He wondered what possessed him to over drink last night. He looked in the mirror and hated what he saw. This wasn’t going to do justice to Bryan’s wedding. He had let him stay there after much persuading from Bryan since his house were full with relatives who came for the wedding. Mark thought some peace and quiet would do both of them some good but the groom-to-be has decided to get pre-wedding jitters just a few hours before getting married.

He made his way downstairs, he was more alert but his head still hurt. He found Bryan in the kitchen face down on the table incoherently mumbling something Mark couldn’t catch. From the kitchen window he gazed outside, everything was quiet except for the sound of crickets, which he found it comforting at times. He poured two cups of coffee and set one on the table for Bryan. He looked up, “Coffee won’t help. I think I need something stronger,”

“Tough, you’re not going to get any,” Mark replied sitting across from Bryan.

“I know I want to be with Ash, I can’t bear the thought not being with her,” said Bryan helplessly, “I guess this is what is meant with taking the plunge. No safety nets.” All Mark could do was sit there and listen, “You know, your job as the best man, you are supposed to come up with words of encouragement sometime about NOW would be good,” he continued sarcastically.

Thinking about Judith, “Bry, if you want advice, I’m the last person you should ask,” Mark said frankly, “Look you are scared. You are going into an unfamiliar territory, that’s understandable.” Bryan slumped his head on the table again, “How do I know this is it? I know Ash’s it and it’s only gonna be her but…” This was the first time Mark heard Bryan question his own feelings towards Ashley. Had he asked this at a different time he would have laughed at him. He fell in love with her more and more everyday even a blind man could see it! Knowing Bryan for all these years, he has a tendency to shake his own judgement at the very last minute.

Mark pondered on this for a while. How does a person know? “You’ll just know. You’ll want to share the rest of your life with her…She’s the one who has faith in you...The one who’ll believe in you when you doubt yourself…She’s the reason why you get up every morning with a smile on your face…” he said smiling to himself, “She’s the one who helps you up when you fall telling you everything will be alright and you’ll know everything will be alright just because she’s by your side…You’ll be so thankful that she’s walked into your life and so scared she might walk out too…She makes you who you are, a part of you and you know it’s her whom you want to share the rest of your life with…You’ll love her for who she is and accepts all her faults too. After all that’s what makes her her…” he paused for awhile and then said with such passion that caught Bryan by surprise, “Everyone or everything else will tell you something different. The heart whispers, and when you hear that you will know, that she is the one. She’s the one makes you…” he stopped trying to find the right word.

“…complete. Whole. One.” he finished Mark’s sentence. Bryan was much calmer and began to relax, then added with a chuckle, “fly without wings, eh mate?.”

“Yeah, fly without wings,” Mark agreed with him absentmindedly, lost in his own thoughts. Bryan began yawning then he laughed, “What the hell got into me?” he said as he shook his head, “I think I’ll hit the sack. Thanks. You’re the best,” from the doorway Bryan turned to Mark and said, “I’m really sorry it didn’t work out between you and Judith,” Mark stared at him and then nodded, “yeah…me too.”

~ ~ ~

CHAPTER 36

The wedding ceremony went on smoothly and in Samantha’s opinion, it was a perfect one. Later in the afternoon they had the tea-giving ceremony, a custom the Chinese practice. And now, the reception.

“Why are you grinning like there’s no tomorrow?” asked Kian.

“Huh?…Oh,” she smiled wider, “I was just thinking of those times we had as kids. When Ashley and I were six, we were the flower girls for someone’s wedding, and when we saw the bride…the bride was the most beautiful woman we ever saw…that day we wanted to be the bride!” Kian chuckled. “That night, we were in front of the mirror, complete with table cloths as veil and a very long dress which we tripped over every time we move forward and plastic flowers, we imagined ourselves walking down the aisle. From the gown, to the shoes, to our hair…we thought of every possible thing…We dreamed up our wedding day.”

“Did anyone ever tell ya that you girls are a weird bunch?” he asked.

“Hey!” Samantha pretended to be offended, “It’s a girl thing!” They stood there silently for a while, watching the crowd enjoying themselves.

“So, does this compare to anything she dreamed up?” Kian asked motioning towards the ballroom.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head, “this is better than she could have imagined.”

“Undoubtedly,” added Kian stifling a laugh, “this does beat falling flat on your face with tablecloth and plastic flowers.”

“So, ya ready?” Kian asked a moment later as he pointed over to the small stage.

“I’m still working on it,” Samantha muttered. She held her breath as long as she could. “What am I doing?” Samantha asked herself. She was not a limelight person, she was a backstage person. How on earth did Ashley manage to convince her to do this?

Ronan was on stage, relating some of Bryan’s antics during the earlier days of Westlife. Needless to say, it had everyone in the ballroom in laughter. He glanced at Samantha’s direction and gave her a nod then to the audience, “I presume some of you know Samantha Micah?” Most of the crowd nodded and cheered. “Have you ever heard her sing?” he asked. A chorus of ‘No’ broke out. Among the crowds Bryan replied the loudest. Ronan continued, “Well, here’s a little treat. Come on up Samantha.”

“I can’t do this,” said Samantha as she shoved the mike to Kian.

“Too late,” he said as he shoved the mike back and pushed her to the stage. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure that everyone could hear it. When she reached the center of the small stage she looked out and smiled then looked at Bryan, “Bryan, this song, from Ashley, with all her heart, to you.” Samantha saw he was surprised and he planted a kiss on Ashley then led her to the dance floor. The band started the tune and Samantha began to relax a little. On cue she sang, “

If I had a thousand years to love you

I would need at least thousand more

There’s so much love, inside I wanna give you

You’re all I’m living for

Darling you…A lifetime ain’t enough to love you

There’s not enough time

To have you here beside me

If I could

I would give you more than forever

I would love you, long after the end of time

I would give you more than forever

More than the rest of my life

If that’s what I could do

I’d be loving you more than forever

And if I had a million of your kisses

That wouldn’t be enough to get me by

It’s gonna take more than a lifetime of your kisses

To keep me satisfied

Darling you…A lifetime ain’t enough to love you

There’s not enough time

To show you what I’m feeling

If I could

I would give you more than forever

I would love you, long after the end of time

I would give you more than forever

More than the rest of my life

If that’s what I could do

I’d be loving you more than forever

More than the rest of our time

Because it’s your love, I can’t get enough of

Darling you…A lifetime ain’t enough to love you

There’s not enough time

To have you here beside me

If I could

I would give you more than forever

I would love you, long after the end of time

I would give you more than forever

More than the rest of my life

If that’s what I could do

I’d be loving you more than forever”

~ ~ ~

Mark watched Samantha, his heart tripled its speed, he never really heard her sing, and hearing it now, his heart began to ache.

“Is she the one?” asked Kate.

“Huh?” Mark was a thousand miles from her.

“Samantha. Is she the one?” she repeated.

“The one what?” Mark tried to avoid the question.

“Is she the one who is on your mind all the time?” she asked him softly. He looked into her eyes, hoping to find an answer. He remembered to monologue he gave to Bryan this morning. He couldn’t sleep after that. It wasn’t Judith he was thinking about when he said those words. It was Samantha. Was it possible? He asked himself for the millionth time that few hours. That he was in love with Samantha? After all this years? What about Judith? For heavens sake, he loved her. But he wasn’t so sure he was still in love with her after what had happened.

“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully, rubbing his forehead, hoping it would help clear the confusion in his head.

“I think you do know,” she said just as softly, “but you are just afraid to admit it.”

“I am not afraid,” he stated flatly.

“Let’s cut the macho talk,” she said to him, “Look, I know that we have been going out for sometime, that’s not a secret and maybe it’s time we take a break. You have something to settle,” she said gesturing towards Samantha, “All the time I was with you, there was something about her that made you…that drives you. Something I couldn’t give. And I don’t think anyone else could give that to you. You are good guy Mark. I think it’s about time you deserve some happiness due to you.” Mark stared at her in disbelief. He didn’t know what to say. He expected more forceful reaction. A punch, a few profanities and a broken nose even. She just smiled to him and admitted, “I believe in there is just one special person meant for everyone. Ok, I’m a hopeless romantic. So shoot me.”

~ ~ ~

Credits:

Album: KRU/The Way We Jam (EMI)
Words: Diane Warren
Music: Diane Warren
Publisher: Reel Songs (ASCAP)

<< previous chapters next chapters >>

If You Love Something- main