Love's Requiem

"Are you sure you don't want to come with Vanja and I to the church?" Luka asked me Friday morning over the phone.

"Yeah, I'll see you at the reception." I told him.

"Okay, but you know she's going to be pissed." He said as he hung up.

I wasn't ready to see Isabella marry Alex in the same church that I married my wife in, let alone where Isabella and I were planning to get married five months ago. I wasn't bitter, I am happy for her and Alex. I'm just starting to feel like maybe I should have fought for her instead of just realizing she was right. But there's nothing I can do anymore about that. She's marrying Alex and as her best friend I'm going to respect that. I just don't understand how she could say she wanted to marry me and then three months later she's marrying someone else?

I headed to the reception around 6, surprisingly Luka and I got there around the same time.

"At least you decided to show up." Luka chuckled as we walked in with his girlfriend Vanja.

"I wouldn't miss her reception, what did you tell her by the way?" I asked him quickly.

"You had practice with the Under 21 team." He explained.

"Thanks." I told him nodding my head as we walked in.

Of course when we walked in Isabella came running to Luka and Vanja. She looked beautiful, but to even say that would be putting it lightly.

"Big head!" She exclaimed hugging him tightly.

"Congratulations Isabella, you look amazing." Luka laughed hugging her back.

"Who's this?" She smiled looking at Vanja.

"My girlfriend Vanja, Vanja this is Isabella we both grew up together in Obrovac." He explained to his girlfriend.

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Isabella smiled giving her a hug. "I wish he would have introduced us sooner! You're gorgeous what are you doing with him? You can do so much better!" She joked making the three of us laugh.

Isabella looked at me had seemed sort of hesitant.

"Are you going to say hi to me or what?" I asked her as a smile appeared on her face and she hugged me tightly. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the church." I told her.

"It's okay, you made it here that's what matters." She told me hugging me tighter.

"You look beautiful." I told her.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "No I look like butt ." She told me making me laugh.

"I need to talk to you though in private." I told her in her ear.

She looked up at me with an uneasy face.

"Is later on okay?"

"Of course." I smiled as she went and got Alex to introduce him to Vanja.

The wedding was nice, her and Alex seemed happy which is probably why I know I did the right thing in letting her go. She would have been miserable in England with me, and its the truth. Isabella surprisingly spent most of the wedding talking with Luka, Vanja, and I. She danced with all of us, and had a good time. I even spent some time talking with Jesse and Alex. I couldn't help but notice that Alex seemed to act hesitant towards me so I decided I should probably put his mind at ease.

"It's okay you know." I told Alex as we had a beer.

"What?" He asked confused.

"I'm okay with you and Isabella getting married, I truly am." I assured him.

"Really? I mean I won't lie I feel like a dick every time I see you." He chuckled.

"Well that's a different story." I joked. "You both belong together, you bring out the best in each other. Her and I are more of the same person it would have never worked out." I told him honestly.

"Thanks man, that means a lot." He nodded.

"Congratulations." I told him as I headed to talk with Niko.

Towards the end of the night, Isabella and I headed out of the restaurant so she walked me to my car.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Isabella asked me as we walked down the road.

"Why did you agree to marry me?" I asked her just wanting to know.

"What?" She asked stopping.

"Just answer that, I'm not upset or anything I just want to know."

She was quite for a minute.

"Because I thought maybe, leaving everything behind and starting over was what I needed." She answered.

"Okay," I nodded my head. "Did you tell him yet?"

"About what?"

"You know what, the one thing he doesn't know." I pressed remembering my conversation with him in the spring when I flew out to see her.

"That's not important." She said shaking her head.

"You may have covered it up, but that scar is still there. He's going to find out someday, and it should be from you." I told her.

"Well then I'd rather wait till someday, good night Niko." She said quickly giving me a hug and heading back to the winery.