"Very well. I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The priest announced.
Cheers and applause rang in the church as the newly weds locked lips.
Jeanie smiled widely at her mom who was also smiling with happy tears running down her cheeks.
She looked down the aisle at the double doors acting as both entrance and exit and her smile grew wider she probably looked weird to anyone looking at her.
A man in his late thirties stood in a navy blue tuxedo. His black patent leather oxfords shone brightly under the midday sun. His crew cut was gelled sideways making him look more elegant. He looked so handsome and young he could probably pass for a man in his twenties.
She picked up her sky blue long maid of honor dress skirt and jogged down the aisle towards the church doors.
Jeanie threw herself in his arms hugging him tightly to her. She breathed in the familiar scent of bergamot and wood with a bit of leather she has come to love over the years.
"You made it." Jeanie said into his chest grinning as she pulled away.
"I did. I came here immediately I landed in California. Did I miss much?." he asked.
"No dad. You came here just in time. You escaped the boring stuffs." She chuckled linking their arms together as they trudge in.
"How was your trip?" She asked.
"Same old stuff. Long ass boring meetings, little sleep, all work." He replied.
"Nana has seen you. She's waving at us." Jeanie said walking to the row her mom's mother was seated.
"Aaron dear you're here." Victoria beamed getting on her feet to give Aaron one of her famous bear hugs.
"Hi Victoria." Aaron greeted as he pulled away from the hug.
"It's Vicky you know that. Victoria sounds too posh." She smiled.
Aaron smiled back and was about turning to Jeanie when his eyes caught sight of someone.
He smiled as his legs carried him towards her.
"Hello Ximena." He greeted, his British accent faint.
"Aaron." Ximena smiled. "It's so nice to see you again."
He nodded.
"You look stunning." He complimented.
"Thanks. You look good yourself." she complimented back.
"I always look good." Aaron bragged earning a playful eye roll from her.
He smiled remembering how she would roll her eyes at him when he acted narcissistically. How he missed that.
"And congratulations. I hope he treats you better than I did." He said genuinely his voice thick with emotions.
"Aaron." She called feeling slightly uneasy with the change in air.
"Where's your groom." He asked his eyes drifting everywhere but her face.
Ximena turned around and called her groom who soon joined her and Aaron in seconds.
"Aaron this is Anders Hines my husband. Anders, Aaron Jordan my....ex husband." Ximena finished.
The two men exchange handshakes before Aaron excused himself leaving the newly weds to have their first dance.
******
"Miss Jeanie I've been asked to come fetch you and your brothers." Pete the family chauffeur said.
"Brothers? Yeah right." Jeanie scoffed. "I have a new brother I never asked for." She mumbled.
"I'll go look for Jeret Pete. You go look for my other brother. I'm sure you'll find him somewhere amongst girls or pots or even better, in a fight." Jeanie said before throwing her clutch bag in the limousine's passenger seat.
******
Jeret wobbled on his feet as he walked down the sidewalk. He had drank too much champagne at the wedding party.
He got some information about a guy who dealt with the good stuff. Being his first time he was a little excited and scared but he had made up his mind that he was gonna try it that night.
The cold night air blew his dark brown hair that had been gelled down earlier in the day. The breeze helped carry the sound of someone screaming. He walked closer stumbling over his feet to where the sound seemed to come from.
On the ground he saw a girl surrounded by 2 guys in all black clothing crying and screaming for help. One of the guy slapped the girl in the face asking her to keep shut. They began tearing off her clothes when Jeret threw both guys off her, one at a time.
"You bastard." Jeret spat as he continued throwing punches at one of the guys.
The other flung himself at Jeret landing a few punches at his jaw and nose. Both guys ganged up on him throwing him to the ground while kicking and punching him before one of them fell limp to the ground.
Both Jeret and the other attacker looked up at the girl who was holding a broken bottle in her hand her breathing erratic.
Jeret took advantage of the distracted rapist and kicked him in the crotch before getting up and landing a few heavy blows on him till he was too weak to fight back.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Yeah yeah. You're bleeding " she pointed to his nose.
"I'm fine."
"My apartment is just around the corner. Come with me I'll help clean that up." She offered.
"Okay. Wait take this" he shrugged off his jacket placing it around her shoulder covering her ripped dress.
"Thank you. And thanks for saving me. I can't imagine what would have happened if you had never walked by or if you had just ignored it will h....." Her voice broke.
"It's fine. I'm glad I didn't get there too late."
She nodded inserting the key to her apartment in the key hole.
"Please come in." She invited.
Jeret entered shutting the door behind him.
"Your apartment is nice." He complimented.
"Thanks" she smiled walking to the bathroom cabinet to get the first aid box.
"Sit." She pointed to the kitchen stool.
She began wiping his knuckles with some wipes and alcohol after he sat.
"So what's your name.?" She asked.
"Jeret."
"I'm Michal." She wrapped his knuckles with a bandage before getting him some ice for his nose and jaw that has began to turn purple.
"How do you know how to do this." Jeret asked flexing his bandaged hand.
"My brother is into street fighting. Always home with nasty looking injuries." She handed him a bag of frozen pea.
"Are you in college?." Michal asked.
"Uh Yeah. Yeah I am."
"What's your major?"
"English."
"A reader or a writer?" She asked.
"A reader. How about you?."
"A reader." She smiled before wiping the blood on his busted lip with some cotton swab. He flinched when she added some alcohol.
"Sorry." She apologized.
"It's fine. Just a little sting."
Michal looked down at Jeret staring at his angelic looking face. She made eye contact with him finding him staring back at her.
Almost like magic the space between them vanished. Not knowing who made the first move their lips molded together.
Jeret placed one hand behind her neck and the other on her waist while both of hers were buried in his soft silky hair tugging gently.
He held her face up making him have more access to deepen the kiss. She began unbuttoning his shirt impatiently as he kissed and nibbled on her neck earning a moan from her.
She led them to the bedroom, their lips still molded together and that marked the beginning of their long night together.
******
Michal traced the small cupid bow and arrow tattoo on Jeret's golden skin. She looked up at his sleeping face smiling as he looked so peaceful and angelic.
She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his jaw making him jolt awake.
"Morning." Michal greeted smiling.
"Morning." He smiled back. "What's the time?." He asked.
"7:55."
"Shit I'm late. My sister would be so worried."
"You should give her a call."
"My phone is dead. I should probably go home now." He stood up stark naked when Michal groaned.
Jeret turned around facing her with a smirk on his face.
"Are you staring at my butt?" He teased.
"Yeah" she giggled. "It looks so sexy." She admitted before burying her face in the pillow.
Jeret chuckled and zipped up his pants before landing a kiss on Michal's forehead.
"You're cute." He grinned picking his shirt up. "I'm leaving." he said before walking out the door.
*******
The new Ap literature teacher walked into the class and immediately the noisy class became as quiet as a courtroom.
A few guys whistled at the hot female who walked into the class. She looked too young to be teaching literature in a highschool.
"Good morning everyone my name is Michal Stewart." She announced.
"You're so hot miss Michal" someone from the back said.
"As you know I'm your Ap literature teacher for this semester." She continued ignoring the earlier comment.
"Since I'm new to this school and know none of your names, I'll call the names of the students on this sheet and you'd identify yourself. Now let's do that quickly. I hope everyone taking this class is here?" She asked looking around the class.
"No. We're missing just one person." Keisha a brunette with pink highlight said.
"Sorry I'm late." a voice rushed from the entrance of the classroom door.
Finding that voice familiar, Michal turned around with the literature book for the semester in her hand.
Suddenly the book dropped to the ground in a thud and her eyes widened the size of a saucer as she found out the late student who had just walked was none other than the guy she spent the night with. The guy whose arms she woke up in that morning.
Jeret.
