3D: Wedding Night

The wedding reception, fun and intoxicating, was an emotional experience for Aubrey. Sadness lurked behind her parents’ eyes knowing they would leave their little girl with another man. But, the woman she became made them proud. Her siblings and other guests expressed their happiness and even seemed in awe of her new life stage. Like watching an epic tale on a movie screen, adrenaline coursed through her veins at every part of the ceremony and reception. She held her breath during Julio’s vows. A fluttering sensation in her stomach hit just before the kiss. Her heart threatened to explode in joy while cutting the cake. She danced with family and friends inside an impenetrable bubble of happiness, and she didn’t want the reception to end; but, it had to. All stories end, and as people returned to their hotels, disappointment set in like watching the credits roll and squinting from the lights fading in. Aubrey left the venue excited, anxious and a little scared. Did Julio feel it too? When they arrived at their beautiful little palace by the sea, they exited the car and looked around. As Aubrey watched it disappear, her stomach rolled briefly. Like being dropped off in the middle of the desert with no supplies, the enormity leaving home overwhelmed her. They’d been alone many times, of course, but now they were alone alone. Forever. 

The house Julio rented shined bright and brilliant like a diamond on a peninsula outside the city. The bright white paint against the green grass made it stand out like a polished stone in a pile of rocks.

“This house is incredible, Julio!”

“Glad you like.”

Everything in Julio’s life Aubrey found grand and glamorous he saw as normal. Skyla said the wealth overwhelmed her when they first got married, but did it ever excite her? Even a little? When they traveled, did Jonathan rent big, fancy houses too? Aubrey would not have been born then, but sometimes she wished she could have seen them when they lived the high life. What did they wear? How did they behave? Where did they go? Did she and Julio ever visit a venue Jonathan and Skyla had been?

“Whatcha thinkin’ ’bout over there?” Julio asked.

“Huh?” She always got caught in her thoughts and ran away with them. Comparing and contrasting her new world to her parent’s old one intrigued her, but she didn’t want to spend the honeymoon thinking about them. “Oh, nothing, really.”

They sat on the veranda searching for their next words. After years of friendship, had conversation finally run its course? Why were they even talking? They should have been ripping the clothes off each other and exploring their bodies. But, if she was nervous, he probably felt similar. 

Her eyes fell on the hot tub by the pool. Maybe a good soaking would help them relax. “You ever been in a hot tub?”

She could have slapped herself as soon as the words exited her mouth. Of course he’d been in one. His father probably had one in the house.

“No.”

Her eyes widened in shock and excitement. “Really? You wanna check it out?”

“Yeah. Let’s check it out.”

The sun finally dipped into the ocean, and the moon rose while they relaxed and let the steamy water soothe their muscles. They spoke of the wedding and vowed to never again plan a major event in a different country. Hiring a coordinator helped ease the burden, but they still had to travel back and forth a few times.

After a while, the awkwardness covered them like steam from the tub. Wedding nights were supposed to be filled with passionate romance not small talk. They weren’t a lovey-dovey, openly expressive couple like Maya and Ranveer, but still. How did they to transition from near silence to loud moans of ecstasy? Shirtless Julio was a rare treat, and her eyes greedily drank in the view. He wasn’t a beautifully sculpted work of art like Ranveer, but curiosity to see the rest of him wore on her. They successfully fulfilled their promise to wait, and now their options far exceeded just making out. But, he seemed perfectly content to sit there and let his skin wrinkle. Didn’t he ever think about her? Wasn’t it hard for him not to escalate their make out sessions? Of course; He was a man. Maybe he waited for signals. That’s how their whole relationship happened. They began dating, had their first kiss and every other milestone because she suggested it, and it looked like she’d have to do it again.

“So … You wanna, uhhh … You think we should head inside now?”

There it was: that look she’d been waiting for. That twinkle. That squinted smirk. It made everything inside all tingly. At least she wouldn’t have to prime the pump. Neither of them knew what they were doing, but they didn’t need instructions. All they needed to do was take off their wet clothes and act on every pinned up desire they ever had.