Chapter Text
The day was finally here. It had taken months of planning, endless headaches and copious arguments. It was finally here though. The wedding of her dreams. Serena McKinnie and Robbie Medcalf had been together for six years and the day had now come where she’d finally get to say ‘I do,’ something she’d dreamed of doing ever since she was a little girl.
Several alarms started ringing all throughout the house at precisely 9am. Serena had already been lying awake for two hours though, trying to convince herself that today was happening, she was getting married. She got out of bed, pressed play on her radio and danced around her room as she combed her hair, thoroughly brushed her teeth and went through her morning skincare routine.
As the morning progressed and everyone had finished having their hair and make-up done, her little brother Jason getting ready by himself, Serena’s mother and father had already started their usual bickering.
“What is that god awful tie all about, James?”
“Oh, do give it a rest. It’s newly bought, and I like it.”
“Your shirt isn’t even ironed properly, bloody idiot!”
“He looks fine, Mother. Can you at least try to get along just for one day? One special day.” Serena shouted from the room next door where she was getting into her dress ready for the big reveal.
Her mother and father had been childhood sweethearts, they were married by nineteen and had Serena at the age of twenty. After the surprise conception of Jason just ten years ago at the age of forty-one, they’d become distant and seemed to be at each other’s throats at any given opportunity. Adrienne and James had wanted a second child for so long but after three attempts had decided to give up trying and let nature take its course. He was a miracle child in their eyes as Adrianne wasn’t getting any younger and she hadn’t expected to conceive so late on in her life.
“My apologies, darling. At least tell your father to let me iron that shirt, will you?”
“I think he looks fine.”
Adrienne scoffed. “I’ve seen better dressed crab.”
Suddenly the door to the living room was opened and in walked Serena, clad in the most beautiful off the shoulder gown that hit the floor perfectly. There wasn’t a dry eye amongst them from that point, even Serena’s father getting choked up at the sight.
— — — —
At the local florists, Bernie Wolfe was filling her small sports car to the brim with all sorts of beautiful and brightly coloured flower arrangements to take to a wedding venue.
Bernie spent her teenage years obsessed with the outdoors. Her mother and father owned a giant stately home, seven bedrooms, acres upon acres of land for her to go wild in and a hidden woodland trail that she never got tired of exploring. Her father spent most of his time away fighting for his country on the front line which left her and her mother Evelyn alone in their big house alone for months on end until he’d return for a short stint. He died when Bernie was just seven years old, she and her mother barely spent a day apart from then on, their bond was and still is indestructible. Her way of grieving was studying the trees in her back garden, taking up gardening as a hobby and gaining an ever growing interest in flowers and their individual meanings.
As she started the ignition and made way to pull out, her best friend rounded the car and started knocking on the window.
“Bern! How are ya?” Judith’s heavy Irish accent being heard by just about everyone passing by.
Bernie rolled down the window. “I’ve got to head off, got a wedding to do and all that.”
“I only seen you yesterday, who’ve you said yes to in that space of time?”
“No, you plonker. I’ve got flowers to deliver to a venue for a wedding that’s taking place in about an hour. What is it you want anyway?”
“Fancy coming out later? Couple of pubs? Remember that band from a few weeks ago? With the hot lead female singer? Come on, Bernie, it’ll be fun!”
Bernie put the car into gear. “Yeah, alright then.”
“Really?”
“Mhm, yeah.” She pushed down on the accelerator and smirked.
“You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, but my favourite advert is on the telly!”
Judith rolled her eyes and huffed. “Are you serious?”
“Maybe another time.”
Bernie released the handbrake and the car slowly started to move off.
“You need a love life, mate!”
“I have a like life, it suits me just fine.” Bernie shouted out of the window as she drove off.
— — — —
Serena, her father and bridesmaid Sian were sat in the back of the black wedding car that was headed to the venue. Nerves were filling the air as Sian made conversation with Serena’s father.
“So, how long have you and Addy been married now then?”
“Too bloody long if you ask me. You know on our wedding day, I kept thinking all the way to the church ‘please stop the car, this is a mistake’ but you can’t, can you?”
Sian laughed nervously and turned to Serena to offer her a sympathetic look.
He continued. “So you’re sitting there, and you’re waiting as the wheels keep on turning, guiding you to the longest sentence of your li-“
“STOP THE CAR!”
The car came to a harsh halt and all of three of them were flung back in their seats. Sian and James looking at each other and then both looking to Serena with angst.
“I forgot to pee.”
Serena got out of the car and ran into the nearest café, her wedding dress being held up in bunches by her hands and customers staring on in disbelief.
— — — —
Bernie finished setting up the floral arrangements and came outside to introduce herself to Robbie and his best man, Edward, who had taken an immediate liking to Bernie. He asked her to give him a hand in adjusting his boutonniere as it wasn’t sitting quite right on his suit jacket.
Edward leant in close as she undid the fastener. He was prone to finding blondes the most attractive however his track record with women wasn’t great, largely known as a womaniser of sorts.
“There’s a great body hidden underneath this suit, you know.”
Bernie looked up and squinted her eyes.
“No, really. All muscle. I don’t have a six pack though.”
Bernie shows mock offence and gasps. “No?”
“No. It’s a twelve pack, even better.”
“Nice. But I don’t really like men…” Bernie hesitated for a moment, “with muscles.”
Jason turns to Robbie to ask him if he is nervous, if he remembers his vows. Jason had grown very fond of Robbie, they’d had a close bond ever since he was little. Robbie being a police officer had taught Jason all of the tricks in the book and had all the time in the world for listening to his big life questions and theories despite not knowing the answers to any of them.
“I’ve got another question, Robbie.”
“Not now, love.” Adrienne quips.
“What’s the question, buddy?”
“What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?”
Robbie stood up straight and looked up, trying to muster up an answer.
“I haven’t got a bastard clue.”
“There you are, you see. Now let them get married in peace.” She ushered Jason off towards the entrance of the church.
Bernie couldn’t help but step in after overhearing their conversation.
“It never happens. If there’s a thing that can’t be stopped, it’s not possible for there to be something else which can’t be moved and vice versa. They can’t both exist. You see?”
Jason looked at her in awe.
“It’s a trick question, that’s the answer, little one.”
“Right, come along now love.”
Jason smiled at Bernie and turned to his mother to whisper excitedly in her ear.
“Can she sit with me?”
— — — —
Serena and the others finally arrive outside the church, everyone now settled inside anxiously awaiting the bride. Her father kisses her on the cheek and exits the car to notify everyone that Serena will be making her way into the church any moment now.
Sian hugs Serena tight. “Wish me luck, then.”
“Wish YOU luck?”
“Oh, ‘Rena, it’s a wedding. The bridesmaid always pulls at a wedding. I hope there are some hunks inside.”
Serena sits in disbelief and rolls her eyes. “You are unbelievable! Well, good luck.”
— — — —
The brass band begin playing the wedding march and that’s Bernie’s cue to say her quick goodbyes to Adrienne and Jason as she tries to pass by the others sitting in the pew, apologising profusely as she goes.
As Serena walks in through the door and down the aisle with her father on her arm, she turns to her right and catches sight of a mop of messy blonde hair walking away as she continues down, a shiver shooting through her body. She turned again to see the face of this mysterious woman and as she does so she feels a knot in her stomach. Not an unpleasant knot, a good kind of knot, a welcome kind. She doesn’t entirely know why.
When she turns around for a third time the woman is gone, she shakes herself off and continues down the aisle to stand with Robbie.
Bernie looks back at Serena from the doors of the church, exhales deeply and heads off to the function suite to help set up.
— — — —
The reception was off to a good start. Drinks were flowing, cheesy pop songs on repeat and blaring all around the room. A group of guests congregated around Jason in a big circle as they all cheered him on for his impeccable dance moves.
Bernie spots Serena from across the room, standing by herself and seemed to be guarding the large bowl full of punch for whatever reason. She made her way across to investigate.
Bernie spoke first, nervous that the woman had no idea who she was and probably had no idea why she was at her wedding.
“Hi.”
“Hi yourself.”
“We haven’t met. I’m Bernie. Bernie Wolfe.”
“Oh. Serena.” They shook hands enthusiastically and smiled at each others.
“I- uh- I did your flowers.”
“You did? My flowers are lovely. Gorgeous, in fact.”
They both stared around the room during an awkward pause.
Bernie went to move forward. “Anyway, I was just going to pour a dr-“
“Um, no. I wouldn’t.”
Serena seemed stand-offish. “Is there something wrong?”
Serena moved even further back, pushing herself right up against the table to hide the punch bowl.
“I’m here to help?”
The brunette gave in and sighed. “My ring.”
“Your… wedding ring?”
“I was trying to get a glass of some of this fruity punch rubbish and it kind of, sort of fell off into the bowl and I can’t get it out.”
They both laughed. Bernie’s slightly more unique than Serena’s, almost goose-like. It could’ve filled the room. Did.
After they’d calmed down, they tried to think of a solution.
“Well, have you tried the ladle?”
“What do you think, genius?”
“Or we could try emptying the lot of it? Nobody seems to be touching it anyway.”
“Frankly, I’d rather a barrel of a nice Shiraz than this crap. But no, that’d be too messy and not discreet.”
“Alright, there’s only one other way then.”
Bernie rolled up her sleeves.
“Cover me. I’m going in!”
She snuck behind Serena and dived straight into the punch with her hands. Serena was doing her best not to laugh, her arms outstretched to the side trying to hide what Bernie was doing.
As people came up to help themselves to a drink and Serena having to continuously fob them off, Bernie finally sought out the ring and shook it to dry it slightly. Serena got into a deep conversation with a guest and so Bernie took Serena’s hand and placed the ring back onto her finger from behind, stroking the back of her hand once before letting go.
— — — —
Serena and Robbie’s favourite song came on and so off she went to the dancefloor to find him. Jason spotted his new friend Bernie standing alone and offered her to dance with him. As she and Jason were dancing, Serena’s eyes never left Bernie as she gazed at her from over Robbie’s shoulder.
Later that night, Bernie lay in her bed staring at the ceiling with only one thing, one person, one woman on her mind.
— — — —