“Rayne? Where did you get these?”
“A box. In my truck. Just what I needed. Curious, right?” he said with a smile.
Offering me a hand, he helped me sit. Then, moving gently, he slid the first shoe on. To my amazement, it fit like it was molded to my foot.
“Like a glass slipper,” Rayne said. “That better?” He slipped on the second shoe.
I gazed down at the lovely shoes. How perfect they looked, matching my gown and glimmering in the moonlight. I closed my eyes and breathed in the cherry blossom perfumed air. “Cherry blossoms at midnight, that will be my first fragrance,” I said wistfully. “Oh hell, it’s midnight!”
From inside the building, I heard the clock bong out the first chime of the hour.
“Julie and Horatio!” I exclaimed, clambering to my feet.
“Let’s go,” Rayne said, and racing hand in hand, we rushed back to the ballroom.
Moving through the crowd, we made our way to Julie and Horatio. Julie was chatting nonchalantly with my brother when the last chime struck the hour.
At that moment, the sky above Arden Estate crackled with fireworks, which illuminated all the stained glass in the windows of the ballroom, causing the images thereon to spring to life. And from a discreet netting suspended above Julie’s table, a soft shower of cherry blossom petals began to rain down her. It was an incredibly beautiful sight.
The entire assembled audience gasped then paused to watch.
“What? What’s this?” Julie asked with a laugh, holding out her hands to catch the swirling blossoms.
“Julie,” my brother said then, taking her hand as he bent down on one knee. “You crashed into my world from the moment we met, changing me forever. I can’t imagine spending another day without you. Julie Dayton, will you be my wife?”
I cast a quick glance around. Standing off to the side was my father who was smiling, his eyes looking watery. I noticed that Genevieve was still standing beside him. I also noticed for the first time that Julie’s father was there. Alice leaned against Luc, her body melding into his. Rayne wrapped his arms around me, and we all stared as my brother produced an amazingly beautiful pink diamond ring.
Julie gazed at Horatio. It was as if she saw no one else in the room. Overhead, the sky rumbled loudly, the fireworks filling the sky with gold and pink light as the last of the cherry blossoms fell over Julie and Horatio.
“Yes,” she whispered happily. “Yes!”
At that, my brother slipped the engagement ring on her finger then rose to kiss his fiancée.
The entire crowd, including all the Chancellor elite and the Japanese delegates, broke into applause. The orchestra immediately struck into Mendelssohn's Wedding March, which made the entire crowd laugh.
I looked up at Rayne.
“Cherry blossoms at midnight?” he said then touched my chin lightly. “Perfect.”
“Perfect,” I agreed, looking into Rayne’s eyes.
I felt myself swoon, lost in his gaze. And when he leaned in to kiss me, there was nothing I wanted more in the world. His lips were soft and warm. I caught the heady scent of his cologne, a kind of sweet honey scent with an earthy musk undertone. The taste of his lips, sweet and salty, much like him, delighted my senses. I was lost in the honey sweetness of his kiss. My whole world was flowering open before my eyes, and it was more beautiful than anything I could have ever dreamed.
Epilogue: Rayne
“Ready?” I asked Alice who shifted nervously as the plane’s engines rumbled to life.
“I should have had another drink,” she said, checking her seatbelt for the five-hundredth time. Alice then stretched her neck, trying to look through the rows of seats in front of us at the flight attendant who was explaining aircraft safety procedures. “It’s hot as Hades in here, and I can’t hear what she’s saying.”
“Of course it’s hot, it’s July,” I said then patted her hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me.”
“Even in the event the airplane falls into the sea in a fiery inferno? I’ve seen Lost, you know. If we don’t drown, the smoke monster will get us.”
I laughed. “You worry too much. We’ll be okay. Besides, I know a mermaid who can rescue us.”
“You…making with the jokes.”
“Who said I was joking?” I asked her with a grin.
“Need anything else, monsieur?” an attractive red-headed flight attendant asked as she passed by.
“Maybe a drink for my friend and me?”
With a wink, she nodded.
“Hey,” Alice said, “I saw that.”
“I only use my twinkle for good now. My heart is off the market.”
“Mine too,” Alice said with a sigh. “If it wasn’t, I sure as hell wouldn’t be riding in this bloody tin can with wings.”
I chuckled.
A few moments later, the flight attendant passed by once more. She handed me two plastic glasses and a small bottle of red wine. “Santé,” she said then went on her way.
“Now how about that? Look,” Alice said, pointing to the labeclass="underline" Blushing Grape Vineyards.
I laughed. “Naturally,” I said then opened the bottle, pouring us both a glass. I handed one to Alice. “To love?” I lifted my glass in toast.
Alice smiled and clicked her cup against mine. “To love.”
“And to happily ever after.”
The Short and Sweet Collection
The Short and Sweet Collection is a collection of flash fiction (super short) pieces that give you just a tiny, bite-sized scene. The tales feature two of my favorite things, true love and food! I hope you enjoy these flash fiction pieces.
A warm wind blew across the turquoise waters the Tyrrhenian Sea. The breeze was perfumed with sea salt and the sweet scent of freshly snipped basil. It was nearly midday. Sunlight shone on the white buildings of Capri; they shimmered like shells along the shoreline.
I leaned against Antonio, resting my head into the crook of his neck. His tanned skin, warmed by the sunlight, smelled of sand and sea.
"My love," he whispered into my ear, his thick Italian accent purring. He drizzled kisses down my neck and across my shoulder. His strong hands stroked my back. Through my thin silk dress, I could feel the crush of his body against mine.
Leaning back, I gazed up at him. “Antonio," I more whispered than said. My heart pounded in my chest, my stomach quivering with butterflies.
He touched my chin gently then pressed his lips against mine. He tasted sweet, like ripe peaches blushing rosy orange in the sunshine. My tongue slid along his, and I drowned in the taste of his mouth. Waves of heat rolled between us and soon, I had to step back, so engulfed in the flame that had risen between us that I started to feel faint.
I giggled. “Sorry, I…I had to catch my breath. I was feeling dizzy.”
Antonio chuckled softly. Gently grasping my hips, he rocked me toward him. “I felt it too, my love, and we haven’t even started drinking.”
“Then, by all means, let’s drink so we have an excuse,” I replied.
“And excuse for what?” he asked, arching an eyebrow playfully, his dark eyes full of mischief.