The Wedding Plan

Chapter 9

The weekend went by like a lightening. Lying in bed on a night that was too cold for spring, Eleanor was going over and over in her head about the meeting that she had with Sebastian. But especially about what the next weeks would have in store for her.

She spent her free time at home resting, as she desperately needed it after what seemed like such a long and agitated week.

Eleanor lived in a one-bedroom apartment; gifted to her by her parents once she finished her studies. The apartment was in a building that had been restored right before she moved in. The kitchen was small, but it had everything she needed, in the living room area, the wall where the TV was, was a red brick wall that added a certain charm to the place, the furniture was in a dark shade of wood with black accents that contrasted against the white walls, colorful rugs and cushions brighten up the place giving it a such comfortable and cozy feeling.

Saturday night some friends visited her. They were all in their twenties, like Eleanor. It had been so long since they had been all together, and it was the perfect opportunity to catch up and reminisce about their school days.

They were a small group, but despite that, most of her friends were in relationships and some were even engaged, and the one that was slightly older than the rest was already expecting her first baby after the first year of marriage. At that moment Eleanor felt put aside from the group and lonely.

She never dreamed about that. She never wanted a husband, kids, or a big house in the suburbs with a dog and garden. She still did not want that, nor did she need it, but she could not help but notice that her friends were happy and that they felt accomplished as well, and Eleanor felt jealous of that. Something was missing, she realized.

Her job made her happy, but not fulfilled, and aside from that, she had to admit to herself that her life felt empty. After working all day, she didn't do much when she arrived home; she didn't even remember what her hobbies used to be, or if she ever had any at all.

While her friends were managing their careers and their personal lives relatively well, Eleanor was not. She began to wonder if she was losing other things because of only prioritizing her job.

She wondered what her end goal was. She just wanted to be successful. What does that even mean? Just like that, the walls around her heart caved in a little and a few cracks opened, letting the sun get through.

The group realized Eleanor was drifting away — getting lost in her own mind as the wedding talk went on — so they switched to another subject. They asked if she had any news and how work was going. Working at Crain was a tremendous deal, and everyone was dying to know what it was like.

Her mind quickly shifted towards work, forgetting all about her previous worries, however she only answered that everything was fine and changed the topic, otherwise she might have told everything about the pact that she had done with one of the most coveted bachelors in the city, since he did not leave her mind for a second.

Now, trying to fall asleep, while looking at the ceiling, he invaded her thoughts again. Or better saying he never left them. Truth be told, her thoughts were trapped between two different versions of Sebastian. After scrolling through the internet trying to learn more about him, she had got even more confused.

Which one was the real Sebastian? The one that the magazines and the celebrities' gossip websites described or the concerned brother that asked a stranger for help, the one that seemed kind and sweet, conflicted and lonely?

At first glance he seemed rude, arrogant, and conceited, like his status made him better than everyone else, and yet his eyes told a much different story as he asked her for help. She was wondering which side of him was true, and if what the media told about him made any sense at all.

His deep blue gaze told her he was a very troubled man, a lonely one, that there was much more underneath the mask he wore every day. If only most people could look into his eyes and see that. She thought. She wanted to find out if her suspicions about who he truly was were true or not.

Eleanor always thought of herself as an excellent judge of character, but when it came to Sebastian, she could not make up her mind just yet.

Are we going to get along? She wondered. But even if we don't, there are only two months before the wedding. Though, two months isn't enough to get to know someone. Or is it?

Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier, but her mind was still restless, while it anxiously created multiple scenarios and possibilities for the days that would follow.