Chapter 12
“That was the last couple,” Candice said, consulting the list. “Except for Prince Victor and Chelsea.” As soon as she spoke the last words, she looked up at Jessica apologetically.
“Sorry, Jess. I know this must be hard for you.”
“I’m fine,” Jessica said, trying to sound bright and cheerful.
“I’m starving,” said Trevor. “Where did Jo go?”
“She left twenty minutes ago. She said to meet her at the hotel lobby in the morning. Seven am.” Candice shot Jess another meaningful look.
“Seven am, yeah,” Jessica said, letting Candice know that this time, she would be showing up on time and ready to work, not exhausted from a night out on the town.
“I need some food,” Trevor said.
“I could eat too,” Candice said. “I wonder where the Prince is? Once Jess gets photos of he and his date, we can go get some food.”
Jessica shook her head. “You guys don’t have to wait,” she said. “Victor’s probably just running late. He’s like that sometimes. He gets distracted by something, or takes a side trip unexpectedly. He’ll get here eventually.”
Speaking about Victor’s habits brought heat to her cheeks.
Candice eyed her. “You still miss him, don’t you?” she asked.
“Of course she does,” chimed in Trevor. “He’s a Prince.”
Candice sighed. “I hate to leave you here like this,” she said. “But honestly, I feel like I’m going to pass out if I don’t eat something. Maybe we could grab take-out and bring it back to you.”
“No,” Jess said. “You guys go sit down somewhere. Enjoy your meal. It’s been a long day, and we’ll have another one tomorrow.”
Trevor didn’t wait around to hear this twice. He clapped his hand around Jess’s shoulder and patted it twice. Another nice gesture, thought Jess. He’s really changed his opinion of me. This boosted her moral, and she was able to smile at Candice, who was still standing, rooted in her spot.
“Go,” Jess encouraged. “I’ll grab something on my way back to the hotel later, once I finish work. I could use some time alone anyways. I’m doing okay, but I’m sure after I see Victor I’ll have a lot to process.”
This seemed to convince Candice. She began turning to follow Trevor down the sidewalk. “Okay,” she said. “If you’re sure.” As she stepped away, she added, “Just call me on my cell if you want to talk about anything.”
“I will,” Jessica said. “Thank you.”
With that, Candice walked away, and Jess stuck her hands into her pockets, hunkering down for her wait.
What could be keeping them? She wondered. Memories of all of the spontaneous activities she and Victor had enjoyed floated through her mind. The time he’d bought the scooter off the teen, and they’d explored the back streets of London. The occasion when, on the way to the country home in Denmark, he’d pulled the Porsche over and they’d made love, the driver’s seat reclined so that it was nearly flat.
Are he and Chelsea parked somewhere, getting it on? Worried Jessica. Her stomach was in knots. The fact that all she’d had in the past eight hours was coffee and gum didn’t help.
An hour passed, and Jessica’s legs and feet began to cramp up. The foot traffic in and out of the restaurant had slowed to a stop, because the entire venue was rented out for the affair.
Jessica could see, through the darkened glass, that the guests were seated, mid meal. Victor’s going to miss the entire meal, Jessica thought. I don’t know how much longer I can stand here.
But Jo asked me to get the shot, and if I don’t I might get fired.
She shook her head, forcing herself to focus.
Lifting one leg, and then the other, she stretched her sore muscles and took deep breaths, trying to catch a second wind. She gazed down the road, trying to search the faces of any pedestrians she could see, hoping to pick out Victor and Chelsea.
The sound of the restaurant door opening and closing, behind her, caused her to turn.
A Russian man, who she recognized to be the groom, Vadim, stood several feet away from the restaurant’s doorway.
He took a cigar from his pocket, and placed it between his lips. After touching the tip with a lighter, he inhaled. When he exhaled, a small puff of sweet smelling smoke wafted through the air. In her hungry state, even the faint hint of vanilla made Jess salivate.
Vadim looked at her.
Jessica nodded a greeting.
He continued to eye her, as if he wanted to talk. But he didn’t speak. Instead he took a second puff of smoke as he stared in her direction. He seemed deep in thought. His expression wasn’t kind, but it wasn’t exactly mean either.
Jessica stepped forwards. She kept her hands clearly away from her camera, which was hung around her neck. She did not want Vadim to think that she was about to snap pictures.
“Hi,” she said. “You’re the groom. Vadim, right?”
Vadim nodded.
“I was wondering,” Jess said. “Do you happen to know if Prince Victor has been delayed for some reason?”
Vadim squinted his eyes at her. “You—I thought so. You’re Jessica, aren’t you? Jessica Lewis.”
Jessica felt taken aback. The fact that this Russian billionaire knew her name felt completely strange to her. “Y-yes,” she managed to spit out, between stutters.
Vadim puffed his cigar, looking Jess up and down. Jessica felt self conscious as she stood before him.
“Victor said you were a ten,” he said with a light smile, after a moment. “He wasn’t lying.”
“Where is he?” Jessica asked. She realized suddenly that her sense of anxiety about seeing Victor was also excitement. I want to see him, she realized. I need to see him. Whether he’s with Chelsea or not.
Vadim thought for a moment. “You don’t know, do you?”
Jessica didn’t know what he meant. “Know what?” she asked.
“How upset he’s been,” Victor said.
Jessica scoffed. “Ha. Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious,” Vadim said. He stepped forward. “When you left him… he was crushed. He called me. He said that he didn’t know if he would ever find a woman like you again.”
“He said that?” Jessica asked.
“Yes,” Vadim said. “You broke his heart.”
Jessica was dumbfounded. “He seems to have recovered pretty quickly,” she said. “He started dating Chelsea within, what… two days?”
“Dating?” Vadim asked. “They’re not dating.”
“It sure as hell looks like it in the press that I see.”
Victor gave Jess a doubtful look. “Come on. You work for a magazine, don’t you? You think everything that you put out reflects the truth?”
Jessica recognized the accuracy of Vadim’s statement. She knew the many ways that her photographs and the print attached could change the truth of a story.
“You mean… they’re not together?” she asked.
Vadim shook his head. “No. They’re not. No matter how much his family wants it to be otherwise.”
“But how can there be so many pictures of the two of them together, looking so close and happy? Looking like a couple?”
Vadim shrugged. “They are working on projects together. The family’s PR team only put out pictures of Victor talking to her. He talks to many other people as well. On top of that, his family and PR team keep on putting him into situations where he is with her alone. You know how open and warm he is. But when he is not occupied with his work, he is hurting, Jessica. I know this.”
Jessica couldn't believe the news.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said softly. “Will he be here? In Russia for your wedding?”
Vadim shook his head. “He called me, to say that he cannot come. He could not stand one more staged date with her.”
“I’m sorry,” Jessica said.
Vadim snuffed out his cigar on the stone ledge behind him. He glanced into the restaurant, and then back to Jessica. “I should go back to my duties as the groom,” he said. “I needed some fresh air, but I can’t leave my fiancé in there alone.”
“You must be very excited about tomorrow,” Jessica said.
For the first time, Vadim grinned broadly. “I am,” he said. “You know, I knew that I’d marry Alicia the first time I saw her. It was in a hotel. She was working… putting up her hair. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Jessica felt goosebumps rise up on her arms. She knew the feeling that Vadim was describing.
Vadim’s grin faded. “If I were you,” he said, “I’d get on with your evening. Don’t wait here for Victor. He’s not coming.”
With that, Vadim turned and pulled open the door to the restaurant. As he opened the door, Jessica heard a loud buzz of laughter, talking, and clinking utensils. Instrumental Russian folk music played loudly.
As the door closed behind Vadim, all of the joyous, celebratory sounds faded and then disappeared into a silence. Jessica was left alone, on the sidewalk.
That’s it, she thought. I missed my chance.
*****
Victor stared down at his plate of food. His private chef had prepared one of his favorite meals—steak, medium rare, and spring vegetables—but Victor found that he had no appetite.
I should be there, he thought. The rehearsal dinner is happening right now.
But that would mean I’d have to suffer through another evening without her. Without Jess.
What is she doing now? Does she miss me, as much as I miss her?
No, he thought. She was the one who left me.
I have to move on.
He moved the food around on his plate, thinking about the rehearsal dinner he was missing, and was happy when the phone rang, disrupting his thoughts.
He recognized the number. It was Vadim. Shit, thought Victor. He’s probably calling to try to convince me to make it to the ceremony.
He answered the phone, already on the defensive. “Vadim, man, I already said no.”
He could hear loud Russian music and the commotion of a happy crowd.
“Victor, no, my friend. I’m not calling to give you grief. I’m calling to tell you something. Something I think you’re going to want to hear.”
Victor sat up straighter in his seat.
Vadim spoke again. “It’s your girl, Victor. Jessica Lewis. I just spoke to her, outside of the restaurant, five minutes ago. She’s here, man. In Russia.”
*****
Jessica adjusted the settings on her camera and then held it up to look through it. That’s good, Jessica thought as she focused on the maid of honor.
The maid of honor was bent down, bustling the bride’s dress. The bride, Alicia, looked radiant and happy as she stood in front of the large stained glass window. The Russian Cathedral was rich with gothic architecture, and the photoshoot had been staged in front of a particularly beautiful stone wall which was embellished with relief sculptures of various saints.
Jo had charged Jessica with the task of getting somber pictures, as was Jo’s style. Jessica couldn’t help but take a few that captured Alicia’s joy and excitement. But in addition to smiling shots, Jessica worked to gather the shots that she knew her boss would like.
She clicked away as the maid of honor moved around the base of the elaborate gown, bustling the layers of cream colored taffeta beneath the satin exterior.
The tap on her shoulder surprised her, and she gasped before spinning around.
Trying to catch her breath, she eyed the stranger who stood behind her. It was a petite woman, who looked apologetic.
“I am sorry for frightening you,” the petite woman said. “You’re wanted in the Cathedral.”
“Me?” Jessica asked. She searched her mind for some piece of communication from Jo that she might have missed. I thought I was supposed to be in here, with the bride and bridesmaids, she thought. Shit. Did I miss an update?
She was about to pull out her phone and check, but the woman spoke again. “This way, please, miss,” the woman said.
Jessica didn’t have time to take out her phone. She followed the stranger towards the door, still searching her mind for directions that Jo might have given her.
Trevor's covering the groom, thought Jess. And Candice is on A-list guests. Jo is covering royalty. The wedding isn’t supposed to start for another three hours. Why would I be needed in the Cathedral?
The woman walked quickly down a dark corridor, cutting into a back entrance. Jessica squinted in the dim lighting and saw the woman push open doors to the main cathedral. The doors started to sway shut, and Jessica caught them, and pushed them open.
She stepped out into the Cathedral which was bathed in colorful lights, filtering through the stained glass. The ceilings arched high above her, and rows of pews were lined up on both sides of the room.
The petite woman gestured to the front of the room, and Jessica turned her head to look towards the front altar.
There was a man standing in the light.
Jessica recognized him instantly.
Victor. Her heartbeat sped up and she felt her breath catch in her throat.
A light, fluttering feeling filled her, as if her body might float off of the ground if she wasn’t careful. She felt her mouth fall open. What is he doing here?
He lifted his hand, silently greeting her.
Jessica looked behind her, and then to the left and the right, searching for Chelsea.
Is she here? she wondered.
“Go,” the woman said. “He asked me to find you. He wants to speak to you.” The woman nodded, encouraging Jessica to move to the front of the cathedral.
Jessica felt as though her legs were moving of their own accord, carrying her through the silent church. Her mind felt dreamy, as if time had stopped completely. Without knowing how, she reached the front of the room.
Victor wore slate grey suit pants and a crisp white button up shirt. He had his hands on his side. He looked solemn as Jessica approached.
Jessica had never seen him look so serious.
She felt overwhelmed with joy and nervousness simultaneously. She wanted to smile and run to him with happiness, but as she approached, she remembered the way they’d last parted. It felt difficult to breathe as she walked forward.
She stepped forwards, until she was only two feet away from him.
“You summoned, your highness?” she asked, her tone sarcastic.
Victor’s seriousness cracked, and he grinned at her.
“I did,” he said. He looked out over the room. “This was how we met, Jess. Remember?”
“How could I forget?” Jessica asked, following Victor’s gaze. The Cathedral was empty, and the stillness added to the feeling of timelessness that she had.
She felt Victor reach for her hand.
When she turned back, he was facing her. He reached for her other hand. His expression was once again serious.
Several seconds of complete silence passed between them. The feel of Victor’s hands holding hers sent a jolt of memory though her—memories of his touch.
Jessica was unaccustomed to such tension, and she glanced down to avoid his gaze. But something inside of her made her look back up after just a split second. Don’t look away, she thought to herself. Don’t run away.
The instant she looked back, a feeling that was just as powerful as the one she’d experienced when she first met Victor passed through her. As she gazed into his eyes, a feeling of knowing filled her. Suddenly, she was filled with the sensation that the Cathedral was filled with their friends and families, and that she and Victor were about to get married.
The feeling filled her with joy.
She looked into Victor’s eyes and thought, yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
“Jessica,” Victor said. “I love you.”
Jessica swallowed. She pressed her lips together as a rush of emotion coursed through her, and tears threatened to spill out.
This is happening, she thought. This is really happening.
Victor squeezed her hands and continued. “I don’t know what that means for us—for my country, or your career, or our futures. All I know is that when I first met you, I had a feeling. I had the feeling that I was destined to meet you. And when you left—it felt like my destiny was being ripped away from me.”
Jessica couldn’t help it. She started to cry. In the midst of her tears, a smile spread across her lips.
“I missed you, Victor,” she said, through her tears. “I never should have left you in Denmark. I was scared. But now—standing here with you—I know. There is nothing to be scared of. I love you.”
The end... but wait: