A Flight's Desire

Chapter 25: Potential Maybe?

A week passed by and both Robin and Ben got busy with their work. The filming schedule had been preponed because all the scenes that needed to be shooted in Los Angeles were done. The cast and crew made their journey to New York and immediately started shooting. The best part of it was that the Executive Director knew exactly how she wanted the show to look like. She had a very clear vision, which everyone admired about her. The prep was done quite easily, although it was a fantasy show that would take a long time to edit, but that was a headache for the VFX Department and the editors after all.

Meanwhile, Robin had to answer the questions from the Board members and attend meetings with them on the virtual platform. She was glad that she didn't have to gather any energy for an actual meeting, but technology always betrayed her when she needed it to cooperate. Thank goodness she wasn't late because she could figure it out in time. Her laptop, which she called 'DT', also cooperated with her instead of refusing to connect to the new network. She was tense when the laptop had shut down on her because of the new security update that it was downloading, but in the end, everything worked out.

The week passed by very quickly and in that time, Robin and Ben continued to ask Karen and Paige questions in the group chat that they formed. They were noting down the details in a Google Document that they both had access to because they knew it would be easier to keep a track of. The brides tried various dress shops and settled on one, where they even selected their dresses. It just had to be finalised.

Dresses? Check.

Robin's phone rang when she rested her eyes for a while after the corporate call. She wasn't surprised when she read the caller ID. She had to get used to it someday. "Hi, Ben." She said almost immediately after picking up.

"Robin!" Ben said in a higher voice than usual. There was a loud whirring noise in the background and she realised that he was talking from a potential location for the wedding ceremony.

"Woah, where are you?"

"The perfect spot." His smile could be heard by her. Well, he did have a smile like that.

"Okay, and where would that be?" Robin's phone vibrated right then.

"I've texted the address to you."

Robin called a taxi outside the apartment and told the driver the address to the building opposite St. Patrick's Cathedral. She had a feeling that one day, everything would lead to that building but she was being way too filmy and dramatic, which she knew. It was one of the most iconic locations that she had been wanting to visit for ages and she was glad that she got the opportunity that day. She had grown up seeing the church in various movies that it felt surreal standing outside it. She wasn't very religious, not believing in the human division of who God could be, but she would definitely want to go inside and admire the architecture.

"Uh oh," she said when she saw what Ben had meant by the perfect spot. She entered the building that he had sent the address for and headed towards the elevator. Once she was inside, she hit the button for the rooftop and just prayed that he didn't have high expectations because she did not want to be the one to burst his bubble.

Ben greeted her with open arms once the door opened and she stepped out. He beckoned to the open space as he stood in the middle of the lengthy rooftop. "Isn't this perfect? I was thinking that we could have the altar facing the catedral. Karen isn't very religious but they want a proper wedding. I thought about the cathedral at first but since there are going to be a lot of guests knowing them, this would be ample space."

He guided Robin through his potential vision for the wedding. Robin started feeling guilty for the knowledge of having to break his vision soon. But she kept quiet as he continued to talk. "There is a frozen container in the back where we could store the cake, depending on when it arrives and everything. There are enough rooms but...." He stopped, realising that she wasn't entirely convinced by the look on her face. "Something's wrong."

"Uh, it's just that...." She kicked her foot. "Paige has Anemophobia. She gets anxiety attacks if there is a strong wind. Something about Zeus having a curse on her because she did not agree with his methods of rule. I don't know, it's all very multicultural, and she always refuses to talk about it. That's why she avoids the rooftop of tall buildings."

All the excitement drained from his face immediately. "Oh."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Ben. You seemed so excited about this and I-"

"No, it was my fault," he said, burying his hands in the warm side pockets of his coat. "I should have asked you before. I....wanted it to be a surprise." He scratched the back of his head.

"It's a good one though." She tried to cheer him up. "You should consider being a wedding planner. The idea is really beautiful."

"Really?" That seemed to do the trick somehow because Ben had a genuine smile on his face. "It's not too modern-ish?"

"I liked it," she said. "Although I wouldn't consider it if I was the bride because, well, heights...." she chuckled. "I would definitely suggest it to someone." Ben nodded in response. He seemed to consider the fear of heights as well. He came up with the idea because of the cathedral and the view, keeping the number of guests that they had estimated would be present in mind. "How about we go order the cake?" She suggested, changing the topic. She couldn't see the disappointment in his eyes because she knew she would cry. "I checked that the shop was open and besides, we get to eat cake now." She nudged his arm with her elbow.

Ben laughed. "Well, when you say it like that, I will never lose an opportunity to eat cake."

She beckoned to the elevator. "Come on."

Once they reached the little bakery, they had a funny argument about the frosting. Ben wanted coffee-flavoured frosting but Robin wanted a chocolate-flavoured one. In the end, they had to settle it with rock-paper-scissors. "Really?" She asked him when he suggested it.

"It's the only fair way."

So, they played three rounds and in the last round, Ben kept scissors while Robin had paper. "Dang it!" She exclaimed but Ben cheered silently.

"Coffee flavour it is!" The baker, Mr. Kanumba, tipped his hat at them. He had enjoyed seeing their little quarrel and was excited for the result of the two cakes ordered by Robin and Ben. One was for the rehearsal dinner, which was a small two-tiered cake with the coffee-flavoured frosting and the actual cake was a six-tired one with Karen and Paige's initials on the outside. Robin and Ben had bought one topper each and both of them were quite similar. Robin's was going to be kept on top of the rehearsal dinner cake and Ben's was going to be present on top of the actual wedding. Mr. Kanumba enjoyed that argument as well because Ben wanted it to be the other way around but she wanted his topper to be a part of the wedding.

"What flavour do you want the fondant to be in?" The baker asked them.

Ben and Robin turned to each other. "Vanilla." They said at the same time.