A Secret Bodyguard (Bodyguard 1)(Completed)

The Aftermath

"GAH! I can't deal with this. I'm panicking. This is bad. Why am I panicking? What is wrong with me? I ever panic like this. What the hell is going on?" Alaya paced back and forth. Her breathing was coming in rapid gasps, not enough oxygen reaching her lungs.

Fabric rustled as she paced, back and forth. Back and forth. The room felt small and grew smaller and smaller as the seconds went by. She could feel herself beginning to sweat which would ruin pretty much everything so she reined it all in and stopped moving. Taking slow deep breaths she manages to get her lungs under control. "Hey. It's alright Alaya. Everything is going to be alright." Macy took hold of her sisters shoulders and offered a smile.

Alaya could barely return it. Her hand went to the necklace that hung around her neck. Her fingers wrapping around the locket that hung from it. A deep blue sapphire surrounded in a collection of clear diamonds decorated the silver oval shaped surface. It was a gift Brett had given her for her 18th birthday. She hasn't taken it off for the following 5 years. Not once. She always wore it. No matter what she was doing or where she was going. It helped her feel calm. It made her feel better just by touching it.

"I'm panicking Macy. Why am I panicking. I stormed a cartel hideout with only Brett last week. We had no backup or anything. Just the weapons we could carry and each other. I was fine then. So why am I so stressed now? I don't understand. I hate not understanding." Alaya felt tears burn her eyes but she refused to let them fall and ruin the job Macy and Kat had done.

Kat appeared from behind the dressing screen and gave Alaya a sharp glare. "Either you pull yourself together or I separate you from Brett, Ace and Alec for a month." Alayas breath caught in her throat. She knew Kat wasn't lying. She'd done it before and Alaya barely made it through. It's still a foreign concept for Alaya, relying on people. She doesn't understand it or like how strongly it affects her but she respects it.

Most of the time.

She barely managed to croak out a word. "Alright." Kat smiled at the reply and spun around.

"I usually hate dresses you know girls. But you both know my taste better than me. Helping me pick out my wedding dress was such a success. It was so stunning. And now this bridesmaid dress. You've really outdone yourselves. I'm a hard person to please when it comes to dresses." She was grinning ear to ear. It was so happy, joyous, free. Alaya found herself smiling too.

Something about the sparking Kats eyes when she talked about her getting married to Alaya and Macy's father always made Alaya feel hope. Hope that she'd find someone that makes her just as happy. That hope had come through. Here she is standing in a white dress about to marry Brett. "The last time I wore a dress I was 16. It's been a while." The memories of the dress in particular she spoke off came back in a flood. The red fabric that hung low at her back revealing the thin white scars. The red fabric that became torn and destroyed after being thrown through glass multiple times and hacked at by knives.

She almost broke at the severity of the memory. The pure pain and fear that came with its vivid detailing was overwhelming. But it was soon washed out by another dress. One she wore at the end of the school year. A nicer dress that she'd almost forgotten. She didn't know how she could have forgotten it. It was the dress she wore to prom. A dark navy blue with a heart shaped neckline, slip shoulder lace sleeves and a flowing skirt that barely brushed the ground. She remembered seeing how it had complimented her curves and how it matched the colour of Brett's tie. She could remember the soft giggles Kat hid behind her hand due to being the one to make the match happen.

This memory was the one that stuck. This memory was the one that brought a smile to her face that she wore to go down the aisle. It wasn't the dress that made it so tremendously happy. It was the person. Who stood by her side within this memory. The man she was going to marry. The man she'd wholeheartedly give her heart to without looking back.

Brett Cage.

When her father took her arm Alaya was still unable to control her emotions. Her control slipped even more when the bouquet of soft coloured flowers was slipped into her hand. Kat kissed her fathers cheek before walking out with Macy. "Remember to breath Alaya. Trust me. It's a lot harder than you think. I almost fainted when Kat was walking down the aisle towards me. I would have if you hadn't flicked whatever it was at me." Her father spoke softly. It somehow seemed in tune with the music that filtered through the door.

"When the love is real the world stops. You forget how to work. Everything turns upside down. When the love is real you're never more sure of anything in your life. Now that I realize this I can see the exact moment I went wrong the first time." Alaya heard her father's voice change. The hurt there was enough to make Alayas smile falter.

"If you hadn't have made that mistake you wouldn't have us. You wouldn't have Kat. None of this would have happened. Sometimes we need to make mistakes to be able to win a game. After all, isn't life just a big, wild, roller-coaster of a game?" She tightened her hold on her father's arm. It was almost time.

Her father's chuckle brought the smile back to full strength. "When did you become so wise?"

She didn't have to think about the answer right as the door began to open. "I became wise the moment I first called you dad." She saw the tears in the corners of her father's eyes before she looked back forwards.

When her eyes fell on Brett's he knew this was real love. The moment she saw him in a neat black suit with a pale rose in his breast pocket, a wide unbreakable smile on his face. Everything stopped. The word spun upside down. Her body forgot how to function. All she could do was stare at his blue eyes and his blonde hair. She was glad he'd let it go back to its natural colour. Something about it made him look so much freer. It made him appear as the person she believed he truly was. Blonde suited him far better than black.

Seconds felt like years. She forgot who she was. Where she was. What she was doing. All that was sure was him.

When she felt her father lightly pull on her arm everything began to work again. Her legs moved her forwards. The river of white fabric danced around her legs, clinging to her body as it went up. It was simple and elegant. Beautiful. But not quite so beautiful as she knew the memory of today was going to be.

As she kissed her fathers cheek and took Brett's hand she was never more sure of herself. This is who she is. She is Alaya. The wife to Brett. The friend to Alec. The bodyguard to Ace. Nothing was ever more sure. When she took a moment to look away from Brett she looked at Alec and Ace, their matching gold bands glowed against their fingers. They were smiling almost as much as she was.

Today was the aftermath of all the pain and happiness they had all been through. The day the untamed, the undefeated becomes bound with another. It was a day many thought would never come. But now it's here. Alaya believes she'd be unable to think of any other outcome that could of happened. This is perfection. There may be cracks along its surface. But every scar has its story and the journey that took part to create this one. Was by far her favourite.