Not long after getting back from Winter Funderland, Amber managed to get Demetri to take a bath and get ready for bed, mildly envying how fast and easily he fell asleep. But they took advantage of his slumber to unpack a few presents they purchased while at the mall. Tired as they were feeling, their mind was buzzing too much and they knew that they needed to talk to Miguel. Attempting some sense of normal proved to be a little more challenging than they hoped, given the event’s crowds and activities yet the their nausea rising and falling like roller coaster hills. They tried nonchalantly evading any potentially raised suspicion from Miguel by offering to escort Demetri to some of the craft activities, or asking Miguel or Sofia to watch him while they ducked into a store. And when the nausea was less so, Amber took to the ice for old time’s sake, enjoying the familiar gliding and twirling while it was still relatively safe for them to do so.
That morning, much to their fortune, their OBGYN was able to fit them in for a morning appointment that more than confirmed the accuracy of the pregnancy test they took the afternoon before. Now, it was just a matter of telling Miguel. And ‘how’, both of which were the thoughts mostly occupying their mind as they slowly paced about theirs and Miguel’s bedroom.
Amber heard the car door shut just outside of their father’s house and after peeking through the blinds to confirm that it was, in fact, Miguel, they did their best to pull themself together and went to the door. Their father’s house wasn’t quite as festive as it was when Amber lived their but they still tried to brighten it up with a bit of holiday cheer at the beginning of the month, stringing up some lights and garland around the house, and sticking wintry window decals on the street-facing windows. It paled in comparison to what they had done at Miguel’s, but in Amber’s eyes, it was better than nothing at all. Still, as they thought about the call with their mom mere moments ago, and Miguel coming to get them, the only place they felt like being then and there was their husband.
Opening the door before he’d have to knock or ring the doorbell, Amber hadn’t managed to smile like they almost always did upon seeing Miguel. Rather, the sight of him had been a relief and Amber stepped past the threshold and encircled their arms around him without a word.
Amber unrolled their yoga mat and wedged their wireless earbuds in, choosing a go-to playlist on their phone for some relaxation and exercising. After some light stretching and warm-up poses, Amber worked out some strength poses and tried their best to relax. Fostering Demetri had been mostly enjoyable but was still struggling with the discord between them and Miguel.
While deciding to conclude their yoga session with some back-bending positions and maneuvering into an upward bow, from an upside down view, Amber was surprised by the sight of Miguel and lightly gasped, only to quickly recover and shut their eyes. Her music was up too loud to hear anything else but they told him, “I’m almost done and then I’ll be out of here.” Her tone was uncharacteristically unemotional when she spoke, trying to push away the immediate flashback to their fight and instead focus on their remaining plans for the day of showering, taking Han to the groomers, stopping by her brother’s place to pick up a few things, and then picking up Demetri from school.
Featuring: Miguel & Amber Hernandez (with Alexandre Reyes & Dr. Zoie Barlowe; mentions of Sofia & Demetri Hernandez)
Location: Pure Space, Portland, OR & Providence St. Vincent Hospital, Portland, OR
Time Frame: Friday March 26 & Saturday March 27, 2021
Notes: The evening takes an unexpected turn while at a launch party for Titan
Miguel:
Even though Miguel hadn't wanted to admit it, the Spectre launch party felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. After all the work that he had done, in addition to all of the drama that had come with the lead up to the launch, it was glad that it was finally out there in the world. In a way it let him feel like he had finally won - after Apple had cost him his first marriage and almost his fourth, after he had had things stolen, even with the lawsuit, it was the first time that he really felt like he had come out on top.
And it felt fantastic.
So he let himself enjoy the party, feeling like he had accomplished so much more than just launching a new product, and with it came a joy that was rare to see in Miguel. He had worked on the speech for a week, insisting on writing it himself. And taking to the stage, he let himself take a breath before smiling out at the crowd and starting.
Amber:
The launch party was a beautiful spectacle. Amber was enjoying their time out with Miguel and celebrating his and his company's hard work and successful premiere. It wasn't lost on them that all of this was nearly derailed a handful of months ago but they were forever grateful that the truth was uncovered and that Miguel had such a damn good legal team. In addition to their pride, they were happy to have a reason to get a little dressed up and go out with Miguel one more time before the twins were born.
After a bit of mingling about the room, conversing with some of their husband's colleagues and friends, Amber decided to sit down. Their back was aching and the Braxton Hicks had started up again. Amber took it as a cue to sit down. With a hand resting on their ballooned stomach, they picked up their water glass and took long sips, watching people gradually take their own seats as the emcee prepared to introduce Miguel. Amber smiled softly over to Andre as he sat at the same table, and then they drank some more water.
Unlike past times, however, the Braxton Hicks didn't seem to subside with the water consumption. Amber tried ignoring it so that they could listen to Miguel, but the contractions were intensifying. Brows furrowing, they took a slow, deep breath while keeping their eyes on their husband. That was, until they felt a warm gush spreading fast beneath their dress. They had read about pregnant women peeing on themselves but Amber felt fairly sure that this wasn't it. Panic quickly set in as their eyes went back to Miguel, unable to shake the alarmed expression from everywhere on their face, except for the smile stuck on their face.
Miguel:
It was hard to look out at the crowd, the lights were bright, and truthfully it took awhile for his eyes to adjust. So he focused on his speech, the tablet that he had it up on, and once he was used to the atmosphere, Amber.
They were in one of the few seats that Miguel could see, and at first he could only see their smile. And then the next time he looked, it seemed almost as if Amber was in pain. Though with the Braxton-Hicks and the fact that the twins could easily be kicking somewhere uncomfortable. But the third time that Miguel looked at his wife, it was clear that something was wrong. They didn't tend to stay uncomfortable this long and the way that their eyes looked, it just made Miguel worry.
Which the fact that it was during his speech just made it all too real.
Miguel had to find a stopping point, which wasn't easy, and reluctantly went into an ending that seemed rushed, but still wrapped things up. At least the best that he could. And as the applause walked him off the stage, he immediately went over to Amber. "Are you alright?"
Amber:
Before Miguel's speech had swiftly concluded, the pain had steadily subsided but Amber was sure that this wasn't Braxton Hicks, and she was becoming more and more sure that she hadn't accidentally peed herself. With the panic pretty firmly set in and wheels trying to turn in her mind, she tried to think of the best plan of action while drawing the least amount of attention to herself; here and now was about Titan.
While everyone applauded Miguel for his speech, Amber's expression finally fell as she exhaled, cradling her large pregnant belly. She made herself take a few deep breaths and when Miguel approached and checked on her, her voice hiked up an octave from its usual tone while she gave a few small shakes of her head. She kept the volume of her voice relatively low, "Nope! Nope, mm-mm, no. Either I've peed myself or my water broke, and I'm pretty sure it's the latter. And I'm pretty sure I've been having contractions tonight. Like real deal, non-Braxton Hicks."
During Amber's response to Miguel, Andre made his way over from the other side of the table and caught the tail end of what Amber was saying. He picked up on what was going on and said, mostly to Miguel, "I can take you both to the hospital, or I can stay here and cover for you. Whatever you need."
Miguel:
It took Miguel a few seconds to comprehend what was happening - especially that the twins had decided that NOW was the best time to come. Mentally he ran through everything else that there was supposed to happen that night, assigning what could be done to various people on the staff. Did he like it? Not really, he had been looking forward to this night ever since things with Apple ended in his favor.
But at the same time, he was excited for the babies and finally getting to meet them that for once delegating wasn't as hard as it usually was for him.
"I can get people to cover for me, I can text them from the car. Plus Mari is here and she did enough with me when we were married that she'll make sure to keep everything going. But I think driving us would be the biggest help," Miguel nodded, squeezing Amber's hand.
Amber:
While Andre and Miguel figured out next steps, Amber was rushing through a moment of anxiousness. Were they ready for this? It didn't really matter, since the twins were already exercising their independence. Until now, in their mind, they still had another couple of days before the twins were to arrive, but now that it was just a bit sooner--and starting tonight of all nights--Amber had to speed up their preparedness.
With Miguel accepting Andre's offer to drive them to the hospital, Amber returned the squeeze to their hand and took another deep breath. They picked up their clutch and carefully raised to their feet, offering their husband a brief smile. "I guess these two wanted to see what all the fun tonight was about, huh?" Keeping their hand in Miguel's and staying at his side, they followed Andre through the venue with as convincing a look of calm as they could muster while they passed guests by.
When the cool outside air hit them however and Andre approached a valet attendant to get his car, Amber dropped the calm facade, shoulders drooping slightly while the pain of the contractions started to swell again, starting across their back and swiftly gripping across their front. Before the pain could become too unbearable, Amber said, "We don't have any of our stuff. Should we stop at home first?"
Miguel:
Miguel chuckled at Amber's words, though really he had to wonder if that had something to do with it. He knew that there were some things that had a tendency to set off labor, and Miguel wondered if excitement had anything to do with it. Though while he was curious, he figured that was something that he could look up after everything was over.
There were much more important things to think about.
As the contraction hit, Miguel squeezed Amber's hand, not really sure what they needed to get through it. Sofia had been induced, so everything there had a schedule, this was completely different and in the process Miguel found himself thinking probably a little too much. "I don't think so, we can have Sofia pick up our stuff later. Or Andre can pick it up after he drops us off at the hospital, he has a key."
Amber:
Hearing Miguel chuckle helped keep a light smile on Amber's face for a bit. They used thoughts about pleasant things like that--Miguel's laugh whenever he found something funny, Demetri's genuine excitement when he did well in school, the fun they and Sofia shared at their cooking class the other month--to try and help them through the growing return of labor pain while waiting for the valet. Amber leaned a bit into Miguel, teeth pressed together as the contraction crescendoed. Their grip on Miguel's hand was tight and as they forced themself to exhale, a small groan escaped. "Hooooooooo...yeah, this is..." They couldn't think of a word to describe the feeling but about a minute after the contraction started, the pain was subsiding again, just in time as Andre's Range Rover was parked on the curb in front of them. Andre was quick to retrieve the keys and moved fast to set the car's navigation system for the hospital.
"It's a good thing I didn't drive the Corvette tonight," he commented lightheartedly, settling in the driver's seat and prepared to leave the moment Amber and Miguel were ready to go. Thankfully it looked like it wouldn't be a very long ride for the expecting couple. "Et oui, I can call Sofia and work out a plan to get your things to you as soon as possible."
Amber nodded while getting in the car, thankful to be sitting down again after getting the seat belt around their belly, they rested their head on Miguel's shoulder for the duration of the ride to the hospital, giving his hand a more tender squeeze than before. After gently reminding him, "Don't forget to text Meredith," Amber soon added, "I'm excited that we'll get to meet the twins tonight or tomorrow, but I'm sorry about your speech, hon. I know this was already a big night for you."
Miguel:
Miguel tried not to wince with how hard that Amber was squeezing his hand, because no matter how hard this hurt whatever Amber was feeling was probably worse.
"Thanks, I would appreciate that. Sofia's still inside too, so she might figure out something's going on before you get ahold of her," Miguel warned, as he sat in the car next to Amber.
"Right, thank you," Miguel said, pulling out his phone as he sent a text to Meri as well as everyone else he figured that he should let know, "I'm excited to meet them too, and don't worry about it. I'm glad that we're going to meet the twins too. So it's still going to be a big night."
Amber:
Andre nodded, peeling away from the curb and heading straight for the hospital. “We will handle it. You two focus on your little ones."
During the ride, Amber focused on breathing as steadily as possible. Only one other contraction hit during the trip to the hospital but this time, they tried not to squeeze the life out of Miguel's hand, opting instead to ball their fingers into a tight fist, nails digging firmly into their palms.
Just as Andre pulled up to the entrance, the pain faded again. Amber thanked Andre repeatedly for his help and then scooted out of the back seat with Miguel so they could get checked in at the Labor and Delivery ward.
Some time later, the two were brought to a delivery room where Amber was given a gown to change into; they were hooked up to an IV and monitors while Miguel was given paperwork to fill out. They were checked on for their progress and then given some privacy before the next round of being checked in on. Now laying in a mostly reclined hospital bed with ambient music playing low in the room, Amber spoke to their husband in between the pain and spikes in discomfort. "Can you do me a favor? If any of the nurses tries to ask me something during a contraction like nurse whatsherface kept doing, can you tell them to kindly put a sock in it until I can actually answer them?"
Miguel:
Getting to the hospital had been a big help for Miguel. He had calmed down on the car ride, and everything else once they got to the hospital had been things he had prepared for.
So his primary focus was Amber and making sure that they had everything they needed to be comfortable. He chuckled at their words, especially when he had noticed the nurse doing that. "Gladly, I'm not quite sure how she didn't notice what she was doing," he commented, "Do you need anything else? Water? Ice chips? Pudding that I am considering stealing?"
Amber:
Although Amber knew that labor wasn't going to be easy, knowing and experiencing it were entirely different, as she was discovering. She was nearly dilated enough for the epidural but not quite when they arrived, and she'd hoped that it would progress for her to get it soon. About an hour after their arrival, Andre had returned with the bag she and Miguel packed for this very occasion, and after briefly checking in on the couple once more, he headed out with a promise to return if they needed anything else.
Deeply thankful that she wasn't going through this experience entirely alone, she nodded at Miguel's words and only briefly thought over his question before saying, "Ice chips sound nice. But steal the pudding too." Another contraction started soon after she answered him, and to avoid squeezing Miguel's hand, Amber made very focused efforts to clench her fists and spread her fingers back and forth through the pain. She tried to remember to breathe but found herself holding her breath often instead.
Miguel:
Miguel nodded as he helped Amber through the contraction - only for the nurse to come back in and start talking almost as if on cue. "Can you please stop talking for a moment," Miguel asked, using the voice that Sofia called his "CEO voice" that had the tendency to command attention. And as it expected it worked. "If you would pay attention, you'd be able to tell that Amber's in the middle of a contraction and they aren't really up for answering questions. So we would both appreciate it if you would wait until after it was over and they'd be more than happy to answer then."
It seemed to work, as Miguel turned back to his wife to coach Amber through the rest of the contraction. "Okay, I'm going to go get the ice and the pudding now while the nurse is in here," he said once things started to settle down.
Amber:
Though Amber had heard Miguel address the incoming nurse, Amber only partially heard his words as they worked through the contraction. Thankful though that the nurse heeded his words, Amber put their full focus back on breathing and repeatedly flexing their hands until the pain was more tolerable. They opened their eyes and left them open, looking to Miguel and nodding with gratitude in their gaze, "Okay," and gently squeezed his forearm before he departed from the room.
Not long after speaking with the nurse, the doctor came in and checked on Amber, delivering the news they had been waiting to hear ever since arriving; things had progressed enough for them to get the epidural. That process in itself was unpleasant but much to Amber's relief, once everything had been done and the anesthesia started to kick in, they were far more at ease for the long hours that followed.
As the night went on, Amber talked a bit to Miguel, imagining what features the twins might inherit. Eventually, they were overcome by sleep and managed to get a little more than a couple of hours of light rest collectively, on and off before night turned early morning. The doctor came to periodically check on them again after they were awake to see how far their labor progressed. Amber managed another nap of sorts, late in the morning but not long after they awoke again, their doctor returned once more.
A new wave of anxiousness washed over them, waking them right back up again however, when the doctor informed them and Miguel that, after roughly 14 hours of being in the hospital, Amber was fully dilated and it was going to be time to start pushing soon. While the doctor spoke to the three nurses who had suddenly joined her in preparing for the delivery, Amber reached out for Miguel's hand, "Oh my god. This is it. This is.. it's about to happen," Amber said, their voice an uneven mix of excitement and obvious nervousness.
Miguel:
Miguel had always known that labor was a game of hurry up and wait. When Andre had come with their bags, he'd changed into a new set of clothes. And from there, there wasn't much else to do. He supported Amber, he napped when they did, and overall he just tried to imagine what it was going to be like once the babies came.
It was true, he was a lot older than he was the first time around, but he had experience, and it really had come to realize how much he had wanted more kids than only Sofia. Sure, life decided to make him wait for two decades before he got the chance to actually get there, but it was well worth the wait.
He squeezed Amber's hand as the doctor told them that it was almost time to push. "It is. You're going to do great," he stated, giving Amber a quick kiss on the head, "Just breathe with me, and squeeze my hand, and it'll all be fine," he assured them.
Amber:
Amber softly smiled to Miguel and gave a brief squeeze to his hand when he'd lovingly assured her. Nodding, Amber affirmed, "Okay. I've got this. We've got this," and set her mind to what she knew she would have to do from here. It didn't take long after that for the nurses to position Amber's feet out of the stirrups while Dr. Barlowe began coaching Amber, instructing her to bear down and push during contractions while she, the doctor, counted. Holding onto Miguel's hand while her other hand gripped the hospital bed's side rail, Amber dropped her chin to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut and, upon command from the doctor, began to push.
She very quickly lost count of how many times she had pushed or how much time had passed since the delivery started. Despite the doctor's encouragement and reassurance that she was doing a good job, Amber felt the anxiousness and excitement transforming into exhaust and frustration. Still being numbed from the epidural, she could only rely on those around her to know what was going on. Tears pricked at her eyes and blurred her vision as she pushed through yet another contraction. This time, however, relief and steady praise soon fell over the room as a small weight was placed on Amber's stomach and chest. She opened her eyes and saw one of the nurses quickly rubbing the back and clearing the mouth and nostrils of a tiny, dark-haired newborn.
"One down, one to go, Amber, good job! Take a minute and then we'll get you're other little one out here with her sister," she heard Dr. Barlowe say as Amber's head fell back against the pillow behind her. Tears streamed freely but she quickly wiped them away and brought her free hand to their firstborn twin's back at the same time that tiny chipmunk-like trills passed through the newborn's pink, plump lips. "Oh my God, hiii," Amber quietly cooed. She squeezed Miguel's hand and watched as the nurse wrapped the little girl in a blanket and carried her off to a nearby bassinet while Dr. Barlowe asked Miguel if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord. "We're gonna get her sister out here soon. It should be a lot easier this time around, Amber." to which Amber gave a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness," and wearily smiled, ready to take hold of Miguel's hand again and bring their next child into the world with some renewed energy filling her.
As Dr. Barlowe had said, the second go around had been an easier, or at least, shorter labor than the first time. Some eight minutes after the first baby had been born, her sister joined the world. Instead of the quiet little trills, however, she exercised her lungs, seemingly to their full capacity once her mouth and nose were cleared of fluids. "Congratulations Amber and Miguel," Dr. Barlowe said to both parents before inviting Miguel to cut the second umbilical cord over at the bassinet while she helped Amber through the afterbirth and cleaning up from the delivery.
Miguel:
There was nothing like the birth of a child - Miguel had thought that when Sofia was born and he thought the same thing now. There was something miraculous about it, seeing life get to come into the world at the start. And now he got to see it twice over with their daughters.
And as the first of the two came, a giant smile came to his face as Miguel looked over her features. He teared up a bit, blinking to not let the tears fall as he squeezed Amber's hand back, before going to cut the girl's umbilical cord. He used the moment to stroke the girl's face, and really look over her features.
"She's beautiful," Miguel smiled as he walked back over to Amber's side, preparing to meet the second twin. It was like everything happened all over again, though the second girl wanted to make her presence known to the world in a way that the man could already tell that she was going to have a huge personality. "You're going to be a problem, I can already tell," Miguel whispered to the girl, with a teasing smile before cutting the second cord. He then took a picture to send to Sofia and Demetri, letting them know that the twins were there. "You did great," Miguel smiled at Amber, once the picture sent.
Amber:
Both girls were here. Amber was filled to the brim with a myriad of thoughts and emotions. As Dr. Barlowe and one of the nurses finished tending to the afterbirth and cleanup, Amber wiped their eyes and thanked everyone in the room who helped bring the twins into the world. Their eyes then moved back and forth between the two bassinets, briefly catching the tender moment between Miguel and their youngest; a soft smile came to Amber's face at the sight.
When Miguel came back to Amber's side, they reached and squeezed his forearm with tender pressure. "Thanks, hon," and then looked back over as both girls were now crying, though the second was still noticeably louder than her older sister. The nurses were getting their measurements and finishing their initial exam before the girls could be given to their parents for skin-to-skin bonding. In what felt like an eternity later, the room was being cleared of the nurses while Dr. Barlowe carried one twin over to Amber first, and then the youngest twin to Miguel.
"The girls look healthy and are at a healthy weight for twins. We'll give you guys some time in here to bond, and then a couple of the nurses will move you and the twins up to a recovery room where you'll stay until you're discharged. Those rooms are smaller but there's more amenities in them. One of the pediatricians will come there to check on the girls periodically, to make sure they are both ready to be discharged when the time comes. Congratulations again, both of you."
With one of the twin's tiny cheeks resting against a bare space beneath Amber's chin, they softly replied, "Thank you so much, Zoie. I really can't say that enough." They smiled while giving feather light strokes of their fingertips to the the newborn's back, and then, not long after the four were alone, Amber turned carefully their head in Miguel's direction, keeping their voice low for the girls' sake while smiling to their husband, "You know, we have to figure out who's who here."
Miguel:
Miguel nodded at the nurse as he held the youngest girl close. It was surreal as he touched her, and watched Amber with the other baby. They were here, and they were perfect, and it was exactly what Miguel had been hoping for. "You know we could name #1 Isobel and #2 Jessamine just to keep it in alphabetical order," he commented, rocking the crying girl, "It seems kind of like the logical way to go about it."
Amber:
Amber gave a playful roll of her eyes at her husband, still smiling through his answer. "Leave it to you to go the logical route with naming our kids." She softly chuckled and continued to gently stroke their eldest twin's back. After mulling over his answer, she said, "But it beats calling them Baby A and Baby B." Shifting the position of the baby in her arms, she was able to tilt her chin down a bit and then said, "So I guess that means I've got you in my arms, Isobel," and smiled right up through softly kissing the top of her dark-haired crown. "Happy birthday, Isobel," she whispered.
Miguel:
"Well, I've always been logical," Miguel chuckled, kissing the top of Jessamine's head, "Though I have to say I'm pretty sure it was little miss Jessamine who decided to interrupt my speech earlier. It seems like something that would be her idea."
Amber:
With a small hum, Amber noted, "You have a creative side too. I'd say that both come with the territory of being at the head of a successful tech company." They watched Miguel and Jessamine and grinned again, giggling a bit at Miguel's assertion, "Probably, given how much she wanted to be heard when she was born. Maybe she was hoping to give her daddy a few pointers." While keeping as much skin-to-skin with Isobel, Amber had their eyes on their husband and youngest, adding a, "Happy birthday, Jessamine," in before saying, "I can't believe they're here now. They're both just the tiniest babies I've ever seen."
About an hour after they were given some skin-to-skin time, the nurses came in, preparing to transport the family the floor above to recovery. Isobel and Jessamine were swaddled and placed back in their individual bassinets, each baby being wheeled out by a nurse while a third nurse maneuvered Amber's hospital bed behind the twins to an elevator. The room they were taken to wasn't too far from the elevator, and after hooking Amber back to the monitors in the new room and making sure the family was settled and shown where to find everything in the room, in the nurses cleared out yet again to give the newly grown family some privacy for the time being.
Amber arrived at the address Sofia gave them and parked Bumblebee with a deep breath. From the outside, the house looked stunning but very orderly, and given what Sofia forewarned about leaving their shoes outside, they suspected it was immaculate inside as well. Grabbing their bag and yellow folder newly labeled ‘Wedding’ in Amber’s neat handwriting, Amber cut the engine got out, walking themself up tot he front door and ringing the doorbell. They hugged the folder to their front while bouncing with anxious excitement on the balls of their ankle boot-clad feet, awaiting for either Sofia or Miguel to answer.
Beyond a Shadow of Doubt (Flashback) | Miguel & Amber
@ceo-miguel
Amber had noticed the shift in mood form Miguel while the two of them were at the rose garden. While they kept Han entertained, they’d seen him take a couple of calls during their down time and tried not to pester him about it. But now that they and their puppy were heading back home and Amber was remembering the surprise dinner they had mostly prepped prior to them going to the gardens, they hoped that being at his home and having--what Amber was hoping would be--a good meal might relax Miguel a bit.
Having offered to drive them to the shoot, Amber spent the bulk of the drive making futile efforts at small talk with comments like, “That was a gorgeous place for a music video,” and “I wonder how much of the footage for each fo the couples is gonna get used,” before falling silent. As they arrived at the house, she tried again breaking the silence and strange tension, outright asking, “So... I can see you’re not alright but... can you tell me what’s going on?”
Amber snapped out of their momentary stupor, realizing that they had been holding a tissue to their cheek. They quickly lowered it to the vanity before them where make-up had been splayed along with their wedding gifts for Miguel. They took a quick breath and exhaled with a plastered on smile, looking at their brother’s face through the mirror while trying to ignore the reddening color in their own eyes. Bennu was standing just behind them in a burgundy tux identical to the one their father was supposed to be wearing. “I’m fine. It’s fine, I mean… I knew there was a possibility he wasn’t going to be able to come, right? And Dad walking me down the aisle and giving me away was all symbolic anyway--it’s the twenty-first century for crying out loud and I was giving myself away to marry Miguel regardless, so… so, yeah I’m fine!” they insisted, certain that their brother knew that they were convincing themself that they weren’t very disappointed about the news of their father not showing up at the last minute.
Amber did know that there was a possibility her dad wouldn’t be there but up until just a couple of minutes ago, they had been under the impression that their father was coming--that he was showing up for them for something that really did matter to them. But he wasn’t. Yet again. On top of that, their mother had shown up and while it should have been some sort of joy, they knew their mother was only there for show. Their mildly hungover mother had still been making subtle yet harsh put-downs about Amber having signed up for Matched and deciding that the only bright spot was that they ended up matched with someone Eliana deemed behind closed doors, ‘suitable’. Still, they made a point to pop into Amber’s bridal room reiterate to them while they were getting their hair done that they, “won’t find solutions for their life by marrying someone, even if his looks, wealth and exposure are all outstanding qualities. Probably more than you deserve since you didn’t earn it”.
Taking another deep breath and huffing it out, Amber turned from the mirror, sweeping the black envelope and small, black jewelry gift box with a silver bow on it into their hand. They held the item out to Bennu, “Can you take these to Miguel for me while I get into my dress? We’re going to be starting in no time.”
Bennu nodded, accepting the two gifts, “Sure. But Ambs, you know I can always walk y--”
“It’s fine, Ben. Really. Besides, you and Sofia are walking together and if you walk me that just throws it off, so. Please just take the gifts. I’ll be fine--I’m fine.”
Their brother lingered for a few beats, and then bent down to kiss the top of Amber’s head, “Okay. I love you, Ambs. You look beautiful by the way.”
Amber’s smile turned more genuine as they nodded, “Thank you, Ben. I love you too. Now go!”
Having been given a little bit of privacy in that area of the room, two of Amber’s friends who had been helping them get ready swooped in to dote on them, touching up their make-up and unzipping the back of their dress, preparing to help them into the gown. Soon enough, Amber hoped, the ceremony would start and they could further put this latest news behind them and focus instead on themself and Miguel.
After the tabloid article earlier that week, Amber made a point to stay relatively close to Miguel, wanting to present a united front in the face of the rumors. They didn’t want to be attached at the hip the whole night but they at least made sure that thy knew where to find him whenever they weren’t close by each other. A few times when they were by themselves, they had turned some heads of some gentlemen who attempted to flirt with them but Amber gave them none of their attention beyond, “I’m married,” before walking away.
After slipping away to the bar to get the two of them a light drink. Opting for champagne, they carried the two flutes while their eyes swept about the glitzy spectacle. As they neared their husband, Amber noticed someone staring rather intently at Miguel but they couldn’t make sense of it. Once they approached Miguel’s side, Amber held one of the glasses to him and spoke through a smile, “I hope champagne’s okay. Also, someone off to my right is staring at you like you have a horn growing between your eyes. What’s that about?”
