The ugly duckling and the cripple

Trina’s POV

This is going to be my dream wedding come true. Everything is just falling into place, and I don’t want to jinx it by saying it’s perfect. You know how life works. The moment you declare that nothing can go wrong, life takes it as a personal challenge.

James is the love of my life, and ours is the kind of love story you read about in storybooks. The kind that makes you believe in fate, soulmates, and all those ridiculously romantic things you used to roll your eyes at.

It all started on a perfectly ordinary, mundane morning. Nothing spectacular about it. I was on my morning run, making my way back home when I spotted a man who seemed stranded beside his broken-down car.

Being the good Samaritan that I am, I stopped to ask if he needed help. Not that I knew the first thing about cars, but surely moral support counted for something.

Trina: Hey! Do you need a hand?

James: Do you know anything about cars?

Well, that was a promising start.

And then he looked at me.

Those eyes! Good Lord, those eyes were like molten chocolate. And the man himself? Handsome didn’t even begin to cover it.

I mentally high-fived myself for choosing to be a good Samaritan that morning. Finally, my good deeds were paying off.

This was what people called a cute meet, right? Now, all I needed was something quirky to say. Something memorable. Something that would make him laugh and immediately realise I was the woman of his dreams.

No pressure, Trina.

Trina: Well, at least I know it’s a car.

He stared at me for a second before a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

James: Do you believe in fate?

He slipped his phone into his back pocket and gave me a hint of a smile. I slowly shook my head, staring at him as though he had just asked me to join a cult.

Psycho much?

I needed to stay away from handsome men. Clearly, good looks came with a questionable thought process.

James: I’m not a creep.

Could have fooled me, I mumbled under my breath.

Trina: Well, I really don’t know anything about cars, and I’m seriously running late. So, if you’ll excuse me—

James: Let me take my statement from the top.

I paused, one foot practically ready to make my escape.

James: I was having a hectic morning, and then my car decided it had had enough of life. I was about to call for another car when you came along.

He paused, seemingly trying to gauge my reaction. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering where this little speech was going.

He seemed to take my silence as encouragement.

James: And fortunately, you also don’t know anything about cars. So, I got the chance to talk to you. Could you please wait with me until another car comes to pick me up?

I raised an eyebrow, battling with myself over whether I should stay or make a run for it.

On the one hand, he was gorgeous. On the other, I had watched enough crime documentaries to know that being gorgeous was not a reliable indicator of good intentions.

If I ended up getting kidnapped by a serial killer, it would probably be because he was handsome and I was a sucker for a good face.

James: I swear I’m not a creep.

He must have noticed the hesitation on my face because he quickly added,

James: I saw a café while I was driving past. We can wait there. It’s a public place, so if I creep you out, there’ll be plenty of witnesses.

I studied him for a moment.

He had a point.

A very handsome point, unfortunately.

Trina: Fine!

And that was how my supposedly quick stop turned into the beginning of my favourite love story.

What was meant to be one cup of coffee turned into breakfast. A few minutes turned into two whole hours, and somehow, we never ran out of things to talk about.

He just got me. We weren’t struggling to keep the conversation going or awkwardly searching for things to say. It was effortless, as though we had known each other for years instead of hours.

At some point, I glanced at my watch and gasped.

Trina: James!

James: Trina!

He mimicked my shocked expression, pressing a hand dramatically against his chest.

Trina: It’s been two whole hours!

James: Has it? I suppose time flies when you’re enjoying yourself.

He leaned back in his chair, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Trina: Great company, great food, I guess.

James: Exactly. You’re catching on.

I stared at him, fighting the urge to laugh.

Trina: I’m going to be sooooo late!

I was already panicking, mentally calculating how much trouble I was going to be in.

Then another thought struck me.

Trina: Wait a minute. Why hasn’t your car come to pick you up yet?

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

And then he had the audacity to smile.

James: Well, technically, I haven’t called for it yet.

Trina: WHAT?

Several people turned to look at us. I didn’t care.

James: Well, I did say I was about to call, if your memory serves you correctly. Then you came along, and I didn’t.

He shrugged as though this was the most reasonable thing in the world.

James: I wasn’t about to give up the chance to get to know you better.

I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it again.

This man!

He had deliberately wasted two hours of my life, and somehow, I was sitting there trying not to smile like a lovesick fool.

I should have been annoyed.

I should have demanded an apology.

Instead, I fell for him.

And that was how our fairy tale began.

James completed me in ways I hadn’t known I needed. He understood me, cared for me beyond measure, and made me feel loved in everything he did. It wasn’t just the grand gestures or the sweet words. It was the little things, the thoughtful details, the way he seemed to know what I needed even before I said it.

I was over the moon.

And now, in just one week, we’d be tying the knot.

One week!

I could barely contain my excitement whenever I thought about it. My perfect little intimate wedding, surrounded by the people who mattered most, followed by a lifetime with the man who had somehow turned an ordinary morning into the beginning of forever.

What could possibly go wrong?

Apparently, life was listening.

My ringing phone pulled me out of my daydream, and I reached for it, already smiling.

James, I thought.

He usually checked in on me, and I had been waiting to hear from him.

But when I glanced at the screen, my smile faltered.

Dad.

A flash of disappointment went through me before I could stop it. I loved my dad to the moon and back, of course I did. But I had been hoping it was James.

I quickly pushed the silly disappointment aside and answered.

Trina: Hi, Dad!

Dad: Hi, angel.

His voice sounded tired. He’d been sounding that way lately, but I chalked it up to the pressure of the upcoming wedding. After all, it wasn’t every day a father gave his daughter away.

Still, I hoped he was okay.

Trina: How was your day?

Dad: Fine. Hey, my baby, do you have plans tonight?

I smiled, thinking about James and whatever surprise he had planned for us.

Trina: Yes! We’re hoping to steal a little time for ourselves before the wedding. A quiet dinner, just the two of us. And James said it’s going to be a surprise.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Dad: Please cancel and come home immediately once you’re done.

My smile disappeared.

Trina: But—

Dad: It’s really important, angel. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t ask.

Something in his voice made me sit up a little straighter.

He sounded serious. More serious than I’d expected.

Trina: But, Dad, James—

Dad: Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him. Just make sure you’re home by six o’clock.

I hesitated, glancing at the time.

This was strange. Dad knew how much I was looking forward to tonight, and he wasn’t usually one to interfere with my plans without a good reason.

Whatever this was, it had to be important.

Trina: If you say so, then so be it. But you have to call James yourself. I can’t bear to be the one to break my promise to him.

Dad: Okay, angel. Don’t worry about it.

And just like that, he ended the call.

I stared at my phone for a moment, trying to shake off the strange feeling settling in my chest.

That was when it hit me.

James hadn’t called me once the entire day.

Not a single call. Not even a quick message to ask how I was doing.

I frowned at my phone.

That was unlike him.

Then again, he’d mentioned that tonight’s dinner would be a surprise. Maybe he was busy making arrangements. Perhaps he was planning something elaborate and didn’t want to give anything away.

I smiled to myself, trying to ignore the little flutter of unease in my stomach.

He must be planning something special.

After all, our wedding was just a week away.

What could possibly go wrong?