Always There || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 95: Wedding Day - Part 1

Wedding Day

I spun around in the mirror, admiring how the pink dress glistened in the sunlight. It was amazing how beautiful I felt just knowing how much Jake loved this dress. It made me love it now too. If I could thank him for anything, it would be his ability to try and get me to love me as much as he loved me, though.. I don't think that was possible.

I pulled my hair up into a tight bun, pressing down and spraying the flyaways, pinning them back with golden pins that sparkled along with the dress. As much as I wanted to keep on Jake's necklace, he insisted that I could leave it home, our matching silver bracelets being more than enough.

I made my way down the hall and into my mom's room where her eyes instantly lit up.
"Oh, Jaime. You look beautiful." She sighed, reaching her arms out for me. I went over sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"He really has great taste." She laughed, looking me up and down. "I'm sure you guys are going to have so much fun. I can't wait to hear all about it."
"You know, there's still time if you want to come." I insisted, not wanting her to miss out on anything. She shrugged, giving me a gentle smile.
"It's okay. You have fun though, alright? I don't want you to worry about me."
"You know I always worry about you." I muttered, now picking at my freshly manicured fingers. She playfully slapped my hands away.

"I know, and I hate that you do. You should be out living your life, not worried about me." As badly as I wanted to do that, I knew I would never be able to unless I knew for sure she was going to be okay. And that was never a promise any doctor could ever give me.

"I'm sure he's going to be here soon." She insisted, motioning towards me door. "Go ahead and finish getting ready, thank you for letting me see you before you go. You always look so beautiful." I felt my cheeks burn, giving her a shy smile.
"Thanks, Mom." I sighed, getting up from her bed, leaning in as she pulled me in, kissing my cheek.

"Now.. you two are staying over tonight?" She asked, her smile growing. I felt my body get hot. I nodded, biting down on my lip.
"Mhm.." I managed, avoiding her eyes.
"Now.. I know that you've already-"
"We don't have to talk about this." I said, quick to cut her off. She nodded, giggling to herself.
"I know, I know.. but what kind of mom would I be if I didn't try to-"
"A good one." I laughed, leaning back against the doorframe.
"Okay, just.. promise me you'll be smart." She said. "And.. only do what you feel is right."
"I promise."

I held my stare on her for a moment just like I always did before I left her, never quite sure what would happen, god forbid I wasn't around to help her. She motioned me away again, aware of what I was doing. I think deep down, she was always aware of how nervous I got. It made me wonder how much of her feeling okay was real, and how much was pretending for my own sake.

I made my way down stairs, looking in the mirror one more time, fixing my hair as much as I could with the substantial amount of hairspray I had already put in. I was never good at getting dressed up, never sure of what I was doing, always hoping for the best. I went into my bag, pulling out the new tube of pink lipgloss I had bought myself for the occasion, applying it one more time before I finally heard a knock at the door.

My heart jumped. I don't know why I was so nervous now. Maybe because of.. everything we had talked about. But.. I should be excited, right? He shouldn't make me.. nervous.

I took a deep breath before opening the door where I saw Jake standing there, small bouquet of red roses in hand. I couldn't help but smile as he stared back at me, holding them out for me.
"W-what are these for?" I asked, holding them up to my nose. They smelt sweeter than any flowers I had ever smelt before, the brightest shade of red I had ever seen. They were perfect.

He shrugged, his smile growing as he pulled me into a long kiss.
"Because I love you." He said simply. "And.. because tonight is.. special." I felt my heart jump again.

Special.

"I love them. Thank you." I said, peeking back up at him. He stared back at me with those dazed eyes that made me melt from the inside out.
"You look so beautiful, Jaime." He sighed. I bit down on my lip, shaking my head, avoiding his eyes. I heard him laugh to himself before tilting my chin back up, leaning into another long kiss.
"You're gorgeous, and you're just gonna have to get used to me telling you."
"You're not so bad yourself." I laughed, kissing him again until his lips curled into a smile. "Are you ready to go?" He nodded, holding his stare on me as he slipped his hand into mine, leading me out to his car.

I felt my stomach drop as we made our way down the driveway, seeing the rest of his family heading out their front door. I tried my best to avoid eye contact with Josh, already feeling his eyes on me. I felt bad that him and I hadn't really talked about everything since we had agreed to go as a group, but.. Jake was right. I was with him, and.. I should be going with him. But that didn't mean I didn't feel guilty for hurting Josh. I still loved him, it was just.. different now, I guess.

Jake went over to the passenger's side, opening the door for me, carefully grabbing the end of my dress and helping me inside. He then quickly made his way around, hopping into the driver's side, shutting the door behind him. Before we took off, I peeked over to see Josh already looking at me, giving me a forced smile and a gentle wave. I felt my face get hot as I waved back before we disappeared down the road.

As we pulled up to the venue I couldn't help but stare; it was absolutely stunning, like something right out of a movie. I couldn't believe after all these years of living here I had never seen this place, then again, we had never really had a reason to come out here, let alone for a wedding as extravagant as this. I guess doing things like this were much easier as you got older.

"Wow.." I sighed, keeping my eyes locked out the window as Jake pulled up to the front doors. Valet came around as Jake got out, handing them his keys. I quickly followed, taking his hand as he lead us inside.
"This is.. amazing." I whispered, leaning in close. He smirked down at me, kissing the top of my head as he grabbed two glasses of champagne from the one of the front tables.
"I think this is doable." He said softly, looking around. My heart jumped.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Nothing." He said, playfully shrugged, guiding us into the main hall.

It was so nice to see everyone from the neighborhood again, in a much nicer setting than another drunken backyard barbecue, despite how fun they could be. I couldn't tell you the last time I had the chance to get dressed up like this. The last wedding I had been to was probably when Jake and I were kids and had our first kiss.

How suiting that tonight we might have another first.

He leaned down close, whispering in my ear.
"You know, I know I'm not supposed to say this but.. I think you're the most beautiful one here." I shook my head, playfully hitting his chest.
"Stop it." I whispered, unable to contain my giddy grin. He giggled to himself, gently kissing my cheek.
"Well, I mean it." I reached up, gently holding his face in my hand, pulling him into a gentle kiss, when I heard the door open behind us, my stomach dropped as I saw Josh walk in.