ENCHANTED

10

As you slip on the burgundy slip dress, you touch your face which looks pale and tired. You haven't slept in days partly owing to the wedding management you'd to take care of and mostly because of the way your life’s turning each day into ways you'd never imagined.

You try to hide the condition of your face with makeup but give up when you seem to make it worse and end up going to Dahyun's room where a number of people are assisting her to get ready. Someone might be ready to spare you five minutes and fix your hair and makeup. After all you are bridesmaid and it's your sister's big day.

You feel emotional looking at how happy Mr and Mrs Eun, and Dahyun look. They had planned and wished for this day to come for years. Now that it finally has arrived their joy has no bounds. Your parents are excited to watch their daughter turn into a bride but they're most sad about her leaving them forever now. Although she lived outside for a few years of college but most of her life she has stayed by their side, you only came into their lives at a much later age but she's the daughter they gave birth to and you can't disregard that from being a factor in their greater love for her than you.

You enter the bride's room when all heads turn towards you and Dahyun sighs before saying "I beg you don't joke right now. I'm too anxious and kinda feeling sick."

"You're looking really beautiful" You say as she turns towards you and somewhere in your heart you wish to have what she's getting someday too.

"All of this is heavy. I'm already tired" Dahyun tries to sit down but her dress makes it difficult to sit comfortably. The assistants help to keep her long embroidered veil safe.

One of the girls straightens your hair and another puts on makeup. You are glad you made the decision to get help because you could've never managed to do such party makeup and what you were going to do would've been too plain for the fancy party that was going to follow.

You notice Dahyun fiddling with her dress as she asks for a painkiller holding her head. She cannot afford to move in her dress and to keep sitting like that in her condition it must be much more tiring. Nobody else gets it but you know she's getting annoyed by all the people around her when she's getting overwhelmed by so many thoughts and someone or the other keeps fixing her dress, hair, makeup or something. The photographers insist on capturing her and she puts up a fake smile.

"Everyone I think you should go out now and enjoy the party. I'll be there with her. A couple of you can come when they ask for her to come outside. She needs some alone time." You usher everyone outside and close the door.

"Thanks" Dahyun says walking upto you.

"I know you were getting irritated. Are you feeling too sick?" She raises her eyebrow at you.

"I know about this" You touch her belly when she smiles slightly keeping her hand beside yours.

"I knew it. We just can't keep secrets from each other" You chuckle at her words thinking about the biggest secret you keep which will now stay hidden forever in only your memories.

"Be nice to him or her. Growing up I never received any affection from my birth parents but no child should have to go through that." You say touching her hand.

"You know ever since I got to know about this. I have only felt so much love for this person. When I heard it's heartbeat for the first time it was so surreal. Nobody has got a clue about it. I want to love it and protect it. Now I understand how unnecessarily cruel I had always been to you. I understand it now...." She says touching your cheek. You end up hugging her.

"Now the only thing I want is to be enough for Jungkook and this tiny human. To be good enough to be loved by them." You notice her voice getting heavy but she manages to somehow control herself from breaking into tears.

When she walks down the aisle and you walk behind her towards Jungkook standing on the stage. He looks at you more than he looks at her. You feel the pain in his eyes as it stings in your heart.

The newly weds are asked to kiss when he glances at you over Dahyun's shoulder before kissing her with a smile.

You woke up with him looking down at you his head resting on his palm his elbow supporting him upright on the cushion.

You smiled looking at him and caressed his face.

"You'll have to leave in some time. I just don't wanna let you go..." He says tangling his fingers with yours, holding your hand.

"Last night was so special to me" You blurted out in a moment of weakness as you watch him stroke your forehead and caress your hair.

"It was the most special to me. God I love you so much." He said making you shush him with your finger on his lips.

"Forbidden words Jungkook" You tell him gravely shaking your head.

"They don't have to be. We could... we could runaway, protect our union by legalizing it and never having to stop saying these words. The way you are special to me it's only love nothing less. It's love." He said with a softness in his tone which you'd never known before.

"Look Jungkook I feel sort of that way too because I've never been wanted like this before. Nobody has ever made me feel this secure and sex had only been sex until last night it meant something else. I felt liberated with you. Circumstances hold us from being together that's how life is. At least for me."

"Why don't you ever want to be happy? I really want to make you happy. For once in your life seek your happiness please."

"I'm doing it in another ways. I know what will bring me happiness. I can't be selfish to just get my own happiness."

"It's not being selfish..."

"I'm engaged" You break it to him after keeping it a secret for the previous day.

"What?" He says not believing it.

"Yeah... My parents wanted us to keep I low-key. They want to announce it on your wedding day. Look Jungkook these people... I owe my life to them. I'll do anything to see them happy. If me getting married gives them that I'll do it. And you should too... just focus on your life with Dahyun. If I choose you it would only bring me happiness and take it away from my loved ones. And I'll never actually be happy then."

"Oh god... why are you like this... you know what I don't wanna argue with you. I hope you'll be happy" He stood up from his place and wore his clothes.