Freya smoothes out the front of her wedding dress before she steps away from the mirror and turns around to face her mother, Niall's mother, my mother, Indie, the bridesmaids and I.
Both Freya and Niall's mother let out an 'aww' as they make their way to her, making her blush furiously. Her eyes look glossy as the two women pull her into their arms and kiss each side of her cheeks. Eventually, my mum, Indie and the bridesmaids make their ways to her, all of them complimenting her.
Whilst they gush over her and tell her that she shouldn't feel nervous because things are going to be great, I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
I've never experienced that feeling. That jittery feeling you get before you walk down the aisle, before you get married to the love of your life. I never get that and I probably never will, which is sad because I've always imagined that someday I'll be in Freya's place. I could've gone through what she's going through had things work out between Zayn and I – not that I regret the fact that things are over for us. I simply dislike the idea that I will not ever feel what Freya's feeling.
I push the thought to the back of my mind as it makes me feel selfish. It's Freya's day and here I am, making it about me.
"Bev," Freya's voice snaps me out of my trance and I blink my eyes a couple of times, finally noticing that she's standing in front of me. My mum and Indie are looking at me as well, both fashioning the same expression. Brows furrowing a little, she asks, "Are you okay?"
I nod and clear my throat before speaking. "Yeah, of course." I pull my lips into a smile. "Wow Frey, you look amazing." At that, she starts blushing once more and shakes her head though a smile is taking over her face. "So beautiful."
"Oh stop it," she scoffs as she rolls her eyes. "Now you're just teasing me."
"What, I can't tease my best friend now that she's about to be someone's wife?"
The smile disappears from her face, replaced by anxiousness. She begins cracking her fingers and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm so nervous, Bev."
"You shouldn't be," I tell her as I give her hand a gentle squeeze.
"How'd you do this?" She asks and for a moment, I'm taken aback by her question.
"I was drunk," I answer with a hushed tone, afraid that my mum will hear it. Her eyes widen briefly before she remembers that Harry and I got married in Vegas. An apologetic look crosses her face and she mutters her apology, to which I respond with a 'it's fine'.
Freya fans her face, breathing in and out through her mouth. "I think I'm gonna throw up," she says, her face turning pale.
"Frey, hey, listen to me." I grab both of her hands and squeeze them. She looks at me, eyes filled with anxiety. "It's normal to be nervous, so it's okay. You'll get through this and once it's over, you'll realise that the ceremony's nothing but the beginning of forever. You'll spend the rest of your life with Niall. You'll grow old together. You'll have kids together. It's a beginning to a wonderful journey with someone you love. I'd say that's a pretty good thing to look forward to."
Silence passes between us as she doesn't say anything for a while. Finally, she takes a deep breath and nods her head. "You're right. That sounds like a damn good thing to look forward to."
"That's my girl," I smile at her, relieved that she's not looking like she might vomit anytime soon anymore.
"Thank you," she says with a nod of her head.
The moment those words leave her mouth, there's a knock on the door and when it swings open, Freya's father steps inside. He's quiet for a few seconds as he takes in his daughter's appearance and when he seems to finally remember his purpose, he clears his throat and says, "You're ready?"
