Wedding Bells

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“Oh my goodness, hurry up-”

“Then stay still.”

Letting out a deep breath, I watched through the mirror as Heidi concentrated on perfecting the placement of the headband atop my head. She’d been working on it for the last ten minutes, making me wish I had taking the option of being seated when she started.

“Okay” she smiled as she brushed a loose hair back. “You’re perfect!”

“Thanks-”

The knock that came from across the room caused her to jump before quickly making her way across the room to open the door.

"Oh, it’s just you" she let out a sigh of relief before stepping aside.

In piled my younger brother Jake, the laugh he let spill into the air letting me know he was clearly not aware of how nervous I was.

"Look at you!" Jake laughed as he crossed the room, his arms pulling me into a hug as soon as he got close enough. "You don’t look too bad."

"Yeah, well neither do you."

Rolling my eyes I adjusted the tie around his neck before watching him reach up to loosen it again.

At the age of nineteen, my younger brother Jake easily towered over me. Brushing at his hair, he gave me a smile before laughing “you ready for this?”

Giving him a nod, I let out a deep breath before meeting his gaze with reassurance. This was a day that we both knew would come, the one where he would walk me down the aisle because neither of our parents were there to complete the task. It was also the day where he claimed I could finally stop looking after him. Actually have my own life now, he would joke. But we both knew I’d still check in on him as much as I do now.

“Alright” he smiled.

Reaching forward he took my face in his hands, placed a kiss against my forehead before glancing over at Heidi.

“Come on,” he nodded towards the door. “Let’s go make sure everyone’s ready.”

It wasn’t until the door had shut that I let my attention focus back on the mirror. The dress had never look perfect on me, but it was my mother’s. She would’ve loved it, Jake said.

A knock at the door pulled my gaze for a few seconds to find it on Kit.

Giving me a smile he stepped inside, his eyes bringing a smile to my face. The first time I’d seen them we were freshmen in high school and he was trying to convince me to sneak off campus with him. I never did and he never let me forget it.

“Man” he sighed once the door shut behind him and he slipped his suit jacket on.

“What?” I laughed nervously, a sudden self-conscious feeling making me glance down at my dress. “Don’t I look okay?”

“Yeah” he smiled, the softness of his voice making me relax. “You look beautiful.”

“I don’t know.”

Stepping back in front of the mirror, I concentrated on attempting to straighten my dress before giving up and focusing on fixing my hair.

The one day I needed it to be perfect it wouldn’t stay in place. It may have something to do with my tendency to toy with it when nervous. Clearly Kit had noticed because he reached forward, stopping me from continuing the process until I glanced up at him.

"You look great" he repeated, the action causing me to relax. “Your mom would be proud of you.”

‘’She wouldn’t” I admitted, the idea of her asking why he wasn’t the one waiting for me down the aisle making me smile. “She’d want me to pick a better dress.”

There was a time when I thought he would be, but then he disappeared to chase after his dreams. Although he’d offered me to accompany him I declined, the idea of uprooting my brother from the only home he’d ever known scaring me. While he was gone, I met Brian.

“I actually brought you something” he announced as he reached into his pocket.

Remaining where I was, I watched as he retrieved a tiny blue box from his suit jacket before holding it up for me to see.

"You didn’t have to get me anything."

“I know” he smiled moving it out of my reach causing me to roll my eyes. “And I didn’t, I’ve had it for a while. I just figured I’d give it to you now.”

“Don’t start.”

“I’m just saying” he sighed. “I know Brian doesn’t like me.”

“That’s not true” I objected, but we both knew it was true. Brian never liked Kit, and probably never will. Although he never gave me a reason as to why, we knew it came down to jealousy and insecurity.

“Yeah” he smiled before passing the box over.

Untying the bow he’d poorly tied around it, I went to open it but paused.

"Gosh" he sighed. “I never thought I’d see you like this."

Watching his eyes take me in, I realized I didn’t want to open the box.

“Like what?”

Not initially responding he reached forward, the gentleness of his actions pulling my attention to his hands.

The lack of hesitance in his hands froze me completely.

"Getting ready to become someone else’s wife" he responded as his hands gently took my face in them.

"As opposed to?"

Smiling he closed the distance between us, his lips pressing against my cheek.

Feeling his skin against mine pulled my eyes closed, the beard coming in on his cheeks felt soft against my skin. He wrapped his arms around my waist, making me smile as I tilted my head back to meet his gaze.

“Open the box if you know the answer” he responded before ducking down to place a kiss against my hand.

Not adding anything else he playfully bumped my chin before letting himself out.

Truth was I knew exactly what it was. It was the same thing he’d offered me all those years ago.

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