Redemption

15 - Star-crossed Lovers

Chapter 15 - Star-crossed Lovers

Eight months. Some people would label it as a big of chunk of time, while others would say that it's none at all. As I'm sitting here, writing down the types of flowers Gaia would prefer at her wedding scheduled for the next winter, I feel deeply for the girl left on the rooftop all those months ago.

She was confused. Still heartbroken over a cheating bastard. And letting a new one into her life without reading between the lines. I wish I could send her a message back in time that great things are in store for her, even if the days following that night would be dark and brutal to endure.

I have started my first internship at Jo's Divine Wedding a little over a month ago. It was one of the hardest things letting go of my job at the restaurant, but I still work there on Wednesday's, and I probably will for awhile until I'm content with closing that chapter of my life. Leaving behind my nanny gigs was easier, even though I feel like a crappy person with that realization.

Jo reminds me a lot of Candace, except she is about three decades younger than her, only being six years older than me. She carries an aura of maturity with her, yet so carefree about any of her worries, except I find it hard to believe she has some. Every bride that steps into her boutique immediately relaxes at the sight of her honey blond curls that is always accompanied by a headband or in a braid thrown over her tan shoulder. Her flowing dresses never cease to amaze me with their intricate patterns and vibrant colors. She's exactly what I pictured Candace like in her late twenties.

I reached out to her via email during the summer after coming across one of her table setups on Pinterest. It looked like a Bohemian wedding, except there was a hint of a fairytale aspect incorporated into it. Vines hung from the tree branches, wrapped with lights that sparkled nicely against the greenery in the background. I wouldn't be surprised if that picture was taken in some mystical forest or something.

I asked Jo about where she got her inspiration from, and she looked at me, stifling a laugh. We had too many glasses of wine that night, planning Nancy's wedding, the client before Gaia. Nancy was so headstrong about the colors, the music, the flowers, and probably asked to change each of those things more than once. A couple glasses of wine was definitely deserved.

Jo leaned in, making me pinky promise that I would never tell a soul what her company based its weddings off of. That's what I liked about Jo, she never seemed to let go of her inner child, but she was so poise at the same time. I remember thinking that night that I wanted to be just like her when I 'grew up'.

"It's silly really, because I never thought I would be a wedding planner," she started off, taking a sip from the red wine. "But the second I saw Bella Swan's wedding in Twilight, I kissed my dream goodbye of being a history teacher. I wanted to give everyone the mystical night Bella and Edward had, and now every time, I try to recreate that."

And she does. Every wedding seems to be better than the last, if that's even possible. Her business is so successful, I wonder if she will be able to retire by sixty. People have pushed back their weddings dates years just so they can have Jo be their planner. She promises me she will help me get to that level, even if it's the last thing she does. Jo isn't the only one helping me get a hang of the ropes. Her best friend from elementary school, Justin, has also been here with Jo from the beginning. When I first met him, he made it known to me how gay he was, and how I was to expect no funny business from him. We all got on quite nicely, and quickly for that matter. It's made it easier to leave behind my old coworkers like Jas, and I can't believe I'm saying it, but Zayn, too. We always had such fun times in that kitchen.

But the burning memory of me and Harry laughing behind the counter while erupting in pits of laughter ruined that for me. It took so much courage every shift just to swallow the lump in my throat every time I walked into that place. It was too fresh of a wound to stay around for much longer. I told myself it was time to move on, instead of saying it was because me and Harry's memory just cut too deep to stay.