White Veil Occasion: short story [h.s.]

4 - don't say yes

STELLA

I still have a bad feeling about being here. It was enough that I let Mabel convince me to drive all the way back to my hometown for the wedding.

It was even more bad when I zipped up my dress in the hotel this morning. The rose gold silk dress made my stomach churn when I looked in the mirror and understood what was going to happen today. It got even worse that we had officially snuck into the wedding venue.

"Why didn't you tell me that heels are super fucking uncomfortable," Mabel says, her ankles bending at weird angles as we walk slowly towards the open doors where the pews wait to be filled. I keep us close to the curtains, trying to keep us as hidden as possible.

"Shh," I hush her, trying to keep a low profile.

"Is your dress itchy? Mine's itchy."

"Shh," I hush her again because she is going to the be one to get us caught.

I don't need anyone coming up to question us because I have no idea how I'm going to explain our presence here. For the most part no one really knows us here. All the guests seem to be more on the bride's side. Only a few members of Harry's family are here. And I know if I run into any of them, they will for sure recognize who I am. I only spent half of my life at Harry's house. His mom is like a second mom to me.

Every single day after school was spent at Harry's house, where she would feed me dinner and do her best to make me forget all the fighting between my parents that was taking place back at my house.

She treated me almost like her own and let me come over whenever it was getting bad at home. She knew I hated when my parents would fight and she would open her home up to me to let me get away. I owe a lot to her, but I don't think I would be able to handle running into her. I just have a feeling she would say something along the lines of that she wish Harry was marrying me today. She always thought Harry and I would end up together.

And we might've if I didn't go and fuck it all up two years ago.

"Do you think anyone will notice if I take the heels off?" Mabel asks.

I stop us next to one of the window curtains. "Shh," I say again. I watch as fond gestures are exchanged between the families of both the bride and groom. Family members hugging each other and everyone is smiling and looking as happy as can be.

All of this was a bad idea. I should just get back in the car and drive back to my sad one bedroom apartment and cry over the wedding pictures after the ceremony is over.

"Stella."

"Mabel."

"You're fine," my best friend reassures me, putting a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop worrying. My heart was burst out of my chest from how fast it's beating out of nerves for what I'm about to do. "Let's go and find our seats." Mable grabs my hand and yanks me behind her towards the room where all the seating is. "We have a wedding to stop."

*

Sitting in the back row, the music starts to swell. The piano's song sounding something similar to a death march. My leg bounces up and down as I wait for the bride to walk down the aisle.

Harry standing up at the front, his smile not quite reaching his eyes but he looks happy nonetheless. A form fitting simple tux with a pink flower pinned to his chest. He looks good standing up there, like that's where he's meant to be. On a pedestal above everyone else, or maybe that's just how I always viewed him. He was always this ethereal, untouchable person to me. I've always been in awe with the way he holds himself. Something about him always caused me to tick and calmed my nerves in a crowded room.