𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐰𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟒

ELENA

I had a dream last night. In my dream, Zade and I were older, like 40 or something. We were married, and Zade had a few grey hair strands, but he still looked ridiculously sexy—like, I wish my dream older Zade could be my current sugar daddy. But that's not the point. The point is that we were married, and I loved it. I woke up thinking, "Hey, when are we going to get married? We can't be engaged like this forever; it'll be like Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls all over again." I so want to get married. It's like this gnawing thing at the back of my mind, always there, reminding me how much I want to be his wife, officially, like on paper and everything. I've been walking around these past few days, carrying that thought with me, wondering when it'll actually happen.

I laid in bed for a while after that dream, staring at the ceiling and picturing what our wedding would be like. I could almost see it—the flowers, the dress, the look on his face when I walk down the aisle. That look... Ugh, it gets me every time, just thinking about it. I know Zade's not the most traditional guy, but he'd totally do a wedding if it made me happy. And it would make me happy, more than I even thought it would. I've never been one to daydream about weddings, but lately, it's all I think about. The idea of standing there in front of everyone, exchanging vows, promising forever—it just feels right. Like, everything in our lives is already so intertwined, but marriage would seal it in this official, undeniable way.

But the morning didn't wait for me to finish my wedding daydreams. I heard the hum of the house around me—some quiet, distant noises from the kitchen, probably the cleaning staff, the soft buzz of my phone lighting up on the nightstand. Work stuff, mostly, notifications from Claire and Olivia about the business. And I know, I know, I should be focusing more on that right now. This startup, our fashion line, is a huge deal. I've been so committed to it, even with everything going on in my personal life. But sometimes, I get lost in these thoughts about Zade, about our future, and I just want to press pause on everything else.

Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed, heading straight to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face, trying to shake off that hazy, post-dream feeling. My reflection in the mirror looked a little tired, but there was still that glimmer in my eyes from the dream. I grabbed my toothbrush, brushing absentmindedly while my mind drifted back to Zade. I wondered if he'd ever had thoughts like this—about getting married. He's always so focused, always thinking ahead in business and life, but when it comes to us, I sometimes wish he'd let me in more on his thoughts.

After I finished in the bathroom, I made my way downstairs, the house feeling quiet, still. The staff had already prepared breakfast, but I wasn't really hungry. I sat down at the kitchen counter anyway, scrolling through my phone, checking emails. Claire had sent a few ideas for the business logo, and Olivia was asking about our timeline for launching. We're so close to getting everything off the ground, but even with all this exciting stuff happening, my mind keeps wandering back to Zade and that dream. It's like this little voice in my head keeps whispering, "When are you two going to make this forever?"

And now I'm here, sitting on the couch, coffee in hand, trying to balance everything. The startup, Zade, my own thoughts—it's like this constant juggling act. The place we found for the business is amazing. I can't believe we finally nailed down the location after all those tours. It's perfect for what we're trying to create. Claire, Olivia, and I were so excited after we saw it, talking about the future and what roles we'd all take on. Olivia will be our model for now, Claire's going to handle the designs, and I'll be managing everything, making sure it all ties together smoothly. I'm really proud of how far we've come, and I know we're just getting started, but it's hard to focus when I've got so much else on my mind.