what the heart wants

chapter 1: my dear we're slow dancing in a burning room

The first time I met James Laid was at a wedding. We were both 14 years old and we were paired up in the wedding, and that was the day James Laid took my heart, and never gave it back. 

You see, James’ oldest brother, who was like his role model, married my aunt, who was my mother’s ONLY sister and so she grew up with us really. My Aunt Rosa is 9 years older than I am, 5 years older than my oldest sister, and 11 years older than my little sister. She basically grew up with us and she is 10 years younger than my mom. So, when it came to deciding where to go to college, she chose one near my mom.

Anyway, at college she met Lawrence Laid, otherwise known as Larry. He was a year older than her, but that didn’t affect them at all, not that it should I mean what is really one year? A year AFTER they met, they were engaged, and in this case, a year was just right. A year after that they were married.

For the wedding, my older sister Ginger, was 17 and was on this whole, ‘women-don’t-need-men’ rampage, so she wasn’t paired up with anyone. My little sister Ella, then 11, was still pretty young and she wanted to be a flower girl and since she was the baby, and Rosa loved her so much, she was THE flower girl. And, me, well I LOVED weddings. I wanted to be up in the front watching everything unveil. So, Rosa picked me as one of her bridesmaids and since I obviously couldn’t go with one of the older guys, I was paired with James. 

We were supposed to meet the night of the dinner recital, but he had a basketball tournament championship that night and he was their leading scorer. I practiced with Russell Laid, who’s 2 years older than James and was then 16. I of course was SO excited to be paired up with a blonde hazel eyed 16 year old. I flirted with him, and he corresponded. I thought I was in love, that was until the actual wedding day. I was pulled out of Rosa’s room, I wanted to watch her turn into a princess, but no I had to help my missing partner practice for the wedding, since he had missed yesterday. I was mad, not just that I was missing out, but that I no longer had the 16 year old hottie as my partner. James was waiting for me at the end of the aisle, at the head of the church. It was like a dream. 

The church was already decorated, and I was in my bridesmaids dress, which dragged a little. He looked over to me, and when those deep blue sad eyes met my boring brown eyes, I felt fireworks, and he only LOOKED at me. He had black hair and a cute dimple on his left cheek. I walked down the aisle and I told him I was his date for the night, and he was ok with that. He was everything you’d expect a 14 year old not to be. I mean, he wasn’t trying to act cool around his friends, or being mean to girls (well not this girl), and he wasn’t trying to be Mr. Cool. He was perfect. Well I thought he was. 

Anyway, during the wedding. They had us stand next to our partners and we were standing very close. So, when our fingers brushed, I didn’t jump and move my fingers away, neither did James. We stood there with our fingers brushing against each other. Until we had to move to look over to the priest better. 

Then at the reception he was sticking close to me. When the first guy came to ask me to dance, I said no. I was hoping James would ask me. When James didn’t and Russell did, I said yes. Then not long after I excused myself and went to the bathroom. When I came out, James was standing not too far away. There he went with me and never left me after that. We talked about anything and everything (I know that’s cheesy, but it’s true). 

He knew what my favorite ice cream flavor was, and I knew that he liked being called James, not Jim like everyone else called him. He learned I hated my old lady name and preferred Mili, and I learned his favorite athlete for every sport. The wedding was winding down to it’s end too fast, I wanted to dance and he confessed he didn’t know how to dance, but we danced the last songs. He stumbled a few times but he kept at it. Then when it was time for me to go. He kissed my cheek. And that’s when I realized, I’d love no other like I loved James Laid.