The Seven Stages of Happily Ever After

Two

If I thought I was nervous yesterday, I was wrong. The pre-rehearsal nerves were nothing compared to the pre-wedding nerves. Jonah and Mia know a ton of people; from high school, from college, from work and of course family, between all of that, there's easily over two hundred people in the church pews. It doesn't help that I feel insecure about how I look; when they ordered the bridesmaid dresses there was a mix up, so we received dresses way oversized. I got it tailored but it's still baggy on me, not synching in the waist as it's supposed to, and additionally, the curls in my hair have fallen so my hair looks flat now. Still, my nerves have everything to do with the crowd, and the gray eyed boy I'm about to see again.

Izzy's Mom hands all of us our bouquet, kissing each of our cheeks after. "No need to be nervous." She assures, placing a stray piece of her Cami's hair in its place.

"No nerves, Ma'ma." Ariana, the eldest, smiles. "We'll be fine."

"As long as Ari doesn't drink at the reception." Cami quirks, earning snickers from both Izzy and Mia. Ari glares, cheeks flushing as she's reminded of her drunken embarrassment from a family reunion a few months ago; apparently, she stood on the table in the middle of the room, singing at the top of her lungs.

"Silencio," Their mother orders, causing her daughters to sober up. She looks us all over, before nodding once. "Alright," She shoos us through the door, into the foyer where we're still safely obscured from the crowd's view. Izzy and I make up the back of the line, and she nudges me suddenly, inclining her head toward the front of the line. Luke's eyes meet mine, and I feel a thrill run through me as I catch him checking me out before he smiles.

"hi," I breathe, clutching my flowers tightly as I step up beside him.

"Hey," He replies, still smiling. He looks incredible in his gray suit, paired with a light blue bow tie that matches the color of our dresses. His dark hair is gelled into place today, and I notice when he smiles that he has clear braces, something I'd failed to notice the night before.

"So, what's the game plan if I trip?" I ask quietly, trying to peer around the corner to see how many people are there. His shoulder brushes mine, and I halt my search, turning to look up at him. He apparently didn't notice our physical touch because he's rubbing his chin in thought.

"Here's what we'll do." He starts, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I'll help you up and we'll just play it off."

I grin, thankful for the banter as it distracts me from how nervous I am. "That's very gentleman like of you, but if I were you I'd leave me, since you did just met me last night."

He laughs, and I feel the same jolt at the sound as I did last night.

"No, it'll be fine." He assures, and when his eyes meet mine, something in them makes me believe it will be. We're quieted by the wedding planner and the sounds of music playing. My heart races again, as he gently takes my hand, once again draping my arm over his. He leans forward, so close I can feel his breath on my skin. "Don't be nervous. I got you."

And with that comment, he has my heart.

The wedding was beautiful, but the reception is magical. They set gymnasium behind the church up like a fairytale, adorned with fairy lights draped over wooden beams that Jonah made; the wedding party had a long table at the front, where we had designated seats. Unfortunately, the bridal party and the groom's party were on opposite sides, so I didn't get to sit next to Luke, or inhale his amazing cologne.

Izzy pokes me in the arm, leaning close. "I'm going to sneak out with Ky later, can you cover for me?" She asks, grinning mischievously.

I nod, I've done this for her several times over the course of their three-year relationship. While Izzy's sisters tolerate her relationship with Kyle, her parents are absolutely against it, claiming Kyle doesn't deserve her.