Treacherous ❅ Hemmings

27 Days After

NP: All of The Stars - Ed Sheeran

:: 52 :: SAT, March 15, 2014

ACCORDING to my Dad, there are only two kinds of people in this world: the Selfish and the Stubborn. He was wrong. There are three: the Selfish, the Stubborn, and Luke Hemmings. However, I couldn't blame him because clearly, he didn't know a Luke Hemmings in his time. I pity him for that - as Luke Hemmings had become the greatest mystery of my life and being such had set him apart from the rest.

I'm marrying that mystery today.

"Are you ready?" Dylan asked excitedly. I snapped out of my consciousness, took a deep breath and nodded my head. She cheered and paraded towards the big doors leading to the church. She opened it slightly, enough for her head to peak in before disappearing behind it.

"I can't believe you're getting married, Jay." I bowed my head slightly, letting a strand of hair fall on my eyes. I simply waved it off and sent my attention to the little girl holding a basket of flower petals - Stargazer Lilies.

I made sure to invite McKenzie Zhang and her family to our wedding. She made the perfect flower girl too.

She continued plucking out petals from her basket as she was sitting down on the cold concrete, her lilac colored dress spread across the floor.

"Me neither, McKenzie." I said. "I'm kind of nervous, actually."

"Me too. There's gonna be lots of people there. What if I mess up and forget to throw the petals?" She frowned, pouting a little as the flower crown around her dark hair slipped low enough to cover her whole forehead. She raised it again with one hand and huffed.

Gathering my gown and veil, I crouched low enough to put a hand out for her to reach. "Let's get up. It's about to start. I know you're going to do great."

She nodded her head, picked up the fallen petals all over the floor and dropped them in the basket. Left foot first then right, she stood and patted her dress.

"Why do people get married, Jay?"

I chuckled, "People get married because they love one another. It's when two people love each other so much that they felt like they found their other half. They get married so they could become one."

Recalling the pictures from my parents' wedding album, I remembered admiring my mother. She looked so happy and beautiful in the pictures. Her and my Dad looked so in love. There was probably not a single picture they weren't gazing into each other's eyes. I said, "I wanna be that happy on my wedding day too." And I am.

"Hey, Jay." McKenzie called out, "Aren't you a bit too young to be getting married? Mommy said you have to be at least twenty-five and done with school."

"I am kind of young." I laughed, "It's just that we don't have a lot of time to wait, you know?"

"Why not?"

"Luke is leaving soon." I said, looking away.

McKenzie's eyebrows knitted and her head tilted slightly, her crown falling again.

"Where is he going?" She asked.

I looked up and down again on my gown, admiring the fabric. I gripped hard on the bouquet of the same flowers my Dad loved. Closing my eyes, they fluttered open again and I spoke slowly, "Somewhere beautiful, I know."

"Beautiful? I wanna go there too." She cheered as she started jumping up and down.

I felt my throat hitch, "You don't really decide when you can go there but I know we're all going there when our time comes."