Nick Jonas

Rehearsal

We head down to baggage claim, quickly collecting our luggage before finding the cars to take us to where we will be staying. I'll be in the van with Joe, Sophie, Kevin, Danielle, Alena, and Valentina, going to the hotel while Nick and Priyanka take the car to go to the wedding venue. They will be staying in separate rooms there tonight, after the rehearsal dinner, and given they are having a few more wedding ceremonies there, it is just easier for them to stay in the same location.

"See you guys at 5:00!" Nick says, getting into the car after his fiance as the rest of us pile into our own van.

"Jokes on them, we have a shorter ride," Joe says, and I laugh as I step into the van after him.

Twenty minutes later we arrive at the Marriott Mumbai, where all the wedding guests who don't live in Mumbai are staying. Our group is the first to get here, though, so we have our pick of which room we want out of the Jonas block.

"221 and 222, then," the lady at the front desk says in perfect English, handing all of us our keys.

"Thank you," we say, pulling our luggage up to the second floor.

We enter our room, right across the hall from Kevin and his family's room, and sigh. Finally, a real room with real beds, after almost a day on that stupid airplane.

"I'm so damn tired," Joe groans, flopping on the bed closest to the door without even bothering to take his shoes off.

Sophie and I wheel the luggage into the corner of the room, and I take the bed closest to the window, peering outside at the bustling streets of Mumbai. Sophie sits on her bed next to Joe, rubbing his back as he begins to snore, already out cold. Our Christian wedding attire for tomorrow gets delivered to our room, and I hang it all up in the closet so it doesn't get wrecked before returning to my bed. Both Joe and Sophie are asleep now, and we have some time before we have to go to the rehearsal dinner, so I decide to take a nap as well. Before I fall asleep I make sure to set an alarm so we get up on time, and as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm out like a light.

A few hours later, when the alarm goes off, I slowly open my eyes to look over at Joe and Sophie. They are still fast asleep, Sophie's arm around Joe as he sleeps with his head on her stomach.

"Joe," I whisper, poking him on the back repeatedly and trying not to be too loud for Sophie's sake. He doesn't even stir. "Joe," I say, a little more urgently. Still nothing. "JOSEPH ADAM JONAS!" I yell, giving up on being quiet, and his head pops up quickly.

"You scared the hell out of me," he grumbles, shoving his head into a pillow.

"Sorry. I tried being gentle first, and it didn't work out too well. We gotta get ready though, it's already 2:30 and we have to meet everyone downstairs at 4:30 for the ride to the venue."

He just shakes his head no, not removing the pillow from his face. I roll my eyes at him, knowing he hates waking up no matter when it is, and grab some clothes as I head into the shower.

When I finish, I dry off quickly and braid my hair in a dutch braid down my back. Nice enough for a rehearsal dinner. Then I change into a semi-formal dress, taking my makeup bag into the hallway so Sophie can shower. I keep the makeup simple, like I would for any other day, not wanting to overdo it. Then I sit on my bed and watch tv until Joe and Sophie are ready, and we're downstairs at 4:25. Good timing, I'd say.

"Hey guys! You look great. Harper, I love that dress," Denise, my aunt, says.

"Thanks, auntie," I smile at her, and we pile into the bus.

My jaw drops as we pull up to the venue, Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace. It's very extravagant, to say the least. There are cute lights strung up on the walkway from where the wedding will be held in the yard to the ballroom where the reception will be, and beautiful flowers planted to the sides of the path. The ballroom is gigantic, lanterns and candles on each table. It's impressive, and this isn't even the real event yet.

We all take our place at the head table, Nick and Priyanka in the middle of all of us. My aunt and uncle sit at the right end of the table, then one of Pri's friends, Frankie next to her, Sophie, Joe, me, Nick, Priyanka, then Kevin, Danielle, Alena, Valentina, another of Priyanka's friends, Pri's mom, and her brother at the other end of the long table.

"You guys are the most important wedding guests, that's why you're up here and at this dinner," Nick says, beaming at us as we wait to be served the appetizer.

The bruschetta is brought out, and it's probably the best I've ever tasted. I'm not sure what I expected, given everything else about this place is the best I've ever seen, but I'm surprised nonetheless. Nick has to remind me not to fill up on one thing as the main course, steak and potatoes, is brought out soon after. It tastes even better than the appetizer, but this time I pace myself. Dessert is next, and I have a massive sweet tooth, I must say. Once the meal is finished around 6:30, we stay in our seats and go over details for the service tomorrow one last time.

"The service starts at 11:00, so I'd say arrive here around 10:15-10:30 ish," Nick says, and everyone nods. "Dad, you'll be officiating, so maybe 10:00 for you," and Paul writes the time down in his phone calendar.

"I think that's about everything. The wedding will be held in the east courtyard, the one you walked past to get here," Priyanka says.

"Okay. Time for you guys to get to your rooms," Paul says, and Nick and Pri nod, getting up from their seats.

"Hey, will you guys walk us to our rooms?" Nick asks Joe, Kevin, Danielle, Sophie and I.

"Of course," Danielle says, and we all get up as well. We head off into the palace once Denise agrees to watch Alena and Valentina.

We walk through the corridor and up a staircase until we reach Priyanka's room in the bride hallway. She stands outside the door for a while, not wanting to go inside, knowing that once she does she won't be able to see Nick until 11:00 tomorrow.

"Goodnight, my love. Sleep well," Nick says, kissing her one last time as she eventually disappears into the room.

We walk down the hallway further and go up another staircase to the groom hallway. Nick's room is right next to the stairs, so we don't have far to go, and all too soon we reach our destination.

"I'm nervous about tomorrow," Nick says, not entering his room.

"Nicky, it's going to be perfect. Nothing to be nervous about," I tell him.

"I hope so. I just-"

"Nick, everyone you love is here right now, to celebrate you and Priyanka. It's going to be good," Kevin says.

"You're right. I'll see you guys tomorrow," he says, opening the door to the room.

"See you tomorrow," we say, turning towards the stairs again.

"And don't be late," he warns us, and we laugh as we head back to the ballroom. There's the Nick Jonas we know and love.