our troubled love ᵒˡᵈ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ

+~twenty one~+

Four years later.

    "This is it! This is the dress I want to get married in!"

    "You said that about every dress, Cass."

    Cassie twirled in her dress, admiring the long gown. "I don't care, I want this one!"

    I shook my head, letting out a laugh. "Whatever you say, Cass."

    Over the years I worked with Cassie, we'd grown a lot closer and became best friends. Owen, too. Except, he became more than just a friend for Cassie. Even after they'd dated for years, it was odd thinking about watching my best friends get married to each other.

    And while Cassie and Owen were busy falling in love, I started my own business. I started selling my paintings, and it became enough to support me, so I was able to quit working at the cafe. Cassie, on the other hand, took over the cafe completely. It originally belonged to his father, but she took over when he retired. Owen worked as her assistant, and that was obviously her idea.

    "Anyways," Cassie started, going back behind the curtains to change. "How's Aiden doing? Recovered from the surgery yet?"

    "Yeah, he already started seeing clearly. You should've seen him last night; I took him to see the sunset. He even cried when he saw all the colors." I smiled at the memory of his first sights. A few months prior, a doctor discovered that he had a chance of regaining his eyesight with surgery. It was successful, and soon he was able to see, although he said it was a little blurry at first. The moment he really saw me for the first time was especially emotional for both of us.

    "Soooo..." Cassie came out from behind the curtains, now wearing her casual clothes. "May I ask why there isn't a ring on your finger yet?"

    I sighed. "I don't know, ask him."

    At this point, a good number of my friends were getting married. I felt kind of stuck in place in my relationship with Aiden. I wanted to take another step forward. And I was always insecure; I knew I wanted to spend my life with him, but I never felt certain that it would happen because we hadn't tied the knot. I was always afraid I would lose him before we got to that stage.

    Cassie folded her arms, sighing. "No, I'm asking you. If he hasn't proposed, you can. What's holding you back?"

    I shrugged. "Not sure. I think I just expected him to do it, that's all. But maybe I will... Once I'm ready."

    "I don't know what you're waiting for, but remember it's an option." She peeked her head outside and called for an employee, letting them know what dress she chose. After that was done with, we left the store together.   

    "Wanna get something to eat?" Cassie asked.

    I shook my head. "I can't, Aiden's probably home from work already. And we're going to meet a friend later tonight, I don't want to be late."

    She nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you later!"

+++

    "I'm home!" I entered the house and sat on the couch where Aiden worked on his laptop.

    He leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek, not moving his gaze from the screen. "How was it?"

    "It was fun! Cass spent four hours trying on dresses. She refused to stop until she cried because apparently that's what the girls on 'Say Yes to the Dress' do when they find the perfect one." He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "To answer what I think you're going to ask, no, she did not cry."