I threw my head back and laughed, barely catching a breath. “I cannot believe you just said that.”
“What?” My best friend, Becca, asked innocently. “You don’t think he’d go for it?”
“No, I don’t think my fiancé will take well to the idea of me taking pole dance lessons.”
“And why not?” She questioned, her eyes shining with barely repressed laughter.
“He knows how uncoordinated I am and would worry about me breaking all my bones, that’s why not,” I said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure he wants me in one piece when I walk down the aisle, so, thanks but no thanks for that suggestion. I’m going to have to pass.”
“Jade, you know as well as I do that if you hurt yourself learning to dance on a pole that it would make his whole life,” she said, her voice shaking with laughter. “Dylan would probably applaud you for it, actually.”
“He would not.” I objected. “Well, wait, you might be right.”
“Exactly, so should I book these lessons or not?” She asked with her phone poised in her hand.
“No.” I shook my head. “Besides, I get married in a month, and that’s hardly enough time for me to even learn one move.”
“Point well made, bestie of mine,” Becca said, nodding her head in agreement. “So, do you have cold feet yet?”
“Yet?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Do you really think I’d wait until now, practically the last minute, to voice my marriage fears or something?”
“No, but, as your maid of honor, I thought I’d ask.” She shrugged.
“Well, thank you,” I said with a smile, glancing at the engagement ring sitting heavy on my ring finger. “But I’m ready for this. Dylan is a great guy, and I love him. He makes me happy. Getting here wasn’t easy, but everything has a reason, and I truly believe that I’m where I’m supposed to be, and that’s with Dylan for the next hundred years or so.”
“You’ve come a long way, Jade Young,” she said with a proud smile. “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride there ever was.”
“Aside from you?” I asked with a wink. “Thank you. Also, I won’t lie, I do have some jitters but it’s mostly because I have no idea what anything looks like.”
“That’s what you get for handing all control over to your mom and future mother-in-law.” She tsked. “But from what I’ve seen, it looks like it’s going to be a dream. So, don’t stress too hard over it.”
“I won’t.” I promised.
“Good, now future Mrs. Conrad, are you ready for the final fitting of your freaking wedding dress?” She asked excitedly.
“Yes!” I said, giggling, mirroring her happiness.
I never thought that at twenty-five years old I’d be walking down the aisle, but in seven days, that’s exactly what I’d be doing. My heart tightened, and like I had been since the day Dylan proposed, I ignored it.
He wasn’t the first person to propose to me, but he was the first man to. It was a memory I kept buried, one that I hadn’t replayed since it happened. But the closer we approached the date of my wedding, the harder it became to ignore it.
A flash of deep brown eyes and auburn-colored hair passed in my mind. It was a mirror of my own but a polar opposite to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man I was set to marry.
“Jade? Are you okay?” Becca asked, bringing me out of my head.
“Yes, sorry, let me go try on this dress,” I said with a shaky smile, walking into the large dressing room where my dress hung. It was simple; white, long-sleeved, and all lace. It was stunning, and I knew the moment I put it on that it was the dress I needed to promise forever in.
As soon as I zipped the dress on, I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror. Tears blurred my vision, but I smiled them away. I had tried this dress on what felt like a million times before, and though I complained about having so many fittings, I truly did love it. The dress fit like a glove and hugged my body in all the right places. I looked gorgeous, and it made my heart smile.
I could do this. I would do this. Dylan really did make me happy and he had been there for me during the worst of times. We were good together. I was just nervous. But I figured it was normal. I mean, if I were too put-together, I’d be a bit concerned.
I shook off the nerves and smiled at my reflection. “This is every girl’s dream, and you’ll finally get to live yours. You’ve got this.”
When the words left my mouth, my phone immediately started buzzing from its spot on the lone wooden stool in the room.
I grabbed it, not bothering to look at the screen before answering. I figured it was probably Dylan since he knew where I was. He’d probably try to convince me to send him a sneak peek, and like always, I’d refuse.
“Hello?” I answered cheerily.
It was silent on the other end.
Huh. Maybe the service wasn’t great in here.
“Hello?” I tried again.
“Jade,” A deep, familiar voice said from the other end of the line.
My heart stopped mid beat and I gasped for breath, shaking my head. It couldn’t be. It was the memory playing tricks on me.
I cleared my throat. “This is she. May I ask who’s calling?”
The voice sighed almost sadly. “It’s Sebastian, Jade. Or Tian, whatever.”
I gripped my phone in my hand and pressed it tightly against my ear.
I was wearing the dress I was going to get married in in a month. I was wearing the dress I was going to marry someone who wasn’t him in.
I should have hung up. I should have blocked the number. But I didn’t. I physically couldn’t. My soul wouldn’t let me.
“Jade?” He asked softly. “Are you still there?”
He knew I was, the jerk.
“What do you want, Tian?” I asked harshly. “It’s been six years of practically nothing, aside from the time you whirled in and out of my life in an instant a few years back. What could you possibly want now?”
“I heard you’re getting married in a month.”
“I am,” I said without hesitation. “Exactly a few weeks from today I’ll be walking down the aisle to the man I’ll promise my forever to. What. Do. You. Want?”
“I want to see you,” he said slowly, almost cautiously.
I felt suffocated in my dress. I took deep breaths, barely processing what he was asking and why he would call after so much time had passed with nothing.
“No,” I said in a hard tone.
“I need to talk to you, Jade, please.” He was pleading with me, and it was so unlike the boy I used to love that I didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
“Give me an hour, that’s all I need.” He begged.
And because once upon a time my whole being once belonged to him, I couldn’t deny his request. I couldn’t say anything other than the words that left my mouth next.
“Okay. Text me when and where. But an hour is all you get and then we go our separate ways.”
I hung up, tossing my phone across the room.
I fell to my knees and cried. It was the only thing I could do to keep from kicking and screaming and letting the confusion and shock of hearing his voice for the first time in six years completely break me.
I would go. For an hour, I would go to him, even if it broke me.