Chapter Twenty-Nine
Natalie
Missy was sitting at her desk when I walked in. She whirled around to greet me, and I could tell from her expression that she was looking for a distraction.
“Cramming, are you?” I asked.
“Urgh…my last final is two days from now, and I’m so over it,” she groaned. “What about you?”
“Just finished my last final,” I glowed. “So, I’m free as a bird!”
“Lucky bitch,” she complained. “It feels as though you’ve got the lion’s share of the luck these days.”
I laughed. “Don’t say that, what about Mitch?”
Missy shrugged.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She sighed. “We broke up.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “When?”
“A week ago,” she sighed. “He started freaking out about stupid shit, and I just didn’t have the patience to deal with it. I’m so glad that we’re graduating soon and I won’t have to deal with immature college idiots anymore. I’m ready for a real relationship and a real man…like the one you’ve got.”
I smiled instantly at the mention of Chance. “He just called me.” He had been a little distant in the last few weeks but I hadn’t minded so much because I had to focus on my exams. Now that I was free, I was desperate to spend some time with him.
“Oh? And what did Prince Charming say?” Missy asked
“He wants to take me out to dinner tonight,” I said excitedly. “He did mention that he had something important he wanted to discuss with me.”
“Oh?” she said, as her eyebrows shot into the air.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Did he mention what he wanted to discuss?” she asked curiously.
“Not a word,” I said. “But he sounded kind of nervous on the phone.”
“Did he now?” she said contemplatively. “That’s definitely a sign.”
“How is it a sign?” I asked. “A sign of what?”
“Of what?” Missy repeated, and then she shook her head at me. “Of what, she asks.”
I paused for a moment, and I felt expectation rise inside me. “You don’t think he’s going to propose, do you?”
Missy clapped her hands together. “Oh my God! What if that’s exactly what he’s going to do?”
“No,” I said quickly. “No, that’s crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because we haven’t even been together that long.”
“It’s been almost a year,” she reminded me. “Plus, he’s taken you to Paris, plus you guys are practically living together, and oh yeah…he just happens to be in love with you.”
I smiled. “Well…”
“And consider the timing,” Missy continued on, cutting me off in her excitement. “You’ve just finished finals, and you’re graduating in less than a month.”
I thought about it, and as I thought about it, my mind started to take control. For a moment, I saw myself in a beautiful white silk dress, walking down the aisle towards Chance. I saw my parents watching me with tears in their eyes, I saw Missy cheering from the sidelines, and I saw flowers and music and a three-tiered cake that looked too beautiful to cut. I saw my wedding day so clearly that it shocked me how detailed my imagination got.
It was almost as though I had planned this day since I was seven. But the truth was, I hadn’t. I had dreamed about traveling. I had dreamed about exotic countries but never had I imagined my wedding. The dream was so real that I could taste the happiness on my tongue and it was suitably intoxicating.
I realized suddenly how much I wanted it to be true. I wanted to be with Chance for the rest of my life. We were just to right together, but a part of me was scared to get too invested in that hope. What if I am completely misreading the situation? What if all Chance wants to do is help me celebrate the end of finals?
“I don’t think he’s going to propose,” I told Missy because I didn’t want to buy into the fantasy. Now that I’d realized how important it was to me, I didn’t want to get my hopes up and set myself up for disappointment.
“There’s a chance, though.”
“There’s always a chance for anything,” I pointed out.
Missy turned away from me and opened up a new page on her computer screen. “What are you doing?” I asked, sitting beside her.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she said. “I’m looking up wedding dresses.”
“Missy…”
“Come on; I need a distraction.”
“Watching a movie would also serve as a distraction.”
“I like this distraction better,” she said. “What do you think is more your style: mermaid or ball gown?”
“Uh… I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“I’m thinking ball gown,” she said, clicking on a link.
I felt my face turn sour as I took in the extravagant dresses. “Urgh…nope, ball gown is definitely not for me. Click on that link.”
“Which one?”
“The sheaths,” I pointed.
And just like that, I found myself drawn into Missy’s little distraction. It was hard not to feel giddy and excited when you looked at wedding dresses. I couldn’t believe I’d never done this before.
“Sheaths are so simple, though,” Missy said. “Are you sure you want a dress like that?”
“Simple is exactly why I like them,” I said. “It’s sophisticated and elegant, without being dramatic.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a little drama on your wedding day,” Missy pointed out.
I smiled. “Not for my wedding dress, please.”
“Fine, fine,” she said, in exasperation. “How about this one?”
“That one,” I said, pointing to the last picture in the group.
It was an off-white sheath with thin straps and a plunging V neckline. Its bodice was trimmed with intricate lace that was strategically placed so that hints of naked skin could be spied from between the panels of thin fabric. The skirt was unadorned, just a flowing confection of uninterrupted white that seemed to glide with movement even in stillness.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, caught up in the moment.
“Wow… You would look stunning in that.”
I shook my head and turned my eyes away from the image. “This is so crazy,” I said. “I shouldn’t be looking at wedding dresses. This is all happening in my head. Chance is not going to propose.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because… Because I am,” I said uncertainly. “I don’t even know if he’s the marrying type.”
Missy looked thoroughly unconvinced. “If he’s the type to plan romantic trips and cook meals for you and introduce you to his family, then he’s the marrying type. The question is, are you the marrying type?”
I smiled slowly. “I’m beginning to think I am.”
“I knew it!”
“One day,” I added quickly. “One day…yes. I would love to get married. But it’s too soon.”
“You’re graduating soon.”
“I’m only twenty-one.”
“You’re also an old soul.”
I bit my lip. “It is fun to think about, though…”
“Exactly.” She nodded. “So let’s have fun thinking about it, at least… What harm could it do?”
I laughed and nodded. “Fair point.”
“Great; now tell me, where would your dream wedding take place?” Missy said, and then before I could answer, she continued. “I would suggest a huge destination wedding, with five hundred people at least.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah?” I nodded. “And who’s going to pay for a huge destination wedding?”
“Um…Chance?”
I shook my head. “You’re describing your dream wedding,” I said. “Not mine.”
“You wouldn’t want a destination wedding?” she asked.
“Actually, I think I’d like to get married here so that my family can be there, and Chance’s, too,” I said. “I want a small wedding, no more than sixty people. And I’d like it to be somewhere bright and open, somewhere with a lot of trees, under a clear blue sky. Then we can have a nice long honeymoon in Europe.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” she nodded. “Would you go to Paris again?”
“Paris is a must,” I said. “The city is sentimental to me now… I have so many beautiful memories that I don’t ever want to forget.”
“Well, go on, paint me a picture of your wedding day,” she insisted.
“I haven’t really given it much thought before now,” I admitted. “But off the top of my head… I think I would want a pianist instead of a band, lots of non-traditional flowers for the ceremony, and I don’t want to wear a veil.”
“Hmm…you surprise me,” Missy said. “Your vision is quite rebellious.”
“Is it?”
“It is for you.”
I mocked at her and continued. Now that I had started to imagine it, the images in my head wouldn’t stop. “I’d want Tommy to be a ring bearer, but I don’t want bridesmaids or flower girls.”
“Excuse me?”
“What?”
“I have to be maid of honor,” Missy said firmly. “Otherwise I’m not coming.”
I laughed. “Of course, you’re maid of honor.”
“Excellent.” She smiled. “What kind of dress will I be expected to wear?”
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “I don’t believe that the bridesmaid's dress needs to be hideous. I’ll find something beautiful and romantic for you to wear.”
“Excellent, I’ll hold you to that.”
I smiled. “And, I think I’d like to serve a three-course meal for dinner – a Parisian three-course dinner.”
“Wow…fancy.”
“It might be a little extravagant, but hey I can afford to be extravagant in my fantasies.”
“True.”
“And each course will be paired with a special vintage.”
Missy laughed at my enthusiasm. “And the honeymoon?” she asked. “Where will you go and for how long?”
“Four days each in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Scotland, and we’ll finish off our honeymoon with a week in France.”
“Sounds magical,” Missy nodded. “And after the honeymoon?”
“Um… I suppose we’ll be married.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I meant where will you live?” she clarified. “Will you stay on in Europe, move to Asia, or go to the land down under?”
“Wow…so many choices,” I breathed. “You know what? I think we should make our base in the States. And every year we’ll travel to a different country for at least a month. That would be ideal.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I laughed at my fanciful dreams and stood up. “Okay, now I need to stop planning for fake events and start planning for real ones. My date with Chance is in a few hours, and I need to decide what to wear.”
“You have to wear something special,” Missy said instantly. “Just in case…”
“Missy—”
“What?”
“He’s not going to—”
“Okay, okay… Fine, he’s not going to propose. All I’m saying is that in case he does, you’ll want to be prepared. Right?”
I paused for a moment. “I guess so.”
“Exactly,” Missy nodded triumphantly. “So, we need to find you something spectacular to wear.”
“Okay, fine,” I conceded. “Find me something spectacular to wear, and I’ll wear it.”
Missy rubbed her hands together and looked at me from head to toe. When I’m done with you, even if Chance never intended to propose to you, he’s certainly going to want to.
I laughed. “You’re confident.”
“You should be, too…you’re not a wallflower anymore, Nat,” she said.
“No,” I agreed. “I’m not.”