Yes To The Dress

Thank you all for being so patient with me these last couple of weeks that I've been sick. Bronchitis in July is a million times worse than it sounds, but I'm happy to say that I'm finally feeling like a normal person again! I love you all and I hate when I have to skip out on a week, even if I'm convinced that I'm on my death bed, so to make up for it here's a bonus post. Enjoy!!

Xx,
Zara
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“This is so frustrating!”

I angrily whispered to Jonah as I squeezed my temples between my hands.

The party was over and everyone had already gone home. Mostly everyone. Kadie and Adam stuck around in hopes to calm Jonah and I down.

“I know” Jonah silently mouthed and rolled his eyes.

Our parents were still on FaceTime talking to one another. Or better yet, forming an alliance against us.

“Mrs. Barnes, I see what you're saying, but...” Adam tried to use his sweet lawyer voice on my mom, but she wasn't having it.

“Now Adam, I know you're trying to stick up for your friends, but would your mother be okay with you going across the world to get married?”

Adam sighed. He'd been going back and forth with our parents for the last ten minutes and nothing was seeming to work. “I get what you're saying Mrs. Barnes, but....”

My mom cut Adam off again. “So, you agree then, what's with the but?”

“Oh my God, Mom!” I sprang out of my chair and towards the iPad displaying my parents shocked expression. Even Anna's eyes widened when she heard my loud voice.

“Lynn” Jonah tried to pull me back to cool me down. I flinched my hand instead so he wasn't able to reach for it.

And then, I did it. Only a mere twenty-something years later I finally stood up to my parents.

“Jonah and I are going to get married! We're gonna get married and it's gonna be in Italy! It's going to be just like my dream, okay?! On some really high cliff in a beautiful garden that over looks the ocean and some random old Italian town...”

“Alright, a little off topic there” Kadie spoke from the side of her mouth. “Reel it in bud.”

“Anyway..” I was still shouting even though I clearly already had everyone's attention. “I just want Jonah and I to have this one thing!” I loudly smacked the back of one hand against the palm of the other. “And I'm sorry, I love you Anna, I love you mom and dad, but this wedding is suppose to be about us! Jonah's career is quickly taking off and this baby is going to be here sooner or later and I'm sorry I need to fit into my wedding NOW not five years from now! So either you're coming with us to Italy or not.”

I huffed out the last tiny bit of breath I had before I threw my arms to my side and walked back to the couch.

Jonah rubbed my arm gently, almost as if he was scared to, and whispered, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” I sat back and folded my arms.

“Well, I think it's been a long night for everyone.” Anna tried to politely end the conversation.

“Yes, I think we should all take a breather...” Clearly my dad was talking to me... “And we can talk about this later.”

They said their goodbyes before Kadie and Adam shut off the iPads.

“What was that?” Kadie managed to ask between her giggles.

“Pregnancy hormones.” Even though I was heated I knew I must've looked ridiculous just now. I couldn't help but smirk at Kadie's expression.

“So, it's set then, Italy in a month.” Adam's voice trailed from across the room.

“Italy in a month” Jonah and I repeated in unison.

It wasn't until the next afternoon that Jonah and I started to second guess our decision.

We sat across from each other at a tiny bistro down the street from our apartment. We'd just made our order and were waiting for our food. It was always within those 15 minutes that our inner thoughts would reveal. I guess waiting for food makes us go to some deep places.

“Do you think we're doing the right thing?” I traced an invisible line on the table with my finger.

Jonah shrugged his shoulder and looked out the window. “I think we're doing what's best for us.”

I folded my arms and leaned my elbows against the table. “Yeah, but is it the right thing?”

“I don't know” he mumbled. “I feel like it is, but I hate seeing my mom so adamant about something like this.”

“Yeah, me too.” I sighed as I joined him in staring out the window. “Wait a second...” I jolted back in my chair. “Why don't we just have a party when we get back?”

Jonah furrowed his brows as he thought about it. “Wasn't the whole point to avoid the obnoxious crowd of random people?”

“Yeah” I shrugged. “But, at least this way we can get the intimacy we want and they can get the endless family and friends that they want.”'

Jonah curled in his lips as he thought about it. “You might be right.”

“Oh, come on Jonah. I'm about to be your wife. You really need to form the habit of saying that I'm always right.”

After Jonah and I ate lunch we headed back to our apartment to call Anna. She was iffy about the whole thing. “The ceremony is the whole purpose” She argued. “Are you kidding, Ma? No one cares about the ceremony! People sleep through it!” Jonah argued back.

They went back and forth...and back and forth, until Anna finally gave in with the compromise. I knew it was mainly because she felt bad about my behavior the night before. Maybe I should be using this pregnancy to my full advantage more often...

I knew my parents would be a little bit harder to convince then Anna so we agreed to talk to them the next night. The more time they had to think about it the better.

Later that afternoon Kadie and I decided to go dress shopping. We needed to pick out a dress for the girls to wear and I still wasn't sure what I wanted.

“What are you going to do if you don't find anything?” Kadie asked as we browsed the racks of a bridal boutique.

“Positive vibes, K.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I mean it doesn't have to be a bridal dress really. As long as it's a dress and it's white.”

Kadie mumbled under her breath, “sounds like a wedding dress...”

“Why don't you go find something that'll look flattering on the girls?” I gave her half a smile. “I'm going to try these on.” I held up a couple of dresses that I already picked out.

Since everything was happening so last minute, I was forced to buy a dress off the rack rather than having one tailor fitted. I tried on the first dress, or I should say I tried to try on the first dress, but it didn't fit. I was already defeated and practically in tears. At first it was because the dress wasn't fitting, but then it turned into tears of sadness knowing that I was having to battle with my parents for this wedding, which turned into tears for the fact that my life was about to drastically change once the baby was here and I still wasn't ready.

“Lynn?” I heard Kadie call out. “You've been in there for a while. Do you need help?”

I quickly wiped my tears and tried to quietly clear my throat. “No, I'm fine.” I called out with a crack in my voice that gave me away.

I heard the panic in Kadie's voice as she approached my fitting room. “Lynn Lee, are you crying?” She asked before she flung the door open.

“No...” I lied as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Kadie stared at me as I sat on the floor in the corner with only half the dress on my body.

Kadie couldn't help but laugh. She covered her mouth to stop herself but it didn't help. “Lynn” She softly spoke. “There's plenty of other dresses. Don't stress yourself out.”

“It's not about that” I corrected her. “It's the fact that I can't even have the dress I want because I'm in a position where I have to rush my wedding.”

“The dress doesn't matter, Lynn.” Kadie came and sat on the floor next to me. “When Adam and I were getting married I was stressing out day and night about all the wrong things. At the end of the day the flower arrangements doesn't matter, the table cover that you've spent weeks trying to find the perfect shade of doesn't matter, hell, the dress doesn't even matter. The only thing that matters is saying 'I do' and marrying the man of your dreams.”

I sniffled as another tear rolled down my cheek. “Really?”

“Seriously” Kadie reached over to wipe the tear. “Everything else is a blur.” She smiled and waited for me to reciprocate. “I need you to get up, take off that hideous dress and try this one on.” Kadie held up a dress she found.

“Kadie” I sighed as I looked at it. “If I can't fit into this dress, what makes you think I'll be able to fit into that one?” The dress was a mermaid style dress that looked to be a slim fit.

“Just trust me. These dresses always fit better than you think.” She stood up and held out her hand to help me up.

I tried on the dress and to my surprise, Kadie was right, the dress fit. I walked out of the room to show her and her eyes practically popped out of her head. By her expression I figured it looked bad. Until I walked in front of the mirror. I almost immediately stopped. I couldn't believe it was me I was staring at.

The dress fit like a glove. It was a sweetheart neckline covered in beaded work from top to bottom with a beautiful long train. My only reaction was to cover my mouth as I gasped. This was the dress I'd seen myself in in my dream. “This is it” I stammered. “This is the dress!”