O

I headed toward the su

Claire

y. "I'm on my way to help you get ready f

fore I could stop it. "

t quite a bridal suite, but close. Thoughtful. Soft. The dress hung near the window like it ha

h the scent of freshly pressed linens, c

the fabric. The pearlescent sheen

in the distance. Someone shouting thre

rounded me more than anything else. "Okay, SoSo, relax and put your feet

stepped into my room. Out o

s. Still nothi

After eight years together, I still didn't know where I stood next to his

couch, face masks in place, wine glasses half-full, old stories tumbling out between us lik

wedding as I am." The words came before I co

r. I stared at the rim of my glass instead, wa

just stayed there, sharp and lodged under the surface. "Is

"Love doesn't always mean certainty. It's a

, like I could absorb

'm the only o

fragile inside me. They didn't fix everythi

the shift. "Do you reme

ould I forget? That December in B

sk Texas morning. Leaves crackled underfoot. Students pass

the sleeves of an oversized sweater. Their l

lie called, his voic

tight. His friends circled in clo

mall but fierce. All wi

m into a headlock. "Think you're tough, bull

" she demanded, he

le. She shoved him into a pu

laughed. "You were de

You were worth s

ould mark a new beginning. Mom would have redone my hair three times. D

And Andrew... he felt

the clock.

mean blood. I thought of Andrew. Of everything we'd faced. Th

amas he'd given me on our last anniversary. The

nd. His smile still flickered through me.

be strong enough to

, I slipped beneath the covers. The quiet promise o

O

s the metropolis started to buzz. That early hum, the one that always

used to dream about when I still h

Cherry blossoms hung in soft pink clouds. Tuli

to prove. The air smelled like wet concrete and

d in the best way. Solid. Steady. The carved stone on the front

ed through stained glass, s

at clung to everything: skin, fabric, memory. Satin ribbons

ike the whole sp

ight in the middle of it, o

ver my cheek. Neither of us spoke. The only sound was that s

clasp. A small smile tugged at my lips, and then a tear slipp

hter filling the apartment like music. Her arms wrapped around

ou were

It was my parents' anniversary too. They had built something real. S

my beginning. It felt lik

gold satin clung to my frame, the colors making the red in my ha

il with a soft touch.

ered, holding back tears. She didn't hav

hest, messy and full. And

red, but I didn't stop. "They were everything I want to be. And now I'm

o sees me. Loves all the way. No matter what. Something

entle squeeze. "They wo

, my thr

my sister in every way that counted. The one who stayed through the worst

eathy laugh, but it didn't quite land. "Will you ch

smile small but

osed quietl

wrapped

I rubbed them against my gown, trying to focus, trying

s just nerves.

ease. It pressed closer