Love in Theory and Practice: Chapters 1-13

New York City, New York

“How about this?” I ask, wearing the 6th dress of the day. I’m not too thrilled about it but I decided to see what Callie and Mrs. Valo would say anyway.

“It’s not my favorite.” Callie says but I can tell from her face that she hates it.

“I don’t think it’s the one.” Mrs. Valo, or Anita, says.

My flights had come in perfectly on time and Ville and I had been able to have breakfast together before picking up his mother. She hugged both of us furiously and berated Ville for not calling often enough. Apparently because she and I were in nearly constant communication about the wedding, the standards of acceptable communication between them had risen.

She’d liked Callie immediately and had wondered aloud if we weren’t the two most beautiful women on the planet. We’d had lunch, the three of us before the dress appointment at 3:00.

I head back into the dressing room to try on another dress.

“So how’d you meet your fiancée?” The girl asks. Her name is Brittany and she’s been extremely patient with Callie and I.

“We met when I was the financial advisor for his band’s recording project.” I say. Her eyes widen at me and she smiles widely.

“That sounds so cool. What band if you don’t mind me asking?” she slips another dress out its bag and motions for me to step into it.

“They’re a Finnish band, I don’t know if you’ll know of them.” I say.

“Ah, that’s why you’re future mother-in-law is from Finland.” She says with a laugh. “I’m actually going to see a Finnish band tonight; my sister’s favorite band.” She adds with a smile. It’s my turn to widen my eyes. I begin to smile widely.

“If you promise not to tell a soul, and I mean a soul and I’ll know if it was you, I’ll tell you who I’m marrying.” I say with a wicked smile.

She looks at me expectantly and eagerly.

“Ville Valo.” I say simply and she begins to smile. “That’s who you’re seeing tonight, isn’t it?” I ask.

“It is! I can’t believe it! I won’t tell anyone I promise.” She says and pinky swears with me. “Alright, let’s go show them this one.”

“Oh, that’s beautiful!” Anita exclaims when she sees the dress. “But it’s still not perfect.” She adds. And Callie agrees quickly.

“Do you have anything else by this designer?” I ask. Brittany says yes and while I wait in the dressing room she selects a few.

I send a message to Ville informing him that the sales girl is a fan. He replies that I should invite her backstage if she manages to find me the right dress. I reply that I’ll tell her to find me at the merch booth if I find a dress.

The selections by Claire Pettibone are beautiful and I am nearly speechless. The first one is almost exactly what I’m looking for and Callie and Anita agree: we’re almost there.

Eventually I try on the last of the selections. It’s the dress. It looks how I feel when I think about Ville. It’s perfect. I can feel my heart swell in chest. Even though I’m satisfied that I married Ville in my favorite jeans and t-shirt, this dress is a close second.

It fits perfectly and falls just right on my body.

“Oh, my god!” Callie exclaims. “That is your dress.”

“Ville will die.” Anita says with a chuckle.

“Of course it would be the last dress you try on.” Callie says with a smirk.

We talk and discuss for a good 20 minutes about just how perfect the dress is.

“How much is it?” Callie asks.

“Who cares?” I reply, still playing with my hair in the mirror. Anita laughs and Callie just scoffs.

Brittany is elated to have found the dress for me. I tell her what Ville said and I tell her to meet me at the merch booth and that she definitely can bring her sister.

We agree that Callie will pick up the alterations on her way to Stockholm for the wedding. And we laugh that I’ll have to be careful not to lose or gain a single pound in the time being.

I take them both out to dinner after the store and before the show. I’m happy that I get along well with Anita and that she likes me. I was always terrified that I’d get a mother-in-law that hated me. But luckily, Anita thinks I’m perfect for Ville and that I’ll be able to make him happy so there’s no unease.

While Anita spends time backstage with her son, Callie and I work the merch booth. During Dommin’s set, Brittany and her friend approach the booth. I hug Brittany and so does Callie.

“I can get you back there after HIM’s set. Is that too late?” I ask.

“No! That’s beyond wonderful!” Brittany says happily. Her younger sister’s name is Lenora. Lenora is decked out in HIM gear and looks like she’s about 17 and about to piss her pants.

“Just come back over here when the house lights come on and I’ll take you back there. Give them 5 minutes to towel off.” I joke.

“Great!” Brittany says and they wave as they return to the crowd.

“So what’s the plan for the bachelor/bachelorette parties?” Callie asks. “Am I planning yours?”

“Well Ville and I decided to plan each other’s parties.” I say and Callie looks confused. “I’m sending Ville, Bam, Linde, Mige, Gas, Burton, Isak and Bo to Bulgaria for a concert. Ville hasn’t told me what we’re doing yet.”

“He’d better come up with something good!” She says with her hands on her hips.

“Maybe you should give him some ideas,” I suggest before helping a customer get a few t-shirts.

“I just might.” She says and I can tell she’s thinking about what she could possibly get Ville to pay for.

When the house lights come on, I see Brittany and Lenora fighting their way through the crowd to me. They wave happily and Callie and I meet them half way.

“Are you ready?” I ask, showing the guard at the door my pass and explaining that the extra girls are with me.

They both nod. Brittany looks calm but Lenora looks like she’s about to pass out.

“Elin, have you seen my toothbrush?” Ville calls to me, in Finnish luckily, when he sees me.

“No, but you can come here and meet Brittany and her sister.” I say and he pops out of the dressing room.
“Hello, I’m Ville,” he says in that voice that he doesn’t know drives girls crazy.

“Brittany,” she says and shakes his hand. “This is my sister, Lenora.” Lenora trembles a bit when Ville shake her hand but manages to remain conscious.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Can I take this meeting to mean that Elin has found a dress?” he asks. Brittany smiles. Lenora stares.

“Now, now. The groom isn’t supposed to know about the dress before the wedding day.” Callie says and wags her finger at Ville.

“That’s really funny,” he says with a chuckle. “My mother wouldn’t tell me anything either.”

We manage to spend some good time with Brittany and Lenora. Lenora opens up after a few minutes and tells Ville how much she loves and appreciates his work. He thanks her and manages to keep a conversation with her when I would have fallen into epic silence.

Brittany, Callie, Anita, and I chat together while Ville introduces Lenora to the rest of the band. They all sign her ticket stub and pose for photos with her. At around 12:30, Brittany and Lenora head home after a flurry of thanks.

We head back to our hotel after grabbing a quick bite to eat. Anita and Callie are sharing a room and Ville and I are sharing.

We say goodnight and return to our own room.

“So, did you-“ Ville begins.

“Yes, I found a dress.” I say with a chuckle and pinch his cheek.

“That’s good.” He says with a smile and reclines back into the pillows. He crosses his feet and puts his hands behind his head.

I go through my bedtime routine and laugh when Ville comes in to brush his teeth but still can’t find his toothbrush. Turns out it was in my bag. He just shrugs and squeezes out the toothpaste.

I crawl into bed beside him and he folds me into his arms. He gently kisses me and I pull him closer and deepen the kiss. I laugh loudly when he’s nervous about having sex with his mother in the next room.

“Just keep quiet,” I whisper and slip my arm around his back. He just shrugs and kisses me.