Such a Surreal Place

*A few days later in New York*

“Oh my God, this is so exciting!” I exclaimed as me and Mel walked into a wedding dress shop. Today I was going to get measured and fitted into a dress that I loved. But of course, that meant finding the perfect dress for me. I spent over an hour looking and still hadn’t found anything I liked. So we went to another store. And another.

“We’re running out of time...” Mel complained as we walked super fast down a busy street, looking for the last wedding gown shop on our list. We both needed to be back before the band’s sound check, and we also had to have found a wedding dress. Both accounts were not looking hopeful at the moment... “There it is!” We hurried into the store and started looking around. I found a few I liked and tried them on (quickly) to get a feel for the dress.

“Oh my God...” I said as I stepped out of the changing cubicle and walked slowly over to the large mirror. “Mel... I think I’ve found it...” I was absolutely stunned by my appearance. I felt so graceful and beautiful...

“Oh wow, Ash...” she said quietly, also thinking I was breathtaking in this dress.

*This is Ashleigh’s wedding dress, but hers is strapless*

“I think I’m gonna cry...” I said, feeling my eyes get damp.

“Aw why?” Mel questioned sympathetically. “You look so beautiful!”

“That’s my point. This is every girls dream...” I said as I stared at the mirror, transfixed by my own reflection. I became speechless.

“Man, Syn’s gonna fall in love with you all over again,” Mel said and we shared a laugh. The shop assistant then noted what dress I wanted and then I got changed into my normal set of clothes again. Then I got measured everywhere so my wedding dress would fit perfectly on me.

“Ah! I’m soooo excited!” I exclaimed after my measuring had been finished.

“I’m excited for you!” Melissa said as I wrote down the price of the dress.

“So how long will it take for it to be ready?” I asked the lady who was storing my details in a filing cabinet.

“2 months at the least,” she replied.

“I don’t have that sort of time,” I said. “I’m getting married in about a month.”

“Oh. Normally women shop for their wedding dresses at least 6 months before their wedding if they want it fitted properly,” the lady explained, but I didn’t have time for this. We were already late.

“Can you put a rush on it?” I asked desperately.

“Um... For an extra amount, I’m sure we could have it ready in 2 to 3 weeks...” she said.

“How much? And it’ll have to be 2 weeks, in case it doesn’t fit perfectly,” I demanded. No one should EVER mess around with a bride-to-be with her wedding dress, ‘cause we get super bitchy!

“$500,” she answered calmly. She must be used to frustrated brides.

“Done.” I wrote out the cheque then and there for my dress. She said she’d call me when it was ready to be picked up.

“We are about to become super fit,” Mel said as we walked out of the shop.

“Why?”

“’Cause we have 5 minutes to do a 15 minute walk,” she explained and I checked my cell phone. Shit! She was right! We ran all the way back to stadium where the boys were playing that night. We got there, still late despite our exercise, and sweaty, and we looked for the band. They were nowhere to be found. After about 10 minutes of waiting, they arrived, looking guilty.

“Where have you guys been?” I shouted at them as they ran on stage.

“Shopping for my suit,” Brian replied as he jogged across the stage to me. He embraced me and gave me a kiss. “I found one that I really, really like. But it’s quite expensive, so I doubt I’ll get it.”

“Well, I just paid an extra $500 for my wedding dress, so go ahead and spend as much as you want on your suit,” I said and his jaw dropped. Then I whispered the total price in his ear.

“Ashleigh! That’s ridiculous! My suit costs less than $500!” he exclaimed in shock and my eyes widened.

“Really? Is it going to be custom made so it fits your sexy body perfectly?” I questioned while rubbing my hands down his sides.

“Um, does it have to be?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Like, I never wear suits. If I have to go somewhere fancy, I just put on a black dress shirt over non-ripped jeans and I’m sweet. You seriously owe me for wearing more than one today... It was so strange...”

“How can I owe you for looking good when we’re getting married?” I questioned in disbelief. He wasn’t making much sense... He’s meant to want to look good when we get married.

“Are you implying that I don’t look good every day?” he asked me sadly, pouting and giving me the puppy dog eyes.

“YES!” Matt shouted as he walked past us. We all laughed, including Syn.

“Syn! I need you!” Melissa called out, but Syn ignored her.

“Our wedding wins over my guitar,” he whispered to me. “That dress has to be stunning if it’s so expensive.”

“Don’t worry, it is. You can ask Mel, too. She loved it!” I said, getting excited again. The feeling I had in that dress was indescribable.... “How sexy is your suit?”

“It’s good. Can I not get married in my t-shirt and ripped jeans?” he asked with a cute frown.

“No!” I squealed and he smiled.

“You’re so cute!” he said as he picked me up in a bear hug. I put my hands on his shoulders and lifted myself up higher.

“Mr Synyster Gates!” Mel yelled, frustrated with Syn horsing around with me instead of completing an important sound check. “Over here NOW!”

“You wanna come help me calm your friend down?” he asked, putting me down.

“Not really... She’s too pissed off at you at the moment...” I replied.

“Aw, please?” he whined.

“Mrs Synyster Gates! Stop distracting your hubby!” Mel shouted and my mouth fell open.

“She did NOT just say that!” I said while laughing. “You’d better go...” Syn nodded, gave me a kiss, then walked across the stage to Mel. Turns out that she had to talk to him about a solo, and it was imperative that she had it figured out before the show. No wonder she got so annoyed... But she’d called me ‘Mrs Synyster Gates’, and that just made me realise that I was yet another day closer to my wedding day...