Take My Hand

The light streamed in through the partially opened curtains, illuminating the entire room. After spending an entire morning and part of the afternoon stuck in the same room, I couldn’t help but look out the window to the outside world below. Everything was beautiful - the people outside were still setting up, but mostly it was just finishing touches left.

The alter was covered with flowers that matched with my bouquet. There were chairs everywhere and the aisle was stepping stones.

“Izzy?”

I let the curtain fall back into place over my bedroom window and turned to see Emmy standing in the doorway with my bouquet in her right hand and my Saturn necklace from China in her left.

“You know, you’ll spoil it for the boys if they see you looking out the window,” she chastised playfully, walking over to me and handing both the bouquet and necklace to me. “And you’ll be pleased to hear that Garrett is freaking out downstairs.”

I giggled as I clasped the necklace around my neck securely, letting it dangle down to my cleavage from my dress. Then I took the bouquet and turned to look in the full-length mirror in the corner of my bedroom, taking in my reflection. My curly hair had finally grown back to the appropriate length after years of waiting since my Leukemia went into remission and Emmy had fashioned it into a gorgeous up-do with a small veil and flower accessory on top. My dress was floor length and absolutely beautiful - simple, but beautiful, nonetheless. Mom had been the one to help me pick it out two months earlier, and I’d bought a beautiful pair of shoes to go with it.

“I can’t believe that I’m getting married today,” I whispered, turning to look at my dress from every angle that I could. Emmy stood next to me in her maid of honor dress - which went just past her knees and was a muted green color - and smiled. “I always thought that you would get married before me.”

“Not me,” she replied. “I always knew you and Garrett were going to get married first. I think I told you that in the hospital, too, didn’t I?”

“You did, come to think of it,” I said. “I guess you knew before either of us did.”

We both turned to look at the door when we heard someone running down the hallway wearing heels. The house echoed with the sound of the heels clanking against the hardwood floor and stopped momentarily after Abby stepped into my bedroom, out of breath.

“Oh my gosh,” she said when she saw us, “Izzy, you look so beautiful!”

I blushed a little, my face heating up with embarrassment. “Thanks, so do you,” I replied. She wore a matching dress with Emmy, as the two of them were my brides maids. They were, after all, my two closest friends. They had been the ones to stick with me through thick in thin when I was sick.

Two years earlier, my Leukemia had gone into remission, but there was a period of time where it looked like I wouldn’t make it to see the next morning. Thanks to Garrett, I managed to make it and accept a donation of bone marrow and ever since then, I hadn’t taken a single day for granted. He taught me how to swim, how to ride a bike, and I started to make decisions based on what I wanted, not what my parents wanted.

That included giving up ballet, though I did spend my fair share of weekends with my previous instructor, Martine. She had called and asked for help in training new students, which I didn’t mind doing. I also gave up playing the piano for competitions - my last had been the one that I won before my illness took over my life. But I couldn’t give up completely, and ended up majoring in music at Arizona State University, where I had graduated only the month before and shortly after, found a job teaching the piano.

And then there was always Garrett, who I had fallen in love with a long time ago. Back when I had just been introduced to the group of friends, our history started there.

Back then, I never would have guessed that we would be standing where we were today.

“It’s time to get ready, Izzy,” Abby told me. “The guys are heading outside right now. So we have to get you downstairs and ready for your big entrance!”

Butterflies started to flap wildly inside my belly as I thought about having to make an entrance of any kind. More than that, though, I was nervous to be getting married at all. Not that I didn’t want to - because I had spent the past six months planning and getting excited for it - it was just that it was sort of nerve-wracking to think about living with Garrett for the rest of my life.

I was still too nervous to do anything embarrassing in front of him (for example, burping or farting was completely uncharted territory).

But I was still excited because I knew that I was absolutely in love with Garrett and I owed him everything - because he literally did save my life. It went both ways, though, because I knew that he loved me, too. I could feel it in the way he would hold my hand, or kiss me like I was fragile and would be gone in an instant if I wasn’t treated well.

“You okay?” Emmy asked as we took our positions in the foyer of my house. Our entire backyard had been transformed into a wedding bonanza - people everywhere and tables and flowers.

“I’m a little nervous,” I admitted, chewing on my bottom lip anxiously. “It’s so hard not to be.”

A few moments later, Dad rounded the corner from the kitchen. When he saw me, he stopped and just stared for a few moments. His face turned a bit red and he finally took his spot next to me, looping his arm through mine.

“You look beautiful, baby doll,” he whispered.

From outside, I could hear music start to play. I closed my eyes as I listened intently to Jesse’s song playing over speakers - my specific rendition of it.

“Thanks, Daddy,” I whispered back with a growing smile on my face. “Take my hand.”

He obeyed and laced his fingers with mine, squeezing them for comfort. My stomach settled down and I closed my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths.

Abby was the first to step outside. The backdoors opened and I watched nervously from my spot, just out of view of the crowd, as my two best friends stepped out into the light of mid-afternoon outside. We waited until they had both made it to the alter, across from Garrett, and then we took our first step out into the light.

Everyone was turned toward the doors, watching as we stepped out. My eyes immediately turned toward Garrett who waited for me at the end of the stepping stone path. He was watching me, too, and he had my favorite smile on his lips - the one that he saved specially for me.

I could tell that he loved me in the way that he watched me walking toward him in a wedding dress.

As we reached the end of the path, I turned to Dad and he kissed my hand softly before taking Garrett’s and giving my hand over to him. He then took his seat beside Mom on my side of the seating arrangements and it was then that I met Garrett’s gaze, sharing a nervous and excited smile with him.

Garrett’s fingers felt warm against my skin and we turned to face each other, each of us anxious and excited and nervous and scared - but standing together, nonetheless. It was anyone but him, I would have ran away immediately. But because it was him - because it was Garrett, I couldn’t run.

The vows were simple and we sealed it with an official kiss.

I rested one of my hands against his freshly shaven cheek and closed my eyes as his boyish scent filled my senses and I was left with nothing but Garrett. The rest of the world melted away until there was only Garrett, the same way it did every single time he kissed me. My heart skipped a beat and we slowly and reluctantly pulled away, offering wide and excited smiles to each other before facing everyone else as a married couple.

The rest of the ceremony was planned with dancing, food, and an overall celebration. We started with the food and Garrett and I took our seats at the head of the table while everyone else found their seats around our yard.

“Congrats you guys!” Red said as he engulfed both of us in a tight bear hug. “Man, Iz, if only my code name would have worked on you before. You look gorgeous!”

“Thank you,” I giggled as he let go of us.

The rest of the gang came over and gave each of us tight hugs and kisses on the cheeks. John lifted me off of the ground with his hug, practically breaking my back, but making me laugh anyway. Emmy gave me a really tight hug and her and Abby continued to gush the whole time about how perfect it was and how they couldn’t wait until their wedding days.

Pat and Abby were predicted to be next. After all, they had been together the longest of anyone else in the group and they got along better than anyone else.

Emmy and Tyson (who were still together, miraculously) didn’t have any plans of marriage in the future just yet. Tyson was still trying to rocket off his career in journalistic writing, and Emmy was still attending college for media arts. Plus, they were constantly fighting about something, so everyone was waiting for their big break up. It was a miracle that they were still together.

Honestly, it was more of a miracle about how much they loved each other and how happy they were together with how much they fought.

“You look so beautiful,” Garrett whispered as he leaned over half-way through our dinner. I smiled at him, my cheeks burning with heat. “I almost cried when you were walking down the aisle.”

“Almost?” I quirked an eyebrow at him. “I think you might have cried a little bit.”

“I teared up,” he corrected me. “Men don’t cry.”

Everyone started to clink their forks against their wine glasses and before it could register in my mind, Garrett had pulled me close and pressed his lips against mine again. Emmy shouted loudly from my left and everyone started to clap and laugh as we pulled away, slightly embarrassed and awkward but still so incredibly happy.

Music started to play through the speakers - another piece that I had recorded only the week before - and Garrett stood up, taking my hand and helping me out of my chair. My dress twirled around me as he pulled me close on the “dance floor” we had set up in our backyard. Our first dance as a married couple was a big deal, and we’d taken a few classes to be able to dance properly for it.

“I love you, Izzy,” he whispered in my ear, tickling some of the hairs that had fallen from my up-do.

“I love you, too,” I whispered back and he suddenly twirled me out and pulled me back in, making me giggle.

After our dance, I stepped aside so Garrett’s mother could step in and dance with him. It was only a few seconds before one of his cousins (who was only twelve or thirteen) approached me and asked if he could dance with me. Though he wasn’t nearly as tall or skilled as Garrett, I agreed and danced with him.

The entire dance floor filled with everyone dancing and that was when Garrett and I found each other again in the crowd. We danced in the middle, talking quietly to each other about how our new life would start in just a few hours.

We’d bought an apartment together that would be ready in less than a month. I’d also made him agree to let me buy a puppy, and we were already furniture shopping together.

It seemed like everything was falling into place exactly how it was supposed to.

As the night set in and lights began to illuminate the dance floor, I rested my head against Garrett’s shoulders and closed my eyes. A moment later, he pressed a soft butterfly kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering there for an extra beat. His hands gently squeezed at my waist and I smiled, content with everything.

And I couldn’t even remember why I’d been so nervous earlier.