Shoelaces

I remember the first time I realized I liked Johnny. Like, really liked him. As more than a friend. We were sitting outside in the courtyard burning time before we had to return to class, the later fall sun beaming down on the tops of our heads. I told him this really corny joke and he laughed, and I felt this very odd fluttering sensation in my heart.

I was in love with my best friend.

It was extremely awkward for me, because he was my oldest and closest friend. For a while, I refused to admit to myself that I liked him. I was terrified that if I confessed my true feelings, the amazing friendship we had would be lost forever. And it was only because of our mutual friend Rae that we came to call ourselves a couple.

And as much as I disliked Rae's meddling, this was one of the times when her asinine plans actually worked. Tomorrow Johnny and I would be getting married. I was nervous beyond belief. So nervous, in fact, that I threw up more than once. Johnny was so beautiful - inside and out - and I wanted our first day as husband and wife to be perfect.

As I sat on the couch looking through some old pictures, Johnny came and sat down next to me. He slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my lips. "You're not supposed to be here," I whispered against his mouth. "It's bad luck."

"I don't care," Johnny replied. He kissed me again, harder this time, leaning me back against the couch as he ran his hands down my sides. I opened my mouth a bit and he slipped his tongue inside, massaging it against mine until a moan rolled from my mouth. When he finally moved away, Johnny whispered, "I love you, Elise."

"I love you, too, Johnny," I purred. My eyes flickered towards the ceiling when I heard footsteps and I knew that Rae - who insisted she watch over me tonight - was awake for some Godawful reason. I touched my hand to Johnny's cheek and he smiled. "You should go," I told him. "I think Rae's up and if she catches you here, she'll flip some major shit."

"Alright," Johnny sighed. "I'll go." He leaned down and kissed me again, and this time I could feel the love flooding my body, fueling the butterflies in my stomach. "I can't wait until tomorrow when I can finally call you my wife."

"Elise?" Rae's groggy voice called out. "Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody," I hollered back before returning my attention to Johnny. "I can't wait until tomorrow, either. Now, you need to go. I'd prefer for you not to have a black eye tomorrow."

Following another short pout and a few more quick kisses, Johnny left, making sure to close the door softly behind himself. I sat up and pushed a hand back through my dark brown hair. Seeing Johnny had only made me more nervous, if that was at all possible. I glanced at the clock, the numbers flashing 4:53 searing the backs of my eyes. I slumped back against the couch and closed my eyes. In a matter of hours, I would be Elise Seward. Seward. I was marrying Johnny, one of my best friends.

God, I needed some sleep.

♪•♫•♪•♫•♪•♫•♪•♫•♪

"Elise, wake up!" someone shouted. A pair of hands shook me vigorously in an attempt to wake me, but I shrugged them away, cursing them groggily. "Elise, wake up! It's time for your wedding!"

My wedding. 

Mumbling curse words under my breath, I threw my blanket from my body. I'd eventually fallen asleep on the couch around six this morning, which I knew would ultimatly come back to bite me in the ass. But I hadn't been able to sleep! I'd been too busy thinking about the coming day, when I would be wed to my dearest and oldest friend. I was confident in our marriage, because it was based in friendship. 

"Elise, you who!" Rae shouted, waving her hand in my face. I broke away from my daydreams and gave my attention to my blonde friend. "You were zoned out, girl. So, are you ready to get married?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I chimed, taking Rae's hand and getting up from the couch.

♪•♫•♪•♫•♪•♫•♪•♫•♪

The church was decorated beautifully, just the way I'd always dreamed of. Gorgeous white calla lillies hung from the sides of every pew, and spring vines were wound around each pillar. A white carpet was laid out for the wedding party to walk down, and a violin quartet would be playing the march. It was perfect, to the tee. Everything was exactly the way I wanted it, which removed just a bit of the stress from my weighted shoulders.

When we passed the room where I knew Johnny and the other guys were, I became nervous all over again. In a few hours, Johnny and I would become husband and wife. We'd stand before all of our friends and family and proclaim our love for one another. At least that was something I didn't have to worry about; I knew Johnny loved me. 

"Elise, are you listening to me?" Rae's voice shouted. She sounded far away, and I knew it was because she was outside of my daydream. I snapped back to reality and looked at my blonde friend, who stood with her hands on her slender hips. She sighed in annoyance. "I said you need to go put your dress on! The wedding starts in two hours!"

Two hours? Time must've passed faster than I could comprehend on this most important day of my life with Johnny. I nodded to convey my understanding and Rae snatched up my skinny wrist, whisking me away down the hall. As we departed, I could hear Johnny's laugh erupt from within the guys' room, and a fresh flurry of butterflies was unleashed in my stomach.

My dress was made of a beautiful chiffron material, and it fell down to just below my knees. Johnny's grandmother - who was an extremely talented seamstress - had insisted on making it for me when she'd heard Johnny and I would be getting married. My cousin Brittany was good at doing hair, so I decided to have her do my hair for the wedding rather than pay a professional. And the whole beautiful facade was completed by Rae, who insisted that she do my makeup.

"Well Elise, what do you think?" Rae asked. She swivled the chair I was sitting in so I faced the mirror, and I gasped. The woman staring back at me was gorgeous. Brittany had given my usually straight hair a slight curl, bringing it in to frame my heart-shaped face. My makeup was light and tasteful, and it reminded of the way Rae had done it for our senior prom, which was the night I'd lost my virginity to Johnny.

"I look amazing," I gushed. My skin resembled a porcelain doll's; I wanted to reach out and touch my reflection. "Thank you so much."

"It was no problem, doll," Brittany said with a laugh. "We had a pretty damn good canvas to begin with."

"You need to put on your shoes!" Rae chastised, disrupting the tender moment. In heels she ran to the opposite side of the room and returned with a pair of sparkling silver heels. "Put these on, Elise."

"No," I declined. Rae stopped short, looking confused. "I'm not wearing those," I explained.

"Why not?" she asked. She threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "They match your dress!"

"I'm not wearing those," I repeated, getting up from my seat. I walked over and fetched my bag from the counter. From the bag I produced a pair of ratty red converse sneakers. "because I'm wearing these."

"Those are disgusting!" Rae shrieked. "You cannot wear those nasty things to your wedding."

I smiled lightly to myself before replying with, "I can, and I will." Despite their worn-out appearance, these shoes were among my favorites. And they held special sentimental value. I'd been wearing these shoes the first time Johnny and I had kissed, and also the first time he'd held me close and whispered to me that he loved me. The memories made my smile grow wider, but neither Rae nor Brittany noticed.

"What's Johnny gonna think when you walk down the aisle in…those?" Rae asked, disgust dripping from her voice, her finger pointing at my pair of shoes.

"He's gonna think that I kept my end of the deal," I stated. Quite awhile ago - before we'd even started dating - Johnny and I had joked that we would both wear converse sneakers on our wedding day. I guess we just assumed we would marry other people. But since we were marrying each other, we felt obligated to keep our long-ago promises.

"Fine," Rae said with a grimace. "Wear the converse. Just hurry. We walk in five minutes, Elise."

Taking a seat in the swiveling chair, I slipped on my old converse. I sighed happily. They still fit. And they brought tons of memories of Johnny and I, too many to count and definitely too many to wallow in now. I tied the laces and stood up, declaring myself done. Rae and Brittany led me into the hall where my father and the groomsmen were waiting. Rae took the arm of Johnny's friend Zacky, Brittany the arm of her husband Matt, and I took my father's arm. He gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my hand gently, silently telling me not to be nervous. Too bad it wasn't doing any good.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to stay conscious, and suddenly my father was shaking me, telling me it was time to walk. I took a tighter grip on his arm and let him lead me down the aisle. Johnny awaited me at the altar, and he was all smiles. On his feet were a pair of simple black converse that looked like they barely fit. Gasps arose from our friends and family when they saw the shoes adorning our feet, but Johnny and I didn't care. Right now, the only we were focused on was each other.

My father handed me over to Johnny, and I took his hands. Giving them a squeeze, Johnny whispered, "You look beautiful, Elise."

"I could say the same about you," I replied, and Johnny and I shared a soft smile.

"Family and friends," the priest began, his deep voice booming through the small church. "We are gathered here today in the presense of the almighty God to join these two young people in holy matrimony. Now, if there is anyone here today who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." Just as I knew it would be, the church was silent. Everyone here knew how much Johnny and I loved each other. 

The priest next asked for the rings, and my nephew Devin stepped forward proudly with his pillow. Johnny and I took the rings and placed them on each other's fingers, speaking the familiar vows, ones we had heard at countless other weddings. I marveled at the slender silver band sitting next to my engagement ring; it wasn't as flashy, but it was many times more beautiful.

Finally the priest stepped forward and spoke the final words of the ceremony, words I'd been waiting months to hear. "By the power vested in me by the state of California, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

With that, Johnny took my face into his hands and kissed me tenderly. And just like all those years ago when we'd shared our first kiss, I rose up to the tiptoes of my worn-out converse and clutched onto my new husband for dear life.