Make You Feel My Love

Today was the day.

Fuck.

Brian was standing in front of the mirror, his fingers frustrated by how many times he had tried to fix his tie.

“Let me help you.” Suzy, his stepmother, chuckled, as she crossed the room and helped the poor man, who had been cursing immensely under his breath during the last five minutes.

“Thanks.” he muttered, feeling her cold fingers that tightened the tie around his neck.

“How’s the groom doing?” Papa Gates quipped, as he too walked into the room, all dressed up in a nice and a most likely too expensive dress.

“I’m nervous.” his son admitted, meanwhile the high-pitched voice of McKenna soon reached their ears.

His baby sister had light purple hair, which she had been fighting in order to keep for the big day. She was dressed in a baby pink satin dress and dark heels that made her appear slightly taller than what she was.

“That’s how it should be!” Brian Senior told him, bringing his hand around his son’s shoulders.

“Where’s Brent?” Brian asked, glancing over at McKenna, who hadn’t seen her step-brother all day.

“He’s probably just running late,” Suzy assured them. “I believe he went to pick up Jan on the day?” the woman questioned.

“Something like that, yeah.” Papa Gates mumbled.

“Where’s the special boy?” Jimmy’s voice yelled as the raven-haired drummer all but ran into the room, nearly tackling the groom unto the floor.

“Fuck off!” Brian snared at his friend, meanwhile Suzy frowned her eyes at her step-son.

“Elwin! Not in front of McKenna!” the old woman stated.

“Mom…” McKenna muffled. “It’s not like I haven’t heard the word ‘fuck’ before.” she confessed.

“I would’ve done something wrong if you hadn’t.” Papa Gates chuckled, while ignoring the way his wife was looking at him.

“Are you grumpy because you’ve been apart from Michelle all night or?” Jimmy wiggled his eyebrows, meanwhile he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black trousers.

“Jesus,” Brian rolled his eyes. “Now that’s something my step-sister doesn’t need to hear.” he stated.

***

“I can’t believe you’re getting married today!” Leana exclaimed, unable to hide the excitement that thrived her voice, meanwhile Valary was helping her twin with her veil.

Michelle was dressed in a white dramatic dress that was sleek and that hugged her curves perfectly. A part of the gown was sleeveless with a dramatic flared skirt that was made out of cascading layers of tulle. Around her waist as a diamond ribbon and her chest was embraced by a gorgeous sweetheart neckline.

“You look absolutely stunning.” Gena commented, her hands playing with the fabric of her bridesmaid dress.

“Thank you so much, sweetie! I’m so nervous!” Michelle cried out.

“You have nothing to worry about!” Lacey insured her, rubbing her arm, meanwhile the pride went to touch upon her makeup.

“Where’s Jade? She’s like my woman of honour!” the blonde bride could feel herself getting worked up by all the stress, as her twin helped her to step into her heels.

“She’s probably just right around the corner, honey,” Val told her. “And you look so fucking gorgeous.” she continued.

“God, Val, don’t start crying! You’ll make me cry!” Michelle said, already feeling her eyes tearing up at the sight of her twin.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” Jade called out as she entered the room.

The brunette was dressed in a black confetti gown that had several layers, and that was sparkled up by lots of warm toned colours. The dress had thick straps and a low v-neck that exposed her chest and her diamond necklace.

“Jesus, Jade! You look like a Greek goddess!” Michelle told her best friend.

Her hair had been curled and freed from her usual ponytail. She had red lips and long dramatic lashes.

“Oh, stop it you! You look like a princess!” Jade announced.

And it was true.

Michelle looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. Her hair had been curled rather dramatically and tied up. The short veil covered the back of her head, and the makeup was soft and brought full attention to her stunning wedding dress.

“Y’all are gonna make me cry! Damn it!” the bride announced.

“Honey, I’m gonna go and see if Matt needs any help out there.” Val said, her eyes fixed upon her Iphone.

“Sounds like a brilliant plan.” Michelle smiled brightly.

“And we’re gonna make ourselves useful as well!” Gena quipped, bringing Lacey and Leana along with her, leaving Michelle and Jade all by themselves.

Jade had been so nervous about this for so long. She had barely eaten over the last few days, and had managed to give herself as many shifts as possible in order to conceal the guilt that was constantly haunting her.

Today was the day, and now she realized what a mental mess she was. The sight of Michelle made everything so much harder. She looked so gorgeous in her wedding dress, and the glimpse in her eyes made her look like the most beautiful bride Jade had ever seen.

“Earth to Jade!” Michelle snapped her out of her thoughts by waving her hand in front of her face. “Can you give me my flowers?” the bride asked, referring to the bouquet that had been waiting for her next to Jade.

“Yeah, of course.” the brunette mumbled, before she picked up the flowers and handed them over to the bride.

“Jade, are you okay? You've been acting really weird, and I'm genuinely concerned about you." Michelle said.

Shit.

Jade could suddenly feel tears sting her eyes with so much force that it was impossible to prevent them from falling. Her hands suddenly trembled, and all the coffee she had had over the last days suddenly kicked in.

All at once.

Michelle looked alarmed, as she had never seen her best friend like this before. Jade looked like a total wreck, with tears running down her cheeks and panic swirling in her eyes.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Did you fight with Will?” the bride voiced, putting her bouquet down and walking towards her friend. “Talk to me, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I can’t…” Jade trembled, her lips shaking so badly that it was difficult to speak.

“Of course you can, baby,” Michelle promised. “You could literally kill somebody and still be able to come to me.” she assured her friend.

“Not this time. I can’t do this to you. Not today,” Jade shook her head, hating herself more and more.

“Jade, you’re starting to scare me. What happened? Of course you can talk to me. I can handle anything,” the bride said, cupping Jade’s face with her hands.

“I slept with Brian.”

***

The sound of the organ filled the entire church, and the guests soon got to their feet, everyone standing in respect for the bride that would soon walk down the aisle, hand in hand with her father.

Jade had already walked up, standing next to Lacey, Gena and Leana, with her hands sweating so much that she was barely able to hold unto her flowers. Her entire stomach was twisting, and she knew that in a matter of seconds, she would either faint or throw up all over the marble floor.

The dramatic music brought goose bumps unto her bare skin, as her eyes looked at the huge crowd. Nearly 200 guests had been settled in the Catholic church, waiting for their friends to get married.

Brian glanced over at Jade. He admired the dress she was wearing, as it really complimented her sun-kissed skin and her figure. As his dark eyes travelled up to her face, he noticed that her eyes were red and she looked like she had been crying.

Had she been crying because of the wedding?

Brian shook his head.

His mind was suddenly brought back to his wedding, as the infamous wedding theme song started. Michelle had linked her arm with her father’s, who brought her down the aisle. She looked utterly beautiful in her wedding gown, but her mind seemed distant. She didn’t smile as she was guided towards the love of her life, and Brian was soon getting cold feet when she walked up to him, her lips appearing as two thin lines.

Did she know?

The priest brought his hands up in the air, stopping the music, before his hands gripped the thick Bible in front of him.

“We are gathered here today to unite these two people in marriage. Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly and today they publicly declare their private devotion to each other.” the priest began.

Brian’s hands reached out for hers, and Michelle looked like she was unsure whether or not she wanted to hold his hands. The blonde bride looked down at her floor meanwhile the priest spoke, before she suddenly looked up at Brian and asked.

“How could you?”

Her voice was low and filled with sorrow. Her eyes were now holding unto fresh tears, and Brian could feel the massive pain in his chest.

Shit. She knew.

The two of them had fallen out of their vows, and the priest looked almost offended as he glared at the two of them.

“Baby, we’ll talk about this later.” Brian assured, trying to laugh it off, by placing his thumb at her temple and gracing her skin.

“What’s wrong with you?” she all but screamed out loud, her clear voice filling the entire church. “How could you do that to me, Brian? How could you cheat on me and let me believe that I could marry you?” now her voice was drowning in sobs.

“Michelle..” Brian whimpered. “Not now, please.” he begged.

“I can’t marry you. I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time.” Michelle turned towards the priest, before she looked at the crowd again.

The blonde had never thought she’d be a bride that would escape her own wedding. She thought everything in her life was in place. That she had finally met the right person who was able to love her unconditionally. She thought the two of them would spend the rest of their lives together.

She stormed down the aisle, not even looking over her shoulder as Val called out for her. So many different thoughts were circling around her head, and as she escaped into her dressing room, she could feel her heart pound against her chest with so much force she was almost convinced that she would faint.

After a while, she had settled into the couch, her face in her hands, meanwhile the tears kept rolling down her cheeks. She could not believe he’d done it. She couldn’t believe he had let her on for so long, and then thrown her under the bus like this.

A faint knock fell against the door, and the blonde didn’t even bother to look up as Jade opened the door and stepped inside.

“Michelle…” Jade sighed, her eyes filled with fresh tears.

“Are you happy now?” the bride asked, tears still running down her cheeks. “I got it, Jade. You can have him. Even after all these years.” Michelle sobbed out.

“Michelle, I promise that I never meant to hurt you, even though I know that I did. I don’t want Brian, and he certainly doesn’t want me either.” she insisted.

“I saw the way he looked at you out there. There’s still something inside of him that wants you.” Michelle told her.

“Please…” Jade muffled.

“I can’t have you in my life anymore, Jade,” Michelle shook her head. “I can’t accept or forgive this. I can’t believe you’d do something like this to me…”

“I never meant to-”

“To sleep with my fiancée right before my wedding? Why should I believe that?” Michelle glanced up at her.

Jade had nothing to say. It was true. Who would believe their friend after they confessed something as terrible as what Jade had told Michelle? She had ruined her big day, along with her relationship with Brian.

Val suddenly stormed into the room, her eyes reeking with anger, as she glared up at Jade.

“You!” she pointed her finger at Jade, and it became clear that she had overheard the conversation.

“What the hell is wrong with you? How could you do that after everything Michelle’s done for you? She took you in under her wing and gave you friends! Hell, she even got you the first love in your life! How dare you?” Valary all but lashed out at the brunette.

Jade had turned completely mute. She had no idea how to react to Val’s sudden outburst.

“Jesus, Jade. I thought you were the good one. You were supposed to be the kind one. How the hell could you do that my sister?” Val continued, looking as though she was soon about to attack her ex-friend.

“I want you out of our lives,” Val stated firmly. “You have nothing to do here anymore. Hell, Jade. Pack your shit and get out of this town!”

The brunette tried to swallow the dry lump her throat but failed. It almost felt as though she was being choked, as she stormed out of the room, not quite sure where to go, as she allowed her feet to take her down the hallway.

Her heels drummed against the marvel floor, and her heart kept hammering against her chest. The panic and the anxiety was gripping her, making it hard to collect her mind, as she all of a sudden bumped into someone.

“Jade?” Matt’s rusty voice called, gripping the brunette before she hit the floor.

His eyes frowned at her, and she instantly knew that he was aware of what had happened.

“I’m leaving. No worries.” Jade announced to him.

“Let me walk you.” he insisted.

“What?”

“I have literally no idea why I’m doing this, but I’m gonna make sure you get out here safely without Brian or Val killing you.” he said to the brunette.

“Thanks, I guess.” she muffled under her breath.

“Nobody can know about this.” Matt stated, looking dead serious.

“Deal.”

The tall singer guided Jade out of the church, his eyes looking out for people they knew all the time, meanwhile Jade was trying to get herself together. So many things were spinning inside her head, and she had no idea what to do anymore. She was tempted to just gather all of her belongings and move as far away as she could and never look back again. Then again she knew that her mother would be beyond devastated if she left her alone again.

“Let me drive you home, Jade.” Matt said, already fishing for his keys.

“What?” Jade voiced, looking over at the singer, whose finger was gripping his car keys.

“Come on.” he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the parking lot, confusing her as the two of them climbed into his black SUV.

“Matt, why are you doing this?” Jade asked, buckling her seatbelt, and watching as he made his way out of the parking lot. “You know I just ruined their wedding, right?”

“Yup.” Matt answered, not even looking over at her.

“Are you completely insane or homicidal?” the question all but rambled out of her lips. “Matthew Sanders!”

“Jade, I know you fucked up big time. So did Brian, fuck, I’m gonna kill him,” Matt muttered under his breath. “But I want you guys to sort this shit out,” he continued. “And that can’t happen if Val kills you.”

“That’s very…” Jade trailed off, not completely sure how to put it.

“Considerate and generous of me? I know.” Matt announced.

“Jesus.” Jade rolled her eyes, before her eyes fell upon the window.

The landscape disappeared before her eyes awfully quickly, and the rest of the ride went extremely quietly, as Matt decided to turn up the radio in order to make it all less awkward.

The two of them said their goodbyes, both of them unsure if they would ever see each other again, as Jade made her way into her home again. Her heart was still hammering and her entire body was beyond exhausted after the incident. She kicked off her heels and unzipped her dress, allowing herself to pace around the house in her black lace lingerie.

Her fingers were tugged around her phone, debating with herself whether or not she should call Will. The tears just kept rolling down her face uncontrollably, and she realized how much easier everything had been when she was in Connecticut.

Damned.

She picked up her phone and pressed it against her ear. She tapped her nails against the counter, waiting impatiently for his elegant voice to consume her.

“Jade? What’s going on?” Will’s thick British accent spoke, making her heart sink in her chest.

“Will..” Jade sobbed, realizing that she was crying again.

“Love, what happened? Are you okay?” Will urged, panic rising in his voice.

“I wanna move to England.”