The kitchen was a disaster! I had been busy baking a precise cake recipe and couldn't decide between flavors; red velvet with a vanilla swirl or French vanilla and berry bits. My lovely mother put me in charge of her wedding cake. It was an honor as much as it was a nightmare. I had been perfecting my recipe for the past month and a half and only had three weeks till the date.

Thankfully it was going to be a small private wedding with only 55 guests at Meadowlark Botanical garden. The place looked like a painting. I could only imagine how beautiful everything was going to look. The date was set for the second week of April, a few days before my 19th birthday, which meant my mom would be on her honeymoon…in Puerto Rico.

We had finally figured out the centerpieces to go with the Marine Corps theme; small glass bowls filled with water, dark blue pebbles and floating tea lights with red rose petals sprinkled around on the table. Suran and Mrs.Song, my mother's friend from work, were the bridesmaids while I was the maid of honor. And Mr. Jung had two fellow Sergeant Majors as his groomsmen and Hoseok of course as his best man. Our bridesmaid dresses were a beautiful garnet red to match the men's dress blues.

The stress was mounting as I still had tests and school projects while juggling my night shifts at the restaurant and helping my mom out with the wedding planning. I was a busy girl! Not to mention a recent aunt. Sora gave birth last week to a very healthy baby girl. At 8 pounds and 19 inches, Lilan Tuan was perfection. To add on to the miracle, Sora's father finally broke down and insisted that she move back in the house.

Sora's mom was finally at peace having her whole family under one roof. She even decided to take a couple of weeks off to stay with Sora in the house while Taehyung offered to convert his old room into a nursery. Mark, Lilan's father, came every day for a few hours. But according to Sora, she felt extremely awkward when both him and Yoongi were there at the same time. Although he was the father, Sora's mom wasn't crazy about him, yet Yoongi seemed to have made a good impression…not surprisingly.

Suran visited twice, but I sensed something off about her since she and Jaebum had called it quits. Taehyung could possibly be a new target. Not sure if that would work or not with Suran leaving to nursing school after the summer. What do I know, though? I still was contemplating how Hoseok and I would work things out with me living in San Francisco, but the more time we spent together the more I was convinced that I wanted to keep him.
 

There were 25 seats on each side; red roses with blue ribbons dangled on the inside columns. The grass had a luscious green contrast against the white chairs and aisle run. Everything was going according to plan and right on schedule as the guests were filling the seats, an interesting picture as the invitees were in uniforms and casual spring dresses.

"Iseul, come on its time!" Suran cried.

I rushed from the window and made way to the entrance of our little building, it stood on the opposite side from where the groomsmen lodged. Three familiar violinists began to play as Suran and the first Sergeant walked down the aisle. Next was Mrs. Song and then my turn. I gave one last glance at my mother behind me, she radiated elegance and beauty; a vision that I hoped to emulate on my big day.

Even though it wasn't my day, I felt a little anxious as my turn approached. I walked out and my feet felt like they were walking on needles, but the spotlight grew dim as I saw Hoseok walking in my direction. Speaking of visions, he looked so dashingly handsome in his sharp dress blues. Heck, I would have said 'I do' alongside my mother if given the chance.

We met in the middle and I wrapped my hand around his arm, as we walked down the aisle I could feel my cheeks camouflage to the shade of my garnet dress.

"You look lovely," I heard Hoseok whisper discreetly.

Almost reaching the subtle platform, we parted ways and the melody changed into the bridal march. My grandpa, in his brittle age, walked my mother down proudly. His eyes already watering before reaching the audience. My mother wore a beige lace dress, resembling a vintage princess doll. When I looked over at Mr. Jung, his happiness had already imploded as it was oozing from his eyes.

The whole ceremony became a blur as all I could do was stare at the happiness that lay ahead for my 'parents' and the question mark between Hoseok and I. Like me, he had been gazing at his brother and future sister-in-law, but our eyes rested on each other for the greater part of the ceremony. The vows were exchanged and so were the rings. Before the couple could march down the aisle together, Mr. Jung's comrades and groomsmen assembled in two lines drawing out their swords to form an arch for the newlyweds to walk underneath.

After an hour's worth of pictures, we were finally able to move to the reception, also held outside only a few yards away. My favorite was the champagne fountain with strawberry slices floating on the bottom. Then there was my three tier cake with bright red and blue berries circling each layer. I was very pleased with the turnout.

After the first dance and speeches were delivered, the music changed drastically to 80's classics; love and rock songs. I was surprised to see Hoseok's loose side as he and I had so much fun on the dance floor. Occasionally I'd hear a baby squeal and I'd look over to find Sora rocking subtly to the music with Yoongi standing behind her. You know, they really did look good together. Lilan had brown orbs and jet black hair together with her milky skin, so she could easily pass as Yoongi's own.

Finally, the last ounce of weirdness had vanished between Taehyung and I as we both had clearly moved on. Although nothing serious was becoming of him and Suran, they enjoyed hanging and talking with each other… so you never know. As for Jimin and Jaemi, well they already looked like a married couple. It was crazy to think what all had changed in the past few years, from being lost and confused too now having a sense of direction and steady relationships. Plus my mother remarried!

After dinner, Hoseok and I returned to the floor for the slower dances. My eyes were fixed on his uniformed chest, studying the little ribbons, medals, and buttons. We danced to really corny lyrics, that's the 80s for you. And wouldn't you know it, Hoseok knew most of the lines. Maybe they were his brother's favorites. But what shocked me the most was his stunning voice. I wasn't expecting that at all!

"You never told me you could sing," I said admiringly but I think I embarrassed him.

"I don't usually," he replied rosy cheeked.

"But you sing so well."

"I don't intend on doing anything with it though…especially not where I work."

"Well, you can sing to me…" I teased.

"If you wish," he smiled back.

Thanks to my matching red heels I was a little taller. I could reach Hoseok's face easily, having one hand around his neck and the other resting on his chest. Our foreheads remained glued together for the remaining songs before the bride and groom prepared to cut the cake.

It was soon time for the departure of the newly-weds, they were about to spend their first night in the sky on an overnight flight to Puerto Rico. I assumed they had plenty of time to consummate the marriage after their arrival. Not that I cared to know too many details of their honeymoon, only that the island and the food were fantastic.

"I'd say the wedding went perfectly wouldn't you say, sis?"

I turned to hug Suran, it hadn't quite sunk in yet. Luckily we weren't forced into the family like many usually are, we already had an amazing bond. The slumber parties were about to begin!

"You know I should just start moving our stuff over now and surprise mom. That way she doesn't have to do anything when she gets back!" I waited to see if Suran was on board with the idea.

We had two whole weeks beginning tomorrow, no rush. Besides with all our friends, we'd get it done sooner than later. But for now, we had some cleaning up to do. Since we were dressed so nicely, it would be a shame to end the party at only 9 o'clock. We decided to go to a nice lounge bar that belonged to a friend of Yoongi's right near the Sunset Strip. We added to the attraction, to say the least.

Sora was able to escape with us, leaving baby Lilan with her mother for a few hours. We sat at the bar being slipped a drink or two while the men stuck with their beer rounds. Taehyung refused to drink which ensured us a designated driver, however, he was sure hung up on Suran.

All 6 of us, in a great mood, decided to take a walk down the lit busy street. I took my heels off, carrying them in my hand, and when I looked back, Sora and Suran had done the same. Though the further we got the more I noticed some grayish-white clouds b