Taeyang “Wedding Dress”

                You were sitting in the back room of the church on what your sister hoped would be the biggest day in your life. She had even picked out your dress, not really giving you a say in the situation. That didn’t really matter right now though. Right now, you were holding an old, worn out picture of you and your best friend, Youngbae.

                It was a picture of you and him before he got his Mohawk. He looked so weird now without it, but this time held the fondest memories of him for you. You held the picture to your chest and took in a shaky breath. Now was not the time for memories. Now was the time for a new beginning as your sister said; a wonderful future. Wonderful was probably a strong word.

                There was a knock at the door and you quickly hid the picture. “Can I come in?” Youngbae’s familiar voice called.

                “Yeah, of course,” you said as you straightened the tulle of the skirt of the dress.

                “What are you doing back here?” he asked after opening the door, “The wedding is going to start soon. Your sister is going insane looking for you.”

                “Sorry, I’ve just been…”

                “Daydreaming?” he asked with a chuckle.

                “You know me way too well,” you said, making the two of you laugh before silence filled the room. “Are you happy?” you asked after a moment.

               “About the wedding? Of course,” he said with his typical eye smile, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

               “I don’t know,” you shrugged, “It was one of the things I was thinking about.”

                “What else…” he paused, “What else were you thinking about?”

                “How beautiful I look in my wedding dress. Isn’t that right?” you sister appeared and grabbed onto one of Youngbae’s arms.

                “Of course,” you lied, “You look like an angel. Ah… Youngbae-oppa, you’re so lucky to have a bride like my sister.” You smiled and got up from the chair.

                 “Yes, but you need help with your makeup,” she teased you, “Come on, let’s go before all of the guests arrive.” She grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the room, leaving Youngbae standing there alone.

                He sighed before moving to leave the room when a folded up piece of paper caught his eye. He walked over to the chair where you had been sitting and picked it up off of the ground. It was obviously old and worn at the edges and creases. He opened it up and a smile immediately spread across his face at the picture. “Best friends forever, right?” he mumbled before refolding the picture and slipping it back into his pocket.

                “Did you bring a date?” your sister asked before putting the finishing touches on your lipstick. You shook your head and put down the urge to say, “No, you brought him instead.” She sighed before setting the makeup down, “What am I going to do with you? Oh well, this is why I asked Daesung to dance with you later.”

                “You what?”

                “He’s around your age and he’s a total sweetheart.”

                “I know,” you tried not to let your anger show, “He’s one of my close friends. I’d like to keep it that way.” He was one of the only ones who knew about your feeling for Youngbae. He had been the one to comfort you when he had started dating your sister. He had been the one who let you crash at his place when you wanted to avoid seeing the fiancées staring at each other lovingly across the breakfast table. He was textbook best friend. In fact, if you looked up “best friend” in the dictionary, Daesung’s picture would be next to it. Youngbae’s picture would be under “unattainable.”

                “Quit putting all of the best guys into the friend zone!” she snapped at you, “Honestly to never have a boyfriend at your age! I’m getting married already!” You bit your tongue, trying not to say something snarky back at her. You wouldn’t want to ruin her big day.

                “I’m going to go check on the guests,” you lied before getting up and heading out the door. You walked out the back of the church and almost laughed when you noticed Youngbae escaping out the same way. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?” you called.

                He turned and laughed, “Aren’t you?”

                “Touché,” you said before walking over to where he was.

                “Your sister let you escape?” he asked as the two of you walked down one of the paths towards the gazebo. Their wedding pictures would be taken there later.

                “No, I distracted her with a Chanel clutch before escaping out the back.”

                “She does love purses.”

                “She loves anything expensive,” you replied before walking up the two steps to the gazebo.

                “Just like you love anything covered in chocolate,” he teased. You nodded and there was a brief pause before he asked, “Do you ever get the feeling like you’re making a big mistake?”

                “All the time,” you admitted with a small laugh.

                “I have that feeling right now,” he said before turning towards you, his expression completely serious.

                “Quit joking around,” you said, unable to meet his gaze, “It’s probably just pre-wedding jitters.”

                “How do you know?”

                “Because I see the way you look at my sister…and I see the way she looks at you,” you said, staring as hard as you could at your ugly pastel pink kitty heels.

                “The same way you look at me?” you gasped and turned to him. “What?”

                “You…. You love me too,” he stated, blushing slightly. He had never been this forward. Your sister had even been the one to ask him out. You had a feeling she was the one asking him to marry her as well.

                “What makes you say that?” you asked, but your question was answered as soon as he pulled out the picture.

                “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked, holding the picture close to him.

                “What did you expect me to say? ‘Youngbae-oppa, I love you?’ Not when you were dating my sister. I’m not like that,” you said before snatching the picture out of his hands.

                “Before then… Why not then?”

                “I was scared. Besides, I didn’t know how you felt about me. I still don’t.”

                “You should have asked.”

                “And? How do you feel, Youngbae-oppa? How does this make any difference? You’re getting married in five minutes!” you exclaimed, tears beginning to form behind your eyes.

                “Because I love you too,” he said, softly, before grabbing your hand.

                “Then…why?” you made a motion to the church and the cars parked outside.

                “At first, to make you jealous. Then… Then I guess I was just afraid to be alone,” he admitted, looking down at his polished shoes.

                “So, what are we going to do now?” you asked, using your free hand to wipe at the tears that had formed from the earlier altercation.

                “I guess… I guess we should call off the wedding,” he said, “But first…”

                He leaned in and captured your lips with his. It was a sweet first, the best first kiss you could’ve ever hoped for. You smiled when he pulled back and laughed at how red he was. “I guess it’s better late than never, right?” He nodded.