I Think They Call This Love

 It was 4:30 am on a beautiful January morning and for once you didn’t have to drag yourself out of bed. The day was a special one because it was the day someone you’d looked up to your whole life was starting the next chapter of hers. As you put on your cotton dress and grabbed your bridesmaid stuff, you couldn’t help but feel excited. You always loved the idea of love, and in a couple of hours you were going to see two people who were crazy in love finally make it official.

You had a sense of déjà vu as you walked up the steps to the bride’s apartment. Six years ago, you’d trudged up these very steps, tired and sleepy, mentally cursing the guy who’d invented Math. Yeah, you could multiply, divide, and recite the first six digits of Pi but at what cost? You don’t miss the 6 am Math tutions but you have to admit that you do miss coming here and hanging out with your favorite teacher even if it meant having to act like decimals were even remotely interesting.  

The bride was already one of the most beautiful women you’d ever seen and after the makeup team had worked their magic, you were convinced that she was the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen and you hoped the groom knew how insanely lucky he was.

The ceremony itself felt like the ending of a romance movie. The church was decorated with colorful florals and as the bride walked up to the man she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with, her veil trailed across the floor behind her perfectly, tangled style. You couldn’t stop smiling as you watched them exchange vows and rings because it was clear to everyone that these were two people who couldn’t wait to be married. After a lifetime of hearing jokes about how marriage was a trap and being married was a duty rather than a choice, it was a welcome sight to witness a couple as happy as this one. The ceremony was understandably a tiring one, considering the hot weather and heavy attire, but through it all, the groom kept looking at the bride like she was the best thing that ever happened to him and it made part of you start to believe in love again.

You were nervous about the reception because you were kind of out of your element, but you’d made a friend in the bridal party and that helped immensely. The night turned out to be a blast. The bride was on the dance floor from the beginning to the end, having her main character moment. She’d decided to have a flashmob to surprise her husband and it went off without a hitch, leading to the cutest dance party you’d ever seen. Although you were in excruciating pain because of the 3-inch heels you’d chosen to wear, you were actually sad to see the reception end. It was a beautiful celebration of love and possibly the best wedding you’d ever been to. As the band geared up to play the last song, you took a minute to take in the scene around you. A couple of people on the dance floor, the bride and groom in each other’s arms gently swaying to the music, the smell of saltwater in the air courtesy of the beach a few feet away, and the wedding guests, some sitting, some standing, all of them here because like you, they were lucky enough to get the opportunity to witness a love story straight from a fairytale come to life before their eyes.  That night, as you finally took off your silver heels and let your hair down, you hummed the chorus of ‘I think they call this love’ which had been stuck in your head since you heard it a couple of hours ago. It wasn’t 2 am yet so you still had a couple of minutes to do a little journaling. With a smile, you took out your pen and began scribbling, hoping you’d be able to memorialise that wedding for the years to come.

 

The thing about watching people you love get their happily ever afters is that you start to believe you can have one too.