Grow As We Go

"You say there's so much you don't know
You need to go and find yourself
You say you'd rather be alone
'Cause you think you won't find it tied to someone else"

I stare at Izzie as her words hit me like a truck. She says she doesn't know who she is outside of us. She says that she needs to be single to figure out who she is. That she can't grow if she is with me. I feel like all the air is leaving my lungs.

"Ooh, who said it's true
That the growing only happens on your own?
They don't know me and you"

We have been together for six years. I had assumed we would be together for the rest of our lives. I watch as she turns to leave, and I reach out to stop her. "Izzie..." She turns to look at me. "You can figure out who you are, I won't stop you. If you really need to leave I can't stop you. But why do you have to leave to figure out who you are? I thought we were figuring out who we were together.."

"I don't think you have to leave
If to change is what you need
You can change right next to me
When you're high, I'll take the lows
You can ebb and I can flow
And we'll take it slow
And grow as we go
Grow as we go"

"Casey, I love you, but I just don't know" Izzie says with her lip trembling. "All I want to do is support you as you figure out who you are Izzie" I say blinking back tears.

Izzie hesitates. "We can grow together Izzie" I plead.

"I don't know who we'll become
I can't promise it's not written in the stars
But I believe that when it's done
We're gonna see that it was better
That we grew up together"

8 years later

I nervously adjust my tux. Elsa rolled her eyes when I told her I wanted to wear a tux to the wedding, but she still went with me to help me pick one out. I settled on a simple black and white tux. It's no tweed suit, but it will do.

I head to wait at the end of the aisle.

I lose my breathe as Izzie walks out on her "little" (I use the word little loosely, her brother towers over both of us now) brother's arm. She is a vision in a long white dress and my heart flutters as she grins at me.

We start the ceremony. Izzie clears her throat when it's time for her to read her vows.

"8 years ago I tried to break up with you. I thought I needed to leave you to find myself. You pleaded with me, told me that we could find ourselves together. For a week, we were broken up before I couldn't take it anymore. We got back together, and now I know you were right . It was better that we grew and changed together. Because now I get to marry my best friend" Izzie said, tears leaking from her beautiful honey brown eyes.

I smile at her, before reading my own vows.

"Izzie, I love you. I loved who you were at 16, who you were at 22, and I love who you are at 30. I will love you through every stage of life, and I know that we will never stop growing together"