LITG Oneshots

kaleidoscope - Henrik/MC, Lucas/MC (Teen)

White. Pure white.

Jules runs her fingers along the edges of the lace on the pristine wedding gown with a lump in her throat. To some people, a white wedding dress symbolizes purity. Tradition. Perhaps a blank slate as a couple starts a new life together as husband and wife.

But for her, Julianna Wilson, none of those things mattered when she picked out the dress she would spend one of the most important days of her life wearing. No, for her, white was the only option. The only colour that she could possibly pick out herself.

Ivory, champagne, cream. Blush, blue, peach. There's no point choosing a wedding dress in a colour that you can't even see. That to your eyes only looks like a boring shade of grey.

Because while she might be getting married in only a week's time, her world is still stuck in black and white. She's always hearing friends, family members, and complete strangers talk about various colours, but their words have no meaning to her. They say she'll understand someday, that she'll find her soulmate and the world will burst into colour... but the white wedding dress in front of her tells a different story.

A single tear slips down her cheek, and she allows the lace to fall, careful not to let the moisture drop onto it. Maybe she should have picked a black dress. A symbol of mourning for the hopes and dreams she's shutting the door on.

Because when she walks down that aisle and looks Lucas Koh in the eye and says "I do," she'll be rejecting her soulmate — before she even has a chance to meet him.

The door bursts open.

"Jujube!" Chelsea exclaims. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, Chels." Jules wipes the moisture from her face, putting on a brave face for her best friend. "I just needed a moment to myself before everyone arrives."

"Aww, babe!" The blonde is across the room in a flash, wrapping her into a hug. "It's not too late, you know. I can smuggle you out a window, we can steal a couple horses, and—"

Jules laughs. "It's okay. I have to do this; you know I do. I just... sometimes need to feel sorry for myself."

"I wish there was another way."

"I know. Me too. God, I wish it more than anything. But there are worse things than marrying someone who's not your soulmate — just look at my parents."

Chelsea gives her a sympathetic look. "But babe, your parents already loved each other."

"Lucas is a good man. I could learn to love him; I know I can."

"But—"

Jules stops her friend with a finger on her lips. "I don't have a choice, Chels. I have to do this."

Chelsea sighs. "Alright. In that case, I've been sent in search of you because some of Lucas's family have arrived. Oh, and the best man! You should see him — what a dish!"

She nods, forcing a smile. "I'll be right there."

"Great! I'll see you downstairs!"

Chelsea flits out of the room, and Jules takes one last look at the white dress. Then she straightens her shoulders, takes a deep breath, and follows her friend.

She greets Lucas's mother and sister cordially, but there's an awkwardness between them. They understand the need for him to marry, but no doubt she wasn't their first choice. It certainly doesn't help that everyone is fully aware she's marrying him for one reason and one reason only — his money.

But it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, and if his own soulmate hadn't rejected him, then he wouldn't need Jules. His father's will stipulated that he marry by the age of 28 in order to gain full control of the business and his inheritance, and she was the only one that both met his standards and was desperate enough to throw away a future with her own soulmate.