The Best Man {h.s.}

33

I feel the sting in my eyes as the sun wakes me, making me relive every awful feeling I felt yesterday, especially last night. It was almost impossible to drive home and I was thankful for every red light that caused me to stop so I could wipe away the hundreds of tears that wouldn't stop falling. It was awful, feeling like I was reliving last weekend all over again as I left him standing there on the sidewalk.

I check the time and get myself out of bed, taking a quick shower before meeting up with Chloe and the bridesmaids to go get our hair done. It doesn't take me long to get down there, and I'm so thankful that the rain stopped completely by the time I got home last night. The weather is perfect today, which I know will make Chloe happy.

I walk into the salon, smiling at two of the bridesmaids who are sitting in the waiting area. I check in and go sit, feeling beyond thankful that the girls who are there have decided to occupy themselves with magazines instead of talking. When my time eventually comes, I sit in the chair in front of one of the hairdressers and agree to whatever hairstyle Chloe has picked out for me. I let her do her thing, talking when she asks me things but mostly sit there feeling like a shell. I barely even recognize the girl staring back at me through the mirror. This isn't me. I'm not the girl who fucking mopes around because of a guy.

I need to fucking snap out of this.

My sister walks into the salon, smiling and greeting her bridesmaids in a much more positive tone than I thought she would give today of all days. When the hairdresser finishes doing her thing, I take a look in the mirror, admiring the detail of every perfectly placed curl and feeling thankful that most of it is pulled back into a low side bun. The last thing I need today is the humidity attacking my hair like it usually does. I thank her politely and walk over to my sister and the rest of the bridesmaids that showed up since I've been in the chair. Chloe sees me and walks over, immediately wrapping her arms around me which isn't something I expected at all.

"You look beautiful," she says before pulling away to take a good look at me. She doesn't look at my hair, though, just my eyes.

"Em," she whispers. I can tell she feels bad for me. Poor little Emma, I'm sure she's thinking. I close my eyes and shake my head before trying to give the best smile I can possibly give.

"I'm fine," I tell her, unsure if I'm saying it out loud to make her feel better or to make me feel better. "I'm fine."

She pulls me away from the group and takes me to a corner of the lobby, turning me around so nobody else can see my face.

"Give him a chance, Emma. I know it's--"

"But you told me this wasn't going to work out," I say, almost angrily and probably way too loudly. "You said--"

"I know what I said," she interjects. "But Em, he's different. You brought out something in him that I've never seen in all my years of knowing him, not once. And I'm not saying that every moment of your relationship is going to be sunshine and roses but I think you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life if you give up on him. He's trying so hard, Emma. He's crazy about you."

I'm thankful that I decided to not do my makeup until after my hair was done because, with the amount of tears I can feel starting to form, it would've been a mess. I look down at the ground, unsure of what to say as Chloe grabs my hands to get my attention.

"Look," she sighs. "At the end of the day, all I want is your happiness. And I know I haven't been the easiest person to deal with, especially when it comes to your love life and I'm sorry for that. But you're my sister, and I can't just let you walk away from someone who makes you happier than you've ever been, despite what my opinion was in the beginning. I see it now, and I wish that for one minute you could stop being so stubborn and see it too."