Leading You Home

Twenty-third

There will be one more chapter after this one!

-Gina

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FIVE YEARS LATER

The way I see it, love stories are everywhere.

They're in the form of that letter you never sent, in the book you've read more times than you can count, in that worn out t-shirt of his you pretend to forget you had, in that old and faded photograph you can't seem to throw out.

But some of these stories get overruled by another. The wrong person gets that letter, and you eventually find a new favorite book to spend all your time with. These are the stories that surprise you. The ones that don't end the way you thought they would. These stories don't need to be rewritten, just....revised. Sometimes, it takes a few revisions before the ending comes out just the way you want it too.

A year after I graduated college, a letter arrived at my New York flat. The minute I saw the gold sticker holding the seal and who it was from, I had a hunch as to what was inside. The sight of it made my insides churn, no matter how long I had tried to convince myself it wouldn't.

Warm arms wrapped around my waist as I started down at it.

"What's that?" Adrian murmured in my ear, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Old friends of mine are getting married," I replied absently. The invitation was beautiful. I ripped it open. On the first page of the small booklet was gold writing which said: The Art of Romance: Two childhood sweethearts paint their futures together.

"Sounds a bit cheesy if you ask me," Adrian muttered before nibbling on my neck.

"Shut up," I laughed, twirling around the face him. His dark brown hair was disheveled and his bright blues eyes unfocused and tired.

"Are you gonna go?" He asked.

"Can't think of an excuse not to," I told him, resting my small hand on his bare chest and giving him my best smile. "Want to go to Ohio with me?"

That was a month ago. Now the event is here and I'm staring at the most beautiful outdoor wedding I think I have ever seen. Several rows of white piers are lined up on the grass with gold ribbon wrapped around them. They are facing the most exquisite archway that's covered in white and gold flowers. The trees surrounding the area are covered in string lights, bringing a majestic feel to the event.

"Wow," Adrian says, walking up beside me after we get out of the rental car. There are already tons of cars here, so we had to park across the street and down a little but we can still easily see where the ceremony will be. "This is....that's a lot of gold."

"Go big or go home," I mutter, still staring at the sight in front of me. "That's the bride's motto."

"Shall we?" Adrian says chivalrously, gesturing for me to walk beside him.

"We shall," I reply, taking his arm. We walk across the street and up the sidewalk. As soon as we are about to find some seats, someone calls my name.

Lou comes jogging towards us looking his best in a suit and golden tie. This is the first time I've seen him since the day I left for New York five years ago. If I didn't know better, I might've mistaken him for his brother.

"Lou, hi!" I exclaim before pulling him in for a tight hug. Once we break apart, I introduce the two. "Lou, this is my boyfriend, Adrian. Adrian, this is an old friend of mine from school, Lou."