around and left. “Hey, Nadia, can you do me a huge favor?” I asked. “Can you tell Jim I need to talk to him?”
She lightly patted my shoulder. “Harassing the best man isn’t gonna get your groom here any quicker.”
“I know, but…I just know Jake would never be late—not for this. Where’s my cell phone?” I asked, frantically digging through my purse. I looked back up at Nadia. “Do you think anything happened, that something came up or—”
“Calm down, Ashly,” she said in a soft tone. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably planning some kind of romantic last-minute surprise.”
“You’re right. I need to calm down,” I said, taking deep breaths, “but I can’t. Where the heck is my phone anyway?” I asked, anxiously darting my eyes all around the room. I set the flowers down and smiled when my cell phone rang.
Nadia picked it up from the table. “Here. It was right where you left it.”
“I’m such a scatterbrain.”
“Well, it’s excusable today. You’re a bride with a million things running through that pretty little head of yours.” She glanced down with a huge smile. “Put all your worries to rest. It’s Jake.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” I breathed a sigh of relief as I reached for the phone. “Jake!” I squealed in excitement. “I got the flowers! They’re just gorgeous.”
When he didn’t say anything, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Why aren’t you here yet? And where the heck are you? The ceremony starts in less than thirty minutes.”
“Ashly, uh…there’s something I need to tell you,” as he awkwardly said the words no woman would want to hear on her wedding day.
I clenched my hands into tight fists; something in his voice made me really nervous. “Jake, what’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry, but…look, I-I just can’t do this.”
Confusion and shock overwhelmed me. Through the fog in my mind, it took me a minute to realize what he was actually saying. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t make it,” he said in a grim tone.
I tried to process his words, but everything had begun to spin around me, as if I was caught in some nightmarish hurricane. “What do you mean you can’t make it? And why are you so nonchalant? This isn’t just some Superbowl get-together with your buddies, Jake! It’s our wedding!”
Silence was his only response.
“Babe, are you just getting cold feet or what?” I asked in a panicked voice. “Tell me you aren’t seriously considering backing out and leaving me at the alt—”
“Ashly, I’m not ready to get married. I’ve been thinking about it hard. I’m only twenty years old, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for all of this—for any of it, really.”
Shock flooded over me, and every square inch of me, inside and out, seemed to crumble, as if I’d been hit by a Mack truck. “So you tell me thirty minutes before you’re supposed to walk down the aisle? What am I supposed to tell everyone?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I love you, Jake. I love you so much. Please don’t do this.”
He didn’t even bother returning those three precious words.
My hand trembled as I held the phone. “We need to talk face to face. I at least deserve that, don’t you think?”
“I’ve gotta go,” he whispered.
“Baby, please don’t! Jake!” I begged.
Click .
My heart lurched. I frantically called him back, but it just rang and rang. “C’mon, Jakey. Please pick up!” I shouted. A second later, my panic had turned to anger. “Pick up the damn phone.” With shaky fingers, I texted him: “U have 2 talk 2 me!”
“It’s over. I’m sorry. I think it’s best if U never call this # again.”
As I gazed down at the heartless, dismissive text, I screamed. The thought of never talking to him again, of never seeing him again, of him not sliding that ring on my finger tore me in two.
“What’s wrong?” Nadia asked.
Overcome with a rollercoaster of emotions, I threw my cell phone,
She lightly patted my shoulder. “Harassing the best man isn’t gonna get your groom here any quicker.”
“I know, but…I just know Jake would never be late—not for this. Where’s my cell phone?” I asked, frantically digging through my purse. I looked back up at Nadia. “Do you think anything happened, that something came up or—”
“Calm down, Ashly,” she said in a soft tone. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably planning some kind of romantic last-minute surprise.”
“You’re right. I need to calm down,” I said, taking deep breaths, “but I can’t. Where the heck is my phone anyway?” I asked, anxiously darting my eyes all around the room. I set the flowers down and smiled when my cell phone rang.
Nadia picked it up from the table. “Here. It was right where you left it.”
“I’m such a scatterbrain.”
“Well, it’s excusable today. You’re a bride with a million things running through that pretty little head of yours.” She glanced down with a huge smile. “Put all your worries to rest. It’s Jake.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” I breathed a sigh of relief as I reached for the phone. “Jake!” I squealed in excitement. “I got the flowers! They’re just gorgeous.”
When he didn’t say anything, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Why aren’t you here yet? And where the heck are you? The ceremony starts in less than thirty minutes.”
“Ashly, uh…there’s something I need to tell you,” as he awkwardly said the words no woman would want to hear on her wedding day.
I clenched my hands into tight fists; something in his voice made me really nervous. “Jake, what’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry, but…look, I-I just can’t do this.”
Confusion and shock overwhelmed me. Through the fog in my mind, it took me a minute to realize what he was actually saying. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t make it,” he said in a grim tone.
I tried to process his words, but everything had begun to spin around me, as if I was caught in some nightmarish hurricane. “What do you mean you can’t make it? And why are you so nonchalant? This isn’t just some Superbowl get-together with your buddies, Jake! It’s our wedding!”
Silence was his only response.
“Babe, are you just getting cold feet or what?” I asked in a panicked voice. “Tell me you aren’t seriously considering backing out and leaving me at the alt—”
“Ashly, I’m not ready to get married. I’ve been thinking about it hard. I’m only twenty years old, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for all of this—for any of it, really.”
Shock flooded over me, and every square inch of me, inside and out, seemed to crumble, as if I’d been hit by a Mack truck. “So you tell me thirty minutes before you’re supposed to walk down the aisle? What am I supposed to tell everyone?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I love you, Jake. I love you so much. Please don’t do this.”
He didn’t even bother returning those three precious words.
My hand trembled as I held the phone. “We need to talk face to face. I at least deserve that, don’t you think?”
“I’ve gotta go,” he whispered.
“Baby, please don’t! Jake!” I begged.
Click .
My heart lurched. I frantically called him back, but it just rang and rang. “C’mon, Jakey. Please pick up!” I shouted. A second later, my panic had turned to anger. “Pick up the damn phone.” With shaky fingers, I texted him: “U have 2 talk 2 me!”
“It’s over. I’m sorry. I think it’s best if U never call this # again.”
As I gazed down at the heartless, dismissive text, I screamed. The thought of never talking to him again, of never seeing him again, of him not sliding that ring on my finger tore me in two.
“What’s wrong?” Nadia asked.
Overcome with a rollercoaster of emotions, I threw my cell phone,
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