I wasn\u2019t shaking.
\nThat surprised me the most.I sat in front of the bathroom mirror with a cotton pad pressed to my cheek, gently wiping away the blush that had smeared during dancing. My wedding dress hung loose where I\u2019d unzipped it halfway, slipping off one shoulder. The room smelled like jasmine, melted tea lights, and vanilla lotion.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t shaking.
\nI wasn\u2019t crying.
\nI was\u2026 suspended.<\/p>\n
For once, being alone didn\u2019t feel lonely.<\/p>\n
There was a soft knock on the bedroom door.<\/p>\n
\u201cTara?\u201d Jess called. \u201cYou good, girl?\u201d\u201cYeah,\u201d I said. \u201cJust\u2026 breathing. Taking it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause. I could picture her on the other side, arms crossed, eyebrows knit together as she decided whether to come in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll give you a few more minutes,\u201d she said. \u201cYell if you need help with that dress.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled at my reflection, though my eyes didn\u2019t follow. Her footsteps faded down the hall.<\/p>\n
It had been a beautiful wedding. Simple. Honest. We stood under the old fig tree in Jess\u2019s backyard, the same one that had watched over birthdays, breakups, and one disastrous summer storm that left us eating cake by candlelight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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