Hannah Sol leaned forward, her face inches away from the clear mirror, and lifted a stick filled with goopy, black mascara to her eye. She used swift strokes to darken her lashes, then leaned back. A smile graced her face, the first one all day.

Her face was flawless (after almost a whole compact of powder) and the red blemishes were nowhere to be seen. Soft blonde curls framed her face and swept across her shoulders. Silver eye shadow and the newly applied mascara surrounded her green eyes. After almost two hours, Hannah Sol was finally ready.

The bride-to-be spun around in her chair to stare at the mannequin on the other side of the room. It held a white, strapless dress layered with sequins on the front. As beautiful was it was, Hannah wasn’t sure if she was ready to put it on. Because that would mean she was going to give her life away to a man she didn’t totally trust.

Sure, Rick Stevens was handsome and intelligent. He could make any girl smile and fall for his charm. But that was the exact problem Hannah was facing. She had watched Ricky when they went on dates. It seemed that if she left him to use the bathroom, he would be gone with another girl by the time she got back.

‘And it’s not like we haven’t talked about it.’ Hannah thought. But all the times she had confronted him, it had turned into a fight. And as much as Hannah didn’t like what was going on, she hated fighting more.

Then Hannah had to consider the fact that she didn’t know if she was ready for marriage. At the age of 18, Hannah hadn’t yet experienced life outside of her house. Rick, on the other hand, had gone through two years of college.

‘Why did I even say yes?’ Hannah asked herself. ‘When he asked me, I knew something didn’t feel right.’

‘But it was romantic.’ Another voice said. ‘And he’s been so sweet to you ever since you met him. Even when you told him you weren’t going to sleep with him, he stayed by your side.’

Everyone knew that Hannah was a virgin. That was the reason boys had broken up with her. But Rick had slept around more than a few times. He had also failed to tell her that until she threatened to throw the whole wedding down the drain.

‘It’s not a big deal.’ Hannah told herself. But, for some reason that Hannah couldn’t explain, she knew it was.

“Are you ready toots?” Hannah’s Dad asked as he opened the door to the hotel room.

“Umm…” Blinking her eyes to clear her thoughts, Hannah turned to her Dad. “Yeah.”

“Okay, what’s wrong?”

“How do you know anything’s wrong?” Hannah wondered.

“One, you hate when I call you toots. Two, you aren’t fully dressed yet.” Mr. Sol knelt down and took his daughter’s hand. “Getting cold feet?”

“I can’t help feeling like this is the wrong thing to do! I love Ricky; I’ll never deny that. But is it too soon?”

“Only you can answer that, honey.” Mr. Sol leaned up and kissed Hannah’s forehead. “I’ll give you ten minutes. If you aren’t out by then, I’ll know you aren’t ready, and I’ll respect that. If not, then I’ll walk you down the aisle just like I’m supposed to.”

“I wish Mom was here.” Hannah whispered. “She would know exactly what to do.”

“I do too, honey. But I’m sure she’s watching over us, and will smile no matter what you decide.” With a pat of his daughter’s hand, Mr. Sol got up and left the room.

Hannah slid off the cushion and fingered the fabric of the dress. This dress held so many more memories than just her wedding dress.

“Mom! Mom, I found the perfect dress!” A slightly younger Hannah ran through the halls of her parent’s home, a hanger covered in plastic over her shoulder.

“Honey, come upstairs.” Mr. Sol’s voice was somber as he stood on the landing above the front hall. Hannah froze and looked up at him. Slowly, she climbed the stairs and entered her parent’s room.

“Hannah,” A woman croaked. Her head was bald and her face looked old and tired. Her eyes were the only thing that showed how young she really was.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.” Mrs. Sol smiled, then began to cough violently. Hannah reached out, but wasn’t sure how to help her mother. When the woman leaned back again, her face looked paler than before. “What do you have?”

“I found it.” Without another word, Hannah ran into the bathroom to slip into the dress. She returned to her Mom’s side, the edge of the dress rustling against her knees.

“You look beautiful.” Mrs. Sol told her daughter. The coughing began again, and Hannah felt tears fill her eyes.

“Honey, why don’t you go outside?” Mr. Sol suggested, handing a glass of water to his wife. Hannah nodded, but wasn’t able to make her feet move.

“Hannah, I have to tell you something. Don’t ever give up on love. Even if things look grim, remember that God made us to love. You will find the perfect man.”

Hannah pulled herself out of her thoughts, not able to remember the rest of that day. She already dreamed about watching her mom die, she didn’t want to relive it the day of her wedding.

‘Yes, I am going to get married.’ Hannah told herself with determination. ‘Mom would want me to.’

So Hannah pulled the dress on and observed her own image in the mirror. It still fit perfectly, hugging her curves just right around her legs and hips. The dress was on now; there was no turning back.

Hannah opened the door and came face to face with the best friend and maid of honor.

“Good! You didn’t change your mind!” Gabby Lance pulled Hannah into a hug. “I think you guys are great for each other. So let’s get downstairs!”

Half leading and half pulling, Gabby brought Hannah down the two flights of stairs of the Plaza Hotel and across the main lobby to the Ballroom. Mr. Sol was waiting patiently outside, and smiled when he saw his daughter.

“You ready?”

“Definitely!” Hannah felt her smile widen. This just felt right.

Gabby disappeared to go stand at the front of the room with the other bridesmaids. Hannah hooked her arm around her dad’s and took a deep breath.

“Here we go.” Mr. Sol pushed the doors open as the sounds of Pachelbel’s Cannon reached everyone’s ears. The audience stood, but all Hannah could see was Ricky’s smiling face.

A warm feeling spread through Hannah’s chest. Looking at Ricky, all of her thoughts from the room just disappeared. She loved Ricky more than anything. She was ready to get married.

So, as Hannah stepped in front of the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and held his hands, tears began to trickle down her face. But they were tears of joy, that she had started a new part of her life.

“I do.” Hannah whispered after the Priest spoke.

“I do.” Ricky echoed.

“I now pronounce to you Mr. and Mrs. Stevens. You may now kiss the bride.”

Hannah leaned in and wrapped her arms around Ricky’s neck. But only after a second, Ricky pulled away. The kiss didn’t cause sparks to fly or butterflies to flitter around in the pit of her stomach. It seemed like Ricky had something else on his mind.

‘It’s nothing.’ Hannah told herself. ‘We’re married. There’s nothing that can change this now.’

A/n: Well, that’s my start. I would love some reviews to see what you think.