This the second part of a three part story staring my lovely friend, Nicole, and Brian Kelley (of Florida Georgia Line). You can read the first part here. I really enjoyed writing this part so I hope you enjoy it too!
Written in: Brian's POV
Just click on 'Read More' to read the second part! :)
The sound of excited, chattering voices filled the church from the pews behind me. Each and every one of them was full, with people sitting elbow-to-elbow, secretly fighting for enough space to feel comfortable. Large hats and bow ties filled my vision as I looked around and a few lipstick smiles were directed my way as I caught their eye. I managed a smile back, trying my best to mask my nervousness, but as I turned back to face the altar, I started to doubt as to whether I was doing a good job.
My hands were sweating profusely which meant that I had to sneakily wipe them on my trousers every five seconds in case anyone came up to me to shake my hand before the ceremony. The church doors were open but the breeze from outside wasn't strong enough to reach the front of the church which, in turn, made me feel like I was suffocating in my suit. I was beginning to get paranoid that the cologne I had put on earlier was wearing off and I wanted nothing more than to loosen my tie so that I could breathe a little better.
It must have been obvious that I wasn't feeling my usual self because moments later, my best man, Tyler, tapped me on the shoulder.
I turned my head to face him and he shot me a concerned look.
"You alright, man?"
"Yeah." I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Just a little nervous, that's all."
"You'll be fine." He reassured me. "It's just Nicole."
I smiled at her name and nodded. "You're right."
"Just think about it this way," he smiled, pinching my shoulder. "In about an hour's time, you'll be standing there kissing the prettiest girl you've ever met."
I felt my lips curve up into a smile at the thought of being able to kiss Nicole again. It had been a few days since I'd seen her due to the wedding plans and different arrangements being made, so being able to see her again and make her my wife made this day incredible. However, just as soon as I had smiled at Tyler's comment, my smile disappeared and I felt the blood drain from my face.
I quickly turned around to face him.
"I don't know how to kiss her."
"What?" Tyler laughed, trying not to be too loud as to engage the people nearby.
"I don't know how to kiss her." I repeated.
"What are you talking about? You've kissed her a million times!"
"This is different!" I insisted. "This is the kiss that she's gonna remember for the rest of her life. What if I mess it up?"
"You're not gonna mess it up."
"But what if I do?"
"How can you possibly mess it up?"
"Like, what if it's too long or too short? Do I hold her hand when I kiss her? How do I hold her?"
"You mean you didn't practise?" He joked, a smile appearing on his face.
"No." I replied before my eyes widened in horror. "Were we meant to? Do you have to practise these things?"
My heart was beating fast in my chest now and I could feel my blood pumping in my ears.
"Dude, calm down." Tyler spoke, looking me dead in the eye. "I was joking. You're gonna be fine."
I sighed and wiped my forehead, feeling the moisture transfer onto my hand. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and Tyler shot me a reassuring smile.
"Trust me, you're gonna walk out here with Nicole on your arm and a big smile on your face and you're gonna laugh about how nervous you were feeling."
"You think so?"
"Yes. Trust me on this one."
I smiled at him and nodded my head, glad that he was here to reassure me when I was beginning to doubt myself.
"Just take a few deep breaths, man. She'll be here before you know it."
I did as he instructed and turned around to face the altar again. I was secretly praying that, despite my nerves, she would arrive soon because not only did I want to see her, I didn't want to be a soaking mess by the time she got here.
"Deep breaths." Tyler repeated, obviously still keeping an eye on me.
"How long do these things take?" I asked him. I was trying to keep myself calm but all I could do was stare at the church door, wondering if Nicole was ever going to walk through it.
"Just stay calm. She'll be here."
I took a long, deep breath and closed my eyes and just as I did so, I heard the pastor address the entire church.
"Will everyone please stand for the entrance of the bride."
My eyes popped open and my gaze shot to the church door. It was empty for a brief moment and the only noise I could hear was the sound of people getting to their feet. The shuffling of feet and mumbling of voices seemed to fade to silence as soon as the music kicked in and as if on cue, Nicole's four bridesmaids began to walk down the aisle.
Her best friend and maid of honour, Abi, was first. She, just like the others, was clutching a bouquet of pink and purple flowers in her hands. I quickly nudged Tyler with my elbow, knowing full well that he had his eyes on her and I felt him nudge me back just that little bit harder. I smirked and as Abi neared the altar, she shot me an excited smile. I smiled back at her before watching the other bridesmaids walk down the aisle. As the last one took her place on the altar steps, I felt my heart pick up speed in my chest again.
This was it.
There was a shift in the music as the organ player began to play the Bridal March and a few voices began to whisper excitedly from the back of the church. I took another deep breath and rolled my shoulders back, so that I was standing up straight. In a matter of minutes, the one person whom my life had revolved around for the past three years, the one person who had seen me at my best and at my worst and the one person whom I loved with all my heart was going to become my wife - and I couldn't wait.
"Here we go." Tyler whispered from behind me and I followed everyone else's gaze to the church doors.
The sunlight from outside disabled me from seeing anything at first but then, as if she had walked right out of the gates of heaven, Nicole walked in with her father.
Her hair was tied up into a bun and the loose curls that were falling down about her shoulders enhanced the radiant look she was wearing and her white dress made her look like an angel. It seemed to fit her body perfectly, clinging to her in all the right places which caused my eyes to linger a little longer on her body than they probably should have. Butterflies were dancing around in my stomach and my heart was beating faster and faster in my chest with every step she took. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her in my arms but I had a feeling that if I took another step, my legs would buckle underneath me. I was so nervous.
Nicole's arm was linked with her father's and as they neared the altar, I noticed how he was rubbing his thumb over her hand which was something she always found calming. That simple gesture on its own was enough to make me glad that I wasn't the only one who was nervous about today.
They both stopped in front of me and her eyes locked onto mine. I felt a wave of calmness rush over me as she directed a beautiful smile my way and I couldn't help but bow my head, my face flushing like a shy little schoolboy. As I looked up at her again, a huge smile plastered on my face, I couldn't help but whisper the next three words that came out of my mouth.
"You look beautiful."
She smiled at me again, her cheeks turning rosy and her eyes lit up in appreciation. Before either one of us could say anything else, the pastor began to speak.
"Who gives this young woman away?" He asked.
Nicole's father stepped forward. "I do."
The pastor nodded and Nicole's father turned to face her. They shared a quick hug before he kissed both of her cheeks and I heard Nicole mumble a quick 'I love you' before he turned to face me. I smiled at him and shook his hand firmly. On the day that I had asked him for permission to marry Nicole, I had promised him that I would take care of her and I couldn't wait to declare that in front of everyone who had gathered here today.
"Please be seated." The pastor smiled as Nicole's father sat with her mother and Nicole and I took our places at the altar.
I quickly slipped my hand into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze but before I could pull away, I felt her fingers wrap around my hand and hold it gently. I smiled to myself, finding comfort in the knowledge that from today onwards, I would get to do this as many times as I wanted.
I was glad that she had secretly insisted that we hold hands because being able to hold her and feel her next to me was going to keep my nerves at bay during the ceremony. And no sooner had I thought of that, the pastor began.
It seemed to go more quickly than I had imagined but I didn't mind because all I could really concentrate on was the beautiful woman standing next to me.
We said our vows and apart from the occasional pause to wipe a tear from our eyes, we didn't mess them up. Nicole shot me a reassuring smile as I wiped the corner of my eye and I let out a nervous laugh to try and mask the fact that I couldn't believe I could cry over another person's beauty. She squeezed my hand and smoothed her finger over the finger that would soon hold my wedding band.
The pastor called forward my Dad, who was our ring bearer, and up until that moment, I had barely noticed anyone around us. The pastor made a short speech before we exchanged rings. As I slipped the ring onto Nicole's finger, I felt the sudden urge to leave a sweet kiss on her lips but I tried to fight it, mentally telling myself that it would be better to wait until she was officially my wife.
The anticipation was killing me, causing my heart to race just that little bit faster every five seconds but before it became unbearable, the pastor said the phrase I had been waiting weeks to hear.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." He smiled. "You may kiss your bride."
I felt my lips curve up into the biggest smile I had ever worn at that moment and as I locked eyes with Nicole, I noticed that she was mirroring my expression.
I took a step forward to close the space between us. I placed one hand lightly on the back of Nicole's neck and used the other to cup her face. Her lips felt soft against mine and they tasted sweeter than they had ever tasted before. Our kiss was tender and beautiful and better than I had ever expected it to be and as I pulled away, I realised that Tyler had been right. Our wedding kiss had been perfect and my nerves had just got the better of me earlier. No doubt we'd all be joking about this later.
A round of applause sounded from our guests in the pews and I took Nicole's hand in mine again as we turned to face them. Smiling faces of our family and friends greeted us and as I looked over, I noticed my Mom wiping her eyes. I smiled over at her and saw her mouth 'I'm so proud of you' to me before I turned to Nicole.
"Are you ready to walk out of here, Mrs Kelley?"
Her face lit up in response to her new name and the cutest smile painted her face.
"I'm ready, Mr Kelley."
I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand as we both began to walk down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife; to the sound of the organ playing and our guests cheering us on.
My lovely friend Nicole suggested a really cute idea for a one-shot which involved Brian Kelley (of Florida Georgia Line). I thought the idea was so cute that I decided to make it into a three part story. It's linked to the original one-shot Nashville Nerves. Also, one of the requests that Nicole wanted was for me to be in it, so I've had to write about myself which is quite a new experience. Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy it! :)
Written in: Nicole's POV
Just click on 'Read More' to read the first part!
I stood in front of the full length mirror and stared at my reflection. My hair had been styled a few hours before and was now pinned up on the top of my head with loose curls falling down about my shoulders. My make-up had been applied exactly the way that I had wanted it to be, simple yet elegant, and my white dress was clinging to my body with the train trailing behind me on the floor.
I felt beautiful.
“Nicole?” a voice sounded from the door after two light knocks. “Are you in there?”
“Yes!” I called back, taking one last look at myself before turning around to face the door.
My best friend and maid of honour, Abi, quickly opened the door and stepped inside. The faint sound of voices from downstairs flowed into the room but they were cut off as soon as she closed the door behind her.
She was dressed in one of the lovely, purple bridesmaid dresses that I had picked out and her blonde hair was tied up, purple flowers intertwined in it. I smiled at her and was about to compliment her when she looked up at me, her mouth open wide.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Do I look bad? Oh my gosh, do I have something on my dress?”
I quickly turned around to the mirror again and began to inspect the white material, anxious that I had accidentally stained it with red lipstick or something of the like. I didn’t have to worry for long though because Abi ran up behind me, shaking her head, and stood behind me.
“No, no, no!.” She reassured me, looking at me in the mirror. "You look absolutely stunning."
I breathed a sigh of relief and put my hand on my heart before turning around to face her. She took a step back to look at me once again and lifted her hand to her mouth. As her eyes met mine, I noticed that she was about to cry.
“Oh, Abi!” I cried, quickly reaching behind me to get a tissue. “Don’t cry!”
“I’m sorry!” she laughed, quickly dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “I just can’t help it. You look so pretty!”
A huge smile spread across my face and I could feel myself getting overwhelmed. I had to take deep breaths to stop myself from crying and ruining my makeup. After a few moments, Abi managed to compose herself and a big smile returned to her face.
“Are you excited?” she asked.
“Yes! But I’m also really nervous…”
I took a deep breath and shook my arms at my sides. I hadn’t expected to be as nervous as I was. The reason why I had taken to standing in my parent’s bedroom was because I needed to get away from the chatter of everyone downstairs. I had come up here for some peace of mind and a chance to tell myself that no matter how nervous I was, at the end of the day, I was going to be married to the one person who I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I was going to be Mrs. Brian Kelley.
“Brian is going to feel like the luckiest guy in the world when he sees you.” Abi smiled, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at her and let out a nervous laugh. “You really think so?”
“Of course!” she exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see his face.”
I smiled at her. Abi and I both shared the same favourite part of a wedding – looking at the groom’s face when his bride walked down the aisle. Although, since I was probably going to be a nervous wreck today and would be concentrating more on trying not to fall over than looking at my husband-to-be, I was relying on Abi to gather all of the details and replay them back to me later.
"I can't believe I'm getting married." I spoke, my voice sounding more surprised than I was expecting.
If you had told me five years ago that I would have met the love of my life backstage at one of his shows, I wouldn't have believed you. What's more is that if you had added that he would invite me for a drink after that show and ask for my number so that he could meet up with me next time he was in town, I wouldn't have believed you. And I sure as hell would not have believed you if you had told me that we would start dating and three years later, he would propose to me in a field that overlooked the Nashville lights.
But here I was, dressed in white and counting down the minutes until I could see him again.
"Nicole, are you alright?" Abi asked, concern dominating her voice.
I broke out of my thoughts, only to realise that my palms felt sweaty and my breathing was faster than usual. I took a deep breath in and nodded my head but Abi led me over to the bed and sat me down.
"I'm fine." I spoke. "Really, I am. I just think the nerves are getting to me."
"You have nothing to be nervous about." Abi soothed, rubbing her hand up and down my back. "In a few hours time, you'll be married to the cutest guy you've ever met and you'll be dancing and eating cake and laughing about how nervous you felt."
"You're right." I smiled, feeling myself return to normal. "You're right."
"I'm always right." She smirked, quickly hugging me from the side.
I laughed and realised how grateful I was that she was with me right now. I had no idea what state I'd be in right now if she wasn't.
"Hey, speaking of cute guys..." I spoke after a few moments of silence. "Tyler's gonna be there today."
I saw her turn to look at me out of the corner of my eye. I tried to supress a smile but failed miserably, a giggle escaping my mouth instead.
Tyler was Brian's band mate but most importantly, he was Brian's best friend. He and Abi had met a while back when I had taken Abi to one of their shows and they had got on like a house on fire. They hung out every time the band came to town but the thing that bugged both Brian and myself was that they only remained friends. It was so frustrating because it was obvious that they both liked each other but neither of them would act on it; which was exactly why I brought it up whenever I was talking to Abi.
"I'm going to see if the car is here." She replied, pushing herself off the bed.
"Oh, don't be mad at me." I pleaded, a joking tone to my voice. "You know you like him!"
She paused at the door and turned to face me, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "It's your wedding day! Can we please focus on you and Brian?"
"Fine, fine!" I laughed. "But we'll continue this conversation later."
"Like hell we will!" She laughed before quickly disappearing out of the room.
I thought I was going to be alone for a few moments but I heard Abi say a quick hello to my Dad before he entered the room.
"Wow." He smiled, walking over to me. He held out his hands and I placed mine in his. He pulled me up and quickly took in the sight of me in my wedding dress.
"What do you think?" I smiled, looking up at him.
The creases around his eyes deepened as he beamed at me. "I think that you look absolutely beautiful."
"Oh, Daddy!" I laughed, feeling like his baby girl again.
"I'm so proud of you, Nicole. I always have been and I always will be. It makes me incredibly happy knowing that you've found someone who loves you and wants to care for you for the rest of your life."
I smiled and leaned into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around me quickly before pulling away.
"Now, I have two requests for you."
"And what are they?"
"My first request is that you love Brian unconditionally fo-"
"Done." I cut him off. "Completely and utterly, one hundred percent done. I love Brian unconditionally and I will for the rest of my life."
"Good." He smiled. "My second request is that you make me a Grandpa; in your own time, of course."
I laughed and nodded my head. Brian and I had spoken about having children and even though we knew it wasn't going to be for a good few years due to our careers, it was definitely on the horizon.
"I promise I'll make you a Grandpa." I laughed.
"Alright. Now, today is a big day. Are you ready?"
"Yes." I smiled, giving him a definitive nod of my head. "I'm ready to get married!"
Just as those words left my mouth, there was a knock at the door. Abi poked her head round, her phone in her hand.
"Nicole? Tyler just called and he said everyone is ready at the church and the car is waiting for you outside."
I took a deep breath and looked between Abi and my Dad.
"You ready?" My Dad asked again, squeezing my hands.
I nodded and he kissed my cheek before excusing himself from the room. Abi was about to leave too but I called her back.
"So, Tyler called you, huh?" I smirked.
She rolled her eyes but I could see her smiling. "Shut up. He's just on best-man duty. Now come on, girl, you're going to get married!"
I smiled at her before quickly glancing at myself in the mirror. Of all of the days I had pictured as a little girl, my wedding day was finally here; and I couldn't be more excited.
hunterstheoneimfallingfor replied to your post: for anyone who lives in c...
Omg it’s so freaking humid and hot ugh I’m sweating too it’s disgusting ew but hey what helps is to get a bag of ice and put it under your neck or lower back or legs while you lie down, it feels AMAZING and totally cools you down!(:
im sweating too, i can feel it run down my neck lol and that would be so awesome! im out of ice though :/
