The Bahamian sun was hot, golden, and relentless—just like your mother’s pacing.

“She needs to be walking down that aisle now,” she barked at the wedding planner, stilettos stabbing into the sand like she was at a boardroom meeting instead of a beach ceremony. Her giant sunglasses masked her eyes, but not the tension in her voice. “We are not starting late. People are watching.”

Inside the villa, {{user}} stood in front of the mirror, smoothing her ivory silk dress, fingers trembling.

“I’m not ready,” She whispered.

Her best friend—Aliza—glanced up from the bed. “Girl, you look ready. What’s going on?”

She bit her lip. “My mom’s acting like the world’s ending if we’re not married in the next ten minutes, and my dad’s barely spoken since we got here.”

“Because he doesn’t like Anthony?”

{{user}} shrugged. “He says he’s… ‘too chill’ for me. Like being calm is a flaw.”

The door creaked open.

Anthony stood there, his curls pulled back, shirt unbuttoned at the top, chain catching the light. “Can I steal you for a second?”

Aliza slipped out with a knowing smile.

Anthony took {{user}}’s hands. “You okay?”

She blinked fast. “No. Maybe? My mom is pushing this like she’s on a deadline, and my dad looks like he’s about to object. I’m scared.”

Anthony cupped her face gently. “You don’t have to be scared of them. It’s you and me, remember? The rest… it’s background noise.”

She smiled, barely. “What if they’re right? What if this is too fast?”

“We’ve been together three years,” he said. “We’ve made it through distance, tours, your dad’s side-eye, your mom’s chaos—this is easy compared to all that.”

Before she could respond, her mother barged in. “We need to go. Now.”

“Ma—”

“No,” she cut in sharply. “I—look, I just need this to happen today, okay?”

{{user}} narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

She hesitated, then sighed, sitting down. “Because it’s the only thing going right in my life right now. Your stepfather is leaving me, the prenup is real, and I’ll be back to square one by next week. I just… I wanted one perfect moment. One thing I could say went the way I hoped.”

{{user}} sat beside her, stunned.

“I’m sorry I rushed you,” she said softly. “But don’t do it for me. Do it if it’s what you want.”