72

I walked into the boarding house, stopping at the door.

Oliver was sitting with Stefan, talking. They both looked over at me.

"What are you doing here," I asked Oliver.

He furrowed his brows, "I could ask you the same question."

I walked further into the house. "I'm trying on dresses here. Which means you can't be here." I looked at Stefan. "You knew that." I looked at Oliver. "Get out."

He sighed. "I thought you didn't believe in superstitions."

I tilted my head. "I don't, but Caroline does. If she sees you, she will gouge your eyes out herself, and I'd really hate for you not to see me every day of your life. So please leave."

He and Stefan glanced at each other before getting up. They both walked toward me. Stefan walked to the door, but Oliver stopped in front of me. "Can't I just stay for five minutes?"

I grabbed his face, "No." I kissed him. "Get out."

He sighed as he pulled away. "I thought we were supposed to spend every day of our lives together?"

I moved my hands to his, holding his gently. "After 'I do', you'll never get a second without me."

He smiled, "I do."

I tilted my head, "Nice try. Now go before you die."

He sighed before kissing me.

He followed Stefan out of the house. Two minutes later, Caroline showed up. The man who followed her was the man who fitted me for Caroline's wedding dress. He gasped when he saw me.

"Ms. Forbes, someone finally put a ring on your gorgeous finger?"

I smiled. "Finally."

He walked toward me, "You have to tell me everything!"

...

Around the eleventh dress, I was ready to give up, then around the fifteenth, I was ready to kill myself, but around the twentieth, I was ready to rip Caroline's heart out and feed it to the tailor. Once we reached twenty-five, I was ready for a break.

Bonnie and I went to the Grill to eat. Before we left, I decided I needed a drink if I was going to continue the worst day of my life.

"Evelyn."

I looked over to see Rebekah Mikaelson. She sat in the seat beside me. Rebekah and I were never close, but we didn't hate each other. I smiled, "Hi. What are you doing in town?"

"Just passing through." She smiled. "How are you?"

I turned to face her. "I'm good. I'm, uh, getting married."

Her smile widened. "Congratulations!"

I tilted my head, "Thanks."

She looked at my hand as she reached for it. She analyzed the ring for a minute. "I need to see the man who put this on your finger."

"Well, he's not with me right now, but I can pull up a picture."

I pulled my hand away as I pulled my phone out. I pulled up a picture of Oliver and I. I turned the phone to face her, and after a second, she pulled it from my hands, looking closer. I watched as her expression shifted and the color drained from her face. The dead look in her eyes made me worry.

"Bex?"

She started doing something on my phone. "What did you say his name was?" She looked at my face, forcing a smile on hers as she handed my phone back to me.

I shook my head. "I didn't." I put my phone back in my pocket. "What's wrong?"

She looked away from me, "His name, Evelyn." She looked at me.

"Oliver. Tell me what's wrong, Rebekah."

She shook her head, "Nothing's wrong." She smiled. "I just thought he was someone I knew. But he's not."

I sighed, feeling relieved. "I hate when you people do that."

She nodded. "My apologies." She tilted her head. "I should get going. It was nice talking to you."

I smiled, "You too."

After she got up and left, I made my way to Bonnie, and we went back to the boarding house. I was yanked inside before I could find my footing. Caroline pulled me in front of her. "Eighty-seven more, then we're done. You'll love them, okay? And if you don't, I won't stop until you find one you're crying over."

After the first five, I was ready to cry out of frustration, but then I pulled on the sixth. Tom stood behind me, latching the dress together. I held my hair up, pressing it against the back of my head.

"Okay," he mumbled. He stepped back, clasping his hands together. "What do you think?"

I let my hair fall, hanging behind my shoulders.

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes became glued to my reflection. It looked like something out of a fairytale. The sweetheart neckline led to chiffon sleeves decorated with silky patterns that were dispersed strategically. The dress was perfectly fitted to my body until it just passed my hips, where the material became thicker and more flowy.

I was stunned by how beautiful it was. "I never want to take it off." I smoothed my hands over my sides.

"I'll give you a moment. Step out when you're ready."

I nodded slowly. I heard the door shut a few seconds later.

I was captivated by how perfect it was. I had never really imagined what it would be like when I actually did get married. The only thing I had heavily considered was who I would marry and the dress I would wear. I had never imagined my reality as my options.

I could hear arguing in the living room. I pulled myself away from the reflection and walked to the door. I pushed the door open to see an empty room. I walked further into the living room. I sighed as I took in the quiet. I stepped onto the platform carefully, trying not to hurt the dress or myself.

I looked up at the sound of the kitchen door opening. My eyes found Kai's as he looked up from the ground. He froze, and my stomach sank. I sucked in a breath of air.

"What are you doing here?"

"The wrong thing, apparently, because I've fucked up severely to not be marrying you."

I was stunned by his answer. "Kai."

He took a few steps closer. "Evelyn."

"Where is everyone?"

He threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Keeping Oliver from seeing you." His gaze wandered to the dress.

I furrowed my brows, "Did he need something?"

He looked into my eyes again. "To talk to you."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Ask him yourself."

I tilted my head, "I can't."

He smiled, "Right."

I looked at the door as it opened quickly. Caroline walked in, followed by Bonnie and Elena.

"God, he's frustrating! They had one thing to do, stay away from the..." she trailed off when she looked at me. She exhaled sharply as she stepped into the living room.

"It's gorgeous. I mean, you're so gorgeous," Elena stated.

"That was made for you, Evelyn," Bonnie praised.

I smiled at her, "You think so?" I moved my hands to my hips, looking down at the dress. I had forgotten how breathtaking it was. The thought of walking down the aisle in a dress I adore, marrying the one person who can make me feel what no one else can makes me feel like I could cry.

"This is the one you pick, right," Caroline asked. "Because if you don't, I will sew it onto your body."

I laughed, "No. This is what I want." I looked at her. "This is my wedding dress." Saying it out loud made tears fill my eyes. I shut my eyes as I inhaled sharply. My breath had gotten away from me at that moment.

The entire wedding ran through my mind, what I imagined it to be. I had always thought my mom would be here for this. Not having her here to see this or give me away feels like a nightmare.

I felt arms wrap around me as I started to sink to my knees. Kai's hold on me was comforting. I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his chest. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head as he tightened his hold on me.

"It's okay, baby," he whispered.

After my breakdown, I let Kai take me back to the study. He gathered my hair and pulled it up. I replaced his hand with mine, keeping one against the front of my dress. I stared at him through the mirror.

I could see the intensity of his stare as he gently and slowly freed my body from the dress. The proximity of his body to mine sent chills across my skin. His fingers occasionally skimmed my body. I shut my eyes, trying to keep myself calm. His hands lingered on the dress, even after it was undone.

I forced my eyes open as he stepped away. I waited until he was turned away to put my clothes back on. I hung the dress on the mirror and stepped back. I felt Kai walk closer to me, standing a few feet behind me. I kept fidgeting with my hands in front of my body.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

He was quiet for a minute. "No. But if you think you are, then maybe you should talk to him."

I shook my head. "I don't think I am." I may be having doubts but marrying Oliver won't be a mistake. It will be one of the best decisions I've ever made. He makes me happy, and I love being happy with him. I turned to face Kai, looking up at his face as I stepped closer. "Thank you."

He tilted his head, "For what?"

"For helping me."

His eyes scanned my face. "I will always do anything for you." He looked into my eyes. "Your marriage won't change that."

The way my breathing paused at his words made more doubts about getting married fill my mind. It wasn't marriage I was doubting, it was starting to become doubts about who I was marrying.

For a moment, I let myself imagine it was Kai who proposed to me and asked me to be with him for the rest of our lives. I let myself imagine I would see Kai waiting for me at the end of the aisle in six days.

I felt like his body was pulling mine closer as his eyes were trained on mine, keeping my focus undivided and on him.

His gaze fell to my lips as he stepped closer. His body was inches from mine. I sucked in a breath of air and glanced at his lips. His knuckles grazed the back of my hand, and I looked into his eyes again.

"No," Caroline screeched as she grabbed my arm.

She pulled me back a few steps, stepping between us. "Caroline," I sighed.

She looked at me. "You be quiet." She looked at Kai, "And you need to take fifty steps back!"

I pulled my arm from her, "Caroline, we were just talking."

She turned to me as she scoffed. "Yeah. It looked that way. If Oliver had walked in, what would you be saying then, Evelyn?"

"That we were just talking!"

"It was just a conversation," Kai added.

Caroline glared at him, "I don't want to hear anything from you. You defiled her once, what's to stop you from doing it now?"

"Her fiancé," he stated. "Not that you believe me, but I do want what's best for her and ruining her chance at a healthy relationship isn't what's best for her."

I looked at him. His words weren't reflecting his body language two minutes ago. He glanced at me before focusing his full attention on Caroline.

"Whatever, just keep your distance, Parker. She doesn't need your influence, especially not now."

I sighed as she pulled me out of the room. Leaving Kai was the last thing I wanted, but it's for the best. The last thing I need is for my feelings to ruin my life.