"Ow!" I cried, leaning away from Juvia.

"Hold still, Erza," Juvia instructed, tugging on my hair again.

It was the day of my wedding and Juvia was currently doing my hair. Lucy just finished doing my make up and while my hair was getting done, the other girls were getting themselves ready and dressed. Juvia was doing my red hair into a fancy and elegant twist and bun kind of thing.

"There – it's done!" Juvia announced proudly.

I looked in the mirror and my jaw dropped. It was like my hair was done by a professional hairdresser. The bun was beautiful and looked complicated in a fancy way, and some of my hair hung out in curled waves to frame my face nicely.

"Woah, it looks amazing. Thank you, Juvia. How did you learn to do hair like this?" I asked.

My friend shrugged like it was no big deal. "I love fashion so I learnt how to do hair by tutorials on Youtube and I learnt this one especially for your wedding."

I hugged her and thanked her again. I was so grateful that I had all my friends with me on my big day and they all helped me so much.

Next, the part that made me more excited but nervous, was putting on my clothes for the wedding. I slipped into the simple but gorgeous white dress I bought months ago with a sparkly design and lace patterns. I put on my shoes and then my jewellery, including the necklace with the small red gem from Jellal.

"Oh my god, Erza, you look amazing," Lucy gushed and the others added their compliments.

Thanking them shyly, I blushed bright red as I twirled in front of the tall mirror. It was hard to believe that I was standing in my wedding outfit getting ready for my wedding with Jellal that would happen in less than a few hours. When I noticed how red my cheeks had gotten, I slapped my cheeks.

"Stop turning so red," I scolded my cheeks.

The girls laughed at me. "That's not going to help. Hitting them will only make them more red," Levy said.

"Oops."

We giggled and calmed down after a while. Then, the phone alarm rang, notifying us that the wedding was in 30 minutes and to make sure that everyone was dressed and ready. 

I think that was the moment that the stress hit me hard. I've always heard that people get cold feet on their wedding day or feel worried and right now, that's how I was feeling. What if marrying Jellal was a mistake? It was a random thought out of the blue but it left some doubt in my mind. We were so young and we started dating at a young age. What if our relationship doesn't last long and was only meant as a teenage relationship?

"Erza? Are you okay?" Lucy asked me.

"Yeah, I just... I'm just overthinking things," I replied, giving a small smile.

I sat down, rubbing my forehead tiredly.

"We thought you might be a bit nervous about today so we got you a wedding gift," Levy announced.

I looked up. In front of me, the girls took out a big box from the corner of the room and placed it on the table next to us. Curiously, I opened it up and found a plate of various desserts including strawberry pie and souffle. I gasped, my heart filled with happinness and my stomach filled with excitement.

"I can't believe you guys got me all this delicious food," I said.

"We know how much you love desserts and you deserve something nice to eat before your wedding," Juvia replied.

I gave them a grateful smile. They really knew me too well. In my comfortable seat, I began eating the souffle. Of course, I wasn't going to eat all of the food now. I offered some to my friends and they ate some but I saved most for later. As I ate slowly, the time ticked away and my friends talked about the upcoming celebration, their voices fading into the background as I thought about Jellal and my stomach suddenly didn't feel like eating.

A few days ago, we had a fight. Jellal was working while I was at home and we were going to have pizza for dinner but then Jellal texted me asking to make dinner because he didn't have enough money to buy pizza. So I made lots of pasta and when Jellal cam home, he returned with pizza. Apparently, the pizza had a cheap deal so he bought it and thought he texted me but he didn't. I spent all that time cooking a nice dinner and we ended up with a lot of pasta and pizza so we saved the pasta for the next day. Miscommunication was common in a couple's relationship but this time left me feeling worried. He frustrated me and even more so when he told me not to worry about it but I was the one who worked hard for us to eat dinner.

"I need some air," I announced, heading to the door.

"But there's air all around us now," Juvia said confused.

Not replying, I walked out. Taking in the nice, fresh air, I relaxed on a nearby park bench. Even though it felt calm and relaxing now, I could only imagine how stressful it might be the next few days. I've seen married couples in movies and books and most of them end up fighting a lot or divorcing. I know most of it was probably fake but it was my only source of finding out what married couples were like. Since I was an orphan, I never had the opportunity to see my parents together and see what they were like. The fact that they separated and my mum abandoned me made me believe more strongly that marriages don't end well.

"Erza, you know you're going to dirty your wedding dress, right? You should stay inside and get ready. There's not long until it starts."

I glanced to the side and saw that my mum had joined me on the bench. Even though her words were scolding me like a mother, she had a calm smile on her face. I patted my wedding dress in response, smoothing out the wrinkles. At least I was sitting on the type of park benches that were clean but I did see her point and probably shouldn't have sat out here.

"Why did you come here?" I asked.

"I went looking for you but the girls told me that you went out so now I found you. But you don't seem that excited, I can tell. What's wrong?" my mum replied.

I tried to think of what to say. It was hard to voice my feelings but I felt like she would understand since she had relationship problems as well.

"I just... I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I thought I was happy but Jellal and I fight often and struggle with living together. Sometimes... I think that maybe we moved in together to early and we're getting married to early. I mean, we're only 22."

My mum took my hand soothingly. "If you want my honest opinion, I don't think you should get married early. Look at what happened to me and your father. We got together so young and things didn't end well – as you can tell. I was too scared and young to look after you by myself but leaving you will always be my biggest regret."

"So I shouldn't get married now?" I asked. "But, I love him and I've always dreamed of this day. I can't cancel it now."

"As your mum, I want what's best for you – and that would be you living your life while you're young and not getting married yet. Once you get married, your life changes and not always for the better. I don't want you to make the same mistakes as me. So, I really don't think you should get married."

I nodded, thinking deeply. Everything she said really struck me hard and I felt like maybe she was right. Why was I getting married so early when I had a whole life ahead of me? Did I really want to grow up and be tied down with a label this early? I truly loved Jellal but I was questioning myself and who I was. A mid-life crisis.

"I have to go," I voiced out loud.

I stood up and without looking back, I fled. Once I was a few blocks away, I realised I couldn't go back even thought I wanted to and I didn't know where to go or what to do. My feet ached from walking so long in high heels so I took them off and walked bare foot. Soon, I looked around. I realised that I had walked to the beach – the one that I would go to with Jellal for many dates. I guess the beach meant more to me than I thought if I found myself here. People all around me would probably think I looked weird in a wedding dress with no shoes so I quickly got off the street pavement and headed to the sandy shore.

As I walked along the water, I thought about everything that just happened. What if I made a mistake? How am I going to face Jellal? I can't go back to the wedding now and I can't go back home. Maybe I can catch a flight to Ausralia and start living a new life there.

"Erza."

I turned around in surprise, my high heels slipping from my grip. Jellal stood there a few feet away from me in his groom's suit. He looked at me with a concerned and worried face that made me feel guilty for running away.

"Erza, is everything okay? Your friends told me that they saw you leave and you missed the start of the wedding," Jellal said.

The wedding had already started... I can't believe I missed the start of my own wedding. I must've been so into my thoughts that I didn't notice the time flying by. While it was disappointing that I missed something that I was looking forward to as a child, it was my decision to leave and I had to be strong to my belief otherwise I left for nothing except embarrassment.

"Jellal," I started. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I left and that I ruined our wedding day -"

"You didn't ruin it. But I know you wouldn't leave for no reason. So please, tell me what's wrong," Jellal said soothingly.

Through everything seemed peaceful now, I could bet that our conversation would become wild like the waves of the sea next to us.

"How did you find me?" I stalled.

Jellal gave a small smile. "You're Erza, my soon to be wife who I've known for ages. This beach is where you always go to calm down and where we like to go for dates."

Even the word 'wife' made me cringe inside – it made me seem old, much older than I am. I wanted to get right into it and blurt out my feelings but I thought it would be too abrupt so I tried a different approach.

"Jellal... do you ever think that we're getting married to early?" I asked.

Jellal looked confused yet concerned. "What made you suddenly think this? This isn't like you. Since when has that ever been a problem?"

"Since we fought the other day and I now realised that I want to focus on me and my life. You have your life sorted out so well for you and I enjoy my work but I don't know, sometimes I feel lost."

"That's when you should talk to me – when you feel lost, you would feel better when you're with other people and tell them your problems. And it was just one fight. We've overcome so many over the past years and we'll keep doing that."

"You know I'm not good with voicing out my problems and I know you mean well and you just want to help me, but sometimes I like to be alone to think by myself. We fight a lot and I know they don't last long but I don't know... maybe it's not healthy."

"Erza, it sounds like you're making excuses because you're scared of this big change, scared to get married, scared to be tied down by a label. I know it's a big commitment and step in life but I'm here for you – everyone's here for you," Jellal told me.

My head hurt and my heart was aching. I didn't know what to think anymore. After hearing my mum tell me I shouldn't get married yet, I thought that was the right decision.

"They're not excuses. We clash so much. You don't do the dishes well, you sometimes don't reply to my texts, you won't let me have a cat. All these things just – I don't know how we thought we could live happily for so long. We must've been kidding ourselves. Who gets engaged in high school and actually lives a happy marriage the rest of their lives? In high school, we're still immature and we grow up and realise the world is so different. Couples from high school just don't last," I rambled.

"Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley got together at school age and lived happily after that with kids and everything," Jellal pointed out.

"That's a fictional story. They're wizards and we're not."

Honestly. What kind of argument was that? I put my hands on my head in frustration, letting out a groan.

"I can't do this right now. I'm going home, changing out of this outfit and I'll just eat cake or something," I announced.

I picked up my shoes, turned around and started walking away. I tiredly rubbed my eyes. Why did everything have to turn out so bad? But after I only took a few steps, Jellal pulled my arm, turning me around to face him again.

In a smooth motion, he slid my engagement ring off my finger and he got down on one knee. Jellal smiled up at me from his proposal position. Even though I've lived this scene already, it still made my heart flutter. My feet were frozen and I couldn't turn away even though my heart was heavy with guilt of running away from Jellal and I's wedding.

"Erza, you're right," Jellal started. "Maybe I proposed too early but that doesn't change the way I feel. You're the only one for me and I can't imagine my life without you. I would do anything for you and if you want to start over, we can. If you don't want a label, we don't have to call each other husband and wife. I know getting married is a big step and might seem life changing but it doesn't have to change anything. I want us to be the same as before - when we knew what we wanted and we were free to be who we were. Listen to your heart and what you want now and in the future. Let's just be Jerza – Jellal and Erza, the two people who knew each other so well and were stronger together. So Erza - trying for the second time - will you marry me and start a happy life with me like we've always been?"

A happy life. Free to be who we are. If I listened to my heart, it would tell me to be with Jellal and let him lead me to a happy life. Now and in the future, I'd want to be by his side. I don't think I could live without him either. If I pictured myself 10 years in the future, he would be with me and I can't imagine living without him. Who cares about age? If we get married later on or now, what would be the difference? We're just getting an early start on a happy life together as one.

Jellal was right – I should think for myself and not let other people decide for me. My mum told me not to get married because she had a horrible relationship at a young age but that's her – not me. I am my own person living my own life and I know that I do love Jellal. I didn't need a wedding or marriage to show that I love him but we already spent a lot of money on it anyway.

"I will, I will marry you Jellal," I finally answered.

It felt just like years ago when he proposed and I said 'yes' but now, I felt more confident in my answer and more mature. We've been adults for a few years now, unlike at the time of that first proposal so everything felt different but in a good way. It felt more right and I felt happy.

Jellal, sharing a smile with me, slid my ring back onto my finger, where it belongs. Without my engagement ring, my finger felt weird, empty – like the feeling when you're missing something. I've been so used to wearing it every day and when it was back in its place with me, the small warmth on my finger felt good and reassuring. But soon, my wedding ring would replace it.

"But if we know we love each other, what's the point of the wedding?" I asked.

"Well, you get to eat delicious food and desserts. And you can enjoy all of it with your friends and family," Jellal replied, once again standing in front of me with his beautiful blue hair distractingly fluttering with the ocean breeze.

"Are you persuading me with food again?"

"I know everything about you now. You would go if there was food, right?"

I pretended to think for a while before I couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face. "Yes, I would. But I'd also go if you were there and there wasn't any food. I just need you to make me happy– thank you for showing me that."

Leaning into him, I tilted my head up. Jellal met me half way and our lips melted into a soft kiss that expressed how we were feeling. It was like everything was right in the world again but even if it wasn't, we would make it alright.

Jellal's fingers brushed my cheeks, wiping away tears I didn't know I'd shed. He gave me a reassuring smile.

"It's okay now, we'll live life how we want and let it take us wherever it takes us. So don't cry – you'll ruin your makeup," he said.

"It's tears of happiness," I replied. "At least, I think so. I didn't even know I was crying. And who cares about makeup? I don't need it to look good."

"There's the strong Erza that I know. Now... we should probably go back to our wedding since it started a while ago and people are probably worried and confused."

"You're right. Let's go crash our wedding and have some fun."

I bit my lip nervously and taking initiative, I slipped my hand into Jellal's, while my other hand still held my shoes. Life was complicated with many struggles but I was going to try my hardest to make my relationship with Jellal better and I was going to be a better partner. We started walking back and I put my shoes on again when we got to the street.

"And by the way – I forgot to tell you – but you look absolutely beautiful, my strawberry," Jellal told me.

A smile lit up my face as I glanced down at my outfit. Though my wedding dress was slightly wrinkled, it was still gorgeous. The other thing that made me happy was the nickname 'strawberry'. He's called me it many times and I always liked it. We didn't need to call each other 'wife' and 'husband' – at least not yet – when we had our own names for each other that meant something more special to us. 

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I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't think it would take months to update but uni's so stressful and I just haven't been feeling this story anymore but I will finish it. I promise to have the next chapter before the end of the year, hopefully I'll finish the story by then but I'm setting realistic goals for myself. When I planned this part of the story in my head earlier this year, it seemed better but now that I read it... idk. I'm sorry. Also, it hasn't been edited. But, feel free to comment and vote. Thank you for still reading!