I had kept my secret from James for what felt like forever. I hoped that somehow, I could manage everything without hurting him. But when the turbulence hit, and the plane shook violently, I knew I couldn’t stay silent anymore. Life or death was in the air, and I had to tell him the truth.
I sat in Stacy’s warm kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. I held out my hand, showing her the engagement ring James had given me. It sparkled in the soft light, and though it felt strange on my finger, I couldn’t help but smile. We had been together for four years, and seeing the ring made my heart race.
“Olive, this is amazing! I’m so happy for you!” Stacy’s eyes shone with excitement.
“Thanks, Stacy. I’m happy too,” I replied, trying to keep calm.
“So, when’s the wedding?” she asked, leaning forward eagerly.
“Well, we haven’t talked about it much. Probably in two years or so,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“Two years? That’s a long time,” Stacy said, surprised.
“Yeah, James is really busy with work right now, and I’m applying for an art program in Europe. It’s an eight-month program,” I explained, but a part of me felt uneasy. There was something I hadn’t told James yet.
“Did you tell James about the program?” Stacy asked, her voice full of concern.
“No,” I said, my stomach tightening. “I’m not sure how he’ll react. What if he doesn’t want me to go?”
“Olive, you need to tell him,” Stacy said firmly. “He’s your fiancé. He deserves to know.”
“You’re right,” I said, just as my phone rang. It was James.
“Speak of the devil,” I said, smiling as I stepped out of the kitchen to answer the call.
“Olive! You won’t believe this!” James’s voice was filled with excitement.
“I’m listening,” I said, wondering what was going on.
“Do you remember that place you always dreamed of having our wedding?” James asked eagerly.
I frowned. “But they’re tearing it down at the end of the summer, and they stopped holding events there.”
“Well, guess what?” James said, his voice full of pride. “I’ve been talking to the owners, and they agreed to let us have our wedding there!”
I gasped. “But that’s so soon… Three months?”
“No, actually, it’s in two weeks,” James corrected. “They only offered that date. But does it matter? All that matters is we’re getting married.”
My mind spun. “Two weeks?” I echoed, feeling a wave of panic.
“I’m so happy I made this happen for you,” James said. “I just want to see you happy.”
“I… I’m happy,” I said, trying to match his excitement, but inside, I felt something heavy in my chest.
After the call ended, I walked back to the kitchen, trying to hide the storm of emotions inside. Stacy looked at me with concern.
“James made our wedding happen at the place I’ve always dreamed of,” I said, my voice shaky.
Stacy’s eyes widened in surprise. “But they stopped doing weddings there!”
“I know,” I said, fighting back tears. “But he made a deal with the owners.”
“That’s amazing!” Stacy exclaimed.
I nodded, but my smile quickly faded. “The wedding is in two weeks.”
Stacy’s face fell. “But you’re supposed to leave for Europe in two weeks!”
“I know,” I whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Olive, you have to tell him the truth,” Stacy said urgently. “You want to go to the program. It’s your dream.”
“I can’t. He worked so hard for this,” I said, tears finally spilling down my cheeks.
Stacy pulled me into a hug, holding me tight as I cried. “I’m so sorry, Olive,” she whispered, rocking me gently.
Two weeks later, I stood with James in the airport, ready to board the plane to the wedding. My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands trembled. I tried to steady myself, but doubt and fear crept in. Was I doing the right thing? I kept asking myself the same question over and over.
James looked at me, his face full of concern. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.
I forced a small smile and nodded, but it felt empty. For the past two weeks, I had been pretending. Pretending everything was fine. But deep down, I was anything but fine.
As soon as the plane took off, James started talking nonstop about the wedding. The flowers, the music, the vows… His excitement filled the air, and I could see how much this meant to him. But all I could think about was the art program I had given up. My dream. The weight of it felt like a stone in my chest.
I loved James. I really did. But everything was happening too fast, and I wasn’t ready. This wasn’t what I wanted, not now.
Suddenly, the seatbelt sign lit up, and the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom: “We’re entering some turbulence.”
My heart skipped a beat. I quickly buckled my seatbelt and grabbed James’s hand. The turbulence hit hard. The plane shook violently. The flight attendant’s cart flew across the aisle, crashing into the seats with a loud bang. The overhead bins rattled, and the plane dipped. My stomach dropped. I felt panic rise in my chest.
“James!” I gasped, squeezing his hand. “I don’t want the wedding!”
The plane shook even harder, and the pilot’s voice announced that we were through the turbulence. Everything went quiet, but my heart was racing.
James turned to me, confused. “What did you say?”
I tried to take it back. “Nothing… I was just scared,” I said, hoping to brush it off. But James wasn’t buying it.
“You don’t want the wedding?” he asked, his voice full of hurt.
I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the truth finally come out. “James, it’s not that simple…”
James stood up, his face tense. Without another word, he walked to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. I sat there, tears filling my eyes as I realized what I had done. I didn’t want to lose him, but I had just hurt him.
I stood up, my heart pounding, and followed him. “James?” I called softly, my voice trembling.
There was no answer. I knocked gently. “James, please. It’s not what you think. I do want to marry you. Just… not right now.”
His voice came from behind the door, muffled but clear. “When, Olive? When do you want to get married?”
I took a deep breath. “In about two years.”
“Two years?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief. “Why wait?”
I hesitated before telling him, “I got accepted into an art program in Europe. It’s for eight months.”
There was silence, and then he asked, “When are you supposed to leave?”
“Today,” I said, my voice trembling. “But I canceled everything for you.”
“And now you think you made a mistake?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” I whispered, my heart breaking.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” he asked, the hurt clear in his voice.
“I was afraid you’d be upset,” I admitted, feeling lost.
“Olive, I love you. What did you think I would do?” His voice was soft, full of pain.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, feeling helpless.
“Just… leave me alone. I need to think,” he said, his voice tight.
“Okay. I love you too, James,” I said quietly, returning to my seat, feeling the distance between us growing.
Later, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom again: “Olive, your fiancé James asked me to deliver a message to you. He says he loves you very much and wants you to know that when we land, he’ll make sure you get on the first flight to Europe. He’s ready to support you, no matter what.”
Confused, I turned around and saw James coming back to our seats. His face was calm, but his eyes were serious.
“James?” I asked, unsure what was happening.
He took my hands and looked straight into my eyes. “Olive, I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to feel like you have to marry me right now. We’re canceling everything. You’re going to the art program, and I’ll join you later when I can.”
I blinked in surprise. “But your job?”
“I’ll work remotely,” he said. “I don’t want you to give up your dream for me.”
“Would you really do that for me?” I asked, my heart swelling with emotion.
“Yes,” he said simply.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around him, holding him tightly. “I love you, James.”
“I love you too, Olive,” he whispered back, and I knew, no matter what happened next, everything would be okay.
What do you think of the story? Let me know in the comments!
