**Jasmin Selene's POV**
Today is Grace's wedding day, and I'm here at their house to help with the preparations. Grace said the celebration wouldn't be too extravagant. The mayor will officiate the wedding and also serve as one of the godparents.
The wedding will take place here, so everyone is busy decorating.
Tasks are divided among us. Some of the men are cleaning the venue where the ceremony will be held, while others are preparing the pigs and other dishes for the feast.
As for me, I'm helping design the wedding arch, decorating it with flowers. We're using pink roses because they're Grace's favorite.
I woke up late because of Grace's antics last night.
In the middle of the night, she invited us to go skinny-dipping in the river. We were laughing so hard when Uncle Kanor and Uncle Pedro, Grace's father, suddenly arrived to check on us.
Grace had to submerge herself in the cold water unexpectedly. They took a while to leave, so she stayed in the water for several minutes. When she came out, she couldn't speak properly because of the shivering.
"Is Grace still asleep?" Helen asked.
We looked at each other and laughed.
We finished designing five arches and were now setting them up.
We started with the largest one, where Grace and Matthew would exchange vows. The other four were lined up along the path Grace would walk down.
We also arranged the seating for the bridesmaids, groomsmen, godparents, and guests. Since the entire Sitio is invited, we're expecting a lot of attendees, plus Grace's guests from Manila.
As for Matthew's side, only his siblings and a few friends will be attending. His parents couldn't come because his father is ill.
Everything is almost ready for tomorrow. I'm so excited for Grace.
"Jasmin, come here. I want to show you something," Grace called out as she stepped out of their house.
I walked over to her, and she pulled me into her room, locking the door behind us.
"What do you think?" she asked with a wide smile, holding up a pink dress. It was an off-shoulder dress that reached just above the knees—simple, without much decoration.
"It's beautiful," I replied simply. I don't really know much about clothes.
I usually just wear a plain t-shirt and worn-out jeans.
"Is that what you're going to wear after the wedding?" I asked her.
"Crazy! You're the one who's going to wear this," she said, lowering the dress.
"Me?" I pointed to myself.
"Yes, you're one of my bridesmaids, right? Don't tell me you're going to say no!" She narrowed her eyes at me.
I smiled at her. "How could I say no to you?" I had almost forgotten that she had asked me to be a bridesmaid. Good thing she reminded me.
"Try it on, quick... I'm excited to see how it looks on you," she said, handing me the dress.
"Wow! You look so beautiful, girl. Imagine how stunning you'd be with your hair done and some makeup," she exclaimed as I finished putting on the dress.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
"Is there a longer one than this?" I asked, turning to her.
"What are you talking about? The length is perfect," she replied. "You know... I'm starting to wonder if you're really Auntie Daisy's daughter because you don't look like her," she added, staring at me.
"Hey! Be careful, or my mom might haunt you for saying that," I teased her.
"Hehehe... I was just joking, Aunt Daisy. Your daughter is so beautiful; it's hard to believe she's yours, haha. But maybe when your genes combined with Uncle, it turned out great, hahaha," Grace laughed.
"Whatever, you're full of nonsense," I said.
She just grinned and rummaged through a box.
"Here, to go with your dress," she said, holding up a pair of heeled sandals.
"Can I just wear rubber shoes instead?" I asked, smiling awkwardly. "I don't want to ruin your wedding by tripping all over the place while wearing those," I added.
I'm not used to wearing heeled sandals. I never wear them! I'm more comfortable with rubber shoes.
"No! You have to wear these," she insisted.
I sat on her bed and held her hands. "This is the only time I'll say no to you... for the sake of your wedding, please don't make me wear those... please," I begged her.
"Pleeease..." I added, pouting.
She sighed. "Okay, fine." I quickly hugged her.
After trying on the dress, she showed me her wedding gown. Then we went back downstairs to help with the rest of the preparations.
Just as we stepped out of the house, her friends from Manila arrived. I left her to attend to them and joined Helen to help with what they were doing.
"Oh, here comes Hapon!" Mang Pedro shouted, referring to a man walking toward us.
"Jacob, it's good that you made it," Auntie Cora greeted him.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss Grace's wedding," he replied.
"Ahem... you might melt," Helen teased, nudging me on the side.
"He's not ice cream to melt," I retorted, ignoring them. They laughed while giving me teasing looks.
"Jacob!" Thea suddenly called out, signaling to him.
He excused himself from Auntie Cora and walked toward us.
"You look even more handsome," Helen said as he approached.
"I look the same," he replied shyly, glancing at me.
"Jasmin? How have you been?"
"Uyyyyy... it always starts with 'How have you been?' Next thing you know, it's courting," Helen interjected.
"I'm fine," I replied, ignoring their giggles.
"Is that you, Hapon?" Uncle Kanor asked when he saw Jacob.
The elders here call him "Hapon" because he looks Japanese—fair-skinned with slightly slanted eyes.
But to me, he looks more like a Chinese guy, haha.
They chatted while I mostly listened, only speaking when asked.
When I noticed Jacob looking at me, I asked, "What?"
"Jasmin, can you finish this? Jacob, please help Jasmin," Helen said before pulling Thea away.
That left me and Jacob alone.
"They haven't changed," he said, referring to Helen and Thea, smiling.
"Yeah."
"How have you been—ah, sorry, I keep repeating myself. I just didn't expect to see you again. How long has it been since you left?"
"Two years," I answered, smiling slightly.
"Two years..." He took a deep breath. "...and yet nothing has changed—you're still the one I like," he admitted shyly, scratching the back of his head.
"H-huh!?" I stammered, unsure of what to say.
"Can I court you again?" he asked sincerely, his eyes full of hope.
I just stared at him, speechless.