We're going to need more than five minutes

I do!

„Jordane Christie, do you take Lana to be your girlfriend, will you promise to honor your relationship, to give it your best effort, to always be present, be there for her in good times and bad, to respect her and trust her fully, to make her a part of your life, to never doubt and be open and honest, to yourself and others, about the feelings you have for each other because she's the best thing that has ever happened to you?"

Lana's heart was starting to dance in her chest as she saw tears glistening in his eyes. Tears of... what exactly?

„I do", she could hear him say, and the force of the conviction in his voice almost startled her, as if she'd had expected him to say No.

„Lana Maria Parrilla, do you take Jordane to be your boyfriend, will you promise to honor your relationship, to give it your best effort, to always be present, be there for him in good times and bad, to respect him and trust him fully, to make him a part of your life, to never doubt and be open and honest, to yourself and others, about the feelings you have for each other because he's the best thing that has ever happened to you?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she gasped at those words, and still she couldn't wait to answer her: „I do!"

She leaned towards him to finally kiss him once more, but Trish stopped her by lifting a hand. „Ah ah ah! Still, not quite! Sorry, we're almost there", then she called out, „Can we have the dogs?"

Antoinette came down the aisle leading Lola and Levi on a leash, panting and wagging their tails, each of the dogs was carrying a little box around their necks.

„Now, don't worry!", said Antoinette, „It's not rings, because this is not a real wedding, obviously."

She took the boxes and opened them, explaining: „They're necklaces with heart pendants, made from one and the same heart. You, Lana, you get the outline of the heart, the frame", she stepped up to her girlfriend and put it around her neck, „and you, Jordane, you get the solid part that was cut out of it, that fits right back in it perfectly because symbolically, you're the one filling the hole in her heart, and also less symbolically, well... you get the idea of filling holes."

„Very romantic, Twan, thanks for that", Lana replied with a raised eyebrow as her friend was attaching the necklace around Jordane's neck.

Finally, both of them looked over to Trish, still holding hands, full of anticipation, ready to go.

„Can... can I kiss her now?", he asked, much shier again than during his ‚I do' before.

Trish smiled and nodded, finally. „You may kiss your girlfriend, please, I beg you!"

He turned back to Lana and smiled with relief, then took her into his arms, tipped her over in a grand gesture and kissed her, to the sound of her friends' cheers and applause.

When their lips parted, she looked him in the eyes. A legion of butterflies had taken wing inside her tummy, she felt almost giddy and at least twenty years younger. Of course, she had gotten married before, some years ago. Properly. This felt very different, but still... almost eerily similar. In this moment, suspended in the air, only his safe embrace keeping her from falling, it felt as if she was putting her life into his hands. And before he could let go of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more.

***

„I gotta say though", said Trish, „I do find it a little strange that your betrothed did not bother to stick around for the wedding night."

Lana had just opened another bottle of wine, poured her two best girlfriends and herself a glass and sat down in the armchair opposite of them. All the other guests had left in the meantime, including the groom. Or well... the boyfriend.