The ceremony was really sweet. Mae was the flower girl and she looks absolutely adorable swinging the basket around and delicately throwing out the petals. Hamura was the ring bearer and he looked very serious on completing his mission in delivering the rings to the front alter.
The whole time I felt like I was watching the scene from outside of my body like I was a spirit just walking around and observing. It was weird to see my father this way but the face he made when he saw Andrea walking down the aisle, in her beautiful white gown, made me feel surprisingly warm. I haven't seen him look that way ever since mom passed so seeing him so happy now, somehow lifted a weight from my shoulders. I still have very conflicting feelings towards him and I don't know if I can forgive him right now but it makes me feel at peace knowing that my father has moved on too and somehow, that seems alright with me.
After the vows and their kiss, they both walk back down the aisle, hand in hand, and everyone followed them down a stone path to the reception where there are tables with beautiful flower displays in the center. There is a bar and a dance floor off to the side too.
I sit with Kusuo and we listen to all the speeches and kind words from bridesmaids, the best man (who is one of my Dad's longtime work partners), and even little Mae. While she was talking about how excited she is to have a new dad, I lock eyes with my father. We stare at each other and I can sense the guilt in his eyes. Mae finishes her speech and everyone claps, bring my eyes back to her small figure. After the dinner, the party begins and people start getting up out of their seats and intermingling.
"Babe, wanna go over to the bar?" I ask Kusuo.
'Why? So you can try to get alcohol?' he answers and I fake a shocked expression.
"I can't believe you'd suggest such a thing," I say with a mock gasp. "I just wanted a Shirley Temple."
'Right...' Kusuo sasses and I glare at him. Regardless, he walks with me over to the bar and while I'm waiting for my fancy (alcohol-free) drink, my father makes his way over to us. I start to panic and try to look for an escape route to avoid him. Kusuo notices my hesitance and stops me from leaving my lightly grabbing onto my elbow.
'You should hear him out. He's nervous too.' Kusuo says, letting go of my elbow. I bite my lip apprehensively, I know I have to talk to him eventually so I guess now is as good of a time as any. My dad stops a few steps away from us and sends me a small, sheepish smile.
"Hi, y/n," my dad says awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Hi," I say. "Um, congratulations."
"Thank you, thank you," he says. He then turns to the bartender and asks for a glass of water. While he waits, he turns to me again. "You look nice."
I look down at my dress, "thanks."
Silence fills the space and this leads to him looking at Kusuo.
"Oh, this is my boyfriend," I say, again feeling pride in calling him that. My father's eyebrow raises and he nods. He sets his glass down and holds out his hand.
"Stephen L/n."
"Kusuo Saiki," Ku says as they clasp hands. For some reason, I'm nervous. I don't care what my father thinks of him since I know he can't do anything to stop me from seeing him but at the same time, I want him to like Ku.
Their handshake doesn't last for long and when they separate, my father nods again. "I'm glad you could make it."
I nod, "I appreciate the invitation."
It's quiet again but the silence isn't as suffocating as it was before. My dad picks up the glass of water and takes a sip.
"I met Andrea and her kids before the ceremony, they seem really sweet."
"Yeah, they are. I met her through work... we're in the same department... and we just clicked." My dad sets his glass down and a small smile forms on his face. "Andrea and her ex-husband separated a little after Mae was born, so in some way... we could relate to each other."
I smile at that, someone like Andrea must have been the perfect person to get him to open up. Even though my dad is a pro at keeping his emotions in check, you could see the stress lines start to grow deeper each day. Despite those lines still being there, his face is happier, somehow back to normal if not even brighter than when it was with mom.
He lifts his gaze and finally makes eye contact with me again. "Listen uh... I want to-" but before he finishes his sentence a bright light shines on him and people start moving him towards the dancefloor for the first dance. He gives me an apologetic look but I nod in understanding and he's whisked away. He has a slow dance with Andrea and other couples begin to join in.
"Would you like to dance?" Kusuo asks and holds out his hand. I set my now empty Shirley Temple down on the counter and have to bite back a smile.
"Hmm I don't know... should I?" I ponder aloud to myself and Kusuo shoots me a glare but grabs my hand anyway.
"Stop being dumb," he says and pulls me with him to the dance floor. We sway for a few songs, and I lay my head on his shoulder. It's crazy how so much has changed between us over the course of the past few months. This moment reminds me of the dance that we shared at PK when we were on the roof, where Kusuo kissed me for the first time. I have always treasured that moment and now I can't think of my life without him.
"You're the prettiest girl here, my dream girl," Kusuo says quietly in my ear.
I look up at him and smile. "Thank you, Ku," and I give him a quick kiss. We stare at each other and it's like we're the only two people in the world. I don't care how sappy it is, I am so in love with Kusuo Saiki.
The song changes to a fast-paced one and Kusuo suggests that we take a break so we head back to our table where Andrea and my dad stand, talking to other guests. I decide now is the perfect opportunity to make my way over to Andrea and get to know her more.
"Congratulations," I smile at her after I wait my turn to talk to her. "Your dress is gorgeous."
"Aah! Thank you y/n! I'm so excited and I cannot wait to get to know you more!" She exclaims, holding on to my upper arms. She practically bounces up and down at the idea of knowing me better and I grow excited too.
"I can't wait either," I respond with a smile. She smiles at me with a big grin then lets go of my arms to take a quick sip of her champagne. She sets it down then looks at me again but with a more serious expression.
"I want to get this out of the way now, it's okay if you don't want to call me mom. I know we just met today so it's no problem." I did not expect her to bring that up but I nod at her suggestion. I appreciate that she isn't forcing the idea of being my "new" mom down my throat.
"Okay, I appreciate that," I smile. She clasps her hands togehter and smiles at me again.
"So, how long have you and Kusuo been together? How did you guys meet? Tell me everything!" She questions and starts to actually bounce up and down in excitement but then registers she may be overstepping her boundaries a little bit and profusely apologizes.
"It's okay! We've been together for a few months now, we hit 5 a little bit ago," I say. I tell her some other things like how we met, how we started to get to know each other, the cafe, the festival, the dance, and the vacation. It's crazy to look back at everything since it feels so long ago. So much has happened but I'm so grateful for all these experiences.
"I really do love him," I finish and look around to find Kusuo. I spot him standing a few feet talking with my dad. They seem to be having a normal conversation but I still can't help but be nervous. 'I wonder what they're talking about?'
"Aww! That is just the sweetest thing I have ever heard!" Andrea squeals. "The way he looks at you is just to DIE for!"
I laugh at her comment "I hope it's the same way my dad looks at you."
She gives me a grateful look and grasps my hands in hers.
"We NEED to hang out sometime soon, just us! We can go shopping or go out to eat, whatever you want to do!" She says and I smile at her eagerness.
"I would really love that."
The night continues and I get to talk to Mae and Homura more. Homura even begins to open up to me. We talked about all the things younger kids like to do and I promised that when I see them again, we'll play some Mario Kart.
I managed to grab Kusuo onto the dance floor again to dance to the Cha Cha Slide, since it is one of THE best party songs, and after, we bounced around to some other songs (well I bounced around and Kusuo just kinda vibed). Another slow song started playing and I dance with Ku for a few seconds before feeling a tap on my shoulder. I turn my head to see my dad with a shy smile.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" He asks us. I look to Kusuo and he shrugs to which I turn to my dad and and nod. Kusuo removes his hands from my waist and walks back to the table but not before giving my hand a soft squeeze. We start dancing and it's quiet between us so I look down at my feet, not knowing what to say.
"I'm... sorry," Dad says causing me to look up at him. "I made a huge mistake and I really want to fix things. With you," he pauses and inhales with a shaky breath. "I know I've been a terrible parent for a while now... and I want to be in your life, I just hope that you can forgive me."
Tears begin to fall down his face and I can tell just how much he's been hurting from the situation. I understand that he feels sad and confused but his neglect towards me is still hard to forget. But, the fact that he has been able to open up this much to me is a huge step. After mom passed away, he couldn't even be in the same room as me but now, he's finally talking to me and letting me know how he feels.
"I really appreciate you talking to me. I know you were under a lot of stress and hurt," I begin. "But what you said to me, I don't think I can just forgive you. At least right now."
He listens to me as I explain my thoughts and he nods along, showing me that he's listening, which is something that I am not used to from him.
"I really like Andrea and her kids, I think it's amazing that you have found someone that makes you happy again," I say, my voice starting to wobble. "But I can't forget about everything that has happened throughout the past years. You can't ask me to do something like that." The song stops and I walk off to the side with him.
"I understand," he says. "But I want to try. I want to get to know you again. Andrea has really helped me deal with myself. Being able to relate to each other was one of the things that brought us to be so close. It has made me realize how horrible I was. To my own daughter," he hangs his head in shame. "I hope one day you can forgive me."
"I hope I can too," I declare and he looks up at me with watery eyes.
"You've always been so mature, even when you were little," he says with a small smile. "That's another thing that reminds me of your mother. You're both so level-headed," I smile back at him and he looks over my shoulder.
"I like that Kusuo. He seems like a great kid," he says and I turn to look at Kusuo who is on the dance floor with Mae. He looks a little annoyed so I assume she dragged him against his will but it brings a big smile to my face.
"Yeah, he is," I whisper.
After the talk with my father, we separate and he goes to mingle with other guests and I go over to Kusuo and join in on the fun. I feel so much better after the talk, like a heavy weight has been removed from my shoulders. I know trying to become a family again with my dad won't be easy but I know that it is something that I want to try to do.
The night finally ends and after saying our goodbyes, we walk away from the reception and teleport back to my apartment. I set my heels against the wall and Kusuo walks towards my bedroom.
'Geez, my feet are killing me, I think Mae was purposely trying to step on me,' he says and slips off his shoes then to hang his jacket on the coat rack.
I stare at him and when he realizes that I'm not answering he turns to me with confusion on his face.
'What?' he says. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist to which Kusuo wraps his arms around my back.
"Are you alright?" He questions aloud.
"Yeah," I sigh, resting my head on his chest. " I know I already said it but thank you for coming with me."
"Of course," he says and kisses my head. After the short embrace, I let go of his waist and move to my closet to start changing into comfier clothes. I decide on simple grey sweatpants that are fleece-lined on the inside (for max comfort) and a regular tank top. I decide to throw one of Kusuo's sweaters on top and move to my bathroom to remove my makeup. Once I'm done with that, I tie my hair back in a loose braid and walk back into my bedroom to see Kusuo lying on my bed, texting on his phone. In the time that I was getting ready, Kusuo must have teleported home and changed.
"Is your mom okay with you staying over?" I question once I reach the foot of the bed.
He puts the phone on the nightstand and looks up at me. 'Yeah, I just finished texting her.'
I nod and walk around the bed and slip underneath the covers. Once I'm situated, I turn off the lamp on my side and turn so I face Kusuo who was watching me get comfortable.
"What were you and my dad talking about earlier?"
Kusuo shrugs and lays down, turning to face me. 'Just guy stuff.'
"Guy stuff?" I say with a laugh. "What does that even mean?"
'It means I can't tell you.'
I huff but ultimately drop it. It was probably about our relationship or something. I doubt my dad did the whole 'hurt my daughter I hurt you' talk but something good must have come out of it if my dad told me that he likes Kusuo. I think about the day and I am so glad that I went. It really feels like I got some closure. I thought it would hurt seeing my father move on, but it's necessary and I think my mom would be proud of both of us for connecting again. We have never really have been close since but now that he is trying to make amends, it really shows that he means it. The fact that he was able to admit that he was wrong is HUGE and I truly think Andrea is helping him in the best way possible. I know that building our relationship is going to take time and patience, on both sides, but I have a good feeling about it.
I get pulled from my thoughts when Kusuo moves his arm to wrap around my waist. "I'm really proud of you for going today," he says, running his hand across my waist and lower back. "That takes a lot of courage, I really admire that about you."
I shift closer to him and cup his cheek. "Thank you but I couldn't have done it without you."
I kiss his nose and in the dim light, I see his face scrunch at the gesture.
"I love you," I mumble, feeling my eyes get droopy. "So so much."
He strokes my hair soft and I feel myself battling sleep. "I love you too y/n."