| July |
Ceynius:
Hey babe, we still
on for later?
ZoOnThat:
Yeah why not,
I'm not too busy 2day
I grinned and fired a quick last message, before shooting out of bed like a man on a mission.
Ceynius:
Cool, see u at the
end of the aisle then xx
I was getting married today. I, Caleb Montrell, aka the luckiest man on earth, was getting married to the greatest girl on earth today, and I couldn't believe the day had finally come. Had I been waiting for it like a kid waited for Christmas, his birthday and the tooth fairy all at once? Yes. Yes, I had. And still, it didn't quite compare.
I was marrying my dream girl today, how many could say that?
Smurf and I had spent the night apart (because some traditions mattered, alright?) to make the wedding night more special, but I was starting to slowly regret that as I woke up to an empty bed and a lonesome apartment. I couldn't fucking wait to see her again. Since knowing her and claiming her as my one and only Smurf, I hadn't spent a night apart from her, except for when I went to Italy for a few days, but after this day, I wasn't planning to ever again.
"I'm coming for you, Smurf," I cheekily told my reflection as I grabbed my toothbrush and started brushing my teeth with a victorious grin.
Elana had spent the night with Mia and Eli as well. Eli was coming by my place later to help me get ready for the day, and as the best man, to make sure I moved my ass up the aisle. Although I think holding me back from sprinting up there as fast as I could would be a more likely job description for him today.
I got showered and shaved, and just as I was walking out to change into some temporary clothes (until it was time to put on the monkey suit), I heard the front door go. From the slightly more forcible slam than necessary, I knew my best man had arrived.
"Whaddup, man?" I grinned at Eli, who gave me a grunt and immediately slung down in my couch and turned the TV on. He flipped through the channels until he found a game.
And that was Eli for you.
"Missed you too," I snorted, before grabbing a cereal box with some lucky charms; Elana's favorite. I slammed a dry handful of it into my mouth and dropped into the couch next to him. "Mia didn't let you watch the game last night?"
"Wanted to practice the fucking flower thing with Elana in the living room," He flatly responded, although I sensed a bit less animosity when he mentioned my sister's name.
"How's she doing? Is she loving her dress? You remembered to tell her to eat a good breakfast today, right, because she's gonna need the energy and—"
"Relax," Eli shot me a brief hard look. "Mia's got a handle on it. She and Zoe were all over the fucking hotel room last night. I think they even prepared in case a fucking tsunami hits."
I breathed out a sigh of relief and then grinned. Mia definitely had a handle on it. She had been a tremendous help in planning the wedding, helping out with all the small details that Zoe and I would've missed. Zoe had joked that she believed that she was practicing for her own wedding.
I smugly looked at Eli, who glared at the TV with his usual resting bitchface.
Yeah, imagine this fool getting down on one knee. He'll probably just shove a ring onto Mia's finger one day without explanation and call it a day.
I grinned and kept eating my dry cereal until it was time to start getting ready. The wedding was at 3pm and the drive to the location was about an hour or so. We had about half an hour to get on the road or else we'd be late. Truth be told, I didn't have a whole fucking lot to do before then. All I had to do was put on a suit and try not to forget my vows. I could only imagine all the things Smurf was currently doing. I was positive that Mia was putting her through some extensive bridal pre-wedding routine she had read about in Cosmo. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
"You got the rings?" I found myself asking, randomly. I shot a look at Eli who patted his pants pocket, where, with a small bulge, I could just make out what appeared to be the small satin bag where the rings were stored. "You lose those, the next metal you'll be pierced with won't be a piercing, got it?"
Eli scoffed and didn't even as much as flinch with concern. Of course my threat would've been taken more seriously had he not had about fifty pounds on me. I was fit, but nowhere near as fit as Eli. That man didn't need guns, because he already had them genetically.
Half an hour later of watching the game and talking about random bits and pieces of nothing in particular, we finally packed my suit up and left the apartment. A car had been arranged to come pick us up, and it arrived exactly on time. We both got in, Eli rolling his eyes when we found an assortment of drinks and snacks inside the vehicle. He hated when things got too 'pompous and rich' for his liking.
I, on the other hand, set my eyes on the skittles and shoved a few bags into my pockets. Elana really liked those. Suddenly I found myself missing my little sister as well, hoping she was having a great day with the girls, getting all dolled up. Like a true little princess.
After an hour of driving (where I may or may not have napped until Eli shoved me awake because I was snoring and drooling against the window) we finally made it to the venue. It was a cute building designed to host parties located near a small forest and a lake, just at the outskirts of town. The site was amazing with an outside seating and dancing area, as well as indoor, so the choice had been up to us where to party. We decided to hold the ceremony and reception outside though, simply because 150 people crammed into a big hall in the midst of July seemed like a bad (not to mention hot) idea.
So stepping out of the car and entering the building, Eli and I quickly found our way to the dressing rooms where, with a bit of luck, I would get myself and Eli into some suits by the time it was time to go. As I understood it, Mia had bribed Eli to wear a suit for the day – the terms of which I had wisely not asked for. Although knowing Eli...
"Here we are," I said, walking into the dressing room with a grin. I slung my suit over the back of a chair and clapped my hands together, excitedly. "Have the girls arrived yet? Is everything going according to plan?"
"The fuck would I know?" Eli flatly replied.
"Well, go check!" I demanded, watching him grit his teeth. "I mean, I won't mind going to check for myself, but I'm pretty sure I heard Mia assign you to keep me from seeking Smurf out before the wedding, and that if you failed, you wouldn't get—"
Eli rolled his eyes and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I grinned and sat down in one of the couches in the room, knowing this day was gonna be fun. Eli was my bitch for the day, as per wedding rules; best man had to be at the groom's every beck and call, no matter what. If I wanted him to get me a purple turkey that could sing the second verse of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, it was his job to get it.
– I was 99 percent sure Eli was gonna retaliate somehow once the clock struck midnight. Too bad I wasn't planning on sticking around for it.
It didn't take long before Eli returned with his usual hard face. He was carrying two beers and chucked one at me that I nearly missed when I wasn't prepared. "Girls are doing fine. Zoe was covered in some white mask facial shit and Mia was running all over the fucking place. The usual," He boredly reported, before taking a sip of his beer. "Elana was playing with her transformers."
I grinned happily, but instantly felt a pang of jealousy. I was stuck with a moody Eli while the girls were having what sounded like a blast. This was going to be a long day, wasn't it?
But it would all be worth it.
~~~
It was ten minutes till go-time. The guests had all arrived, the wait staff had prepared everything, and everything seemed to be going according to plan. Eli had made a few more trips back and forth to the girls on my request (at one point it took him more than 30 minutes to return, and when he came back, his hair wasn't sitting the same way) and kept me updated on what happened. He told me that Zoe's mom had been by her room to see her, that there had been a minor argument over the compatibility being me marrying her precious daughter, to which Zoe had responded with if she didn't like it, she was free to leave and say goodbye to the possibility of seeing her future grandchildren. After that, there had been no more fuss.
Since most of my family was dead or estranged, the guest list had pretty much been Smurf's family all the way through. Smurf's parents, however, had always been a bit more on the conservative side, the complete opposite of Smurf herself, but they weren't too far gone to see that she was happy with me. They didn't particularly like her choice of fashion and makeup either, but they looked past that as well (most days anyways) and did their best to accept her for who she was. Her choosing to marry me, a former penniless kid with a criminal past wasn't exactly their cup of tea, but they had chosen to accept me as well when they saw how well I treated their daughter. I think Elana had helped convince them as well; Her uncanny ability to make people fall in love with her with a simple smile never failed.
"Nervous?" Eli asked when I sat on the couch in the dressing room, my leg bouncing rapidly. I looked up and shot a grin his way.
"Impatient," I smirked.
I wasn't the least bit nervous. In my mind, I was already married to Smurf, enjoying my life and future with her. I couldn't wait to actually get started with it all, making babies and adopting fur babies, and painting white picket fences... with a bit of illegal hacking on the side.
Finally, it became time to go. Eli and I left the dressing room all tuxed up and looking fly, me practically sprinting towards the gardens outside with Eli telling me to calm the fuck down. I couldn't control my excitement, though. I was so close to seeing my Smurf and locking her down for life, I could practically taste it. By the time we arrived at the gardens, I was so eager, I couldn't stand still in my spot.
We walked up to the aisle where the priest was waiting, talking to a man I knew very well.
"Boss!" I grinned, watching him slowly turn and smile my way. He was wearing a nice black suit as well, with a little blue handkerchief in his pocket and a blue pin-striped tie.
"Caleb," He stuck out his hand and pulled me in for a brief hug. He patted me on the back, before eyeing me out with his sharp eye. "Everything good?"
"Can't fucking wait," I told, laughing. "I'm about to be married, man."
He chuckled back calmly, before nodding. "That you are. And to a great girl as well."
"I'm happy you could make it today. I really appreciate you being here."
"I told you; Wouldn't have missed it for the world," He assured, before looking over at Eli. "Mr Grayson."
Eli gave a curt nod back, already hating being amidst a growing crowd. He had never liked being on display, but was making an exception for me today. His discomfort was clear, though.
It felt like an eternity before the music finally started playing, making everyone rise and stand to attention. I felt my heart go into my throat as Eli and the boss took a stand next to me. My eyes zoned in on the end of the aisle, forgetting everything else. The garden was beautifully decorated in white with accents of blue all over. Twinkling lights sparkled and the music playing was all very romantic and breathtaking and shit. Mia really had done a great job of decorating the wedding hall.
– But my eyes saw none of it as I finally saw the first of my girls come down the aisle.
Elana was wearing a cute white dress with blue ribbons, her curly hair pinned up with blue roses pinned to it. She carried a little white basket with blue rose petals inside, and the second she started coming down the aisle, I felt my heart combust into pieces and my lips burst into a grin.
My girl was throwing flowers petals like fucking grenades. She threw some to the left, chucked some to the right, fired some up into the air and then turned the basket upside down for good measure and banged the bottom of it to dump the rest of them out in a petal puddle in the middle of the aisle.
"Fucksake," I heard Eli mutter behind me. I'm guessing this hadn't been part of the flower-girl rehearsal.
I couldn't stop grinning, crouching down when Elana finally spotted me standing there by the end of the aisle. Her eyes widened before her mouth broke into a big smile, and just like that, she was racing towards me. She nearly stumbled on her dress, but didn't stop before she was engulfed in my arms, getting peppered by eager kisses from me.
Hey princess, I signed to her, smiling so big my cheeks hurt. Awesome job on the flowers. You look so pretty in your dress. I love you so much, you know that?
She signed back that she loved me too, before hugging me once more. I chuckled and clutched her to my body, pressing a long kiss to the top of her head. My beautiful little princess.
Suddenly, the music changed. I felt my throat close up, and with a last kiss, I handed Elana over to Eli who easily took her and perched her on his arm. I vaguely sensed Elana waving maddeningly to the person coming down the aisle, but I couldn't focus properly anymore.
Mia looked gorgeous in a light blue bridesmaids dress, carrying a small bouquet of white and blue roses. She smiled warmly at us as she walked up the aisle, her eyes traveling from me to Eli, but I still wasn't fully focusing. My eyes had caught movement behind her, and just like that, I felt my world come together fully.
Oh... man.
Smurf slowly came down the aisle, almost shyly. She grinned nervously to the people in the aisle who awww'ed at her, and I understood why.
She was wearing a breathtaking slim dress, fit for her narrow body – not something she'd usually wear. Unlike most wedding brides though, she hadn't stuck to the usual cliché of a completely virginal white dress. Oh, no.
My Smurf had chosen a charcoal black dress, completely black from head to toe, right down to the little black heels she was wearing. And man, oh man, she was wearing it like a fucking dream.
With black stitched lacing around the hem and bust, the lace traveled down the satin gown in a beautiful flow, ending by the seams. She wore a little black lace collar around her neck, which matched her black studded earrings and darker eye makeup. Her blue hair was short as usual, but had been decorated with a few black and blue roses, pinned to the side. Her veil was short and stopped around mid-back and was black as well. Her bouquet was a mix of blue and black roses like Mia's, but had accents of some green leaves here and there. She was the most breathtaking thing I had ever set my eyes on.
And me? Well, shit. I was bawling like a baby.
I wiped my eyes and couldn't stop smiling while my heart pounded so hard, it felt like my whole body was vibrating. As Smurf continued to walk towards me, glowing and smiling nervously, I felt myself begin to choke even more. I knew right then and there I was blessed and who had done it.
Thank you so much... I promise I'll take care of this angel, Mom and Dad.
I wiped my eyes down a last time as Smurf finally came up beside me, her eyes shimmering as well. Her waterline looked wet like mine, but she wasn't sobbing like me just yet. Instead she was smiling and suppressing her tears with quick gulps and a wobbly chin.
It took everything in me not to kiss her right there and then. Goddamn it, I wanted to take her into my arms and tell her how much I loved her. How much I was going to love her. How obsessed I was with every single thing she did. Fuck it, how I even missed her when I blinked and how my bed didn't feel comfortable without her anymore. She had become my comfort, my obsession, my peace and my strength. She made love feel effortless and natural, yet magical and unreal.
I loved her more than love itself. And today, before our friends and family, I was going to vow to keep loving her till my dying breath.
These are my vows to you, Smurf. Eternal, annoying, soul-sucking, pain-in-my-ass-but-fuck-why-does-it-feel-so-good love. All the way till the end.
"Please be seated," The priest spoke up.
Everyone around us sat down, just as the priest started the usual spiel. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to yada-yada-yada, let's skip to the good part. Throughout it all, I didn't take my eyes off of Smurf who kept staring at me as well. Both of us were grinning at each other, while trying to contain ourselves. She was tipping on her feet, as if she was as impatient as me. As if she couldn't wait to be alone with me and just let it be the two of us again, back in our home with our sweatpants on.
"The couple have written their own vows," The priest finally said, which made me perk up when he turned towards me. "Caleb?"
I grinned and cleared my throat. Fishing out a small note from my pocket, I glanced quickly at Smurf who gulped heavily as I lifted my voice to speak.
"I love hacking," I started out, which had a lot of people in the church blink almost confused. I'm guessing they were expecting something more romantic. But they didn't get it. "I used to think hacking could tell you everything about someone. Within thirty minutes of knowing you, I had already hacked everything about you," I grinned at Smurf, who rolled her eyes with a big smile. "I knew you were a volunteer at the animal shelter. I knew your favorite brand of weed." A few people on Smurf's side of the family coughed and sputtered a little. "I knew you had one killer sweet sixteen party behind your parents backs while they were in Florida visiting your grandparents," I chuckled, which made Smurf's cheeks go pink. I saw her quickly glance at her parents, sending them an apologetic look when they glared, unamused. "The fact is, I thought I knew everything about you because I had hacked you. I thought I knew exactly who you were, because hacking has never failed me before. I am the best at hacking." I proudly told.
Smurf rolled her eyes again, but then met my eyes when I shook my head.
"I was wrong," I now said, my voice thickening with emotion. Smurf's eyes turned shiny again when I gulped and tried to keep my voice steady. "I thought hacking could tell me everything, but I was so wrong. Because what I couldn't hack about you... was how much I was going to love you one day. How I was going to fall completely head over heels for you the first time I saw you. How you were gonna brighten my days and give my life meaning... and how I was going to be standing here today, marrying the love of my life."
Now she was crying. Smurf lifted a hand to wipe a tear from her face while she shook lightly. She hiccuped a couple of times, which made me smile before I continued.
"So what I'm trying to say is... I love hacking. I've always considered it the best thing in the world, but now... having met you," I whispered, looking up at Smurf with a crooked smile. "I love you more. You hacked me, baby."
Smurf nodded shakily, before wiping more tears from her eyes. She couldn't stop smiling though, and that's when I realized I was crying too. Shit, we were a fucking mess.
"Zoe?" The priest gave the word to her, which made her nod again and quickly turn to get her vows from Mia. She unfolded the note and drew in a deep breath.
"I fucking hated you when I first met you," She started out bluntly, causing almost the entire crowd to gasp at her cursing. Not me, though. I laughed, because that was so fucking my Smurf; Not caring one bit, but staying true to herself. "You know I did. I hated you because you were annoying, intrusive, stalkerish and like a little kid who needed a goddamn spanking," She muttered, which made me grin cheekily. Yeah, baby. We made up for that later, didn't we. She continued on; "It wasn't until I realized that... by the end of the day, when you'd no longer annoy me... when your messages stopped coming... I missed you. I couldn't wait for the next text. I started anticipating them, looking forward to them... you had hacked my laptop, but what you didn't realize was that you were also hacking... m-my heart," She pushed out, blushing shyly.
I grinned triumphantly. Smurf looked ready to kick me, but I couldn't help it; she was being cheesy. The one thing she absolutely hated, she was doing for once in her life, and despite it all, I could tell that she meant every word. My heart was pounding hearing her confessions, how she had been waiting for my annoying little messages every morning. How she had missed me.
You'll never have to miss me again, sweetcheeks.
"I love you," She stated, shakily, looking up at me as my smile softened. I nodded when she struggled to push the next words out as well. "And I... I-I never wanna have to wait for your messages ever again."
You don't have to, I mouthed at her, before watching another tear spill from her eyes.
"May we have the rings, please?" The priest politely spoke.
Eli stepped forward and handed us the rings. We each took one and looked at each other as the priest continued, looking first at me.
"Caleb, do you take this woman, to have and to hold, through the good and the bad, through sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," I grinned, almost jumping on my feet as I slid the ring onto her finger.
"Zoe, do you take this man to—"
"Yup, all that," She cut him off, making the priest sigh as she pushed the ring onto my finger with a quick swipe. I couldn't help but grin.
This was it.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you; Husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
I fucking swept her into my arms, just as Zoe all but jumped me, letting me pick her up and kiss her with the biggest grin on my lips as the crowd around us broke into claps and music started playing. I couldn't tear my lips from Smurf's though, kissing her over and over again, even though we were supposed to be walking down the aisle by now. I just couldn't care.
I had finally gotten my girl.
~~~
"Ladies and gentlemen, for the very first time as husband and wife, Mr and Mrs Caleb and Zoe Montrell!"
We broke into the festive gardens and were met by a round of applause as everyone stood up and welcomed us to the dance floor. I confidently pulled Smurf to my chest and watched as she nervously started looking down at her feet with dread on her face.
– My skillful little lady who could suck my dick dry and hack the pentagon, couldn't dance to save her life.
"I've got you," I promised, watching her pout her lips in annoyance. "Just move your hips like you do when you're on top of me riding me like—"
"Shush," She hissed, just as the music thankfully started.
I swung her around gently, trying to contain my laughter when she danced around with me, staring more at the floor than at me. I remembered doing the same when I was young, too. My mom had taught me to dance when I was about 6 years old, telling me that that's how you landed a wife one day.
Thank you, mom.
"I love you," I whispered in Zoe's ear, before giving her cheek a kiss. She stopped fidgeting for a moment and seemed to relax a bit, before kissing my jaw.
"I love you too," She replied, before grinning slowly. "Husband."
"Wifey," I grinned back, before lifting her off the floor. She squealed in surprise, but got muffled by my lips finding hers. I kissed her deep, thoroughly, my beautiful wifey for lifey.
Soon other couples started to join around us. Zoe's parents danced a slow waltz a few feet away, her smaller cousins were running around the edges of the dance floor playing with some of the table decorations, and right on the edge of the dance floor, another couple was slow dancing.
"You think she bribed him again?" Zoe cheekily asked, having spotted what I was looking at as well.
Mia and Eli were standing in a corner, pressed against one another, rocking gently from side to side. The scene would've been quite romantic and cute if it hadn't been for the heavily tattooed hand that rested firmly on Mia's ass, clenching it every other second or so. Eli didn't seem to wanna dance, if going by the sour look on his face, but as a compromise, he appeared to have gotten access to some therapeutic booty-clenching.
– Although Mia didn't seem to mind at all.
"They look happy," I whispered, to which Smurf nodded in agreement.
I watched them for another moment, knowing that if anyone deserved to be happy, it was Eli. Happiness didn't come easy for him, shit, no emotions did, and if they did, he was absolute shit at expressing them.
But Mia understood him.
Love languages were different for all couples, but Mia and Eli seemed to have found a way to translate each other's true meanings. And that was what love was really about at the end of the day, wasn't it?
Smiling at my friends, I saw Eli's face soften for just a second, just as he placed a kiss on the side of her head. Mia smiled blissfully against his chest and allowed him to lay his head against hers, the two of them lost in their own little world.
Man... for all the troubles life had given us, we sure had found the way now, hadn't we?
The rest of the evening continued as any normal wedding. At one point we ate some bomb food, followed by a few speeches from family and friends. Mia gave a nice speech about how Zoe had been her friend through thick and thin, how she had helped her find love and didn't judge, and how that had funnily enough led to her finding me. She thanked me for being such a good guy to her best friend and then jokingly threatened to castrate me if I ever hurt her.
I laughed, until I saw the warning glint in Eli's eyes that she was in fact, not joking.
After that, we finally cut the cake that Mia had ordered for us. It was a three-tier cake with a cake topper of me, Zoe and Elana, who happily got the first slice of cake, helping me slice it. We then sat down and enjoyed what had to be the best cake I'd ever devoured, before I invited Elana out to dance with me. We spun a few rounds on the dance floor until Elana started to yawn, the night getting way past her bedtime. Thankfully Mia showed up to take her to a room we had made sure was ready for her. We kissed her goodnight five times, before continuing on with the night.
"Man, I'm exhausted," I yawned to Smurf who nodded in agreement against my chest. I had convinced her to join me for one last dance before it was time for us to leave for the honeymoon.
"You're not the only one," She murmured, but from the sombre sound of her voice, I looked down and followed her gaze.
He was standing in a corner by a pillar, drink in hand as he silently watched the crowd. His eyes were heavy, yet looked oddly blank as he looked at the dancing couples, watching them spinning around, laughing, and enjoying themselves... until I realized he wasn't looking at all. He was staring into empty space, lost in thought as the rest of the party transpired mindlessly before him.
"He looks exhausted," Smurf whispered concerned, pressing her hand against my chest. "It's getting worse and worse every month. I think the job is finally starting to tear at him."
"Yeah," I whispered, but the thing was... I knew what was truly bothering him, and it wasn't the job. Well, at least not only.
He was watching the crowd, but from the faraway look in his eyes, he wasn't even here with us tonight. He smiled faintly and declined politely whenever someone asked him to dance, before sinking back into his emotionless state of catatonic staring. Physically he was here, but mentally...
He wasn't going to last much longer like this.
"I'll try and talk to him after the honeymoon," I told, clenching Smurf assuringly. She nodded thankfully, before drawing in a deep breath.
"Speaking of which..." She said, which had me groaning happily.
"Yes, please." I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I was tired and I just wanted to sleep the rest of the night away on a private airplane with Smurf right by my side, and wake up on the other side of the world to begin my new life.
"Should we mosey then?" She said, grinning excitedly. I nodded, and just like that, we started heading off the dance floor. Right until Smurf suddenly halted up and cursed. "Oh, shit, wait! The bouquet!"
I frowned confused when she quickly ran towards our table and grabbed her wedding bouquet. Then, instead of running up on stage to announce the bouquet toss, she jogged across the floor, through the dancing couples.
It wasn't until she suddenly stopped in front of one couple, I broke over forward, unable to contain my laughter.
Smurf made a point of walking up to Mia and Eli and taking Mia's hand and stuffing the bouquet into her chest. Then, giving a pointed glare at Eli, she then smirked and spun on her heel, before running back towards me, where I was biting my fist not to laugh.
Eli's face had been priceless.
"All set," Smurf announced, before grabbing my arm. "Let's get the hell out of here." Before Eli kills us both.
Sending a salute to a glaring Eli across the room, I grinned and then sped out of the gardens with Zoe, laughing alongside her until we made it to the car out front. We were bailing on our own wedding, but we just didn't care.
– This was when our life begun.
• • •
Take the hint.