25 November 2186
"Have you seen our shoes, have you seen our shoes?" Nina skipped into my bedroom, holding up her white high heels. Bridesmaid was printed on each sole.
I turned my head towards her and almost burned my face on the hair curlers. "Yes. Gem couldn't resist showing them to me while you were in the bathroom."
"Gem!"
Gem laughed behind me, and the mattress dipped as the hair curlers moved from my line of sight.
Cassia entered behind Nina, her hair still tied back and a glass of water in her hand. "Have you seen your shoes, Ambie?"
"Well...yes. I bought them."
She and Nina exchanged a look of conspiracy, and Nina went to my wardrobe. "I nicked them when you weren't looking on Saturday to make some alterations."
"Oh, God."
"No, don't say that!" Nina pulled the heels out with a flourish. "Ta-da!"
They also had writing on the soles, scribbled in marker pen. I couldn't make out what any of it said because there was so much.
Nina laid them down on in front of me. "We've all signed them: us three, Erin, Sebastian, Dixon, your parents, your in-laws..." She tapped one of the messages. "And Alex!"
I picked the shoe up. My sergeant hadn't been given much room to write, but he'd still managed to squeeze in the three little words.
I love you. A xxx
My heart skittered, and a shiver fluttered down my spine. I was getting married to him -- today.
I scanned the other messages wishing me well, and tears sprung to my eyes. Gem leaned over my shoulder with a cheeky smile, her new blonde curls brushing my face. "You can't cry. It took me ages to do your make-up."
I cleared my throat and tried to force the tears back. "Thank you so much for this. I can't believe it."
Nina grinned. "You're welcome, but I'm not finished yet. We need to go through the wedding rhyme."
I looked at her blankly.
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue!" She picked up her handbag. "The wedding dress is something new, obviously. For something blue, I bought you a blue garter." She threw it at me. "And we can do old and borrowed in one because I brought one of my old bracelets. It should be in here somewhere..."
"Whose wedding even is this?"
"She hasn't thought of everything," Cassia said. "You need a silver sixpence in your shoe."
Nina stilled. "Shit. I forgot that part existed."
"I didn't." My sister pulled a sixpence out of her jeans pocket as if by magic.
"No fucking way am I putting that lump in my shoe," I said.
"I'll put it there, then. You won't feel it."
"I will."
"You won't! And you're going to wear it."
"Never mind that." Gem climbed off the bed with the hair curlers. "When are you going to tell her about the cake?"
"Oh, fuck!" Panic crashed over me. "The cake -- I never sorted the cake!"
Cassia smiled. "We know. So we baked one."
"Well," Nina said, "Cassia cracked the whip, and Gem and I scurried around the kitchen like good assistants."
"You baked me a cake?" I stared at Cassia.
"Yes. It's ready and waiting in my kitchen. I'll fetch it before the reception."
"Thank you!" I stood up and flung my arms around her. "Thank you so much. I love you. What would I do without you lot?"
"Be late." Nina pried us apart. "We only have fifteen minutes left, and you need to get into your dress."
***
The church was an ordinary skyscraper from the outside, but the interior was traditional: dark wood pews, marble arches, stained glass windows. I could see a glimmer of it through the doors of the hall we were standing in. The guests were rising as the music began to play.
My father squeezed my hand. "Are you ready?"
I looked down at him, dressed in a grey suit with his wheelchair polished to a shine, and smiled. "Yes."
Cassia and Gem went first, vanishing out of the hall in their dark red dresses and clutching bouquets of roses. Then Nina went.
My father and I followed.
The church was packed with guests: our families, our friends, our co-workers. Alex was standing at the altar with Sebastian. He turned around just as I entered, and the love in his eyes took my breath away. It seemed to me that everything in the world stopped moving. There was only one person: my sergeant; my best friend; my soul mate. Nerves faded, overridden by my excitement to join with him forever.
And then I was at the altar.
"You," he said, "are beautiful."
I took his hand, warmth rushing from my head to my toes. "Thank you. So are you."
***
Much later, at the reception, Nina twirled to a halt at my side. "Aren't you glad I chose the dresses?"
The rest of my wedding party was already gathered around me, with the addition of Erin and the exception of Cassia, who was talking to someone beside the table that held the wedding cake. It was simple: three tiers of Victoria sponge placed on top of each other and decorated in white icing, but nothing fancier could have been more special to me.
I turned back to Nina -- as much as I could with my husband's arms around my shoulders. "You three have taken over my wedding."
"If we hadn't, you'd have no cake, you wouldn't have followed the good luck rhyme, and we would have all looked hideous." Nina changed her voice, doing a fantastic impression of me. "'I don't know what bloody colour scheme I want. Why don't you just choose whatever you like the look of?' Gem would have turned up impersonating a rainbow, Cassia would have chosen a neon body-con, and I'd have been the only one in this lovely red gown."
"A rainbow dress would have looked nice," Gem protested. "Anyway, Nina, shouldn't you be busy?"
Nina's bushy-eyed enthusiasm faded, and she suddenly looked serious. "Busy? Why? What have I missed?"
"Your own traditions. The maid of honour is supposed to get it on with the best man, right?"
Sebastian didn't appear to be listening, because he was too busy looking across the room at Cassia. But Nina glanced at Erin nervously. "Um...no?"
Gem grinned. "I'm sure --"
"No, don't say it again, she'll kill me." Nina linked her arm through her girlfriend's. "I love you, Erin. Please don't kill me."
Erin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, please don't," I chimed in. "I can't cope with another murder inquiry yet."
Alex chuckled.
Nina elbowed me. "It's good to know you've got your priorities in order."
"Okay," Gem said over us, "maybe the tradition was for the best man to get it on with a bridesmaid. Any bridesmaid."
Sebastian finally looked back at us, an easy smile crossing his face. "Are you offering yourself to me, Gem?"
"I wouldn't take you," she replied seriously. "But you should go and talk to Cassia."
He did, without a word of protest.
Nina squealed as he strode away. "Yes! Now we just need to find someone for you to spend the evening with, Gem!"
"Do they always play matchmaker?" Alex asked in my ear.
I turned. "Yes. I'm quite sure Nina was trying to play matchmaker with us before she even knew about our attraction."
He smiled. "Our very illegal attraction."
"But it's legal now. Really legal." I rose on my tiptoes. "We're married."
"So we are, my wife." He kissed me softly; drew back. "And I'm very glad of it. I love you."
He kissed me again, and we lost ourselves together like we'd lost ourselves on New Year's Eve. Like we'd lost ourselves at his flat on our first night. Like we'd lost ourselves when we'd made the decision to do the Trials and then when we'd succeeded, and like we'd carried on losing ourselves every moment since.
The strength of our love turned me weak. When he drew away, I was clinging to him. He held my waist just as tightly, his eyes dark with attraction -- and more.
I'd rocked his world when he'd come to Socrico. And he'd rocked mine, for good.
I smiled up at him. "I love you too, Alex."
THE END