You stare up at your ceiling.
This isn't working.
You should sleep.
But you can't.
You've gotten to the point where tossing and turning is boring. But so is just sitting there and staring at the ceiling, wide awake.
You sigh and kick the sheets off your legs.
You've got to do something.
You tip toe towards the guest bed room, where Juliette sleeps, in Tazmanian devil pajama shorts. You silently slip in the door. A couple years ago if you'd tried to sneak in she would've woken up and caught you. Luckily, the college girl life had shaped her into a deeper sleeper.
You take a few steps forward and crawl in bed next to her, poking her shoulder. She jumps, waking up. She blinks a few times and looks at you. She frowns, "What are you.... Oh, can't sleep?"
You shake your head.
She swallows and looks up at the ceiling, thinking.
She looks at you, "What are you thinking about? Are you worried or just nervous?"
You consider her question, "I'm not worried. Not really. I AM nervous. And excited. And happy. Too many emotions and thoughts at once I guess."
She nods, "Sounds about right. Or, I mean, how I'd expect someone to act the night before their wedding."
You bite your lip, "What do I do?"
She shrugs, "I kinda want to sleep, but if you want me to, I'll stay up with you. We can talk, or watch and movie. Whatever."
You nod, "Stay up and talk with me."
"Okay."
You look at her, "What do you want to talk about?"
She shrugs, "Whatever. What are you thinking about?"
You look at her, chuckling, "Thomas, of course."
She grins, "Obviously."
You think, "So, you think any of the guys are cute? The ones in Toms wedding party?"
Juliette laughs, loudly, "Well, yeah. They're all attractive. But I don't feel THAT way about any of them."
You raise your eyebrow, "What about Dylan? Or Ki?"
She shakes her head, "No way, Iris."
You shrug, "You never know."
She raises her eyebrows, "Yes, I do."
"So why'd you and Rayman break up?" You ask.
She looks at you, "We just didn't see our relationship going anywhere. We're still friends. But neither of us feel that way about each other."
You hum, "Love is weird."
Juliette smiles, "Yeah, it is. But it seems to be working out well for you."
You grin.
The two of you talk for about another hour. And around one o' clock you find yourself drifting off.
- - - -
"LOVE! TUE LOVE!" You wake up to Juliette mocking the movie The Princess Bride, "MAWAGE, IS WAT BWINGS US TOGEFER TODAY!"
"Oh, my gosh. Shut up." You yelp, throwing your pillow over you head.
Juliette jumps on you, "You're getting married today! Your husband is WAITING for you!"
"Well, he can man up and wait ten more minutes." You grumble.
The sheets are ripped off your legs, "Get up! You're getting married!"
You groan, the cold air freezing your legs, "Of all the things you could've done - you had to take my WARMTH!"
You scowl at Juliette, as she grins at you, "I know your weaknesses." She jumps on the bed next to you, "AND ONE OF THEM IS THOMAS! WAKE UP!"
You push her weakly, "Fine. Gosh. I'm awake, apple-john."
She frowns, "What?"
"Nothing." You grunt, swinging your legs over the side of the bed.
Almost as soon as you do, you find the nervousness setting back in. You stare at the floor.
Juliette grabs your hand, "Come on."
"What? Where are we going?" You ask as she tugs you out of the room.
"We're going to eat." She tells you.
You pout, "I don't feel like eating."
"Well, you're going to anyway." She nods.
She pushes you into one of the stools at the breakfast bar.
"I'd like to see you make me." You grumble.
Juliette raises her eyebrows, giving you a trying look. You raise your eyebrows, looking at the counter. You know she can beat you up, "Maybe a little food wouldn't hurt."
She nods, "That's what I thought. Hot chocolate and a bagel."
You nod and she starts making the food.
This is going to be a long day.
When she finishes cooking she sets the food on front of you. You drink the hot chocolate first. It actually tastes okay. But when you start eating the bagel, you can't help but notice the similarities of it and dry grass. But you don't say anything, not wanting to hurt Juli's feelings.
Juliette walks out of the kitchen for a minute, heading to her room. A minute later, she comes out in a orange shirt and gray skinny jeans.
"Go get dressed." She orders.
You nod.
You quickly throw on a Marvel T-shirt and black skinny jeans. Then you look in the mirror. Crap. You look really pale. You can't help bouncing on the balls of your feet. Too. Much. Energy. You examine your face, searching for flaws. The ones Thomas doesn't see.
You search and search, but all of a sudden, you can't find any flaws either.
You smile.
You have a similar feeling to when that robber jumped you in the alley. You're terrified to the point where you're physically shaking. But you're also excited. More excited than you've ever been in your life.
You take a deep breath and walk out of your room.
Juliette waits in the living room, "You ready for this?"
You take a few steadying breaths before answering. You nod, "Yes, I am."
- - - -
You look at yourself in the mirror. You're all decked out in your wedding attire. The only difference is that you wear a diamond necklace that Thomas sent into your dressing room, with the note saying, " You are my happily ever after. To all the future pampering you'll be getting. ;-) "
You sigh.
Shoot.
Crap.
YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!
You feel like shouting it from the rooftops.
You hear a knock on the door.
You straighten up and call, "Come in."
Juliette sticks her head in, she too wears her wedding garb, "Hey."
You smile nervously, "Hey."
"Five minutes...." She warns.
You nod, feeling your face flush, "Yeah."
She looks at you, "Nervous?"
You roll your eyes and sarcastically say, "No, not at all."
She grins, "I'll leave you alone now."
You nod.
You close your eyes as she shuts the door. You think back on the person Thomas used to be- before you met him. One night stands, parties, and alcohol were his strong point. Now he was completely different. And you know you don't agree with how he used to be. But you can't help loving him. Despite his past and his mistakes. He moved you more than any man you'd ever known. All other men, seemed pale next to him.
The door opens yet again.
Except this time, you see your father on the other side.
He looks at you gravely, and proudly, his eyes full of emotion, "They're ready for you. And your future husband awaits you."
You take a deep breath.
Stay calm.
Don't fall.
You stand and walk over to him, taking his arm. The two of you walk down the church hallway. Finally, you see the entrance to the chapel. Your eyes widen. The cue man waits for your approval to signal the organ.
You look at your dad, who is already staring at you, "You want to go in?"
You look at the door, "In a minute."
The two of you look at the door for another minute. Your father, yet again asks, "Want to go in, now?"
You stare at the door in a daze, "Yes."
Your father nods to the cue man. The cue man gives the signal and the organ starts up.
Oh, crap.
You walk forward, coming up to the door. You step in the doorway. Tons of eyes are on you. But you search for only one pair.
Thomas.
There he stands, down at the alter. A smile spreads across his face as he sees you. Dylan, Ki, Will, Percy, and all the others stand off to his side. On your side of the alter, is your sister, and your cousin and all of your close friends.
You take steps forward, feeling more like you're gliding than walking. Finally, you break your eyes away from Toms handsome gaze and look out at the crowd. You spot friends and family. You spot your old friend, Snow, and her husband. She waves at you happily and you smile quickly.
You look back up to Thomas. Yet again, you find tears in his eyes and you smile, barely keeping yours in. You step up on the alter, your Dad letting go of you, handing you off to Thomas to let him take care of you.
You take Thomas' hands, looking into his beautiful brown eyes, that hold SO MANY memories.
He smiles, "Do you like the necklace?"
You smile, "I do."
Bishop Cryis smirks and leans forward, "I'd hate to tell you this, but we havent reached that part of the service yet."
You and Thomas chuckle as he leans back and starts into the vows, "We are gathered together here today...."
You and Thomas stare into each others eyes, hardly listening at all.
- - - -
Thomas repeats the words, "I, Thomas, take thee, Iris, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever. According to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
Bishop Cryis tells Thomas the next part of the speech, to which Thomas gladly repeats with all seriousness, and all happiness, in his eyes, "I promise you Iris, that I will be your loyal and loving husband from now on. I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain for eternity."
You bite your lip. You smile and feel a warm tear rush down your cheek. The words "life's joy" hit you really hard. Because life really is a joyful thing. Sure, some parts of life suck, and personally, you could do without the heartache and the sorrow. But the pain is what makes you who you are. And it makes the happy times happier. And you know facing the pain will be easier with Thomas.
Now it's your turn to repeat the words, "I promise you Thomas, that I will be your loyal and loving wife from now on. I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain for eternity."
Thomas smiles down at you.
Bishop Cryis smiles at you, "I now pronounce you man and wife. Thomas, you may now kiss the bride."
Toms smile spreads even wider as he slides his hands up to your shoulders and you wrap your arms around his neck. Your lips connect and share a kiss unlike any of the others. It's different. It's not different because you're married now. It's different because it's all done and it's all beginning at the same time. A new stage of life has just started. You know in this moment that you will love him with your whole heart, for your whole life.
He pulls away and smiles at you, before the two of you practically attack each other with a hug.
Thomas whispers in your ear, "Now I get to annoy you for the rest of my life."
If at all possible you smile even wider, laughing.
You look at the crowd, you didn't even notice they had stood up and were cheering. Your bridesmaids stand off to the side laughing. And the guys stand there grinning like the idiots they are.
You pull away, not letting go of his hand.
And you must say, you look forward to spending the rest of this good life with him.
It's time to jump on the train now.
But this time there's no gettig off.
- - - -
The church gym doesn't even look like a gym with all the streamers hanging from the ceiling. It's decorated in purple and green, the two colors you and Tom could agree on. You stand at the door, greeting the wedding guest for the after wedding party when you spot one of your good, old friends.
You gasp, grinning, "Calabaza!"
She spots you and smiles, making her way through the crowd, "Iris, it's so good to see you!"
You smile. One of the things you've missed most about her is her voice. Jamaican accents are awesome. Next to you Thomas stays quiet. Letting you talk to your friend.
You smile at her and the man that walks beside her, "You too! I'm so glad you could make it!"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Actors forever, eh?" She grins.
The two of you met in high school through the means of a play. Both of you were aspiring young actors. You had similar styles and tastes. You'd almost instantly become friends. She too, was an actor. Although she wasn't quite as successful as you, she was still really good.
"Actors forever." You smile, looking her up and down.
It's then you notice the bumb protruding from her belly. You raise your eyebrows, looking at her.
She laughs, "Yes, I'm pregnant. Might as well tell you before you ask."
"Okay." You nod, "But you never called to tell me or anything!"
She shrugs, "I figured I would tell you in person." She looks at the man next to her, "This is my husband, Trevor, by the way."
You extend your hand and he shakes it, offering you a small smile, "Nice to meet you Trevor."
You look at Thomas, sliding your hand on his, "This is my husband, Thomas."
She chuckles, "Nice to meet you, Thomas. I have heard a lot about you."
He smiles, squeezing your hand, "I have too. In fact, we watched some videos of when the two of you were in high school."
"Oh, I'm afraid I've changed much since then! I hope I didn't scare you too much with my....um, youngness." She laughs.
Thomas smirks, "Not at all."
Calabaza looks around, "Well, I'd imagine some others would like to speak with you, so I won't hog you up. But congratulations, yet again!"
"Thank you!" You call as they walk off.
A few more guests are greeted before you run into your friend, Kit.
She tugs a little girl behind her, along with a tall man named Zane. You met at her wedding.
She approaches you with a small smile.
"Mom, I'm bored!" The little girl pouts.
"Just a minute, dear. Mommy is going to talk to a friend really quick! Okay?"
The little girls sighs, "Okay."
Kit looks down at you smiling. Kit is insanely tall. Always has been. Tall and thin as a toothpick.
She grumbles, "Forget the terrible twos, more like the traumatic THREES."
You smile, "I don't think I've met by our daughter before. She looks just like Zane."
Kit smiles, "Yeah, she does. Ulna takes after her Dad on almost everything. Dark hair, blue eyes, lack of patience...."
She give Zane a pointed look and he playfully sticks his tounge out.
You laugh, "Good to see you again Zane. This is Thomas."
Zane holds out his hand and Thomas shakes it.
"Nice to meet you." Zane says with a smile.
"You too." Thomas grins, "So tell me, how's married life?"
Zane grins mischievously, "Oh, married life is great. You get to sleep with your best friend every night."
Kits mouth drops open, "Zane!"
He laughs, "I only speak the truth!"
She clicks her tounge, "Such maturity."
She looks back at you, the two of you talk for another few minutes while Thomas and Zane bond. And become friends.
Yyyyay.
Kit finally says, "Well, we should leave you two alone, let some other people see you."
Thomas stops them, "Hey, wait. We have to exchange numbers."
Zane and Thomas hand each other their phone and program their numbers in.
You and Kit share a look, "It's like high school all over again."
Zane, Kit and Ulna leave, and you're surprised to see the next guest is Snow.
Now, I forwarn you, Snow is an interesting character. Her husband and children all have....unusual names.
"Everest," she calls to her husband as she steps forward, "Kentucky will not leave Star alone! Take care of them please! I need to say hello quickly. As a matter of fact, Kentucky! Star! Come here! I want you to meet some of Mommys friends."
The five and six year olds come bounding up like two excited puppies.
Snow widens her eyes at you, "Save me."
"Who is this Mommy?" Her little girl, Star asks, sweetly. Her blonde hair is back in a little braid, "Is she a princess like Elsa?"
Kentucky, leans forward, towards his sister, "No, she's a monster desguised as a princess! She's going to eat you!"
Star frowns at her older brother, "No, she isn't. You're silly. Leave me alone."
Snows husband Everest steps forward, "Ken, leave your sister alone."
When Snow and Everest got married, there were a lot of sexual jokes about them. Such as-
"Oh, look at that, there's Snow all over Everest."
"Snow is always on top of Everest."
It was a very awkward wedding cermenoy for them.
Kentucky stops, seeing something off to the side, "Hey, look at that!" And then he goes running, Star trailing after him.
Snow cries, "Kids! Get back here."
She looks at you apologetically, "Sorry. Congratulations. I'm going to stop my kids from destroying your wedding."
You chuckle and the guest greeting continues.
- - - -
After the two of you've cut the cake, it's time for your first dance. The song you chose to be your first, was "Take a Look Through My Eyes", by Phil Collins.
As the song ends the words echo in your ears, " Take a look through my eyes. There's a better place somewhere out there, if you just take a look through my eyes."
You'd been planning for that to be your first dance song since you were sixteen years old. You thought it would be romantic. And it was. The two of you had quietly played questions as you danced. And you did take a look through his eyes.
Their was a light in Toms eyes that you'd never seen before. It was like he looked at you as if you were the one thing he'd been searching for his entire life. And you are so glad you waited for someone to give you a look like that. You are so glad you jumped on the train.
Your Dad stands up, "We'd like to offer everyone the opportunity to say a few words to the bride and the groom. As you can see, we have this nice little microphone set up here. So , don't be shy! Come on up! They'll be leaving for their honeymoon soon!"
The first one up is Will. He holds a glass of wine in his hand. He does love his alcohol.
He grins at you and Thomas, "Out of all the people in the world, how is it possible that I ended up with the best ones for best friends?"
He smirks at the two of you, his words blending together a little, "Those two married their best friends. Each other. They found the happiest truest relationship. Their relationship wasn't like that at first they had to experiment and develop and figure some things out. I got to watch them do so. And it was really a magnifcent experience. Iris taught me something during it. She taught me that sometimes you have to wait for the best things to come along. She's really an insirping person. Tommy, you chose well, mate. And look where they wound up." He blinks shaking his head, "And I'm drunk right now so I'm going to get down before I make a fool of myself. Congrats to the Sangsters."
He downs his wine and steps away from the mic.
A few others go. Old friends and people you've either met or heard about, that Thomas invited. You pay close attention when Sidney steps up.
She looks at you and grins, "I have to agree with Percy on the whole " you being more like a sister" thing. Though, I think that's the only thing we'll ever agree on." This makes the crowd and yourself laugh. She looks pleased with herself as she continues, "The best relationships are the ones you don't see coming. I have a feeling Iris did not see this one coming. And look how it worked out. Iris' and i's relationship was a little different. Seeing how she was two and I was newly born, I didn't know what to expect from any relationship. She may have been happy I was there, but I don't think either of us thought about our relationship growing up. We were kids. We didn't realize we were making memories, we were just having fun. Iris, you and I are more than friends or cousins, we're like a really small gang. I mean, and I'm rambling right now, do you even realize how amazing you are to me? I can remember tons of times where I've fallen down and you would either successfully pick me up after a few tries or give up after a few tries because, let's face it, you don't have much muscle, but back to the point, you'd lay down beside me."
She goes on, "Now, I have a couple threats for Thomas...." She drawls, making the guests laugh even more, "Iris is my best friend and if you break her heart, I will break your face. If you hurt my best friend I will make your death look like an accident."
She ponders for a minute and then says, "That's all I got. Congrats guys."
You laugh and clap as Sidney gets down.
You must admit, you're pretty crazy about by our family.
- - - -
"How much longer until we get there?" Thomas whines, quietly.
"Thomas, it's a six hour flight. We've been riding for three. We'll be there soon." You tell him, taking out your earbud for about the millionth time to tell him the EXACT. SAME. THING. Taylor Swifts new album has been interrupted about five times now and youre only on the fourth song, Out of the Woods.
He leans over and whispers in your ear, "I can't wait that long."
"Sorry, Sangster. I'm not doing anything in an airplane full of people."
He clicks his tounge, but the grins, "Hey, guess what?"
"Hmmmm?"
He presses his lips to your cheek, "Your name is Iris Sangster now."
You smile softly, "It's a nice sounding name, huh?"
He smirks, "I like to think so."
- - - -
"Thomas, you're speeding." You say.
"I know." He says, raising his eyebrows.
"Speeding is illegal. Even in Belize." You warn.
"I know that too. But I'm trying to get somewhere fast, so I speed." He smirks.
"You can't wait another ten minutes?" You ask.
"Nope. It's physically impossible. I can not wait any bloody longer! I am very tempted to pull over right now and...."
You grin, "And?"
He clears his throat, "Do stuff."
"Oh. Okay." You grin.
"Stop mocking me." Thomas pouts.
"Sorry, babe. It's just very funny when your so desparate." You chuckle.
He raises an eyebrow, "Won't be so funny in the morning when we're both sore. It'll have been worth it, but it won't be funny."
You furrow your eyebrows, "You make it sound so appealing."
He smirks, "Oh, it will be."
He sits up when he spots your small house on the beach, "Here we are."
Your mind buzzes.
Here you go.
He quickly pulls into the driveway. He opens his a car door and jumps out, "Wait there."
He jogs over to the your car door. He opens it and scoops you up in his arms.
"Okay. Take a chill pill." You laugh as he slams the car door closed.
He holds you upright, so your stomache is pressed against his. Your legs wrap around his torso, his hands hold you up by your legs, just under your butt.
You lean down and kiss him, and this time, he shamelessly sticks his tounge in your mouth. He walks forward slowly, towards the front door. He unlocks it in one swift movement and fligs the door open, closing it quickly. He sets you down and crouches, "Get on my back." He orders.
You don't question and hop on. He piggy's backs you around, searching, muttering under his breath, "Bedroom....bedroom....where is the bloody bedroom?"
Finally he opens a door and grins, "Success!"
He steps in, quickly sets you down on the bed and turns around to close the door. As he walks back over he takes his shirt off. You begin to take your clothes off, but he stops you, "Wait...." He gives you a bashful look, "I want to."
You raise your eyebrows, "Yes, sir."
He climbs in your lap, pressing you against the bed. He lets his fingers linger against the hem of your shirt, his eyes flicker to yours and he quickly kisses you one last time before the cold air touches your stomach.
The last words you hear are, "I love you, Iris Sangster."
- - - -
Author:
Don't you dare lie to me and say you don't wish I wrote more than that. I know about young perverted minds. You guys have been waiting for that forever. ;-)
Anyway, I LEAVE TOMORROW.
SUCH SADNESS.
I'LL MISS YOU GUYS! :-(
Also, I started this story called Hundreds of Reasons to be Happy. It's really depressing. I think you guys will like it. You should check it out. :-)
News on my brother - He was released from the hospital today. Gained consciousness yesterday. He's doing great. We finally figured out what happened. Technically you're supposed to have only about 150 white blood cells. Well, he had about 600. Soooo, yeah. They had to fix that. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS! IT'S SO AWESOME!
Anyway, bye for the next few days. :-(
-Sunny