The Wedding | 18+

Chapter 19

Adam

I wake to the soft, diffused light of morning filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room.

Stretching my limbs, I turn to my side, my eyes land on the peaceful figure of Cora beside me.

She lays there, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath, her messy hair framing her face.

The memories of the previous night flood back to me —the laughter, the whispered conversations, the tender moments shared beneath the moonlit sky.

It had been our first night together, a culmination of months of building attraction and unspoken longing.

I can't help but smile as I trace the curve of Cora's cheek with my fingertips, marveling at the way her presence seems to fill the room with an undeniable warmth.

And even though yesterday showed me new emotions, I had never felt more connected to another person than I do in this moment, lying beside her in the quiet stillness of the morning.

Cora moves, her eyelids suddenly fluttering open and she meets my gaze with her sleepy eyes.

A soft smile tuggs at the corners of her lips, and I feel my heart skip a beat at the sight of her.

"I can't believe you are watching me sleep." She murmurs, hiding her face into the pillow.

"Good morning, my beautiful Cora." I reply to her, my voice barely above a whisper.

I then lean in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, savoring the sweetness of this moment.

I wish I could stay here, with her, like this forever.

As we lay there, wrapped in each other's arms, I feel a sense of contentment wash over me —a feeling of being exactly where I was meant to be.

We stay in bed for a while longer, sharing whispered words and tender caresses, unwilling to let go.

I can't believe that she is finally in my arms and I finally feel like it is the right thing. In fact, it feels like the most right thing in my whole life.

But eventually, the need to pee is stronger, so we untangle ourselves from each other.

She tells me to close my eyes until she finds her shirt, which makes me laugh.

"After everything we did last night, you can't be seriously.." I start saying while I am laughing, but Cora stops me with her finger pointed out.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She has a mischievous smile all over her face, her cheeks are slightly red.

"How did you sleep?" She asks me, once she is out of my bathroom.

Surprisingly I slept like a baby. It has been a long time since I have gotten this good of a sleep.

"Your hair kept getting into my mouth, but that assured me that you are still here." I smile.

She comes up to me and curls in my lap. I wrap my arms around her waist and burry my face into her collarbone.

"So you are not breaking up with me again?" I hear her asking and I smile to myself.

I feel ready to face whatever the future holds, if it means to spend every day like this.

I take her hand, intertwining our fingers.

"No, Cora, not at all. I am asking if you would like to spend the rest of the weekend here with me?" I place little kisses on her neck and then one big on her cheek.

"Oh my god, Adam! Of course I will be your girlfriend!" She exclaims and I love to hear her laugh.

"Should I be also looking for a ring now?" I tease her back and gently bite a little bit under her ear.

As I sit at the kitchen table, stirring my coffee, watching Cora move around my kitchen, inspecting every cabinet, her movements graceful and purposeful, a knot of anxiety tightens my chest.

Last night had been magical, there was no doubt.

No one has ever fit in my arms like she does.

No one has ever been even close to who she is.

However now I can't shake the fear of ruining everything coming back. The fear of not being good enough for her. The fear of not being understood.

I had never felt this vulnerable with anyone before, never allowed myself to be seen so completely, to be touched so throughout.

And while a part of me was being healed because of the feelings for her, another part was terrified of messing it all up. Because if I would mess it up now, there would be absolutely no going back.

There is no life without her anymore.

"What's on your mind?" Cora's voice breaks through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.

She is standing next to me, there is concern in the furrow of her brows.

I force a smile, attempting to push aside my thoughts. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the day ahead."

But Cora isn't fooled. Of course she isn't. It's like she already can see right through the facade I always try to maintain.

With a gentle hand, she reaches out and cups my cheek, her touch grounding me in the moment.

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know," she murmurs, her voice soft and reassuring. "Whatever it is you're feeling, whatever fears you may have, you can share them with me. When you are ready."

I feel a lump form in my throat, the weight of my emotions threatening to spill over.

I have always prided himself on being strong, on keeping my vulnerabilities hidden away where no one could ever see them.

But with Cora, it was different.

She had a way of breaking down my walls without even trying, without even me noticing.

Ever since our first conversation, I feel safe enough to let my guard down whenever I am with her.

"I'm scared," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "Scared of messing things up, of losing what we finally have now that we've been so vulnerable with each other and there's no going back anymore."

Cora's expression softens and she takes my hands in hers.

"Why are you so afraid?" She asks gently.

"I am scared that I have let the past become more powerful than everything else in my life. I'm scared that I ruin you, just how I was ruined." I whisper.

I am terrified of telling her about my father and my millions of step dads. I am even more terrified to tell her about Luke and about what I did after.

"None of us is perfect. We all have secrets, things we are ashamed of." She is drawing circles on my palm with her finger. "Our past is who we are now. It is up to us either we let it consume us or we let it to teach and show us something."

"You are who you are, because of all the things that have ever happened." She whispers. "And I wouldn't want to be with anyone else, Adam. You are perfect to me."

Maybe vulnerability was not a weakness, but a strength.

My heart is racing as Cora's words echo in my mind.

So I reach out and gently take her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing lightly against her cheeks and lips.

Leaning in slowly, I close the distance between us, my lips and tongue pressing against hers in a tender kiss.

All that matters to me now is this feeling.

This feeling like finally coming home.

Cora gazes up at me and I know that I have made the right choice.