When?

28. "For now, for then, and forever."

Harry

 

God, she was beautiful. The white color of her wedding dress brought a certain light to her appearance, and she was almost glowing, as bright as the moon, as captivating as the night’s stars. Her cheeks were the most beautiful shade of pink, matching her full lips. Her blonde hair fell onto her shoulders, being covered by her long veil. She was absolutely captivating, and I didn’t know what did I ever do to deserve her. This must have been another one of my dreams, because there was no way that she was walking down that aisle, towards me, with that all too heavenly smile. There was no way that she was going to be my wife, and that in her own, special way, she had always loved me back. Louis was walking her towards me, the goofiest of all smiles on his lips, the black grey suit with the red tie that the boys had picked out for him, fitting him perfectly. The boys. They were standing right behind me, whispering amongst themselves, but I couldn’t possibly bother to hear what they had to say, because she was here. Judith, in all her glory, was standing right in front of me, turning to hand her bouquet to Louis who acted more like a maid of honor than anything else. I smiled to myself, biting at my lip to prevent any tears from escaping my watering eyes.

I wasn’t going to cry on my wedding.

That was the bride’s job.

Fuck, the bride.

Judith was the bride.

She was my bride.

That was it, I was going to start crying.

Her hands took their place, holding mine, and I could feel her loving, warm, eyes on me. The priest started talking, but I kept my eyes on the floor, in fear of revealing the tears that I was barely swallowing. It was my turn to speak, but all of a sudden, my mind went completely blank, my throat running dry. I lifted my eyes in sheer panic, to meet hers. I opened my mouth, praying to God that anything would come out, anything at all, but I was paralyzed by the blissful realization that this wonderful young woman was declaring herself as my own.

“ Fuck.” I hissed under my breath, turning my eyes away, wanting to run away before doing anything to let her down. This was Judith we were talking about, she deserved better, and I had nothing to offer her. I ran a nervous hand through my hair, pulling at the roots, and that was when I felt her hands cupping my face.

“ You’re not eloping, are you?” She questioned, her lips curved into a smile that I would never forget. I shook my head, letting out a long breath.

“ I am freaking out.” I whispered, for only her to hear me.

“ I can tell, yeah, now, grow some balls, and say your “I do”, and fucking kiss me.” She demanded, but her voice was warm, serene, almost, joyful. I chuckled at her language, shaking my head at the humor she managed to put into any situation. My eyes looked behind her, meeting Louis’ blue ones, and he gave me a single nod.

“ Marry her or you won’t live to see another day.” He mouthed, causing me to fall into a fit of laughter, causing Judith to pull away, returning to her previous position, never allowing her hands to leave mine. As if Louis’ request was ever needed, I would be damned if I let her slip from my grasp after all this time. I nodded at my priest, exhaling heavily, before meeting her tender gaze.

“ I met you, about eleven years ago now, we were ten at the time, and you were the typical rebel wannabe. You loved using the windows even though the doors were opened, you loved going out at night even though you had nothing better to do during the mornings, you drove me absolutely mad because I felt like I needed to act like a protective parent or you would have gotten us both killed.” The crowd burst into laughter, but the only sound that caught my attention was her heartfelt giggling. She shook her head, in remembrance I was certain, before meeting my eyes again.