AFTER THE RAIN (Bonus edition)

34. So imperfect in the most perfect way possible

Marcus wasn't sure who was more nervous – him or the groom?

He, Jess and Damien were standing front and center in one of the most beautiful buildings he'd ever been in. The wedding ceremony and reception was being held in an old Chateau, and they could not have found a better venue. It was nighttime, and everything was drenched in the warm glow of candlelight. The atmosphere was mystical, almost ethereal. Large, intricate golden chandeliers hung from high ceilings that were painted with murals dating back centuries. The walls were a deep red, with subtle gold accents everywhere. It really was like stepping into another world.

Next to him, Damien stood wringing his hands, until Jess pulled his nervous fingers apart and held onto one of his shaking hands. She gave the back of his hand a reassuring pat, and Damien looked up at her with a grateful smile.

"Totally love you, dude," she whispered and winked at him.

"Me too," Damien bumped her playfully with his shoulder.

Marcus was also wringing his hands; he was just trying to hide it. At one point, he had to shove them into his pockets to keep them still. It didn't really work, though, because he just landed up fingering the material at the bottom of the pockets. He felt like he was going to explode, like a ticking bomb getting closer and closer to the end of its countdown. He raised himself up and down on his toes a few times. His feet felt like they wanted to run in the opposite direction, down the aisle to where Stormy was.

And when the wedding march filled the air, he had to stop himself from jumping in front of Damien to see Stormy. Lilly entered first; as she glided down the aisle, Marcus turned to look at his cousin's face momentarily. Damien was glowing, beaming from ear to ear at the sight of her, and the deep love visible in his expression was touching. Marcus had never felt so sentimental about stuff like this before, but Stormy had ignited something in him. Floodgates had been opened. He glanced back at Lilly. She looked beautiful: blonde, perfect, groomed. She was the type of woman he would have usually gone for in the past. But not anymore.

The bridesmaids were walking behind her, which was an unusual order of procession and only served to torture him further. And then he saw her...

Never had he felt his heart beat so fast. She looked incredible. The golden glow of the candles made her even more so. His heart seemed to swell with a sense of pride as he realized that she was his. Her hair was up, looking more sophisticated than he'd ever seen it. Some pink tendrils had escaped from the intricate knot on top of her head, and when he saw her scratch her scalp as if the tight up-do was making her itchy, he smiled. Only Stormy would do that while walking down the aisle at a wedding. Adorable. Her scratch loosened a few more strands of hair and when she was done, the fancy style looked decidedly lop-sided. He had to hold down a laugh, especially when a clip fell out and she bent down to pick it up off the floor. She was so imperfect in the most perfect way possible.

She was wearing the perfect dress, too. Pale pink. He adored her in pink. It sort of blended into her pale skin, which he loved. She looked, dare he say it, like a fairy out of a Disney movie. Tinker Bell came to mind, another thought that made him smile. He was basically dating Tinker Bell – just a naughtier version. A much fucking naughtier version.

She got closer and looked directly at him now. Her green eyes widened and she smiled radiantly at him, like Damien had smiled at Lilly, and suddenly he felt like he was watching his own bride walk towards him. Everyone faded away. There were no people, no Damien and Lilly; it was just him and her.

***

Stormy had no words for the feelings welling up inside her. Marcus was smiling at her like she was the only woman in the world. His smile felt like it reached out across the room with tentacles and physically tugged on her heart.

As she reached the top of the aisle, their eyes locked, and they stayed like that throughout the entire ceremony. Fixated. And again, his eyes seemed to reach out across to her and wrap her up in some kind of warm gossamer blanket. She could almost feel an invisible string connecting them across the aisle.

She let the priest's words wash over her as he spoke about love. The beauty of love. The happiness of finding love, and the need to hold onto it with all your might. It all sounded so good, especially in that exotic Czech accent. It felt like he was speaking directly to her now. Lilly and Damien were the ones getting married, but in a way, this felt like her wedding.

And then Damien started speaking, and they momentarily broke their stare to look at him.

"Lilly, I've been trying to write the perfect vows for days now. But nothing I've written has been good enough, and it's all just landed up in the bin." He smiled a little and looked at Jess, who smiled back knowingly. "But then I realized that the reason I couldn't write anything is because my feelings for you cannot be put into words," he said, gazing adoringly at his bride.

As if choreographed, both Stormy and Marcus looked at each other again, knowing exactly what Damien meant.

"So all I can do, Lilly, is show you how much I love you every day for the rest of my life."

At that, Marcus gave Stormy a slight nod, and she felt her heart catapult out of her chest. She blushed and smiled back at him. The desire to reach out and touch him in that moment reached an all time high. It was almost painfully unbearable.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."

But as soon as those words were out of the priest's mouth, Stormy and Marcus flung themselves at each other. Marcus cupped her face and kissed her. Stormy took his hands in hers and wrapped his arms around her as they kissed each other – the most important kiss of their lives. It was a kiss of promise. One of hope and possibility and excitement. Destiny. Magic and –

"Excuse me!" Damien tapped Marcus on the shoulder, and he and Stormy broke apart. Stormy looked around in surprise; Marcus too glanced around, and his eyes widened in shock. Wrapped up in their own private bubble, they'd forgotten where they were.

Stormy burst out laughing, as did half of the guests.

"You're stealing my thunder here," Damien playfully punched Marcus on the shoulder.

Jess stepped forward. "Leave it to me, I'll deal with these two." She took them both by the hand and pulled them aside so that Lilly and Damien could have their moment. "Down, naughties. Down," Jess whispered to them with a smile. "Keep your pants on until after the ceremony, please."

"Okay. Shall we try that again?" the priest said, looking rather amused. "In all my years of doing this, I've never seen that," he chuckled. "Right, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

"Don't you dare," Jess hissed in their ears.

Lilly shot Stormy a quick warning look in jest, before she turned to Damien. Damien pulled his new wife towards him, and like he'd done with the first kiss they had ever shared (which had also happened to be on a stage at a strip club in Thailand, of all places), he dipped her unexpectedly and kissed her.

The crowd clapped and Marcus turned to Stormy. "I missed you," he whispered.

Stormy smiled. "Yes, I missed you by a mile," she replied.

"I'm not even going to correct that this time," Marcus laughed, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her again.