"Hey, Cress." Thorne was finding it hard to find the right words. Usually, he was good at talking—especially to girls . . . but whenever he was around Cress, things got a bit harder.
They were in the Rampion, parked on a beach, an oceanside on the West Coast of Australia. He felt bad for interrupting her. She had been gazing out of the window at the ocean dreamily.
He was pained to draw her attention away. She had looked so nice, the sun shining through the window, reflecting off of her eyes and her hair blinding blonde. She had looked so beautiful. He didn't deserve her. C'mon Carswell, you have to do this. Just do it. You can do this, he thought to himself.
He began fiddling with the edge of his shirt. She looked at him, seeming to not mind the interruption. She was smiling her usual, cheerful, not-a-problem-in-the-world smile. Oh, how Thorne loved that smile.
"Yeah, Thorne?" she asked, and he considered turning back. He could give an excuse for why he wanted to talk to her. But no, he had to do this. He had said it before at Winter and Jacin's wedding four years ago, and although there was a small chance Cress may have forgotten, he sure didn't.
"Um, so, I wanted to ask you something," he muttered, and she nodded. He wondered how she could possibly have understood his mumbling, but then again, they had been together for around nine years, so of course she'd be able to understand everything he said.
He cleared his throat. "So, um, do you remember Winter and Jacin's wedding?" he asked.
Cress rolled her eyes. "Obviously. But it was four years ago. What about it?"
Thorne pinched a crease in his shirt and stared at his feet, in his ship themed socks, colored electric blue. "Um, remember how we were talking to the gang, and Kai was talking about how we should get married . . ." He looked up at her.
She squinted at him. "Thorne, what are you saying?" she asked.
He reached into his pocket, and scolded himself. Would she even like it? Whatever, he told himself. It's too late, anyway. He knelt down before her and pulled out the ring that he had requested to be personalized himself.
The thing had been darn expensive, but worth it. It was a golden band, shined and polished enough to see one's own face clearly. There was a big diamond, carved into the shape of a crescent moon, embedded in the ring.
He looked up at her, seeing her eyes wide. Was she happy? Surprised? Shocked? A mix? Either way, there was no going back, although Thorne wished he could reverse time to ten minutes ago, before he had even said anything, which he had never wished before, having always thought it best to live in the present.
She had her hands over her mouth, and her body was frozen still. He saw that her eyes were glossy with tears, and panicked, wondering what he had possibly done wrong.
"Er- I wanted to ask you if you'd marry me?" he asked. "If you haven't already found someone more worthy of your love?"
"Carswell Thorne," she whispered, her voice light and angelic. "Of course I haven't found anyone else. And of course I'll marry you."
He slipped the ring on her finger and hoisted himself up. She threw her arms around him and nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. He pulled her closer to him, pressing her body against him.
After a moment of hesitation, he whispered into her hair. "Cress, I love you." He heard her sniffle, and she leaned her head back to look up at him, a single tear trailing down her smiling face.
"I know."
o.0.O.0.o
They had decided to hold the wedding in Las Angeles. They meaning Cress, who insisted it be there saying that it was where he had lived as a child, but he tried to get her to do it wherever else she wanted, but she only said Las Angeles. "I want to see where you grew up."
"Well—we can go some time when we're not staying for so long, just choose somewhere else, please!" he pleaded with her, but Cress's mind was made up. Of course, having the wedding there meant there was no way around inviting Thorne's parents. If they came, it would be the first time Thorne had seen them in a very long time, and that had been only briefly. He was not looking forward to it.
During late wedding planning, they had the rest of the Rampion crew visit. Iko, Cinder, Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Winter and Jacin. When they arrived, and, in the case of Cinder and Kai, they lost their rabid crowd of paparazzi and reporters, and finally, they managed to book rooms in a five star Las Angeles hotel.
Eventually, he decided to leave Cress to planning while Kai took him suit shopping. He found a nice suit, which was a simple black jacket, white undershirt and a long, black tie. Simple is what Cress told him she'd wanted everything to be.
When Kai and Thorne got back to the hotel, Cinder was planning with Scarlet, Wolf and Jacin, and they told Thorne and Kai that Cress was dress shopping with Iko and Winter.
When the girls arrived, they refused to show Thorne the dress, and immediately went into the bedroom, locking the door. Planning went on for days, and eventually, everything was set.
o.0.O.0.o
The wedding took place at the same place where he had received his medal of honor nearly eight years ago. He and Iko had been attacked by wolf-Lunar hybrids, and, even worse, he had seen his parents there.
In the dressing room, he was being strangled by his necktie, and Wolf having trouble getting his groomsman suit on. Jacin had disappeared, probably to go kiss Winter, Thorne guessed.
"Kai, it looks fine," Thorne grumbled as Kai fixed Thorne's tie and took out a comb.
Thorne grumbled and peered at himself in the mirror. He had never been so nervous about his own appearance before in his life, and now, here he was, trying to look perfect for his Crescent Moon, but nothing seemed right.
He glanced at Kai, his Best Man, who was combing Thorne's hair back. "Do you think Cress will like it?" he asked, feeling more like a child than ever before. Kai smirked.
"Thorne, she'll love it," Kai said, slapping his back. "Now go get married."
o.0.O.0.o
Thorne stood at the wedding altar for what felt like hours, but a glance at his watch at it hadn't even been a minute until Cress appeared at the end of the carpet.
Thorne blinked, seeing an angel gliding toward him. She was dressed in a long, flawless, strapless, V-neck dress. The ends of her short hair was curled, and she had little, silver star hair pins arranged in it. She blushed deeply, and he felt overjoyed to be getting married to the most amazing girl. He gave her a wink.
She held a bouquet of flowers she had discovered on one of their journeys, the tropical white morning-glory, which was also called the moonflower. The flowers were indeed beautiful, he had to admit, but they could not compare to Cress, the angel before him, who was about to become his wife.
The officiant was Kai's royal advisor, Konn Torin, one of the honorary guests. Thorne scanned the crowd, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw them.
His mother and father were there, in the crowd, looking at him and Cress, and he felt a pit in his stomach. His mother leaned over and whispered something to his father, and he tore his gaze away to Cress, who was looking at the Torin, reciting the vows.
Thorne pretended he didn't see his parents there and kept his attention on Cress and Torin. He felt her small hand wrap around his, and felt the cool metal slide down his ring finger.
The ring was simple and gold, plain yet beautiful and elegant. He looked at Cress's hand wrapped around his. He squeezed her fingers gently, before letting go.
"I, Carswell Thorne, take Cress Darnel to be my wife forever after. She will be the moon in my night skies, and I the sun on her cloudy days. I hereby swear that I will love her to my dying day." He slipped an identical ring into her finger, and she stared at her hand in his, before looking him in the eyes.
Thorne waited forever, and finally, Torin said: "you may now kiss the bride."
He pulled Cress toward him, and pressed her against his chest. She bent her head back as he lowered his to meet her lips, and they were kissing in each other's embrace. He laced their fingers together, and he heard a roar of applause.
They were married. She was his, and he was hers. Forever.
Cress pulled away to take a breath and put her head on his chest, smiling. He ran his hand through her hair, and he knew he was really in love at last.
o.0.O.0.o
Thorne had his arm around Cress as they were chatting with their friends. He was sipping a glass of champagne, as was Cress. Cinder and Kai's three-year-old son, Kanta, was standing beside her, holding his mother's hand. Michelle Kesley, Wolf and Scarlet's daughter, was now five. She beamed up at Thorne.
"Hi, Uncle Thorne," she said, waving up at him. Thorne smiled and waved back.
Thorne felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around with a smile, expecting it to be one of his friends. But his smile faded as he recognized his parents.
He frowned. "What do you want?" he snapped, chewing on his lip.
"So . . . this is Cress?" his mother said, gesturing to Cress, who was standing next to him.
"Why come?" Thorne asked, glaring at his father.
"What?" His father said, sounding almost hurt.
"You've both spent your whole life not raising me
Why come now?"
"Thorne, no matter how rebellious you've been or how much trouble you've gotten into, you've still been our son, " his mother replied pleadingly.
"Yeah, which is what I'm sure you were thinking when you disowned me." Thorne felt Cress put her hand on his arm, as if trying to comfort him.
"We must admit . . . it seems you were never scamming us. We wanted to make you exactly how we wanted, and that wasn't fair to you," his father said. "And… I must admit… I'm proud of you, son." The words seemed hard to say.
Thorne gave them both another glare, but it had softened, if only a little bit. His parents dug themselves out of embarrassment by starting polite conversation with Cress. He saw them eventually trying to make his way over to the corner where Cinder and Kai—or as his parents probably thought of it—the emperor and empress—and Thorne clenched his fist in annoyance. He guessed some things would never change.
Michelle had turned to Winter, and the two of them were talking about how Michelle wanted to visit Luna someday. Thorne saw Scarlet wince.
He knew the whole group had something against Luna, one way or another. Scarlet herself had lost a finger there as a war prisoner. Thorne himself wasn't very much a fan of Luna.
At the end of the revolution, nearly nine years ago, Thorne and Cinder were up against Queen Levana in the Atemisia Palace. Levana had him under her control, and at some point in time, he was about to kill Cinder—under Levana's mind manipulation—when Cress arrived and shot two of his fingers to save Cinder. It was good reason to shoot someone's fingers off, but he couldn't say it didn't hurt. But the next thing he knew, he was suddenly there, a knife buried to the hilt, in her stomach.
He dreamed of that moment nearly every night. It was a nightmare, hurting Cress. He certainly hated Levana for it, and he didn't exactly get a feeling of comfort when he thought of that palace.
But he had stabbed Cress. He'd stabbed Cress. His angel, who he had never wanted to hurt, he nearly killed her.
He pulled her closer to him, realizing how close he had come to losing her, and how he would never let her go again. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and earned a giggle from her.
All of a sudden, Iko started ringing a bell, starting an old earthen tradition. Then, Kai and Cinder joined in, then Scarlet, until everyone was ringing their bell. Little Michelle Kesley could be seen tossing her bell up in the air between Scarlet to Wolf. Cress and Thorne pulled in for another kiss. Once they were finished, the guests held up numbers rating the kiss.
"Really, Cinder, only a seven?" shouted Thorne, and Cress blushed.
"Meh, could've been better," said Cinder with a sly smirk on her face.
"Like this?" asked Thorne, and pulled Cress in for a passionate kiss. Kai and Cinder held a large infinity sign over their heads, and Cress laced her fingers with Thorne's.
Michelle Kesley held up a doodle that looked faintly like a dog. Or a porcupine with dog ears. "I drew Papa," she announced, Wolf beaming proudly beside her.
Thorne grabbed Cress's hand and led onto the dance floor, her white dress flowing behind her. He took her hands and realized how small they were compared to his own.
They danced until their feet grew tired and sore, and then they sat down at a dinner table. He had his hand across the table, holding one of hers, and he squeezed it.
"Cress?" he asked. She looked at him, and he could see how tired she was. She tilted her head at him. "I love you."
Cress smiled her sweet, sweet smile, that he truly did love. She put her head against his chest, closed her eyes, and whispered.
"I know."