Chapter 11: I'll Try to Stop Time Forever

Two Years Later…

Vanessa said, "I do."

"Nozel Silva, do you take this woman to be your wife in sickness and in health, in good times and the bad, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your spouse."

Vanessa leaned over to her new husband and kissed him gently. The crowd of their friends and their family cheered loudly. There were definite sobs heard from the crowd, mainly Acier, who was just so beyond thrilled to have a new daughter-in-law. Vanessa grinned. "That wasn't so bad, huh, husband of mine?"

Nozel's face turned red. "You're a menace." He took her hand in his.

They turned to face their family and friends.

Vanessa lifted their hands like they were at a boxing or wrestling match. "Hah! I win at life, suckers!"

Nozel sighed, shaking his head but going along with it.

Laughter echoed in the church.

Everything after the "I do's" was a blur. Pictures were taken by the photographer hired. Vanessa had to get out of her wedding dress to her reception dress because the dress she wore, she was barely able to move in and she wasn't going to fall on her ass during her and Nozel's first dance, especially since she was leading. (Nozel had two left feet when it came to dancing).

Charlotte helped her get out of her wedding dress and into her second dress, which was also white and could have been her wedding dress but it wasn't traditional enough for the ceremony. She had a third dress for later in the evening. She hadn't wanted three dresses, which didn't include her rehearsal dinner dress, her bridal shower dress, and her bachelorette party dress, but Acier insisted. Nozel asked Vanessa to just go along with his mother.

The Silva parents did pay for the whole wedding.

The reception took place at the Silva Estate, which still blew Vanessa's mind every time she went there.

"Vanessa's a married woman now," said Charmy as soon as Vanessa entered the dining hall and hugged her tightly. "Will wonders never cease?"

"Hey!" Vanessa hugged her food-obsessed friend tightly. "Love you too, Charm. Where's my new husband?"

"Being horrendously teased by the guys," said Secre, unhelpfully.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. She said, "Well, let me go rescue him. Honestly, you'd think after nearly three years, the guys would have let up by now." She quickly found Nozel surrounded by her friends-Yami, Jack, Finral, Zora, and so forth. Nozel had that scowl on his face which meant that he was very angry. "Hands off the husband, boys. He's mine. Come on, sweetie, we gotta look pretty for the cameras and begin the whole dinner thing."

"Thank goodness," said Nozel, quickly coming to Vanessa's side.

"Everyone in your seats," said Acier's voice, amplified by a microphone.

Vanessa and Nozel went to the head table where their bridesmaids and groomsmen quickly filled in their seats.

Acier said, "We're going to start with the Best Man and the Maid of Honor's speeches and then dinner will be served!"

"Hurray," yelled Charmy.

Everyone laughed.

"Charlotte, you're up," said Acier, handing Charlotte the microphone.

Charlotte smiled at Vanessa and Nozel. "Nozel had been my best friend since we were children. Vanessa had been my best friend since we met as we were bailing Noelle and Mimosa out of some trouble when they went to spy on Kirsch during his pining over Zora days."

Kirsch protested. "Hey!"

"It's true," said Charlotte. She continued, "Vanessa quickly wormed her way into my heart and I am very lucky to have her as my best friend, alongside Nozel. And then I met Yami and fell in love. And I thought to myself that Nozel and Vanessa will be a little bit lonely without me and Yami once we married, so I asked them to work on the music for Yami and my wedding. I just wanted them to be friends, because I thought that they would get along because of their shared love of music. I didn't expect them to fall in love, but they did. And I haven't seen either of them as happy as I did when they were with each other. Nozel, Vanessa, I'm so happy that you two fell in love and will get to spend the rest of your lives together."

Vanessa's eyes watered. "Oh, Charlotte honey, we love you!"

Nozel nodded in agreement because he was too awkward still and Vanessa loved that part of him.

"Back off, 'Nessa, you already got a husband," said Yami, bellowing.

Vanessa laughed. "Yeah, yeah!" She leaned over and kissed Nozel's cheek. "And I couldn't be happier!"

Nozel startled Vanessa by pulling her close and kissing her on the lips, causing a ruckus.

Vanessa didn't let him go and kissed him again, despite the hollering and cooing from the crowd. Vanessa didn't care.

She got to kiss her husband whenever she wanted and that was just a dream.

~fin