After a long wait, here you have it. Leave me a review and please let me know what you all think. I had you all in thought the whole way through and I hope this hit all the right notes. Enjoy - MJ :)
The heart swelling day had finally arrived.
Alex was planning to surprise Norma with the extremely low key ceremony. He set everything up early in the morning. Nothing too big. He took Emma's suggestion of the beach, it was quiet and secluded after all. There were rose petals scattered around the sand of the beach, lucky for him it wasn't too windy.
He was also talking things over with the minister, neither were really religious but they figured it would feel normal to have one. Both parties decided to write their own vows. Now, he was shaking. He was so nervous, scared that he wrote the wrong thing or would mess up reciting them to her. Two years as a pair and he still got that knot in his stomach whenever he saw her.
It was something he scribbled down on a napkin. He was on break from work and stopped in a bar to get a drink, once flooding through his system he was able to loosen up and spill some surprisingly sweet shit about Norma. Once he read it to himself, he knew she would love it.
He hoped she would love the setup and the final choice of location and his tux of course. No bells or whistles on attire either, it was a simple black suit with a blue tie, the color of her eyes, he found it in a store and thought of her. The knots were starting to form in his stomach again the moment he pictured her. The two of them. Married. Together. Unified as an official pair.
X
As the sun set in and the birds seemed to chirp inevitably louder and louder, Norma was stressing out, puttering around her bedroom looking for this and that. She kept trying to remind herself that no, this was not a formal wedding and there wouldn't really be anyone to impress or put on a show for...just her future husband. It still felt weird to say out loud. Alex Romero will be my husband. From sworn enemies to love birds. It was quite a far jump.
The moment she slipped on her wedding dress, some of the stress started to fade, it fit so well around her body, like a glove actually. Overall, she was proud of her choice, not too dressy but the perfect amount bohemian to make the look seem carelessly romantic. It was a simple decision to leave her hair down and tousled with the same type of makeup she always wore, these were things she knew Alex loved about her since day one.
She was incredibly nervous as she drove to the designated spot. It was beautiful, she knew the beach he chose by heart, after all it was one of the prettiest spaces in White Pine Bay. Her nails dug into the leather of the steering wheel a bit as she curved throughout the classing winding roads, her anxiety was going through the roof as she got closer and closer to seeing him.
The moment she pulled up, she realized what was happening. She was going to get married to a man she loved, not because of any obstacle or consequence. This was her own choice, this was the right choice. Internally, she was ready to be bound to him forever, her heart was actually occupied for once in her life.
These thoughts became further concrete once she got out of the car and walked down the sandy path coated with rose petals. It may have been too early to cry but she didn't care, she was already tearing up and the ceremony hadn't even begun yet.
X
The second Alex saw Norma, everything else faded away, it was like no other woman had ever even exsisted. There was no background noise or scenery. It was all her, she owned every moment of it. That dress, the way it sat on her beautiful body, the sunlight shining off of the silk and lace. She was angelic.
She walked up to him and took his free, cold hands. Her smile grew wider once she picked up on his appreciation of her attire. It worked, then again she could've worn a piece of tin foil for a dress and he would've thought she was lovely. That was the best thing about him, he always loved her no matter what the circumstance. And he looked handsome as ever as well, the suit fit him just right and highlighted how suave he could be.
Just then the minister chimed in, "Would you two like to began?" his voice was quiet, the two didn't want to spoil the silence so they nodded in response. Both were too in awe of each other to say anything to anyone else.
He looked down at his ordinance and began, "We are gathered here today to join Alexander Matthew Romero and Norma Louise Bates in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this - these two persons present now come to be joined. I believe you two have written your own vows, I will let you recite them now."
With that he stepped back and it was all them.
Norma was the first to make a movement, her eyes already wet with tears as she reached down to pull a small piece of paper out of a hidden spot of the dress, she cleared her throat and began…
"Alex, you accept my madness. I guess that's why you could say I love you. I know I'm a lot to handle and you just have this thing inside of you, a generous, protective, light that you are giving enough to shine on me. Throughout all of this stuff we go through on a day to day basis, you somehow always find a way to catch me from falling and to win the title of a hero in my eyes. So I suppose I win today, I get to marry my hero, my trustee, and the love of my life. I love you more than anything and I am the luckiest woman alive to be able to wear your ring and win the title of your wife. For that I thank you," she said, breaking down on the last word, her tears were out of pure happiness and joy and luck that the universe was finally giving her something amazing.
He was blown away by her, never knowing she could be so sweet, he wasn't gonna say anything yet, rather he was going to respond with his own speech to her…
"Norma Louise, I can't believe how lucky I am to be standing here right now ready to call you my wife. Never in my life did I ever think I would be able to find something so beautiful and call it my own. As a boy, I used to catch fireflies with my mom. I would take them and keep them in the jars for hours, just watching them glow because they were so pretty. My mom would tell me to release them because nothing wonderful or gorgeous could last forever. And now I'm happy to say that you and the relationship we share defies that statement in the most glorious way. We have each other. It's been a long ride but we have always taken care of the hardships. To you I promise anything I can offer and anything to keep you happy. I love you more than words can say and I'd be more than happy to call you my firefly."
She didn't say anything but her tears didn't stop throughout his speech. Even though he said it to her a lot, she never really comprehended how much he actually loved and cared about her. Once he reached out to clear the tears from her cheek, she knew nothing could break their happiness.
The minister knew it was his cue to chime back in with the ending notes of the ceremony, "Norma, Alex, you have expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you have just made. It is with these in mind that I pronounce you husband and wife. You have kissed a thousand times, maybe more. But today the feeling is new. No longer simply partners and best friends, you have become husband and wife and can now seal the agreement with a kiss. Today, your kiss is a promise. You may kiss the bride."
Alex leaned in and kissed her with the most love he ever had.
This was love real, this love was theirs.
Thank you for reading, everyone. I'll be back soon with the next chapter! - MJ XOXO
