My second year at Iris Academy was finally over. It felt like it had gone by a lot faster this year, although I supposed that may have been because my memories of Hieronymous were missing for most of it, and I was unconscious for the rest. But we had quickly made up for lost time, and we were together now, not just together and married, but actually living together, in the same room, in the same bed. It seemed so strange that one year ago today I was relishing the feeling of my first kiss when we've shared so many kisses since that time. Even if I tried, I don't think I could count them all.
Virginia tried convincing me to go to the May Day ball this year, but I knew Hieronymous would never want to and to be honest, I didn't want to either. It had been a long time coming, but I was finally ready for it to be a special night for both of us. Considering last year had been our first kiss, it seemed appropriate to make tonight another night of firsts.
I wait patiently for Hieronymous to get done with last minute make-up finals and head back to the room. "You okay?" he asks me when he finally comes in that night.
"Yeah," I reply. I had been sitting at the end of the bed, just zoning out into space. The year was over. My memories were restored, and I was alive. Hieronymous and I were together. When all was said and done, that was all that mattered.
"You can still go to the dance-" he offers, but I just shake my head.
"No," I say quickly. "But you had a long day. Why don't you go take a shower?"
He gives me a strange look. "You sure?"
"Yeah," I say. I wait for him to disappear into the bathroom before I slip into his closet and pull out my wedding dress. I quickly slide into it as the shower water starts, using black magic to make the necessary adjustments here and there. He doesn't take long, and I quickly sit down on the edge of the bed as I wait. I can feel my heart racing in my chest and I reach up and cradle the dark blue stone between my fingers, allowing myself to be calmed by the steady pulse of his heartbeat between them.
The bathroom door opens suddenly, and he comes walking out in his usual bedroom attire: pajama pants, no shirt. He looks me up and down, and I blush, looking away. "I thought it would be appropriate."
"You look beautiful," he says, and I smile, looking down at my hands.
"I'm nervous," I admit as he walks over to me. He puts his finger underneath my chin and forces my eyes up to meet his, just like he did when we shared our first kiss.
"We don't have to do this today," he says gently. "There's no rush-"
"No, I want to," I say, and he seems to wait for me to continue. "What?"
"That's it?" he asks. "No more speeches?"
I laugh, looking back down. "No, I think I've had enough speeches for one year. I think right now I am literally speechless."
He laughs, and I can see that he is just as awkward and nervous as I am. If we're going to do this, I'm going to have to make the first move. "So Mr. Grabiner, are you going to kiss your bride?"
He cups my face in both hands, bringing my lips up to meet his. He kisses me softly, delicately, and I can feel myself being drawn into him. I can feel myself wanting him. I wasn't ready before, but now I'm sure of it. I want to spend every single day of the rest of my life with this man, and I want to give myself to him completely.
"Are you ready, Mrs. Grabiner?" he asks, holding out his hand for mine.
I smile and put my hand in his without hesitation. "Ready."
A/N: Thank you all for reading! The Cracks in Her Memory is officially over, but the story between Hieronymous and Tori continues. Unfortunately the content does become explicit as I continue Chapter 1 of the sequel, Back to the Top, with the rest of their night and their subsequent honeymoon, so you can find that story on ao3 under my same name, streetsolo, if you're interested, as FF will not allow me to post the story with explicit content. Sorry for any inconvenience, but thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it! Cheers!