Jennie
"Are you ready?" Rosé asks, a smile on her face. I nod, and she opens my bedroom door. Dad's eyes widen as soon as he sees me in my wedding dress, and tears fill his eyes. Helen and William follow him in, both of them just as emotional as Dad is. My emotions overwhelm me and I inhale shakily as a tear drops down Dad's cheek.
"You look beautiful, Princess," he whispers. I sniff and open up my arms as Dad walks up to me. I hug him tightly, a tear running down my face.
Helen walks up to us and nervously touches my hair, her hands trembling as she fixes my updo. She looks like she's been crying all morning, her eyes shimmering with happiness. I thought my wedding day would be the happiest day of my life, but it looks like Rosé and Helen might be happier than I am. I chuckle to myself as Helen sniffs yet again.
"Her hair is fine," William says, his voice suspiciously shaky. He pats my hair and smiles at me, his eyes filled with the same happiness I see in my own father's eyes. He claps Dad on his back, and Dad squeezes me a little tighter. "I'll take her away before she starts fussing over you," he says, grabbing Helen's hand. The two of them have tried their best to be involved in the wedding, and though I didn't expect it to happen, Helen and I have grown much closer. Nothing is as it used to be, but the bonds I thought were long lost are on the mend.
William leads a reluctant Helen away, and Rosé closes the door behind them as I hug my Dad a little tighter. My dad being able to walk me down the aisle today is a dream come true. I'm feeling so incredibly blessed, so happy, and without Rosé this might not have been possible.
Rosé smiles, but I can tell her eyes are glistening with tears too. "You'll ruin your makeup," she says, and I smile at her, my head resting on Dad's shoulder. Slowly but surely, she and I were able to mend our relationship. Things aren't what they used to be, but there's no animosity between us anymore. As a gesture of goodwill, I asked her to be my maid of honor, and it's brought us closer than I expected. She's supported me every step of the way, and nothing was ever too much. I didn't think it'd happen, but I'm glad she'll become my sister-in-law. We have a long way to go, but we're getting there, one step at a time.
"I love you, Daddy," I murmur. "You're the first man I ever loved, and you always will be."
Dad sniffs loudly, but he can't keep his sob in. He pulls away from me and buries his face in his hands.
I hold his shoulders, trying my best to hold back my own tears. "I'm not going anywhere, Dad. You're only a ten-minute drive away, and if you ever want to, you can just come stay with us. We've left your room just as it was."
He nods and tries his hardest to pull himself together. Dad cups my cheek gently and swipes my stray tears away with his thumb. "I love you, too. You'll always be my little girl, Jennie."
I nod and take Dad's hand. We both inhale deeply before walking towards the garden. Lisa and I opted to get married in our garden, and the decorators have done a magnificent job transforming it into a floral paradise. It's everything I could've ever wished for. It's small and intimate, and it's us.
We pause at the start of the aisle, and my eyes find Lisa's. I see her gasp, her eyes widening. She looks as emotional as I'm feeling, and I smile at her. I've waited for this day my entire life. I watch as Jaehyun teases Lisa, but she doesn't take her eyes off me for a single second.
Dad holds me tightly as we walk down the aisle, and her hands are shaking when he places my hand in Lisa's. Their eyes meet and a silent exchange I'm not privy to ensues before Dad lets go of my hand. He smiles at me and takes a seat, and the whole world fades away. All I can see is Lisa, and the butterflies in my stomach go wild.
"You look breathtaking," she says, and I blush.
"You don't look so bad yourself," I whisper.
Lisa chuckles, and together, we turn towards the officiant, our hands joined. Neither one of us lasts more than a second before our eyes are back on each other.
We both opted to write our own vows, and my eyes fill with tears as Lisa turns to me.
"Jennie, I swear I'll love you and cherish you for all eternity, long after I take my last breath. Throughout the growth and changes we'll face in life, I will always prioritize you and I'll never take you for granted. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality, knowing that together we will build a life that will be far better than either of us could imagine or achieve alone. I'll always provide for you, and I promise to never run out of t-shirts for you to steal."
My eyes fill with tears as a sharp laugh escapes my lips. Lisa smiles at me and tightens her grip on my hands.
"I promise to be your safe space and I promise to always be on your team," she says. "As your wife, I promise to be faithful and to never give up on you or on us. I know that whatever the future may hold, we'll face it together, and I vow to stand by you through both good and bad times, in sickness and in health. I love every bit of the version of you standing in front of me right now, and I promise to love the person you are yet to become. I will love you even if you hide fake cockroaches in our bed, I will love you when you inevitably stick post it notes all over my favorite car, and I will love you even if you cause me to lose all my hair – again."
Our guests burst out laughing, many of them remembering our old antics. Lisa raises our joined hands to her lips and presses a soft kiss to the back of my hand. I smile at her, tears in my eyes.
"Lisa, before anything else, you are and always will be my best friend. You've laughed with me, cried with me and you've grown with me throughout the years, and I vow to keep doing that with you for the rest of our lives, even as time and life changes us both. I vow to not only grow old together, but to grow together."
Her eyes fill with tears as she looks at me, her expression telling me that she can barely believe we really made it, that we're really standing here together.
"I promise to be your family, and as a family, I promise to work with you to create a home filled with love, laughter, and compassion. I promise I'll always put you first, and for as long as I live, you'll be the only one for me, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer. No matter what life throws at us, I'll never leave your side, and I'll be on your side. I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of time, and I'll spend every day showing you just how much I love you. I will love you even if you almost get me arrested on account of illegal possession of oregano, and for the rest of our lives, I'll drink salty coffee with a smile on my face, grateful that it's you I get to spend my years with."
Lisa's looks away for a second, gathering her emotions. I smile at her, my heart filled to the brim with happiness. The officiant clears her throat, but I can't take my eyes off my wife-to-be.
"Jennie Kim, do you take Lisa Manoban to be your wedded wife?" he asks.
I look into Lisa's eyes, and for a second she looks nervous. I grin and nod. "I do."
"Lisa Manoban, do you take Jennie Kim to be your wedded —"
"I do," Lisa says, just as the officiant says, "wife."
Our guests burst out laughing, and so do I.
The priest smiles at us and nods. "Then with the powers vested in me, I proclaim you wife and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Lisa grabs my waist and sweeps me off my feet, her lips finding mine. Loud cheering erupts around us, and I smile against her lips.
"Finally," she murmurs. "At last, you're Mrs. Jennie Manoban. My wife."
Lisa cups the back of my neck and kisses me properly, deeply. The cheers around us get louder, and so does the beating of my heart.
I smile at her, my arms around her neck. "And you're finally my wife, Lisa Manoban. I knew fate would lead us back to each other. You're my destiny, Lisa. You always have been."
The End