A/N: Hey my loves! Here is the next chapter. Thank you so much for your patience and for your messages of congrats for my baby. I still can't believe he's here! As always, thank you so much for your continued support, favorites, and reviews. Much appreciated! xoxoxox
"Beautiful, wasn't it?" Watts asked, situating himself beside Rinoa as she focused her camera towards the wedding cake.
Rinoa snapped a few times and lowered her camera. "Indeed it was," she said, feeling her eyes well up again as she thought about the bride and groom exchanging their vows. As the officient gestured towards the groom to read from his script, the groom wadded up the piece of paper and tossed it over his shoulder. Instead he shot the surprised bride a devilish grin and told her that he was going to "wing it" and speak from his heart, which brought the bride to ecstatic tears. There was hardly a dry eye in the house as he spoke his words to her, telling her that he imagined their lives together from the moment they met and that he could not wait to start their future.
Watts aimed his camera to a few guests who were laughing and conversing amongst themselves as they walked towards the reception hall. "You ever wanna do this?"
"Huh?" Rinoa lowered her camera and fiddled with the meter. "Do what?"
"You wanna get married?"
Rinoa turned to face him. "Why…Watts, I didn't know you had commitment capabilities in you. And I do love you but…well, what would Zone think?"
Watts broke into a chuckle and playfully nudged her with his elbow. "Oh come off it. You know what I mean. And anyway I'd be more afraid of what your rockstar boy toy would think if I were serious than Zone."
Rinoa grinned and shook her head. "Knowing him he probably wouldn't say anything at all. He'd just glower in jealousy but stay quiet as he waited for me to make my own decision," she said, thinking back to how he reacted when he figured out that she and Seifer had once been a thing and were now in the same room. Although, that was back when he felt that he could not call her 'his.' Inwardly Rinoa felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of Squall. Obviously now was a different mindset and circumstance in comparison to then.
She was most certainly 'his.'
"Bullshit."
"Pardon?" she laughed.
Watts sent Rinoa a look that told her he was not buying what she was attempting to sell. "Methinks that the lady dwell in denial."
"Oh please, there is absolutely no denying that Squall and I are nuts about each other," Rinoa grinned. "But marriage is certainly not on my mind right now." Neither is the subject of children, she thought. Then she sucked in her bottom lip. Shit…then what is on my mind right now? Aside from spending her nights with Squall and waking up to enjoy a hot pot of coffee with him every morning, she hadn't thought too far ahead. They had only been seeing each other a few months and just recently exposed to the other that they were exclusive…was it really the next step to think about the future? Perhaps living together, she thought. But where? She had just signed the lease to her apartment and she shuddered to think about the cost of breaking a brand new lease only a few months in. Would that affect her credit? She had no idea. And even though she liked Squall's apartment, a studio apartment would be way too small if she moved her stuff into his place. Would he even want to move in with her?
"Well, is marriage really on anyone's mind?" Watts asked, breaking her thoughts.
"For some I'm sure…but I'm more of a day by day kind of girl. I mean, I've told him that I see a future with him but we've never discussed if that entails getting married."
"You loooooooove him," Watts sang, giving her a little shove and then standing to his feet quickly before she could recover and return with her own right hook. "Oh! Looks like they're ready for the bridal party pictures and then they'll make their grand entrance into the reception hall. Stay back here and capture the bride and groom from the view of their guests."
Rinoa scrunched her face at him. "Son of a bitch."
After the grand entrance winded down and the bride and groom casually made their rounds throughout the reception hall, Rinoa wove through the crowd and snapped pictures of the guests and little details of the décor while Zone and Watts tagged team close family members of the bride and groom.
Spinning away from the table adorned with a multitude of beautifully wrapped gifts, Rinoa turned and saw him. He was laughing quietly as a petite woman with closely cropped blonde hair reached up and embraced the groom. He leaned in and gave the younger man a hearty pat on the back and politely kissed the hand of the bride. It was a sweet moment and Rinoa lifted her camera.
Before long Rinoa was swept away through the hustle and bustle that was a wedding reception. Guests wanted to speak to the bride and groom and give their blessings. The bride and groom continued to smile and laugh despite clearly being overwhelmed.
After a few hours the excitement had softened to a relaxing hum throughout the venue. Bride and Groom were sitting at their table, engage in a private and darling conversation between the two of them. Rinoa snapped at her camera the moment the groom gently ran his fingers down his new wife's cheek before sliding his fingers behind her neck and bringing her in for a sweet, slow kiss.
"I'm gonna take a break," Rinoa said after bringing her camera back down.
Zone handed her a bottle of water. "Stay hydrated. Sun may be down but it's still hot as balls out there," he said.
"What does that even mean?" she laughed, holding up her hand in exasperation. "I don't understand the correlation."
"Well normal body temperature is like, what, 98.6 Fahrenheit, right?" Watts said, sliding into the conversation without missing a beat. "And the family jewels are typically at least one degree cooler than the body temp because if it reached the temperature of 98.6 the sperm would not mature enough to fertilize an egg properly. The average temperature of testicles are roughly about 94 degrees so when we say 'hot as balls' we mean it's—"
"Ohmygod you mean balls balls," Rinoa muttered, covering her face and turning away.
Zone chuckled and shrugged at her. "There's a scientific explanation!"
"I'm not hearing this!" she sang, walking towards the exit with her fingers in her ears.
As she stepped outside she let out a breath. The temperature change was as immediate as it was drastic. The sun had already set, as Zone had previously mentioned. After all, the three of them utilized the beautiful sunset as a backdrop for the bride and groom. Rinoa wanted to badly to look through the photos she had already taken but instead she forced herself to not give in to temptation. She had to remind herself that she had to keep her camera always at the ready, just in case another shot came up.
With each step she took towards the balcony overlooking the hills of the venue, Rinoa breathed in the slight waft of cigarette smoke. It smelled like Squall's cigarettes. Leaning against the balcony, arm dangling over the edge as he too looked over the view, was him.
Rinoa stopped dead in her tracks and her mind raced, frazzled, as it darted back and forth between deciding whether or not to duck back inside. But she must have made a noise, because the man glanced at her over his shoulder. Well…fuck, she thought. It'd be too obvious if she turned around now. She gave him a small wave. "Hi!" she blurted out. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude."
He offered her a slow grin that was much too reminiscent of a certain strappingly hot young drummer. "Not at all." He looked down at the cigarette in his hand and made a nonchalant gesture. "I know I should quit…Wife insists but…" He shrugged and took another hit.
"Rinoa Heartilly," she said, outstretching her hand.
Laguna took her hand and shook it firmly. "Laguna Loire. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. So, how do you know tonight's lovely bride and groom?"
He nodded towards the entrance of the reception hall. "Through my wife, Yalena. She grew up with Jacen's mother. Those two have been inseperable since…god knows when. Since they were in diapers, I think. So when Jacen's mother got pregnant, it was no surprise that Yalena was to be his godmother." He smiled a bit as he pondered. "I remember meeting that side of Yalena's family after we had started dating. Jacen was about four or five then. He's been a bit of a nephew to me for the last…twenty-two years."
"Oh, twenty-two? Is that how long you've been married?"
"Yep. Coming up on twenty-three at the end of the year."
"Aww!" Rinoa shrugged her shoulders and couldn't help but gush. "Congratulations! So tell me, what is the secret to a successful marriage?"
Laguna chuckled and sucked on his cigarette as he thought. "Just smile and nod," he said with a grin. "Maybe add in a 'yes dear' every now and then."
"Happy wife, happy life, huh?" Rinoa grinned.
He grinned and crushed the cigarette into the ashtray beside him. "Just a bit. But I will say this, no man—or woman, for that matter—should give up his own happiness and sanity simply to keep his wife pleased. Marriage is give and take. You give, they take; they give, you take. It's compromise, negotiations, and lots of communication." His grin widened as he looked behind Rinoa. "That's why we get along so well."
Rinoa turned around and saw the darling lady in question approaching them. She gave Rinoa a glittering smile and gave her husband a quick peck to the cheek. "What? We get along so well why?"
"Because we communicate. Rinoa here was asking what makes a successful marriage."
"Mmm…taking notes for future reference?" Yalena asked, holding up her wine glass in a toast. "I agree, tell him everything. Even if you feel it is trivial. Because trust me my dear, nothing is trivial and nothing on your mind will ever appear trivial to the one who matters."
Rinoa felt her jaw practically hang open in awe. "You guys are amazing," she whispered. "You guys are…perfect."
Laguna chuckled and wrapped his arm around Yalena's waist and gave her a squeeze. "Oh we are far from perfect, aren't we love?" He looked over to Rinoa. "But that's the point, isn't it? To find that person and to love them wholly despite any imperfections or flaws."
"I for one cannot have children," Yalena said, sipping from her glass. "Many of my previous boyfriends found that quite off-putting. Especially when I would add that I had no desire for children anyway. I mean, I love children I just never had that longing or desire to have any. When I was in my early twenties it was discovered that I had an aggressive growth in my ovaries. Rather than go through treatments I decided to just remove everything."
"And the doctors let you?"
Yalena nodded. "Oh I fought them hard. So many argued that I would meet a man and he would want children…I told them to fuck off because it was my body and my insides did not belong to a man I had yet to meet. But yes, I agree with them in that it is an important detail to share. After all, it's not fair if one of you wants kids and the other doesn't and you're both just waiting for the other's mind to change." Yalena giggled and looked over to Laguna. "Woooh I've had a bit to drink, haven't I? Sharing our life story and all."
"Oh! No, please, I love hearing about how couples have gotten together."
Laguna gave Yalena a quick swat on the ass as she excused herself. "And what about you? What will you tell people when they ask how you met your person? Assuming you're with someone, of course."
"Oh…I met him through my work," Rinoa said, holding up her camera.
"Oooh, one of your models?" Yalena asked. "Well then he must be handsome."
Rinoa couldn't help but grin sheepishly. "Oh he is quite nice to look at."
Yalena gently patted Rinoa on the shoulder. "Well, like I said dear, don't hold anything back. Tell him everything. Tell him what upsets you, what makes you happy, what turns you on, what scares you…everything. And accept nothing less from him. You know what's even better? When you don't have to tell them anything and they instantly know."
"You must forgive my wife," Laguna said. "She loves to give marital advice. I keep telling her to write a book about it but…what do I know?"
Yalena playfully flicked him on the nose. "I can't help it!" she laughed. "When I have the best marriage ever, how can I not give advice?" She turned back to Rinoa and gave her a serious face. "But in all honesty, I want you to remember one thing: Marriage is not endgame." Yalena grinned when she saw the confused look on Rinoa's face. "Look, I love to read trashy romance novels—love to read them—but it always annoys me that it always ends with a marriage proposal. Just understand that marriage is not endgame. It's not even the beginning of a love story! It's an addition to and a great milestone to a love story. Marriage is not the end all gesture of pure love and enduring romance, I know plenty of couples who have been together forever and never got married. It doesn't mean that the love is not there."
Rinoa couldn't help but smile at the two before her. Laguna was gently chiding his wife and made a failed attempt to take away the empty wine glass. "I don't want you to drop it," he chuckled. "Give it."
"I won't drop it," Yalena sang. "I'm not even drunk. Just incredibly buzzed and high on life and the love that surrounds us today!"
"You guys are amazing," Rinoa said again. "Oh! And before I forget…" She reached into her pocket and produced a business card. "We're going to place these among the tables later but I might as well give it to you now. This has the link and password for you guys to view the wedding pictures when we have them uploaded!"
Yalena took the card and slipped it into her clutch purse. "How wonderful!"
"Yes! And…we are also starting an email list as well. You know, I got some great shots of you guys earlier. If you'd ever like to do family portraits I'd love to work with you two!"
Yalena excitedly clapped her hands and looked over to Laguna with her eyes large and wide. "Oh, yes! Honey, that's what I want for our anniversary! To take professional photos!" She turned back to Rinoa and practically squealed. "Give her your business card!" she said to Laguna.
"Of course." He reached into his wallet and removed a card. "Well I must say that this has been an eventful evening," he said. "So blessed that now I know what to get my wife for our anniversary. I've been asking her for weeks what she'd like to do this year and she keeps responding with…" He did a comical shrug of his shoulders.
Rinoa didn't think she could smile any further. "Can't wait to work with you two. When is your anniversary?"
"October."
"I'll touch base with you in a few weeks and we can schedule a shoot!"
"How exciting!" Yalena gasped. "I can't wait! But now, husband, I demand a dance."
Laguna grimaced. "I don't dance," he told Rinoa.
"Yes you do," argued Yalena.
"Oh no, I think my leg's cramped up. I can't, my darling wife. You must go on without me."
Yalena groaned and rolled her eyes. "Come off it," she sighed, tugging at his sleeve. "Another piece of advice?" she said to Rinoa. "Don't buy the bullshit they try to sell."
"I just do it to get a rise out of her." He wagged his eyebrows at her and blew a kiss when Yalena pouted. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Heartilly. We'll be in touch with you soon."
Rinoa could only wave as she watched the couple head back towards the reception hall. She had to sit down for a moment. He was so much like Squall and yet so different. Her heart ached when she thought about what her next move was or could be. At the moment, she still wasn't sure.
Before she knew it her phone was to her ear and she heard Squall's voice on the other side.
"Hey," he said.
Rinoa felt her heart swell. "Hi."
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah…just taking a break and wanted to hear your voice."
She heard him shifting around on the other side. "Are you sure you're ok? You sound…upset."
"No I'm fine, really. I'm just…" She glanced around and leaned back against the balcony. "I don't know. I just really needed to hear your voice right now. Nothing's wrong or anything, I promise."
He didn't sound entirely convinced but he didn't press the matter any further. "Anything you want," he told her. As Rinoa sat quietly outside, Squall talked about how the studio was finishing up their record and that they should have it completed shortly. He told her about the dinner her had waiting for her in the crockpot because he knew she'd be hungry when she came back to him. He told her that the moment she walked through that door he would remove her clothes one by one, take her into the bath and let her soak, and consistently supply a glass of wine for her. "Or I could just fuck you senseless on the kitchen counter, bed, couch, all of the above. You know, whichever."
Rinoa covered her mouth and silently laughed. This man said she would be the death of him…well it was entirely true for her as well. "Oh Squall," she murmured. "I l…I can't wait to get home. It's been a long day."
"I'll be here," he said. "Waiting."
