Capheus sat in awe. Riley had to more or less drag him to their seats as he stared at the wild lace ribbons curling from stand to stand, slightly swaying in the Hawaii breeze and the beautiful sunset colouring the sky a deep pink, which conveniently matched the Gerbera flowers scattered delicately on the smooth grass beneath them.
Nomi and Amanita chose to have an open wedding, a simple, cost efficient wedding, but despite being a minimalistic wedding, many people had come, and the decoration of flowers and ribbons and lace on the marble pedestals and on the backs of glamorous chairs were coherently gorgeous. Capheus tugged at the satin ribbon tied loosely around his chair and felt it in between his fingers, it’s soft touch like a lullaby, making his heart pour in warmth and his eyes tire to puppy sleep.
Riley smiled at him, drawing odd stares from the others that were seated and waiting the arrival of the brides. Still smiling, Riley looked upon the minister, just to her left. He stood wide, a big brown book in his hand, an oval thatched shade above him like a little hut.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it” said Will in her ear.
“Yeah”, she breathed into his cheek. He smiled and gave her that open look. The sincere look of his eyes that peeled his way into the depth of her innermost tangled self.
She took his right hand with her left one and rubbed her head onto his broad shoulder.
“It’s perfect, the sunset, the sky…”
“Yeah… Absolutely perfect.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Alright, I’ve got to get back there…”
She allowed him to take back his hand and stand up. He fixed his tux and winked. “Be back soon.”
He walked away with such a defensive demeanour and a bounce in his step.
Wolfgang tweaked with the flower behind Kala’s ear.
“You’re going to break it!” she sang.
“Am I?” asked Wolfgang with a mischievous smirk.
“Yes. You’re hands are too rough. They are unable to handle such delicate things…”
He raised an eyebrow.
“They seem to handle you alright…”
She nudged his rib with a playful grin.
He had a chuckle to himself and Kala’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. He was such a goon.
“It is of course, beautiful, but I would rather such a more extravagant area!” Exclaimed Lito, his hands flying with a fierce motion as he gestured with such passion.
“Big walls! And big huge windows! With the colours! What are the windows with all the colours again – the blue and the red and the sort of transparent emerald green” –
“Stained glass?” Offered Sun.
“Yes! The staining of the glass! Such beauty. With the sunshine pouring through as we held hands, and some doves flying about and a smell of the finest French perfume…”
He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with himself. He rubbed the stubble of his beard.
“I would make a great Fiancé, you know.”
Sun huffed.
“And by the sounds of it you would be a very costly husband!” She giggled.
“Ah but you see, what is money worth when compared to a lover?” He smiled intensely.
Lito breathed back.
“I can not wait for my marriage.”
Sun examined the people around. Most of the chairs were occupied now and voices were intensifying to hushed, excited whispers.
“I presume it is about to begin” announced Sun.
Wolfgang leaned over Kala and tapped Sun on the shoulder.
“Psst. I bet you’ll tear up at least twice.” He jested.
Sun rolled her in eyes.
“You’re on.”
Kala slapped Wolfgang over the back of the head.
“Ow!” Gasped Wolfgang. He rubbed where he’d been hit. “Big ring.”
“That is what you get for being a…a…”
“A..?”
“A big man! You big…man, you!”
She turned to whisper in Sun’s ear.
“He’s still upset because he lost the sparring match to you.”
They laughed.
Wolfgang gave Kala the evil eyes.
“Am not.” He mumbled.
Kala and Sun looked at one another with a sarcastic gleam.
Behind Kala’s head, Wolfgang stuck his tongue out at Sun, and retracted it quickly when Kala’s face turned back to him lightning-pace.
There was a soft tropical glow and an odd, light-stringed harp delivering an exquisite melodic rhythm as Nomi, criss-crossed in arms with Will, walked down the natural aisle. She was veil-less and wearing a tight-fitting dress that showed off her beautiful curves and came together in a heart shape over her breasts. Sprinkled on it were diamonds that shimmered as the sinking sun kissed them. The dress flowed to her ankles and then glided gracefully in an angelic trail behind her.
Nomi blushed as they continued on, very grateful to have Will with her (and also appreciative of his great balance) but she truly missed Amanita and awaited her presence with celestial yearning. The distance was covered before she could mentally prepare herself, Will kissed her and she thanked him, to which he replied “It was my honour.”
And now she stood alone, awaiting her Fiancé, or was it Bride, or was it Wife? Bride, it’s Bride, Nomi. She took a deep breath through her nose. She felt like she was standing on the tip of a cliff, or that she had been shrunken down in size and standing on the lip of a needle. Peering eyes, judging her, thinking about her, undoubtedly gossips were in front of her, and they would probably make rumours about this to their friends and laugh and and and…
Amanita danced through the middle. Her cornrows hair in its glorious colours hanging by her left shoulder, over her bare collarbone and onto the white of her dress. She was smiling with her brown cola eyes fixed on Nomi, ignorant to anyone else, focus only on the stiff wingless angel that was staring right back except with an open mouth and teary eyes. Amanita reached her and with a wink whispered “Hunny, your mouth’s open.”
“I…I…You…Look…”
“Good because I cant feel my ankles” Amanita half-laughed.
And then Nomi felt the balance again, and she was on a regular hillside in front of regular people that could whine and bitch all they wanted.
“Amanita… You have given me everything that I have ever been deprived of. Growing up, I felt starved and cold, and it took me a long time to allow myself to seek warmth. And I found you. You believed in me and saw in me what I couldn’t understand. I was too weak to feed and bathe myself but you took it upon yourself to care for me. You didn’t treat me like a broken toy, you heard what I had to say. You didn’t shame me or refuse to acknowledge me. You made me into the person I am today. And I know that most people in the world consider that to be fucked up, but you did, you made me. You made me the exact way I wanted to be made. You did this because you listened to me. And now that I have become my complete content self, I am able to completely love you.”
There was a gentle ‘Aw’ from the audience. And quite a loud sniffle from Capheus.
“Nomi…Nomi, life is unlimited with you. Our adventures together, they are ageless. Someone should write a book about us I swear. You make me laugh in a way that nobody else can. I feel like we’re going to be that old couple who gets trashed before we go to bingo and break our hips doing slut drops. I wake up every morning and I can’t wait for the time I’m going to spend with you. There is no place else I would ever rather be.”
Another sniffle from Capheus.
Nomi’s lips curled up at the sides, that smile she did when she was trying to act ‘cool’ but couldn’t. Amanita gave a big teethy grin. “Do you, Nomi, take Amanita to be your wife, in sickness and in health?”
Nomi breathed a full, untampered smile.
“I do.”
Amanita’s shoulders jolted with anticipation.
“And do you, Amanita, take Nomi, to be your awfully wedded wife, ‘till death do you part?”
“I do!” Rushed Amanita.
“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wi”-
Before he could finish Amanita jumped onto Nomi’s familiar lips and gave her a slobby wet kiss as she threw her arms around her Wife’s shoulders.
“That was elegant”, whispered Nomi as the audience boomed in applause behind them.
“Fuck elegance. I wanted a real kiss.”
Nomi gestured an eyebrow in the direction of the aisle.
“Shall we, wifey?”
“Don’t say that!” Screeched Amanita. “It makes me too excited and I already need to pee.”
Nomi smiled and gave Amanita’s lips a quick but sincere peck.
Together, hand in hand they turned to the standing people, whistling and cheering and screaming with glee (the screamers were Amanita’s erratic friends, to whom she waved frantically to as they passed), and Nomi gave a loving look to her friends, standing at the front. Capheus had a tissue to his nose, and she could swear Will wiped a tear and then went back to folding his big arms.
“I feel like everything is going to be okay.”
Amanita rested her head on Nomi’s shoulder. “It will be.”
Leo Grey 