“Codie will be the next one to get hitched. She pretty much has to after getting that tattoo.” Luna smirked, wrinkling her nose like the mischievous little shit she could be.
Ripley nodded. “Yeah, there’s no going back from that.”
I glanced down at the ink on my wrist. My first tattoo. The letter S wrapped around the letter C, both letters in beautiful script. Stray had the same one. We got them a week ago.
Possibly a reckless and rash decision on my part. It had only been a couple weeks since he chased me into his backyard. We’d been almost inseparable since. Spending every night together and almost every day. Waking up in his arms felt incredible.
Now we were firmly on the same page. Committed to going forward and seeing this crazy relationship through. We had something magical here. Together we explored the darkest parts of ourselves and each other. There was no one else I would rather do that with.
“He hasn’t asked me yet. It’s way too soon for that. We’re not in any rush.” I smiled wistfully at the tattoo, feeling ridiculous but happy.
“Is that why you’re moving out on me and leaving me all alone?” Athena pressed the back of her hand to her forehead in dramatic fashion.
“Rude,” Ripley quipped. “I’m moving in next week. You won’t be alone for long.”
Even though she’d been living with her mother, Ripley had jumped at the chance to move out of her mom’s house. They didn’t get along well. That made me feel a lot better about moving out. As much as I loved living with my friend, I wanted to take this next step with Stray.
Of course that meant living with his friends. The house was big enough for all of us, and I didn’t expect him to kick them out because of me. It would give me a chance to get to know the other Kings better. Although Stray had offered to throw them out, I told him no. I didn’t want his friends to hate me. When we finished up with school next year, we could revisit the idea of living alone, just the two of us.
“How’s it going in here?” Rebel’s voice made us all jump.
I rushed over to the tent door, shoving him away before he could enter. “What are you doing? Get out of here. You know you can’t see the bride before the ceremony.”
Rebel grinned. Even I had to admit he looked damn good in his suit. His brown hair with a blonde streak in front had been freshly cut and styled.
“Oh please. That’s a ridiculous old superstition. I don’t buy into that shit.” He jokingly made an attempt to peek around me into the tent.
I shook my head, having none of it. “Nope. I don’t care. Get going. Away from here.”
I shooed him away with my hands, flapping them wildly until he retreated. We were only a few minutes away from getting started now. Everyone was seated. The officiant stood beneath the vine wrapped arch at the end of the makeshift aisle.Storm’s stepfather waited nearby to walk her down the aisle to Rebel. It was all so exciting.
“Don’t worry,” I said, popping back into the tent. “I got rid of him. Are you ready?”
“I think so.” Storm tightly twisted her fingers together. “I’m so nervous. What if I trip and fall on my face in front of everyone?”
“That’s not going to happen. Everything will be just fine.” Athena took her role of best friend seriously. She stood in front of Storm, gently smoothing a loose hair back behind her ear. Clasping Storm’s hands in hers, she said, “Breathe with me.”
The two of them did some deep breathing exercises in an effort to calm Storm down. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. If I ever did get married, I may have to elope. I wasn’t sure I could handle this kind of pressure.
“It’s time,” Luna announced. “We better get moving.”
I placed Storm’s fancy bouquet of black, white, and red flowers into her hands before picking up my smaller bouquet. When I emerged from the tent, I found Stray waiting for me. He cleaned up damn well.
Wearing a suit, his black hair freshly combed, he held out an arm to me. “Goddamn, strawberry. If you look this fucking fantastic as a bridesmaid, I can only imagine how you would look as a bride.”
“Let’s not get too carried away,” I laughed. “One thing at a time. We still have to try living together.”
The rest of the girls emerged, each pairing up with one of Rebel’s friends. As the music started, we got into position. Luna and Casper went first followed by Dominik and Ripley. Stray and I were next.
As we made our way down the aisle, Stray leaned in close and whispered, “I’m going to marry you someday, Codie Edwards.”
My insides lit up. A rush of joy that made me feel like I would burst. I saw in his eyes that he meant every word.
As the maid of honor, Athena came last with Auryn at her side. Being Rebel’s closest friend, he was the best man.
We all waited eagerly, watching for Storm. The music played, an edgy version of “A Thousand Years” on an electric guitar. Storm appeared on Larry’s arm. She glanced around nervously, her gaze travelling over the many guests from both families and fellow students from school. Then her eyes locked on Rebel, and her nerves seemed to fade.
Storm reached the front, and Larry handed her off to Rebel. The two of them clasped hands, staring deep into each other. The officiant spoke, going through the vows and having them each recite their vow to one another as they exchanged rings.
