Nelica gulped and abruptly dismissed that weird and sudden feeling. God.. Where did it suddenly come from? No way. Then she cleared her throat in a sudden uncertainty and tried so hard to divert her attention to the priest again.
"Now if you have any personal vows or words you would like to exchange, now would be the time." The priest said.
So Francis smiled at her and took the mic.
"Venz, the first time I saw you--"
"Woohoo! Way to go, brother! Make it extra special!"
"And extra sweet!"
Shouted Francis' brothers from the crowd that she just met at their prenup yesterday.
His whole family, friends, relatives and his co-businessmen were there. Including hers.
The crowd laughed in amusement and she blushed in embarrassment. So Francis gazed at the crowd and said, "Sshh, Blue Terrence and White Shadow, quiet. You two will be the next to stand here with your brides sooner."
The crowd laughed so loud at Francis' joke that it echoed inside the enormous and beautiful church. So she laughed in amusement too. Then Francis looked at her again with a smile and continued, "I'm sorry for the short interruption my beautiful, bashful bride, but let me just continue what I'm about to say.. The first I saw you, I really thought you were the most annoying woman living here on Earth for criticising my course back then. The criminology course. You even generalized that all criminologist are lousy and faggots back then." Francis said and chuckled that made the crowd go laughing again.
So she chuckled at the memories of them. Because it was true. She really said that.
"But then again, all my wrong assumptions that I will forever hate you because of that vanished away when a situation suddenly and unexpectedly.. Bind us together. And though, fate made us apart, but now, it played us again this time after so many years. But this time around, Venz, I promise you.. That I will never let you go again. And that means that if fate plays a joke with us again, then I will do everything to win that playtime it started and laughed with its joke until it can no longer joke anymore. You were my match before. You are my match up to now. And you will be my match until the day I die. Because, Venz, in case you still didn't know.. But from the moment we accepted and loved each other, that moment, we are already..
A match made in Heaven."
Nelica's eyes flickered of everything Francis just said. Every word felt so pure and real. Every word pinched her heart and delved to the very depths of her soul. Making her barely breath in mixed and uncontrollable emotions. So she nervously cleared her throat because of that and focused when the priest handed her a mic too, a sign that it was her turn to say a vow to Francis.
So she took the mic uneasily and after clearing her throat again,she shyly said, "I.. I actually have nothing much to say.. But I'll.. I'll just promise that I'll.. I'll just love you everyday.. Just like I used to do day by day back then. I.. I love you too," she nervously said while her heart was racing so fast inside her chest and looked away when she saw how Francis smiled at her meaningfully as if she suddenly gave him butterflies in the stomach of what she said. Gosh. Then she returned the mic to the person who took it back and listened to what the priest said again.
"Now may I call your attention to the seriousness of the decision which you have made and the covenant you are about to declare before God. The vows you are about to take care not to be taken without careful thought, for in them you are committing yourselves exclusively to one another for as long as you both shall live. And now if you are both ready to assume the obligations and duties before God, as I have defined them, you will unite your hands and pledge your love and your lives to each other."
And surprisingly, they both cleared their throat in chorus as the priest began to speak.
"Do you, White Francis Al Gala, take thee, Harem Vennelicka Stanley, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love her, honour her, cherish her , keep her and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her until you both shall live?"
White Francis glanced at her first with a sweet and gentle smile before answering, "I do."
She gulped. His answer really sounded so.. Pure and disturbing on her part. Oh sweet heaven, please help her!
"Now do you, Harem Vennelicka Stenley, take thee, White Francis Al Gala, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love him, honour him, cherish him ,keep him and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto her until you both shall live?"
So she heaved a deep breath and stared at Francis seriously then while her heart was pumping like crazy, she softly answered.. "I do."
White Francis smiled at her gently and stared deeply into her eyes, that made her heart thump crazily ten times more than the previous one. Then she cleared her throat and smiled back then looked at the priest nervously.
"Now, Groom, please place the ring to Harem Vennelicka's finger and repeat after me.."
So White Francis listened carefully to the priest and gently held her left hand with a smile and with a stare that appeared to delve deeply into the depths of her soul and softly said.. "I, White Francis Al Gala , take you, Harem Vennelicka Stenley , to be my lawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. So I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness to you.. And a sign that I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honour you, to respect you, to laugh with you ,cry with you , trust you and I will faithfully love you. Through the best and the worst. Through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, given you my life to keep, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live." He said and gently placed the diamond ring all the way down to her ring finger and whispered the words she didn't expect to hear from him again.
"I love you.."