You Make Me Sane

Chapter 19

They are standing in the middle of a church. The same church Deion buried his brother outside of, and the same church Alister held his dad's funeral exactly one year ago. But now, instead of something they look back on with pain, they are making a memory they are going to look back on in complete happiness.

It's been five years since Alister said he loved Deion outside the memorial hospital, and right now they couldn't be stronger together. They've had their share of fights, angry moments, and incomparable lows. But they've also shared laughs and smiles, they've experienced incredible highs together. The wide range of emotions that Alister feels daily have allowed him to experience human connection so acutely and intensely that with each passing second his love for Deion has only grown stronger and more passionate. Although, you can hardly say Deion doesn't feel the same.

They are standing in the middle of the church. Both in white colored suits, with black ties, and matching handkerchiefs in their suit pockets. The only people watching right now are Alister's and Deion's mothers, and Deion's sister. But Alister would swear he could hear his grandfather laughing fondly from above him.

Deion takes Alister's hand and slides a ring onto his finger. A few minutes later, Alister does the same. With each passing second, Alister is closer to becoming Mr Alister Zander Monarch-Ortega. And with each passing second, Deion is closer to becoming Mr Deion Alonso Ortega-Monarch. Deion and Alister haven't taken their eyes off each other, right up until they hear the priest say...

"I've been told you each have prepared your own vows," Alister and Deion each nod and glance at the priest before looking back at each other.

"Mr Monarch?" The priest says and both Alister and Deion say yes. Their families and the priest laugh, and so do they.

"I meant the original Mr Monarch," The priest corrects and Deion nods. "Right, of course," Deion mumbles and Alister laughs softly.

"Before I met you, I never believed that love existed for someone like me," Alister begins and Deion immediately reaches to hold his hand.

"Even after I met you, I never thought this is what we would become. I thought it was going to be a twenty four hour thing. That whatever we were feeling would wear off or fade after enough time has gone by. I never dreamed I would like the way you made me feel. I used to enjoy the dark, but that was before you dragged me out of the shadows and showed me the light. After I showed you the storm I battle with everyday, you become my life boat. When I told you to run, you only moved closer. When I became angry with you, you only showed me how much love you had for me. You battled the storm with me everyday for the past five years, and I can finally say we're in the clearing," Alister says and looks into Deion's tear filled eyes.

"Mr Ortega?" The priest asks and Deion clears his throat.

"Everyday of my life before I met you was filled with anger. I've always been angry, ever since I was little. It's just always been there. Whether I was angry at myself, or angry at my father, or angry at my circumstances I didn't know. I guess to a certain extent it never actually crossed my mind to analyze why I was always mad. I just knew I always was. But that changed when I met you. There was always this war waging inside of me, but that war finally ended when I met you. It was finally over. I didn't feel angry anymore, I felt overwhelmed with this intense incomparable emotion, but it wasn't anger... It wasn't anger at all, it was love. My battle ended when I realized how much I actually loved you. And yours ended when you realized that you deserved every ounce of love I gave to you, and will continue to give to you as your husband and partner from this day forward," Deion says and by the end of his vows, tears have streamed down both his and Alister's faces.

They don't hear anything else the priest says after that. They envelope each other in their arms. They pull each other closer and closer into themselves. Maybe they're trying to be as close as they can, or maybe they're trying to push into one another until they become one. They don't know, and they don't care. Because what came after that was the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to either of them.

"You may kiss the groom," The priest announces and that's all the encouragement they need before their lips are captured by one another.

The most wonderful thing that could ever happen to them was each other. In the twenty four hours they spent together, five years ago, they found love, they found their best friend, they found a partner for life. But most importantly, they found the strength to accept themselves in all their imperfections.