Loving Toby (Completed)

Chapter 36

The five of them squeezed into Lexus truck in their prom gown and expensive suits. Driving through the cold night of San Diego as they sang along to the tune of Teenage Dream blasting on Lexus speaker. The street was empty, and no one seems to care about them driving down to god knows where.

The Prom ended like a beautiful midsummer dream, leaving them only beautiful memories to cherish for a while, and no one was too eager to go home yet. Lexus decided to drive around town, with no concrete destination in mind, at least that was the boy said after demanding them to get on their seat and just enjoy the ride. But seeing France and Athena's grinning like a fool next to him, she could tell that her friends were up to no good again. Not that she really minds when Toby was resting on her shoulder in peace, his cold hands drawing circles on the back of her hand as the cold breeze brushing gently against their skin through the slightly opened window.

"Where are we?" She asked when Lexus truck stopped in an unfamiliar place, the tinted glass making it harder to see anything outside.

The five of them stepped outside the car, the small light coming from the lamp post a few steps from them barely illuminating the familiar structure in front of them. Wondering why the hell did they ended up in Oakwood's community church at two in the morning.

Her questions left unanswered as the hand that was keeping her company slowly slipping out of her grasp, missing the coldness of his skin on hers, Luna turned around in protest. Only to be met with the sight of Toby bended on one knee, his hand trembling slightly as it hangs in the air, holding a piece of what seems to be something made out of paper twisted clumsily, forming a makeshift paper ring.

Luna could barely grasp the meaning of his actions, wondering if she was too busy daydreaming to even tell if it was a dream to wake up from, or the reality that she has to live in as the first tear came rushing out of her eyes before she could even find the words to speak.

"Luna, will you be my wife? Because I don't want to die without making you mine," she could have punch him in an instant, hating the way he talked so casually about death, not knowing how much it scared the shit out of her. But seeing the vulnerability and sincerity behind those warm blue eyes, Luna knew that she would have him no other way.

"You're an idiot Cooper," she replied softly, nodding at him with a smile on her lips and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I am your idiot Miss Greene", the boy replied with a cheeky grin plastered on his face as Toby stood up from the ground, capturing her tear-stained cheeks in the palm of his hands and kissing the tears away with the soft brush of his lips touching her skin, leaving her breathless and aching for more.

Toby slipped the ring carefully on her finger, the ring was rough and cheap, but it was far better than any jewelry that she currently owns.

"Shall we continue this wedding or not?" Lexus interrupted.

"Wait, what wedding!?" Luna asked in surprise, watching how the four of them sharing a playful look on their faces.

"Babe, why do you think we're in front of Oakwood's church?" France pointed out as she stared cluelessly at them. A soft gasped escaping her lips when the realization hits her like a tidal wave.

"Don't worry it's not an official wedding because Caleb and your mom will kill us all if you come home as a married woman," Lexus explained further but Luna's already zoning out, she can't believe that everything's real! She's marrying Toby, whether it was legal or not she doesn't really care.

"So, are we just going to stand here all night or we're getting inside the church?" Athena asked a little impatient now but the glint on her eyes says otherwise.

"Let's get married!" Luna beamed as she grabbed Toby's hand, they run towards the church with their best friends, laughing at how silly the idea was, not that anyone of them cared.

Lexus started the pseudo wedding, getting his speech from Google and was too engrossed in his role. Athena and France acting as their witnesses standing behind them, laughing and crying at how nervous he was while reading his speech.

"Where were we?" Lexus mumbled nervously, his shaking hands holding the phone in place. No one blames him though, the five of them sneaking at two in the morning to do an impromptu wedding ceremony will land their ass on the nearest police station if someone catches them. But that's not the reason for Lexus nervousness, because it may be a crazy idea to do a fake marriage for her and Toby, her best friends knew how much this means to the both of them. For a while they wanted to escape the reality that Toby's dying and they can't do anything but to watched him suffer on that hospital room.

"The I Do part," France whispered as Athena stepped next to Lexus, clearing his throat and reading the script on his hand, a little unsure but nevertheless determined to proceed with the ceremony.

"Do you, Tobias Amadeus Kingsley Cooper, take the half crazy, half idiot friends of ou---"

"Hey that's not part of the script!" She whined that made the four of them laughed. Lexus face turned serious as they eyed the two of them in front of him, with a deep breath he spoke the words that made Luna cried. Toby squeezed her hand as they listened to him.

"---do you take Luna Eliana Maximilian Greene, to be your wife, to hold and to cherish her, to be patient with her, accept all her flaws, and to love her with all your heart, from this day forward, through sickness and in health, for better, for worse, for richer, and poorer. Till death do you part,"

"I do," Toby answered before Lexus could even take a breath out of his speech, slipping the cold gold ring into her finger replacing the paper ring that Toby gave her earlier. His eyes lingering on her hand for a moment, until he finally finds its way back to her unwavering gaze.

"Do you, Luna Eliana Maximilian Greene, accept Tobias Amadeus Kingsley Cooper, to be your husband, to read his favorite books with him, to deal with his obsession with Shakespeare, to carry his pain, to love and to cherish him from this day forw--ard," the crack on his voice breaking everyone's defenses as they all crumbled into sobbing pieces before he could even finish his speech.

"--through the good and the bad, for sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part,"

"I do, I'll always do," she answered as the growing lump on her throat made it harder for her to speak as he looked into Toby's warm blue eyes. The tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces. Slowly, Luna slipped the gold ring on his ring finger, seeing the cold metal fits like it was carve straight out of his skin only to return back to its place after long years of waiting. Like he belongs to her just as much as she belongs to him.

"I love you," she mouthed sincerely, letting Toby wiped her tears away with his cold hands.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride Toby," Lexus announced happily as he wiped the tears that escaped his eyes and just like that, Toby and Luna shared a bittersweet kiss to seal their fake marriage.

The taste of their kisses filling all the doubt, fear and pain that was too much for one of them to bear, replacing it with pure happiness in a short moment of escape that they all desperately needed. Their friends cheering alongside them, with tears filled eyes and worry swimming down their mind, hoping for a miracle from anyone watching them from above. Fully aware that life has a way of turning their joy into a sorrowful moment without a warning, like the calmness before the storm and the steady ground before it crumbled down on their feet.