Paragon

Chapter 17

"You may kiss the bride," the man wearing a completely white tux and bright, yellow rose declares happily as Stellan grasps my face with a hand, pulling me in with the other tight on my waist. In a short, white dress we bought in a store nearby the chapel that cost twenty dollars, I kiss him back, gripping his deflated dress shirt with vigor.

We pull apart, smiling wide and as the man claps wildly along with the other waiting couples, we clasp each other fiercely and both of our bodies deflate. I don't know what is going through his mind but I know mine is clear. In this moment, there's not a thought but us.

...

"I've been trying to call you all day!" Vivienne exclaims loudly into my ear. I look back at Stellan, standing outside the payphone. I called my house phone, unsure if she would pick up.

"I'm married," I utter happily, clasping the phone tight as I relay the news staring at my husband. My God, my husband. "I'm married, Vivienne!"

"What?"

"We left. We're in Vegas. We're staying the night here. We'll be back tomorrow."

"Are you insane?!"

"Yes. Deliriously!" I nod, biting my lip.

"Iris..."

"This is what I wanted. Be happy for me, Vivienne!"

The line is quiet for a moment before she answers, her voice lower, "Then-then I will be."

"Thank you. I-I'm calling from a payphone. We haven't even gotten a hotel yet. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Spontaneous, for sure."

"Yes, well, we'll be back tomorrow. I know we're leaving to meet David and Dari. Is that still on?"

"Of course. They're getting the house ready as we speak."

"Alright then." Suddenly, the idea of meeting them doesn't seem so difficult now. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Eric will be with you, if you need to leave the house, please take him."

"Alright, Iris... And um, congratulations, really."

"Thank you," I murmur, hanging up the phone softly. Cheeks flushed with pure happiness in what seems like too long, I grasp the side of the glass box and step out into the sun into Stellan's outstretched arm.

...

"I made the first doctor's appointment," I whisper in the warm confines of our hotel suite, tangled in the silk sheets. Laying opposite me, touching my bare calf lightly, is my husband. He nods, smiling.

"When is it?"

"When we get back from Michigan."

"... Michigan, wow... It's been a while since I've been there."

"You've gone before?"

"Yeah, once with a few guys in college."

I tilt my head to the side against the soft pillow, studying him. "What happened to these guys?"

"We grew apart."

"... All your friends?"

He looks at me and raises his brows. "I'd been alone in this world for a very long time till I met you, Iris. Everybody left. The ones that stayed weren't true. I became a nobody after Vance- after her."

"You're someone now," I state with feeling, sitting up, reaching out to provide him comfort. He tilts his cheek into my hand and nods.

"Yes, I am... because of you."