The Experiment © [Completed]

Chapter 102 - Vows

"Dei..." RJ began as he faced her. He grabbed her hand and took a deep breath. He exhaled it out of his mouth, willing himself not to break down before he has even said a single word from his vow.

He prepared something for this. He had it written on a teared up page of a notebook inside his pocket. He kept it simple when he wrote it - measured and not too emotional. He didn't want to cry in front of their guests, and they would understand. Almost everyone knew that RJ wasn't the type who's comfortable in sharing his feelings. But as he stood there in front of Dei, looking at her beautiful smiling face, he made a split second decision to allow his heart to do the talking instead.

"Dei," he said again, "we met and fell in love with each other in the most unusual circumstance. We met when neither of us were looking for love. In fact we were both trying to avoid it. The fate seemed to have a different plan though, because in that short span of time that we got together, it made us realize that one can actually find love even when he least expects it and that's what we found in each other.

Everything happened in a blur and people actually thought it was crazy and unheard of. What they didn't understand though is that the love we have is unusual and one of a kind. You are one of a kind, and from this day forward, I vow to cherish you and everything that we have... because I love you.

I love you enough to fight for you, compromise for you and sacrifice myself for you if need be. I love you enough to miss you incredibly when we're apart, no matter what length of time it's for and regardless of the distance..."

He paused and swallowed hard because the lump in his throat had gotten so big, it was starting to feel painful. God, this is a bad idea. RJ, keep yourself together, man! he desperately thought as his eyes started to blur with tears.

"Dei, I love you enough to believe in our relationship, to stand by it through the worst of times, and to never give up on us," he continued. "I love you enough to spend the rest of my life with you, be there for you when you need or want me and to never want to leave you nor live without you. All these I promise you, Dei... because I love you this much."

He felt Dei's hand on his face, her thumb brushing the tears that had apparently spilled from his eyes and he chuckled in his embarrassment. Real smooth, RJ.

"That was beautiful, babe," she whispered to him and she too had tears in her eyes.

"Your turn," he whispered back and she smiled shyly.

Dei took a deep breath and wiped her own tears.

"RJ, from the moment I met you, you've surprised me, distracted me, captivated me, and challenged me in ways that no one ever has. I've fallen in love with you over and over again, countless times and without reservation, and I fall more in love with you everyday. I promise to be true to you, babe, to uplift and support you, and to frustrate and challenge you - I'm already good at that one ---"

"True," RJ muttered and they both let out a small laugh.

"I promise to share with you all the beautiful, quirky moments of life, and maybe someday, if the stars align, I might even let you win an argument," she continued, smiling. "No matter what trials we encounter or what hardships we endure, or how much time has passed, I know that our love will never fade, that we will always find strength in one another, and that we will continue to grow side by side. You are my best friend, my partner in crime, and I promise to love you always with every beat of my heart."

RJ gazed at her intently, his heart expanding with happiness. He already wanted to kiss her right then but the officiating priest began the next part of the ceremony.

They affirmed their vows and gave each other the rings that would symbolize their marriage and their promise to be with each other for the rest of their lives. They didn't let go of each other's hands after that.

Finally, the priest was telling RJ to kiss his bride and they had only become aware again that there were actually other people inside the venue aside from them when they heard the guests talking excitedly, urging them to kiss already.

They glanced at them and the first person they saw was Matt who was on the front seat with the other principal sponsors. His hands were clasped together under his chin and he was looking at them eagerly like a child awaiting his Christmas present to be opened.

RJ and Dei looked back at each other and RJ stepped closer. He held her hands.

"So here we are again, about to kiss on our wedding day," he murmured, smiling at her.

"Yes," she whispered back. "And this time it's no longer just part of the job."

Richard grinned wider. "I love you, Mrs. Faulkerson."

"That has a nice ring to it," Dei said, biting her lip. "I love you too."

"KISS HER RJ!" someone shrieked excitedly from their guests, and he finally did. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her softly, both of their hearts beating wildly inside their chests just like the first time their lips met. And even with the wild, exhilarated cheers from their guests, they felt like they were the only two people in the world.

More to come...

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Disclaimer: I had help with the vows. They aren't entirely my words. Some parts actually came from actual vows that I revised to sound more like Dei and RJ. 😊