Letting it Sink In

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After the excitement at dinner had died down, Kai and I were congratulated countless times. We couldn't walk three paces without shaking a hand or thanking someone for their own thanks. By the time our guests had cleared and we were alone, we were exhausted. We sat back at the dinner table for a moment to process the evening. Kai watched as I played with the engagement band once again resting on my finger.
Taking my hand in his own he gently pulled me up and guided me into one of the corridors that led downstairs.
"What a day." Kai said, a hint of laughter in his exhausted voice. "It's official, we're eloping." Though I knew he was joking, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. As we strolled through the palace I finally allowed myself to believe all of this was happening. We had been through so much together, and at several points it had seemed like we'd never make it here, back to our own happily ever after. It was an incredible feeling.
The girl who had met Prince Kai so long ago at the market, Linh Cinder, the cyborg who didn't belong anywhere, was no more. Now I have a fiancé and a future and a family of friends where I finally fit in.
I gasped as cool air hit my face, shocking me out of my thoughts.
Somehow we had made our way to the gardens. Kai pulled me toward a bench where we sat and watched the stars as well as admired Luna.
"There's probably a lot of official business that needs to be taken care of now that the ruler of Luna and the ruler of the Commonwealth are getting married, again." I whispered to Kai in the silence of the night. He grunted and shifted his weight to look at me.
"Why don't we get married first and then worry about the legal stuff? We'll make it work in the meantime." He breathed.
That sounded good to me. Besides how can we worry about legal stuff when there was so much more important stuff to worry about. Wedding planning was high on that list.
"Maybe eloping wouldn't be such a bad idea", I added nervously, "I don't even want to think about what my ladies maids will think up when it comes to a wedding dress." I shivered at the thought.
Kai looked at me with a dopey grin and I caved. I leaned forward and gave him a quick peck. His grin was brighter than the stars above us.
"We can get through this. We've gotten through so much worse than wedding planning! This'll be a piece of cake."
"Well I'm not sure... defeating an evil space queen," He said, raising one hand out in front of him, "or deciding on place settings for a wedding..." he finished, raising his other hand level with the first.
"I think I'd take the space queen.", I added, making Kai laugh.
Looking around the moonlit garden, I saw a pair of ladybugs dancing around one of the rose bushes. Pulling gently away from Kai's side, I leaned down and let them land on my hand. Kai looked over my shoulder and smiled. A feeling of calm rushed over me.
Sure, we have a wedding to plan and people to appease but for one little moment we're just Cinder and Kai. Two people in love, watching the ladybugs play under the stars. For a moment it felt as though that's all we'd ever need to be.
For a moment, everything was perfect.
Knowing me, that wouldn't last long.

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Hey everyone! I'm so sorry about how long it's been on this fic. I was never really proud of what I was posting and I never really had a plan of where it was going. I'm going to keep updating whenever I'm inspired, but I can't promise regular updates again. I know it's super short, but this is a little anniversary gift for everyone begging for an update. 3 years ago today I posted the first chapter of this fic and I cannot believe how the time flies. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please leave comments because I always read every single one!

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⏰ Last updated: Nov 13, 2019 ⏰

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