97. Kendall
Kendall
Kai has just read his vows and I’m crying just as hard as he was when I walked down the aisle. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever make it here but I’m so happy that we did.
Kai. This perfect, handsome, amazing man. The best damn thing that ever happened to me was a goofy, shy, loving boy moving in right across the street from me.
He is filled with goodness and all the things I love.
I remind myself to take a moment to appreciate the scene around me.
Everyone we love is here. My moms are sitting in the front rows holding each other’s hands and dabbing their eyes.
Jax and Amir are here, smiling like lovesick puppies at Emma and Jenna respectively.
Both of them stand to the right of me in midnight black chiffon dresses.
Ryo, Jonah, and Akio stand to Kai’s left.
Broad, handsome, and beaming. Kai’s mom is blubbering of course, and his dad is holding back tears.
Veronica smiles at us from her seat next to her husband.
The officiant turns to me now and lets me know it’s my turn to share my vows with Kai.
I raise my eyes and tear-stained face to his and try to steel my resolve.
“Kai, my maid of honor said it best when she told me someone somewhere cleaved a heart and a soul in two and I got one half and you got the other. People may laugh or scoff at that. Maybe they don’t believe in the power of soulmates.
But I do. I think no matter what lifetime we’re in, we’ll always find each other.
That there has been an invisible thread connecting us since we were kids and I’m confident that it’s unbreakable.
Untouchable. Unable to be explained but always felt and always there.
We’ve been on the same wavelength, the same frequency for a long time now.
You are the only person who knows the shape, the rhythm, and the words to the song in my heart.
You are my greatest blessing, my heart, my comfort when I’m sad, my peace when everything gets too loud.
My safe place to land. You and Akio are the best things that have ever happened to me.
I promise to love you with everything I have, to take care of your heart and protect it fiercely.
I promise to never bother you during a playoff game.
” I pause for comedic effect. “I promise to support you and your dreams, every endeavor you take on. I promise to be there for you and never take our love or life for granted. I love you and everything that you are, and I love you more each day.”
He looks at me, his eyes shining and wet with tears.
I bring my thumb to his cheek and wipe some away as I smile through my own.
The officiant instructs us to repeat a few more things.
We exchange rings excitedly and then he pronounces us husband and wife.
Kai’s hand is on my waist firm and warm, the other clasping my neck.
He's staring at me like I’m everything, the very air he breathes.
What his entire world spins around. And I accept it, believe it.
What’s more, for the first time, I know I deserve it.
He dips me to the floor and our mouths crash together.
He tastes like forever, like happiness. Like every dream I've ever had unfolding all at once. He’s the song I’ll never get tired of singing.
This kiss holds countless memories. It’s love and hope and freedom and sacrifices.
It's lazy Sunday mornings and gentle sunrises. It’s the earth, the wind, the stars, and the moon.
It’s infinite and fleeting at the same time.
It's pure magic just like the first time he kissed me in his parents’ basement.
It’s his sweaty lips crashing into mine, after his first college win.
It’s the hot rapturous kisses when he’s sliding into me over and over again.
It’s his hands on my hips and a peck on my cheek to let me know he’s thinking about me.
In this kiss we’ve lived a thousand lifetimes each with each other, each better than the last. It’s everything we are and everything we have yet to be. It’s the safest place in the world.
It’s home.