A Votive For A Forever: Until My Last Breath (III)

Emotions were high between the couple and Austen quickly wiped a tear from his eyes and Val smiled doing the same. The wedding wasn't just a wedding to them. It sure was a lot more. Like an achievement of sorts, after the ordeals they have gone through to be together it was actually paying off.

The officiant interrupted once again, "And now Austen will read his vows."

Austen stared warmingly at Valerie, "How am I supposed to follow that?" Valerie just gave him an encouraging wink.

"Alright," Austen began, "Val, sometimes when people meet each other for the first time, before they even get to know each other, they have an impression; most likely an intuition. They feel this immediate sense of warmth, safety and comfort and soon after, love blossoms. Their hearts know they're going to be together forever, side by side before their brain gets the idea. Kind of like the heart's secret... that's not what our relationship was like, at all."

This caused an outburst of laughter amongst the audience, Austen watching Valerie's face light up at his comment. It encouraged Austen to continue;

"Sometimes, we have to be taken apart, destroyed, in order to rebuild and mould ourselves into who we're always meant to be. You, my love taught me that. You challenged me, pushed me to keep an open mind and you showed me what love was, and what it was supposed to feel like. And some people say your partner shouldn't try to change you, but funnily enough, you didn't have to try. Simply knowing you had altered my life in ways that still remains unfathomable to me. I changed not for you, but because of you; and I truly believe that is the most phenomenal thing that's ever happened to me."

By this time, Austen was too captivated by Val's gaze to break away. Valerie meant the world to Austen, which was scary but true. Being with Valerie over the years showed him it was okay to be vulnerable with someone, to give all of yourself to that person and trust wholeheartedly that they would do right by you. Valerie held every fibre of Austen and never once let his down. It was truly exceptional, and the least Austen could do was recognise that, acknowledge it and give Val everything she wanted in life. Starting with the wedding.

"So with that said, this day, I vow to never try and change you. I vow to love your stubbornness, cherish the little disagreements and compromises. I vow to make you breakfast in the morning just the way you like it, and stay up late with you when you're stressing over work. I vow to stand with you, not above or below, and to support you in whatever you decide to do, just like you have done for me over the years. And I vow to love you, exactly as you are, completely, wholly and unconditionally; until my last breath."

The silence from the venue was positively deafening, as if paralleled with the ambience of a graveyard. The audience utterly enamoured by what was going on, so much so that no one moved nor spoke, and everyone inconspicuously blown away by the couple.

"Do you Valerie, take Austen to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Austen's unwavering eyes never left Val's, too nervous and enamoured to care about any thing else. He watched his fiancée say, "With every fibre of my being, yes I do"

"And do you Austen, take Valerie to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

In this moment, Austen saw himself and Valerie buying a house, he saw himself coming home to Val every night and giving her a chaste kiss as he sets his things down. He heard Val calling from the bedroom while changing out her work clothes while he cooked in the kitchen. He felt the warmth of Val wrapping her arms around him and pulling him so close after joining him in the kitchen. He saw Christmas and birthdays, vacations and maybe down the road a little one with the same eyes as Val's. How could he not say I do?

Austen smiled, "I absolutely do."

Being presented with the rings by the ring bearer, the officiant preceeded, giving Valerie the first ring. The officiant giving Valerie the proper words to say before she slid the ring onto Austen's finger. It felt so surreal, so ethereal. Then Austen was presented with his ring for Val, repeating the officiant's words, he slid the ring onto Valerie's finger.

"And with that, you two may seal the ceremony with a kiss."

THE END!

For the previous parts, you might wanna visit the links below;

https://read.cash/@Castle.Grey/a-votive-for-a-forever-until-my-last-breath-078adad8

https://read.cash/@Castle.Grey/a-votive-for-a-forever-until-my-last-breathii-c13467c8

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