He stood back against the wall, hands shoved into his pockets, his head popping up at the sound of the bathroom door.

"Oh, hey.." I managed, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. The hall was much quieter than I had remembered, now with everyone just outside.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked. I held my stare on him, not sure how I felt anymore. But just a few hours ago, I knew exactly what I wanted, and now he was sitting outside by himself waiting for me.

"Y-yeah." I sighed, forcing a gentle smile. He stayed quiet. "A-are you?"

"Only if you are." He said, biting down on his lip. I peeked outside to see Jake now looking around. I'm sure now with the both of us gone, he was getting suspicious.

"I'm fine, I.. I should get back-"

"Jaime.." He said, reaching out for me. My heart jumped as I felt him tightly grab my hand. "This.. with her, it's not what it looks like, she just-"

"Look, I came with someone else too, so.. you can do whatever you want." I muttered, pulling my hand away. "I should get back-"

"Jaime, please don't think that-"

"It's fine. We should just.. we should both get back. It's starting. And they're probably looking for us." His face dropped as he shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"O-okay.." He said, now waiting for me to leave. But I couldn't bring myself to move. Looking back out, Jake's eyes finally met mine, instantly lighting up, giving me a gentle wave and a questioning look.

"Okay." I finally said, forcing myself to go, quickly making my way back to my seat. Jake reached over for my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"Everything okay?" He whispered, leaning in close. I nodded.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm fine." I said, reaching up, pulling him into a gentle kiss. "I'm.. I'm happy I'm here with you." His smile grew.

"I'm happy I'm here with you too." He giggled, kissing me again. I had made my choice, and I was happy with it, and I wasn't going to let myself second guess everything that I've ever wanted.

I was happy, we were happy.

Josh then made his way back outside, sliding his way into his seat without a word, giving Katie a smile before turning forward, avoiding Jake and I completely. It was for the best.

And then the music started, and Sam made his way down the aisle. I couldn't help but smile. Since it was their second marriage, the ceremony was far less formal, but I think that made it even more beautiful. There were no frilly bridesmaids or screaming children tossing petals down the runner. Just Sam at the end, waiting for Emily to finally emerge. And that's how it would be for the rest of their lives. Just the two of them.

We all rose as we heard the classic song start to play, the doors from the venue opening, showing Emily glowing in her brilliant white dress, effortlessly flowing to the floor, bouquet of white and purple flowers in hand. She was stunning, and it seemed like she couldn't make her way down the aisle fast enough.

It reminded me of one of the first times Jake and I snuck off together, I couldn't wait to get to him, knowing every second I was away from him was just a second wasted.

I reached over for his hand, holding on tight, leaning my head on his shoulder. He didn't hesitate to lean down, gently kissing my forehead.

"Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today to join Emily and Sam in holy matrimony. Considering it is their second marriage, the couple has requested a shorter ceremony, wanting to get to the party to celebrate with all of you; they insist they've already felt like an old married couple for years. Just finally making it official."

There was a light murmur of laughter, many nods in agreement. It was hard to picture them without each other, strange to think there was once a time when they weren't each other's. I squeezed Jake's hand tighter.

"Sam, we have lived such beautiful lives apart for so many years, but what I would give to have been able to spend every single day with you sooner. There's nothing we can do to change the past, so all I can do is appreciate every day the future holds for us, knowing that we'll always have each other."

I peeked up at Jake who kept his eyes forward, a subtle smile pressed on his lips. Maybe.. it was as simple as that. There was nothing I could do that could change Jake's past, but I had him now. And even still, I was so lucky to have him so early in life.

He finally caught me staring, peeking back down at me with a loving grin.

"Hey.." He whispered, his eyes moving down to my lips. I stared back up at him, feeling my heart beat faster, everyone around us slowly fading away the longer he kept his eyes locked on me.

"I love you." I finally sighed, pulling him into a long kiss. I felt his hand slowly move behind my neck, pulling me in closer, kissing me back.

"I love you, Jaime."

"Emily, I am so lucky to have found not only the love of my life, but my best friend. I never knew that the two could exist within the same person until I found you, but since that day, nothing else had made more sense than the two of us. You are everything I've ever searched for, and I am so excited for every day with you, because every day with you, feels like a lifetime in the best way possible. I wish I could have found you so much earlier in life, but what we have is even greater; we have right now, and we will have forever."

I felt tears start to come to my eyes, quickly wiping them away. Jake stayed quiet, leaning down, kissing the top of my head again.

"You okay?" He whispered. I nodded, keeping my eyes forward, holding on tight to his arm, trying to get as close as possible, instantly reminded of how much time we didn't have left. All I wanted.. was this. I wanted endless days to look forward to.. with him. I wanted the love of my life and my best friend in one. I wanted to wake up to him, having every day, every minute, every second together feeling like a lifetime.

I had what I wanted and I wasn't going to ruin it with second guessing.

The rest of the ceremony was beautiful; the "I do's" making you feel everything and more as they happily made their way back down the aisle together like giddy love-struck school children. You could feel the perfect amount of friendly envy and happiness overflowing into the walkway that lead us back to the building that was already filled with blaring music that you could feel pulsating through the floor.

Jake took my hand, leading me through the crowd towards the bar again.

"That was really nice." He said softly, leaning up against the counter as the bartender filled our glasses. I nodded, keeping my eyes locked on him as he finally looked back down at me, his smile growing.

"I want that." I sighed, biting down on my lip, feeling my heart beat faster. He nodded, his smile growing.

"So do I." My heart jumped.

We grabbed our drinks and he took my hand, guiding me through the crowd of people until we were finally alone with the sound of the party muffled in the background. It was absolutely beautiful, like something out of a movie, the floor length windows covered in what looked like royal drapery, golden trimmings and designer furniture that appeared to never have been used. He noticed me admiring.

"Taking notes?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink. I felt my cheeks burn as I peeked up at him, now gently swinging our arms back and forth until we made our way towards the huge staircase separating the venue from the hotel.

"For what?" I asked, grabbing onto his jacket, pulling him in closer. I could already feel my head start to spin from the wine, though I couldn't be sure if it was from the heavy pours or how much further I could feel myself falling into him.

"For our wedding." He giggled, taking a big sip, his cheeks now flushed red from the alcohol and sudden rush of bravery. I felt my heart jump, my body get hot at just the thought.

"S-sorry." He laughed. "Too much, way too much." I couldn't help but laugh, pulling him into a long kiss, his lips now sweet with wine, just an intoxicating as yet another empty glass. When I finally moved away, he stared back at me with those dazed eyes that I've dreamt of admiring so much more of me than they had before, having only had the most innocent of intentions until they were finally given permission to look beyond the light pink fabric that covered every inch of skin that wanted him just as badly. I pulled him in closer, whispering into his ear.

"Can I see our room?"