Morning came slowly, golden light creeping through the curtains.
Lina woke before her alarm, heart already racing. Today. Today was the day.
Mia arrived within the hour, armed with coffee and excitement.
"It's wedding day!" she sang, bursting through the door. "Best friend wedding day!"
Lina laughed. "You're more excited than I am."
"Impossible. No one is more excited than you right now." Mia hugged her tightly. "Are you ready?"
"I think so." Lina pulled back, suddenly emotional. "I'm really doing this. I'm marrying Kai."
"You are. And it's going to be beautiful."
Getting ready was a whirlwind.
Hair, makeup, the perfect dress. Lina's mother arrived, tearful and proud. Mia fluttered around, fixing things that didn't need fixing, making sure everything was perfect.
At noon, they gathered outside the music room.
Lina's father waited to walk her down the aisle. He looked at her—his little girl, all grown up—and his eyes filled.
"You look beautiful," he said roughly. "Your mother and I... we're so proud of you."
"Dad." Lina hugged him, careful not to crush her dress. "Don't make me cry. I'll ruin my makeup."
He laughed, wiping his eyes. "Okay, okay. No crying. Just walking."
The doors opened.
The music room had been transformed.
Candles flickered everywhere, casting warm light on the piano, the windows, the faces of their loved ones. Greenery wound through the chairs, simple and elegant. At the front, beneath the window where sunlight poured in, stood Kai.
He turned when the doors opened.
And the look on his face—Lina would remember it forever. Wonder. Love. Tears he didn't bother to hide.
She walked toward him, her father's arm steady, her eyes locked on the man waiting for her.
Forty-two people watched, but she saw only him.
When she reached the front, her father placed her hand in Kai's.
"Take care of her," he said quietly.
"Forever," Kai promised.
The ceremony was simple and beautiful.
They had written their own vows, promising not just love but also patience, trust, and the commitment to always choose each other.
"I promise to listen," Lina said, voice steady despite her tears. "Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. I promise to believe in us, even when the world tries to convince me otherwise."
Kai's vows were equally simple, equally profound.
"I promise to write you music every day for the rest of our lives," he said. "Even if it's just a few notes. Even if no one else ever hears it. You'll always have a song."
The officiant smiled. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Kai kissed her, and the room erupted in applause.
The reception was held in the school's old courtyard, transformed with fairy lights and flowers.
They danced their first dance to Kai's composition—their song, the one he'd written for her all those years ago. Around them, their loved ones watched, many in tears.
"I'm married," Lina whispered against his shoulder. "I'm actually married."
"You are." Kai smiled. "To me."
"Lucky me."
"Lucky us."
Speeches followed.
Mia's was hilarious and heartfelt, tracing their friendship from childhood through the seven years of heartbreak to this moment. "I watched my best friend survive the impossible," she said, raising her glass. "And now I'm watching her thrive in the most beautiful love story I've ever witnessed."
Kai's mother spoke next, voice trembling. "I didn't protect my son when he needed me. That's a regret I'll carry forever. But seeing him today, seeing the love in his eyes... I know he's exactly where he's supposed to be. With exactly who he's supposed to be with."
Lina's father simply said, "Kai, you hurt her once. Don't do it again." Then he smiled. "But I know you won't. Welcome to the family."
The evening ended with dancing and laughter and too much champagne.
As the last guests departed, Lina and Kai stood together in the empty courtyard, fairy lights twinkling above them.
"We did it," Lina said softly.
"We did it." Kai pulled her close. "Mrs. Kang."
"That's going to take some getting used to."
"We have time." He kissed her forehead. "A lifetime."
They walked out together, into the night, into their future.
Forever had finally begun.