Chapter 130– Wedding preparations chaos
Watson-Mariano Mansion
Next Morning
The mansion was peaceful.
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Suspiciously peaceful.
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Dangerously peaceful.
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The kind of peaceful that happened right before disaster.
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Because at breakfast—
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Cole Watson made an announcement.
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Dining Room
Everyone was present.
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Everyone.
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Coffee.
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Pancakes.
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Toast.
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JJ stealing food.
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The usual.
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Then—
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Cole
"I have something to say."
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Silence.
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Immediate silence.
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Because when Cole Watson voluntarily announced something—
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It was usually important.
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Or expensive.
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Or both.
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JJ
Already excited.
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Percy
Already concerned.
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Aera
Already recording.
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Rhys
Aera.
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Aera
Evidence.
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Cole
...
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Then he glanced toward Care.
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And Care immediately knew.
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Care
...
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Cole
...
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A small smile.
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Then—
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Cole
"Care said yes."
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BOOM.
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The mansion exploded.
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Again.
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For approximately the twentieth time this month.
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JJ
SCREAMING.
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Percy
SCREAMING.
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Freya
SCREAMING.
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Mica
SCREAMING.
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Aera
CRYING.
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Rhys
Laughing.
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Lyra
Crying.
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Alex
Actually smiling.
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Keifer
Looking incredibly proud.
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Like he'd proposed himself.
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JJ
I KNEW IT.
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Percy
EVERYONE KNEW IT.
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JJ
BUT NOW IT'S OFFICIAL.
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Grazel Jay
Jumping.
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Grazel
"YAYYYY!"
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Five Minutes Later
The chaos finally settled.
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Or so everyone thought.
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Because Cole wasn't done.
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Cole
"And..."
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Silence.
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JJ
Oh no.
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Percy
That word is dangerous.
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Cole
"We're getting married next week."
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COMPLETE SILENCE.
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Not normal silence.
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Nuclear silence.
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The kind of silence before an explosion.
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Three.
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Two.
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One.
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EXPLOSION.
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JJ
NEXT WEEK?!
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Percy
NEXT WEEK?!
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Freya
NEXT WEEK?!
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Mica
NEXT WEEK?!
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Aera
I NEED THREE MONTHS TO CRY.
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Rhys
Why?
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Aera
I DON'T KNOW.
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Lyra
CARE.
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Care
I KNOW.
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Alex
That is incredibly fast.
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Keifer
Honestly?
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Keifer
I'm surprised it took them this long.
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Silence.
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Entire Table
...
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Keifer
What?
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JJ
Fair.
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Then
The planning began.
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Which was a mistake.
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Because JJ immediately stood up.
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JJ
I AM PLANNING THE WEDDING.
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Care
No.
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JJ
Too late.
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Cole
No.
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JJ
WAY TOO LATE.
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Percy
We're doomed.
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Aera
We're absolutely doomed.
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Meanwhile
Yuri
Quietly drinking tea.
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Yuri
I regret coming.
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Ash
You love it.
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Yuri
Unfortunately.
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Then
Aera suddenly remembered something.
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Very important.
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She looked at Rhys.
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Rhys looked at Aera.
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Both understood instantly.
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The Wedding.
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The Marriage.
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The Future.
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Aera immediately looked away.
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Blushing.
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JJ
NOT SO FAST MISS VAEL.
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Aera
NO.
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JJ
YES.
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Aera
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
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Percy
Second victim acquired.
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One Hour Later
The mansion was covered in:
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Wedding magazines.
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Guest lists.
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Flowers.
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Color palettes.
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Cake discussions.
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Arguments.
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More arguments.
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And somehow—
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Three separate Pinterest boards.
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Nobody knew who made them.
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It was JJ.
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Everyone knew it was JJ.
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Balcony
Away from the madness—
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Care stood beside Cole.
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Watching the chaos.
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Watching their family.
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Their people.
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Their home.
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Care
They're insane.
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Cole
Absolutely.
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Care
We should stop them.
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Cole
Probably.
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Neither moved.
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Care
...
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Cole
...
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Then he took her hand.
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Simple.
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Natural.
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Like he'd been doing it forever.
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Care
One week.
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Cole
One week.
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A small smile appeared.
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Care
You realize JJ is going to make this impossible.
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Cole
I know.
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Care
Aera too.
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Cole
Definitely.
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Care
Percy.
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Cole
Absolutely.
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Care
Keifer.
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Cole
Without question.
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They laughed.
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Then looked toward the city.
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Toward the future.
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Toward everything waiting ahead.
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And for the first time—
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Neither of them was afraid of it.
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Because whatever came next—
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They would face it together.
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As they always had.
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Three Days Before The Wedding
The mission was simple.
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Very simple.
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Buy wedding clothes.
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That's it.
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No enemies.
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No corporate wars.
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No life-threatening situations.
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Just shopping.
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Unfortunately—
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The group was involved.
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9:00 AM
Manhattan Luxury District
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Five SUVs stopped outside one of the most expensive bridal boutiques in New York.
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Immediately—
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The staff became nervous.
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Because they recognized some faces.
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And because JJ Mariano had already started running.
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Percy
"JJ!"
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JJ
"I SAW SOMETHING SHINY!"
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Percy
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN RUN."
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JJ
"IT DOES TO ME."
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Inside
The boutique manager greeted them.
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Then counted.
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And counted again.
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And counted one more time.
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Manager
"..."
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Manager
"There's twenty-two of you."
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Aera
"That's only the visible chaos."
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Manager
"What?"
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Rhys
"Don't ask."
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The Bride Squad
Immediately kidnapped Care.
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JJ
Bride.
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Ash
Bride.
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Lyra
Bride.
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Freya
Bride.
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Mica
Bride.
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Rakhi
Bride.
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Aera
Bride.
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Care
Help.
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Nobody helped.
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Meanwhile
The Men
Were dumped in another lounge.
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Percy
"I'd rather fight a bear."
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Keifer
"Same."
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Cole
Working on his laptop.
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Alex
Of course he is.
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Rhys
It's his coping mechanism.
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Two Hours Later
Dress Trial #17
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Care
"I like this one."
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JJ
No.
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Ash
No.
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Freya
No.
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Mica
Absolutely not.
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Care
Why?
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Aera
You look like a curtain.
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Care
...
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Fair.
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Dress Trial #24
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Care stepped out.
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The room went silent.
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For three whole seconds.
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Then—
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JJ
"No."
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Care
WHAT.
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JJ
Too princess.
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Ash
Agreed.
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Care
YOU PEOPLE ARE IMPOSSIBLE.
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Meanwhile
Groom Lounge
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The men were dying.
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Percy
How long has it been?
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Rhys
Four hours.
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Percy
I have aged.
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Keifer
Same.
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Cole
Still working.
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Alex
You're getting married in three days.
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Cole
Correct.
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Alex
And you're reviewing contracts.
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Cole
Also correct.
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Keifer
Brother.
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Cole
Hmm?
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Keifer
You're nervous.
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Cole
No.
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Entire Room
Yes.
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Then
The door opened.
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Care stepped out.
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And the world stopped.
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Not dramatically.
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Not movie-style.
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Just—
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Stopped.
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Because she looked beautiful.
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Elegant.
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Timeless.
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Like herself.
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Not overdone.
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Not flashy.
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Just—
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Care.
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Silence
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Percy
...
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Rhys
...
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Alex
...
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Keifer
...
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Then everyone looked toward Cole.
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Big mistake.
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Because he completely forgot how humans worked.
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Cole
...
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Keifer
...
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Percy
...
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Rhys
...
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Alex
...
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Keifer
"He's buffering."
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Percy
"Hard."
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Rhys
"System failure."
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Cole
Still staring.
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Care
Blushing.
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Care
"Say something."
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Cole
...
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Keifer
Please reboot.
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Finally—
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Cole
"You look perfect."
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Silence.
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The girls screamed.
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Immediately.
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JJ
THAT'S THE ONE.
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Ash
THAT'S THE ONE.
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Lyra
THAT'S THE ONE.
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Care
...
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Care
I hate all of you.
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Later
Jewelry Section
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Another disaster.
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Because JJ found wedding crowns.
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JJ
"CROWNS."
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Percy
"No."
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JJ
"YES."
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Percy
"No."
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JJ
"YES."
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Keifer
"Actually..."
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Percy
DON'T ENCOURAGE HER.
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End Of The Day
Everyone was exhausted.
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The staff was exhausted.
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The manager was exhausted.
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Even the mannequins looked exhausted.
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But—
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The dress was chosen.
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The suits were chosen.
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The rings were ready.
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The wedding was three days away.
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And for the first time—
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It felt real.
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Not a future.
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Not a possibility.
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A reality.
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Three days.
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Three days until Dr. Care Patel became Mrs. Watson.
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And judging by JJ's current energy—
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Three days until the entire city lost its sanity.
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Watson-Mariano Mansion
Wedding Eve.
For once—
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The mansion was quiet.
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No screaming.
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No wedding planning emergencies.
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No JJ climbing furniture.
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No Percy questioning his life choices.
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Just peace.
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Rare.
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Beautiful.
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Temporary.
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Rooftop Garden
10:12 PM
The city glowed beneath them.
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Thousands of lights.
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Countless dreams.
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And above it all—
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Care and Cole.
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Sitting together.
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Not talking much.
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They didn't need to.
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Some silences were comfortable.
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This was one of them.
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Care
"You know..."
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Cole
"Hm?"
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Care
"Two years ago I would've laughed if someone told me we'd end up here."
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Cole
"Only laughed?"
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Care
"I would've thrown a shoe."
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Cole
Fair.
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They both laughed.
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The wind played with her hair.
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Cole gently tucked a loose strand behind her ear.
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A simple gesture.
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One that somehow meant everything.
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Care
Still smiling.
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Care
"Are you nervous?"
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Cole
"A little."
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Care
"You?"
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Cole
"You make me nervous."
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Care
"Me?"
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Cole
"Always."
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She laughed again.
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The same laugh he could listen to forever.
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Then she rested her head against his shoulder.
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Neither moved.
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Neither wanted to.
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The city seemed very far away.
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Care
"Thank you."
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Cole
"For what?"
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Care
"For staying."
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Silence.
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Then—
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Cole
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
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Care looked up at him.
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And smiled.
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The kind of smile that reached her eyes.
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A small, gentle kiss followed.
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Nothing dramatic.
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Nothing grand.
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Just two people who finally found their way to each other.
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And for a moment—
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Everything felt right.
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Meanwhile
Keifer & JJ's Room
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Complete opposite situation.
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Chaos.
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Obviously.
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JJ
Lying upside down on the bed.
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Keifer
Questioning reality.
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Again.
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Keifer
"How are you upside down?"
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JJ
"I have talent."
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Keifer
"You have problems."
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JJ
"Also true."
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A pillow immediately flew at him.
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Keifer caught it.
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Without looking.
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JJ
Show-off.
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Keifer
Future husband behavior.
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JJ
Future husband behavior gets hit.
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Another pillow.
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Caught again.
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Keifer
Still missed.
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JJ
I hate you.
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Keifer
No you don't.
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JJ
...
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JJ
Unfortunately.
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The room grew quieter.
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The teasing slowly faded.
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Replaced by something softer.
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Something real.
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Keifer
"You know..."
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JJ
"Hm?"
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Keifer
"I still remember the day I found you again."
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The smile disappeared.
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Only a little.
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Because they both remembered.
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The year she was gone.
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The grief.
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The searching.
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The waiting.
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Keifer
"I thought I lost you."
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JJ moved closer.
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Without thinking.
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JJ
"You didn't."
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Keifer
"No."
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A pause.
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Keifer
"Thank God."
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JJ's eyes softened.
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For all their chaos—
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Moments like these were rare.
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And precious.
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JJ
"I'm not going anywhere."
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Keifer smiled.
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The genuine one.
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The one only a few people ever saw.
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Then he pressed a brief kiss to her forehead.
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Keifer
"Good."
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JJ
Good.
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And soon—
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The room fell quiet.
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For once.
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Two people holding onto each other.
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Grateful.
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Happy.
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Home.
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Across The Mansion
Everyone slept.
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Dreaming of weddings.
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Of futures.
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Of forever.
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Unaware that somewhere in the darkness—
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A countdown was still ticking.
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Closer.
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Closer.
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Closer.
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To the moment everything would change.