Chapter 39

A loud curse filled the room, startling Virgo and Cammie. They untangled themselves and glanced over their shoulders at Shea, hunched over the table, head in his hands. When he lifted his head, he snatched a pen and aggressively crossed out some line in a notebook. His jaw was tense and brow furrowed.

"What's up?" Virgo asked.

"Two more people cancelled. Assholes. Do they realize when they cancel less than a week before a wedding we still have to pay for them?"

"So their food is already paid for?" Cammie asked.

"Yes," Shea snapped through gritted teeth and massaged his temples.

"Why don't you invite Savannah and Jen? I'm sure they'd go," Cammie suggested as if it was the most obvious solution.

Shea blinked at Cammie like she had uttered the secrets of the universe. "Cammie!" Shea hopped up from the table, his chair toppling over, and picked her straight up off the couch, twirling her around in a big bear hug. He kissed her cheek when he set her down. "You're a genius!"

"Wow," Cammie laughed, dazed.

"You act so strange when you're stressed," Virgo laughed.

Shea ran a hand through his already touseled hair. His eyes glazed over. He snapped back to attention almost immediately, starteling the girls once again. "Cammie, what are the chances your sister can come too?"

Cammie hesitated and thought. "Probably high. She's home."

"Call her! Call her now!"

Cammie picked up her phone and dialed her sister. "Hey, do you wanna go to a wedding on Saturday?" A pause. "No, not mine, idiot. Why would you think it's my wedding?" Cammie listened. "It's Shea and Levi's wedding. Yeah, yeah. He had people cancel. Yes, we're all going to be there. Yes. Virgo, Savannah, and Jen. Oh my god, shut up and just come."

Cammie listened for a moment longer then hung up the phone. "Yeah, she's in."

"Thank god. Now I just need to find a few more people to invite to fill the last few seats." Shea looked frantically around the table for his pen, shuffling his papers around.

Cammie and Virgo exchanged looks and laughed, while Cammie wordlessly crossed the room and plucked the pen from behind Shea's ear and offered it to him.

"Seriously. You're a saint. I'm going to call Levi."

Shea began to pace up and down the halls while he spoke to Levi and they discussed different strategies of filling the extra seats and something about flowers. Cammie didn't pay much attention.

Flashbacks from the last ten months filled her head as she endured countless nights filled with phone calls to vendors, constant bickering over money, the guest list, color schemes, and the creation of their registry. The entire ordeal was disastrous. Virgo was relieved that it was almost over. After next week, all this stress would be behind them.

"American weddings are stressful," Virgo commented, as they settled back onto the couch to continue their movie.

"Yeah, you're telling me. Are wedding's in France this big of a deal?"

Virgo shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Then let's get married in France. Or, let's just elope."

"Oh, we are getting married now?" Virgo asked with a smirk, her eyebrow quirked.

Cammie rolled her eyes and gave Virgo a playful nudge. "No, I thought we would just be roommates the rest of our lives."

"Now you are asking to move in with me? This is all moving a little fast." Virgo grinned when Cammie rolled her eyes. "So when are you proposing to me?"

"No way. You're proposing to me."

"Who decided that?"

"Me. Right now."

"That's not fair."

"Listen, up until six months ago I thought I was marrying a dude, so I assumed I would be getting proposed to. Don't ruin this for me."

"She's got a point, V." Shea said, hanging up the phone. "You've gotta propose."

"You can't be on her side!"

"He's totally on my side, I solved his wedding crisis."

"You solved one of them. Want to help me with the rest of my list?"

"What if I wanted to get proposed to?" Virgo interrupted.

"Then you should have picked a different soulmate." Cammie pulled out her phone. "Now, let me show you the rings I like."

Shea hung on the back of the couch and peeked at the phone screen, deciding this was an important distraction.

The day of the wedding, everyone rendezvoused at Cammie and Savannah's apartment to get ready. They all gushed about Shea and Levi and how perfect they were together.

"I just realized," Savannah said, pausing mid swipe of her mascara. "I'm literally the only straight person in our friend group. Statistically, isn't it supposed to be reversed?"

"You're just lucky," Jen remarked. Everyone laughed.

"Sav, I'm not totally convinced you're completely straight," Cammie said, leaning close to the mirror to apply her own mascara.

Jen's mouth hung open. "What?"

Savannah shrugged like it was nothing. "I made out with some girls in high school. No big deal."

"That's not what I heard," Cammie added.

"You know better than to listen to rumors," Savannah said, a sly grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Jen looked between the two girls, but before she could clarify, Savannah turned up the music and the girls immediately lost themselves in the waves of music.

"Were we supposed to match?" Cammie asked when she pulled her jumpsuit off the rack. It was a navy blue with big brown buttons in the front that lead into a collar and short sleeves. They were white and lavender flowers adoring the fabric. A simple tie cinched around her waist.

"I don't think so. It's not prom," Virgo joked.

Cammie frowned at Virgo, who smirked at her joke. "What are you wearing, anyway. You never told me."

"I'll show you. Turn around."

"What you don't want me to see you naked?"

"No, suddenly I'm terribly shy."

Cammie grinned and turned her back nonetheless. She pulled her jumpsuit on and focused on the buttons while Virgo rustled behind her.

"Voilà," Virgo said, signalling for Cammie to turn around.

"The anticipation is killing me," Cammie responded dryly.

When Cammie turned around, her girlfriend stole her breath away: Virgo was the epitome of fashion. Before her, a striking imagine of Virgo with hair pulled into a ponytail and dark, dramatic makeup accentuating her dark eyes and red lipstick across her mouth, was absolutely stunning. She wore a feminine lavender suit, fit to her figure. The blazer cut off midway down her forearm, revealing her tattoos. She wore a plain white shirt tucked into her slacks, pulled up high on her waist. To complete the outfit she wore heels that added at least two inches to her height. Now she towered over Cammie.

"Wow," Cammie breathed. Nothing more came out. "Wow."

"Wow? That's all you can say?" Virgo smiled, her eyes softened with affection.

"You're . . . Wow." Cammie crossed the room, her eyes tearing over the woman before her. A moment of suspended reality overcame her mind: How could Virgo be real? How could Virgo be hers? "You are so sexy."

A blush tinted Virgo's cheeks. Cammie lightly cupped her cheek in her hand and placed a gentle kiss against her lover's lips, soft as the breeze, but passionate enough to conjure a storm.

Cammie pulled away to find Virgo biting her lip. A smirk tugged at the corners of her own. "Can't mess up your makeup."

Virgo gazed at Cammie through hooded lids.

"As much as I love this suit on you, I'd rather take it off right now," Cammie whispered in her ear.

"When did you become so bold?"

"After you have sex with a beautiful woman, I guess it gives you some confidence."

"Je veux te faire du mal," Virgo mumbled.

"Ce soir."

Virgo bit her lip, clutching Cammie's shoulder, and forced herself to move away. "You are irresistible."

Cammie winked and followed Virgo out to the room.

"Damn," Jen whistled at the girls. "You guys are hot."

"You don't look too bad yourself," Cammie responded.

Jen wore slacks and a short sleeve button down top. Savannah wore cream-colored knee-length dress.

"We are hot," Savannah announced when no one said anything. "We're gonna be the hottest ones at the wedding tonight, honestly."

Everyone laughed.

"I guess we know who's getting laid tonight," Jen joked.

Savannah wiggled her eyebrows. "You know it. And I'll make sure you do too. I'm your wing woman tonight."

"Do you think there will be gay girls at the wedding?" Jen wondered.

Virgo shrugged. "I'm sure they have other gay friends."

Jen wiggled her eyebrows. "Here's hoping."

The group piled into Cammie's car to drive to the wedding venue. It was about an hour's drive from their apartment at a place called the Stone Hill Inn. There was a gorgeous hotel overlooking a golf course with a facade made completely of grey stones. Tall willows crowded around the land. It was probably one of the greener spots Cammie had seen in Southern California.

As they pulled into the parking lot, they noted several signs directing the patrons of the Fordham-Porter wedding down the road. A golf cart carried them through the winding green hills of the golf course to the venue, tucked away from the main road in a small clearing of the trees. A small stone cottage stood to the right in the clearing. Beyond that, a small stream ran through the center of the clearing with an arched wooden bridge crossing the water. Tables with off-white clothes thrown over them were scattered around a stone dance floor. Opposite that was a triangular arch decorated with eucalyptus and various other flowers. Rows of chairs faced the arch with a clear divide in the center for the wedding party to walk.

"This is beautiful," Savannah commented, taking in the surroundings.

"Yeah, no kidding." Cammie agreed.

A DJ was setup on the dance floor, providing ambiance for the storybook wedding. The girls noted a bar set up and ordered glasses of wine and continued to browse around the venue while guests continued to pour in.

"Hey, guys, look!" Jen said, pointing to a table. A large frame of a naked pine tree rested on a table with markers scattered about. "I think it's a guest book."

They all took turns signing their names on a branch. Cammie smiled when Virgo signed her name on the same branch as her and admired Virgo's signature. She focused on her name.

Payet.

Cammie Payet. Virgo Driver. A small smile cracked at Cammie's lips as she played around with their combination of names. Would she take Virgo's name? Would Virgo take hers? Would they hyphenate? Would they mash them together? The idea made Cammie chuckle.

"What?" Virgo asked.

"I'll tell you later," Cammie promised. The idea of them marrying and choosing last names seemed surreal, but as she watched Virgo laugh with her friends and sip from her glass of wine, Cammie realized it was only a matter of time.

Her friends grabbed a lime green Polaroid camera from a pile perched on the table next to the framed tree. A small framed list of instructions next to the cameras encouraged people to take a camera and snap pictures of themselves and the wedding.

"Alright, first picture, everyone!" Jen announced, flipping the camera around to take a selfie. The girls all crowded together wearing bright grins. The light flashed and the photo printed out nosily from the camera. Jen snatched it and stuffed it in her breast pocket.

"How'd it turn out?" They heard a familiar voice ask. They all turned to find Shea walking toward them. His slim, gray suit made him look stunningly handsome.

"Oh my god, Shea. You look incredible," Cammie said upon sight of him. She stepped closer and wrapped him in a hug. He rested his cheek on top of her head as they embraced.

"So do you. You're so beautiful." He looked over to the rest of the girls. "Virgo, I guess you don't look so bad." He said with a dramatic wink.

"Connard," Virgo retorted with a smirk.

The roommates shared an affectionate smile for one another.

"I really can't believe you're getting married," Virgo said.

With a hand to his forehead, Shea agreed. "It's really crazy. I'm going to have a husband in like, an hour."

"Shea, let's get a picture!" Jen said, producing the Polaroid camera. "Maybe your last picture not married."

Once again, they all crowded together under the camera and posed. The loud snap and electronic gears whirring inside the camera spat out another photograph. Jen swapped the new photo for the old one and showed the group.

Shea grinned. "It turned out perfect. Thank you guys for coming. Seriously. We're both so happy you're here."

"It's always a good time with you guys," Savannah grinned.

"Okay," Shea said, taking a deep, shaking breath."I've got to go get married and shit. So I'll see you guys soon?"

Shea disappeared into the stone cottage.

"I cannot believe we're t their wedding," Savannah squealed. "I'm definitely going to cry."

Jen and Cammie exchanged a rolling of their eyes.

"What? It's cute, okay? They're disgustingly in love. Where the hell is my Soulmate?"

"Tell yours to bring mine too," Jen complained.

Soon the clearing was busting with guests and the DJ instructed everyone to make their way to the ceremony site. The girls sat as close to the front as possible and waited expectantly for the procession to begin. Their heads cranes backward more times than they could count while they searched for the grooms.

Suddenly, the music shifted from the welcome music into a beautiful violin composition. All heads turned to find the wedding party walking down the aisle, arm in arm. There were a mixture of women and men wearing mint colored dresses and ties. They broke in front of the alter and filtered to each side. The music changed again and an instrumental version of "A Thousand Years" emanated from the speakers. All heads turned and all heads turned to the back of ceremony once again. Shea was walking down the aisle with his mother and father on each arm.

The music changed again and the necks craned to see Shea walking down the aisle with both parents on his arms. A huge grin was plastered on his face that he tried in tame. When he arrived at the base of the alter, he kissed his mother on the cheek and shook his father's hand. Then he turned, took a deep breath, and clasped hands together in front of himself.

The music shifted for a third time and out of the small stone cottage walked Levi. His suit was also slim fitting and elegant, a dark navy blue. The moment Shea noticed Levi, tears sprang to his eyes. Levi wore an equally happy expression, tears threatening to fall. Both of his parent were hanging on his arm too.

Tears immediately sprang to Cammie's eye seeing the love between the two men. She couldn't help but glance around at the crowd and noted that they all wore a mixture of expressions ranging from wide grins, tears, and bliss. Cammie glanced to Virgo next, her soft brown eyes held an adoration for these men that was matched only by the love she held for her family. Cammie reached out and squeezed Virgo's hand. She responded with a squeeze of her own and turned her head to offer a smile that promised a million little things.

Nothing felt as light.

Shea and Levi joined hands and the ceremony began.

"I've known Shea and Levi for a while," the officiant began. He was a childhood friend of Shea's. "Shea, I've known even longer, and I can confidently say that I've never seen this man happier than he is when he is with Levi. I'm reminded of Plato's Symposium where he describes people as originally having two faces, four arms, four legs. People angered the gods, so Zeus decided to split these early people into two halves to punish them, and people were now cursed to wander the earth searching for their other half." He paused, grinning at his friends. "Shea, Levi: you've found your other half. You've wandered this earth and found a love that is lasting, that is passionate, that is forgiving, that is uncompromising, that is unconditional."

Shea and Levi gazed into each other's eyes as if they stood in a world apart from everyone else, where it was only them, where only their hearts, their love, existed. They couldn't keep their wide smiles contained.

"The couples will now exchange their own vows," the officiant said.

Shea reached into his jacket and produced a folded slip of paper. He struggled to unfold the paper with his violently shaking hands.

"Levi Porter," he began, voice matching his hands. "The night I dreamed of you was the best night of my life. The day we met on the beach was the best day of my life, until today." Shea glanced into Levi's eyes, which were brimming with tears. "Today, we make a promise to each other, a promise that will last well beyond the grave.

My life truly started, my heart really began to beat, when I met you. It was like everything was black and white, and then I met you, and suddenly everything was in technicolor. You add color and meaning to my life. You give me a reason to go through each day, knowing you're at home in my heart at the end of each day."

I love you with my entire heart, and here, in front of everyone, I will make a promise to you. I promise to love you with everything I have. I promise to never let my pride interfere with that promise. I promise to listen when you are talking, to give you a shoulder to cry on when you're hurting, to support you in any endeavor. I promise to work through any and every problem that you encounter. I promise to protect you. I promise to support you. I promise to never give up on us, on what we have. You are only person in this life that matters to me and I promise to show you that every single day. I love you."

There were audible sniffles coming from the crowd.

"Levi," the officiant directed.

Levi took a deep breath and pulled out his own note. Though his heart was hammering wildly in his chest, he felt a calm settle over him.

"Shea Fordham, you are my everything. It took us a while to get to where we are today, but I'm happy we struggled. I'm happy we fought. I'm happy were were passionate. I'm happy we learned to forgive. You are my Soulmate. You are my heart's one true desire. Fear controlled me, but you set me free. You were and continue to be my knight in shining armor everyday. You continue to be everything I want and everything I need.

I promise to always love you with everything I have. I promise to love you when it's hard, I promise to love you when it's easy. I promise to love you when it's inconvenient. I promise to love you unconditionally. I promise to reel in my sass and admit when I'm wrong, even when I'm not." A rumble of laughter moved through the crowd as everyone who was close to Levi knew just how stubborn he could be. "I promise to go the store for wine and ice cream when you need it. I promise to always encourage you to be a better person, because that's what you do for me. Every day I wake up next to you, I feel inspired to be a better version of myself, because of you. I love you Shea Fordham."

The officiant read a few official lines after the vows were exchanged, and then pronounced them husband and husband.

Shea grabbed Levi and planted a forceful, passionate kiss on his lips. The longer they lingered together, the louder the crowd cheered until, finally, they broke apart, wild grins plastered on their faces. Levi's cheeks were flushed red.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. and Mr. Porter!"

Everyone erupted with cheers and cries of celebration. The newly weds linked hands, raised them above their heads, and walked down the aisle with Hall and Oats blasting from the speakers.

The crowd moved back to their gathering place before the ceremony and enjoyed cocktail hour while the newly weds took more photos. To the surprise of the girls, they were called over by the couple to have their pictures taken professionally.

"I thought this was just for family?" Cammie asked as the photographer rearranged the girls.

"Exactly," Levi replied.

Cammie's heart was engulfed in warmth.

After pictures were taken, everyone was directed to their dinner tables. The DJ introduced the wedding party as they danced through the crowd to their tables. The DJ hyped up the crowd as he introduced Shea and Levi and they walked together, hands firmly clasped together, and twirled into their first dance to Vance Joy's "Call If You Need Me." There was not a dry eye in the crowd; the bond they shared was overwhelming.

Shea and Levi both shared a dance with their mothers. Each boy spoke softly to their mothers as they danced, smiling down at the women who raised them. Both of their mothers had tears spotting their cheeks.

Speeches were given by the Best Man on each side and by the Fordham and Porter parents. They both expressed how much they loved their new son and how excited they were to have an addition to the family.

Cammie was inspired by the love and acceptance she noticed in everyone. Everyone gathered at this wedding held nothing but love and support for these two men. For the first time, Cammie felt something akin to hope instead of despair when she imagined her wedding, though she couldn't completely shake the sinking feeling that was constantly pulling down on her since her self-discovery. Instinctively, she reached out for Virgo's hand. And like the steady presence she had always been, Virgo held on tight.

"You know Cammie," Virgo whispered quickly into her lover's ear. "No matter what, there will always be people who love you. There are so many people who love you and who will be there for our wedding. Even if you have to dance with Shea, or Savannah, or your sister. You will have people here who love you. And always know that you will have me. You have my entire heart. My entire life."

Cammie took a deep breath when the tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She couldn't reply—knew if she did she would cry. Instead, she brought the back of her Soulmate's hand to her lips and planted a soft kiss upon it.

Virgo responded with a swift kiss to Cammie's cheek.

"Je t'aime."

After dinner, the DJ wasted no time corralling everyone to the dance floor, enticing them with the latest hits that encouraged everyone to move.

"Let's go!" Jen exclaimed, jumping up. Se took Savannah and Virgo by the hand and hoisted them out of their seats. An amused smile played on Cammie's lips when Virgo shot her a look that begged her to follow.

Everyone gathered on the dance floor, twisting their bodies to the beat of the music and belting the lyrics of hit songs at the top of their lungs. The speakers blared with the thump of the base while the DJ pressed headphones to one of his ears and mixed in some of his own design.

Savannah laughed and grinned as she grabbed Cammie's hands and completed a little jig while Virgo and Jen partnered.

"Remember the last time we danced together?" Savannah laughed above the blare of the music.

Cammie recalled her birthday and her drunken attempts at discovering her sexuality. Immediately Cammie laughed with a mixture of embarrassment and humor. "I do. Sorry I experimented on you."

"You can experiment on me anytime," Savannah laughed.

They moved apart from each other and Savannah grabbed Virgo away form Jen.

"I'm still so jealous of you," Jen said as she partnered with Cammie, motion to Virgo with her eyes. "You're so fucking lucky."

A deep smile formed on Cammie's lips as she watched Virgo dancing with her best friend.

"I know. I still can't believe she's real."

"She loves you so much. It's gross."

Cammie flashed a grin and they laughed, returning their focus to the music. The four of them grouped together again in a circle and danced, singing with abandon. Cammie laughed at how terrible they all sounded compared to Virgo, but Virgo laughed and assured them that she couldn't hear above the music.

As they danced, the sunlight long since faded away, Savannah suddenly stopped mid-step, the smile disappearing from her face. The strangest, most bewildered look crossing her face.

"Sav, are you okay?" Cammie asked. Jen and Virgo also looked upon their friend with concern. Cammie tried to follow Savannah's intent gaze. Across the dance floor a tall boy with a mop of blond hair that seemed it was once styled back but now hung in his face, wore a similar expression. Cammie looked between the two. On her next look back to the boy, he was already halfway to Savannah, who remained glued to her spot.

"Oh..." Cammie breathed. "Savannah, is that...?"

"Yes," she breathed, barely audible above the blare of the music.

Cammie whipped around, her jaw hanging open and mouthed 'oh my god' at Virgo and Jen. Their brows furrowed in question, so Cammie shuffled over to her friends and explained. "I think that's Savannah's soulmate!" Their mouths hung open.

Savannah and the blond boy pushed through the crowds of people and stood face-to-face, speechless. This was, perhaps, the first time Cammie could recall Savannah ever being lost for words.

"Hi," Savannah finally breathed above the blare of the music.

"Hi," he greeted, his voice deep.

They stared at each other for a moment longer before Savannah finally broke the silence.

"It took you long enough, Jesus. It's almost been a year!"

The boy at first looked taken aback by Savannah's boldness. The girls held their breath as they watched the exchange. After a moment, his face broke into a smile and he began laughing.

"I've been looking fucking everywhere for you. I was starting to think you were hiding from me," He said.

Savannah smirked, eyebrows arched . "What's your name?"

"Jackson. You?"

"Savannah."

"Savannah," he said the name as if it was a dream. "Savannah, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

For a moment, it seemed like Savannah night actually take the compliment and act like a normal girl, but she couldn't help herself anymore than the sun couldn't help but rise every morning.

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you're expecting to go home with me tonight."

Jackson threw his head back in laughter again and grabbed Savannah's face, pulling her into a kiss. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"They're literally perfect for each other," Jen commented, disbelief that Savannah's line drew in Jackson instead of putting him off.

"I guess there really is someone out there for everyone," Cammie laughed.

Tonight, it seemed that love was just in the air.

***

Hey everyone! Thank you for reading!

If you didn't see the update on my page, there are 2 more chapters left! I will be posting both at the same time once they're finished. My goal is to have them done no later than April 5. Thank you for making this journey possible. I can't believe I'm actually going to have a finished book by the end of this thing. You guys rock!

I hope everyone is staying safe out there :)