The days after that went by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was court day. Our supposed wedding day— if it could be counted as one.
"I can't believe I'm really doing this," I muttered, staring at my nervous reflection in the mirror.
Emily had helped curl my hair, and now I stood in a simple white dress Zayne had bought me— for the occasion, of course.
It was my first time wearing something so fancy. I loved it, but it scared me. Poverty had programmed me to believe all good things came with a cost. A cost I couldn't afford. I moved carefully, afraid to wrinkle the fabric or stain it in any way.
"You can breathe a little, you know." I turned to find Emily standing behind me. "That won't ruin the dress." She chuckled.
"It feels wrong to be wearing something this expensive," I confessed. I'd tried to turn the dress down at first, but Zayne wouldn't hear of it. "It's fine," he said.
"You're deserving of everything expensive. It's gonna be your new life from now on so better get used to it." She wiggled her brows at me playfully. "And if you don't want it, then spend it on me. I, too, want to drop 1k on caviar for a meal... for seasoning purposes."
I burst out laughing at the reference. "We could buy Hermès bags on the weekends just for fun."
"And drink tea while we shop," she added, using her best British accent, emphasizing the tea.
We both threw our heads back in laughter. That was all it took to ease the tension pressing against my spine.
"You're glowing you know... you finally look at peace."
"Thanks, Em."
"Anytime," she whispered, kissing my cheek.
"I wanna come too," Zeal whined as I stepped into the living room.
Zayne was fixing his shirt while Zia clung to his back like a little monkey. "Me too!" she chimed in.
I chuckled. "What's going on here?"
"Mommy!" Zia squealed, still refusing to get off her dad.
Dad. Saying that word so casually would take some getting used to. It still felt so foreign for me. Th
"We'll go some other time," Zayne said, gently pulling her down and cupping her cheeks. "I promise."
"Fine," Zeal huffed, crossing his arms with a deep pout.
"Ha!" Em scoffed. "Look who's already showing an attitude."
Zeal turned up his nose and looked away, making all of us laugh. "It's not funny," he whined.
"It most certainly isn't," Zayne agreed, pulling him in close and whispering something in his ear.
I watched Zeal's eyes widen in delight. "Really?"
"I wanna know too!" Zia jumped up excitedly.
Em and I watched in amusement as the three of them exchanged secret whispers, giggles, and looks like they had known each other forever.
"What are they saying?" Emily asked.
"I have no idea."
Once their secret discussion ended, Zeal and Zia were practically glowing with joy.
"What did you guys talk about? Let me in on the secret."
"No, Mommy. It's for Daddy and us," Zeal said proudly.
"Yeah!" Zia added, puffing her cheeks.
"It's our secret." Zayne shrugged with a grin.
"Sure it is." I rolled my eyes. "You're already keeping secrets from me, huh?"
They giggled and hid behind Zayne.
"You look beautiful," he said, turning to me with a smile.
"Thanks." I smiled back, suddenly aware of his gaze on me.
"Mommy's blushing!" Zia ran over and snatched my purse out of my hand, twirling it like a princess.
This girl… I sighed. This is what I get for having chatty twins.
"Daddy's right! You're beautiful, Mommy. The most beautiful," Zeal added sweetly.
"Exactly... the most beautiful." Zayne agreed, grinning.
I watched the two of them high-five. Emily was right. It really was like watching two Zeals in one frame.
"Okay, you little rascals," Em clapped, getting their attention. "It's time for Mommy and Daddy to leave, okay?"
"Okay!" They rushed to her side.
"Good. Because we're gonna have fun on our own, aren't we?"
"Yeah!!"
And just like that, they started running around the room, suddenly thrilled, like they hadn't been pouting, on the verge of tears a minute ago.
"Are you ready?" Zayne asked as he stood.
"Yeah," I exhaled, trying to steady my nerves. "I am."
"Daddy! You should kiss Mommy!"
I froze.
Zia crossed her arms, looking like an impatient mom nagging a stubborn kid. "Like the prince in the story."
I turned to Emily for help, but she was already backing away, failing miserably at hiding her laughter. "Don't look at me," she shrugged her shoulders, avoiding my gaze.
Then Zeal chimed in, "Mommy's blushing!"
"Oh god," I groaned. These two.
"Uh, why don't we do that another day? We're running late," Zayne said, scratching his head nervously.
We glanced at each other, then looked away quickly. This was so awkward.
But of course, the twins didn't stop. "Kiss her! Kiss her!" they began chanting.
"Yeah, Zayne. Man up and kiss her," Emily added, fanning the flames.
l'll definitely deal with her later.
Zayne looked at me, almost apologetically, and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. "Are you happy now?" he asked the twins.
"No," Zia said with an adamant shake of her head. "Aunty said a kiss on the lips is better for grown-ups."
I snapped my head toward her. "Emily! What have you been teaching my kids?!"
"Sorry," she said, snickering. "They pick up on things quick."
"Kiss her! Kiss her!" The twins resumed, louder this time.
Leaning in closer, Zayne whispered, "May I?"
I hesitated, my heart was thudding in my chest, but then I gave a small nod and closed my eyes.
A moment later, I felt his cold lips press against mine while one of his hands rested gebtly on my waist. The world seemed to go still. My breath caught, not from surprise, but from the weight of it. Of everything this kiss made me feel.
He had been my first kiss four years ago. Four years later, you could call him my second kiss.
It wasn't long, but it lingered for a while. His hand brushed lightly against my cheek, grounding me in the moment. For a second, there was no chaos, no noise— just him, and me, and the warmth spreading through my chest.
Seconds later, we broke apart from each other, but the feeling of his lips still lingered on mine. I blinked, unsure whether to say something, do something, or just breathe.
"Happy now?" I managed to say, turning to the twins with a weak glare that couldn't hide the flush on my face.
"Very!" they shouted in unison, practically bouncing around the room.