I hate this stupid bow tie.

I fought the urge to raise up my left hand, the one not interlocked with Annie's, to adjust it. Too many eyes were on me.

Angelo, focus. This is Ann's big day. I promise, your bowtie can wait.

I could feel Annie's hand trembling in mine as I led her down the aisle, her train following after us as soft instrumentals played. She was a vision in silver, a goddess of fertility: her dress clung tightly to her stomach, emphasizing her swollen belly.

I murmured to her, "Are you crying?"

She whispered back, sniffling, "Shh, let me- let me have my moment."

Smiling, I huffed.

After an eternity, we reached Tony. He was smartly dressed in a suit, beaming at us.

I let go off Annie's hands. "She's all yours."

Nodding, he grinned. "Thank you, sir. I promise I'll take good care of her."

"You better!"

I stood to the side as the priest began speaking. I tried keeping my attention on his words, but the hundreds of eyes before me weighed on me. Businessmen, politicians, and other important figures were in attendance: members of The Society.

In the front rows, members of the major families sat. I gazed over their heads, making sure not to look into their eyes. My knees shook so badly that its a wonder I was able to keep standing upright.

Aimee, who sat in the second row, caught my eyes briefly and smiled. I managed to give her a smile back.

"...and so with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I jerked slightly when clapping erupted in the large hall as Annie and Tony kissed. Quickly, I began doing the same.

When they broke apart, Annie's face was flushed as she beamed.

I'm not gonna lie, that made my heart twinge a bit.
. . .

"So, what was it like leading the bride down the aisle?"

"A life changing experience. I'm a whole new man."

"Good to know, you needed an upgrade." Aimee stood up, grabbing my hand. "Come on, let's dance!"

"Wh- what? No, we should eat first."

"Aww come on, don't be shy!"

"First of all, I'm not being shy-"

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious! It's just that we should have dinner first. Besides, do you see anyone else dancing?"

"That's because they need a little encouragement. We can give it to them!"

"Or we can just eat instead. Besides, isn't the bride supposed to have the first dance?"

"In the 1600s, maybe."

"Between that statement and your dress, I'm beginning to wonder if you're trying to hijack this as your wedding day."

Aimee frowned, gazing down at the puffy, white, patterned dress she wore. "What's wrong with my dress?"

"You mean apart from the fact it looks more like the traditional wedding dress than the bride's does?"

"Oh haha," she rolled her eyes. "Look, if you're too scared to dance-"

"Jeez, I'm not scared to, okay? All I'm saying is that we should eat first-"

"So in other words, we'll dance once we're done eating? Well then, okay!"

She began pulling me towards me towards one of the free tables. It was only when we were a few feet from it that a thought struck me:

That's what she wanted all along!

"You conniving b-"

She faced me, narrowing her eyes.

"-beautiful human being-"

She smiled.

"-who happens to have done a very bitchy thing at the moment."

I winced as her nails dug into my hand. Nevertheless, I grinned.

In terms of getting food, guests had two options: waiting for someone to bring food to their table, or cueing up at the buffet and getting it themselves. Of course, the majority of the other guests remained seated while Aimee and I went to cue up.

(Okay to be honest, I would have remained seated as well if Aimee hadn't pulled me to the line.)

After we had gotten all that we wanted and were back at the table, I began savoring my meal for two reasons: I had no interest in making conversation with anyone else on that table apart from Aimee, and I most definitely was not looking forward to the dreaded dance set after the meal.

Unfortunately, all too soon it seemed, Annie and Tony were cutting their wedding cake, then music began playing and they began slow dancing. Aimee's feet were tapping rapidly as she watched on with bright eyes.

I gulped. Take your time!

Barely five minutes later, Annie, out of breath, sat down. As if activated by a switch, other guests got up and began dancing.

Aimee tugged my sleeve. "Come on, let's dance!"

I kept my eyes on my food as I dug into it even more.

A huff later, my fork was snatched out of my hand and dropped onto my plate. "Your food can wait, come on!"

"B- but, I'm hungry!"

"Clearly not all that hungry, if you couldn't finish your food in thirty minutes! Come on babe, stop giving excuses."

Our eyes remained on each other's, fighting a silent battle.

A bit later though, I groaned, "Fine, whatever! Just don't blame me if I keep on stepping on your toes."

Aimee grinned. "Don't worry princess, i'll guide you."

I shot her a glare, ignoring the hand she held out to me as my face grew warm. Nevertheless, she still grabbed onto my hand, leading me onto the dancefloor.

"Ok," she said. "We're going to slow dance. Put your hands on my hips."

My face grew warmer when my hands shook as they did what she asked. I wonder how many members are watching me right now. I can't afford to embarrass myself.

She placed her hands on my shoulders. "Now, just kinda sway with me. Match my body. Are you ready?"

"Shouldn't I be the one leading?"

"Maybe next time. For now, I think it's best I lead and you follow, princess."

I growled, "Call me that again and you're gonna regret it."

She winked. "Save it for when we get back, daddy."

Despite myself, a grin broke out across my face.

She gently moved her arms to the left, her body following soon after. Next was the right, and then so on and so forth. All in all, I would say that I wasn't too bad, except from a few accidents here and there. Honestly, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if it weren't for the context it was happening in.

"Aww, you both look like it's your wedding."

I glanced at Annie, who was grinning not too far away from us. "Ugh, I already have to put up with hanging out with her, and now you want us to get married? Unbelievable!"

Aimee rolled her eyes. "Yes, quite so. Maybe I should find myself a man who wouldn't step on my toes a million times while slow dancing."

Disentangling herself from me, she asked, "Annie, do you want this next dance? I need to sit down, my toes are killing me."

Annie's grin widened. "I'll take one for the team. Wish me luck."

I protested, "Hey, I'm not that bad!"

"You're not the one whose toes are being stepped on babe, so you really can't talk. Good luck Annie!" Aimee walked back to our table.

I glared at her back shortly, then turned back to Annie. "Right, so let's get this over with."

"Jeez, you could at least sound more excited. It's my wedding day!"

"Ah-" I frowned as Annie grabbed onto on of my hands, then placed the other on her lower back as she placed her free hand on my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm getting ready to slow dance."

"Yeah, but... this isn't what Aimee showed me."

"Well while it's cute that you want to stick to what your girlfriend taught you, there are different ways to slow dance."

"We're not exclusive yet. Also I... I knew that."

We danced in silence for a moment after that, simply swaying to the beat while looking at each other.

Annie was the first to break the silence, as she sighed. "I'm really happy, Angelo."

"That's understandable. I mean, it is your wedding day after all."

"Yes, but... after Max... you know... I didn't- I didn't expect to feel this good. At least not so soon."

My stomach tightened, but I nodded. "Ah. Then... I'm happy Tony makes you feel this way. Congrats on your wedding, by the way."

She beamed. "Thank you."

Silence fell upon us once again.

Annie got teary-eyed. "Honestly... I miss him. So much. I- I wish he were here to see this."

Me too.

"Well... at least you have me, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah, at least I do."

The rest of our dance was done in silence - we simply enjoyed each other's presence as we swayed to the song together.

When it ended, Annie broke away from me. "Well, don't let me keep you from Aimee any longer."

I scoffed. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I danced with you for a little longer."

"Maybe not, but I will! Do you know how hard it is to dance with someone growing inside you?"

"Considering I don't have a womb, I'm going to have to say that I obviously don't."

"Don't get smart with me, young man. Now, go!"

Shaking my head, I left her and headed back to Aimee.

Aimee was already standing by the time I had gotten to our table, her eyes lit like an excited puppy's.

Before she could say anything, I said, "No, I'm not dancing with you right now. I need to rest."

She pouted. "Fine minutes, that's all you have."

"We'll see. Besides, why do you wanna dance with me? I thought I was stepping on your toes."

"Oh you were, but practice makes perfect."

I huffed, but said nothing else as I turned my attention to the other attendees of the party. The dance floor was getting crowded, as alcohol cracked the hard masks of the Society members.

Tony was feeding Annie, who couldn't seem to stop beaming, cake. People were laughing and chatting animatedly with one another. The chill vibe of the song playing assisted in further lightening the mood.

Yet, there was still a dark shadow cast over the celebration.

Max. He should have been the one walking Annie down the aisle, not me. He should be here, having fun like everyone else seems to be doing. It's not fair!

My heart grew heavier the more I watched.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Without looking at Aimee, I nodded, although I could feel my eyes starting to burn. "Yeah. I think... I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a reply, I rushed past her and left the hall. It didn't take long for me to find the men's' room. Shortly after, I had locked myself in a cubicle and sat myself down on the toilet.

It's better to let it out, rather than holding it in.

I did as the advice Doctor Rebecca had given me during one of our sessions
suggested - cradling my face in my hands, I silently let out the tears that were building up, letting my emotions surge through me.

I miss you so much, Max. I really wish you were here.
. . .

Although I'd originally intended on not spending long in there, I ended up spending about twenty minutes in the bathroom before I felt put together enough to come out.

I'd barely taken a step out of the bathroom when my heart nearly lept out of my chest. "Aim- Aimee? What are you doing here?"

"You were taking too long, so I came to drag your ass back to the dancefloor."

"I-"

"Also-" She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me.

My breath caught. "Wh- what is this for?"

"Your eyes are kinda red. Which is fine, by the way."

Honestly, my stomach fluttered when I heard that. In that moment, I could picture it: Aimee and I going to the same college, dating until we get married, even eventually having kids and growing old together.

Smiling, I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. "Yes, this is fine."
. . .

Andddd we've come to the end of the bonus chapters ! (Well, unless I feel inspired to write more about them, but if I do I'll most likely make it into a spin-off).

Thank you all so much for sticking with this story up till this moment. I really hope you enjoyed it! Now that you've come to the end, what was your favorite moment in this book? Let me know in the comments !

Also, pleaseeee help me out by recommending this book to people you know! A lot of people are stuck indoors at the moment, so why not suggest something to help pass the time? 😉

Once again, thank you all soo much for reading! Take care of yourselves, especially in this period ❤