Chapter 4 Forever

Oliver was never good at humour, but sometimes he makes me laugh harder than expected, and I've been laughing for half a minute now.

I stopped laughing when I saw his eyes and realised he was not making jokes. "What?" My eyes widened. "You're being serious?"

"I am."

"Are you crazy?" I exclaimed and covered my mouth as those passing by turned to give us a stern look.

He laughed, barely fazed by my outburst. "Yes, I am. I am surprised it's taken you this long to realise I am crazy and in love with you. I have been since the first day I met you."

I shook my head and stepped back. "This is crazy."

He stepped forward and reached for my hands before I could run away like I intended. "Do you want to marry me?"

My answer to his question will doom us both, so I tried to reason with him. "This is happening too fast, Oliver. You're just twenty-two; your brother is still single, and he's three years older."

"Please do not compare us; my parents have already done enough of that." He cupped my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek tenderly. "And this isn't about Seth, my love; it is about you and me forever. Do you want to marry me?"

I bit my lower lip and nodded. "Yes, I want to marry you."

He grinned. "Good, then leave it all to me." He said, took my hand, and led the way through the sidewalk.

We got into the first taxi that stopped for us, and Oliver instructed the driver to take us to the airport.

"Why are we going to the airport?"

He grinned. "Because we are flying to Las Vegas tonight."

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the airport, and Oliver did all the booking, asking questions when necessary. We bought last-minute tickets and settled on our seats on the plane an hour later.

"You look nervous." Oliver pointed out, and he was correct in his assessment.

"I am," considering we were on a five-hour flight to Las Vegas, and I had every right to be.

"Good thing it's our mid-semester break; you have nothing to worry about," he comforted me.

The tiredness of the day and the nervousness knocked me out, and I slept through our flight. Oliver didn't seem to mind because he didn't wake me until we landed.

Then he booked a ride that drove us from the airport to the Clark County marriage licence bureau, having filled out the marriage licence forms online using mine and his information. We waited for five minutes before being called in to verify our information and make payment for the licence.

Next, Oliver took us down the street, saying he had seen a chapel on our way here, and it was the perfect place. He walked like he grew up on these very streets, and I wondered if he had this all laid out or if he planned it as he went on.

He dragged me along, and I followed without complaining. We came to the chapel he spoke about, and its doors were open even though it was already eight p.m.

"There it is," Oliver said, and the excitement in his voice made my heart swell. "Come, my love."

We ran through the street, with Oliver holding me close to himself. He pushed the chapel door open once he got to it, and we stepped inside.

"Anyone here?" He asked, and a priest standing before the altar in black robes turned around to face us.

"Good evening, children." He said it in a kind tone.

"Good evening, Father; we came here to get married," Oliver said, wasting no time, and we approached him.

The older man stayed silent, probably waiting for him to change his words, but he soon realised Oliver meant every word, and he stepped forward.

"You want to be married?"

We both nodded, but Oliver spoke, "Yes, we want to be married tonight; are you the officiating priest?"

"Yes."

"Can you marry us tonight? We have our licence," he said, holding the paper up.

"Yes, my child. Come." He approached us, and we drew closer to him.

Marriage is a beautiful thing, and as you already know, this state celebrates and promotes it. However, in this chapel, tough questions need to be asked before we marry couples that walk in.

"You can ask all the tough questions as long as you will marry us," Oliver said, determined.

The priest was kind in his approach and invited us into his office, where he could ask a few questions to ensure we knew what we were doing. First, he asked our age and why we were getting married this way instead of going the traditional family route.

Oliver revealed the opposition to our union.

"I don't care, though, because I love her; when I see forever, I see it with her by my side. She's the very essence of my being. I look at her and think there must be a God who knew me well and made someone who would compliment me so well."

He paused and smiled. "Before I met her, I just existed, but now I live, and I know I sound crazy, but I never want to let that go-let her go. She's everything I ever wanted and more. I want to die knowing I gave everything I had to loving her."

He turned to look at me and took hold of my hands. "Know this: I want to marry you before hundreds or even thousands of people because I want the world to know that you are the one for me, and someday I will. This, however, is so you know that I am serious about my commitment to you. You deserve the world and everything good, and I can't wait to give it to you. I love you, and until my last breath, I will keep loving you."

My eyes welled up, and I couldn't help or stop the tears that came streaming. I knew he loved me, but I didn't realise how deep his love was.

The priest's eyes moved to me, and he gave me understanding eyes before extending the tissue on his desk towards me.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," Oliver apologised, squeezing my hand and releasing it.

My head tilted back. I knew I would never be able to speak if I didn't control the tears, yet I was overwhelmed by everything that had happened so far with this man.

"I'm sorry. Give me some time to recollect myself." I said, my head still tilted back, and I wiped the tears that still fell with the tissue.

"Take all the time you need," the priest answered gently.

Three minutes later, I had my emotions in check, and my head dropped to behold the blurry image of the man I love before me.

"When I am afraid, I ask myself what Oliver Plane will do, and I see courage. He shows me what it means to love and be loved back. I watched him become everything that I ever wanted. When I am old and grey, I want him to be the one holding my hand and telling me all the lame jokes that are only funny because he is the one telling them. I grew up wanting love, but I never thought I deserved this much love. It takes courage to love the way he loves me, and I want to love him back that way every day. I love him, but I can only hope that one day, I will love him the way he loves me-dearly, earnestly, and unapologetically. So yes, I want to marry this man, Father. I see him by my side, making forever worth it."

I finished and wiped away the tears in my eyes, and I found Oliver doing the same. He reached for my hand on my lap again, and his warm ones took them and gave them a light squeeze before letting go. He didn't have to say he loved me; I felt it.

"I don't think any couple has brought me to the point of tears before, and I've been an ordained marriage priest for over forty years." The priest revealed, and we turned to find him wiping at his face.

"Does that mean you will join us?" Oliver asked with expectant eyes.

He nodded. "Yes, it will be an honour to join you."

A few minutes later, we stood before the chapel altar, holding each other's hands. The priest had asked if we wanted to be joined at the altar or in the office. Oliver didn't mind whichever, but I wanted to be joined at the altar; that made more sense to me, and Oliver went along with it.

The priest had offered us a few rings in the chapel's store, as we weren't the first couple to opt for this type of wedding, and Oliver took them and thanked him. Oliver told me it was temporary, but it didn't matter; what mattered was having the man of my dreams with me.

"Upholding the tradition that has long lasted that marriage is a thing between a man and a woman in love in the presence of God, you have come today to be joined; do you have any reservations before we continue?" he asked.

I shook my head, and Oliver did the same.

"Then I will proceed with the vows." He said that and brought out the rings and offered it to us.

"Do you, Oliver Plane, take Imela Barau to be your wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, through joy and sorrow, good and bad times, remaining faithful to her alone until death do you part?"

"I do," Oliver answered, took the ring, and slid it onto my finger, not letting go of his smile.

"Do you, Imelda Barau, take this man to be your husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and health, through joy and sorrow, good and bad times, remaining faithful to him alone until death do you part?"

I nodded. "I do," I answered, sliding the ring onto Oliver's finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife; you may now kiss the bride."

Oliver confidently stepped forward and kissed my lips, and though we had kissed many times before, this felt different. Our hearts beat as one, perhaps because we were one.