Twenty For A Dozen

20 || Twenty For A Dozen

20 || Twenty For A Dozen

         "...I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

         She really couldn't hold it in anymore. 

Kira wished that her hair wasn't made into an elegant bun, and that her dress wasn't dry-clean material. So she stared at the ceiling of the church, hoping the naked babies would help her from breaking down in public. But that only earned her a crick in the neck, and loose tendrils of hair at the back of her neck to become slick with sweat.

         "And do you, Monique Argent, take Alex DuBois to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

         "I do."

         "You may now kiss the bride."

         Watching her best friend kiss her husband with all the love she could possibly possess was the last straw for her, and Kira choked down a sob as she snuggled closer into West's shoulder. She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin handed to her by Lee along with his sympathetic looks. It was embarrassing, but their friends and coworkers were used to Kira's antics and paid them no attention.

         "You okay?" West asked, giving her a supportive squeeze around her shoulders. 

         "Y-Yeah, but I'm just s-so h-happy for them," Kira whisper-wailed. 

         When she felt tremors go through her body that weren't caused by her own weeping, she raised her head slightly and sniffed. Blinking to see through the veil of eyelashes stuck to each other by tears, she frowned as she saw West trying to hold back his laughter. 

         "Hey, you stop that," she muttered and elbowed his side. 

         Unlike every other male, West wasn't made up of a rock hard abdomen and external obliques, and his face contorted as her elbow hit his ribs. She wasn't even sorry, and stuck her tongue out at him.

         "It's just," he gasped once the glowing bride and groom descended from the altar into the welcoming arms of the wedding party. "I can now see why you're not a wedding planner."

         Apparently the rest of their row heard his comment in the gap formed by a small window of silence after everyone had settled down a bit after the rounds of applause. Kira ducked her head as people snickered, and wished again for her hair to be loose so she could cover her ears that were burning red and not contributing to her efforts in hoping to be as sweat-free as possible.

         "Yeah, well... Here she comes!" Kira broke away from West's side and hugged the approaching Monique, laughing and crying all at once.

         "I'm so happy you all could make it, especially you, you fine young man," Monique winked at West before gesturing to his black blazer. "I bet you're hot... In that."

         Something about her words triggered a long-lost memory in Kira's mind of a day full of surprise guests, basketball, and a certain deal...

         "I wouldn't have missed it for the world,  Monique," West said, and he shook hands with Alex who had also approached their group.

         "Congratulations, you guys," Kira said, hugging Alex and Monique tightly.

         "It's nice to finally meet the infamous West," Alex grinned as he pulled back to focus on the man in question, making Kira and Monique giggle.