Unspecified date ~ sometime before the twins' fourth birthday

I gazed into the full length mirror, squinting to see through the countless smudged fingerprints. Despite my watering eyes and anxiously beating heart, I felt beautiful. The dress drooped just a little off my shoulders, revealing my sharp collarbones and stooping to expose the recently tanned skin on my back. It perfectly accentuated my cleavage and clung to my stomach, giving people the idea that I possessed the true hourglass figure. There was a slit on the side, so it spanned out magically by the bottom, glistening under the lights. I continuously stuck my leg through, not only checking to see if it was smooth but also to admire the sparkling silver shoes on my feet.

I bit my lip and peered up higher, astonished by how gorgeously, how professionally Jimin had styled my hair, strands twirling around and around until they tucked into the wide bun on top. Some loose pieces hung around my face, but she had otherwise avoided leaving any more out, claiming that my revealed skin was too y to hide. Though I didn’t want to be considered ‘y’ on my special day, I had to agree that the style wonderfully exaggerated the prettiness of my dress.

Jimin paced up behind me, seemingly stunning in the glittery bridesmaid dress. Her platinum blonde hair toppled across her back in neat waves and her lips were coated in a light, appealing layer of red. I chuckled, anticipating Jongdae’s distraction.

‘Are you ready?’ she questioned, running soothing fingers over my arm.

I nodded, just a little too enthusiastically. ‘Let’s do this!’

There was music playing, but it was simply muffled background sounds vibrating through my ears. There were clusters of faces smiling at me as I fluttered by, but their features shot past in blurs. There was a sweet aroma, likely from the scattered petals, but there was only one scent that my nose detected. All of my senses were entirely, undeniably and wholeheartedly overwhelmed by Chanyeol; his handsome appearance, the way he fought back tears of joy as Baekhyun alerted him to my arrival, the familiar smell of vanilla wafting off him and embracing me in warmth. This was the moment I had been longing for my entire life, and I was so, so happy.

Spewing out my handwritten vows was a difficult task, because speaking whilst blubbering like a lost child was truly painful. It was worth it though, worth it to see the grin stretching across Chanyeol’s face and to hear such tender words in return. And luckily, I was not the only one making a fool of myself by crying so uncontrollably. Chanyeol’s mother and sister hid their faces with parted fingers, my mother covered with a tissue and Jimin, standing right beside me, sounded somewhat like a suffering whale.

They all battled against their emotions as we exited the venue, fingers entwined. There were boisterous cheers and harsh claps and there were genuine smiles silently congratulating us on our new beginning.

I jumped into the back of the hired Chevy and extended my arms, welcoming Youngjae and then helping Youngsoo scramble into the seat. Chanyeol squished in next to us and making sure he didn’t knock the twins, reached out to grasp my hand once more, his grin never diminishing. I traced the most important three words against his palm and watched as his eyes lit up. When the twins had their attention focussed on objects passing by the window, he whispered it these words back.

The reception afterwards was truly a sight to behold. A hall had been entirely transformed, its walls painted in splatters as though an artist has taken to them with their paintbrush in a mad flurry of flicks. The tables were decorated with intricate patterns and carefully arranged collages, Polaroid style photographs printed onto the silky covers. In the centre of the room was a gigantic chocolate fountain, its tip a carved rose and its length covered in aromatic brown streams, never stopping. The table designated to the bridal party and groomsmen was adorned lightly with cherry blossoms, something Chanyeol had obviously organised in secret. I squeezed his hand as my eyes fell upon them and he smiled gently, eyes twinkling with happiness.

‘This is so beautiful that I might just vomit’, Baekhyun announced, pouncing towards the table with a cheeky grin on his face.

Jongdae followed closely behind him, hands in his pockets. ‘Can you at least save that until I’ve finished eating? I don’t want to lose my appetite before I’ve even had the chance to stick my tongue into that chocolate fountain.’

‘If you stick your tongue into anything tonight, you can sleep on the porch for the rest of the week’, Jimin huffed.

Chanyeol and I chuckled. Years had passed and so much had happened. We had produced two beautiful sons, who were quickly approaching the age of four, and Chanyeol had received a record deal with a company that treated him as an equal. Jongdae and Jimin had broken up and rekindled their flames no less than ten times and despite Jimin claiming she’d leave him for good if he didn’t propose soon, we all knew that she wouldn’t give him up for the world. Baekhyun had come out as gay somewhere along the way, but none of us were surprised by this. If anything, we were ecstatic, overjoyed to know that he had finally mustered up the courage to be true to himself. His new boyfriend, a tall, broad shouldered university student named Sehun, was actually present in the crowd at the wedding.

Regardless of all of this, we really hadn’t changed as people. We all still smiled at each other as though we knew one another’s deepest, darkest and dirtiest secrets and we relied on each other like a real family. I supposed that was what we had really become and such a though was what maintained an eternal sense of comfort in my heart.

‘Everyone is starting to arrive. We should get ready’, Chanyeol whispered.

Once our guests had located their seats and settled down, we entered to a classic Super Junior soundtrack, playfully bopping along to the beat and getting the crowd pumped up. Youngjae and Youngsoo waddled out behind us and tapped their tiny dress shoes. They received the loudest applause and with satisfied grins, darted over to take their place at the table.

There were elongated speeches, which spurred both tears and laughter, sometimes simultaneously. Baekhyun’s speech was exceptionally hilarious and Chanyeol had his face hidden in cupped hands by the end of it, going insane with utmost humiliation. I would have comforted him, but I was also beside myself, laughing so purely that my ribs started to ache and my wedding dress suddenly felt like it was three sizes too small.

The food was also spectacular, defeating all stereotypes about the terror served on plates at wedding receptions. I didn’t want to delve in too enthusiastically, aware that dancing later would be horribly painful whilst sporting a bloated stomach, but one look at the glimmering sauce made my mouth widen into a hungry black hole. This earned the question ‘are you pregnant again?’ from my mother and a few odd stares from Jimin. It was worth it though. The twins, sauce all over their faces and grabby fingers, seemed to think so too.

And then, suddenly, it was time to drag Chanyeol out onto the dance floor, where we were to share our first performance as husband and wife.