"What?" asked Chris.
Alex turned to him and gulped. "I'm not ready to get married."
Chris gave him a mocking smile, then walked toward him and smacked him on the head.
"What?" he squealed.
"Too late!"
Alex groaned and looked at himself in the mirror again. "Do I look okay?" His accent had thickened in the past two years, making Chris snort every time he heard his friend speak.
"You look fine. A little revolting, but less than usual."
He groaned again. "I shouldn't have made you my best man."
Chris plopped on the chair beside the mirror and looked up at him. "You didn't feel that way when I threw you the bachelor party."
The groom looked down at him, grinned, and raised his hand to high-five Chris. "It was pretty cool. Although I would've preferred a stripper to sky-diving. A day well spent, nonetheless."
Chris rolled his eyes. "Ana is gonna reject you today."
Alex gasped, though his lips tugged up at her name. "That was mean!"
He laughed in reply. "I still can't believe this is happening. How?"
"You know," he said, buttoning his gray tuxedo, "you can ask it for a hundred more times, and I still won't be able to tell you exactly how. It just happened. The only lesson I learned was that long-distance relationships can sometimes work."
"Well," said Chris, getting up, and patted him on his back, "I'm happy that it happened. I am worried for her, though, but no—" He raised his arms in surrender at the look on Alex's face. "—no, my loyalties lie with you."
He rolled his eyes. "Got my ring?"
Chris patted his right pocket that bulged with the ring box. Then he patted the left one absent-mindedly.
Alex whirled on his heels. "What is that?"
"What?"
"When were you gonna tell me that you were proposing to her?"
Chris chuckled. "I was gonna shock you in the middle of the ceremony."
Alex walked toward the exit. "I don't want people to mourn your death on my wedding day, Chris."
Chris walked out with him, huffing. "I'm sorry your diamond shoes don't fit. What a tragedy."
The groom grinned. "When are you gonna do it?"
Chris shrugged. "You'll see."
"Today?"
"You'll see."
Grinning, they walked on. Alex had no parents to escort him down the aisle, so Chris stayed by his side. Silence fell on either side of them as they walked toward the altar. Soft music played in the background. Some people murmured excitedly.
Chris stood behind the groom, his eyes searching for Giselle. She smiled at him when their eyes met. He winked at her, trying to contain his happiness. She pursed her lips, her cheeks flushed.
The bridesmaids started entering with their partners. Three couples walked down the aisle one by one and stood across the groom on the alter. Then two little girls, dressed in pink ruffled frocks, walked toward them, throwing pink rose petals on the aisle. They were Ana's daughters from her disastrous marriage before Alex.