Aurora

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Maddie chuckled. Maddie thanked Aurora’s brother and thanked him for being there for the ceremony. It really did mean a lot to them. They really thought this whole thing was going to crash and burn after the incident and fight, but they were thrilled to be married. “That sounds amazing. This morning I made us reservations at a fancy restaurant to celebrate. And I made sure they have some champagne chilled for us,” they smiled and led their wife out of the courthouse.

Even though a part of her remained reserved, she didn’t dwell on what had happened. Aurora wanted to believe everyone deserved a second chance especially the person she had been slowly starting to fall for. “Really?” details like that, for example, made it all worth it. They were going in the right direction and now that they were married, they’d work through everything. Aurora was already proud of Maddie for coming forward. “Que romantico.” She giggled and followed Maddie out. 

“I think you’re right,” Maddie smiled when they pulled away from kissing their wife! That word was so nice in their head. Wife. It was something they didn’t expect to love that much. And they thought it was so nice to hear Aurora’s parents cheering on the video call. “I can’t wait to meet your parents in person.” They knew things were a bit sticky with their situation, but Maddie would do everything they could to help their wife get them back. “Do you think we should go get a fancy meal? Or how would you like to celebrate, wifey?” they grinned.

“Me neither! They already love you because I probably talk about you a little too much.” She grinned and waved back at her parents. Anakin decided to call it a day and gave his sister a quick kiss on the cheek and congratulated Maddie. He had to get back to some university work and he probably thought leaving the two of them alone was the best idea. Once the goodbyes were said, Aurora turned to face Maddie with the brightest smile. “Yes! Let’s get something to eat and spend the rest of the day together. I already cleared my schedule.”

Maddie moved even closer to Aurora when they felt the other’s arms around their neck. This was one of the reasons Maddie didn’t date cismen. They weren’t soft and warm like girls were. Aurora had incredibly nice and soft lips, and Maddie turned their head to the other side and moved their lips more against Aurora’s. They completely tuned out the movie, and focused on the feeling. They moved their hand up Aurora’s neck so they could gently tangle their fingers in Aurora’s hair.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Amber insisted, although for what, they weren’t entirely decided on in that moment. In that moment, they forgot what they were going to do or what they had previously set out to do, but looking at Aurora and seeing the look on her face wracked Amber with momentary internal conflict. Rather than stewing in it, Amber spoke outright, resting a hand near their back. “Look, I know about Maddie. What they did.”

It had felt like a ton of bricks had hit her at once. She hated that Amber was hurting and hated even more that it was Maddie’s fault. She took a step back and nodded sadly. “I’m sorry. They admitted it to me not too long ago and I was furious. I asked Maddie to speak with you and tell you everything because it’s the right thing to do.” 

My dearest Maddie, 

Happy Valentine’s Day! The adventure begins for us !

Con mucho amor, 

Aurora 

@maddie-swann

Engraved leather notebook 

Amber had been fine with keeping information about the twins from her latest doctor’s appointment low-key. It gave her, Miguel and their family something to enjoy with a bit of privacy as time continued to draw closer to the twins’ arrival. Believing that she had been doing a fairly good job of not going overboard with buying items for their new additions, she decided to go on a little outing and look at some clothes and things that weren’t on their registry. She’d made her way to the store and bypassed some of the adorable plush animals and colorful toys for various ages, and went right to the many t-racks and shelves of clothes. While considering the chilly Oregon weather and the time of year when the twins would be born, Amber picked up a couple packs of plain long-sleeved onesie that would work for undershirts. She then let her eyes roam over every single garment on display, smiling at many of them and noiselessly gushing over the ones she found to be especially cute. While turning to go back towards the front of the store and grab a cart, she bumped into someone else and quickly reacted with an instinctive, “Oof, sorry!” before realizing who she had crossed paths with. Seeing Aurora made her immediately think of Maddie, so while she would have otherwise delighted at the sight of her friend, Amber wasn’t sure what expression her face was currently making. Notably less enthusiasm in her voice, she replied, “Hi. Um.. thanks, Aurora. Excuse me.” Her gaze swept to the floor while side-stepping the younger woman and trying to force herself to focus on getting that cart.

Maddie didn’t realize how much they would like the whole process of getting married. Hearing someone make all the promises meant more to them than they thought. Maybe it was because Aurora was saying them. Maddie looked at the rings in the blue velvet box and they smiled widely. The rings were perfect and beautiful. They were the kind of simple and elegant they loved. “They’re beautiful,” they whispered. “I can’t believe it either.” Maddie was all smiles, and their eyes welled up a little bit before they were told to kiss. Maddie wrapped their arm around Aurora’s waist and leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t long or overly passionate - they didn’t love PDA - but it was sweet and they hoped Aurora knew how they felt.

“I can’t imagine moving from a different country. I’m sure that was so stressful and I’m sure it was hard to settle in at first. But I’m really glad you’re here,” Maddie grinned at their match. “No wonder it took me so long to be matched with someone. It couldn’t be an American,” they teased. “I hope so.” Maddie was a little surprised by the kiss, but it was really nice even though it was so short. “No, you don’t have to apologize,” Maddie whispered. “I’ve been wanting to do that, too.” They grinned and leaned in for another kiss, hoping this one would be longer. 

“Okay! so!” Aurora looked down at her phone to organize the shopping list she had made for the Amber and Miguel’s twins. There was no doubt in her mind the little ones would be spoiled by all of their friends but Aurora wanted in on the phone too. Talking to no one in particular, she switched from the google drive to the store registry, scrolling through all the available items. “Oh this is so cute. They’re going to have such a beautiful nursery!” Aurora practically gushed to herself only to bump into someone as she turned the corner. And lo and behold, here was the person of the house. “You know, if you don’t play the loteria after this, then it’ll be a waste.” Aurora chuckled and tucked her phone into her bag. “I was just thinking about you! Look at you glow!”

“Thank you, babe,” they grinned. Maddie was more nervous than they thought they would be. It was just a courthouse wedding. There wasn’t much to it. But it was the commitment part they were nervous about. It was one thing to join the app. It was another to marry a person you barely knew. But the moment Aurora laced her fingers together with Maddie’s, their biggest worries melted away. They went into the judge’s room together and each stood to one side when they were showed how to do it. Maddie was glad they didn’t write vows. They weren’t really sure how. The standard ones were tried and true for a reason. And when they repeated them back, promising to have Aurora in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as they lived, the gravity hit Maddie. But they were happy about their choice. When they were told to give Aurora the ring, they pulled a ring box shaped like Cinderella’s carriage out of their purse. And they took out the band and the pink sapphire ring. Maddie put both on Aurora’s finger and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I hope you like it,” they whispered.

She truly couldn’t believe they were here and how quickly it had all happened. The others weren’t kidding when they said it would all go by so fast. Aurora never imagined that the beginning of what she hopes is her love story would happen this way and even with that in mind, she still relished in the moment, taking in the fact that she very much liked Maddie. When she had spoken to her parents about it all, they had told her how this could all turn into love and in that moment, she felt the fluttering in her stomach that she imagined she’d feel when she met the person she’d marry. Aurora repeated the vows after Maddie, a giant smile gracing her lips. It all felt so surreal but so right at the same time and when Maddie placed the rings on her finger, she didn’t know what to focus on first. It was all so beautiful and all so Aurora. The fact that Maddie had paid attention and knew was impressive and special. “I love it...” she wiped her tears quickly and cleared her throat, chuckling softly and nervously as she pulled out the blue velvet box in which she kept Maddie’s rings. She had purposely chosen a simple band with a solitaire because it made her think of Maddie. Gently, she took her match’s hand and slid the band and engagement ring on, caressing the top of their knuckle before taking their hand in hers. And before she could even process it all, they had been married off. Partners in sickness and in health. “I can’t believe it...” 

“I’m absolutely okay with that. I really hate packing and moving, so it’s honestly ideal if you move in here with me.” Maddie was glad they could be honest about a lot of things to their match. Like moving. Gross. Maddie smiled when Aurora said she liked spending time with them. “I like it, too. We should make a habit of it,” they chuckled a little. “I want to make this as easy as possible. And you help a lot, too. You’re incredibly sweet and beautiful,” they said and kissed Aurora’s cheek.

Aurora giggled. She wasn’t a fan of moving around but moving to a new place wasn’t always so bad. And this would be a permanent place (she hoped) which made it even easier for her to make the decision. “You got yourself a deal then!” With all the talk about getting married and preparing for things like an actual couple, Aurora was starting to feel like it was all normalized now. In the very beginning, she had been nervous and hesitant to even join. “I completely understand. Moving can be a hassle. Imagine moving from a different country!” She chuckled and nodded at the next proposal. Aurora loved the idea of doing things like this with her match. It was comfortable and easy. Nothing felt forced which she loved. When Maddie kissed her cheek, she could just feel the warmth rising in her face. “You make it so I can be those things for you.” And it was true. Maddie made her feel at ease. Taking advantage of the fact that they were in close proximity, Aurora quickly turned her face and pressed her lips against the other’s. “Sorry, I really have been wanting to do that.” 

@danteaarons & @lead-singer-emerald

“Oh good. I got this wedding planner notebook thing so we can fill it out and figure things out that we may not have thought about,” they explained. Though they knew they might have to skip over some stuff because of the time crunch. “Oh? Then you’ll probably have to move in here. I don’t think we can both share that one rented room. Especially because I have a cat. I think it would be easiest if you moved in here,” they grinned. Maddie smiled widely when Aurora kissed their temple. It was so cute and sweet. “You’re welcome! That sounds like a plan.” Maddie put on Hercules, and then scooted close to Aurora, taking her hand.

Aurora grinned at the thought of Maddie getting a wedding planner notebook for their event. It was nice that her match was considering things seriously like she was. It gave her hope that they were on the right track. “I think you’re right. And I’m perfectly okay with that! As long as you are, of course.” She  chuckled and leaned back once more as soon as Maddie joined her. The hand holding was an unexpected but adorable gesture and it made Aurora’s chest flutter slightly. “I really like spending time with you, Maddie. You’ve definitely made this entire process easier.

Maddie was glad Aurora agreed to still get married after everything. They understood why Aurora got upset, and they were planning on making it up to her. Maddie didn’t want anything else to get in the way of their happiness. They got dressed in the white jumpsuit they bought for the wedding, and curled their hair before heading to the courthouse. They were glad they already had the marriage license before their big fight. When Maddie saw Aurora, they smiled widely. “Of course I did! I wouldn’t miss this. You look amazing,” they said and pecked the woman on the cheek. “Let’s do this thing,” they said and stepped into the judge’s room.

There was a lot of soul searching that went with showing up to this day. Aurora believed in her heart that Maddie was a good person and someone she would like to go on this matched journey with. She was thankful and hopeful that she wasn’t matched to someone terrible and after believing all the testimonials, there was less and less she was worried about. When the truth about Maddie’s occupation was revealed however, it was like a knife in the heart mostly because she couldn’t be so sure that Maddie was being genuine to her. After speaking to her brother, she felt better equipped for this. He had reminded her that a job is a job and while it doesn’t justify Maddie’s actions, it doesn’t mean that’s who they are as a person. And he was right. Aurora could tell by the look in Maddie’s eyes that there was more to them than the persona they had to embody for the sake of an article. She just hoped that in time, she would choose a different path and not continue hurting other people. When Aurora’s placed her eyes on her match, she couldn’t help but stare in pure endearment. If heart eyes were real, she was sure she was donning them at that very moment. ‘YOU look amazing.” Aurora was beaming and her brother prepared the facetime call to include their parents. “Let’s do this.” She laced her fingers into Maddie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before entering the room before a smiling judge.

@maddie-swann