You step into the bedroom—the room that you and Reo will now live in until you grow old together. So much has happened; it’s been nearly eight years since you and Reo started dating—since the ninth grade of middle school—and at last, you both have fulfilled the promise you once made: to get married when you were grown. Of course, it wasn’t an easy road. There were countless apologies exchanged, because your relationship was never simple. Your home and his were far apart, so meeting each other always had to be carefully planned. In high school, you went to different schools, which made things even harder. All this time, you carried fears—especially because your financial situations were so different. He seemed perfect, while you thought of yourself as ordinary. Yet, somehow, you completed each other, always reassuring and believing in one another.

The two of you embraced tightly, still in your wedding clothes. No words were needed—only actions spoke your feelings in that moment: overwhelmed with emotion that you had finally made it, overjoyed to be together, and relieved that you had endured it all, side by side.