New read the electronic invitation card for their University's Homecoming next week.
It had been two weeks after Tay's proposal and he eventually noticed that Tay became extra sweet.
He would wake up ahead of him and cook him breakfast though most of his attempts often resulted to either burnt food or their kitchen in the verge of being burned down into ashes.
"Babe. Have you read this one? We have a homecoming next weekend," he called out to Tay and showed him the invitation on his phone.
"Hhmmm. Yeah. Off mentioned that to me. So it's gonna be this Saturday?" Tay responded as he stood behind him, Tay's chin on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Do you have anything to wear already? Should we go and shop?"
"I think that would be a great idea. We'll go shopping this weekend," Tay replied and kissed him on the cheek.
"Let's go. I have a board meeting at nine," Tay held his hand as they both went outside of the unit.
"I wonder how our classmates look right now. I mean, it's been years. I wonder who's married and not," he giggled as they entered the car.
Tay then started the engine, chuckling at his excitement over the upcoming gathering.
"Well, I'm most certain many of us are already building families," Tay glanced at him.
He grinned and pocketed his phone. He shifted on his seat and faced Tay.
"How many kids do you like?" Tay asked out of the blue.
He almost choked on his own saliva as Tay broke the question.
"Kids?" he nervously asked.
"I mean we should start planning as early as now," Tay casually responded whilst he was having an internal mental breakdown.
Not that he didn't want to have kids, but the thought of taking care of Tay and their kids just tickled his stomach.
"Maybe two?" he replied and bit his lips.
"Should we just adopt or get a surrogate mother? But I guess it's better if we get a surrogate one. At least, the kids are still gonna get our genes. What do you think?"
He just smiled at him, staring at Tay dreamily.
"Hmmm. Is there anything wrong?" Tay asked him and reached out to hold his hand.
"Nothing. I just can't imagine building my own family with you. Am I dreaming?"
"No, you're not and even if you are, your dreams are still gonna come true. I'll make sure they will."
_____
New held out a dark blue suit in front of the mirror. It was a Saturday and like they just planned, they went to Tay's favorite tailor shop to select suits for the homecoming.
"How about this one? I like the shade of the color blue," he told Tay as he pressed the suit closer to his body to check how he would look.
"Do you like it?" Tay asked him and made him face him. "It looks good on you. Why don't you try it on. I'll get one of the same color."
He then went to change his clothes. He straightened the suit as he went out of the changing room to show Tay who had also changed to the same suit as his.
"Don't we look good together?" New giggled and clung into Tay's arm as they both stood in front of the mirror.
"So much better," Tay replied and kissed his forehead.
_____
New fixed Tay's crooked tie and straightened his suit as they went down the car. He also removed some stray hair away from Tay's face.
It was the night of their homecoming and he was very excited to see his old friends.
The venue was their school grounds and he couldn't wait to see how they transformed the location.
An usher guided them to the entrance and into a waiting hall. They were informed that the venue was still being prepared so they have to wait for the time being.
"I guess we're too early," he whispered to Tay as he noticed that there were only few people in the area.
"Yeah. I guess so," Tay replied and led him to the couch.
"Let's sit first."
He continued looking at the entrance to watch out for someone he might know. He looked over at Tay and noticed the beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Hey, are you okay?" he got the handkerchief he had in his pocket and used it to wipe Tay's forehead.
"Yeah, I'm just fine. It's just a bit hot," Tay responded and fanned himself with his hand.
"Why don't you remove your suit first."
"It's fine. Just don't worry about me okay?"
"Okay, but do let me know if you're feeling unwell."
Tay just smiled and nodded at him.
Minutes had passed but he hadn't seen anyone familiar.
"Are you sure it's the right time, Tay? Why is no one coming?" he asked in confusion.
He was about to call out the usher to ask when he heard a loud voice.
"Hey! Tay! New!"
He scoffed when Nicky Nachat entered the venue.
They both stood to greet him.
"You're still the same. You're still as loud as ever."
"And you're still head over heels with Tay. So I heard you're officially together now."
"We're actually engaged," Tay replied and held out New's hand to show Nicky the ring.
"Ohooo. So I guess your efforts had already paid off," Nicky wiggled his eyebrows at him.
"Oh shut up. I still haven't forgotten how you mocked me when Tay rejected me."
"Oh, come on it was such a long time ago," Nicky tapped his shoulder.
They were in the midst of the conversation when a man approached them and whispered something to Tay.
"Babe, the school director wants to see me. I'll leave you for a while okay. I'll come back for you later."
"Okay, babe. I'll just wait here," he replied and smiled at him.
"Tssss. People in love really do stink," Nicky quipped while pinching his nose.
"You're just a bitter loner," he scoffed and sat back on the couch.
"Tsss. Just wait till I get my own lover. You'd definitely wish to be," Nicky retorted and sat beside him.
He just scoffed at him and decided to swerve their conversation to another topic.
Minutes had passed but Tay hadn't come back but he just thought that maybe he had a long conversation with the school director.
He looked at the entrance and saw some of their batch mates coming in. He sighed as he thought of Gun. It would have been better if he was there.
"Don't you wanna pee? The nature's calling me," Nicky said beside him.
He just glared at him.
"Then go to the restroom. Do I look like a urinal to you?" he quipped.
"Oh come on. Come with me. I guess Tay's gonna take some time. You already know how talkative our school director is," Nicky grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the couch.
"Urgh! You're still annoying as ever!" he grunted but just let him be since he also felt like peeing already.
"Where the hell are you taking me? There's a nearer restroom there, Nicky!" he complained when Nicky dragged him to a farther restroom.
"Nah, I don't like it there. They say it's haunted," Nicky replied and dragged him even faster.
He heaved a deep sigh as they stopped in front of a very familiar restroom, the one where he confessed to Tay and gained his first heartbreak.
"Tsss. Seriously of all restrooms we've got in here, you chose this??" he glowered at Nicky as he pointed the restroom.
"Come on. Let's just finish our business here," Nicky replied and dragged him inside.
He was washing his hands on the sink after doing what they came there for when a man suddenly approached him. It was his first time seeing him.
He looked around to look for Nicky but he was no longer in sight.
"I'm definitely gonna kill you Nicky," he thought to himself.
He balled his hand into a fist as the man grabbed something from his pocket.
He was starting to scare him.
What if he had a gun in there? He wasn't even ready to die.
Who would take care of Tay if he did?
He was so ready to punch the man on the face if ever he did something wrong when he handed him a very familiar envelope.
With shaking hands and racing heartbeat, he reached out to get the envelope and muttered a curse when he confirmed what it was, the very same envelope that contained his confession poem to Tay years ago.
The man then left him. He almost couldn't feel his legs as he stood there staring at the envelope in his hands.
He then opened it and chuckled upon seeing the piece of stationery paper where he wrote his poem.
The words were still very clear as if someone was keeping it.
He didn't know where the man got it but he was sure Tay had something to do with it.
He then rushed outside of the restroom to look for Tay, calling out his name excitedly as he grasped the poem tightly in his hand.
But the moment he stepped outside, he saw a path lined with fairy lights.
"W-wait. Where did these come from?" he asked himself as he stared at the path, completely confused as he hadn't seen it earlier.
His instinct told him to follow the path. He walked for a few minutes and he almost lost his mind upon seeing the view at the end of it.
There stood on what seemed to be a makeshift stage was Tay with Off and Arm by his side.
He clasped his hands over his mouth as he looked at the aisle lined with blue and white roses while the entire area was filled with fairy lights.
He marveled as he roamed his eyes around the area. He then looked at the flower-decorated arch that served as the entrance to the main venue and stifled a cry when he saw the words TayNew on top of it.
He tapped his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Tears started streaming down his face as he finally realized what was happening.
"Shit. Am I getting married, like right here? Right now??" he asked himself.
He looked around and saw familiar faces, from his parents and Tay's to his friends and to their batch mates.
He stayed rooted on his place, still unable to move from all the emotions that were filling up his system.
Tears were starting to well up his eyes when he felt a pat on his shoulder and a kiss on his cheek. He turned to look at his parents.
"Mom, Dad."
His mother fixed his tie and straightened his suit.
"Go on. Your husband's waiting for you. I'm so happy for you son. We're so happy for you," his mother touched his cheeks and gestured him to go down the aisle.
"Congratulations, son. Always remember that you have our support," his dad rubbed his back and fixed his hair.
He then hugged them tightly.
"Thank you, mom and dad. Thank you for everything."
He looked back at Tay who was smiling at him.
Despite their distance, he was able to see that tears were starting to well up in Tay's eyes as well.
Off then playfully nudged Tay as he wiped the sides of his eyes.
He then started to take a step forward, entering through the arch.
He bit his lips to stop them from shaking as Tay took a mic from behind and started singing in acapella.
You're my always
You're my forever
You're my reality
You're my sunshine
You're my best times
You're my anomaly
He looked at the crowd and saw smiling faces, nodding at him as he slowly took one step at a time. He clasped the poem tighter in his hand.
And I'd choose you
In a hundred lifetimes I'd choose you
In a hundred worlds I'd find you...
And I'd say, "I do"
For the rest of my life
With all that I have, I do
And I will
When the sky is falling
I promise you I'm all in
No turning back
Every day, every moment
Every breath you take...
I choose you
His heart was beating fast and his hands were shaking.
He couldn't explain what he was feeling as he looked at Tay.
It seemed like a thousand different emotions came crashing into him all at once that he didn't know which one to feel.
He was excited, nervous, fidgety, and happy all at the same time.
This is more than just a wedding
This is etched into eternity
With our union we will move mountains
We will live on our knees
'Coz He'd choose us
In a hundred lifetimes
He'd choose us
In a hundred worlds he'd find us...
He saw Tay's parents smiling and nodding at him and he couldn't help but shed a tear as he smiled back.
And we'd say, "We do"
For the rest of our lives
With all that we have we do
And we will
When the sky turns black and
He comes back
Riding on the clouds
Every day and every moment
Every breath we take
We'll choose You
He chuckled as he looked Apple who was cheering him on, her hands clasped in front of her as he mouthed the words "I'm so happy for you" to him. Beside him was Nicky who gave him a heart finger.
He also saw Earth and Kay amongst the crowd, smiling genuinely at him.
Look into my eyes dear
Look into my eyes dear
'Coz this is where it starts... mmm...
Yes this is where it starts
I'll give you my whole heart for my whole life
I'll give you my whole heart for my whole life
He looked back at Tay and noticed that his lips were quivering as he tried to stop his tears from falling.
This is where it starts
And I'll say, "I do"
For the rest of my life
With all that I have I do
He could hear a crack in Tay's voice.
He moved the mic away from his mouth and wiped the tears in his eyes with the handkerchief Off handed, before he continued singing.
And I will
When the sky is falling
I promise you I'm all in
No turning back
Every day, every moment and
Every breath you take...
I choose you
Tay then ended the song, his voice clearly shaking from stifling his cries.
He wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked at Tay.
There were still five steps until he fully reached Tay but he didn't take a single one to close the distance between them.
The crowd then started murmuring, confused as to why he didn't continue walking.
Tay looked at him with worried eyes but he just smiled at him.
He then signalled a staff to hand him a mic.
He grasped the mic closely to his mouth as he started his speech.
He swallowed the lump in his throat to stop the shaking in his voice.
"Years ago, I wrote you a poem to which you bluntly rejected, not even reading a single word. I don't know why it still exists until now but I just want to read this to you."
He slowly opened the folded paper, his hands shaking and his breathing unstable.
He cleared his throat again and took a deep breath before reading the poem while casually glancing at Tay.
You're a shining star,
Something that I can only look at from afar.
A distant dream,
A wish that won't come true as it may seem.
A wonder, a miracle,
Something of a spectacle.
A sight, a home,
Something I wish I could call my own.
He looked at Tay who was smiling at him with teary eyes. He folded the paper as he continued, saying the poem from memory.
And while you shine brighter than the sun,
All I could ever do is steal glances,
Crossing fingers and taking chances
That someday, somehow, you'll see me as the one.
He started walking again, stepping on the platform to finally close the remaining steps between them and stood in front of Tay.
He bit his lips and smiled at him.
No one was saying a word. They just stood there staring at each other like they were the only ones in the world.
Tears were streaming down their faces. Tay reached out to wipe the tears on his face.
"Stop crying, babe. We shouldn't be crying on our wedding day," Tay chuckled and continued wiping his face.
He didn't say anything and just reached out to wipe the tears from Tay's face.
They stood there wiping each other's faces while chuckling at the conversation only them could hear and understand.
Tay then held the mic closely to his mouth as he looked at New.
"Years ago, you wrote me a poem, to which I bluntly rejected. But what you didn't know was that I read every single word of it ... on that very same day. And now on this very special moment, I'm giving you my answer. Something that I wrote on the night I couldn't sleep because you were all I could think of. The very same night when I realized that I've fallen deeply in love with you, much deeper than I've ever known."
Tay then got something out of his breast pocket and New could only sob even more as he watched Tay unfold a stationery paper in front of him and started reading.
You're my shining star
Something that guides me even from afar.
A dream come true,
A wish that came crashing on me out of the blue.
My wonder, my miracle,
Something I'll always be thankful for.
My delight, my home,
Something that I can finally call my all, my own.
And now you don't have to take on chances,
Or wish on shooting stars.
Cause right this very moment,
I am certain you are the one.
And from now until forever
Until the end of time
Will be you and me together...
Tay folded the paper and reached for his hand, holding it tightly as Tay uttered the last two lines.
For I am yours
And you are mine.
____________
Hi there bubs! Earlier I posted a message about not being able to update because I was still struggling in writing the poem for the wedding scene as nothing was coming into my mind.
Fortunately, I was able to come up with something as I couldn't sleep all because of the large cup of McCafe I drank earlier. I know it's not the best poem out there but I do hope you'll like it. And I hope I made you happy with this chapter.
By the way the song Tay sang while New was walking down the aisle is originally sang by a woman so let's just imagine Tay's voice singing that one. ð
Will be posting the Epilogue soon. Keep safe everyone. I love you. ðð