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“Well, because you’ve been standing there frozen, like a deer in the headlights.” Kat shook her head. “I was getting worried.”
“Oh, I’m okay,” Molly assured her. “This is just a lot to get used to all of a sudden. I feel kind of like I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind!”
Indeed, she’d been feeling that way ever since yesterday when Commander Torus—no, just Torus—she reminded herself, had pulled her out of Commander Sylvan’s office and taken her ring shopping…
They had gone to one of the many shops that surrounded the parklands in the center of the Mother Ship. Overhead, the artificial green sun was still high in the “sky” and there were happy couples and families wandering around to the different shops and restaurants that encircled the park.
“Are you really going to buy me a ring?” Molly had asked, still not quite able to believe this whole scenario.
Torus had looked down at her. “Isn’t that what any male who was asking a human female to Join with him would do?”
“Well, yes…but you shouldn’t have to spend your own money on me,” Molly protested. “I can buy it myself—or at least pay you back.”
Torus frowned and shook his head.
“I don’t think so. It’s not proper for a bride-to-be to buy her own ring. I might not know much about human marriage customs, but I do know that.”
He had insisted that Molly looked at all the rings in the shop—even the really expensive ones. But he didn’t just stand around while she looked—the big Kindred was right beside her the whole time. When they finally chose a ring—an Andalusian diamond which looked green in some light and blue in others, (Torus said it reminded him of her eyes)—he had paid for it and refused to let her help with the expense.
They had gotten measured for wedding rings too—white gold and platinum bands that Molly loved. The jeweler had promised to do a rush job on resizing the ring for Torus—it was going to be much bigger than their usual bands—and swore everything would be ready the next morning.
Afterwards, with the engagement ring in a box in Torus’ pocket, they had gone to meet Kat, who had called to say she was ready for them. She had taken Molly’s measurements and asked what kind of ceremony they wanted.
Here again, Torus had been involved in the process. It was so unlike her first wedding, which Molly had been forced to plan herself because Zach was in the middle of testing the beta version of a new game and couldn’t be bothered to help.
“I dunno, babe—just do what you want,” he’d said, whenever Molly had the temerity to bother him with a question about the wedding.
Things with Torus couldn’t have been more different.
The big Kindred helped her pick the flowers and the music and even discussed the reception which was going to be held in the parkland around the Sacred Grove afterwards. Kat assured them that everything was going to be beautiful.
“We’ll have the Sacred Grove all decked out for you—you’ll see,” she had promised. “Don’t worry that it’s last minute—we’re used to pulling things together on the fly here.”
After that, it was getting late and Torus suggested that they go back to the Kindred Information Department and invite all of their coworkers to the wedding.
“Unless there’s anyone else you’d like to invite?” he asked.
Molly thought sadly of her family back on Earth. Even if this was a real wedding and not just a subterfuge, she still couldn’t have invited them. Or rather, she could have, but she knew they wouldn’t come.
“No,” she said softly. “What about you? Do you have any friends or family to invite?”
“No family, but I do have a few friends—some of the Jorgen Kindred who came with me to the Mother Ship will probably attend.”
“Are…are you going to tell them that the wedding isn’t, you know, real?” Molly had asked.
Torus frowned.
“But it is real. We’re going to be married in the Sacred Grove by a priestess.”
“Yes, but it’s not like we’re, you know, actually in love or anything,” Molly protested.
“We need to work on pretending we are, though,” Torus murmured. He had reached for Molly’s hand and entwined their fingers. “From now on, we need to act like a couple everywhere we go,” he told her. “And we need to be sure everyone thinks we’re completely in love.” Then he bent down and pressed his lips to the back of her hand, looking into her eyes for a long moment. “Don’t you agree?” he rumbled softly.
“Oh, yes—absolutely.” Molly’s heart started pounding at the way he was looking at her.
“Good.” He rose to his full height again. “Then let’s go invite some wedding guests.”
The reaction at work had been complete, stunned silence for almost a full minute after Torus had gathered everyone together and announced that he and Molly were getting married and everyone had the day off work and was invited to attend.
