Chapter 7
May 8th, 2016
Janis opened her eyes. Groaning at the bright light streaming through her window, she rolled over to snuggle closer to Cady. But the space beside her was empty.
"Caddy?" Janis mumbled sleepily, pushing herself into a somewhat upright position and feeling around the spot where her fiancée should be.
"She's not here," said a voice from the doorway. Janis jumped.
"Jesus Christ," she hissed, glaring at Regina as she gathered her bedsheets closer, suddenly very aware that she had very little clothing on. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Twenty minutes," Regina sighed, examining her nails. "You're a very hard sleeper."
"Where's Cady?" Janis swung her legs over the side of the bed, still holding her sheet close.
Regina glanced down at the clipboard she held in her hand. "She went to the wedding venue with everyone else to help set up. She wouldn't let us wake you up, so I had to stay here with you until you did on your own."
"So you stood in the doorway and watched me sleep?"
"No. I've had a very productive morning planning your wedding. A simple thank you will suffice."
Janis grunted. "Can you leave? I need to get dressed."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Be quick. We're behind schedule as it is." She turned briskly on her heel and shut the door with a click. Janis made a face at the spot where she'd been standing and shuffled over to her closet. Through the walls, she could hear Regina talking to someone on the phone as she banged around in the kitchen. Smiling ruefully to herself, Janis finished getting dressed and picked up her phone from the dresser. There were several notifications displayed on the lock screen.
From Cady: good morning bby ily so much <333
From Damian: Bitch you better wake up soon idk how much more panicked gretchen i can take
From Veronica: my little baby's getting married!!! also hurry up and get to the venue heather is kinda stressing out and she and gretchen are a formidable duo when they're both anxious
Janis smiled to herself as her phone buzzed with another text.
Regina: Put down your phone and come help me make breakfast.
Janis: how did u know i was looking at my phone
Regina: I know everything. Hurry up, I haven't eaten anything today and if normal Regina annoys you just imagine how awful low-blood-sugar Regina is.
"How come you text in such complete sentences?" Janis asked as she entered the kitchen, where Regina was slicing up an apple.
"How come you don't?" She asked without looking up.
Janis shrugged. "I'm normal?"
Regina side-eyed her. "Well, that's not true."
"Fair enough. I guess it's just too much work."
Regina dropped a few apple slices onto a plate that was already loaded with food and slid it Janis's way. Janis accepted it. "How long have you been awake?"
"Since six."
Janis's eyes widened. "A.M?"
"No, Janis, six in the evening. Yes, six a.m. I've had a lot of coffee."
"But why?"
Regina gave her a look. "Weddings don't just happen. Someone has to plan them."
Janis tilted her head to one side. "So what have Cady and I been doing for the past ten months?"
Regina glared at her. "Can you just shut up and be grateful that I'm helping you and Cady get your shit together for the second time? I seem to recall that you guys wouldn't even be together if it weren't for me."
"You're right, Reggie," Janis said faux-sweetly, moving to Regina's side of the counter and wrapping her arms around the other woman's waist. "Thank you."
Regina stiffened. "What's this?"
"A hug."
"Why?"
"I don't know, I'm trying something."
Regina seemed to contemplate this for a moment before tentatively patting Janis's shoulder. Janis gave her a squeeze before stepping away. Regina gave her a long, searching look, then smiled.
"Alright, Sarkisian, let's go get you married."
Janis gazed at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black suit with white accents, and Gretchen had helped her straighten her hair. Janis ran her fingers through the two-toned locks, then shook her head. Her hair had been like this since high school, but now she was entering a new part of her life. Leaving any part of herself the same way that she was before she met Cady seemed wrong.
There was a pair of scissors on the counter. Janis picked them up and twirled them through her fingers, then set to work. Soon, the floor was covered in bleached blonde strands, and Janis had a solid brown bob. As she admired her newly short hair, there was a knock at the door.
"Janis?" Veronica stuck her head around the door frame. "It's time to- what happened to your hair?"
Janis held up the scissors, smiling sheepishly. "I needed a change."
Veronica raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the mess Janis had created on the floor. "Well, you never were one to do things traditionally. I like it," she added.
"Thanks, Mom."
Veronica beckoned. "Come on, it's time."
Janis took her mother's hand and allowed herself to be pulled out into the fresh air.
The music swelled. Janis's heart was pounding as Cady appeared at the beginning of the aisle, flanked by Damian, who had agreed to give her away instead of Cady's parents, who had blatantly refused watch her "marry some dyke". Despite this, Cady radiated happiness as she walked down the aisle and took her spot beside Janis.
"You cut your hair," she murmured to Janis as the minister began his long speech.
"I did." Janis smirked.
"Any particular reason?"
"I'm a very impulsive person. It's best that you find that out now."
Cady smiled wryly and turned her attention back to the minister. "Trust me, I already know."
"Have you prepared vows?" the minister asked, pretending not to have noticed their side conversation.
"Obviously," the two women answered at the same time. The minister did his best not to smirk as he gestured for them to begin.
Cady took a deep breath and turned to Janis. "Janis," she began, locking eyes with her fiancée.
"That's me," Janis said softly, and Cady rolled her eyes.
"Pretty sure you're not supposed to interrupt me, but alright."
Janis shrugged.
"Before I met you, the only people I had ever been exposed to were my parents and the few people in my tiny Kenyan village who didn't speak English and wouldn't have wanted to talk to me even if they did. So imagine my utter amazement when I stepped out of the bathroom stall on that first day of Junior year and saw you in all your emo glory. If I'm being honest, Jan, I've been in love with you since the first time I laid eyes on you. And yes, I'm aware that I dated Aaron for a while before I dated you but that was mostly because of internalized homophobia and we don't need to talk about that right now."
This elicited a laugh from their audience, and Cady's eyes flicked to Aaron, who was smiling and shaking his head. "Anyway," she continued, fixing her gaze back on Janis. "The point is that... you rocked my world. And I can't imagine my life without you."
Janis didn't bother to wipe away her tears as she began her vows. "Okay, I know you said that we don't need to talk about internalized homophobia today, but I'm going to because it ties into the theme I'm going for. So, as everyone knows, I did not have an easy time in high school, at least not for the first part. Every time I would get a crush on a girl I would tell myself that I was being creepy, or that I didn't deserve love. But you showed me that I do. And I know a lot of other shit happened that wasn't so great but that was a long time ago and what's more important is everything that's happened since. Being with you has made me the happiest I've ever been, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
Cady was crying now too, and for a moment it was just the two of them beaming tearfully at each other, the rest of the world falling away. And then the minister was asking each of them if they took the other to be their lawfully wed spouse, and they were saying 'I do', and they were kissing, and the crowd erupted into joyful celebration. As they walked back up the aisle together, Cady wrapped an arm around Janis's waist and whispered am 'I love you' in her ear. Janis leaned her cheek on her wife's head.
"I love you too," she murmured into Cady's hair. "I really fucking do."