My shoulders slump as I look back at Alicia, seeing the slight shimmer of tears in her eyes as she frowns.
Moving to stand in front of her, I place my knuckles beneath her chin, nudging her head up until her eyes connect with mine.
She smiles sadly.
"It would've been nice to experience that, don't you think?"
My face scrunches up in confusion.
"We have experienced that," I mutter, confused by what she means.
She shakes her head.
"No, we didn't. We got married, sure, but it wasn't how it was supposed to be, Dom. It wasn't a big, happy day where everyone was filled with joy. It was devastating for both of us and for those around us. We didn't get married because we were in love. We got married as strangers. The whole day was miserable."
She laughs, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye.
"We spent the whole night practically ignoring each other. We were forced to take pictures together, and it shows. Oh, and don't forget, I ripped my dress to shreds! I tore it off and left it on the floor in front of the venue, and I went back to your apartment without you, for God's sake. The whole day was terrible. That's not how a wedding should be!"
Her words affirm all of the thoughts I was having this morning, and knowing the feelings are mutual regarding our wedding day, an idea sparks in my mind.
"Let's do it right this time, then," I say, cupping her jaw and wiping the tear from her cheek.
A crease forms between her brows.
"What?"
Grabbing hold of her hands in mine, I drop to the floor, one knee pressing against the rough asphalt beneath us, and the other bent up in front of me.
"Alicia," I start, staring up at her as her eyes widen and she glances around, trying to tug her hands from my hold. "You are one of the most remarkable women I have ever met. You're a sight to behold, and you're a force to be reckoned with. Our story may have started in an unusual way, and there may have been a lot of destruction throughout, but I wouldn't change it for the world, because it's brought us to this moment here."
"What are you doing?" she hisses.
"I'm falling in love with you," I admit, rubbing my thumbs along the back of her hands. "I tumbled over the edge, and at first, I tried to hold on, convinced it'd be better to stay where I was, but at some point, I realised I didn't want to play it safe anymore, so I threw caution to the wind, and I let go, diving head-first off the edge of the cliff."
She twists her lips together, as her eyebrows draw down.
"I'm confused…" she mutters.
"What I'm trying to say is, I'm completely and utterly infatuated with you, little viper. I love everything about you, the good, the bad, and the in between. This is me asking you to marry me, again, for real this time. I just need you to say yes."
Silence stretches between us, and my heart begins to drop, my cheeks heating with embarrassment with each second that passes.
As I'm about to lift myself from the ground and hang my head in pity, a smile breaks out across her face, and she rips her hands frommine, slinging her arms around me as she throws her body into mine, almost toppling us over.
"Yes. Yes. Yes," she chants, squeezing me against her before drawing back. She grabs my face between her hands and slams her lips against mine, pulling away far too quickly for my liking. "I'm falling in love with you, too."
Her whispered words are loud inside my head as I stand from the ground, pulling her with me. Pressing my lips to hers, I kiss her again, this time for much longer, right there in the middle of a street in London.
We pull apart, both breathless with matching grins on our faces.
"Just promise me one thing," I say.
"What?"
"Promise I'll be the one ripping off your wedding dress this time?"
She laughs, nodding her head.
