Cheer Up!

The next day, we ate lunch as usual in the Sundae Inn. Colleen brought our food, and as she sat it down, Luke picked up his fork and knife, banging them on the table playfully. "Where's my mayonnaise? I want mayonnaise!" he chanted. Colleen just shook her head and fetched a bottle, placing it in front of him. He picked it up with a smile, and tried to squeeze some on his plate. "Hrmm, it's almost empty," he said, beating on it.

"Gee, I wonder who ate it all?" I teased. He just grinned and continued to smack at the bottle. He then flicked open the cap, and we were both startled when mayonnaise flew out of it sideways and squirted onto my shirt. Luke set down the bottle quickly and reached forward, wiping off my shirt with his napkin as he apologized. I looked up at him, biting my lip. "Huh, I'm having deja vu." Luke gave a slightly embarrassed laugh, and I giggled.

After we were done eating, we left and headed through Waffle Town, back towards the carpenter's. He suddenly grabbed me, twirling me around and planting a big kiss on me. I smiled up at him, and then our attention was drawn by someone clearing their throat. We both looked over, seeing Gill standing in the path, his hands on his hips, looking impatient. "Excuse me, but you two lovers are blocking the path."

Luke gave a laugh. "Silly Gilly," Gill cringed at the nickname, "We're not lovers! Angela's my best friend." He hugged me tighter as he said this.

Gill arched one sculpted eyebrow. "Oh? I wasn't aware that best friends kissed each other on the lips." I blushed, glancing a surreptitious glance at Luke, who had flushed crimson as well. He stammered for something to say, his brow knotting together. Gill just sniffed haughtily and squeezed by us on the path, heading on towards Town Hall.

When Gill was gone, Luke stared down on me, his eyes wide like he was seeing me in a whole new light. "Angela...are we 'lovers'?" I nodded rather sheepishly at him, looking away and then looking back at him. "That's fucking awesome!" he cheered. I burst out into laughter, marveling at how cute it was that he got excited about every little thing.

He kissed me again, then dragged me down the path with him. "Sweet! I gotta go back to work now, but meet me at Alan's Tree at 3pm, okay?" I agreed, and we parted ways at the Maple Lake crossroads. I fished for a couple of hours, then dropped off what I had caught in the shipping bin, and headed for Alan's Tree. It was in the Brownie Ranch district, so it was a decent walk. I settled down under the shade, admiring the strange red flower that grew there.

I didn't realize it was happening, but I dozed off. I was awakened by Luke kneeling over me, shaking my shoulder and calling my name softly. I sat up slowly, feeling groggy. I yawned and stretched, and Luke reached out, brushing some grass off of the side of my face. "You look so cute when you're sleeping," he said. I blushed, and he helped me to my feet.

Luke took a deep breath, then grabbed me by my shoulders. I was a little taken aback by the serious look on his face, but I said nothing, just waiting for him. He finally spoke. "Okay, Angela, I got something real important to say, so listen close. I...I love you!"

My heart swelled with delight. I sighed happily. "I love you, too, Luke."

"Really? Oh man, I am so stoked!" he cried, pumping his arm. I bit my lip at this typically enthusiastic response. "I don't even know how I'm going to sleep tonight!" He turned on me suddenly. "Can I sleep at your house?" he asked hopefully.

I laughed. "I have a single bed, Luke."

"You gotta get a double bed so I can sleep over!"

I shook my head and laughed. "I can't afford one yet."

He grabbed my hand. "Then I'll buy one for you!"

I cleared my throat and shook my head. "Luke. Where do you buy beds from in this town?"

He grinned. "Well, duh! The carpenter's shop. I live there, silly."

I tilted my head at him. "And who works the counter in the carpenter's shop?"

He was still uncomprehending. "My dad."

"So, are you going to walk up to your dad and proclaim that you're buying me a double bed? What is he going to think about that?" Luke's face fell when he finally realized what I was driving at.

"Oh shit...yeah, that's not gonna work." He groaned. "Man, this sucks! I love you so bad, I don't want to ever let you go!" he said as he embraced me, squeezing me tightly. As he pressed against me, I could feel that he was hard. He rubbed it against me, and whispered, "See? What are we gonna do about that?"

I leaned my head back, looking up at him. "We can still go to my house...there's just not enough room to sleep over. But there's room for other things..." His golden eyes glittered in that familiar way, and he grabbed me tightly by the hand, dragging me down the path back to Caramel River District. I panted as I tried to keep up with his pace.

Once we were in my house, I leaned forward, putting my hands on my thighs and wheezing a little. "Wow, I couldn't ever say that you're not enthusiastic about being with me," I panted. I looked up at him, and he was already peeling off his vest and tearing his white tank top off. "Geez, Luke, slow down!" I cried as I turned around to lock the door.

But by the time I turned around, the only piece of clothing on his body was the bandanna on his head. I squeaked as he moved forward to me, working frantically at the buttons and zippers on my clothes as he kissed me. "Ohhh, Angela, I gotta have you," he groaned, touching me everywhere as he undressed me.

"Luke..." was all I could manage to say before he pushed me back on the bed, layering himself on top of me and catching my mouth for a deep kiss. We were both completely naked, and he was using one hand to pry my thighs apart. I gave in, spreading my thighs, and he nestled his hips there. I could feel him right outside of me, and he bucked his hips lightly, nudging the tip of his hardness against my wetness. I froze up because we had never done THAT before, and he was acting like it was just going to happen any second, no big deal!

"Luke!" I cried, starting to protest. But I looked up in his face and saw the passion and desire there; I could smell the scent of freshly chopped wood on his skin; and foremost, I could feel my own need. I don't know what exactly came over me, but my body acted of its own will, making me reach down and take him in hand, guiding him inside of me. It stung for a brief moment, but it quickly passed; pain faded into pleasure. He thrust into me, and I just moaned in delight, my hands grabbing wildly at his back.

I looked at his face, and it was almost reverant; overwhelmed with ecstasy. He was being absolutely quiet, a rarity for him; and he just stared at me in amazement, like he couldn't believe something could feel this good. I was pretty sure that was what he was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. We simply rocked against each other, enjoying the incredible sensations. He began to thrust faster into me, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, inhaling sharply as I felt my climax begin to build up. I pressed my hands into his lower back. "Stay...in close to me..." I instructed brokenly, needing to feel him pressed deeply into me in order to finish. To my delight he complied perfectly, pushing in as deep as he could and staying still there as I rocked in a furious rhythm against him.

"Ah! Ah! Oh, Luke! Luke!" I cried as I came. He gave a low groan, suddenly bucking against me rapidly once again, obviously releasing as well. We struggled to catch our breath, staring at each other in absolute adoration, our bodies flushed from exertion and passion. He withdrew and collapsed on the bed next to me, pulling me in close and kissing me. We lay on our sides, facing each other, and I stroked at his chest with the back of my hand. He reached up and stroked my hair lightly, then traced his fingertips over my shoulder and down my arm. I gazed into his golden eyes and saw myself reflected there. Oh, could life get any better than this?

"Let's get married," Luke blurted out. Oh my. Apparently it could get better.

My face became very red. "What?"

He smiled widely at me. "Let's get married," he repeated.

"L-L-Luke...are you serious? Don't joke around about something like that."

"I'm not joking around! I love you so much, I think I could die. I just want to be with you all the time. Isn't that why people get married?" I agreed that it was. "Well, then why not?"

I sat up. "Luke - we've only been lovers for 4 days. You just told me you loved me for the first time," I glanced at the clock, "an hour ago. Should we really be talking about marriage now?"

He sat up as well, an intense look in his eyes. "Totally! Why waste anymore time? I want us to get married! Now! Today!"

"Today?" I shrieked. I had already been astounded at the idea of planning to get married, but actually getting married today?

He nodded, jumping up and redressing. "Yeah, the Town Hall is open for one more hour! We can go and have the mayor marry us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I cried, holding my head in my hands. "Are you for real?"

He knelt on the floor in front of the bed, taking my hand in his. "I am like, deadly serious. Please?" He looked up at me with golden puppy dog eyes, and I was suddenly hypnotized.

"Okay!" I heard myself saying it, but the back of my brain was screaming out in protest. My body once again acted of its own will, getting dressed and taking Luke by the hand. We hurried into town as fast as we could go.

Before I knew it, we were in the town hall, standing in front of Gill at the counter. "Can I help you?" he asked, looking at us like we were bugs.

"Yep. We wanna get married!" Luke pronounced proudly.

Gill just stared at us open mouthed. "Oh, my Goddess, Luke, you are the biggest retard in this town. Just a few hours ago you were telling me that you and Angela are just friends, who happen to kiss each other, and now you're just friends, who are happening to be getting married? What the hell is wrong with you, you doofus?"

I started to get mad at Gill, and I was about to give him a piece of my mind about the way he talked to people, but Luke spoke first. "Yeah, yeah, Gill. I'm a big retard. You've been saying that since we learned to talk. But it seems like I'm the one standing here with a hot girl, about to get married, and you're the one standing there alone wearing plaid shorts." I stifled a laugh, and Gill flapped his mouth like a fish out of water. Luke continued, "Now, can we get married or not?"

Elli thankfully stepped forward then. "I'll call Mayor Hamilton and see if he can come over now." Turns out, he could. He showed up just a few minutes later, out of breath.

"My oh my, I can't believe this. So, let me get this straight - you want to book the church for a wedding?"

Luke shook his head. "No, we wanna get married right now. You can do that, right?"

Hamilton just stared for a moment. He leaned in, lowering his voice. "What's the rush, children? Are you...in trouble, Angela?" I blushed furiously, shaking my head.

"No, we just want to get married today," I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed at his assumption.

Hamilton pondered it for a moment, and finally shrugged. "Well, I don't see why not. There's just this short form to fill out, and you can pay the fee for a marriage license to Gill." I glanced at Gill, who sneered at us. I looked back at Hamilton, taking the clipboard from him and filling it out, since I had better handwriting than Luke. I started to feel a little dizzy at that point, but I kept calm. I handed it to Luke to sign, and he turned it in to Gill and paid for the marriage license.

Hamilton nodded. "Well, we just need two witnesses..." We three turned and looked at Elli and Gill.

Elli clapped her hands happily. "Cool! It's kinda sorta like I'm your bridesmaid, Angela!" I nodded, smiling, then glanced at Gill. He was sulking, arms folded over his chest. He grumbled something about a retard, but Elli prodded him until he agreed.

"Fine, whatever!" he exclaimed begrudgingly. "You're still the stupidest person I've ever met, Luke."

Luke just grinned. "Cool." I had to laugh at his carefree attitude, and then I smiled as he took my hand. We stood in front of the mayor, who pronounced us man and wife. "That's it?" Luke asked, stunned that it was so simple. "I thought weddings took like, an hour."

Hamilton spread out his hands. "Only when they're in a church, when there are rituals to do. Legally, that's it." He signed the marriage license, glancing up from it to say. "Oh, ahem, you may now kiss the bride."

We beamed at each other and pressed our lips together. I could hear Gill snorting in disdain about the whole thing, and then I heard him yelp, presumably because Elli stomped on his foot for being a sourpuss. The two of them were signing the document when we came out of the kiss, which they made a copy of for town hall records, then gave us the original.

We walked out of Town Hall, me feeling dazed, and him strutting proudly. "Oh, Luke!" I cried, realizing something. "Isn't your father going to be mad?"

Luke shrugged carelessly. "What for?"

"Um, because we just eloped, and we didn't even invite him."

Luke shrugged again. "I'm a big boy. He'll get over it." I was a little doubtful, but we kept on walking to the carpenter's shop. I folded up the marriage license carefully, putting it in my pocket. I was still marveling over the fact that I was now Luke's wife.

We went into the shop, and I suddenly felt about a foot tall when I saw Dale look up, knitting his heavy blue eyebrows together at us. I unconsciously shied away a little, stepping slightly behind Luke as he began to speak.

"Pops, I need to buy a double bed," he announced. I winced.

Dale looked puzzled. "...Huh?"

Luke snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! First, I gotta tell you something." He put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. I flashed Dale an apologetic look as Luke proudly crowed, "We got married!"

Dale just stared at us silently for a full minute. I sweated nervously, and Luke never broke his smile. Finally, Dale burst out into hearty laughter. "Oh son, that's a good one," he said, wiping his eyes.

Luke shook his head. "I'm not kidding," he insisted.

Dale's face fell. "WHAT? Of all the harebrained things you've ever done! You eloped? What would your mother say?"

Luke made a fist, getting angry. I had never seen him mad before, and I started suddenly. "Don't bring Mom into this!"

Dale got mad too. "Well, what would she think?!"

"She'd be happy for me, you fat old grump!" They glared back and forth for a minute, and I edged away slightly. Finally, Dale dropped his shoulders and gave a wry smile.

"Yeah, you're right. I just...I guess it's hard for me to think of you as a man. But you are 20 years old now. I should have seen this coming. Except, errr..." he scratched his head. "Weren't you just insisting a few days ago that she was just your friend?"

Luke stammered a little. "Well, y-y-yeah, but...a lot has happened since then!"

Dale just sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, young love...it doesn't always follow the rules. Well, your mother and I got married after only a month of dating, so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He reached his arms out, and Luke stepped forward to give him a hug. Dale glanced over at me. "Come here, you." I was scared for a moment, but then he engulfed me in a big bear hug as well. "Ah, I guess from now on you can call me Pops, too."

That evening, he and Luke moved Luke's double bed to my house, so as it turned out, we didn't have to buy one after all. I made us some dinner, and we both settled down into our bed. Luke pulled me in close, snuggling me. "Wow, this has been a pretty eventful day, hasn't it?"

"I guess," I shrugged. "Let's see, we admitted that we were a couple, we admitted that we loved each other, we made love for the first time, we got engaged, we got married, and we moved in together. Just a normal, everyday day!"

"Oh, but it's not over yet..." Luke said, and I saw that mischief rise up in his golden eyes. He rolled on top of me, and we made love for the second time that day, but for the first time as husband and wife.