"Are you happy?" I asked.
She looked up at me. "More than I thought I was allowed to be."
That answer made me pause. "Allowed?"
Nina blinked, then smiled too quickly. "You know what I mean. It just feels unreal."
I accepted that because I wanted to.
Because I was young, married, and stupid with joy. I kissed her forehead and told her we had the rest of our lives to get used to it.
She held onto me tighter.
That night, in the little honeymoon suite we had booked two towns over, we sat on the bed still wearing half our wedding clothes. I had my tie undone. She had her veil in her lap, smoothing it with her fingers.
"We should get a house with a porch," she said.
"A porch?"
"Yes. A big one. With two rocking chairs."
I laughed. "We are 23 and 22. Rocking chairs can wait."
