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-

In which my ex happens to invite me to his wedding and my options for dates are very limited.

-

It's funny how one piece of mail can invoke so many emotions.

The first thing I felt was confusion.

The card I received was small, one-sided, and seemed far too fancy for a simple greeting. I instantly recognized it as a wedding invite, something I had gotten far too used to during the past few years of my life. I thought just about everyone I knew had gotten married, but apparently there was still one or two left. I began reading the card then, the elegant gold writing inviting me to do so.

We invite you to the wedding of Tucker--

And that's where I stopped reading for a moment, and let my shock set in.

I finished the card, then scanned over it once, twice, and then returned to stare at the name, hoping that it'd suddenly change into one I could manage. But after a couple minutes with nothing happening, I felt the urge to simply rip the card in two.

I suppose that's when I started feeling angry.

As if on cue, the person needed the most at the moment walked through the front door. Her arms were cluttered with shopping bags; however, it didn't stop me from surging towards her.

"Read this," I urged.

"At least let me set down these bags." I glanced back down at them, growing more curious as to what she bought with every passing second. I pushed those thoughts to the side as the card once again came back to the forefront of my mind.

"But we need to talk about this." eyes flitted up to the card before she looked back to me.

"Let me give you a fashion show and then you can talk about that as much as you want."

"Deal."

-

"Okay, and these heels?" I glanced down at one of the last things Kirstie had tried on. They were a pair of white and black heels that fit her so incredibly well. What amazed me even more was how I wasn't sure if I could even take five steps in them, yet she had been pacing around the room in them with no problem.

"You're the only person I know that can pull off 80 inch heels."

"80 is an exaggeration."

"So? They still look incredible on you."

"I really like them too," she said before heading back to the mini-pile of shoe boxes against one of her bedroom walls. "But I feel a little guilty about keeping this many pairs."

"You rock all of them, I see no problem with it." She looked over her shoulder back at me.

"You're a horrible influence."

"And you're very welcome." She simply smirked before turning back to her shoes to begin taking them off.

"So I guess my one question is how Tucker managed to find someone," she spoke after a couple of moments. "He's an asshole."

"Did you not see the name?" She spun back around and wasted no time coming closer to me. I handed her the wedding invite and watched as she reread it and as realization crossed her face.

"Wait, that's--"

"Yeah. It couldn't get any better," I said, the sarcasm rolling of my tongue.

"What are you going to do?"

"In a perfect world, I'd like to bring someone along and make that son of a bitch pay."

"Define 'pay'."

"Okay, I don't plan on ruining his wedding. I would never stoop to that level." She raised an eyebrow, challenging those words. I rolled my eyes and continued on. "I just meant like... making him jealous. Letting him know that I'm completely fine without him and that I couldn't care less that he invited me."

"You sure about that?"

"About what? Finding someone or making him pay?"

"Both?"

"I'm definitely going to get my revenge. I need to. As for finding someone... well I have three months."

---

"Are you sure Jeremy doesn't have any more cute coworkers?"

"I promise. David was the cutest."

"He's not bad... but he's old."

"He's in his thirties."

"And?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction. "I'm looking for perfection, not some flaw that he'll be able to easily pick out."

"That's our sign to stop drinking," she spoke cautiously, carefully taking the almost empty wine glass out of my hand. It ended up on the coffee table in front of us, and as much as I previously would have fought her on that, I realized that my words were a bit cruel and that her action was definitely called for.

"Sorry Mitchy, its a little late for perfection." I sighed deeply before laying face-down on the couch. I felt Kirstie's hand rest on my back and them it rubbing the area between my shoulders as an attempt to comfort me.

"Ugh, I know." I muttered, most of the sound going directly down into the cushion. I probably could have fallen asleep right there; however, I felt my phone go off in the pocket of my hoodie before I could. I groaned once again before rolling half onto my side to retrieve it. I expected to be annoyed with whoever was trying to get ahold of me, but instead I found myself smiling as I saw who the notification was from.

hey cutie, send me a pic of you again

ur such a fuckboy

if i was you wouldn't be talking to me anymore

I smirked at the comment before deciding to take a brand new one for him. I opened up the camera on my phone, then reached up to fix my hair and shirt.

"What are you doing?" Kirstie asked right as I took the picture.

"What does it look like?"

"Okay, then who is it going to?"

"No one," I lied easily. I then went back over to the messages and sent the brand new picture.

"Is that Tinder Boy?" She continued, catching on to what I was doing.

"Shut up." I turned my attention back to my phone, and barely had to wait for a reply.

why the long face? did i piss you off?

no, ur the least of my concerns rn

thank you?

sorry
ive had a rough couple months
and as of recent, ive had a little too much wine
im getting to that ugly needy whiny stage now

sorry cutie
if it helps, you look far from ugly

<3
but now u gotta return the favor

huh?

send me a pic back

wait, you mean another dick pic? i'm on it

"Another?"

oh fuck u no
just ur face pls

yes sir

I didn't have to wait long for a picture to come through. He was wearing a tank top and the picture just barely included the edge of the tattoo sleeve I knew he had and that I very much appreciated. His eyes were dark, but still quite obviously blue, another part of him I quite liked. A small smirk played on his lips which caused me to grin too.

goddammit ur cute

look who's talkin
so why's your night so bad?
tell me everything

ur sweet

not gonna tell me?

i have a question first

ok, shoot

r u the type to get revenge on others?

uhhh it depends?

on what

who the person is and what they did

what about an ex

maybe...

what about an ex that cheated on someone

ok i'm hooked
what are we doing
or you i guess
i just assumed

shh
give me a sec

ok ok

so a couple months i got a wedding invite
but it was from my ex and the boy he cheated on me with

oh shit
i wanna beat him up?

pls get in line
lucky for u its short

so that's why ur having a bad day?

bad few months
i checked plus one when i rsvp'd but i haven't found anyone to bring with
i just wanna shove it in his face, but im not gonna be able to at this rate

i have a question for you now

yeah?

do you like me

what does this have to do with anything

i'm mildly hurt, but please answer anyway

i mean
i havent really thought about it but yeah
ur sweet and caring and sexy as all hell

you mean all that?

yes

then bring me along to the wedding

wait what

read it again

u cant mean that
u cant possibly want to go to it with me
we've only been talking for a couple weeks
we havent even met each other yet

you're overthinking this
you like me and you need a date

but
this is a horrible first date idea
what if we end up hating each other

i don't hate you at all
in fact quite the opposite
i'm very willing to do this
and if we end up hating each other after we meet, so be it
but i don't see it happening
if it helps at all, lets meet up before the wedding

ugh
give me time to think?

of course
when's the wedding?

two weeks from now
august 4

if its okay with you i'll take off of work then just in case
just let me know either way

will do
thank u
it means a lot to me

its no problem
now why don't you go to bed and sleep on it
and the wine

u always look out for me

is it crazy to say that i already feel the need to? like i already want to protect you and make you happy?

not at all

good
now go to sleep cutie
i'll still be here when you wake up

goodnight x

I smiled lightly at the cuteness of our whole conversation, before turning off my phone. I planned on following his words, but my phone lit up a moment or so later. I checked it, only to furrow my eyebrows at the notification that came up. I went back to tinder, back to the messages I had just sent, only to smile when I saw the most recent one from him.

It ended up being a picture of him, a shirtless one, mind you. It was fairly obvious that he was tired, but that was one of the last things I noticed. His eyes were closed, something I was initially disappointed in, until I noticed the other part of the picture. His lips were puckered, and his hand was out in front of him and pointed towards the camera. My heart fluttered at the sight. Of course he couldn't just send a simple 'x' back.

"He's hot, Mitchy." Kirstie's voice startled me out of my trance. I looked up at her, only to see her eyes still on the picture.

"Damn, you're still sitting here?"

"You can't ditch me that easily." I smirked at the remark. "In other news, I can't believe Tinder Boy is already whipped for you."

"His name is Scott. And so what if he is?"

-

I stared into the mirror, not only at myself, but also the mess I had recently made on the countertop. There was a shirt and pair of pants to my right. On the left side of the sink sat piles of hair products, makeup and various other skin products.

It was now two days until the wedding, and while the initial nervousness of finding someone to go with had subsided, I was beginning to grow anxious about seeing Tucker again. Before any of those thoughts could get too overwhelming, the all too familiar sound of a text coming through. I glanced down at my phone, which was laying on the counter, then unlocked it to read the text.

mitch?

scott?

i have some bad news about the wedding

wait what

wait ok i started that wrong
i'm still planning on going with you
we just can't meet ahead of time

why not?

my boss is letting me get out of work early, but i have to go to a meeting first

oh

it'll be fine
i'll still make it to the reception on time, i just can't see you before hand

:(

i know i know
i'll make it up to you later

oh yeah?

you tease
what are you doing now?

figuring out what to wear

same
how formal are you dressing?

not too formal
u definitely don't need to worry about a suit or anything like that

so like a button up? or a jacket of some sort?

yeah either one

do you wanna facetime so we can help each other with outfits?

i would but i'm not feeling my prettiest rn
i have no makeup on
plus i'm not wearing anything decent

as if i care what you're wearing
wait
you wear makeup?

Oh shit.

that's cool

Never mind.

i mean not a lot
but occasionally if im in the mood

i take it you're not in the mood right now?

not really
maybe i will be for the wedding

so you won't facetime me...
what if i call you?
would you pick up?

maybe

i'm taking that as a yes

I rolled my eyes at how insistent he was, but when my phone began to ring, I was quick to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Mitch?"

"Scott?" I gave a moment for him to answer, but I grew confused when I didn't hear him on the other end. "You there?"

"Yeah, I just..."

"What's wrong?"

"Fuck, your voice."

"I'm assuming you like it?"

"Very much."

"You sound hot too."

"Yeah, but you sound like an angel. Do you sing at all?"

"Professionally, no. In the shower or car, yes."

"I wanna hear you sing."

"Get a few drinks in me and then we'll talk."

"Speaking of drinks, what are we wearing?"

"How'd you go from drinks to clothes?"

"Well we'd probably drink at the wedding so..."

"You're ridiculous."

"What colors are we going for?"

"I was thinking black or white."

"What about both?"

"That's actually what I was thinking. I have this one shirt I'm considering." I glanced over to it, bringing it back to the forefront of my mind.

"What's it like?"

"Black with white polka dots."

"So I should wear something similar?"

"If you wanna be cute and match-y."

"Wait send me a picture of the shirt."

I sighed, then put my phone on speaker and turned to grab the shirt. I wasted no time throwing off my current one and slipping on the one in question. I buttoned up the bottom half of it before deciding that was all that truly needed to be done. I grabbed my phone again, snapped a picture, then sent it to him.

"Holy shit," he said a few seconds later. I giggled quietly at the remark. "How do you get hotter in every picture? Jesus..."

"Its a talent." He was silent for another moment, only breaking it with a quiet 'damn'. "Was that seriously your initial reaction to me?"

"Yes."

"I wore this shirt one other time. It was out to a club."

"What'd you wear... like pants-wise?"

"Do you wanna picture of it?"

"Yeah." I could have laughed then at his cluelessness, but then again, I didn't wanna give myself away. Instead I silently searched for it, then sent it without thinking. It took even less time to garner a response.

"Mitch!"

"You like it?"

"Oh my god. You gotta stop sending stuff like that."

"Why? I love teasing you, especially now that I know how you react to stuff like that." Just like what happened after I sent the last picture, he fell silent. I took the moment to take off the shirt, then to walk back to my closet and put it away.

"Okay yeah, definitely don't wear that," he finally commented. I smirked, but it fell as my eyes caught another shirt.

"Oh never mind, I think I just found something slightly better."

"Do tell."

"Its similar to the last one..."

"Okay--"

"But it's like... see through."

"See through?"

"Like a mesh material. You can see my tattoos."

"All of them?"

"I don't think you even know about all of them... but yes."

"What are you doing? Send me a picture."

"No."

"No?"

"Cause I think I am gonna wear this, and I'm gonna make you wait."

"You're cruel."

"And that's another one of my talents." I heard him snicker as I walked out of the closet. Content with my plans for the wedding, I sat down on my bed, then let myself continue conversing with him.

"Can I ask you something? Like more serious?"

"Sure."

"How are you feeling about the whole going to your ex's wedding?"

"I mean... I feel a lot of things."

"Tell me everything. Let me hear that gorgeous voice."

"Well when I got the invite I was pissed. I mean, who does that? Who the hell invites their ex to their wedding in the first place, much less when they're marrying the other man." I paused to take a few breaths to calm myself down.

"It just really messed me up. The whole cheating thing. And I guess that's making me anxious to see him again."

"When we get to the reception, you'll just have to talk to me. Tell me if anything gets overwhelming and I'll try to help you as best as I can."

"Thanks, Scott."

"As long as we're on this whole feelings hour... I have something to say too."

"Go for it. Let me hear that gorgeous voice," I said, repeating his words. I heard a laugh from his end.

"I think... I think I like you a lot."

"A lot?"

"We haven't met or anything and its only been what, like a month? But I always want to talk to you, and I always want to see what you look like and--"

"Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I like you a lot too."

"Really?"

"Mhm. I didn't know it was possible to get this codependent just by texting but I think I'm proving myself wrong."

"I'm glad that you are."

There was a small break in our conversation then, which was almost too perfectly timed. I heard the front door open, followed by the sound of my name being called.

"My roommate just came back home," I spoke up again. "I think that's my sign to go." I heard a small 'oh' come through.

"Um, yeah, I guess I can let you go." I smiled. "It was great to finally hear your voice."

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"I'll see you on Friday?"

"Yeah. Bye, Scott."

"Bye, Mitch."

-

Friday came all soon too for my liking. I was still struggling to wrap my mind around where I would be later today and who's wedding it was.

And Scott was a whole other story.

Thinking about seeing him, meeting him, was stressful enough on its own, but I also knew that he would help me make it through the roughest parts of the night.

I was too stuck in my mind to realize just how fast time was going by, but before I knew it, I was in an Uber and was headed to ballroom where the reception was being held. Kirstie had promised that she would be home and she'd have ice cream for me when I arrived back, regardless of how things went. I almost mentioned something about Scott coming back, but I didn't need to curse my luck so early on in the night.

The parking lot adjacent to the large building already seemed to be overfilled by the time I arrived. That observation was only verified as I stepped inside and was met with a countless number of people. It didn't take me long to recognize quite a few friends of his, people who I had previously gotten along well enough with. I also recognized a handful of family members, most of them extended members that he originally tried to steer me away from. It felt so incredibly weird to be surrounded by all these people, some of which I knew too well. I tried to continue on into the ballroom, but was stopped fairly quick.

"Mitch?"

Of all the people who could have seen me first, I was strangely relieved when I turned and saw the face that went with the voice.

"Catherine?"

"You haven't called me that in forever," she noted as she closed the distance between us.

"Old habits die hard." I was met with a smile, and barely a second later, she wrapped her arms around me. I was quick to hug her back, taking a moment to remember just how much I loved her hugs.

"How are you doing?" She questioned the second we let go of one another.

"Um..." A million things could gave answered that and all of them would have been accurate. However, I went with the one that would please her the most. "Good." She raised an eyebrow at the answer, and a part of me began regretting lying.

"You know, I was kind of surprised to see you on the guest list."

"And I was surprised to get an invite."

"I still don't blame you for any of it."

"I think I'm a little too sober to get into this discussion," I admitted, which caused her to let out a small laugh.

"Then feel free to find me at any point tonight. I would love to catch up with you."

"I think I just might take you up on that offer." She gave me another warm smile before leaving my side to go greet more guests. I watched her for a couple of moments until she became wrapped up in another conversation. I began scanning the room again, now mainly in search of an open bar, which I knew was where most of the guests had gotten the drinks that were in their hands.

And then I saw him.

He had barely changed since I last saw him, and even the subtle differences that I did catch were nothing considering the makeover I put myself through. Of course his boyfriend, I suppose I should have started saying husband, was glued to his side. The husband was talking excitedly to a few people in front of them. I felt myself begin to panic as Tucker began to look around the room. It felt as if time was slowing down as he kept turning and as his line of sight kept getting closer and closer.

A pair of hands landing on my waist startled me out of my trance.

My first reaction was to glance over my shoulder, then to open my mouth to potentially rat out whoever it was. But I couldn't come up with any words as the face finally registered in my mind.

He was looking out into the crowd, just like I had been moments earlier. Staring up at him, I had almost a perfect view of the short stubble that covered the bottom half of his face and the blonde quiff, both of which I had oddly fallen in love with.

"I have to be honest with you," he started, not yet bothering to turn my way. "I've been watching you for a few minutes now. I had to psych myself up before I could come over here." He let those words sink in with me for a moment before glancing down at me. The countless pictures I had seen of him hardly did him justice. The ballroom wasn't the brightest place at the moment, but his eyes were still obviously blue and obviously on me.

"Hi," I finally uttered. A small grin spread across his face.

"Are we just gonna stare at each other, or can I finally give you a hug?" It was my turn to smirk, and I wasted no time spinning around and wrapping my arms around his neck. His grip around my waist tightened, and I instantly felt more relaxed than I had in months. I really was gonna have to keep him around. He let go of me far too quickly, but his hands remained on my hips as we backed away from each other.

"You're cute," he said upon looking me over.

"Have you seen yourself? You look amazing. And this jacket is doing things for me," I replied, running my hands up and down his arms, clad in a black jacket with white spray paint all over it. He let out a loud laugh, and I couldn't help but smile at the sound of it.

"And now I can see what you meant with the shirt."

"You like it?"

"God, of course I do." I couldn't tell if it was the sincerity in his voice or just the fact that he was here, but either way, it caused me to surge forward to hug him again. I held onto him for seemingly just as long as before, but this time, I only let go when I felt his lips press against my temple. After we parted, we starting to walk towards a somewhat open table in hopes to get somewhat decent seats, and I grinned widely as I watched him pull out my chair for me. A couple of his friends happened to be relatively close to us, but I ignored their glances as best as I could. Scott, however, was quick to throw an arm over the back of my chair once we were seated.

"So who do we hate?" He asked a few moments later.

"You don't have to hate anyone."

"Yeah I do." I turned to him with an eyebrow raised. "If you hate someone, I need to back up your opinions."

"I guess just Tucker... the ex. Technically no one else did anything wrong."

"Wait, who were you talking with earlier?"

"Tucker's mom."

"Really?" I nodded my head.

"She's one of the nicest people I've ever met. I hoped that she still gives him shit for what he did, and I think that was confirmed earlier."

Our plates of food came just a minute or so later, and from then on, our conversations stayed on the lighter side of things. I found out that he worked in the music industry, and while apparently he wasn't very well known, I was definitely going to be paying attention if he ever started singing along to any song. We talked about our friends and family, and when I let it slip that Kirstie called him Tinder Boy, he laughed, then shot back another joke about it.

After some time, the couple at the front of the room rose from their seats. However, it was only when the crowd began cheering and the music began did we finally notice them and our talking come to a halt. They were alone on the dance floor, as tradition stated, but it was enough for me to reach for the glass of champagne that had been sitting on the table. I slowly drank from the glass, only to realize I had finished it off when I glanced at Scott and noticed that his eyes were wide. He brushed it off with a chuckle though, then turned back to the center of everyone's attention.

"So which one is he?"

"The brunette." I watched as he stared at the couple, his eyes flitting back and forth between them.

"You know, he's not that hot."

"My past self would have fought you on that."

"And now?"

"You're very right." The corners of his lips turned upwards.

Up until that point, I had felt pretty proud of myself for showing up here and not doing anything drastic. For managing to talk to his mom, sit near his friends, and even watch the two slow dance. But when they leaned in to kiss, I had to look away.

"I think I wanna throw up," I muttered, hoping that in some way it'd get me some sympathy.

"I don't blame you."

Thankfully, we only had to sit through a few more seconds of the song, then it quickly transitioned into a more upbeat one, and guests began flooding the dance floor. However, what I wasn't expecting was for Scott to get up as well. I had briefly mentioned my unwillingness to dance earlier, which only made me more confused.

"How about I go get you another drink."

"I can do that myself," I said, but he quickly shook his head.

"Let me. My treat." I sighed, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fight him on that. "What should I get you?"

"Anything with vodka in it." He gave me a small smile, then turned around and walked away.

I tried to follow the blonde as he navigated through the crowd, but for as tall as he was, I lost him by the time he reached the bar. I kept looking in that direction, but moments later, my view was blocked. I looked up to the person that had gotten in my way, but I almost wish I hadn't.

"Mitch."

"Tucker."

"I'm surprised you came."

"That makes two of us." I let my eyes wander over to the crowd, where I was quick to find his husband, chatting and dancing with a few others.

"Are you ever gonna introduce us to each other?"

"That's a good one." He remarked, causing me to glance back up at him. "You were always a jokester."

"You are right about that. I mean I did date you, and I always laugh when I think about that." His eyes narrowed, and if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, I could've laughed.

As if on cue, Scott reappeared in my line of sight. He didn't look overly pleased by the sight of us two, which was verified once he sat down right next to me. He threw an arm over my shoulders again, but pressed us closer together than last time.

"Who is this?" Tucker was quick to ask.

"Scott," I said. He raised an eyebrow. I almost let that answer be, but two more words were tumbling out of my mouth before I could do anything about it. "My boyfriend."

Tucker looked back and forth between us for a moment, then turned to stare back down at me.

"Then I guess I'll let you two be." I nodded my head, but it still took a couple of seconds for him to turn and walk away. I then looked towards Scott, only to see his eyes wide. And that's when I remembered what I had just said.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry." His facial expression didn't change at all. "It was the first thing that came to mind and I couldn't come up with anything else in time. Did I just--"

I had tried to ask, 'did I just fuck us up', but apparently him leaning in and pressing our lips together was all the answer I needed. My eyes widened and I was unable to kiss back due to the shock of the whole situation. But by the time it finally registered with me and my eyes and slipped close, he was pulling away. I opened my eyes to find him with a somewhat amused look on his face.

"I was debating on whether or not to kiss you. But then you start rambling, so I figured I'd just stop you." I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't think of anything to say. His expression slowly became one of more and more confusion. "Wait, was that--" It was my turn to shut him up with a kiss. Unlike I had, he seemed much more prepared for it and was kissing back. I probably would have rolled my eyes upon thinking of a situation like this earlier on in the night, but right now, it felt utterly perfect.

"How about we get out of here?" He asked once we pulled away for the second time.

"Already?"

"I think you put yourself through enough." I stared at the blonde, finding myself wondering how sincere he truly was.

"Do you want to come back to my place?"

"Isn't your roomie gonna be there? I thought you said you had plans with her?"

"I think she'd be okay if I brought you home." It was his turn to stare for a moment.

"Does she really call me Tinder Boy?"

"Wanna find out?"

"Hell yeah."