Sorry it's been days. I had to send my laptop to Apple again... Sigh. We're all good now!

~

"So... what's the deal with you both?" Ashley, one of Dean's cousins, asked with her hand on her hip. Her chocolate eyes flickered between us. Her twin, Ashton, leaned in, propping his elbows on the table. Like his sister, his stare was filled with curiosity.

Before Dean could butt in, I answered, "Nothing. We're starting over."

Dean groaned and smacked his head on the white-clothed table before sending me an incredulous look. "Seriously? You're going to make me ask you out again?"

"Hey, it was your idea," I reminded him, patting his knee that was gently rubbing against my leg. I always hated his habit of getting into my personal space – well, until I fell in love with him. Then everything seemed perfectly perfect.

Ashton visibly perked up. "So... what you're saying is that you're technically not together?" When I nodded, much to Dean's dismay, Ashton's lips twisted into a smirk. "That means I still have a chance."

Amused, I pretended to do a once-over. From his raven black hair to his sharp nose, it was clear he was attractive. He and Dean shared the same facial structure, but that was the only similarity really. Ashton had a different type of charisma around him.

He was dressed in his Sunday best – even though it was a Friday night. He wore blue jeans with a button-up shirt. He looked prim and proper compared to his cousin counterpart – who had to be forced to wear anything but a v-neck. Ashton was the epitome of charm. He was the type you'd want to take home to your parents.

I nonchalantly shrugged and leaned back. His bewildered look didn't go unnoticed. At first, I thought it was because I brushed him off, but he thought otherwise. "Damn! I need to practice my pickup lines then. There's a lot of competition here," Ashton whistled, eyeing his cousin.

Ashley smacked her brother on the back of the head. "You're such an asshat."

Asshat. Nice.

Similar to her brother, Ashley was dressed to the nines. Then again, we all were considering we were at Nat's rehearsal dinner. She wore a cute red dress that hugged her skinny frame perfectly, paired with black heels. Her makeup looked flawless too.

Dean was a little more reluctant to dress up. It took a lot of coaxing on my end, and yelling on Nat's, to convince him to swap out his leather jacket for a dress shirt. He reluctantly agreed on the condition that we matched tonight. It was dumb, but Nat would do anything for tonight to go smoothly, so I agreed.

So while he was wearing a navy blue button-down with the top buttons undone to give him more of a "sexy" look – his words, not mine – I wore a dress in the same shade. It was flowy and one of the most decent dresses I owned.

"Ugh, when's this going to start? I'm so hungry," Ashton complained. I hummed in agreement. We were some of the first people to arrive tonight. I had yet to meet the bridesmaids I didn't know. They all flew in today so I knew they'd be here.

"At least you get to sleep after this," Dean said gruffly. He was referring to the fact that the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties were tonight. As part of the wedding party, of course we were attending.

"Speaking of, what're you guys planning?" I asked casually. I knew what us girls were doing but I had no idea what Ethan's best man had in mind for him. Dean smirked in response and pretended to zip his lips. "Ugh, you guys and your mysteries."

"Well, what're you guys doing?"

A small smile found its way onto my face as I recalled what Jessia, the maid of honor, explained. "Pregame at the hotel, strippers, renting a party bus that'll take us to a club, club, then see where the night takes us." Unfortunately, I was remaining sober the entire night. Someone needed a responsible friend to make sure Nat didn't do anything stupid. I didn't mind considering, you know, I was underage. I just hoped the other bridesmaids were nice.

He gave me a wary look. "Strippers?"

"Don't tell Nat though," I quickly added. "She has no idea what we're doing tonight. Jess will kill me if word gets out."

His face remained serious as he leaned in. "Keep your phone on you at all times. I don't trust a bunch of drunk girls to protect you."

Internally, my heart swooned that he cared so much. On the outside though, I rolled my eyes. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

A throat cleared, making me put a little distance between me and Dean. Ashley's eyes flickered between us once again before they turned neutral. "I'm a little jealous. I wanna go!"

"Trust me, I'd invite you if I could. I'm already a liability being seventeen. Imagine a sixteen-year-old thrown into the mix." I acted like it was a night to dread, even though I was bouncing with excitement. I just didn't want Ashley to feel bad. She probably felt left out already and I didn't wanna add to the mix.

She reluctantly nodded in agreement and her brother put his hand over hers in a comforting manner. It was sweet how close they were, even though they acted like they couldn't stand each other.

We chatted as the tables slowly filled up. Nat and Ethan were nice enough to let us sit with kids our age as long as we promised we'd get to know the others later on. I was sure I'd know everyone well enough when the night came around.

The four of us talked even as children joined us. No one else was a teenager on the Cullen's side so we were stuck with the snot-nosed brats. What? I was never good with kids... except Lily. Luckily they kept to themselves.

The sound of metal hitting glass broke us out of our conversation about which Disney movie was the best. The bride-to-be stood at the front of the hall at her own special table, her hubby on the side. Both were surrounded by close family and friends.

Among all the nicely dressed people, Natalie stood out, even with her white cocktail dress. Her dark hair was twisted into an elegant ponytail and her makeup was flattering. What made her shine was the glow coming from her. No matter the occasion, she beamed. Happiness radiated from her like the sun's rays.

Her pearly whites nearly blinded me as they made an appearance. When she saw she had the attention of the crowd, she gently put down the cup and fork. "I'd just like to say thank you for attending tonight. I can't believe the wedding is in a week! None of this could be possible without you guys, so thank you for putting up with my Bridezilla phase."

The crowd chuckled but only some forced to find humor in the situation - myself included.

"I'll keep it short because I know you're all starving. After dinner, please stay back for dessert and dancing! Enjoy!" Everyone clapped for her as she took a seat again. Ethan immediately leaned toward her and whispered something in her ear that made her smile widen.

"They're so cute," I dreamily sighed, looking at the couple.

"Agreed," Ashley hummed.

And they were. Physically, they both were stunning people. They complimented each other and seemed like a power couple every time they walked into a room together. But it was more than that. Everyone could see how compatible they were.

And how in love they were. Ethan always stared at Nat when he thought she wasn't looking. Whenever she made a joke, she looked at him first to see his reaction. They always found ways to touch each other, whether it was holding hands or subtle pats - kind of like how Dean was brushing his knee against me.

Anyone could see it was a match made in heaven.

A familiar teacher came into view and I waved my arms around like a crazy person to catch his attention. Damien finally took notice of me and grinned, making his way over. A drowsy Lily was nodding off in his arms.

"Sup, kiddos?" His eyes scanned the four of us to make sure we weren't causing any trouble. The faith he had in us insulted me.

Similar to the other boys, Damien was wearing a maroon dress shirt, except he had a blazer on top. From the looks of it, the toddler was drooling all over him in her half-asleep state.

"Aren't you going to take a seat?" I asked, gesturing toward the empty chair.

His lips tugged into a smirk. "At the kids' table? No way," he snickered.

"Cool kids' table," I corrected, raising a challenging brow. Then I feigned sympathy. "Aw, but you wouldn't know, would you?"

His jaw dropped in disbelief. What made it even better was that Dean came to my rescue by saying,  "Definitely. He was a total nerd in high school."

"At least I didn't go to jail!" Damien retorted as if he was reading out the weather. My brows raised as I looked at everyone around me. No one seemed to mind the fact, probably because they were used to Dean and his shenanigans. Weird.

"At least I'm cool," Dean smirked, casually putting an arm around the back of my chair. "And I have a girlfriend." It took too much energy to correct him so I didn't.

"I'll have you know, I'm bringing a date to the wedding."

This was my cue to perk up. Smiling, I propped my elbows on the table and rested my chin in my laced hands. "A date, huh? Who's the lucky lady?"

Damien groaned loudly, making Lily stir. We all held our breath to see whether she would wake up and cry. When she didn't, we exhaled. Damien slowly took a seat on the empty chair. "Why must you pry in my love life?"

"Why must you be Westcreek's most eligible bachelor?" I replied, using the same tone as him. "Come on, tell me! You never grew out that beard you promised!" I dramatically clutched his free arm. "You owe this to me!"

"Beard?" Ashley asked curiously.

He made a face and turned to his cousin. "Bella thinks that I would look more attractive if I grew out facial hair."

"That's not what your female students think," Dean snorted, referring to the handful of girls that flirted with his brother. Damien shot him a dirty look.

"I just think he's too baby-faced! It doesn't hurt to try!" I argued. No matter how many times I tried to explain how simple this truly was, he'd cower away. It was facial hair for God's sake, not a tattoo!

Damien rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter, I found someone."

"Right," I gasped, realizing how I diverted from the topic. "Well, who is it?"

"A girl from Tinder." When I grimaced and Dean snickered, Damien explained. "I mean, we met on Tinder a while ago but we've been going out for a while."

"A while?" I stared at him with wide eyes. "And I'm just now hearing about this? What the hell?" I lightly smacked his shoulder, careful not to wake Lily.

"Well, we haven't really been talking lately, have we?" he teased, making a pang of guilt hit me. Even though I saw Mr. Cullen every day, he was in the middle of teaching. I never really made an effort to talk to him after Dean and I broke up. It just felt too weird considering it was his brother. He noticed my mood shift and softened. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," I faked a smile. "I guess I do have a lot to catch you up on."

"A lot, especially considering this gremlin" —he jabbed a finger toward Dean— "doesn't tell me shit." We all laughed, making Lily stir. His laugher cut short as his face paled and we all silenced ourselves. "Okay, I need to go put her down before she cries her lungs out. Dean, I'll see you tonight. Bye guys." We all bid our goodbyes as he left.

The food began piling out and soon we all focused more on eating than keeping the conversation up. The occasional moan could be heard from appreciating the meal, but other than that, the music was the only sound among us.

While one hand held the spoon I used to eat, the other tightly gripped my phone under the table. It had been a week since I sent Ben that letter. I could lie and say I wasn't disappointed by the fact that he didn't text me, but what was the point? I was clearly distraught. I was squeezing the life out of my phone for God's sake.

I definitely considered the possibility of him not receiving my letter. It was super plausible. He was probably moving away, maybe back to Chicago. He was probably gone by the time my letter reached his mailbox.

Or so I told myself to keep sane.

A hand found its way on top of mine. I looked up to see Dean staring down at me with concern. "Is everything okay?" he quietly asked so only we could hear. I looked up to see the twins distracted by their own bickering.

I faked and smile and nodded, shoving a spoonful of soup in my mouth to avoid his questioning. I didn't tell anyone about Ben's disappearance. Hell, I didn't tell anyone that he knew about the mission. Everyone else thought Ben and I were back to our old routine of ignoring each other. I guess saying I wasn't going to continue the mission was seen as me completely stepping away from him. It's like Ben Stark completely disappeared from the face of the Earth. I don't think anyone noticed his absences. If they did, they didn't bring it up.

It was a little sad.

Dean wasn't convinced. He squeezed my hand and urged me to look at him. "I know everything's weird between us, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I wasn't really sure if this was the case. If Dean knew Ben felt something for me, he'd be pissed. Or he'd blame himself for putting me in this situation. Either way, I didn't wanna stick around to find out.

Besides, it wasn't something I had to talk about. In a weird way, I felt peaceful. Maybe it was because I wasn't the one who walked away, so I really had no choice in the outcome. We all knew that in the end, pain was inevitable. I'd rather deal with this than something more serious.

Before I could open my mouth to answer, a hand was placed on my shoulder. I tilted my head back to see Ethan smiling down at me. "Hey. Nat told me to call you over." His eyes then flickered to Dean. "And I think the boys are calling you."

"Gotcha, I'll be there in a second," I smiled back before my eyes trailed over the crowd to see Natalie surrounded by a bunch of women. One familiar face stood out and I recognized her as one of the waitresses at the diner. They must've been the other bridesmaids.

Dean and I stood up as Ethan left. It was clear our conversation wasn't forgotten by the look on his face. "You sure you'll be okay with them?"

"They're women in their twenty-somethings. I think there are scarier things in the world," I laughed, poking his cheek. It felt weird being all playful with him, and if I wasn't so intent on making myself look unbothered, I would've stopped. Maybe.

His eyes lit up at my small gesture but he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. "I don't know about that."

"Right," I drawled. "Anway, they're waiting. I should go." He nodded and we both went our separate ways. If only I knew what chaos I was in for.

~~~

The girls were welcoming. As soon as I approached their table, they welcomed me with open arms. Up until now, I had only talked to them over text. We had two group chats: one with everyone, and one without Natalie so we could talk about tonight's party.

Jessica was the maid of honor and the planner for tonight. They met in college and were roommates for the last two years of it. They grew really close over the years and talked consistently, even though they lived in different states.

From what I could tell, Jess was... overwhelming to put it nicely. She was a ball of energy. She didn't really tend to think before she acted, which made me wonder how she was handling her role as the maid of honor. Overall, everything seemed to be okay so I didn't question it. She was extremely talkative and tended to lead all the conversations, not that I minded. I was thankful there were no awkward silences.

The other girls were just as sweet, but had differing personalities. Tina also went to college with the other two so they were a tight-knit group. She was a little more reserved but not at all shy. Then we had Julie, Nat's childhood friend. As smiley as she was, I could see the bitter glances she spared toward Jess's way. I assumed it was because of jealousy. She clearly wanted to be the maid of honor.

Gemma was the only familiar face. She worked at Mel's with Nat and often served me food when Nat was busy taking care of other tables. She seemed to have recognized me too because she visibly relaxed when I came near.

The age difference wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. They conversed with me like I wasn't a silly high schooler. It was refreshing. 

As we talked at our table, the guests at the dinner drooled over cake and danced with their family and friends. Nat kept craning over to where the guys were, eyeing them. She was obviously looking at her beloved fiancé. Ironically, when she wasn't looking, he was doing the same. The smirks coming from their side made me nervous. What the hell were they doing tonight?

"So Bella, are you planning on drinking tonight?" Jess asked.

I bit my lip and eyed the girls. I didn't wanna seem immature around them. For all I knew, this could be a test to see whether I would be responsible or have fun. The problem was, I couldn't figure out which answer they wanted.

"I'm underage," I finally said, unsure if it was the right thing to say. When none of their expressions betrayed their thoughts, I added, "But either way, I was planning on staying sober tonight. Someone needs to, right?"

They cracked a smile at my attempt at a tease and I let out a sigh of relief. I said the right thing, thank God.

"Sounds good, considering Nat is going to be wasted!" Tina laughed, nudging the bride with her shoulder. We all cheered, accidentally grabbing the attention of people around us. Once they noticed it was only us, they dismissed it and went back to their previous activities.

The action seemed funny and we all burst out laughing. It was nice that we all got along easily. If there was drama within the group, it wasn't shown.

"You all have your clothes and stuff, right?" Jessica asked. We weren't going to attend a rowdy night out in our church attire so we all brought a change of clothes. When we all nodded, she smiled. "Perfect! You all can get ready in my hotel room upstairs! We won't be leaving for a couple of hours so just sit tight and hang around."

Dread pitted at my stomach as she dismissed us. A couple of hours? Natalie purposefully held an early dinner so we'd have time to get ready for tonight. Still, Jess insisted we didn't get the party started until eleven. My eyes were already drooping, thanks to an early morning at school. It was only eight now, meaning I had a long way to go.

I trudged my way over back to my table. Ashley was playing with one of her cousins while Ashton was on his phone, texting away. I immediately sat down and put my head on the table. The plates were cleared sometime between me leaving and now, leaving the soft tablecloth below my arms.

"Tired already?" Ashton asked, noticing my actions.

Forcing my head up, I nodded. "So tired. I don't think I'll be able to make it through the night."

He locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket. "Now Princess, that's no way to think!"

"It's true. I didn't nap after coming home from school which was totally stupid of me." Why didn't I nap? No idea. I guess I didn't process how long this night was going to be.

"Yeah, you look tired."

I scowled at him. "Not exactly a compliment."

He defensively threw his hands up. "Jesus. You need some sleep!"

"No shit." Being tired really put me in a horrible mood. Poor Ashton was on the end of my wrath. Softening up, I gave him a tired smile. "Sorry, I don't mean to be snappy."

The seat next to me was once again occupied. "Are you still bothering her? Jeez, give it up," Dean teased his cousin while putting an arm around the back of my chair. He turned to face me, his green eyes scanning every inch of my face. "What's wrong?"

At least he didn't comment on the bags forming under my eyes. He was one step ahead of Ashton.

"I'm exhausted and the night hasn't even started yet," I groaned, remembering my dilemma. Right when I was about to put my head down again, Dean's arm shot out and he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go."

"Where?" I asked, even though it wasn't useful. He was already tugging on my arm and I followed him out of the hall, throwing a wave to the twins that we rudely ditched. I struggled to catch up with Dean's fast pace but I eventually fell in step with him. "I gotta be back by ten."

"Don't worry, you will be," he said, not giving me a clue of where he was taking me. When I fell behind again, he playfully rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand to help me keep up. With the small smile on his face, I could tell he purposefully walked fast so he'd have an excuse to hold my hand. 

What a cute dork.

We breezed through the hotel lobby and stopped in front of the Starbucks inside. I hadn't seen it when I came in, probably because I was so nervous about tonight.

"You'll need it," he explained, pulling me into the near-abandoned cafe. It was justified considering it was eight at night. Most normal people didn't bother drinking coffee this late.

He surprised me by remembering my order. A triumphant smile appeared on his face when he looked back at me to confirm. Shocked, I slowly nodded, never taking my eyes off of him.

"How did you know?" I finally asked once we had our drinks in hand. He grabbed one too, probably feeling the same as me.

He didn't answer at first. Instead, he led us over to a bench in the lobby. We sat side by side with little distance between us

"I remember stuff," he laughed, fiddling with the sleeve on his hot coffee. My brows furrowed, thinking back to if we ever had coffee together. Then I dismissively shook it off. It didn't matter. What mattered was he was truly trying.

"Well, thank you." Not only was I referring to him paying, but also the effort he was giving. From the knowing smile on his face, he knew that too.

He grabbed my coffee-less hand and smiled at me. "Always."

Swoon.

I didn't make a move to pull my hand away and neither did he.

God, I loved this boy too much for my own good.