𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖
𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬

"Ada, I look silly." A now seventeen Aurora fussed as Ada buttoned the back of Rory's dress for her. It was a light pink dress and looked beautiful on her. "No you don't." Ada assured. "You look beautiful." She said. Ada leaned in, "Finn will love it."

Aurora rolled her eyes and walked away from Ada, taking the lipstick to gently paint it onto her lips. Ada laughed to herself.

It only took the family a month to realise Aurora and Finn had gotten together. It wasn't hard. Anyone with a brain could've guessed. They couldn't stay away from each other. And two years later, they still couldn't.

"Speaking of.." Ada nodded toward the door. Finn stood in a suit and, for once, no peaky cap on his head. Finn had a small, loving smirk on his lips and he leaned against the wall. "You look nice." He complimented. Ada hummed. "See," she whispered, brushing past her younger brother and leaving the room.

Aurora smiled and leaned up to kiss him, draping her arms around the back of his neck. "Where's your cap?"

"You told me you don't like it—" he defended. She laughed. "I'm only joking, Finny. You look very handsome." She said with a satisfied look on her face. Finn raised his brows and kissed her again. "We need to go," he said, "Tommy won't be happy if we're late for his wedding."

Aurora rolled her eyes and used her thumb to wipe the lipstick that had transferred from her own lips to his.

-

Aurora and Finn walked into the church as people had began gathering to wait for Grace. Aurora departed from Finn and went to Tommy who was waiting patiently with Arthur at his side. "Relax, Tom." She stopped in front of him, looking up.

He let out a breath and shook his head.

"You'll be great. I know it." Aurora patted his shoulder. "Thank you, Rory." Tommy sighed and cleared his throat. "I'm glad you came today." he said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Aurora assured him, looking for Finn as she went to where the Shelby side had gathered. She tutted and leaned up to fix his collar. "Do you not wear this kind of stuff every day, hm? Do you not know how to fold a collar properly?" She teased quietly.

Finn tilted his chin up as she fixed it for him and kept his hands in his pockets.

Aurora let her arm fall and land around his upper arm. Finally, Grace appeared at the end of the church with a cavalry man on her arm. "Here come the cavalry— late as usual." John mumbled to himself and warned a glare from both Esme and Ada.

Aurora sniggered to herself and watched Grace walk in her purple dress.

She looked up at Finn. "Purple?" He twisted his face into confusion. Rory matched his expression and held back her laugh. She could hear Finn's poor attempt to avoid laughing and smacked his arm. "Stop it!" She hissed, still trying to contain herself.

He took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling, tears of laughter brimming his eyes.

-

Aurora stood with Charlotte and Alfie as they watched both Mikey and Harvey try to chat up two girls. "God, they're hopeless." She whispered to herself. Alfie had his arm around Charlotte's shoulders and they laughed, finding their friend's behaviour embarrassing to watch.

Finn poked her side as he appeared back in the hall, "Tommy wants us in the kitchen." He said. She rolled her eyes and nodded, following after him as he led her through the endless rooms of Arrow House. "Jesus, he needs to make a map or something," Aurora sighed once they finally got to the kitchen.

"Where've you been?" Tommy snapped at them.

"Calm yourself, Tom. I think you need to size down this bloody house." She joked, leaning against the wall.

Tommy shook his head and took a deep breath. "You're all here— today, this is my fucking wedding day." He began. John scoffed, "yeah, and you said there'd be no fucking uniforms." He interrupted. Tommy pointed at him. "Nevertheless, nevertheless John. Despite the bad blood, i'll have none of it on my carpet. Now for Grace's sake, nothing will go wrong. Those bastards out there are her family—" he ranted.

"All of them?" Aurora gasped, "jesus christ."

John laughed at her and they earned a glare of frustration from Tommy.

"If you fuckers do anything to embarrass her: your kin, your cousins, your horses, your fucking kids— you do anything to—"

"Tom—"

"What?!"

"What about snow?" Isiah asked seriously. Aurora cupped her mouth and looked down. "Yeah they're women of sport, i'll say that." John grinned and shoved Isiah jokingly:

"No. No, no cocaine. No cocaine." He scolded Isiah. He turned to John, "no sport, no telling fortunes. No racing." He grabbed Finn's face, "no fucking sucking petrol out of their fucking cars!" He shouted. Finn held in his laugh. Tommy looked at Aurora and just pointed at her. He then spun, "And Charlie, stop spinning yarn around me, eh?!"

"I'm just tryna sell you to 'em, Tom."

Tommy rubbed his eyes. "But the main thing is, you bunch of fuckers, despite the provocation from the Cavalry, no fighting." He said, "Oi— no fighting," he pointed at Isiah, "No fucking fighting," then to John, "no fighting," and Arthur and Michael. "No fucking fighting!"

But then Tommy decided to shove one of the butlers who brushed past him to the floor. "Fucking hell, Tom. Take your own advice," she whispered, helping the man back on his feet. He nodded to her in thanks and she brushed his suit smooth, "go on, off you go."

He nodded and practically scurried away.

Aurora then placed her hands on the back of Finn's shoulders, guiding him back toward the doors. "He's off his bloody head," Finn whispered to her, "you don't have to tell me twice." She responded.

-

Aurora leaned up, using her thumb to brush the white powder from Finn's nose. He looked down at her and kissed her, catching her by surprise. She pulled away and jokingly push his face.

"You think they're lookin' for us?" Isiah asked as he emptied some of the cocaine out onto the table.

Aurora shook her head. "Doubt it." She said. She was sat with her legs over Finn's — his hand resting on her knee. "They're all too busy to pay us any attention anymore." She let out a dry laugh.

"Who gives a fuck— we can do what we want when they don't give a shit about us." Finn rambled on as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Aurora rolled her eyes and picked at her nails. She wasn't too fond of Finn doing cocaine but couldn't control him.

"What did ya's think of Arthur's speech?" Isiah spoke.

"I thought it was good. Tommy just doesn't like all that soppy stuff." Aurora responded. "It was ridiculous." Finn retorted and warned himself a smack in the chest from Rory. "Leave him alone he's trying his best." She defended quickly.

Finn put his hands up in defence and laughed.

"He's found himself a wife and... although we can't stand her, she's helped him out. Look at him compared to four years ago." She argued, "he's doing a good job."

Finn took a deep breath and shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He agreed.

"D'ya think they'll stick to the rules Tommy laid out for us earlier— the bets and stuff." Isiah asked. Aurora scoffed. "Well you've already broken one of them. You're both off your head on cocaine." She said. Finn bit down on the inside of his cheek, knowing she was right.

Isiah rubbed his nose and blinked hard. "I've got a lady to go and find," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at them and leaving.

Aurora laughed to herself and Finn shook his head jokingly.

When the door closed, Aurora looked up at Finn. "What?" He asked. She shrugged and looked away, smirking. "Rory, what?!" He asked again, growing self conscious. She shook her head. "Nothing."

Finn huffed and threw his head back. "You're so annoying."

"I know." She retorted. She looked back up at him and Finn caught her by surprise when placing a kiss on her lips. He pulled away slightly, their faces still close. His eyes stayed on hers and she leaned forward, placing a slightly more aggressive kiss on his lips. 

Finn held onto her as she accidentally pushed him backward when kissing him.

They both laughed into the kiss and Finn pushed her hair over her shoulders. "Wait.." she whispered, "what if someone comes in."

Finn looked toward the door. He shrugged. "So what."

-

Aurora walked through Arrow House when Finn decided to go elsewhere with Isiah. "Lottie— Lottie!" Aurora caught the girl as she passed her. Charlotte turned, her blonde curls sat perfectly on her shoulders. "Where've you been? I've been looking for you all night." Charlotte asked.

"With Finn." She answered, linking her arm around the blonde as they walked to the drawing room.

Charlotte kept her friend close as they walked. "Does Tommy even know all of these people?" She whispered. Rory scanned the room. "Tommy knows everyone apparently," she scoffed. Charlotte laughed at the girl's words and shook her head. "Didn't Grace look so beautiful?"

"No." Aurora replied honestly. "I don't like purple." She shrugged.

Charlotte looked at her with a scolding expression in her eyes.

"What? Is a girl not allowed to be honest?" Aurora scoffed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Oh, Rory. This is why we love you." Charlotte hummed. "Thank you, Lottie." Aurora replied with a slight flirtatious tone.

Aurora looked around the room for a familiar face. Eventually, Charlotte parted with her. This left Rory to cast her eyes upon the Shelby man who seemed to be telling jokes to anyone who would listen. With a sigh and roll of her eyes she walked over.

"John!" She exclaimed, "my apologies. He gets like this sometimes," she teases to the guests who seemed to find her comment funny and began chuckling. John looked down at her and tilted his head. "Really?" He asked. She hummed and nodded and he huffed as she dragged him away. "Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?"

"Shouldn't you be with your kids?" She retorted as one scurried past her feet.

John pursed his lips into a line and stopped talking.

"Besides, he's busy with Isiah." Rory said. John swiped a drink from a table. "Hope you haven't been doin' any of that Tokyo that Isiah brought."

"Seriously, John? I'm insulted that you've forgotten of the progress i've made the past three years." She said seriously. "No i haven't touched any of the Tokyo."

John patted her back. "Good. That's good, Angel."

"Alright i'm not a dog," she shrugged his hands away and he laughed. "No but you look like one," he joked. She scoffed and smacked him in the back of the head. "Alright, alright— I was just kidding. You look beautiful!" He said quickly.

She smiled in satisfaction and nodded once. "Drink this—" John shoved the glass into her hand and she frowned, peering at the clear liquid. She held it up to her nose before throwing it back, squinting as it traveled down her throat and burned. "What the fuck is that!?"

"Gin." John grinned.

Aurora coughed slightly and shoved the empty glass into her chest. "Fuck off." She coughed again, walking away and wiping her mouth.

-

Aurora stood outside as she watched John fight against somebody. He was winning, of course. She had her arms crossed over her chest whilst watching and winced every time a punch landed.

After a few moments, John had knocked the man to the floor and he threw his arms up in the air, laughing manically. She shook her head with a smile and stepped away as the crowd dispersed. "Alright, Rory. Your Finn is racing some lad on a horse next." Johnny told her. With a raised brow she laughed. "Finn? On a horse?"

Johnny nodded. "He'll be alright, he won't fall." He assured.

Rory wasn't so sure about that.

She watched Finn get helped upon the black stallion and she laughed. "Finn, that horse makes you look tiny." She teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

not proof read