Trial & Error ✓

30 | forever & ever

3 0

forever & ever

-

I WAS FEELING like never before.

Of course, that was the difference a year made. And what a crazy year it was.

Delaney and Kevin had a dream wedding in their heads that they would stop at nothing short of, so they spent the year saving up to make it become a reality. A beach wedding and they were planning on buying their own house together after the ceremony where they can finally consummate their bond together (or at least have their first time that both their parents know about and would approve of). And of course, I was roped into the entire process of planning, being titled the head bridesmaid even when all of the other girls were taller and prettier than I was. I guess it beat being an actual maid, but maybe not since it didn't pay.

Aside from that, I had the Burke family to handle. While I got on with Elise just fine because of our shared appreciation for art, their father, Warren wasn't the easiest nut to crack. He initially disproved of me (it was a hot summer day, so I was wearing a crop top and some shorts that weren't even as short as he made them out to be, so someone else decided it was easy to assume I was a prostitute), but I easily appealed to his hard-working and traditional side by proving I knew how to clean a house which apparently was something that rendered Teddy useless. and I was sold.

Of course, Teddy, who was aware of my issues with the Gates case, let me stay home or behind at the office to brush up on legal studies while he worked on it in and out of the courtroom. And five months ago, they finally came down to a guilty verdict, George Gates was ousted from his CEO position and was going to jail for fifteen years. I knew it in Teddy's eyes when I would see him after the ruling that he definitely expected more than that, but he didn't fight it for my sake.

And all of that led to Teddy and I driving back to Laney and I's apartment to discuss the plans for the wedding that was a month away. Teddy - who felt guilty for gathering on my friends, but they didn't know that - wanted to be a help for this wedding in any way he knew he could. He was the one with the deep pockets after all, my salary and Kevin and Laney's combined couldn't barely pay for half of their ambitions without us having to sleep in our cars until those too were repossessed.

"This should be fun," Teddy grinned, reaching out to take my hand in his. "Rich people just love to be accosted by the less fortunate for money."

I frowned, noticing the sarcasm in his tone. "Don't you mean charity? I'm sure everyone feels obligated to do that, not just rich people."

"I'm just kidding," he said, shaking his arm, causing mine to swing along with his. "And if we weren't holding hands right now, I would've playfully punched your shoulder for thinking I would say something that ridiculous."

"Well, what's stopping you, Teddy," I teased. "You literally just have to let go of my hand and do it."

He shrugged. "I like this a lot better."

I blushed, unsure of what to do with that, when the apartment door was thankfully opened up by a grinning Kevin.

"Hey guys," he said, "come on in."

Of course, I didn't want for that to happen. The apartment was a mess, a tornado of wedding plans had flown through and turned the whole place over on its head. Bridal magazines with pictures cut from out of them, empty clue bottles, haphazardly put away craft supplies, a seating arrangement that thankfully had me seated at the head table with Teddy and the lovely couple-to-be.

But Teddy was fearless, following Kevin inside the door excitedly. I liked that, how he was getting along with my friends, so I didn't fight it. He made it feel like I was with family whoever I was with, made it feel like home.

Sure enough, Delaney Cooke was in the middle of the floor pasting a picture of her face on the front of a bridal magazine as if that would tell her exactly how she would look on her big day. I stifled a chuckle, knowing that this was her and Kevin's moment, so I wanted to be as supportive as possible, even if there were moments where the two of them were being pretty ridiculous.

"Marilyn, Teddy, I'm so glad you two are here," she said excitedly, getting up from off of the floor and pulling the two of us into a hug. "I might have a small little request of you two."

-

THE S.S. JUSTICE.

That was her small request, which wasn't small at all. Of course, it cut the price to pay for everything since we didn't have to rent out the space for the beach on the wedding. Teddy already owned the boat.

Its spacious cabins and deck were decorated nicely, a handful of chairs spread out evenly in rows with guests seated at each one on top and below deck, tables with flower arrangements adorning them. The handrails on the deck were decorated in chains of flowers and fairy lights that glowed together under the purple - and slowly darkening - sky over the Atlantic.

I had to say, the setting really did her wedding justice, something which I refrained from admitting to Teddy because he would've reminded me that Justice was the boat's namesake or something silly like that. I wanted to be completely serious and grounded while I waited for the official wedding ceremony to start in about fifteen minutes. Everything seemed to be taken care of, but if anything seemed to go awry, I was ready to fix it.

I was deep in thought when I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist and a head rest itself against the top of mine. "Come on, Marilyn," I heard Teddy say softly, his voice coaxing me to give in to whatever he wanted me to do. "Just sit down with me. It's kinda lonely over there."

Standing there, on watch over the proceedings before me, I felt a sense of pressure because I wanted deep down and on the surface for Delaney and Kevin to be happy. But it was a good kind of pressure with a good outcome in mind. I had no problem with a little a responsibility, especially if that responsibility is making sure your best friends' best day of their life is exactly that.

But poor Teddy, he was so bored and the ceremony didn't start for another fifteen minutes. I squeezed his hands lightly with mine, whispering "I'll see you over there."

He grumbled under his breath as he stalked off back to his seat. I knew he wasn't sad because it wasn't long until I came back to him. After all, he understood my duties as not only a bridesmaid or a friend, but as family.

I had to say, for the first time in a while, I loved my job.

THE END