"Livia! Are you okay?" Eve asks as she walks in through the front door.
I stand up and meet her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry we left without saying anything. We didn't want to interrupt the rehearsal."
Eve looks me up and down, seemingly to examine me. "Don't apologize, what happened?"
"It was just a misunderstanding. Dean followed me to the bathroom to talk and Shawn reacted on instinct. They argued and I thought it would be best if we left before things got a little out of hand." Shawn walks in the room with a questionable look on his face.
I move to his side. "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I thought he was different by now."
"Don't be sorry, it's going to take more than a few months to change a person." Shawn assures her.
She sighs, "Are you guys still up for the wedding tomorrow? I know you have to leave afterwards but I understand if you-"
I cut her off, "We're going and I promise, no drama."
After that I dismiss myself to bed. Shawn follows me to the room. Once the door is closed he comes up to me. "You really want to sleep?"
He turns me around so that he can help unzip my dress. "No, but I'm going to. I at least have to try." If I'm up front and center with Eve tomorrow, then I should look the part and get as much rest as possible. I let the dress fall to the floor before picking it up so I can hang it in the closet. It doesn't feel right, keeping such an expensive dress.
My heels are the next to go, I place them neatly outside of the closet. I'll be wearing those again tomorrow. Shawn walks over to his suitcase and pulls out a plain black shirt. "Here, wear this to bed."
I reach out and grab it, I take my bra off before doing as he says. "You're never getting this back, I hope you know that." I jokingly say.
"It's all yours."
I walk up to him and help him undo his tie. Not because he can't but because I enjoy our close proximity. Once he's changed we crawl into bed together. I place my head on his chest. "This time tomorrow we'll be in two different states again."
His fingers run through my hair, "We don't have to think about tomorrow."
"I can't help it."
Shawn sighs, "Yeah," He says. "Me either."
I knock on the wooden door, "Come in!" Eve says.
Walking in, I see Eve looking at herself in the mirror. She sees me in her reflection and smiles. "Eve that dress is beautiful." It's slim fitting and completely covered in white lace.
"It's a whole lot prettier than my last wedding dress. Logan and I got married in a courthouse because we couldn't afford a real wedding." I can picture that, the two of them being young and taking a big risk. If only they knew what would happen.
That was almost Dean and I. "Well you look amazing."
"Thank you." She turns around and walks up to me. "At the risk of sounding crazy, you're kind of like the daughter I never had. If my son wasn't so stupid, you would've been."
I laugh, "I know what you mean." I think she feels connected to me because we've been through similar situations.
"It just wasn't meant to be." I know the feeling. "Anyway, I hope we stay in contact. At least long enough for you to tell me all about NYU."
She's always been so nice to me. I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for a hug. She likes me because we've been through the same thing, but I like her because she's a good person with a good heart.
The church bells ring, signaling that it's noon. "Oh, it's time to get out there." I say, pulling away. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
"I'll be the one in white."
I rush to get in line with the other bridesmaids. Dean isn't with the groomsmen because he's walking her down the aisle. Shawn is a few rows from the back, keeping his eyes to me. When Brent gets to the altar, Eve isn't close behind. The love between them is evident and I'm glad Eve found the one for her.
It's not long before my eyes make their way to Shawn's during the vowels. He's the one for me, I just know that no one will ever measure up. Once we get off that plane today we're done, but I'll always wonder if I'll see him again. I'll always look for him wherever I go, and I'll always wonder how he's doing. I'll fantasize about our wedding someday, about him looking at me the way he is now. Even if that day never comes, we'll always have this moment and every moment we've spent together before this.
"Do you, Brent Simpson, take Eve Cooper, to be your lawfully wedded wife, as long as you both shall live?"
Brent grins, so sure of his answer. "I do."
"And do you, Eve Cooper, take Brent Simpson, to be your lawfully wedded husband, as long as you both shall live?"
She looks into his eyes as if she sees the whole world in them. "I do."
"Then by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife." We all clap and they share their first kiss as a married couple.
They deserve this, they deserve to be happy.
After the service, everyone meets at the venue we went to last night. Shawn and I dance and laugh, just enjoying ourselves. Even Eve asks to have a dance with me. I don't really know anyone here so I stay by Shawn most of the time. We eat and listen to the speeches and wait until our time runs out.
"Thank you two for coming." Brent says.
Eve surprisingly hugs Shawn goodbye. "Take care of her." She warns playfully.
"I will," He chuckles, "It was nice meeting the both of you."
Eve shows me where the dressing room is for me to change out of my bridesmaid dress before saying goodbye one last time. I quickly change into some more comfortable clothes and leave the dress by Eve's things.
Dean is waiting for me outside of the dressing room. "I just wanted to say goodbye." He swears.
I push down my uneasy feelings about him and nod. "Goodbye Dean, take care of yourself."
As I walk away he grabs my wrist to stop me. "I was serious about what I said last night. I plan on proving to you that I can change." He lets go of me. "Goodbye Livia, until next time."
I walk away as quickly as I can, meeting Shawn by the door. "Are you ready?" He asks.
"Yeah, let's go home."
About half-way through our flight back to Colorado, Shawn wakes up from falling asleep on me. His drowsy look makes me smile. "Sorry." He mumbles.
"Why? I don't mind." He yawns and shrugs his shoulders. "Actually, it made me think of the time you fell asleep at your desk. Papers were stuck to your face and it was hilarious."
He narrows his eyes at me with an amused look, "You remember nothing."
"Sure." I say.
"So you've just been sitting there doing nothing the whole time I've been asleep?" Shawn asks.
I can't get what Dean said to me out of my head. "I've just been thinking."
He leans in closer. "About what exactly?"
I don't want to tell him, the last thing he needs to do is worry about me the whole time I'm in New York. So I place my hand on his cheek and kiss his lips. Shawn kisses me back, grabbing the back of my neck to pull me in closer. Thank God the other passengers are spread out or else this would be awkward.
He pulls away slightly, "That's a good answer." His hand lands just about my knee, he rides up slowly.
"You're trying to turn me on." I whisper.
His hand rides up even further. I bite my lip at the same time he whispers back, "Maybe...have you ever done anything on a plane before?"
He squeezes on my upper thigh, succeeding in turning me on. "No." I answer.
Shawn takes off his seat belt and lets go of my thigh. "Meet me in the bathroom in two minutes." He stands up and I watch him walk down the aisle and to the bathroom.
I can't believe I'm actually about to follow him in there but I look at the time. In two minutes I walk up to the bathroom and knock on the door. He opens it and pulls me in, pressing me against the door that now says occupied.
Half of me is worried about getting caught and the other half is saying, "Fuck it." I kiss him, reaching hastily for the buttons of his shirt. Shawn starts to kiss my jaw and then down to my neck, all the while whispering incoherent words to me.
"We have to make this quick." I tell him as my hands fumble down to his belt. I get it off and relish in the feeling of his body pressed against mine.
I quickly take off my leggings and grab onto Shawn's shoulders so he can lift me against the door. Shawn raises his hips and covers my mouth with his hand to stop me from moaning. Then he's inside me, filling me completely. I stifle my moaning and move with him. My fingers grip onto his shoulders in an effort to hold onto him. He nuzzles his face in my neck, kissing and sucking lightly. I arch my back, feeling the pressure build inside of me already.
He finishes right after me, holding me still in place as he catches his breath. I've missed how he makes me feel. I can tell he feels the same.
Shawn kisses my forehead and then lets me down. We put our clothes back on in comfortable silence, we both know this was our last chance to be intimate for who knows how long.
Right when I open the door, he closes it shut. Shawn's eyes looking intently into mine. "What is it?" I ask.
Shawn wants to tell me something, I can tell. He decides against it, sighing and opening the door back up. "Nothing." There was something, for whatever reason he decided against telling me.
We get back to our seats just in time for the pilot to announce that we'll be landing soon. I worry about what Shawn is thinking about but push it aside. It's not how I want to spend our last twenty minutes together.
He holds my hand for the rest of the flight, clinging on tighter than normal.