#southsiders

“No, I don’t think we will. Your both pathic and we need t make sure neither of you forget it.” Reggie crossed his arms standing next to chuck.

Y/n rolled her eyes. “Get some new material Mantle.”

“I think you need to learn a lesson-” Chuck stepped forward in a threatening manner.

“Do we have a problem here?” Tonu cut in having had enough of watching the scene before her.

“None of you business snakes.” Reggie sneered

“Your messing with our own. That makes it our business.” Fangs ut in. Along with Toni he was done watching.

“Oh, yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?” Chuck challenged.

“Yeah. Just slither away back to the holes you came out of.” Reggie scoffed

“You don’t want to know what I’d like to do about it.” Sweetpea growled from his side of the booth squaring his shoulders.

“Just leave us alone. You don’t own Pop’s. We can be here.” Y/n narrowed her eyes, hoping to make them disappear.

“We’re allowed to be here.” Jughead stated backing up Y/n’s statement.

“If there’s a problem here Mr. Mantle, Mr. Clayton I have no problem calling your folks down here to settle it.” Pop said defending his best late night customers Jughead and Y/n.

“There’s no problem.” Reggie grumbles as him and Chuck head out of the dinner.

“Thanks, Pop.” Y/n smiled gratefully at the old man.

“Your welcome, Hunny. I’ll get you all some frys.” Pop said smiling before leaving to the kitchen.

“Thanks Pop.” Jughead called out to him.

“Why don’t ou guys do anything about that?” Toni asked still pissed about how her friends were treated.

“Thier assholes.” Y/n shrugged.

“Exactly.” FIngs agreed

“They wouldn’t stop even if we did do something about it.” Jughead told their friends across the table.

“But you both just sit there and take it.” Sweetpea furrowed his eyebrows not understanding why they just take it.

“They’ve always done it. We’re from the southside, loners, I could go on. They do it to get at us. It bothers them that we’re from the wrong side of the tracks as they say and that we’re never really apart.” Y/n explained to them while sipping on her milkshake.

Jughead nodded, they’ve been dealing with this forever. “There’s no point they won’t stop and we’re not going to change.”

“Plus it pisses them off that we don’t care.” Y/n smirked reaching to grab a fry and take a bite.

“I guess your right.” Toni sighed sadly knowing that they were right. Nothing would change the asshole’s behavior. 

“Well if you both ever change your minds we’ll gladly beat their asses.” Sweetpea smirked also grabbing a fry. Any reason to beat up the bulldogs or Northsiders they’d take it.

Sweet Pea was desperate. He needed a date, like yesterday. Josie was getting married tomorrow and invited all her high school friends from Riverdale. Him included. Even though he was fairly sure he was long over her, he feared going alone. 

That’s pathetic right? Showing up to an ex’s wedding alone? It just screams “I’m still not over you” with a slight chance of “I’ll ruin your wedding”. Not the vibe he wanted to emit. 

Plus he had already RSVP’d for two. He couldn’t not show up with a date. That would only add to the humiliation. 

Something else that is pathetic is desperately trying to score an invitation to said wedding. You dated the groom in college, and you were sure he was your soulmate. You weren’t delusional with ideas that if he saw you there, he would drop his fiancé for you. No, of course not. All you wanted was to see for yourself that the woman he was to wed was good enough for him, that she made him happy. Who could blame you right? You were just looking out for your so-called soulmate.

You tried to see if anyone you knew was going but unfortunately you were shit out of luck. You two just didn’t have any mutual friends anymore. 

You tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep until you hear a notification ping coming from your cell phone.

It was an email from an unknown address with the subject It must be your lucky day. That was odd, you thought. You opened it anyway and the only thing in the body of the email was a single link to a Craigslist ad.

You debated opening it. What if it was a virus? Your thumb hovered over the link for a few minutes before you finally decided to take the plunge and click the link.

Not a virus. Not a virus at all. Instead it was what you were desperately praying for. An ad for a date to a wedding. The wedding you needed an invite for. Bless whoever sent you this link. This was your last chance considering the wedding was tomorrow.

You quickly sent a response asking if he still needed a date for the wedding. You really hoped whoever this was would see your message in time. 

Sweet Pea was having trouble sleeping as well. His stomach was full of dread that he even started creating different scenarios in his head to try and get out of going. Maybe he could fake being sick? No, everyone will see right through that and know something was up. 

Maybe he could jump in front of a car. That would cause him to go to the hospital and give him a proper excuse, right? But then he thought about how painful that would be and not to mention expensive. So that’s a no. 

That’s when his phone dinged. It was an email. Someone responded to his wedding date ad. Even a week after he posted it, it had gotten him zero responses. He later added that he was willing to pay someone to go if they could pose as a convincing date. Emphasis on the convincing part. 

He didn’t want to take just any lunatic but at this point he was so desperate and this was the only response he had gotten. He guessed something was better than nothing.

He wrote back that he was still indeed in need of a date. He made sure to ask if you had any concerns since the whole situation was not ideal. A few minutes later, he received your response.  

The email contained all your information plus a photo of you and what you are willing and not willing to do for this date. He smiled as he looked over your photo and wondered for a second if he was being catfished. You didn’t look crazy. You looked normal, beautiful even. He wondered why you answered his ad in the first place. Did you need the money? He could think of no other logical explanation, but he was sure you had your reasons.

He accepted your terms and sent you a designated meet up time and place he would be picking you up from. Sweet Pea wanted to meet you first to get a feeling of what to expect from this strange transaction.

You were nervous. Of course you were. You were meeting a total stranger to be his date. You didn’t know what to expect. He could be a total psycho for all you knew. Which is why you carried your pepper spray and taser in your small bag. You can never be too careful.

As you waited for him to arrive, you felt greatly out of place in the coffee shop. It was currently filled with a group of students, presumably studying, wearing very casual clothing. You with your hair styled, make-up done while wearing a dress and heels, stuck out like a sore thumb which only added to your anxiousness. 

Another reason you were nervous is due to the fact that you have no idea what this guy even looks like. You sent him a picture of yourself so he should be able to find you easily. You scold yourself for not asking him for a picture. It doesn’t really matter to you what he looks like, but it would have put your mind more at ease knowing who to look out for. 

When Sweet Pea entered the coffee shop, he was instantly able to pick you apart from the rest of the patrons. You were even more beautiful in person. There was this glow about you, almost ethereal. He couldn’t help but feel a small bubbling in his stomach. He blamed his nervousness. 

You were on your phone scrolling aimlessly when you hear an unsure voice call your name. You turn to find an incredibly handsome man wearing a powder blue dress shirt. You took in his appearance and instantly noticed how tall he is. You notice a tattoo peeking out from under his collared shirt, the first two buttons are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows exposing the veins on his forearms. He has a strong muscular build. His clothes hugging him perfectly making him absolutely drool worthy. 

You could also see the way his eyes were completely fixed on yours. It felt as if he could see right into your soul. His eyebrows suddenly rose in uncertainty. 

You had been staring at him in awe for a while that you don’t register him talking. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were okay with that?”

“Yeah” you say a little breathless. You had no idea what you were agreeing to but you just went along with it and hoped for the best as he led you to his car. 

Before getting in you said, “I hope this dress is okay.” 

To which he replied with, “You're perfect.” You raised your eyebrows and laughed. “I mean, it's perfect.” You didn’t say anything but smiled to yourself as you got in. 

As he drove you to the wedding venue, things were pretty quiet. Not so much awkward, but dull silence. You thought maybe you should get to know more about him. For one, you were dying to know what such a beautiful man was doing posting an ad to get a wedding date? He was gorgeous. Surely he could have taken anyone he wanted but here you were hired to accompany him. 

“You’re staring” he mumbles, keeping his eyes on the road. 

“I’m curious is all” you reply still looking at him. 

He huffs out a laugh, “Ok I’ll bite. What pray tell has you so curious?”

You paused for a second unsure if you should even ask. He didn’t owe you any sort of explanation. You were there for one reason and one reason only. Everything else was just background noise. 

Sweet Pea finally turned and looked in your direction worried about the sudden silence on your part. But you looked fine. A little deep in thought but fine nonetheless. 

“I’m just wondering why someone like you has to pay for a date?” 

He tensed, squeezing the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. You didn’t notice. “Someone like what?” he asked, managing to keep his tone neutral. 

You laughed thinking it was blatantly obvious. “You don't need me to tell you that you are an attractive man, it’ll stroke your ego”

He relaxed his hold on the steering wheel, turned to you and smirked. “Maybe it needs to be stroked”

You felt your face heat up so you looked away. You hadn’t anticipated that answer. After you recomposed yourself you asked, “I’m serious. I was obviously a last minute addition considering we agreed to this, what like twelve hours ago?” You look at him challengingly

He sighed giving in fairly quickly which surprised even him. “Josie, the bride. I had a fling with her in high school. Just didn't want to show up alone and make it weird.”

You furrowed your brows. “If it was just a fling why does it matter? It’s not like you were in love with her.”

Sweet Pea scrunched his face and groaned. You really did hit the head on the nail with that one. 

“Wait. Seriously?” This could potentially complicate things.  

“I mean, I wouldn’t say I was in love with her but I wanted more than she was willing to give me and…” he couldn't finish his thought. They were old wounds that didn’t need to be opened up. He was long over Josie. 

After a second you tsked. “I know the feeling.” 

It seemed you and Sweet Pea actually had something in common. You were both attending an ex’s wedding. Only he didn't know that and you didn't plan on telling him. Your reasoning for going was pretty pathetic while his was at least understandable. 

“What about you?” he asked. 

“Hm?” 

“Why answer my ad?”

“Oh. Um… I’m actually a struggling actress.”

He gives you a is that so look.

"I haven't been able to book many gigs” you admit. “Or any at all. So I thought I could use the practice,” Sweet Pea nods in understanding, “and the money of course. A girl’s got rent to pay” you smile. 

Sweet Pea believes you. He doesn’t have a reason to doubt you and it kind of makes you feel bad for taking advantage of him. You didn’t need the money and you would have done this for free anyway. That is how desperate and pathetic you felt. 

“Opportunist I see.” He smirks. 

“I have to be in my line of work.” It’s true. It’s a cutthroat world out there. 

He parks the car and you both get out.

“Ready?” he asks. 

“I act for a living. The question is are you ready?” you ask because you can see sweat dot his forehead and he looks as if he might hurl. 

He wipes away the sweat and takes a deep breath. “I think so.” More like he hopes so. 

You thought it was kind of cute that he was nervous. It wasn’t something you expected from him. “Ok just remember to relax.” You place a hand on his arm. “I’m here to help you. You’re not doing this alone.” 

You feel some of the tension leave his body as he relaxes under your touch. It’s odd but Sweet Pea finds it easy to be with you, you pull him in close and you instruct him on how to make it all seem believable. 

Most of the wedding guests are not people Sweet Pea knows. He only knows his fellow people from Riverdale. He doesn’t know how they’d react to you. As far as they knew he wasn’t dating anyone. 

Right before the entrance to the ceremony he stopped walking and you were left confused as to why he had stopped. 

“Sweet Pea?” you asked.

“I can’t do this.” he said. “They’ll all know this is fake. I didn't even come up with a cover story as to who you are. If my friends start asking…”

You interrupt him before he could have a complete meltdown. “Don’t worry” you say rubbing his back. “I’m very good at improvising. We got this” you reassured. “Just follow my lead.”

He nods. “Ok, I think I can do that. I have some acting experience under my belt as well. I was the lead in the Heathers Musical in high school. I can do this.”

You quirked an eyebrow. “Were you really?” you were impressed. This might just be easier than you originally thought. 

He smiled a bit embarrassed at what he revealed. “Yeah.” He feigned nonchalance. 

You laugh. “If this ends well. I’m going to need to see pictures or else I won't believe you. Better yet, you can sing for me.”

That seemed to relax him again. “It was a long time ago. Don't get ahead of yourself. First lets get through the ceremony, that's the easiest part. The reception is where the real challenge is.” He seemed more himself. 

“Then let's get a move on,” you pull him towards the meadow where the other guests have already taken their seats. 

You found your way to a pew on the bride's side despite not knowing her. The one you did know was the groom. But it would have been weird to sit on his side anyway, he didn’t even know you were here. 

Sweet Pea decided on staying a bit further back than his friends. He didn’t think he could handle them bombarding him with questions just yet. He only just managed to keep his cool. 

Even though he appeared better he hadn’t let go of your hand. It was a bit warm and sweaty but you didn’t mind. It actually felt quite nice. 

It was almost time to start and that’s when you saw him. You squeezed Sweet Pea’s hand when you did. If he thought it unusual, he didn’t comment on it. 

This was the first time you’d seen him in what seemed like forever. He looked just as handsome as the day you met only older and with a beard. He seemed on edge but not in a bad way. 

The wedding took place in the evening, the sun was setting as the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife. It was very beautiful, if only you could ignore the pang of jealousy that rests heavy on your heart.

The reception was held just down the way from where the ceremony took place. It too was outdoors with the darkening sky as the backdrop. The place was decorated with beautiful lights making the whole place look like a dream. 

You walked in and took your seats. All seemed to be going well until Sweet Pea’s friends gathered at the table. He introduced you to his best friend Fangs, Toni and her girlfriend Cheryl. They all seemed nice but then they asked how the two of you met.

His immediate answer was, “at a party” while you said, “Through a friend”. You nervously look at each other but this only rose suspicion from his friend. Toni quirked an eyebrow waiting for you to continue. Cheryl looked bored and Fangs was oblivious. 

Then he changed his answer to, “through a friend” as you said, “at a party.” You mentally cursed yourself and Sweet Pea. He was supposed to follow your lead. 

Toni smirked and her eyes gleamed, having seemed to have caught you two in the lie. “Is that so?”

You two looked at each other again and despite stumbling over your answers, it was obvious what the next words out of both of you were. “At a party, through a friend.”

Toni didn't seem convinced but then before she could get another word in, Betty came and hugged you. 

“I’m so glad you made it” she said aloud. The added in your ear, “I was afraid I’d sent you the ad too late.” So it was Betty who sent you the link. 

Sweet Pea was beyond confused. What the hell did he get himself into? Maybe you really can’t see crazy from just looking at someone. He was under the impression that you were only doing this for the money. 

“Betty! It’s been so long, how are you? I was just about to tell everyone how you introduced me and Sweet Pea at a party a couple years ago.” 

She gave you a questioning look but quickly caught on as she realized you had a pleading look on your face. 

She shook her head as if clearing it. “Right, sorry it was so long ago I almost forgot.”

Sweet Pea was still quiet trying to process what was going on and Toni noticed.

“Is that how it happened Sweet Pea?” she asked as she stared him down. Oh no, you had a feeling she might actually be the one to crack him. You had managed to get this far, you weren’t about to let it go to shit now. 

Betty felt bad for having to leave but she didn’t know your cover story. She didn’t want to accidentally ruin it so she excused herself saying she needed to find Jughead. 

His continued silence piqued the interest of Cheryl. “Sweet Pea?” 

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. That is how it happened, Toni” he said slightly annoyed giving off the impression he was offended. “We didn’t get along at first and…”

You interrupted him incase he said something you couldn’t take back. “We didn’t stay in contact, obviously” you looked to him to make sure he was getting on the same page as you. “But we bumped into each other at a coffee shop a while back” a while being a few short hours, “and seeing a familiar although annoying face was just what I needed.”

Sweet Pea thought back to how you looked when he first saw you. “Yeah. She looked so sad,” he said without really thinking. Her beauty was obvious but now that he thought about it, you did look kinda sad. 

You didn’t know he had noticed that. Just before he had arrived you were thinking about how your soulmate was marrying someone else today. “I wouldn’t say I was sad” you paused. “Maybe a bit nervous?” you added. 

“Oh? Nervous for what?” asked Fangs finally piping into the conversation. Or slight interrogation since Toni was still seemed suspicious.

“A job interview, of sorts” you said. Which wasn’t technically a lie. You were set to meet up with Sweet Pea to see if you could pull off being his date.

“You had that audition that day right?” Sweet Pea added. You both seemed to be getting better at this improvising together thing. 

“Yes.” You looked to him and gave him a reassuring smile letting him know he was doing really well. 

“Audition?” 

“Mmmhh, I’m an actress.”

As soon as those words left your mouth, you knew you were going to regret them. Both Toni and Cheryl had that ‘gotcha’ face.

“I knew it! Sweet Pea did you hire this poor girl to be your date?” Toni tutted in disappointment. 

Cheryl chimed in “That really is low even for you Sweet Pea” in a tone that sounded a bit condescending. 

Meanwhile, Fangs was finally putting two and two together as he remembered about the ad. 

You and Sweet Pea blanche. This was it, you had been caught. He thought he might as well come clean but then turned around those thoughts and tried a different tactic. 

“You got me” he said as if he was admitting defeat after getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

You quickly picked up and said, “Damn. I swear I thought we’d be more convincing than this.”

“Oh my god. So it's true? He really did hire you?” asked Toni. 

Sweet Pea sighed but you continued. “Yes. The truth is. We met only a few hours ago. He came in these incredibly tight clothes” you lightly scratch down his chest, “and I just couldn’t help myself. We had sex in his car.”

Sweet Pea blushed, Fangs’ jaw dropped, Toni was stunned, and Cheryl eyed you two but nodded. “That explains the hair,” she was quick to point out. Of course she would think it’s sex hair. However, it was a bit of a mess due to Sweet Pea nervously running his hands through his hair all evening. 

You bite your lip to suppress a laugh. 

“Afterwards I asked her if she wanted to come to a wedding. We didn’t have much time but we made it in time.” He smiles down at you, wraps his arm over your shoulder and pulled you close. 

Fangs nods. Toni is still shocked. Cheryl looks over your dress, “And that explains the outfit.” You were baffled at her comment but kept your mouth shut. 

Deciding that the game was over, you said, “Seriously though, why would Sweet Pea hire me? Do we not make a cute couple?”

Toni and Cheryl gave each other a guilty look but Fangs had a feeling he knew what you two were up to. 

“Sorry. It’s just that we’ve never heard anything about you and we knew this day might be hard for him. Our mistake.” They seemed embarrassed and quickly dismissed themselves. 

After they walked off, it was just you and Sweet Pea again, he led you to the open bar with his hand on the small of your back as you two burst into fits of laughter. You cannot believe you actually pulled that off. 

Once the laughter wore off his face grew serious. He leaned into you and whispered, “You lied to me.”

You sigh, “I did.” You really didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t ever supposed to find out. You were supposed to be his convincing wedding date, see your ex and at the end of the night he’d pay you and you’d never see him again. 

“Why? I told you why I needed a date. But you lied to me. You told me you were a struggling actress.” He looked genuinely hurt about being lied to.

You scrunched your face and groaned. Sure, you felt bad but you couldn’t take it back now. “Technically that's not a lie.”

He shook his head and called for the bartender to order a drink. “I don't like liars.”

Maybe you should have just been upfront about it. Maybe he would have understood.

Suddenly, you look up from across the room and see him. All smiles. He seemed to be glowing in happiness and his bride was the same as everyone cheers for them. 

He wondered why you had paused and followed your line of sight. At first Sweet Pea was curious as to why the bride and groom had gotten your attention. He looked at them. They looked unimaginably happy in their wedding bliss, it seemed as if they saw nobody else but each other. 

As he watched them he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. He wasn’t pining over Josie anymore but he couldn’t help but wonder why. Why couldn’t she ever look at him the way she looked at her new husband. Would anyone ever look at him that way?

He looked back over to you. Your body tense, your face expressionless but your eyes held that same sadness he noticed at the coffee shop. He recognized it as pain. The pain was masked well, but not that well. It’s the kind of pain you have when love isn’t returned and even though you wish them nothing but happiness you can’t help but feel as if your heart had just been stomped on. 

Sweet Pea was slowly piecing it together. “How exactly did you find my ad again?”

His question pulled you out of your thoughts. “Hm? Oh, umm… I think Betty may have sent it to me.” 

He questions you, “And how do you know Betty?”

You tear your gaze off the bride and groom and look at Sweet Pea. “College. She was my roommate freshman year.”

The bartender brings over your drinks. He ordered a few of shots and he slid one over to you.

You eyed him cautiously. He rolls his eyes, “We’re about to eat anyway. Come on.” He downs his first shot.

You say what the hell and just down it too. Then you go back to your seats just as the servers are bringing out the food. 

“Tell me. What's so good about him?” Sweet Pea asks. He managed to clue it together when he remembered your earlier words about knowing how it felt to not have feelings returned. He asked because he really wanted to know why you would want to come to ex’s wedding, on purpose. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have come but everyone said it was ok and he even spoke to Josie who asked him if there were no hard feelings. Of course Sweet Pea said no but as soon as those words left his mouth it left a bad taste in his mouth. 

A server passed with some champagne and you waved him over. You brought the glass to your lips, avoiding Sweet Pea’s gaze. He raised his brows at you waiting for you to answer. “I feel so stupid just thinking it” you take a long drink. 

“So you’re not over your ex?” he asks. 

“It's not like that.”

“What’s it like then?” he challenged.

You continue to avoid meeting his eyes and shake your head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Despite what you may think of me, I’m actually a pretty understanding guy. And when I want to, I can be a good listener too.” This time he smiles softly and encouragingly. 

You side eye him before downing the rest of your drink. “Okay but, don't laugh,” pointing your finger at him in warning. 

He pressed his lips into a thin line to stop himself from smiling but nodded for you to go on. 

What harm could telling him do now? You just wanted to rip the bandaid off and get the conversation out of the way. 

You set down your glass and faced him. “He was my first college boyfriend. My first real boyfriend.” Slightly shaking your head as you thought about it. 

“We were together maybe three months? I don’t remember but I was head over heels for this guy. We had so much in common. He liked going to all the same places I did, we had the same favorite foods and movies. It was like we were meant to be. Like we were… soulmates.” You gauge his reaction and find that he’s looking at you as if with concern. “What? I really think,” you caught yourself, “thought, we were soulmates.”

That piqued his interest. “Thought?”

 You shrugged. “I don't know. Seeing them together, it just made me think that maybe he was never really my soulmate. Maybe I was just too caught up in my first love to really see it.”

Sweet Pea just hums in understanding but he didn’t quite know what to say. So he went with, “Wow… you were right. I don’t understand.” His tone had a teasing edge to it that you couldn't keep the smile off your lips. 

“Look we all make mistakes when it comes to love. It’s just life.”

You sigh but don’t say anything, getting too lost in your own thoughts. 

“You know, you could have just told me this when I told you about Josie. It would have made me feel a lot better to know you weren’t a complete basket case.”

“You thought I was crazy?” you ask. 

He laughs. You notice the crinkles surrounding his eyes as he does so. “Oh I still do. Totally bonkers! Man, I fear for my safety.” At a passing server he asked, “Excuse me, do you know this woman she says she’s my date but I don’t know her.” The man ignored him and kept walking. 

You laugh too as you swat his arm lightly, partly because he was mocking you and partly because at one point you thought about the possibility of him being loony as well. “I’m sorry. Okay.” When the laughter between you died down you added, “I just didn’t want to seem…”

“Pathetic?” you nod. “That makes two of us.” By then, the food had been served and you had more drinks in front of you. He raises his glass. “Cheers.”

“What are we cheering to?”

“To being pathetic. We’re both at our exes wedding. And we’re both still single.” Sweet Pea scoffed a laugh, shook his head, and took a long swig of his drink. 

You took a long swig of your drink as well seeing as how Sweet Pea’s words rang too true.

“I had to post an ad to get a date, and you had to answer it to be here. I think we’re both pretty pathetic right now. How much worse can it get?”

After dinner and a few more drinks, you and Sweet Pea were getting more comfortable around each other, you were having fun but anytime any of you even looked at the bride and groom those feelings of inadequacy returned which really dampened the mood quite a bit.

During the couples’ first dance you two stepped out, away, not wanting to see that. It felt nice being alone without the chaos of the reception. Though you could still softly hear the music and people laughing.

You two held hands as he led you somewhere you couldn’t be seen.

“Uh oh, is this where you kill me?” you joke.

“Only if I wanted to kill you with kisses” he admits. 

You giggled unsure if it had to do with the alcohol you consumed or the company you were keeping. “Oh that was so smooth.”

He shrugs and shines his oh so cocky yet charming smile. “Lets dance, yeah?”

You bring your arms up around his neck while his hands go to your hips. You sway softly to the barely audible music and just look into each other's eyes. He really was very handsome and it still baffled you that he had trouble finding a date to this wedding. 

Sweet Pea was just thanking the stars, and Betty, for sending you that email link to his ad because he was really glad it was you he brought. He couldn’t imagine being here with anyone else. 

Everything just seemed to be working out. It’s been fun if you were being honest. 

“You know, I thought I'd be more upset.”

“About what,” he asked.

“About finding out he was never my soulmate. It definitely hurts to see them together. But I’m not too broken up about it, you know?”

He nodded but still asked, “What changed?”

You think about it for a second but come up blank. “I don’t know, but I’m glad it did.”

He looked up at the reception and asked, “Do you think we”ll ever have something this?

You follow his gaze, “We will. I mean who wouldn’t want us? We’re great catches. You managed to find a date, I managed to get in via plus one, and we didn’t ruin the wedding. I’d count that as a success.”

You both just laugh as you continue to sway back and forth. You stayed like that for another while longer just swaying, smiling and looking into each others eyes in complete comfortable silence. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to be in this stranger's arms. Only he didn’t feel like a stranger. He felt warm and safe. Dare you say, he felt like home. 

Out of the corner of your eye you spot some movement, you try to ignore it but then you hear a giggle getting closer so you snuck a quick glance at who was coming your way. That was when you spotted the bride and groom heading straight for the two of you. 

“Don’t freak out” he quickly raised his eyebrows, “but the bride and groom are heading our way.”

“What?” he whisper yelled. He was about to pull away but you held onto him tightly against you. 

You smile and giggle as if he just told you something funny. He looks at you strangely. You tell him, “We’re being watched.”

He looks concerned. He just knows Josie will see right through him and figure it all out and then the two of you will look like fools. 

“Do you trust me?” you ask.

He nods and follows your lead. 

“Look at me. Breathe in and slowly exhale. We got this. Relax. Now smile softly.”

He tries but appears pained yet you can't help but smile at his attempts. “Don’t look so scared Sweet Pea, I promised I wouldn’t kill you.”

That got him to relax a bit more. They were still a little ways away. You cupped his handsome face into your hands. 

“It’s time to put those acting skills to work, okay?”

He brought his hands on top of yours. Then he grabs your left hand and presses a gentle kiss on the palm of it. It gave you butterflies but you couldn’t dwell on that just yet. You were on a mission to deliver the best performance of your life. 

In the softest voice you could muster, you began. “Look at me as if you were experiencing the sunset for the first time. In a world with dull blacks and whites, the sunset is the first burst of soft colors you see. The swirling of pinks, purples and oranges.” 

You can see the start of a loving smile on his face. It suited him. He was starting to look more at peace than he had the entire evening. You continue, “Look at me like a parent seeing their newborn child for the first time. Happy that they are alive and healthy. Look at me like I’m your greatest love. Your soulmate.” 

Now his smile was so wide that it seemed to meet his eyes. “Like I just told you I love you for the first time.” 

As he continues to smile, his gaze briefly slides down to your lips before looking you in the eye again. To think that he wants to kiss you is so very tempting yet he seems unsure of himself. He knows he wants to kiss you. He’s been wanting to since he first saw you but he didn’t know if that was something you wanted. 

Sure, you’d been actively flirting with him but maybe you were just that good of an actress. Maybe you were just using your skills and he was falling for the wrong person, again. 

You could see his internal dilemma. He wanted to kiss you but he was holding back. Here he was being a true gentleman. Not every man in this situation would do the same. Some would have felt entitled for more but not Sweet Pea. 

It had been a long time since you had dated and you’ve seen people genuinely care about you but the look on his face was different. It was as if you had spoken life into the words you were describing to him just a few seconds ago. He was looking at you as if you were his whole world. 

Nobody had ever looked at you with such intensity. It made your heart tighten and your stomach flutter. You haven’t known this man for more than a few hours and already you felt a much deeper connection to him than the man you thought was your soulmate for years. 

You had to take that chance right? This kind of connection is what most people only dream of having. Who were you to let that slip through your fingers simply because you two had just met?

You leaned up to him and brought your lips together in a slow and sensual kiss. 

The two of you hadn’t noticed how much time had gone by until you heard someone cough in an attempt to get your attention. You pulled apart, slightly out of breath, and a bit embarrassed you had been so caught up in the moment. 

The bride and groom stood a few feet from you. His arm wrapped around his new wife’s waist as his eyes fell on you and it took a second for him to recognize you. 

Just before he could say anything, Josie unwraps herself from him and goes to give Sweet Pea a hug. “I’m so glad you came.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it” he lied. “It’s not everyday you get to show off that you know a star.” 

“Speaking of showing off. Is this your girlfriend?”

“No” you elbow him. “I mean yes. Sorry, I meant no as in...”

“Its ok,” you say to Sweet Pea as you take his nervous hand in yours. “We’re still figuring things out. It’s pretty new.” Hours actually, not that it was real but you really wanted it to be. 

“It’s a small world.” Josie’s new husband finally chimed in. “Fancy seeing you here” he told you. 

“Yeah.” This time it was your turn to lie. “I didn’t know whose wedding this was when I got invited. All I knew was that it was an old friend of Sweet Pea’s.” You turned to look at him with a shy smile. 

“Wait,” Josie looked between you and her husband. “You two know each other?”

You had no idea what he would say. He could straight up lie and say you were just friends or that you had a class together in college. In fact, you were prepared for the lie but it never came. “Me and Y/n briefly dated as freshman.”

Josie seemed surprised at the revelation. “Oh.”

To you, it felt more than ‘briefly’ but apparently to him it was something he had long ago forgotten. “Right. Briefly.” Had you heard him say that any other time it would have really stung but for some reason it didn’t. Maybe it had to do with the fact that you can see how happy he is now or the fact that you are having unusually strong feels for the man whose hand is currently in yours. 

“We had a general ed class together. That’s how we met. We had so much in common. Maybe too much, that's why we ended things.” He looked down at his wife. 

That is not exactly how you remembered things. You distinctly remember him saying that you two just wouldn’t work out in the long run and that you would be better off as friends, but it definitely wasn’t a mutual breakup. He made the decision all on his own and you had no choice but to go along with it. What were you supposed to do? Beg him to give you another chance? That really wasn’t your style. 

“I know I have my moments but it would be too vain to would want to date myself” he joked and Josie laughed. A real laugh, not just because she wanted to make him feel better about his obviously lame joke. He looked back to you. “Now that I think about it, I don’t understand why we didn’t stay friends.” 

You shrugged, “Different majors I guess. We sort of just lost touch.” 

It was quiet for a few seconds as nobody knew what to say, a slow fog of awkwardness surrounding you. 

“Congratulations on the wedding. Really, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you” they said at the same time and looked into each others eyes and giggled like shy teenagers in love. It was really weird to watch. 

“It really was lovely, Josie. I’m so happy for you” Sweet Pea said. 

She smiled. “Thank you Sweet Pea. That means a lot.” Before the awkward silence could seep back through she pointed out the question you and Sweet Pea had been dreading. “Ok so, me and Sweet Pea know each other from our hometown. You two met in college,” she points to you and her husband. “But how do you and Sweet Pea know each other?” 

It was an automatic answer. Too automatic that it sounded rehearsed. “At a party, through a friend.” 

This time you and Sweet Pea laughed it off. “Betty introduced us” said Sweet Pea. 

She laughed. “Ah, Betty. Always the matchmaker.” Which was totally true. She loved being in love with her high school sweetheart that she wanted everyone to have a taste of what she had. 

Finally Josie’s new husband spoke up. “Honey, we should get back before your mother thinks I’ve dragged you off for some pre-honey moon activities.”

She rolled her eyes and groaned, “You’re right, I swear that woman has been such a bridezilla about everything and it’s not even her wedding.”

“Cut her some slack, she just wanted her only daughter to have the perfect wedding.” He turns to you and Sweet Pea, “It was really great to see you and we hope you enjoy the rest of the reception.”

They waved and said goodbye and when you and Sweet Pea were finally alone again you both were able to breathe freely and after a second you both started cracking up. You two did it. You managed to get through the entire wedding and an interaction with the bride and groom without completely falling apart. 

After the laughter subsided, you realized you two were still holding hands as you both smiled at each other. It was a pretty quiet save for the crickets chirping in the night and the soft sounds coming from the reception. 

“You wanna go dance in there?” he nods towards where the dancefloor is located. “As my date real date to this wedding?”

 You smile brightly and he pulls you by your intertwined hand and you feel that same fluttering in your stomach you’ve been feeling almost all night. You don’t know how you got this lucky to be here.