Andy talks to Jenner.

*

Rhysand doesn't have many guests from his side for the wedding.

Andy feels her heart clench looking at the stack of invitations. One side is hers, and it's...a mountain, and the other side is Rhysand's, and it's less than half of Andy's.

It makes her sad. Andy sinks on the floor and purses her lips, staring at the difference.

"Okay, they have the Pepperoni Crunch," Jenner cheers from the couch. "You want an extra basket of mojos, sweetheart?"

"Sure," Andy mutters, hugging herself.

Jenner glances at her. "O...kay," he says with a frown, tapping on his phone. "Hold up, lemme finish our order because I'm fucking starving, and then I'll ask you what's wrong."

Andy bites her lip and looks at her stack. Maybe she should invite less people. The wedding is so expensive, it's at an island where everyone has to fly there, and Rhysand's paying for all the tickets and accommodations and she feels—she feels guilty he's doing this all because it's been her dream to get married there, and he doesn't have a lot of people he wants to invite.

No. Not wants to. Rhysand doesn't have a lot of people he can invite.

Andy closes her eyes and thinks of dogs. Cute dogs—to try and take her mind off of it—Rhysand's past. His life without parents, people who love him and were supposed to take care of him.

It doesn't work. Andy shuts her eyes tighter, and then her whole face crumples, and then she's crying, face in her hands.

"Shit," she hears Jenner mutter, and then there's shuffling, and she feels him behind her, wrapping her in a hug, stroking her back. "Hey, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

Andy sniffles and sobs, "Jenner."

"Yeah?" He sounds so worried. "You having second thoughts?"

"No," Andy answers in a small voice immediately, shaking her head. She wipes her tears, breathing heavily and turns around to look at her friend behind the wetness of her vision. "Not at all. I've been dreaming about marrying Rhys since we went out to dinner together the first time."

At that, Jenner's mouth quirks upward. He rubs her arm and says, "Okay, then what's wrong?"

Andy takes a deep breath and scoots away from the table to show him. "Look."

Jenner doesn't take long to get it. He sighs, shoulders slumping forward. "Sweetheart..."

"It's just you, Embry, Sage, Derek, Celine, Braeden, and a few more people from Sterling," she mumbles, heart feeling heavy. "I just...he deserves so much better than this, Jenner. He deserves so much more love especially from family and I'm...I'm heartbroken he doesn't have it."

Her cheeks stain with more tears, and Jenner pulls her in for a side-hug. "Andy. Rhys looks up to Trey like his own father, and Trey treats him like a son. He's close with my parents, too, and with your other friends—with Adrian and Tristan and MJ and even Sab."

"It's not the same," Andy says, frustrated, fingers pressing to her eyes. "It's not the same. He was alone his whole life."

"I know." Jenner hugs her tighter and rubs her shoulder. He sucks in a deep breath and quietly says, "You know, when I first met him, he acted like a fucking asshole because he thought he deserved being treated like shit in return."

"That's not true," Andy says, voice breaking.

"It's all he's ever known, Andy," he reminds her, and Andy's heart breaks. "He was an asshole to me, so I was an asshole to him. And then on Christmas, I was going home, and I found out from Veronica he was staying in the company to work because well, the fucker didn't have anyone to spend Christmas with, so I stayed back with him."

Andy didn't know this. She sniffs and swallows thickly. "Really?"

"Yeah." Jenner shakes his head and exhales heavily, eyes looking upward, eyebrows drawing together like he's trying to remember. "Now that I recall, it's fucking bitchy Veronica didn't care Rhys was spending it alone."

It's one of the reasons why Andy hates her. She sneers and says, "No offense, J, but I hate her with every bone in my body."

Jenner laughs, throwing his head back. "Yeah, I don't blame you. But anyway, I stayed back with him, forced him to eat dinner with me, forced him every day after that to hang out with me even though he looked like he wanted to stab himself with a fork every time. Plus, you know Rhys. He doesn't really talk much—I was making all the effort to be his goddamn friend."

Andy bites her lip. "He didn't know how to be friends. He didn't have one before you."

"I know," Jenner says, snorting. "And then one time I was supposed to come over his to play games, but I couldn't come because I was sick, and I couldn't tell him because I was in and out of sleep for hours. Rhys left me messages."

Jenner pulls out his phone, and Andy gasps, eyes widening. "You still have them?"

"I took screenshots," he tells her, winking, scrolling through his screen with his finger. "I was so touched because it was the first time Rhys ever fucking messaged me. He never replied to any of my texts before that. Oh, here." Jenner gives her the phone.

Andy takes it slowly, blinks at the screen.

Hello.

It's Rhysand. Rhysand Harton.

Where the fuck are you

If you're busy then fucking say so I don't need to waste my time waiting for you to play this game with me.

But also if you're in trouble or some shit let me know because I don't need to waste my time worrying about you shithead

Andy, despite her tears, laughs.

Jenner laughs, too. "Right, so, clearly he needed lessons to be a decent social human being. My reply was that I was sick and I was going to come over the next day, and he read that message but didn't respond. An hour later I hear banging on my door and Rhysand comes in and shoves a plastic bag in my hands, and then turns around and leaves. He bought medicine for me."

Andy blinks at him. "Really?"

"We still don't talk about it to this day," Jenner says, scoffing, "but that asshole loves me."

Andy manages a smile, remembering Rhysand's tattoo. "Yes, he does."

Jenner brushes the hair out of his eyes and takes a deep breath, staring at the stacks of invitations. "Andy," he says quietly. "Rhys deserved a family."

Andy hugs her knees and nods, staring at the invitations, too. "He did. He does."

"Yes, he does. And that's what you're going to give him, right?" Jenner asks softly, reaching over to hold her hand. He squeezes it. "I know I'm his family. I was his first family, I will forever be his family. But being married to you...that's different. And I want to make sure my best friend is going to get the family he deserves."

Andy nods mutely, bowing her head. "He is," she assures him. As much as Rhysand loves Jenner, Jenner loves him, too.

Jenner wants the best for Rhysand—he wants him to be happy. It's all he's ever wanted, and it's all he's asking from Andy.

"You were the first person to make him understand what love is," Jenner continues quietly. "What home is. You showed him, and now, Rhys knows he deserves to be loved."

Andy can't help herself. Fat tears come rolling down her face, and she slaps her hands on her eyes. "Oh, God," she whispers, voice breaking. "Jenner, I'm so thankful you...you chose to love him, too. To stay by his side all these years."

"Oh, sweetheart," Jenner says, hugging her. "It's me who's thankful you chose to love him. Again."

"I never stopped," Andy whispers.

The door jingles with the key. Jenner pulls back and winks at her.

Andy wipes her tears hurriedly.

Rhysand opens the door and steps in, blinking at them. "Hey."

"Yeah, so, you're gonna need to cuddle the shit out of her," Jenner tells him, standing up. He takes his phone and keys from the table and slaps him on the shoulder. "I'm going to buy beer."

Rhysand pulls him back with a frown. "What happened? Why is she crying?"

"No idea," is Jenner's response, shrugging, and he puts on his shoes and leaves the house.

Andy sniffs and wipes her cheeks as her fiancé comes closer, worried. He cups her face and stares at her, eyebrows drawing together. "What's wrong, sunshine?"

"Nothing." Andy smiles as best as she can and leans forward, hugging him. She breathes in his scent and his warmth and feels all of his love from the beats on his chest, and she whispers in his ear, "I can't wait to get married to you."

Rhysand hugs her back, squeezes her, and whispers, "Me too, sunshine."

*

rhysand and jenner's friendship...im ugly crying