Let's finish this, shall we?

47

"Oh, Annie. I wish you'd loosen up," my mom states from where she's positioned in front of her bedroom vanity mirror. Leaning closer towards her reflection, she fluffs her hair out around her shoulders and then turns slightly around in her seat to glance at me. "It's just the rehearsal dinner, dear. Believe it or not, this is the easiest part."

Her hair has grown considerably since the beginning of the summer and it falls around her small shoulders in beautiful, bronzed layers. I'm sitting on the edge of her bed, sullenly chewing my fingernails, and instead of offering her a response, I watch as she expertly tucks her flyaways behind her ears. She twirls a strand around her freshly manicured fingers and carefully drags them down the length of her hair until they stop to rest against the thin strap of her dress.

"I told Liv I wanted simple, but now I'm starting to think I should've gone for a dress fancier." Her eyes find mine, "What do you think?"

I twist my lips into somewhat of a smile. She's dressed in a gorgeous, ivory, satin slip that stops right above her knees. From the front, it appears to be nothing out of the ordinary, but, once she turns around, elegant, jewel-encrusted straps criss-cross beautifully over her back. Against her honeyed tan, it truly does look stunning.

"That dress is perfect," I admit. "You look amazing, Mom."

A slight smile lifts the corners of her mouth and she tilts her head. "I feel amazing." She smoothes her hands down across the thin fabric covering her thighs and stands from her seat; approaching me. Reaching out, she presses her fingers against the underside of my chin and tilts my head up so that I'm forced to meet her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not the one getting married." I tease, "I should be asking you that." We're a mere two hours away from the rehearsal dinner and even though I'm not the one getting married, I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous. With everything being finally solidified and the end of the summer coming to a fast close, it's getting harder and harder to ignore reality. My mom is marrying Andrew and soon enough Luke will be my actual stepbrother.

"Seriously, Annie. How are you feeling about everything? The wedding, Andrew, this new life."

I hate it. All of it. Yet, "I feel fine, Mom."

"You're lying."

I am. Yet, "I'm serious. Everything's totally fine!"

"Talk to me, Annie. You've been quiet all week, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," I insist, forcing myself to laugh. Maybe then, she'll believe me.  "I'm fine. Really." It's a lie, of course, but what else is new?

The bed dips as she takes a seat beside me. "What, do you think I'm blind? I'm your mother, I know when you're upset, Anastasia." Her observation doesn't shock me. Of course, she's noticed. Andrew's noticed, Bryana's noticed, and even 'too busy to stop and smell the roses' Liv has noticed. I haven't been myself. Only, it has nothing to do with the wedding and I can't tell her that.

It's been exactly two weeks since the dress fitting and my fallout (and in?) with Luke. It's also the last time I've spoken to him, let alone anyone else in the house. It's been exhausting these last several days. Between the constant errands, last-minute fittings, and finalizations of wedding plans, there hasn't been any time for anyone to stop and take a breather. When I'm not sleeping, I'm with Liv taking another several hundred measurements of the venue. When I'm not showering or trying to scarf down breakfast in ten minutes, I'm yaying or naying floral arrangements.

I hate myself for it, but I miss him. I hate myself even more because I'm the one who sent him away. And I hate myself even more because truthfully, he should be the last person on my mind. With a sigh, I lean over and rest my head on my mother's shoulder. Her arm wraps around me, urging me closer against her, and fingers weave themselves through my curls. "I'm just tired, Mom."

"Just tired?"

"Liv's been running everyone ragged with errands."

"Is that so?" From her tone of voice, I can tell she doesn't believe me. I mean, why would she? I'm completely incapable of lying when it really matters and also, my hands can't seem to stop picking at the loose threads on my ripped jeans. Dead giveaway.

I swallow hard, slightly panicking. "Yes. I'm starting to think the woman has caffeine for blood. Today, she made me count every single fl--"

"Annie," she interrupts, quietly. "Does this have something to do with ... Luke, maybe?"

I blink, taken aback, and words fail me.

"So, yes then?" Her hand drops from my hair. With a meek nod, she stands from the bed and moves so that she's standing directly in front of me. Her hand goes to her forehead and she sighs, "Andrew was right."

My brain stutters for a moment and my thoughts scramble to make sense of her statement. Andrew was right? What the hell does that mean? He couldn't possibly know anything. Could he?

"What's going on with you two?" She presses.

I open my mouth to talk, but I can't seem to form a sentence. Do I lie? Do I tell the truth after all this time? What about the wedding? What about the rehearsal dinner that's happening tonight?

"Annie? Talk to me."

Before I can decide whether to lie or tell the truth, we're interrupted by the sound of someone knocking against the door. It pushes open and a head full of blonde curls come into view. Saved by Liv. "Claire bear, it's picture time." She sings, a huge grin plastered across her bright face.

My mom looks from me to Liz and it's like all is forgotten. Her eyes light and she smiles, excitedly. "I'll be down in a second."

--

While everyone is busy getting primped and prepared for tonight, I sneak downstairs to see the backyards transformation before the guests arrive. I have to admit, everything looks great. I have to give it to Liv, she did a great job. The long tables are set and elegantly dressed in ivory flowers, candles, and champagne flutes. Lanterns line the perimeter of the pool, and fairy lights twinkle above the entire backyard. It's almost as if we're right underneath the stars, completely beautiful and incredibly surreal.  From where I'm standing at the balcony door, I can see the platform that Andrew setup for the guys to play. It's curtained underneath a canopy of umber-glowing lights and makes the perfect centerpiece for the backyard. There's a drum set there, sitting right behind three neatly arranged mic stands, and even though the boys aren't actually playing a set tonight, I smile excitedly to myself, thinking of the first time I ever saw Ashton's set at his house.

"Looks pretty amazing, doesn't it?"

I turn my head, meeting Andrew's gaze, and my smile widens. "Amazing is an understatement." He's gone for smart-casual tonight, clad in navy chinos and a layered grey sweater and dress shirt. It's a huge step up from his novelty tees, but a nice look on him. I tell him so, "You look great, Andrew."

The surprise on his face is evident. "Really? Thanks, Annie." A modest grin lifts the corners of his mouth and he glances down the length of his body. Fingers caress the hem of his sweater. "Actually," He chuckles, "the boys helped."

"I'm impressed," I laugh. "Are you excited about tonight?"

"Nervous," he admits, nodding his head. Eyes turn to glance over his shoulder, his face suddenly serious, then he turns back to me. "Hey, um can we talk for a second?"

My smile falters thinking of my mother's earlier statements and, noticing, Andrew vigorously shakes his head. "Oh, it's nothing bad, just a few words to you that I've been meaning to get off my chest."

A few words? About what? Or, who. Anxiously, I reach up to tug on my earlobe. "Sure."

"I know it might seem like your mother and I ran into this engagement fast, but I want you to know that I am absolutely in love with her, Anastasia."

Oh.

"When I first met your mother, she was so unlike me in many ways. Charming, personable, and different. Just completely out of my league, really. It's hard to even think about someone as beautiful and beguiling as her wanting to spend the rest of their life with me, let alone ya' know, actually seeing it. I'd marry her right now if I could." He stops, nervously chuckling, and then he completely faces me. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you, Annie."

"Thank me? For what? I had no part in any of this."

"But you did, Annie. You could've completely responded to this differently. Ran away, refused to help with this dinner, refused to come to the wedding. I don't know, anything. The point is that you didn't. Even when you had to move away from your town, even when you met Luke. Through it all, you stayed, you accepted, and you helped. I noticed and I can't begin to tell you how very thankful I am."

He's staring at me, blue eyes honest and sincere, and my heart swells. I blink fast; a pretty obvious attempt at trying to get the threat of tears to subside. Clearing my throat, I nod. My voice is hoarse when I mutter, "You're welcome." It's not at all what I want to say, but I know if I speak anymore I might cry. Leaning forward, I awkwardly wrap an arm around Andrew's waist.

"Oh," he laughs, caught off-guard by my uncharacteristic display of affection, but then his arms encircle around me, fully embracing me. After a minute, he leans back, gently rubbing my back. "Now, come on, I need you dressed and ready so we can get this thing started before your mom gets cold feet."

I laugh, oddly thinking of Luke.

--

AN - someone said they wanted an update. 50 votes for a new chapter, just like the old days ♡