A/N: Sorry guys, I jumped forward two months, because the real story progresses from here :) My apologies that this chapter is such a cock-up


Chapter 13: "Doth my eyes deceive me?"

Let me tell you something after spending two months in Lucas Tarrone's company: your brain starts to leak out of your ears.

Contrary to popular opinion, it was possible to get tired of Luke and his company. Mind you, I was used to him by now, but that didn't change the fact that I was constantly close to beating his skull in.

Because I was the maid of honour and he was the best man, we basically had to do everything together.

And by everything, I literally mean everything.

We went to school together and came home together. We babysat his siblings together. We ordered the tablecloths and napkins and tables and rented out the venues and called out for entertainment together. We picked a catering service and a theme and helped the bridesmaids and other people involved in the wedding get their dresses and flowers.

I swear, he was such a help but such a pain in the ass that it almost took away from the enjoyment of the preparation. Randy totally thought I would fall in love with him because we were constantly together, but I hadn't yet.

I wasn't being stubborn, it was true. Luke may be an attractive fucker and could be charming and hilarious at times, but being around him exposed me to the kind of imperfections that made me want to rip out my eyes with a rusty fork.

The most I could say was that I was used to him and that I may have begun to think of him as a friend. Shocking, but somehow, him comforting me in my most vulnerable state caused me to stop constantly fighting with him in order to see him as a good guy, rather than the annoying shit I used to think he was. That I still think he was.

I wasn't allowing myself to think of anything more than that, because I had to focus on the wedding. If I decided to act upon these strange feelings, who know what would happen. I didn't even know how Luke felt, and he most likely didn't care one bit about me. At least, in the way I hoped he would.

That would be so embarrassing if I became another of those girls who just confess to him, only to be flatly rejected. I refused to be put into that category like 80% of the female population at our school. Not to mention I had to help out Mum now that her pregnancy was beginning to show.

When she told Dad...it wasn't pretty. There was a lot of screaming and throwing things and crying and I was pretty sure that he'd smashed a £300 vase. Nope, I have no idea why he'd even pay that much for  such an ugly thing.  

But I was right. He'd demanded she get an abortion, she'd refused, and now I couldn't stay in the house without hearing their constant screaming matches. I felt guilty to say that I was glad when he left for an extended business trip.

The only good thing that I could tell from the whole situation was that he actually did love my mum, considering how angry and upset he was when she told him she'd prefer to die herself than let the little baby die.

I hated that I agreed with Dad and not Mum, even though if she'd listened to him the first time, I wouldn't even be alive. But I wanted my mum to stay alive, even if it meant sacrificing a sibling. Yes, I was a selfish brat, but could you blame me? The woman who'd cared about me for seventeen years, or an unborn, underdeveloped foetus that would kill her? It was an easy choice, but still made me ill to think about.

After that, Seth and Marie had gone back to New York until the wedding, which would be in a couple weeks. The date of it was October 27th, and it was the sixteenth right now. Which meant that it was just Mum and I in the house. But now it was time to see just how well Luke and my preparations had paid off. It was time for the wedding rehearsal.

"My god, Luke, why is it so hard to keep your tie on properly?" I exclaimed almost yanking at my hair in frustration.

He simply grinned at me and shrugged, his haphazardly thrown on tie dangling like a towel around his neck. "Help me?" he suggested gruffly, beckoning for me with his finger.

I pursed my lips, wriggled my dress down, and carefully picked my way to him in the skyscraper heels that Molly had physically forced onto my feet. I hated them - I preferred to be short than to wobble around like a Stilt Man on drugs.

"Cheers Jordy," he thanked me as I deftly tied the fabric into a perfect knot.

"One of these days, I'm going to teach you how to do this," I murmured absentmindedly. Since it had happened so often, Luke being in such close proximity didn't affect me too much anymore, mostly because I was forcing myself to stop feeling. I had a responsibly to take care of my family, and I'll be damned if some schoolgirl butterflies were going to distract me.

"Will you really?" he asked me, a smirk tugging on his mouth.

I blinked in surprise when he butted his nose lightly against mine. The skin contact made me sigh. "Probably not," I admitted. For some reason, it was getting to be a tradition - me knotting his tie and whining about it while he promised he'd figure it out someday. Someday which had not happened yet, funnily enough.

There was a comfortable silence before Luke just had to open his blathering mouth. "Jordy, it's so weird for you to be higher than my elbow," he suddenly said.

I growled, not amused as I shoved him slightly. "Shut it, I'm always taller than your elbow!" I cried.

He burst out laughing. "I'm sure you are, little, bitty, baby Jordan!" 

I frowned in annoyance and stepped away from his warmth, making my way to see Molly instead. Everything was how she'd wanted it, everything was ordered for the big day, but it still wasn't enough. She was being the ultimate bridezilla, mixed in with her occasional moments of lovey-dovey romantic nonsense.

I sympathised with her because I'd hate it if anything in my wedding went wrong, but damn. I wasn't incompetent! Luke, maybe, but I was perfectly capable of handling a few wedding preparations thank you very much. I loved Molly, but sometimes the woman made me want to beat my head against a pole. She was like the feminine counterpart of Luke.

"Wait, Jordy!" I heard a loud and obnoxious voice call.

I rolled my eyes and paused, glancing over my shoulder to see Luke stumble on his dress shoes to get to me. "What are you doing?" I asked dryly.

He straightened out his tall figure and grinned widely at me, the deep dimples in his cheeks making their appearance. I couldn't help the small smile that inched up my lips as I saw the warmth burning in his hazel eyes. He really was a sweetheart - too bad he was also an idiot.

"What are you doing?" I repeated when he kept pace as I walked the path to Molly's dressing room.

"Following you," he replied easily, winking naughtily.

"Don't," I protested.

He paused, before a very cheeky look overtook his face. "Girls normally never say that to me," he mused.

I slapped his arm as hard as possible. "You are horrible!" I scoffed, trying to keep myself from chuckling.

He poked my side, right at my ticklish  spot. I squirmed away, causing him to bark out a laugh. "That was a sissy punch. Wimp," he taunted.

"Don't make me punch you in the dick," I warned.

"What? Kicking not personal enough for you?" He chuckled and poked my side again, this time extracting a strained giggle from me. "Oh, wait. I bet it's okay for you to punch me there since that's all you can reach."

"My god, do you ever shut up?" I hissed, but I wasn't really mad.

"Nope!" he sang. "Never, baby."

"Don't call me baby."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Don't tell me to not tell you what to do."

"Don't tell me to not tell you to not tell me what-"

"You two are just perfect, aren't you?"

Our heads snapped ahead, where I locked eyes with the bride herself. The mindless bickering Luke and I had been engaged in was so distracting that I hadn't even noticed that we'd reached Molly's dressing room.

I finally registered what she'd just said to us. "Stuff it," I said with a roll of my eyes. Luke just looked slightly amused.

Molly grinned. She looked a lot like Seth and I, with the dark hair and blue eyes, but her features were more of her mother's: soft rather than angled and sharp. Right now, her hair was in a complicated up-do and her face was dusted in a light coating of make-up, but she still wore a pair of cotton pyjamas. "You agree with me, don't you, Luke?"

"If I agree, will I get a kiss from the bride?" he asked cheekily.

Even though he was clearly joking, I wrinkled my nose in distaste, unsure why I felt so against that idea. Molly took one look at my expression and burst out laughing. "You'll have to get through Danny first, won't you?" she chuckled.

I groaned, running a hand through my freshly straightened hair. Normally, when it was in its regular waviness, it would hit the middle of my back, but straightened, it touched the top of my ass. "Why does everyone think we should be together?" I asked the ceiling, tipping my head back in frustration. I wasn't even joking. Luke's entire extended family were convinced that we were made for each other.

In my eyes, he deserved someone better than me, because as cheesy as it was, under that cocky exterior, he was the biggest sweetheart you could find.

"If everyone says it, don't you think they're onto something?" she asked pointedly. I ignored her, and instead glanced at Luke, who was pretending to be very interested in the belt of my dress. "You're not replying because you know I'm right, right?" she taunted, a triumphant smile on her face.

"I swear, if I didn't think you would clock me right back, I'd backhand you  in the face," I replied in an offhand voice. Luke snorted a laugh into his palm.

Molly just looked gratified. "Because I'm right and you don't like it," she confirmed, not leaving any room for argument. She cooed and patted my head when I started to shift around uncomfortably. "Don't feel awkward, Danny! You have Luke for support, don't you?"

We both looked at him, who looked uneasy at being put on the spot. "Of course," he stated smoothly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

He pulled me into his chest, causing me to internally cuss him out. God, now Molly would tell Mark, who would tell his mum, who then announce it at Arco Arena on the Jumbo Screen. Bitch. "Aw!" Molly yelled, clasping her hands together. "God, just go out already!"

"Molly!" I cried, horrified. To my embarrassment, my face started flushing deeply, which she took in the completely wrong way.

"Don't feel so embarrassed, Danny! Oh my, love is blooming!" Ignoring my protests, she twirled in a circle and danced back into her dressing room, leaving me stock still, mortification brimming inside me.

"I'm so sorry," I finally said in a low voice, rubbing a hand over my face. Oh my god, what was wrong with that woman? Just because she was getting married didn't mean I had to! Telling me to blatantly date Luke, what a freaking dick.

"It's okay, Jordy," he replied, surprisingly genial for being embarrassed to death not a moment before. "It's not our fault we have such undeniable chemistry."

I shoved him away from me, my freshly pale face flushing again. "Not you too!" I moaned. "Why? Why is this my life?"

He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets, something I've come to identify as when he felt a little uncomfortable. "Don't complain, Jordy, so many girls would die to be in your place, you should grab the chance!"

"Don't be so full of shit," I snapped.

"Don't hate, baby, it was how I born."

"Don't call me baby!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

I couldn't help it. I burst into laughter, leaning heavily against Luke's shoulder for balance. "Are we seriously having this argument again?" I spluttered through my giggles.

He glanced down at me with a smile that made the little butterflies in my belly take flight. My giggles stopped short and we were just smiling cheerily at each other until I felt rather than saw him lean in closer.

And like I always did, I completely panicked. Frantically wheeling back, I forcefully schooled my features into a calm expression. I wasn't sure if that look of hurt was a part of my imagination or if it was just a trick of light, but when I blinked, he just looked highly entertained. I smoothed down the dress, my face colouring slightly when I remembered of the time he helped me with the zipper of this very dress. I almost wished for that awkward scene instead of this. This was just horrifying.

"I...I-uh, I think the rehearsal is about to begin," I started, cursing at myself when I stumbled on my words. "Do me a favour and call Molly, yeah?"

Without waiting for a response, I whirled around in my heels as fast as was possible, and speed-walked the hell out of there.

I'm such an idiot.

***

"Who's the hottie?" my fifteen year old cousin and Molly's little sister, Flora, asked, a teasing smile playing on her mouth.

I glanced around, but saw no one that fit the description. "Who?" I asked, dumbfounded. Unless she thought that Mark's portly old uncles were hot, but I wasn't sure she took that road.

She stuck her tongue out. "Don't play with me, Danny. You know - that guy who always hangs around you."

I stared at her with round eyes. Sure, Luke was good looking and I'd heard people compliment him to me before, but this was my little cousin! "He's too old for you," I replied solemnly, trying not to scowl. Flora was a willowy, blonde beauty, obnoxiously topping my height. I was completely certain that she was his type.

She smirked, licking her bright red lips. "You jealous?" she mocked.

"Of course not," I stated blankly. I wasn't, right?

"Then you won't mind if I go talk to him, right?"

I took a deep breath and clenched my teeth. "Wouldn't mind at all, in fact, take all the time you need," I forced out, praying that I wouldn't give myself away by clenching my fists like I desperately wanted to.

Flora giggled at me and waved cheerily, before swaying her little ass over to Luke. He looked up at her and smiled politely. She twirled her blonde hair around her finger and bit her lip, staring at him from under her lashes.

She was alarmingly good at flirting. I could never do that, even if I died and reincarnated at Flora's daughter. When she placed a hand on his arm, I blinked, feeling ill. I wondered what was wrong with me. I wasn't due to have my period for a while.

All I knew was that I was horribly annoyed. I knew Luke was so terribly polite to most people, but dammit, he never understood the concept of letting someone down. He always unconsciously led them on, leading to tonnes of confessions on the girls' part and rejections on his part. It was absolutely ridiculous, but I didn't remember being this pissed over his lack of bluntness. And it didn't even have anything to do with the current girl being Flora.

At least, I hoped so. When Luke gently brushed Flora's hand away from his chest, I felt a pleasing feeling that pricked at my conscious. What was going on with me?

"Jealous?" a deep voice asked in amusement, startling me out of my reverie. I noted with surprise that my hands were clenched tightly.

"Piss off, Mark," I replied instantly, slowly trying to calm myself down.

He chuckled and moved next to me, the trademark Tarrone hazel eyes twinkling. "I knew it."

"Shouldn't you be at the altar?" I shot back. "Rehearsal starts in five minutes. Molly will have your balls if you're not in place."

"She already has my balls."

"Mark!"

He laughed. "She keeps them in a pretty blue jar on the top shelf of our closet."

I closed my eyes. "If you have nothing helpful to say, please do me a favour and fuck off."

"Ah, but I do have a point to this, Danny," he said, cocking his head.

I glanced at him wearily. "Pray tell."

He paused. "You know...Luke's a good kid."

I wasn't sure where he was going with this. "I know," I replied automatically. And I did. Before I'd thought that all that made him up was being a cocky prat, but he was more than that. He was a loving brother and son, and cared about me more than I dared to admit.

"I know you know."

"You do?"

He nodded at my surprised expression. Shit, was I really such an open book? "You know, one day you could own that boy's balls just like Molly owns mine."

"Mark!"

Mark laughed again and winked at me. "I'm not joking, Danny. I have no clue why it's so hard for you two to understand how perfect you two are for each other."

"Because we're not," I heard myself say. "We're not. He deserves someone better...someone with not as much baggage."

"I don't know about you, Danny, but it looks to me that that boy over there would hold the world up just to keep you happy."

My breath hitched in my throat and I chanced a glance at the boy in question. I was shocked to see that he was already looking intently in my direction. When he locked eyes with me, he beamed this gigantic smile that warmed me to the depths of my heart and made me feel all sorts of scary things.

I couldn't help but to smile a gentle smile back. As he took sight of it, I noticed a slight pink colour flood his cheeks, which in turn made me blush.

"Doth my eyes deceive me?" Mark's obnoxious voice teased loftily. "Is the Jordan Wolfe blushing because of my baby cousin?"

"Shove it up your ass," I shot back, not finding it in me to look away from Luke. Luke winked at me, and I heard someone giggle.

Wait.

I giggled. Shit, what was he doing to me?

"I told you," Mark stated smugly. "You two care about each other, it's just about finding the courage to admit it."

"Wow, Mark, that was so deep I can't even see you." But he was right. He was so right. I didn't know the depth of Luke's feelings for me, but I did know that he cared for me. And I knew exactly how I felt for him.

I loved him.

____________

Yes, that did just happen.

I do apologise for the horrible chapter and the long wait. Next chapter is definitely coming way sooner :) I hope Luke's adorableness made up for it though!