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'Oh my God, do I have everything? I hope I have everything. I made like four lists this week, and made sure to double-check that everything was how it was supposed to be. The reservations are set, the flight's on time, the cab's been booked and checked, the suitcases are packed, the cupcakes are all frosted and packed as well, the last-minute items are listed in the bedroom mirror... God, I really hope I'm not forgetting anything!'

Chloe Jameson had been tossing and turning all throughout that past night, unable to get any sleep (as was obvious in the dark circles under her eyes) until at around six in the morning she gave up on the long-lost battle. Yawning and stretching, Chloe got up from the bed and walked in the direction of the kitchen. However, she paused at the door to stare at the sleeping figure of the male sharing the bed with her. A sweet smile came across her face at the sight of his messy hair all over his face, his arm over his head and his chest softly rising and falling. Of course, being overcome by the urge to do something about this cuteness, Chloe tiptoed to where the man was fast asleep, gently kissed his lips and quickly tiptoed back to the kitchen.

Leaving day had arrived, and it was safe to say Chloe was feeling all kinds of nervous and excited. She had been preparing for this trip for what seemed like forever, making sure that anything and everything was prepared and in place with anticipation so she wouldn't forget anything of vital importance. After eight years of dating and seven and a half years of being in a relationship, Chloe and her long-term boyfriend, now-fiance, Dominic Wells (the handsome man she'd been sharing the bed with earlier) were scheduled to get married by the end of the week. It still seemed surreal that they had managed to last this long, with a strong and tight bond that had lasted through thick and thin. Looking back, it seemed like yesterday when she had first laid eyes on him back in their freshman year of high school. Who would've imagined that the boy she'd saved from getting beat up by some dumb jocks was the man she would spend the rest of her life with? She certainly didn't expect it, but it was one of the best curve balls life had thrown at her.

Dressed in one of Dominic's old T-shirts and her hair in a messy bun, Chloe was already up and going. She hoped to get breakfast ready before her fiance woke up, and thanfully succeeded in her challenge. By the time a half-asleep Dom trudged into their small kitchen, the four-person table was set with two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and drinks: a hot coffee for him. The blend was white chocolate mocha, a flavor that Dominic has been quite fond of since freshmen year of college. It was poured into his favorite mug, which was a rather nerdy one. It was a Spider-Man molded mug. It was about six inches tall, and the entirety of its form was in the form of Spider-Man's face. And, for Chloe, the usual tall glass nearly full to brim with milk.

"Good morning, handsome!" Chloe greeted Dominic enthusiastically, running over to him to give him a big hug and a sweet kiss. She looked up at him with bright, loving eyes, completely wonderstruck at the fact that even after nearly eight years she got butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him.

"And a good morning to you too, my sweet Chloe." Dominic said sweetly, eyes not leaving her for a moment or two. When they did after she'd graced his lips with yet another kiss, he took his mug in hand. He took a large sip. It was still fairly warm, but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle. Dominic didn't mind steamy hot. It was the spicy hot that gave his stomach a few turnarounds.

Meanwhile, Chloe kept her arms around him, watching him drink his coffee with a smile as if he was the most precious and interesting piece in a museum. "Mmmm. You smell so good!" she complimented, hugging him again so she could inhale his fresh ocean-breeze scent better. After a few seconds, she let him go to walk over to her seat.

Dominic had just gotten out of bed not too long ago, twenty minutes or so. Enough time for him to shower, sure, but not enough to do much else. His near-shoulder-length hair was still partially wet from the shower, and was mainly unkept. He was dressed in beige sweatpants and a T-shirt. It had the character Lying Cat from the comic book series, Saga on it. The shirt itself was white aside from the character. Aside that, Dominic had one blue sock, one red sock on.

"What time is our flight set?" Dominic inquired of his fiance.

"Boarding time is scheduled to be at 10:30 AM. Which means we've got exactly-" she paused to give a quick glance at the time in the microwave's clock: 6:27 AM. "About four hours. So, my plan is to get the last minute things and ourselves ready in the next two hours, have the cab be here by 8:30, and since the airport ride is fifteen minutes at the latest and we don't have to get through the safety checkpoint we'll probably arrive there with time to spare." Chloe responded, while waiting until Dominic had sat down before taking the first bite of egg.

As he sat down, Dominic nodded at what Chloe said. It was almost surreal that in less than five hours, they were going to be air-bound to Las Vegas; even more so that in seven days, they would be married. It never hit Dominic until he took the time to really think how close it was. He and Chloe were going to be married soon. "It seems so close." Dominic said, taking another sip of his coffee, and started to eat some of his eggs that Chloe prepared. "It was only just yesterday that we were paired up for that US History assignment." he said, feeling like reminiscing.

Chloe's wind-chime laugh filled the kitchen, and after taking a sip of her milk she replied. "I know, right? I still remember how happy and relieved I felt that I got to be your partner and that you didn't get stuck with one of those awful jocks who was sure to leave all the work to you." She took a few more bites of her breakfast and continued. "I was also glad that you seemed like the type who wouldn't leave me all the work either, so I was happy about that also." Chloe let out a chuckle.

"I am quite thankful as well." he said. Dominic looked at Chloe for a moment, his left hand reaching to grab her free one. His touch on her soft skin sent the good kind of shivers down her arm as her eyes turned from her meal and onto his warm, soft brown ones. "If not for that assignment, I wouldn't have met the light of my life." he said, smiling softly.

Chloe's smile only widened, and her naturally-flushed cheeks turned a shade darker. By this time, most couples would be used to their partner's compliments and praise, but every time Chloe heard Dom's soft, tender, poetic voice saying all these nice things to her, it always felt like the first time. "You flatter me too much, baby." she told him humbly, shyly looking away a little.

"You make it too easy for me not not to." Dominic added, still smiling at her.

Chloe looked back at Dominic again, her blue-green eyes resting on his chiseled features for a long moment. What good to the world had she done to get lucky enough to call the man sitting beside her boyfriend, fiance, and soon enough husband? "Sometimes I wonder what exactly did I do to get the privilege of having you as my life companion." she told him, deciding to voice her thoughts aloud before Dominic began to worry that something was wrong.

Dominic looked at Chloe for a moment, blinking. It seemed as if that question caught him slightly off-guard due to him coughing on the bite of eggs he had taken just ten seconds prior. This caused Chloe to jump from her chair and give him soft but firm slaps on the back. "Oh my God, are you okay?!" she blurted out, clearly worried about her fiance's coughing fit but reassured enough to sit back down when Dom nodded faintly. After he washed it down with a drink of coffee, Dominic made sure to be coughed out before responding to her.

"What did you do?" Dominic echoed her question. "I can think of a number of things, my darling." he said, "but, I think when it comes down to it, you weren't like most girls who just saw me as that nerdy kid." he continued. "If I had to guess, I think it was Chloe Jameson being Chloe Jameson." Dominic said, smiling again.

"And now, you're my nerdy kid," Chloe said adoringly, giving Dom a quick kiss on the cheek. "I honestly can't believe no girls noticed what an amazing man you are. And sorry for sounding so selfish because of what I'll be saying next, but I'm glad they didn't. Otherwise they'd have tried to take you away from me, and I probably wouldn't be marrying you next Saturday." she said with a giggle, taking another few bites of breakfast.

Dominic nearly choked again, but this time his mind prepared himself for it."I am too." Dominic said simply. "Truth be told, Chloe, I wouldn't want anyone other than you to have noticed me. You saw something in me that no one else did. For that, I will always be grateful for that assignment back in our junior year of high school." he said. Dominic smiled at Chloe as he had taken the last bite of his eggs on his plate.

"As will I, honey. As will I." she replied with one of her signature sweet smiles. Noticing that Dominic was already done with breakfast and she didn't want him to leave her alone (clingy much?), Chloe took the opportunity to ask him about his meal to buy herself more time. "How was the food, Dom? Did you like it? Oh! And remember to take one of the cupcakes I left on top of the counter when you're done. I already packed the rest of them for everyone else."

"As always, it was wonderful." Dominic said with a smile. On the note about the cupcake, Dominic looked at them. Red Velvet were always her favorite, so it came to him as no surprise that she'd chosen the said flavor. Dominic found himself laughing just ever-so lightly when he took notice to the design. One of them was designed like a groom and the other a bride. Chocolate frosting for the former and vanilla for the latter. "Ever the creative one you are my darling." Dominic said, taking one of the groom cupcakes. He started to bite into it, not feeling that he should waste any chance to eat his soon-to-be wife's genius.

Chloe smiled at her fiance, feeling herself glowing from his praise. "Thank you, love! I hope they taste as good as they look!" she told him before quickly taking the last few bites of her meal. Once she had finished, Chloe got up from her seat, collected hers and Dom's dirty dishes and placed them inside the sink to be washed later. She walked back to Dominic with a smile on her face, threw her arms around his neck from the back, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Soooo... We've got an hour and fourty-five minutes until the cab gets here, and once we get to Vegas we won't be having any alone time until the wedding night. Is there anything you'd like to do about that?" she asked him, her soft voice whispering the words in his ear.

And, when she had whispered that, Dominic nearly choked on his food...again. His head whiplashed to the right, looking at Chloe, who gave a mischievous giggle with that playful twinkle in her eyes he knew so well. "Oh, uh, right." Dominic's cheeks flushed light red. On his pale white cheeks, they were as obvious as neon in the black night. It was an adoring sight to Chloe, who giggled again and kissed each of his flushed cheeks. "L-lead the way.."

Without wasting any time and keeping her eyes locked onto his, Chloe unwrapped her arms around Dominic, took him by the hands and playfully pulled him into their room and onto the bed they shared. Dominic, even after all this time, still got choked up when Chloe's mind went to anywhere past the PG-13 train of thought. That wasn't to say that he didn't enjoy what became of them - it's just, the part of his mind that holds those insecurities of his, still hadn't registered that he was with Chloe, much less about to marry her in just a littler over a week from now. Regardless, the lead was followed, and sweet, sweet bliss ensued.

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At ten minutes past nine thirty, Chloe and Dominic found themselves sitting at the small waiting room of the first-class passengers. Getting ready hadn't taken long, the cab had arrived with five minutes to spare and even though they faced a little bit of traffic nearing the airport they managed to arrive at the time Chloe had counted on. The frequency of the couple's weekend visits to Vegas to check on everything wedding-related had provided the couple with a decent amount of frequent flyer points, with which they were able to get their wedding party the same benefits. All that was missing now was the rest of the gang.

"It's too bad Val can't come with us today..." Chloe muttered sadly to Dom as she stared at her cup of pink lemonade. Valentina was her best friend in the whole wide world and one of her bridesmaids, but because she was also a teacher just starting out in her position, it had been hard for her to take the time off for the week.

"You know she has that new teaching job." Dominic said, sounding just as a disappointed as she was. "I'm sure once she's able, she'll be on the first flight out to Vegas with the rest of us." he said, trying to reassure her about Val's predicament.

Chloe gave a deep sigh, then turned to her fiance with a sad smile. "I know. But still, it won't be the same without her, even if it's just a little while." She finished the rest of her drink and turned to Dominic with a bit of a worried look. "Hey baby, do you have any idea where Riv, Tish and Jean are coming? Because time is kinda running out." she asked him after glancing at her watch and realizing it was 9:50 AM.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon. I texted them when we were in the cab. They said they were on their way at the time. Just give them time." Dominic gave Chloe a reassuring smile.

Chloe, ever the perfectionist, was already starting to have a small freak-out over the fact that no one else besides her and Dominic had arrived at the airport. Even if it wasn't noticeable in her face, her anxiousness was clear in the way she couldn't stop fiddling with the little decorative bow on one of the cupcake boxes. She wasn't the easiest of brides to please: that was for sure. Chloe had a very clear and specific picture of what she wanted hers and Dominic's wedding to be, and though she always did so in good spirits, she'd been relentless in her demands and specifications. She was a perfectionist at heart, and so the part of her who always wanted to be on top of things was now trying to make its appearance. "I already know Paige is bound to be here like five minutes before we're supposed to board, and knowing Oberon and his impeccable timing he's sure to be here within the next ten to fifteen minutes at most."

Dominic grabbed Chloe's hand, squeezing it slightly. "See, you know our friends and family so well. They'll be here before you know it, and we'll be air-bound for Vegas." Dominic gave her a reassuring kiss this time around. "Just keep calm, my darling." he told her, trying to wary her mind from over-thinking. That his thing, not hers.

Chloe gave Dominic an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, honey. It's probably just the wedding jitters coming over me and wanting things to be just perfect." she told him, a little embarrassed at how she was obviously already getting all picky with things.

"You don't need to apologize to me. I understand completely." Dominic gave her a sweet smile. As his eyes would leave hers momentarily, his head turned and a smile lit up on his face. There, as if like clockwork, one by one came their friends and family: River, Tish, Oberon, Chloe's sister, Paige, and Dominic's adoptive brother, Jean. All of them running towards where the happy couple was sitting. It was in good measure too as the time for them to start getting those very last minute preparations done was upon them. In just five minutes, they would board they're flight, and off to Sin City they would for a week of fun times.

It's Las Vegas. What could possibly go wrong?

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Tish jolted awake at the spine-tingling sound of her alarm clock. Tired hands groped wildly, slapping her end table in an attempt to silence the disturbance. After hitting the snooze button, Patricia rolled over and pulled the linen sheets over her face to block out the sun’s rays. Time escaped her as she fell black asleep, only to be startled again by the alarm. This time, she sat up and shut it off. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before peering at the clock.

7:45 AM The clock face glared in an angry red. Why am I up this early? she thought with an audible sigh and cast the sheets aside to go pee and brush her teeth. Seeing the note on the bathroom mirror to pack her toothbrush was all the reminder she needed.

”My best friend is getting married!” she exclaimed excitedly at her reflection. Of course! How could she have forgotten, even in her grumpy morning stupor? She had planned on leaving for the airport at around 9 o’clock. It was common practice to arrive an hour before your boarding time, and the airport was about twenty minutes away from her downtown apartment.

She flitted around the apartment in a flurry. Showering. Dressing. Checking her luggage and her carry on. Double checking the lists she had saved on her phone. Unplugging all of her appliances to conserve energy while away. Filling up the aqua globes in her potted plants so that they wouldn’t go thirsty in her absence. Tish didn’t remember breakfast until she was just about ready to leave, and tossed a bagel in the toaster to cook why she gathered her things.

Tish scooted out the front door with a rolling suitcase behind her, her keys in her other hand, carry on bag slung over her shoulder, and a buttered bagel sticking out of her mouth. She took the elevator down to the ground floor and made her way to the apartment complex parking lot. She clicked the button on her key fob and Stevie’s engine roared to life. Tish popped the trunk and tossed in her bags before hopping behind the wheel.

On a good day, the airport was twenty minutes away. Today... wasn’t a good day. The downtown Miami traffic was bumper to bumper and, as Floridian drivers tended to be, people were being assholes. She had the black ragtop down on her silver convertible bug and System of a Down was blaring through the speakers. She was doing her best to remain calm, but every time she looked down at the radio clock, her heart rate picked up.

”Jesus Christ!” Tish yelled and slammed her steering wheel. Of course, that didn’t help the traffic situation, but it did make her feel a little bit better. A space opened up in the exit lane just big enough for the beetle to fit and Tish blinked into it. The car behind her beeped loudly in protest, to which Tish stuck up her middle finger and sped off down the exit ramp. Like hell these assholes were going to make her late for her flight to spend a week celebrating her best friend’s wedding. Like hell!

Tish arrived at the airport a half hour later than expected because of the traffic. After waiting in line, getting her boarding pass, waiting in line again, and then finally getting through security, Tish had to practically sprint to the gate. She arrived at gate C13 at approximately 10:20AM. Chloe looked appropriately nervous and then relieved to see Tish rolling in. Dominic was his usual, cool, chill self.

”Fuck! I’m so sorry. Haha- Living downtown is great for my commute to the shop, and absolutely horrible if I need to go anywhere else. Traffic was a total bitch.” Between her rushed demeanor, edgy style, and harsh language, she turned a few heads and received a couple of dirty looks - to which she paid no mind. She looked around to see that she was the last to arrive from their group. Well, hell, at least she made it! Now the party could really begin.~

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The bird pecked against the window, gazing at the sleeping form of Jean-Jacques. It was a still morning, not many people were up and it was as peaceful as it should be. There was still the sound of cars zooming by and the occasional chattering voices of people made itself heard. Miami was still bright as a torch in the morning and sunlight crept into the room, annoying it's occupant greatly as he put the covers over his head, groaning in annoyance. The sore muscles from yesterday's training hasn't faded away and it worked away at him, making the half-French/half-Ivoirian male sleep in way more than he usually did. Must've been his forgetfulness to set his alarm clock earlier for his weights session. The loud, phat beats of Desiigner's Panda blasted in his ear, the sound piercing through the silence of his apartment.

"I got broads in Atlanta!" Light green eyes flew open as Desiigner almost tore his eardrums apart. He jolted up suddenly, covers flying off of him as he clumsy lunged for the pause button. Unfortunately, the bruise on the right side made him wince in pain and bend his body in the wrong way. Instead, he missed his bedside table and came crashing to the floor, tumbling to the ground with a loud crash, the carpet saving him from any sort of scrapes but still earned him a grunt. "Bitch n**** pull up ya panty" The Ivoirian bit his lip and pointed the middle finger at the alarm from the ground and grumbled, getting up with a hand on his back, slamming down on his 'stupid' alarm clock. He bent backwards, earning him a few cracks and pops before he stretched his arms above his head, yawning.

He turned towards the clock and stared at the numbers on the screen. 6:30 am. The fuck? He thought he put the clock on the right setting. He usually went to the gym as early as possible to build muscle before starting his day. He groaned quietly. Yvonne was going to kill him the next time he sees her. His trainer seemed like your typical blonde cutie, puffed up lips, blonde hair and blue eyes. If he wasn't professional, he would've tried to ask her out. But behind those cerulean laid a demon that could make grown men cry, behind those lips holds a voice like a banshee and behind that blonde hair was... a scalp. He shook his head and blew the thoughts away.

He scratched the back of his head, straightening his back and went on to doing his usual routine. Wash his face, clean himself, eat some protein heavy breakfast and then move to the punching bag to do some morning boxing. His fists met the bag with a solid hit, a big thumping sound resonating in his ears, sweat dripping from his forehead. Every hit was powerful, his arms like a piston, fists curled tight as the bag shook behind every punch. He wiped the bead of sweat from his brow and peered at the clock once more. 7:00 am.

What was I supposed to do again? He stared at the clock for a considerable long time until it hit ten past seven. His widened and he cursed in French "Motherfucking shit fuck in the dick!" Dry up, put some pants on, grab his bags, passports and then hit the road. He hurried through his house with a quickness in each step, stepping over forgotten clothes and furniture. He crashed into his room, grabbed a pair of sweatpants and shoes, forgetting the socks along the way. He slung his backpack on one shoulder, grabbing his luggage and putting his rugby ball under one arm. He kicked his front door, swinging it open and closing it with one movement, the clicking sound of a door locking smothered by the sound of hurried steps on cement steps.

Once he got everything in his car. The beginnings of a traffic jam was forming on the road and so he sped quickly through the road, flipping the bird at people who cut him off and shouting in French curse words. He was the farthest away from the airport out of everyone and so he was held back for an age. Sweat began to form on his brow as he focused on the road, Jean peering as a droplet hit his bare, naked chest. His eyes widened. He finally arrived.

After a brief altercation at the gates, a TSA lady staring at him with a weird look and several heads spinning towards him, he arrived first at 10:am exactly, to see the couple standing around with Tish. He smiled at them with wide arms, muscles rippling, tattoos covering every inch of him, half-naked and totally oblivious. He called out with a smile "Bonjour!"

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The destruction of one's room couldn't have happened any quicker. Deep, ocean eyes scanned frantically around a fairly large room to find something she absolutely needed. Clothes and random beauty items sprawled over her bed and wooden floor. There was no saving the damage that was dealt - well, not until Paige Jameson returned home after a week of revelry. Where was it!? She couldn't go on this trip without it! There was no way in hell. Might as well call Chloe and be like I can't make it!. To say she was freaking out was an understatement. Panic coursed through her full, fine body, as Paige felt the horror of losing a piece of her... all because she misplaced it! This item in particular was something she was quite attached to. If she were to leave it behind, how would she be able to enjoy herself?!

Luckily, the woman full of vim and vigor only had to worry about getting her things together rather than listen to her mother's trap. One less headache for her this lovely, Miami morning. It was just her, daddy, and all her shit. Her mother had other obligations today, so she wasn't in the house when Paige finished her painting in the morning room. After spending an hour laying in bed, attempting to get her excited self to fall asleep, Paige gave up and spent the entire night touching up the shading of the flowers and vase on her newly bought canvas.

What if she packed it? Her purple luggage was waiting in the trunk of the car. A pout fell on her face while she dramatically fell onto her bed, in a pile of her clothes. She was never going to find it! IT WAS ALL OVER. Goodbye fun times! Goodbye Sin City! See you NEVER. Her father was making something small for his youngest daughter to eat before she bulldozed out of her bedroom to go to the car. He knew within time she would find what she was looking for. Whatever it was, it was hidden in plain sight and she was overlooking it because she hated the whole travel process, which made her mind frazzled. Packing was the bane of her existence!

Either way, Paige's face was decorated with light make up (more so to cover up her dark circles than anything), her golden locks were hair sprayed and ready to take on the day, and her ensemble was nearly complete. NEARLY. She wore a beige short dress, black suit jacket, brown cowgirl boots, and a silver drape chain necklace that elegantly covered her chest. To most people, one would think she was complete and ready to go, right? To the exuberant 23 year old, this was not the case and would not be the case until she found her grandmother's heirloom.

"I could have sworn I left it on my nightstand!" The youthful minded woman began burying herself in her own clothes.

Her ears perked up when she heard her father tell her to check her bathroom. Sighing in obedience, Paige jumped up, making the clothes that were on top of her fall every which way, and strolled into the room adjacent to her chambers. Within seconds of being in there, she found her Grandma Rose's ring on the sink counter. Relief flushed over her as she nodded to herself in achievement, thankful for finding something that meant so much to her, "I think I'm ready!"

Running downstairs, she happily strolled into the kitchen and took her place across from her father, who was watching the news. In front of her was a plate of high protein breakfast with eggs, fruit, and toasted bread. Grabbing her fork, Paige picked up a piece of kiwi and grinned at her dad, who was wearing casual wear for once. They stared at each other for a moment or two and then David chuckled, "I bet you just can't wait, can you?"

"Las Vegas is the one place I haven't been to! Of course I'm excited. And I mean, Chloe's getting married!!" Her child-like eagerness was written all over her face, but her stare changed to concern when she saw her father get all choked up.

"Aw, don't cry. Chloe will always be your baby girl." Putting her fork down, she pranced her way to her father and kissed him on the cheek, while he held his cup of joe in silence, "We love you daddy!"

Taking a deep breath in and out, David tenderly looked at his daughter, in a way only a father would, "I know... it's just hard seeing you guys grow up so fast. Before you know it, you'll be walking down the aisle too." Although she didn't mean to, Paige couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Her father stared at her in confusion - the sentimental moment was ruined. Classic Paige.

"Yeah. OKAY. Too many jerks in this world, dad! Chivalry is dead. I mean, sure I have high standards but you taught me to strive for the best and what--"

"Makes you happy. Yes, I remember my words quite well, Gumdrop." Checking the time, he brought his daughter's short attention span back to her food, "Eat. You're going to give your sister a heart attack if you're late." Rolling her eyes playfully at her father, she sat down and unhurriedly ate her food, while the main man in her life told her possible places she could visit this week.
The car ride was stuck in traffic for a good, ten minutes but she spent those moments singing with her father to some old tunes that he loved. This was her relationship with her father. Paige was A-OK acting like a fool because she knew her father would love her no matter what. Sure, he spoiled her to bits, but if he ever told her to get her act together, she would.

The 2015 black Hyundai Equus pulled up by the airport curb and David got out of his car to get his daughter's suitcase for her. One last time, she embraced her father.

"You behave, okay? Don't do something you'll regret." Nestling her head on her father's chest, she softly smiled, "I'll be good<3" Paige's definition of 'good' was slightly different than anyone else's. After the heartfelt moment came to a close, she pulled her suitcase, carried her carry on, and made her way inside the airport. After going through the tedium of 'check in' and 'security', Paige was finally making her way to the gate. Ideally, the outgoing blonde should be rushing but she was able to get a guy driving a cart to drive her to the area she needed to be at. Her suitcase would be going under, and her carry on rested on her lap. These carts really did save up time and energy. If it wasn't for daddy, she would have been here five minutes before boarding! Thank goodness he made sure she was getting ready in a timely manner.

After getting off the cart and thanking the kind man for bringing her where she needed to go, Paige checked the time 10:23 - SEE, she was SEVEN MINUTES before boarding! This was an accomplishment for her! Spotting her peeps, Dom, Tish, Jean, but not Oberon or River yet, in the waiting room, she jubilantly waved at them all, "PAIGE IS IN THE HOUSE!" Her blue eyes fell on her sister, who was sitting beside her fiancé. Without a doubt Chloe was probably nervous, thrilled, and feeling a whole mess of other emotions. Eagerly, the youngest Jameson girl scurried to her best friend (sister) and gave her a warm, bear hug.

"Daddy says he loves you!" Once the embrace lingered on for a loving moment, she pulled away and brightly cooed, "Whose ready for Sin City, bitches?!"

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For once, River was on time. It came as a surprise even to him - really, you don't expect the guy always asking for loans (and never paying them off), a place to stay (and never cleaning up after himself), or even a meal (which he barely ever finishes) to get to the airport first, but maybe it was the state of his grandparents' home that made him speed out the door. He'd tried to wait for his sisters, he really did, but they were slow as hell in getting up for classes, so he just ran out the door before they'd awoken for breakfast. The only person he managed to get a farewell in for was his father, who seemed pretty out of it this early in the morning (or, for him, late in the night), so River wasn't even entirely sure Dittmar Sr. knew where his son would be. Hopefully his grandmothers would be so generous as to inform the old drunk - those two were the only ones he was really comfortable with bragging about his friends to. "Lena, Beth, my friends are getting married, y'know, they're like my best friends, y'know," Oh, sure, that's great, dear. "Been dating since, like, high school, y'know." Very romantic, honey. "The wedding's in Vegas, I'll be gone for a week!" Cue the freak out. They didn't like the idea of the only active source of income leaving home.

In any case, he did, at around eight in the morning. He knew the others would give him hell for riding to the airport on his dumb old bike, but he didn't have a lot of options, so instead River called the taxi company to come for him. He chatted up the driver for a while, some mid-thirties man who looked pretty annoyed with all the talking. "Hey, y'know, I'm headed to Vegas."

"Saw the luggage."

"Oh, yeah, for a week. Friends are getting married." When he earned a response of nothing more than a low grunt, River screwed up his face, scrutinizing the driver. "Are you like an Uber? Do you have coffee in here?" The entire ride to the airport was basically like that, and River seemed to grow progressively more obnoxious. By the end of it, his dismal chauffeur was begging him to get his things and go, and River still hadn't gotten his damn coffee. As hyperactive as he could be, even Riv wasn't able to keep his eyes open at this time - not so early for most, but he usually woke up around noon, so this was wildly out of character. He almost resented Dominoe for their flight time decision. In spite of that, he was in the building by half past nine.

Navigating through piles of confused tourists and irritated security wasn't very difficult. River was sort of a beanpole, taller than 98% of those he passed, and they moved easily out of the way for his massive silhouette; by the time he was nearing the glass that encased the waiting room, he'd left an empty trail behind him, marking the path he'd taken there. All of the belongings he'd chosen to take along were in a backpack strung over his shoulders, and he self-consciously tugged the straps so that the bag was pressed against him - he was only just now realising this would be his first time away from home, or at least this far. He'd gone to a friend's house across the city once when he was younger, maybe, but even then River grew a little antsy. Agitated already, he wisped through the door, scanning the faces for anyone familiar: aha! There's the happy couple. He really was on time, then. The first one here, in fact, apart from Miss Perfectionist and Mister Profound. River was just raising his head to nod and call out to them when the silhouette of a certain little pixie came into view.

Downtown, traffic, blah-blah-blah, River could barely focus on Tish. He just wanted to see the in-flight services. Ever the childish spirit, he was praying for one of those little televisions attached to the seats and maybe an offer of coffee or tea - not like he could bring one beyond this secure point. He was, however, suspicious of the sensation of eyes on him, and turned around to find a source, only to discover that it was just Tish everyone was paying attention to. She certainly was an interesting contrast to the rest of the room. While others were in their most comfortable attire (which, for the most part, consisted of plain pyjamas), Tish was over here with her punk rocker-chic style and flawless makeup - that included the shitton of tattoos. River was just a little more lowkey, especially today when he was trying his hardest not to embarrass poor Chloe. That girl, bless her soul, was like a mother to him. Riv wondered if that made Dominic his dad, and then realised he could work in a pun about Dom being Dad-minic (as lame as it was), and then was grossed out by the thought of ol' stoic nerd Dominic playing such a role. He wrote it off quickly.

Next was the bouncing and flouncing hair of Paige, which got a special mention because as she arrived River really couldn't catch a glance of her actual face (seriously, did she have some extra-strength conditioner?), but the very loud announcement was enough to clue him in on her entrance. He smiled to himself, watching the sisterly display, and wondered exactly how they might've grown so close. His own relationship with his sisters was a little rocky. He cared, sure, but couldn't recall a time where he was as excited to see them as Paige was now for Chloe. River's gentle half-smile grew to a full, teeth-and-all grin as Paige addressed the rest of them, and he laughed enthusiastically in response. "Is it sad that I've never been this excited before?" Rhetorical, of course, but it was a little bittersweet. Mocking his own inquiry, River tilted his head to the side like he was weighing his memories, before turning to watch the show that was Jean.

Shirtless. Of course. River crossed his arms over his own chest, tucking his hands beneath his armpits, like he was trying to hide the fact that he wasn't nearly as well-built. "Salut," he muttered indignantly in response, his rather Americanized pronunciation of the greeting a good enough sign that he didn't know a lick of French. It occurred to him that something in Jean's demeanour and how absolutely clueless the guy seemed for now might mean he wasn't aware of his... informal dress. River shot a look around the group, as if to say, should we tell him? and then at the security that appeared to be eyeing Jean suspiciously. Definitely not good. He looked dubiously down at his coat, knowing he was likely the best bet for a similar size to Jean - Dominic was way too thin, too, but River was at least slightly taller. If Oberon was here, they might have better chances, but...

Since his coat was already too big, anyway, River removed his backpack and then the coat, moving forward to wrap it around Jean. "In case ya didn't know, pal, you can't come in half-nude to the airport. Not polite, or something. But look, your good ol' buddyroo River brought you a coat." He was adjusting the fabric, smiling sheepishly at security, as he spoke, like he was trying to fend off confrontation. Truth be told, he kind of was. Not to linger on the subject, he turned to the rest of the group, clapping his hands together resolutely. His gaze landed directly on the nearly-newlyweds and stayed there for a moment, like he couldn't articulate any congratulations. "Look at them. Look. So sweet. Feels like I'm sending my husband off to war." A piss-poor analogy if there ever was one. He ghosted forward, dangerously close to them, placing a hand on either of the couple's shoulders. "Dom, if you hurt her, I'll kill you," he mocked all overprotective fathers ever, and then decided to take a more unexpected route. "Chloe, if you hurt him, I'll kill Paige." He shot Paige a threatening glance, but couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his expression.

The usual sound of his alarm at 6 AM was enough to wake Oberon from his sleep. He didn’t wake up at a different time, despite having one whole hour more than if he would’ve had to work today. If he had learned anything from his years as a college student, it was that nothing good ever came from messing with your sleeping schedule. Today was finally the day they’d be leaving for Las Vegas. Everything had been packed neatly for a week’s worth of enjoyment with the exception of the few bathroom products that he still needed for his morning ritual. In the usual Oberon-like fashion, he had prepared everything neatly in anticipation of today. Knowing Chloe, she’d be expecting him to arrive at 10:00 AM sharp.(And every minute he delayed was another three closer to Chloe’s inevitable heart attack) And it wasn’t polite to keep a lady waiting, now was it?

Following a hot shower, getting dressed, brushed teeth and thorough grooming of his hair was the preparation of a much needed breakfast. Within twenty minutes he had made himself a plate with toast, jam and an omelet with a glass of orange juice on the side, and it was devoured in less than ten. The clock’s hands then struck 7:15, and honestly Oberon was already ready to go. He took the time to do a final check. But really, there wasn’t much to check; all he was taking with him was a sufficient amount clothes, bathroom accessories and a book. It was Las Vegas, what else was he going to need?

So what was he going to do for another two hours before he’d have to leave? Maybe watch some TV? No, absolutely nothing interesting was on at this time. Maybe go for a jog? Nope, he had already packed his sports clothes for his inevitable craving to exercise when they were in Vegas. He then decided to take his phone from the charger, to check if maybe someone had sent him a message… or at least something to keep him interested. But no, the only message was that his sister, Juliet, was expecting another baby. His oldest sister was the only one of the entire family he actually had some regular contact with. But certainly, the only reason the two of them got along was that she lived on the other side of the planet. Knowing how their family worked, they wouldn’t be able to tolerate each other’s presence for more than fifteen minutes. He responded with a small congratulatory message, but he hoped that’d be the last family matter for the entire month at the very least.

Bored out of his skull, he migrated to a different room of the house which contained his musical instruments. He had an exceptional craving to play the electric guitar at the moment, but that was one surefire way to piss off your neighbors at this hour, so he settled for the acoustic guitar instead. Normally, he preferred the sounds of the electric one, but maybe acoustic wasn’t that bad today. If acoustic was good at one thing, it was showing emotions. And it was rather safe to say that Oberon’s mind was drifting off to a more emotional plane more than once throughout this morning. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, considering who he was going to see today. With that in mind, he tried composing a new tune, but that wasn’t something that he’d complete in a mere two hours. He saved the progress he made on it in his mind, and figured he’d try to work on it if he’d ever doing nothing in Vegas… yeah that wasn’t going to happen, was it? Regardless, he put the guitar down at 9:25, loaded the car with his luggage and drove off at a comfortable 9:30. It was only about a half-hour drive to the airport, so there was no way he was going to be late.

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Yes, there was absolutely no way that Oberon was going to be late. Except for that one time where the road was blocked as the result of an accident, followed by construction work completely obstructing the way around it. How Oberon managed to make the airport at 10:20 while having to go halfway through the city, he still has no clue. It may be the case that he drove fast enough to make a grand prix racer jealous at some point. Regardless, he made it in time… for boarding anyway. He just hoped that Chloe was still holding it together, since Oberon might’ve completely disregarded the existence of his cellphone. At this point he was too afraid to look how many messages she may have sent him at this point. One thing was certain, there was going to be hysteria.

At 10:25 Oberon stormed into the waiting room, huffing heavily with sweat dripping off his forehead. Was it even humanly possible to make it from the parking lot to the gate in such a short time? Well, apparently so. He arrived just in time to hear River’s killing joke. ”How about… we kill no one. I’m already feeling quite dead enough by myself, thank you very much.” Oberon said through several attempts to grasp for some much needed breath. He looked around the room, giving everyone a friendly look that lingered on Paige for a brief, but noticeable second longer, and then looked at Chloe, and smirked. ”Did I keep you waiting?” He joked. Knowing Chloe, she would’ve been worried to death at this point.

---

It seemed the Universe had heard Chloe's silent prayers, because not long after Dominic's reassurance that their wedding party would arrive soon than the gang had started to arrive. First up was Jean-Jacques, making a scene as usual by arriving shirtless to the room. His eyes were as radiant as the bright smile he gave the couple, but Chloe knew most women were too mesmerized by his killer torso to give a damn about anything else. And with good reason, as well. Jean had always been fit, big and buff: as to be expected with a rising and promising football star and a professional rugby player. Wherever he went, attention came from both men and women, be it because of jealousy, admiration, envy or adoration. Jean was, by general consensus, the looker of the Wells family. But in typical Chloe fashion, she went against the crowd to think that the most handsome men of the Wells family was her fiance. Yes, she had to admit that back in her freshman year she had the smallest of crushes of Jean (that heated kiss they'd shared in the empty football field would be forever branded into her memory). But that had happened years ago. In Chloe's eyes, no man in the Universe was more handsome than her very own Dominic.

"Bonjour to you as well, mon beau frère à être!" Chloe responded in excellent French, standing up with her arms outstretched to give her soon to be brother-in-law a hug. When the hug was broken, Chloe walked back to her seat, picked up one of the black and pink boxes from the chair and handed it to Jean. "Here's a special treat to start off the trip. And don't you tell me that it's too much carbs for you to eat, because you're on vacation, and anything goes on vacation," she teased lightly.

No sooner that she had handed the box to Jean that another familiar face showed up, rushing around the other airport attendees while at the same time offering the groom and bride an apology laced with a rant about how the traffic downtown was the reason she was late.

"It's alright, honey," Chloe consoled Tish, Dom's best friend and one of her bridesmaids, while also giving her a welcoming hug (oh, Chloe, ever the loving one). "The important thing is that you made it. Here, have a treat to help you forget the awful drivers." Chloe grabbed another one of the boxes and handed it to Tish before sitting beside Dominic again. "Oh, thank God everyone's showing up. I was darn ready to have a heart attack!" she chorlted, giving Dom a happy kiss.

To Chloe's huge suprise, the next person to arrive was none other than her baby sister, making a grandiose entrance only she could pull off. Paige's blue eyes fell on Chloe, and at the same time both women ran into each others' outstretched arms to embrace in a warm, tight bear hug. Though it had only been days since Chlo had last seen Paige, when you grew up so tightly with your sibling two days spent apart felt like an eternity. Not even Chloe's time in the Delta house back in her college days or when she moved in with Dominic had been enough to keep the sisters away from each other for long.

"Daddy says he loves you!" Paige said into the hug.

"Awwww, he's such a sweetie bear. I'll make sure to text him that I love him too before we take off!" Chloe replied.

Once the embrace had lingered on for a long enough loving moment, Paige pulled away and brightly cooed, "Whose ready for Sin City, bitches?!"

Chloe couldn't help but laugh at her sister's enthusiasm. Leave it to Paige to be all hyped up about all the trouble she would get into one they'd reached Vegas. "Well, you're clearly ready. Seven minutes before boarding time? A new record for you, I must say! But even if you are all excited and ready to take Vegas by storm and take advantage that you'll be staying in the room with Tish and not me, I'll still be keeping an eye on you, missy!" Chloe teased her sister playfully, giving her another quick hug. She walked off to the chair, handed Paige one of the boxes ("A little sugar for someone sweet,") and sat back down again next to Dom.

"Look at them. Look. So sweet. Feels like I'm sending my husband off to war."

Chloe looked up and was surprised to find River walking in hers and Dom's direction. The huge tattooed male stood right in front of them, placed a hand on both Dominic's and Chloe's shoulders before starting: "Dom, if you hurt her, I'll kill you." Chloe laughed loudly at his comment, which was an obvious mockery of all of those overprotective fathers who wanted to be all macho and feel in control. When River turned to her, Chloe looked up at him with a playful smile. "Chloe, if you hurt him, I'll kill Paige." Chloe let out a fake gasp at the same time River shot Paige a glance that was supposed to be threatening, but the amusement of his expression made that a clear fail.

"How about… we kill no one. I’m already feeling quite dead enough by myself, thank you very much.”

"Obie!" Chloe exclaimed, jumping up from her seat again to hug her best friend. When she'd finally let go of him, he gave her a look and smirked. ”Did I keep you waiting?” he asked jokingly.

"Actually, given that fact that everyone has pretty much arrived in these last ten minutes, I hadn't really noticed you were late until now that you point it out." Chloe said honestly. "Oh, and before I forget! I have gifts."

Chloe picked up the last two boxes from her chair (she kissed Dominic's cheek when she did, because why the hell not?) and handed one to River and the last one to Oberon.

Chloe was in the process of walking back to her chair when the PA system of the VIP waiting room annouced that the flight 1115 to Las Vegas, Nevada was now boarding, starting with the First-Class passengers. "Oooooh, guys, that's us, that's us!" Chloe said excitedly, giving little jumps up and down in her spot. The young bride-to-be took a glance at the nearby clock. 10:30 AM already?! Huh. Time really does fly by when one's kept busy. She quickly grabbed her carry-on luggage, held onto Dominic's hand and looked around her wedding party with a bright smile. "Ready for take-off?"

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"Miss Katona, yes — there's no need for you to come in today. We've noticed your hard work these past couple months and we've seen the improvements in the students' grades and attitudes to learning."

Valentina waited with a bated breath for the but, her phone pressed against her ear as she paced around her bedroom nervously. Was she slipping? So soon? She'd joined the team just over two months ago — surely she couldn't have screwed up so soon! That morning had started off simple enough. She woke up, cuddled her dog, made herself some of her usual breakfast and even got half-way ready (by that, just finished putting on her work clothes) before the call from her boss came.

"We believe its fair to let you off for a week. But only for a week and this one time. We trust that you will not bring our school any problems when you're on your vacation." The voice of the principal sent shivers down her spine. She was not one to be messed with; a strict lady with even stricter rules to follow - whether you were staff or student, it didn't matter. Valentina didn't want to get on her bad side, so she didn't push her luck and ask for vacation more than once.

"Yes— yes, Mrs Payne, I assure you nothing of that sort will happen." It was short, but it seemed that it was all Mrs Payne needed as she humphed from the other side, muttering a enjoy your holiday before hanging up the phone. Valentina waited for the dial tone to fill her ears before she pulled her phone away, excitedly tossing it over onto her bed before grabbing her luggage that was tucked under the table - already packed and ready to go for the past couple days. She dragged the case out, checking that it was properly locked and packed before dashing off into the ensuite to change out of her work clothes and into her airport attire.

If she wanted to get there on time, Valentina knew she had to leave and fast. It would be a pain enough to try and get her ticket changed for an earlier flight - the exact flight her friends were all going to be on and given her luck she knew she was going to probably make it the very last second. Valentina decided not to text Chloe, wanting to keep it a surprise for her and the group of her early arrival.

After getting dressed, Valentina was out of her house faster than the Road Runner escaping the Wile E. Coyote and his elaborate schemes. She'd called the petsitter, a lovely girl by the name of Geo that was willing to pick little Gemma up from her home and take care of the Corgi pup till Valentina's return. Before leaving, Valentina had given herself five minutes to simply cuddle up her pet before feeding her and providing with enough water to last till the petsitter could pick her up.

She arrived at the airport fifty-five minutes later, including traffic (which was what Valentina expected anyway; the airport was just an extra twenty past the elementary school she worked at). Dragging the suitcase behind her, she queued up impatiently, checking her ticket and passport as the line to the check-in lady grew longer and longer behind Valentina.

Her original flight was supposed to be at five this afternoon, giving her enough time to leave the school at 3PM to arrive at the airport and check in for her flight. But now with the sudden change in plans, she could only hope there was still one more seat available with her friends on the flight, and if not Valentina was sure that she was just going to wait till her five o'clock flight instead.

The line moved slowly, time inching closer and closer to boarding time that it worried Valentina. She was eventually the first in line, being called upon fifteen minutes later for check in. It took some haggling, but the lady — Tanya, according to the badge — behind the counter eventually found a seat for Valentina to nab for herself. She thanked Tanya profusely, handing over her suitcase before dashing to security with her new ticket held tightly in her hand.

Eventually she was cleared and allowed to board the flight. Excitement bubbled up in her as she approached the gate to find her friends. Val found them inside the VIP waiting room, all of them standing around (except for her, obviously) and seemingly having a good time. It seemed that Valentina had somehow managed to make it to the airport on time — she thanked Lady Luck one last time before walking into the waiting room with a grin.

"Hey guys!" Val greeted every single one of them. "Didn't expect to see me so soon, didja?"

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Patricia eagerly opened the gift box that Chloe handed her. Inside there were two adorable cupcakes, one with a groom and one with a bride. ”Oh my goodness, these are so cute! Did you make these yourself?” Tish asked with more than an appropriate amount of excitement, to which the blond replied that she did, indeed, and that they were red velvet cupcakes. ”They look delicious, I’ll save them for mid plane ride munchies.” she giggled and tied the package back up before putting it in her carry-on bag.

Shortly after, the desk clerk called the first-class passengers to form a line to board the plane. At first, Tish was more than a little apprehensive about flying first class, but Nic told her that Chloe had insisted on it, and to just try to enjoy the lavish weekend. So, she would do her best to do just that. The cabin was spacious and comfortable. Tish found the seat that matched her ticket number, which was apparently the one next to Jean. There was some ticket snafu, so Chloe ended up sitting next to River instead of Dominic in the seats in front of her and Jean.

The crew settled into their seated pairings, for better or for worse. Tish was happy to be sitting next to Jean, they’d developed quite a close relationship since his last tattoo session. He’d trusted her as both an artist and a friend with information about himself that’d she’d never expected. She still wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that... Today, however, they had some friendly, light conversation; Asking each other what they were most excited about for the trip and catching up since the last time they’d hung out.

When it came time for the plane to take off, Tish felt that little bubble of anxiety form in her stomach as she gripped the armrest with white knuckles. She wasn’t a stranger to plane flights, having visited her grandparents in the UK countless times as a child, but take offs and landings still made her nervous. As soon as the plane was flying high and steady, the nerves subsided. A pretty redhaired stewardess stopped by to offer them drinks and snacks. For a brief moment, Tish considered a stiff one, but the underlying hangover headache reminded her that water might be a better alternative. Vacation had started a little early for Miss Webber and she enjoyed a touch too much wine after her bubble bath last night. She popped in her earbuds and put her ipod on shuffle while she sipped the ice-water and looked out the window.

The ever familiar first chords of MCR’s “Famous Last Words” poured into her ears. The song gave Tish an idea, and she rewound the song to the beginning and paused it, leanin forward to River’s chair. After hitting the play button, she began singing into his ear along with Gerard Way like she was fifteen again. ”Now I know, that I can’t make you stay. But where’s your heart? But where’s your heart? But where’s your…” Tish held out her ipod to River as if it were a microphone for him to continue with the next verse. The dark-haired girl smiled wide when he did, and some of the others even joined in singing the slightly-whiney, misunderstood artist anthem of their teenage years. Chloe, however, looked less than enthused by their noisy shenanigans.

Once the singing and giggles died down with the song, Patricia settled back into the cozy airplane seat. Honestly, she had never been so comfortable on a plane before, perhaps this first-class thing wasn’t so overrated. The slight hangover and early morning caught up to Tish and she started to doze off listening to her music through one earbud. Her head lolled to the side and her cheek smushed up against Jean’s shoulder as she napped, snoring lightly.

The ding of the speaker system before the stewardess began giving her landing schpiel woke Tish up with a startle. ”Oh shit, sorry!” she apologized quickly upon realizing she had fallen asleep on Jean.”I mean, if it makes you feel better, you are quite the comfortable pillow.” she said with a light chuckle.

Air currents whistled along the plane’s wings as it began it’s descent. Once again, Tish nervously gripped the armrest until the landing gear met the tarmac. The plane cruised into to the departure gate and the gang gathered their things from the overhead compartments before making their way to the airport terminal. They followed the signs directing them to baggage claim and excitedly chattered with each other. When everyone finally had their bags, Tish turned to the group. ”Well, we’re in the City, who’s ready for some Sin?” she asked and wiggled her eyebrows with a devilish grin.

---

Oh man. Things couldn't get any better! The excitement in the blissful, young adult was quite apparent in her kittenish grin, as Paige looked at all her sister's loved ones (and her's, because who her sister loved, she loved!). "I know right?! I've impressed myself." She giggled while referring to the comment of having a new arrival record. Playfully rolling her eyes at Chloe 'keeping an eye on her', Paige glanced back at her role model and then onto Dom, letting her soft, blue eyes rest on the nerdy boy that was her sister's love, "I should say the same to you. I'll surely become an aunt soon.". The comment was directed to Chloe, but her eyes were on Dom. Giving her sister's fiance a wink, Paige silently mouthed, "I'll be watching you." Whether or not Chloe saw that, Paige wasn't entirely sure, but soon after, a cutely decorated box with what the bubbly blonde presumed had a dessert that reflected a well-known Chloe favorite was handed to her. Taking a peak, Paige smiled to herself. Of course, red velvet cupcakes. One had a chocolate frosting groom and the other had a cream cheese bride. Too cute!

Before she made a fatty of herself (perhaps, she should save it for the plane ride?), in came the dark and mysterious, full of jokes, River. Tattoos, raven hair, and a man who rocked his look. The bad boy look would always be hot in Paige's book. And don't even get her started with his gorgeous green eyes. Sexy, much? His comment about him not having this excitement before, hit her womanly feels. She wanted to respond with something just as sugary sweet as the cupcakes she was holding, but he was off acknowledging other people (shirtless Jean in particular). She'll make sure River enjoyed himself this week, it was the least she could do being the maid of honor and all.

After placing her box down, Paige took a moment to sneaky-sneak take a picture of the bride and groom and post it to her Instagram: My sister is getting married! Isn't my future brother such a cutie?! #LasVegasBound #GetHyped

Her ears perked up at River's "threats". Her eyes still glued to her phone as she decided on a filter for the picture, Paige chuckled, while challenging the punk boy, "I'd like to see you try~" Without a doubt, Paige would tire River out before he got a chance to "kill" her.

”How about… we kill no one. I’m already feeling quite dead enough by myself, thank you very much.” Paige glanced up to softly stare at her sister's best friend. Oberon or what her sissy called him: Obie. His light brown orbs lingered on her for a moment and she returned the favor, by locking her gaze with his and giving him a warm, dimpled beam. Did she think anything of it? Absolutely not! Like a brother to her, Obie was someone Paige respected more than she would admit because of how much he supported Chloe, his pleasant nature, and how he had his shit together. Perfect friend for her sister.

While Chloe embraced Obie, Paige's squirrel brain attention span was immediately brought to... "OH MY GOD! Val you made it" She knew how sad her sister was because Val couldn't get ideal vacation days, the last time they heard, but here she was! Oh, happy day! The bouncy blonde skipped to the gorgeous teacher and put her right arm around the other woman's waist. Lifting her phone up, getting her and Val in the frame, but also getting everyone else in the background, Paige grinned, "Cheese!" *Snap* Before she took the picture, the youngest of the squad turned her head and kissed the cheek of the sweet Valentina. Turning her body toward her, the excitable woman brought Val in a proper embrace, "I'm so glad you made it."

Giving the lovebirds a moment with their friend, Paige went back to her Instagram while the PA announced that it was indeed boarding time: Sin City better watch out! #SquadGoals #LookAtThisCutie. Leaping in place, she hurriedly went to retrieve her things on one of the waiting room seats and followed behind Tish, "I hope you know we're not getting any sleep, roomie<3"

Quite use to nice arrangements like first class because of her family, Paige's seat was by the window (yay!). Nestling herself comfortably in her seat, she adorably patted her dress down. Digging in her fairly big purse, she took out her concept pad and a pencil, gently placing it on her lap. Staring out the window, she wondered what would happen this week. Her emotions were conflicted with elation and nervousness. Anything could happen at Sin City! Maybe not as crazy as the cinematic movies that are set in Las Vegas, but who knows?! Her main goal was to make sure Chloe didn't stress too much and that everything went according to her plan - well, when it wasn't night. Once night came around, Paige was going to prowl the Strip and live like the night would last forever! Go hard or go home. Feeling the presence of someone sitting in the seat beside her, she turned to see who was her partner-in-crime for the plane ride. "Obie!"

Once he was settled in, Paige asked if she could take a picture with him. Before he could answer, she already leaned her head against him and had her phone camera staring at them (Reference of pic pose). With a bright and vibrant smile and only light in her eyes, she snapped the picture and looked at the end result with satisfaction, "Aw. I love it. We look so good together." Like she did with the other pictures, she brought it to her social media account, adding it to her Las Vegas collection: My brother from another mother! #love #siblings #life

Finishing up her 'make-memories' obsession, she kindly asked, "Want me to send you the pic? I think I'll make this your contact pic." The attendant announced that they would be taking off, the little one made sure she was ready for take off. Resting her left hand on the arm rest in between her and Obie, and rolling her pencil in between her fingers with her right, she looked out the window and watched the plane gradually move. By now, traveling and flying on planes was normalized for the Jameson girl - especially since she spent the last two years traveling the world. Letting out a light and tiny yawn, she thought of possible painting concepts. She did want to see if she could make her sister something before the wedding. Who needs sleep right?

What would they both appreciate... well, I could wait for a moment that happens this week. Maybe, Val snaps a picture and I can duplicate it as a painting? That wouldn't be a bad idea. Sissy could hang it up in her living room or something. Oh man, the wedding kiss would be a perfect moment but... I would have no time to paint it. I guess I'll keep a watch on those two being cute. Go to the art store while Chloe is preoccupied with Dommy, then spend the early mornings before we roam the city painting. If I can achieve this... I know how much she would appreciate it. Man, my sister is getting married...

The sadness that her father was feeling earlier was building up in Paige when she thought of her sister starting the married life, filled with happiness and having little to no time for her. Her blue eyes grew teary as she stared out the window. It didn't help she didn't get any sleep-- that just made her even more feelsy. Putting her pencil down on her sketchpad, she brought her right hand up to wipe the small tears trailing down her face. Maybe, she was subtle enough that Obie didn't see her get all emotional over her sister growing up.

Mentally shaking her emotions away, Paige opened her sketch book to a page that had an unfinished Chloe sketch. Allowing her pencil to trace lines on the sheet, she contemplated the body structure. She gave her sister a flower crown and behind her was a male figure hugging her (that would turn into Dom when she got around to it). The young girl wasn't the strongest when it came to people (she preferred painting nature) but she spent the past couple of weeks trying to get her sister and Dom down. There was a fire within her to do this. Before her sister became a married woman, Paige wanted to give her something that she truly invested her heart and soul in. For now, all she could do is draw those two in different romantic poses until she had a moment this week to refer to.

Showing Obie her drawing, she curiously asked, "Do you think I got her eyes right?" Before he could answer, Tish began to serenade River a MCR song. Paige couldn't help but release a affectionate giggle. This was suppose to be a good vacation, she didn't need to have harbored thoughts on the bittersweet feelings of her sister starting a new chapter in her life. Only positivity this week.

The attendant came by with food and drinks. Classic Paige ordered a mimosa, the best alcoholic morning beverage there was. Plus, it would settle her nerves. Sticking out her tongue toward Obie, she cooed, "What? Everyone knows in Las Vegas people drink from dusk to dawn. I might as well start now!"

Once she got her drink, Paige didn't waste anytime to gracefully chug it all down within seconds. To hell being a lady! She was going to party. The attendant took the glass from her and brought her attention to Val. Paige took the next moments to eat one of her cupcakes, she decided on the chocolate one. With her pointer finger, she took a small bit of frosting off and put the tip of her finger in her mouth. Her expression changed to delight, as she gingerly took a bite into the cupcake.

For the rest of the plane ride, she chatted with Obie about little things like the places her dad suggested for them to visit, her morning in general- how she thought she almost lost her heirloom, and some of the things she wanted to do, if they were given the time, like the Helicopter tour, going to the gun range to have the best 2 person gun experience (though she's never shot a gun), going to the sexy man strip club, checking out the Burlesque show and many, many more things. Of course, she knew she wouldn't be able to discover all that Las Vegas and Nevada in general had to offer, but she could get some things checked off her list and perhaps come back later to finish off what she started.

Not one to fall asleep usually, even when she was very much sleep deprived, Paige decided to play hangman with Obie to kill time and even took out her word search book out. If she was going to be sitting next to her buddy, you best believe she was going to entertain the both of them until they landed! Time passed by quite quickly and before the squad knew it, they had arrived at their destination. Putting her things away, she unbuckled herself and stretched, "This was fun, Obie! We should do this more often."

Within time, everyone made their way out and they all strolled to baggage claim. Getting her suitcase from the belt (with slight struggle), Paige turned to Tish with a grin, her blonde locks moving with every movement she made, "You bet your ass I'm ready."

---

Quite pleased by the semi-dramatic reaction Chloe gave him to reciprocate his own theatrics and Paige's equally impressive snark, River turned away and shifted his attention instead to the newest arrival: none other than Oberon, who appeared to be jumping on his joke. As usual. River grinned at him, figuring he wouldn't grace the man with yet another death threat since they were running short on time - evidently, River wasn't quite in the mood to be obnoxious this time around. He'd probably run out of willpower once they were on the plane, though... it was a wonder why the group didn't just pull a soccer mom and bring him a tablet to entertain himself with rather than bothering the rest of the passengers. Scratch that; he was being handed a suspicious little box, and River arched an eyebrow at Chloe before turning his gaze to the others just to watch them open theirs first.

Tish happened to be the one he saw open it first. All right, so maybe he had little reason to be wary of a little innocent pink box (plus the fact that it was Chloe distributing it), but River was an antsy thing. In the end, Tish was showing off a cupcake, and River's eyes immediately widened, quite resembling a kid at Christmas. He tore into his box, having none of Tish's patience for himself, and started licking the frosting off. 'Hey guys!' River whipped around and smiled at Val, the closest semblance to a writing role model he had around here, and shrugged his shoulders. "So unfortunate, you missed the cupcakes. And, no, I'm not sharing." River made a big display of dancing away with his box, tucking the unfinished one away in his bag once he neared the boarding line.

Lucky for River, he was seated next to Chloe, ever the maternal figure in his life. He was pretty glad for that, honestly, but he could still milk the situation by teasing the poor soon-to-be groom. So, he twisted over the seat just to fuss with Dom's hair, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a point and displaying a canine. "Your loss! I'll try to tone down my appeal. Can't ruin the wedding." Apparently the aforementioned willpower was gone, because he just laughed to himself like he was the funniest guy in the whole world before dropping back down into his seat. As the flight took off, he could just sense the anxiety flowing around the plane, so he tried his best not to be a complete asshole as they lifted off... but of course, River was even more restless than the prepubescent kid two rows ahead of them. So, he started fiddling with his seat function, reclining as far as it would allow first - without hitting Tish, of course - and then sidling forward again.

When the plane straightened out, he caught the stewardess excitedly and got himself a painfully small bottle of Bacardi rum and an even more horrendously miniature can of Coke. Still, it was a drink, and he gladly began mixing it in an empty plastic cup when some very familiar lyrics were sung close to his ear. Another mischievous smile crossed his face and he sat up a little further, pivoting towards the iPod mic that was held out to him. "AND I KNOW!" He seemed to have given a middle-aged man in an aisle diagonal from his a heart attack, but he continued anyway. "There's nothing that I can say... to change that part, to change that part, to cha-a-ange," he sang, his hand rising into the air to match the pitch of his last note. He cut himself off, though, when others began to join in, providing a BPM on the tray holding his rum and Coke.

When the song ended - much to River's dismay, and much to the other passenger's pleasure - he cast a look around, at this point thoroughly unaffected by the bottle of rum. He took advantage of the stewardess's second round to get himself a vodka, by its lonesome this time in the hopes that the purity would get him drunk faster. Being his size, fifty of these tiny bottles wouldn't affect him, but a man could hope. Thankfully, the only thing he'd eaten in the past twelve hours was that cupcake (and only half of it, since security was a jerk and had him put it away while boarding), so it was safe to say that he felt a little more euphoric once at the bottom of his bottle. River, unfortunately, was not a sleepy drunk, so he couldn't just pass out for the rest of his flight. His eyes flickered around for ideas on what to do, landing on Paige who was tucked into a book writing. Or drawing. He couldn't tell from this distance, but she was a damn good artist, so probably the latter.

River himself was all right at portraits, so he twisted all around to find who would be his victim this time. Chloe was far too obvious, and she was too close for him to subtly draw, so she was out. He couldn't see Obe or Paige clearly as they were out of range, and Jean was obscured by Chloe's seat - oh, wait. River's eyes went to his phone on the tray before him, and he hatched a rather cruel plan. He opened his camera app and leaned to the side, angling his phone until it captured both his furtive smile and Tish, pressed up against Jean like he was a cushion. Perfect. River spent the rest of his time drawing Tish and Jean as a little cartoon on a napkin, Tish looking all smushed up against Jean's massive shoulder. It was quite precious, he thought, so he tucked it in his pocket to display sometime later.

Exiting the plane, River stumbled a little, earning some concerned expressions from the poor servers who gave him his drinks, but he made it off safely enough. Ever the mess, River hadn't packed an official suitcase, so he meandered about in baggage claim whilst his friends found theirs. Catching Tish and Paige's words, he found them like a buoy in the mass of other tired fliers and latched onto them to avoid losing his place. "So ready. Honestly, I just want to go clubbing. The airline was teasing me with those tiny bottles, I tell you," he muttered, eyes rolling lazily. Just as soon as he'd finished that thought, though, another popped into his head, and he whipped out his napkin art to show them. "Check it out! You're my muse. And also the closest victim, but, y'know, same thing. I think I'll call the offical comic 'Adventures of Sleepyhead.'"

---

It seemed it was time for them to go, but everyone had not yet arrived. Okay, maybe that was a bit inaccurate. Everyone that they expected to arrive have done so. Tish was the last of them due to the fact that she had terrible traffic on the way. That was to be expected since Miami traffic at this time of day was one of the worst. The only the time of day that was even more worse than near-noon was between five and six. That was when a lot of people were getting off work, and heading home for the day, so Tish was definitely lucky to get to the airport when she did because they were about to take off.

As everyone made their way through the gate, it was more or less smooth sailing. One by one they did what they needed to do: show their ticket, their boarding pass, and let the check lady clear them. One by one, the entire group was able to make it, and got onto the plane. It wouldn’t be long until they all would settle in their seats.

When he himself got into his seat, Dominic let himself take in the elaborate setup that the First Class had. Not one used to the luxury that was first class, Dominic was still in a state of awe. First Class was where the rich flew. He wasn’t rich nor was he poor, but not enough money to be able to buy first class tickets as if they were butter or something of the like. So, it was a real treat for Dominic. One could note that his expression was a mixture of being overwhelmed by what he was seeing and awe, casually holding his own cupcakes that Chloe had made for everyone. He didn’t open it yet, but he held it in his hands.

Dominic was next to Val. The two of them have known each other since their high school days. She was friends with Chloe, but as Dominic started to be seen as more of a serious boyfriend than just someone who might’ve struck gold temporarily, Dominic got to know the one next to him. Dominic admired her passion. As someone who also is passionable, there’s a common ground there. Aside that, he respects the way she carried herself. There were few people in this world that Dominic had no problem being himself around. Chloe obviously was one of those people. His mother and sister being two more. Jean, on occasion, could apply to this. Valentina was the last one that came to mind. Nothing was ever forced. Even during high school, Dominic never got the snobby cheerleader vibe from her. A true gem, she was.

And that’s why the flight was halfway-enjoyable for him, but Dominic couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of River because he got to sit next to Chloe. He couldn’t blame anyone on that. A computer generated the seating arrangements. Even though he went over there occasionally on the long flight, he eventually had to go back due to the captain’s orders. It didn’t matter much. It bothered him, sure, but he was in good company. The flight wasn’t really long when conversation started up. It wasn’t long until they had finally arrived at Las Vegas.

“Oh, we’re finally here.” Dominic seemingly echoing the speaker that said they had arrived not long ago.

Finally they were here. Out of the plane, out of the luxurious first class, and in Las Vegas, they had arrived to the start of the best week. Dominic, like the others, went to baggage claim. Everyone got their respective bags, and all smiles on their faces. Dominic would be lying if he too wasn’t excited. Even if he did try to hide it, the glee could not be denied as it was plastered on his face. Dominic Petrov Wells was actually smiling.

While Tish made a clever comment about committing sin, with Paige and River adding to that saying they were ready as well, Dominic held Chloe’s hand while holding his own luggage, and looked at her sweetly. “As long as I’m with you.” He said. While his gleaming eyes were occasionally scanning the others and what they were doing, they were firmly focused on his fiance. This was going to be their week. Best to make the most of it.

---

---

---

Chloe. Damn was his brother lucky, she was one of the nicest girls in the cheerleading squad during high school and dare he say one of the prettiest. He was happy for his brother, truly. There was no better choice for him and all that happiness in his eyes ever since Dom was with her officially, it was enough to break his heart. If he had emotions. No, no, no, this was Jean-Jacques we're talking about here, he was stone, built like a brick. He didn't have emotions, he had a heart of ice like that Narnia chick. Yes. He didn't cry happy tears when he heard of his brother's engagement. Stupid onions. 'Jesus Mary and Joseph, please help my mind. I'm having an inner monologue.' He thought in a smooth flow of French, a constant stream of language that connected to each other better than what any English sentence could.

French was a beautiful language but African French could almost be called a "bastardisation" of it by some hardcore linguists. When France came and conquered his homeland, they couldn't get rid of the local culture completely and so when French was implemented as Cote D'Ivoire's official language, pronunciation was off. Influence from languages spoken since the time the indigenous peoples first arrived made sure of it. The vowels sounded stronger than they would and powerful consonants would be emphasised on more than what the father language would emphasise. But instead of bastardising the language, this mix of old, traditional indigenous language and colonial French is something different. When Ivorians speak in their tongue, they are speaking their country's history and culture, culminating in a valley of words.

And thus, when Chloe spoke in perfect Western French, it took a few cogs in his head to run to figure out what she said. As she pulled him into a hug, he nodded quietly, knowing that she knew enough that it was his equivalent of a smile. "I could say the same to you, ma belle soeur en droit d'être!" He whispered quietly into her ear, a quiet wisp of a sentence that swirled into her ear like aroma to the nose. He squeezed her in the hug, letting himself break his steel exterior for a moment before breaking the hug, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He winked at her, his eyes twinkling gold as he was handed his gift, bowing slightly in thanks.

"It's no problem Chloe, I don't have any problems with ya givin' me this for a gift. Thank ya." He spoke with an accent, Jean did. A weird mix of French undertones and American accents paired with influence from the RnB he grew up listening to. It made him sound "fresh off the boat" sometimes but it was unique to the ear. It was certainly attractive to some however.

Speaking of attractive, he noticed a familiar face, this beauty walked through the line, apologising for being late. He reached out for her to talk but clenched his fist instead, opting for checking his bag instead. He knew and trusted Tish more than most but he could not explain why. She was the brush to his canvas and she has seen all the scars, the bruises and the burns. Most importantly, she knew what each tattoo meant. A M1911 handgun with a bullet escaping from the barrel. The pistol itself was black with a vibrant blue aura around it, surrounding it before seeping into the black weapon itself, the deep blue turning colder and colder until it was only a faint white against the black. The bullet was a wild red, like flames in a fire, uncontrollable and crazy. This represented what he felt. What he felt when he saw his first death, a cool exterior with a crazy, spectacular and maddening explosion of emotions in the inside, wanting to burst out. He still remembered the way blood felt against the skin, the sharp sound that a gun could make. "Inoubliable". Unforgettable. It was positioned on his lower back, on the left hand side, next to the Cage. She took care with making that one, as she did with all of his tattoos.

He usually decided to take control of the situation and be there in the moment, talking and laughing with the others. But for now, he didn't really feel like doing anything. Instead, he stood with grace, chest puffed out as always. He was willing to keep to himself for now, humming quietly in the corner and letting the couple in front of him welcome others into the group. And throughout all of this time of course, he was still shirtless.

It was definitely eye-catching, the rippling muscles and powerful tattoos stood out amongst a clothed crowd. Luckily, not many noticed the painful scars and burns. He stood taller than most and he looked as if he was a silent guardian, looking over the group with a keen eye. They were sharp and obvious, his eyes were. There was the light green, beautiful pattern he was born with there wasn't a single flaw. The eyes were a window to the soul and this was 100% the case with Jean. You would see his burning soul, a passionate confidence that shined brighter than a million stars. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the only thing they would see.

He was snapped from his stupor by the sound of River giving his jacket to him. Shit. he grumpily took the jacket and swung it onto him, making sure to cover his bare chest. He had forgotten, again. He had done this before, when he had come to the gym without a shirt. And this particular gym had a rule of "no shirt: no entrance" so he was damn lucky that someone had a shirt to lend him. He agitatedly mumbled a thanks in French. As basically the whole group arrived, he was starting to pick up his bags and leave but he was stopped in his tracks by a sight he didn't expect to ever see again.

He may have been stupid in expecting that. She was a close friend to Dom and Chloe, of course she'd be coming with them. This fact did not lessen his surprise to see her there. After she said hi to everyone and said their greetings, she turned to him and their eyes met. He missed her. He shouldn't. This was a love long past it's prime and they both agreed it could never work. He had a fledgling rugby career and she had an aspiring teaching career. Too much work and not enough time. But Jean-Jacques did not care right then and there. He didn't want to do anything else, consequences be damned. Making sure no one was looking, he confidently strode towards her and used his big arms to encircle her in a big hug, making sure not to crush her. It was a gentle touch and as he leaned down to her ear, he whispered only three words.

"Bonjour jolie dame." He was confident she would recognise them. Them being the first words and all. He quickly pulled away and winked at her, a small twinkle in his eyes before enjoying some light talk with her. Soon enough, the whole group entered the plane and into the lavish lifestyle of first class. He was happy to sit next to Tish, she was one of the few people who actually knew him as a person in the whole group. He was amused through the trip at their antics although most things flew over his head as he was listening to the rhythms and rhymes. Halfway through one of his favourite DMX songs, he felt something thud against his muscly shoulder. Raising an eyebrow, he looked down only to see the proportionally tiny Tish resting her head on his shoulder. He smirked as he heard her snore lightly, the cute sound being absolutely adorable to him.

He made sure not to move for the rest of the flight as to not disturb the (not necessarily unwanted) sleeping form by his side. Jean carefully put a blanket over her and straightened his back, hearing the pops in his back as it curved. It was comfortable and reminded him of the old days when Dom used to come to him for help. His younger brother used to cuddle next to him when he was ever bullied at school and quite frequently, said bullies would be seen beaten to a pulp the next day. He used to be so open to him but now he had a wider support group, his younger brother rarely came to him anymore. Anything that could replicate this was welcomed by him and so when the bell chimed and Tish woke up, he had a small frown.

"Don't worry 'bout it madame. I liked it a lot actually, you are, as always, good company." He responded, quickly suppressing the frown and plastering a smile on his face. As they descended and the plane landed, the group quickly exited the plane and it wasn't long before they got into more antics.

"I fuckin' swear guys, y'all just landed and ya wanna play around already?" He said with a smirk, clutching his rugby ball in hand before dropping it on his foot, giving it a light kick and popping it back into his arms. As River brought out his piece of "art", he grinned unnervingly at him before quickly chucking his rugby ball at the side of his face. Missing, the ball bounced on the wall and flew back into his outstretched arm. His face was set in a serious expression although the quirk on his lips told people otherwise.

"Ya better give that to me River or I'll hold you down and let Tish here tattoo a pénis on your forehead."

---

Oberon shrugged when Chloe said she didn’t even notice he was late. He was slightly disappointed, but it wasn’t something to dwell on. ”I guess that’s for the better. I have a reputation to uphold, after all.” He smirked. ”Not to mention, it’s probably better for your health this way.” While Oberon could appreciate his friend’s caring and worrying nature, that didn’t mean he’d make any less fun of it whenever he got the chance. He gratefully took the box from Chloe and took a brief look at the cupcakes. He would save them for the flight itself.

His own entrance was soon overshadowed by the much more unexpected one that was Valentina’s. He couldn’t exactly blame her, she was a welcome surprise whereas Oberon was just late. He had known the pretty brunette for quite some time now. Oberon knew Chloe in high school, and thus he knew Val as well. He didn’t really get to know her, however, until college. This was when he actually started to get along better with Chloe. As a result, he got to interact with Chloe’s friends afterward as well, including Valentina. ”You made it? Awesome!” He said and smiled. He knew Chloe would have a lot more fun with her around.

Following tedious security procedures, Oberon made way for his spot on the plane. Chloe had told him that the seating was done randomly. But upon seeing who he was to be spending his time with on this plane, he knew Chloe had set this up. Well, he wasn’t about to look the gift horse in the mouth. He sat down and settled himself in, even more mentally than physically. He didn’t want to say anything stupid. If he did, he might as well throw himself off this plane. He didn’t answer her when she said his nickname. Instead, he just flashed her a quick smile.

Hardly had he steeled himself, before she already leaned against him for a picture. Act natural, you fool! echoed through his mind as he managed to conjure a somewhat awkward smile. Apparently it was not awkward enough to be noticeable, thank god. Last thing he wanted was to actually look like the fool he was currently being. Luckily for him, he wasn’t the type to stumble over his words or blabber like an idiot. He just had to make sure not to say or do anything stupid. Something he nearly did when she commented how good they looked together. Instead, he just nodded and simply said: ”Looks great.” That said, that made the line she put with the picture on social media sting just that little bit more. Silently, with his feelings only slightly trampled, he just nodded when she asked whether she should send it to him.

It was still weird for Oberon to be this into a girl. He had always been rather passive when it came to love. His prior relationships were all started by the girl confessing to him. He didn’t really chase after anyone. And then he was simply awestruck by someone he had known for what must’ve been two decades. The Jamesons and Bergmans were neighbors and good friends, after all. Sure, he hadn’t seen her since he first entered college when it happened. But what exactly had changed? Oberon didn’t exactly let that bother him too much, and instead focused on how to deal with it instead. Luckily Chloe was there, being supportive in the usual Chloe fashion. When it came to Paige, surely Oberon would be doomed without her.
And as much as he paid attention to her, it was impossible for Oberon not to notice the small trail of tears produced by Paige. And neither went unnoticed her attempt to hide said tears. He slowly closed the distance between them, and whispered softly: ”Is something wrong?” If she was trying to hide it then he didn’t want to draw the attention of the rest. Oberon fully well understood Paige’s emotions at this moment. He had two older sisters of his own, one married and the other engaged, and he had always been quite close with them. The feeling of letting your beloved sibling go into the married life could be a saddening one indeed, even if you were happy for them as well.

Most time that was not spent directly interacting with his object of affection was spent with music on his ears. There were a few songs of which he was still trying to remember the lyrics for a performance of his own. Only those who attended the same college as he did knew that he was in a band that had performed on quite a few of the college’s events. But even now that the band had graduated, they still occasionally came together to jam. They mostly did covers, but occasionally wrote their own music as well. And seeing how he wasn’t going to get much chances to practice this week (and he needed some distraction right now anyway), he’d use this time wisely.

Following a charming display by Tish, he gave some critique on Paige’s drawing. He was by no means the artist that she was, there was a reason why he focused on music, but that didn’t stop him from attempting to provide worthwhile commentary. He always appreciated constructive criticism on his music, himself. Not to mention, Oberon was always brutally honest no matter the subject. That said, Paige’s drawing was not bad. There were a few details, a few things on the proportions, but nothing really outstandingly bad. He was actually quite impressed how well she did for someone who doesn’t draw humans that often. And he was sure to praise her as much as he criticized her in that regard. ”Want to do a drawing of me sometime? I’ll write a song for you in return.” He smiled. It wasn’t that he really wanted her to draw him. He just wanted an excuse to spend more time with her, and he figured that Paige was more likely to bite if he presented it as a playful ‘deal’. And a song might help getting his own feelings across, she was a perfect muse for him.

He rose a brow when cooed by the bubbly female. He wasn’t exactly planning on making a witty comment regarding her order. He turned towards the attendant and said simply ”What she’s having.” He then grinned at Paige as he followed her example and downed the glass in one gulp. He didn’t really care about not looking like a lady or not, he just wanted to get the sitrus taste out of his mouth as quickly as possible. How was he supposed to know a mimosa had sitrus in it? He hated sitrus! Had he ever told Paige that? He honestly didn’t remember.

The rest of the plane ride was spent talking. He was actually quite happy that she told him about the many events and locations. He had been so busy with work preparing for this vacation that he had no time to look into anything. Naturally he knew a little about Vegas, but he had no exact plans. Oberon wasn’t exactly against ‘going with the flow and just have fun’, but he liked to have things planned anyhow. Other than that, they played hangman until the plane landed. Even though most times he’d pick fairly normal words, Oberon wasn’t above using some ridiculously uncommon word that was only used in life science just to tease her a bit.

”Anytime.” Oberon commented with a laugh when they finally landed. Despite having a good time, he was fairly happy to be relieved of her for now. It was easy for him to grow restless, to worry about making mistakes around her. Plus, he still had that goddamn sitrus taste in his mouth! Sometimes he cursed his own impulsiveness in that regard. However, once the plane was exited he was quickly confronted with the classic antics of the rest of the group. He laughed a bit at River’s cartoon and turned to Tish. ”I’d be ready too if I were that well-rested.” He joked with a smirk.

---

"Hey guys! Didn't expect to see me so soon, didja?"

Chloe had taken just two steps with her luggage in the direction of the door when the familiar face of a person she loved very much and wasn’t expecting blocked her way. “VALIE!” Chloe shrieked in surprise and excitement, dropping all things she was carrying on the floor and pushing the two remaining cupcake boxes onto Dominic’s arms as she sprinted to embrace her very best friend in a big hug. Last time she’d spoken to Valentina via text the plan was still the same: get out of school at 3, be on the next plane to Vegas at 5. Chloe didn’t know what magic her missing bridesmaid had used to arrive at the airport and snag a ticket to the same plane they would be boarding, but there was no time to ask. They were already calling the rest of the passengers to continue boarding, and if they didn’t get their butts onto that plane their Vegas plans would be put on a damper. The last thing Chloe wanted was to start the best week of her life off on the wrong foot, so she quickly picked up her scattered belongings and made her way to the plane.

To her surprise, there had been a glitch while reserving seats, so instead of everyone sitting in the seats she had appointed them they were now sat at random: Tish sat with Jean, Val sat with Dominic and Chloe’s plane partner was now River. The only ones who remained seated together in the way she had originally planned were Paige and Oberon, which made Chloe snicker. She had obviously done this on purpose. Chlo knew how nervous Oberon got around her baby sister, so she wanted to give him a chance to become more comfortable around her and hopefully have the courage to ask her out by the end of this trip.
Plane rides were usually a rather chill thing for Chloe, but this time around as soon as the plane started moving she was overcome with nausea. It took her completely by surprise, but it wasn’t rocket science that she was in enough pressure this week for things like this to happen. To calm herself, she closed her eyes, took a few deep, calming breaths and pictured herself in her happy place until the pilot had announced they were now fully up and steady.

When the flight attendant took the orders of drinks and snacks, Chloe ordered a pink lemonade, which she quickly downed while she ate her small portion of courtesy chips. She was just settling on her spacious seat to get a well-deserved few hours of sleep when she heard Tish’s voice singing some rock song she honestly hadn’t heard before. River followed her lead by singing the next verse, and soon enough the rest of the gang was singing along to the song. Though she appeared to be enjoying their loud performance, on the inside all she wanted was some peace and quiet so she could get some well-deserved rest. Well, it didn’t seem like her wish would be coming true any time soon, because not long after the small karaoke session Dominic paid a visit to Chloe on her seat. His visits would reach twenty by the end of the trip (yes, twenty, because Chloe kept count of them).

By his fourth visit, Chloe sadly realized she wouldn’t be getting much sleep. And so, a now irritated future bride took the wedding planner out of her bag and spent the next two hours going over every single wedding and honeymoon detail again. She had done this about a million times this past month, but it never hurt to make sure everything was in order, and it helped her with keeping busy. Chloe loved Dominic, she really did. But being sleep deprived and stressed didn’t bring out the best of her behavior, so by his tenth visit to her seat she was on the edge of losing it. She would never lash out at him, of course, so she instead used his constant visits to go over wedding details in an attempt to calm him down. Chloe knew Dom was anxious: being away from her usually did that to him, even if it wasn’t for a long period of time.

After she was done with the wedding checking, Chloe took a moment to look around at her friends to see what they were up to. Her blue-green eyes found Tish and Jean, and Chloe couldn’t help but giggle like a child when she saw Tish’s pixie-like figure using Jean’s massive arm as her pillow. They were picture-perfect, so she went ahead and took a photo of them. Chloe’s eyes continued to scan the rest of the squad, and she saw Dominic (who was finally on his seat) talking to Val. They looked to be having fun, and Dom was actually looking calmer, which prompted Chloe to snap yet another picture. And finally… A satisfied smile adorned her lips when she saw Paige taking a selfie with Oberon, and she took the opportunity to sneakily take a picture of them. When they were both distracted by Paige’s artwork, Chloe took another sneaky photo. They looked absolutely gorgeous together.

The plane ride seemed to take longer than other times, but they finally arrived at Vegas at the scheduled time. The group exited the plane and headed to the belt to retrieve their luggage, and during the walk there Paige, Tish and River all made excited remarks on how they were ready to take up Sin City by storm, while Jean teased them and Oberon commented that he would join in the fun if he were better rested.

“Oh, I feel you, Obie,” Chloe said out loud, letting out a deep sigh at how exhausted she felt. And when Dominic told her with that drop-dead smile of his that he’d have fun as long as it was with her, Chloe smiled back at her fiance and kissed him on the lips as a sign that she felt the same way.

When the group all had their baggage, they were transported to the hotel in a limousine as if they were celebrities. Perks of booking a wedding and week-long stay at the Bellagio Hotel: you got transported anywhere and everywhere in a limo. The short trip was filled with excited buzzing and hype from the squad, and the check-in process went smoothly. Thirty minutes after they had stepped in Las Vegas, it was already time to say ‘see you later’, as the group would separate to their respective suites. To make things more fun, the guys and the girls would be staying in opposite wings of the hotel, so the guys were the first to leave as they were the furthest from the lobby. The girls all walked together to their rooms, and disappeared inside them when they had reached them.

Once in her room, Chloe quickly picked a bed, set her things next to it and settled herself in it. The mattress and pillows were plush, fluffy and comfortable to no end, so by the time Chloe had thrown the covers over her slim body it wasn’t long until she fell into a deep sleep. No conversation, no getting organized. Just a long, deep sleep.

---

Though the prospect of a Friday night of partying at The Strip sounded like paradise for adults, it was safe to say they were all still a little jet-lagged from the trip. Granted, Chloe knew that some of the wedding party (Tish, Paige, we’re looking at you) would no doubt run along for some late night fun in Sin City no matter how late this wedding party get-together lasted. But even with having caught up with some sleep Chloe was still not up for a night out, so she would pass on the opportunity. There would be many other chances to party, and the young woman needed to recharge her batteries for the upcoming events of one of the most important weeks of her life. Tomorrow would be a new day.

At around 9 PM Friday night, Chloe was taking her seat on Dominic’s lap, who was sitting on one of the plush white couches of the suite she shared with Valentina. The rest of the gang was all here, scattered around the spacious sitting area talking, laughing and sipping their assorted drinks. Upbeat pop music was playing through the suite’s integrated sound system, and the strobing bright lights of The Strip were visible from the glass pane doors of the balcony. So far, they were all enjoying themselves rather quietly, but suddenly Chloe was feeling daring.

“Hey guys, how about we play a little something risque to have some fun?” Chloe asked cheerfully, taking a moment to come up with a game that would enable them to go through all sorts of embarrassing and hilarious dilemmas and quickly finding the answer. “Oh my gosh! How’s about we treat ourselves to some good ole’ truth or dare?” she asked in an excited tone, taking a sip of the piña colada she had just ordered from room service. Everyone nodded or showed signs of being completely up for the idea, so Chloe looked around her friends in search of her first victim. Her eyes settled on a face, and with a mischievous gleam in her eyes she asked: “OBERON! Truth or Dare?” In typical Oberon fashion, the man chose dare without so much as a second’s hesitation. Of course, Chloe had anticipated this (she’d known Oberon since children, after all), so she had her dare already thought out. “I dare you to make the world’s most heartfelt love confession to… JEAN!” she exclaimed, collapsing into a fit of naughty giggles.

---

After a pleasant but rather uneventful limo ride, they arrived at their hotel. Uneventful was fine with Oberon, he was rather tired after a restless plane ride. As much as he adored Paige, interacting with the girl consumed every last drop of energy he had. Could you blame a man for getting a little restless around a girl like that? Nevertheless, he’d have to work on that. As soon as he was able to, he left for his hotel room. He picked one of the beds at random and jumped into it. He had just enough time to set an alarm before falling asleep within mere moments.

After a good rest, Oberon was ready to take on sin city full force. The lovely bride, however, had different plans for the group. The entire group gathered in Chloe and Valentina’s suites. Oberon had worked himself into the corner of one of the couches and sipped his beer. It was a good time, even if a little boring. But then Chloe spoke up with one of her brilliant ideas. Agreeing that their meeting could use a little more spice, Oberon agreed nearly instantly.

Naturally, Chloe did not leave a chance to target Oberon go by her. The moment she said his name, he already blurted out dare. The reasons for this were twofold: First of all, Oberon always picks dare. Second, you don’t pick truth with the person that knows the most about you, that was asking for humiliation. Oberon had an image to uphold, right?

As Chloe started her sentence, Oberon already feared that sentence was going to end with Paige. Honestly, he wasn’t certain whether the different target was a good or bad thing. He shot a glance at Jean, who no doubt already had his ‘oh hell no’ face on. But Oberon was too prideful to step down from a dare like this. “You know Chloe, you are putting me in a difficult position here. Confessing to my roommate? Gee, this is awkward.” He said, buying himself some time as he formed the perfect act in his head. Not to mention, he tried to build some tension, some kind of anticipation towards the actual moment. “Well, at the very least you didn’t ask for a full impromptu love serenade.” He then grinned at Chloe “And no, you’re not allowed to change it now.” He winked at her.

Having bought ample time to prepare his grand moment, he took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. Within three steps he was In front of Jean, at which point he dropped to his knees. One of his arms rose to above his head while the other rested on his heart. It was the pose of a Romeo trying to address his Juliet on the balcony. ”Oh Jean. From the moment I met you I knew this was meant to be. Whenever I look into your perfect eyes my heart spontaneously goes aflutter. Every rugby match I cheer for you and you alone. With every point you score you steal my heart once more. One glance of those masculine muscles and my head goes all light.” As he said this last thing, the hand on his chest went to his head. He then bended backward, acting as if he was fainting. But still he continued. ”You are my light in the darkness. My joy on a dreary day. Oh Jean, one look at you chases all my fears away. And so I pray, that one day too your love may come my way.” Both of his hands relocated to his chest, overlaying on his heart. He stood up and gave Jean one of the most awkward-looking winks as he walked back to his spot. ”Okay guys, before we head on. Can I propose a room change? I fear that either my life or my ass is going to be in danger tonight.” He joked, putting on his most obviously fake worried face.

Now that his very convincing and truthful display of theatrics had ended, it was his turn to pick a victim. Unlike Chloe, who carefully picked her target, he simply chose by the good old tactic of ‘eenie minie moe’ His finger went from one potential target to another, but ultimately ended up pointing to the lovely Valentina. ”Well then, Valentina, truth or dare?”

It didn’t take long for Valentina to decide she felt daring today. Oberon grinned at put his hand to his chin, to signal that he was taking a moment to think. ”Awesome. I dare you to… have your make up done by River!” He grinned at her. “And of course, you have to keep it that way for the rest of the night.” Honestly, he hoped River didn’t hold back making her look as silly as humanly possible.

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“VALIE!”

There was no time to think at all. One minute Valentina was laughing at the stunned-happy expressions on her friends' faces, the next minute, she was being crushed by an overly excited blonde, the main focus of the trip, Chloe Jameson. Of course, Dominic was just as important - being the groom and all - but with how timid the poor sweet man was, Val would've guessed that his dream bachelor 'party' would be having a quiet night in with the love of his life and close friends. Maybe she was presuming incorrectly, or maybe not - but Valentina could only hope that this trip would be as fun for Dominic as it would be for Chloe and the gang.

Hugging her blonde best friend tightly in return, the brunette teacher beamed at the rest from behind Chloe's back. "It's good to know you're happy to see me so soon!" Still grinning, Valentina pulled away from the embrace to let Chloe gather her carry on. What came as a bigger surprise was being pulled into another embrace - but not by Dominic (not that she was expecting one from him anyway) or by Paige, but from Jean. Unlike the previous hug, Jean was careful not to crush the petite teacher in his arms, and Val's arms circled around his lower body in return. Almost like she'd been following habits.

It hadn't worked out well, between the two of them. It just wasn't the right time. They were too busy and other things became more important than their relationship. They'd tried to stick through it, hoping that eventually they'd settle down and figure something out - but it never happened. Jean leaned down and whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her back at the familiar words before she smiled again. "Helló kedves ember..." She replied back, just as softly as he had done before the embrace was over and he winked at her. The final call for boarding was announced and the group finally gathered their belongings to board the plane for a week of fun.

She'd been seated beside Dominic, and she didn't know whether to thank her stars or to curse her luck because of it. On the bright side, at least she didn't have to sit beside Tish or River, both of whom had taken it upon themselves to loudly sing along to some song. However, she did have to deal with the nervous groom constantly shuffling between his seat and Chloe's, often being turned away by a stewardess when he was noticed. Val couldn't blame the poor guy, she knew if she were in his position she'd be doing the exact same thing. Instead, the brunette took the opportunity to take pictures of each pair having a good time, taking good care to ensure the pictures were of high quality for her blog post later.

Why not show the world how happy her friends were?

Between taking pictures, reading a good novel and conversing with Dominic whenever he'd remain in his seat long enough, the hours flew by like a breeze. Soon enough, they were back on land and at baggage claim, gathering their belongings before being ushered into a black limo that would drive them to their hotel. A limo. Valentina took a picture, more to brag about it to her colleagues when she'd finally returns than for her blog, before stuffing the camera away into her tote and sliding into the seat. The trip between the airport and hotel was a blur for Val, mainly because the tired brunette fell asleep immediately after sitting right back down again.

By the time she woke back up, they'd just pulled into the hotel, some already leaving so they could check in and (possibly) get some rest before the actual fun began. Valentina was glad to have her roomie be Chloe - at least then she'd be able to help out the stressed bride as well as get some rest when she needed it. While Chloe napped, the teacher pulled out her laptop after sorting out her clothes into the appropriate drawers and began her blog post.

Remember how I was sad last night that I couldn't join Chloe and everyone at Vegas till much later? Well! My boss surprised me this morning and allowed me to jet off early to meet up with them JUST as they were gonna board the flight! I'm so excited to see everyone and to have a good time this week, and even though I miss Gemma and wish my baby was with me on this trip... I'm still so happy! Both Chloe and Jean hugged me at the airport, and I even got a delicious baked treat from Chloe! What a sin it would be to leave it waiting...

I sat next to Dom on the flight. The poor guy kept going to see Chloe only to be forced to return and sit with me again. Chloe didn't look like she could sleep either, but at least everyone seemed to have a good time on the flight. I even recorded Tish and River singing! Okay, maybe I'm not the biggest fan of rock, or whatever they were singing, but at least it was entertaining!

PRESS PLAY TO WATCH

I took a couple more pictures too! Tish fell asleep on Jean and it was so cute! Then there was Dominic and Chloe talking about wedding preparations... AND it looks like Oberon and Paige might have something happening, because boy does he look nervous! Ha! Maybe I should question Chloe about it later...

Now we've arrived at the hotel and it looks so big! We even arrived in a bloody LIMO! the kids are going to be excited to see that. Gem would've loved it too, she would've stuck her little itty head out the window to watch all the sights going by so quickly-- I miss her :(

At 9PM, Valentina tucked her laptop away underneath her pillows so she could return to posting later before getting changed. The gang slowly gathered around inside the suite, and after Chloe suggested some truth or dare to get the night started, Valentina knew the night was only going to get better.

And better it did. Valentina was in tears at Oberon's confession, the girl laying on her bed with her hands shaking - possibly ruining the focus of her camera at this point while laughing along with the others at the sheer perfection of his response. ”Okay guys, before we head on. Can I propose a room change? I fear that either my life or my ass is going to be in danger tonight.”

Maybe it was the cocktail she was having, or maybe she was too happy to care, but the girl couldn't help but choke out between her laughter a response. "Why? Maybe you and Jean need to celebrate after that beautiful confession!" In hindsight, speaking was probably not the best idea because the man looked directly at her and asked her to choose truth or dare. Maybe it really was the drinks because the girl stupidly decided to go for a dare right after poking fun at Oberon.

At least she was able to record his humiliation.

Signing up to her fate, Valentina settled the camera down on the bedside table, saving and shutting the object before making her way to the on-suite to grab her bag of make-up. After grabbing it, she brought it out and settled down beside River, giving him full access to her cosmetics with a resigned sigh. She waited while River did her make-up, the teacher anxious to see the final product minutes later. When she was told it was over, the first thing she did was check herself out in the mirror nearby, dying on the inside.

At least they didn't have to go out after this...

Making eye contact with Tish, Valentina made a face at her, wiggling her eyebrows with a grin. When the tattooed pixie chose truth, Valentina deflated a little. No revenge for Mrs Joker then. "Aww, okay. Out of everyone in this room, who do you want to make out with the most?" Valentina, as a joke, fluttered her long eyelashes at Tish dramatically. "It's obviously me, right? River's made me so irresistible!"

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Tish hoisted her luggage off of the conveyer belt at baggage claim whilst Paige responded to her “sin city” comment. Good, it would be nice to have a party buddy during their stay in Vegas. Not that she was particularly worried about Paige living it up, getting Nic and Jean to let loose would be the real task, and she didn’t know Oberon all too well, but he seemed a little too straightlaced as well. Tish then made it her own personal mission to ensure that every last one of them partied regrettably hard at least one night of this fantastic week.

River mentioned that he was also ready to live it up and go clubbing in the city. ”Yes! We absolutely must hit up some clubs!” her excited tone starkly contrasted with his own lackadaisical one. As she responded, River looked like he was reminded of something and he reached in his pocket to pull out a napkin.

”Check it out! You're my muse. And also the closest victim, but, y'know, same thing. I think I'll call the official comic 'Adventures of Sleepyhead.'" River said as he proudly displayed his napkin drawing. Tish gasped and her cheeks tinged a faint pink.

”Heyyy, naps are important to me, don’t tease!” Tish said through embarrassed giggles as Jean responded to the drawing as well. ”Oh hush, Jean! Don’t give it to him, Riv, make him squirm. I’m a classy artist, I wouldn’t tattoo a penis on someone’s forehead, even if they asked me to.” Tish exaggerated the word ‘forehead’ because she had, in fact, tattooed such things on more easily concealed body parts in the past. To each their own when it came to silly tattoos…

From the the first class plane ride to the Bellagio hotel stay, nothing about this week promised to be anything less than luxurious. The wedding party wasn’t expected to take a cab from the airport to the hotel, oh no, it was a sleek black limo that rolled up to the curb to pick them up. The gang shuffled into the u-shaped row of seats while the driver packed their bags up. The ride was full of hype and Tish took it upon herself to inspect the well stocked mini fridge. Unlike the airport snafu, the hotel check-in went smoothly and the group went to their separate rooms and agreed to meet up later.

While the others napped and dressed or did whatever they wanted to do before tonight, Tish went exploring. Armed with a fresh outfit, her cellphone, and a killer smile, Patricia took to the streets. There were tourist spots and shops a plenty in the blocks surrounding the Bellagio. Tish found herself posing and snapping selfies and other photos to be posted to her Instagram with the tag #WellsWeddingWeek2016. A few of the snapshots were alternatively uploaded to her Snapchat story. Tish made note of two nightclubs, Marquee and Drai’s, to tell the group about when she got back. It was around 8:30 PM when Tish finally checked her phone for the time. That had caught her off guard, as the bright lights of The Strip masked the fact that the sun had already set.

On her brisk walk back to the hotel, Tish noticed signs directing her to the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Being the gardener and nature-enthusiast that she was, the idea of exploring such a place with her friends all too exciting. That would have to wait, though, as she had made plans to meet up with them now. She hadn’t meant to wander off on her own for quite so long, but it was a refreshing jaunt.

Chloe called her in when Tish knocked on the suite door. Everyone else was settled in and Val and Paige were making a cocktails. ”Oooh, I’ll have whatever you’re having!” Tish said as she grabbed a glass off the shelf and plopped some ice in it. With a drink now in-hand, Tish scanned the room. Chloe and Nic were snuggling the couch and everyone else was scattered about, laughing and chatting. Chloe proposed that they play a game of truth or dare and Tish responded by clapping twice quickly.

“YES, let’s! Damn, I haven’t played since summer camp in high school, this should be fun~” she said as she made her way towards the couch. There were plenty of inviting sofas and chairs but, being the odd little sprite that she was, Tish sat cross-legged on the floor beside the coffee table she set her drink on. Oberon was chosen first by Chloe and he was dared to make a love confession to Jean. ”Oh, this is going to be good.” Tish mused aloud with a wide grin as her eyes went from Obi to Jean. It was a very good effort on Oberon’s part, but the ridiculousness of it still had them all peeling with laughter by the end. When Val suggested that they celebrate the confession, Tish chimed in. ”Yes! At least seal it with a kiss!” she stifled her giggles as she took another sip of her drink.

Oberon then dared Val, most likely as punishment for speaking up, to get her makeup done by River. Tish thought for a second that he might not be that bad at it, he was slightly androgynous and fresh out of his ‘punk phase’, but that thought went out the window as soon as he got to work. Either he was intentionally fucking up her face, or applying makeup to other people was a lot harder than slapping some black liner on your own eyes.

Tish and Val made awkward eye contact as she was studying River’s final masterpiece. Tish tensed up knowing that was all it took. When Val gave her the two options Tish quickly chirped: “Truth!” Dares were always exciting, but it would be lame if that’s all everyone picked. Plus, Tish was an open book, fire away Val!

“Aww, okay. Out of everyone in this room, who do you want to make out with the most?” Valentina asked, fluttering her mascara-caked eyelashes. "It's obviously me, right? River's made me so irresistible!"

Tish chuckled and joked, ”Oh yeah, clown makeup is my secret turn on….. uhm.” Patricia scanned the room once more with her fingers thoughtfully tapping her chin, as if she still needed to settle on her choice. It was more so a stalling tactic to control the surprising nerves she felt fluttering in her stomach. ”River” she said quickly, like pulling off a bandaid. Her porcelain cheeks flushed pink for the second time that day.

Looking to quickly move on from that, Tish picked the first target she laid eyes on. ”To the beautiful bride, pick your poison: truth or dare?” Tish asked with a cheshire cat smile.

Clearly taken aback by Tish's choice to pick her, Chloe gave a small giggle, snuggled further into Dominic's lap and cheerfully responded: "Truth!"

”A fine choice… hmmm.” Tish replied and was quiet for a few moments whilst she thought. Her face lit up when the perfect idea finally came. ”What’s one big thing you wish you’d done before you got married?” she asked, wearing that feline grin once more.

Chloe gave Dom a sheepish smile, and after a moment's hesitation gave her shy answer. "Well, honestly? I've always wanted to know what it's like to kiss a girl."

Tish’s mouth gaped slightly. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t that. ”Really?! Shit, we could change that right now if you want.” Perhaps that was the alcohol talking, but they were supposed to have a night of goofy naughty fun, right? Surprising her yet again, Chloe agreed.

The tattooed girl made an entertaining show of taking Chloe’s hand and stealing her away from Dominic. Chloe burst into a nervous giggle fit when Tish was close enough to make pre-kiss eye contact. Tish smiled ”Laughing is fine, just don’t go les on us after this… Nic will kill me.” Once Chloe’s nerves subsided, Tish gave her a signal nod. If Chloe was expecting a short peck, she was in for a shock, or perhaps a treat! Tish planned on shamelessly showing her exactly what it was like to kiss a girl, right there in front of her almost husband, closest friends, and baby sister.

Tish caressed the blonde’s cheek and closed the distance between their mouths. She could taste the pink lemonade on Chloe’s soft, obviously well-moisturized lips. It was an steamy lip lock to say the least, the kind that would leave you breathless if you actually desired the other person. Tish had never been interested in her best friend’s girl, so it was nothing but a kiss to her. Even still, when she eventually pulled away she said, ”Your turn now, babe.” with a teasing wink before going back to her seat.