“alexandra! Are you ready to go?” one of her closest friends, alina, asks from the other room as alex is just about finished dabbing a small bit of lipstick onto her lips. She rubs her lips together to lather the color on evenly before capping the small capsule and placing it into her clutch.

“Yeah, I am just finishing up!” she responds before standing up in her chair, threading her fingers tenderly through her lengthy curls before running her hands along the side of the dress to pat it down. She checks herself in the mirror one last time before walking over to alina, her eyes absentmindedly eyeing a picture she still fails to get rid of due to the memories she cherishes from that photo. She nibbles her lip, going back to the day.

 

Junior year of high school:

 

Alexandra squeals as she feels a pair of arms wrap around her petite waist from behind, lifting her up slightly as a pair of lips shower her neck in kisses. She giggles softly from the affection, closing her eyes momentarily to enjoy the moment.

“Baby!” she exclaims in between giggles.

“Mm, hi my love,” he murmurs against her skin, giving her a peck once more before placing her down and turning her around in his arms. She grins up at him, hugging his waist securly. He smiles down at her, giving her a soft kiss before resting his forehead against her own. “Wow I’ve missed you.”

“You saw me an hour ago,” she says with a soft laugh.

“I know, but an hour is just too long away from you,” he says, twirling a string of her hair around his finger. She tilts her head lightly to the side, giving him a tiny smile.

“You just can’t keep away from me, can you?”

“Nope,” he says, giving her one last kiss before pulling her into his arms fully.

Alexandra and Christian have been together since Freshman year when one of her unused tampons fell out of her backpack and onto his shoe in a class they both shared together. Of course, she avoided him for a good half of the semester before he finally decided to confront her about the tampon incident, sparking a strange friendship between the two before he asked her out to a school dance. Ever since then, they have been inseparable and they were known as the “OTP” of the school. 

Christian takes her hand, entwining their fingers as he pulls her along to their secret hiding spot they escape to to have their alone time when on break together. She smiles softly, keeping close to him as they walk, and once in the spot, he sits down on the grass before immediately pulling her down and into his lap. She squeals with a giggle as his arms wrap around her figure, holding her close to him

“My baby,” he whispers, peppering kisses on her temple as he holds the girl close. She rests her head against his chest, enjoying the moment they are both able to share now that they can take a break from classes together.

“We should take a picture like this,” she says before whipping out her phone. “Say cheese!” she shouts with enthusiasm. Christian shakes his head with a soft laugh as he smiles at the camera, resting his chin on the top of her head as she holds out the camera.

 

Back to present day:

 

Alex sighs softly, eyes drifting from the picture as she immediately gathers her belongings, placing her wallet, phone, and keys into her clutch before walking over to alina. Alina pouts, noticing the saddened expression on alex’s face. Her eyes just don’t light up like they used to. 

“Are you okay?” alina asks her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex nods her head, flashing a soft smile at her to reassure her.

“Yeah, i’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Alina scoffs, shaking her head with a chuckle. “You’re my best friend. Of course I am going to worry about you, .” Alex nudges her friend in the shoulder lightly before linking arms with her, her clutch in her other hand as she drags alina out the door.

“I am fine. Really. We have to gooooo.”

“Okay okay!” alina responds with a soft laugh, allowing alex to drag her to the car before unlocking the doors and slipping in. alex and alina quickly buckle up before starting the car and heading over to their destination. Alina drives as alex keeps her hands folded in her lap, eyes following everything that passes them, thoughts of christian slowly invading her mind despite their break up. She presses her cheek lightly against the glass as they both sit in silence, allowing her to live in her thoughts for just a few moments before reaching the church. The parking lot is nearly filled, cars parked in all directions of the massive area as spaces continue to fill up. Alina quickly parks the car as alex remains buried in her thoughts, causing alina to tap her shoulder a few times to grab her attention. Alex quickly turns her head to look at her friend slightly alarmed.

“Hmm?”

“We’re here,” alina informs. Alex looks around, scanning her surroundings before grabbing her purse. 

“Oh- I didn’t realize,” she responds. Alina furrows her brows in slight concern for her friend seeing as she has been acting weird ever since meeting up to get ready for the wedding.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” alina asks her once more, earning a small nod.

“Yes, I’m fine dude. Really. I’ve just been in my thoughts lately. Don’t worry, okay?”

Alina stares at her friend momentarily, trying to read her but is unsuccessful and just nods her head before opening the car door.

“Okay if you say so,” she says before stepping out with her purse. She looks around, spotting the familiar blonde haired cutie alina has been crushing on for over a year now. She blushes as he turns and spots her, flashing her a grin before walking over to her. Alex steps beside her, rolling her eyes with a smile before nudging her towards the boy.

“Go on. I know you still have a major crush on him,” alex teases with a grin. Alina scoffs, shoving her lightly as her cheeks turn a rosey pink color.

“Shut up. I think everyone knows…” she whispers with a small pout.

“Well yeah, you’re obvious as .”

“Okay listen-”

“Hey beautiful ladies,” a familiar male voice interrupts with a greeting. Both girls look up, and a small smirk forms on alex’s lips as she glances at her friend in a slight daze as she just stares up at him.

“Hey Daniel, what’s up?” she asks him. He shrugs his shoulders lightly with a soft chuckle.

“Just thought I’d say hi,” he says, his eyes drifting to alina most of the time, a grin forming on his lips. “Hey princess.”

“I- hey Daniel,” she nervously responds with a soft smile. Alex’s eyes go back and forth between daniel and alina, sensing the mutual feelings that are clearly existent between the two of them when he just focuses on alina with smiling eyes.

“I’m going to head inside, yeah?” alex asks her friend whose eyes instantly widen at the thought of being alone with Daniel even for 5 minutes. Not giving her friend any time to reply, she flashes daniel a smirk before heading into the church to greet the bride. Once spotting the beauty in one of the rooms to get ready for the ceremony, the girl squeals softly once seeing alex and runs over to her to pull her into a tight hug.

“You made it!”

“Of course. I told you I would show up,” alex responds with a grin, admiring her friend’s elegant gown and how it fits just perfectly around her figure.

“I know. I just didn’t know if you would show up knowing well…”

“Knowing what?”

“Well-”

Alex’s brows furrow in confusion as she waits for her friend to explain.

“Well-”

“Guys, the ceremony is about to begin! Everyone should take their seats soon,” the bride’s mother interrupts as she pokes her head into the room. 

“Oh god!” the bride exclaims, rubbing her tummy as the thought of getting married begins to sink in. “Oh god oh god oh god-” alex immediately drops the topic and places her hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

“It will be fine. Don’t worry too much, yeah?”

“Oh god. I just- I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I’m getting married. What the ?” the bride says as she begins to hyperventilate, pacing the room as she attempts to fan her face with a program that is sitting on a table beside the door.

“That you are,” alex responds with a soft laugh as she stares at her friend in amusement. “It will be okay. It will be magical, I’m sure,” she says as she watches her friend continue to pace the room. “Um...I am going to go take my seat, yeah? You go this!” alex exclaims with a thumbs up before leaving the panicky girl alone to pace her nerves away until the beginning of the ceremony. She spots alina sitting beside daniel who seems to be deeply invested in a conversation the two seem to be having, all smiles and laughs, a clear indication of the two getting cozy. As she scans the room, her eyes slightly widen and a familiar feeling of the butterflies begins to resurface once she spots the one person she was not expecting to see here: christian yu. 

 

~*~

 

The ceremony goes well and the reception is even better. Alex is sitting at a table nearest the bathroom with a cup of lemonade in her hand as a crowd slowly forms on the dancefloor as music blasts from all speakers around the room, amplifying the sound and creating a euphoric atmosphere for the bride, groom, and their guests. She continues to sip her drink, spotting alina and daniel in the middle dancing and clearly enjoying each other’s company. She sighs, getting up to head out for some fresh air in which she runs into christian leaning against the wall with a cigarette dangling from his fingers. She pouts as his smoking habits resurface. She keeps a short distance from him in hopes he does not notice her. She looks down, hair falling in front of her face as she pulls out her phone, unaware of christian’s body beside hers.

“Funny seeing you here,” that familiar accented voice suddenly says, causing her to jolt slightly in place. She looks up from her phone, meeting those eyes she never got tired of. She momentarily loses the ability to speak as the man she still thinks about all the time just stands in front of her with his eyes on hers.

“I-”

He chuckles lightly, flashing her that smile she has always loved.

“Cat got your tongue?”

“I-I just wasn’t expecting to see you here…”

He shrugs, tossing the cigarette before using his foot to crush it into the pavement.

“I could say the same about you, alexandra,” he says, using her full name. “I guess I should have expected it seeing as we are both friends with the bride, yeah?” alex nods her head with a soft laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, I suppose it wasn’t much of a surprise. Um...how-how have you been?” she shyly asks, his gaze never leaving hers.

“As good as I’ll ever be I suppose. How about you? I’ve missed you.”

As soon as she hears those words, her heart begins to beat a little quicker as her fingers fidget with the end of her dress, unaware of the close proximity between their bodies.

“I-I’ve been fine. You have?” she asks softly in slight disbelief. He nods his head, leaning against the wall as he keeps his eyes on hers.

“Of course I have. I find myself thinking about you quite a bit, honestly,” he says as he begins to rub at the nape of his neck with a shy smile.

“I-”

“Hey guys! A few of us are heading to my place for some drinks if you guys wanna join? Please say yes. Alina and Daniel are going apparently,” the bride informs them with a smile as she interrupts the conversation. Alex nods her head with a smile.

“Sure. Alina is my ride so I guess I’ll go.”

“I’ll go as well,” Christian responds before heading over to the door. “See you there, love.”

Why the does he have to be so cute???

 

~*~

 

The night goes well as the more people slowly begin to occupy the house with drinks in their hand as they make conversation with each other. Alex is in the kitchen filling up another glass of wine in which alina immediately takes out of her hand.

“Yah. No more. You’ve already had 4 glasses of wine in less than an hour,” alina says as she squints her eyes at her already intoxicated friend who simply giggles softly trying to reach for her glass. Alina holds it out of reach, handing it to Daniel. “Can you put this somewhere she can’t find it, please?”

“Of course, princess,” he says as he leaves with her glass of wine. Alex pouts aggressively, stomping her foot with a small huff as the man retreats with her only glass.

“He took my wine…”

“Yeah, because I don’t need my best friend getting drunk off her right now. Come on, let’s get you home,” alina says, lifting alex’s arm to drape it across her shoulders so she can hold her friend up as she drags her to the door, running into christian. 

“Oh hey guys- what happened to her?” christian asks, tilting his head in slight confusion as his ex girlfriend clings to alina, unable to maintain any balance and goofily grin up at him.

“Christian!”

“Oh god- hey Christian, but I have to take her home before she finds a way to drink some more.”

“She’s drunk?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Christiaaaaan,” alex whines softly as she sways a little. Alina keeps a firm hold on her friend, struggling to hold her up as alex continues to cling tightly. Christian’s lips quirk up slightly into a small smile as he stares at her in amusement, remembering how cute she gets when she is drinking. He clears his throat, placing his drink down before pulling alex into his arms.

“I’ll take care of her, don’t worry. You stay and enjoy the party, yeah?”

“I- she’s my bestfriend. I’d feel comfortable if I took her home.”

“Hey, trust me I can handle this yeah? Enjoy your time with lover boy,” he reassures her, patting her shoulder as her jaw drops slightly. Before she can ask, he says, “it’s pretty obvious.”

“I- what?”

“I’ll take her,” christian says once more before pulling alex out the door with him. As she stumbles a couple of times, he immediately places his arms under her legs to lift her up and carry her to the car. She squeals softly with a small giggle, arms immediately looping around his neck as she rests her head against his shoulder. Christian chuckles, glancing down at the small girl in his arms, swaying her head back in forth, the smile never ceasing which only makes his heart skip slightly. “My drunk princess,” he mumbles under his breath as he carries her to his car. “Time to get your cute home.”

 

~*~

 

Alex is rolling around in the bed, soft giggles erupting as she kicks at the air playfully with christian grinning at her in amusement. His adoration for her only grows as he watches alex’s drunk self make a mess of the bed sheets and the pillows by attempting to form bed angels as if she is in the snow. He chuckles, walking over to her as she stops rolling around and just finds herself staring at the ceiling in awe. He sits down at the edge of the bed and absentmindedly brushes a finger along her cheek. She turns her head a little, blushing slightly as she feels his finger graze her skin, a feeling she has missed. Her eyes meet his, his soft and tender as he tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Silly girl. You’re still so beautiful,” he mumbles softly as he admires her and stares fondly at her disheveled form from the amount of times she has rolled around in bed. She smiles softly, leaning into his touch just a bit before taking his hand in hers, running a thumb along his knuckles. He is slightly taken aback by her actions, but does not pull away. Not even in the slightest.

“I’ve missed you, Christian…” she whispers softly, her eyes meeting his once more. He sighs softly. “Why did we have to break up?” 

“Alex…”

“Did you stop loving me? Was it something I did?” she asks, suddenly sitting up with a small pout. Oh god, he just wants to so badly tell her that she did nothing wrong, and just pull her into his arms and kiss her like he used to.

“No no no, princess, you know that’s not the case.”

“I-I just thought we would be together forever,” she whispers, voice cracking slightly. “When we broke up, I was so broken. I still am. I just-I just don’t know what I did…” hearing her words breaks his heart just a little. Without hesitation, he immediately gets onto the bed and pulls her into his arms, cradling her like he used to do when she was upset. She sniffles a little, feeling warm and protected as she lets him hold her. He places a chaste kiss to the crown of her head.

“Stop. don’t blame yourself, okay? You had nothing to do with why we broke up, okay?”

“But-”

“Shh,” he says, placing a finger against her lips, “or I just might end up kissing you,” he whispers softly in which she hears, her ears perking up slightly from his words.

“Then kiss me,” she whispers back, eyes resting on his, just pleading for a kiss.

“Alex, you’re drunk…” She shakes her head. 

“Even if I were sober, I’d still want that kiss.” Christian chuckles lightly, grazing her cheek once more before poking her nose slightly.

“You’ve always been a little stubborn. This stubborn little baby of mine,” he whispers, inching his face closer to hers.

“I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t,” she responds, inching her face a little closer as well, eyes darting back and forth between his eyes and lips.

“Now that I can agree with,” he responds, lips barely brushing hers. He is unable to hold back, and firmly presses his lips against hers, the sweet taste of wine mixing into their kiss. He cups her cheeks, keeping his lips pressed to hers as he kisses her ever so softly, unable to pull away from her, almost as if intoxicated by just a simple touch. Intoxicated by her. She loosely wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as her lips meld with his in perfect synchronization as if meant for each other, like two puzzle pieces. The kiss lasts for a few seconds before christian pulls away briefly, causing alex to pout slightly. He chuckles, pecking her pout once more. “I hope you will remember this in the morning.” She stares up at him in a slight daze, nodding her head.

“I will. I definitely will,” she responds with a small grin.

“Good,” he says, laying down amongst the sea of pillows and messy blankets, never once loosening his grip on her. “It’s getting late,” he says, resting his lips against her temple. She curls into his arms, closing her eyes for a few moments.

“My head is spinning,” she whines.

“Your fault for getting drunk, dummy,” he retorts with a teasing grin. She nudges him lightly, keeping her eyes closed regardless as he begins to shut his eyes as well, face buried in her hair as he finds himself breathing in her sweet aroma.

“Shut up.”

“Make me,” he challenges her with a grin.

“I will tomorrow. Dummy.”

"Mm good. I will be looking forward to that."

Oh what a turn of events that was.