"We're gonna miss our flight" Bellamy gasped out breathlessly.
"We'll catch another one" Mel responded as she assaulted his jaw with kisses.
Bellamy groaned when she reached his pulse point and began to nip and suck the tender flesh. Their flight was at five and it was only two in the afternoon. They still had at about half an hour before they had to leave for the airport. And even if they missed their plane, he and Mel could always fly stand-by. It's not like the flights were exactly booked going to Columbus in the middle of March. But at the same time, the wedding was in two days and he wasn't exactly keen on missing a two thousand mile flight to Ohio so close to the wedding date. And not to mention he was supposed to meet Clarke and her mystery man at the airport, having booked the same flight as Clarke via the request of her brother and his best friend, Wick.
Mel continued her assault on his jaw and moved her hands from his shoulders to the hem of his shirt, playing with the end, her intent clear. Bellamy shifted on the couch and was ready to cave in, flight to Columbus be damned, when his gaze landed on her bag with a magazine sticking out. His brow furrowed as the read the title of the magazine. "What?" he mumbled, sure that he read the title wrong. Pushing Mel off of his chest, he reached out and grabbed the stack of magazines Mel had crammed in her satchel. "What is this?" Bellamy asked incredulously.
"What's what?" Mel lifted herself off his lap and looked over at the paper that had grabbed Bellamy's attention. "Oh, that's just something to read on the plane."
"Destination I Do, Get Married?" Bellamy flipped through the magazines unceremoniously as he read the titles. "Wedding Star, The Bride Guide?" Bellamy tossed the offending articles on the coffee table. "Mel, it's not a thirty-six hour flight to Columbus."
"Well, we're going to a wedding." Mel responded nonchalantly
Bellamy rolled his eyes. "Yeah. My best friend's Mom's wedding."
Mel simply shrugged. "Your parents are going to be there."
"And?"
"And, since we're taking things to the next level-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Mel!" Bellamy looked at her suspiciously. "Wha-what exactly do you think this trip to Columbus is about?" He and Mel had met a month ago at a bar and after some drunken flirtation, had been steadily sleeping together ever since. She was a nice girl, cute and witty, but he knew he was not ready for marriage, for a committed relationship, and he did not like the direction this conversation was heading.
Mel sat back on her heels, smiling suggestively. "Come on, Bell. I know you invited me to Columbus so that I could meet your parents!"
Bellamy just stared. Yup. He was not ready for marriage. Not commitment. Not tying the knot. Especially not to someone as airheaded as Mel.
"Come on, Clarke! This is crazy." Harper yelled from her seat at Clarke's breakfast bar. "Quit stalling and show us the dress already!"
Clarke glared at the closed door separating her from her friends before turning to study herself in the full length mirror that graced her closet door. She bit her lip as she turned to survey the back. The back was definitely the worst. Clarke would never understand why her mother chose a dress with a thick satin sash on a chiffon dress. The bow was huge! Sighing, she tuned again to look at herself from the front. It really wouldn't look so bad it weren't for the sash and layers of fabric draped across the chest to the one-shoulder sleeve. She took a step back from the mirror and twirled once, watching as the fabric flowed with the movement. At least the color is nice, she thought wryly, playing with the soft, mauve layers with her fingers.
"Clarke, this is ridiculous! Hurry up!" Monroe called. "Come on, I'm sure you look beautiful! It can't be that bad, how can it be that bad?" Octavia joined in. Clarke groaned. "Okay, fine! I'm coming." She chanced one last look at herself before opening the door to stand in front of the she-devils she called her friends. "So…" she asked twirling slowly, "what do you think?"
Harper looked up from the magazine she was reading and grimaced. "Maybe it's always the bridesmaid, never the bride, because of the dresses."
Clarke paled. "Is it really that bad?" she asked. "Have fun at the prom," Monroe piped up with faux exuberance. "Well thanks," Clarke said with no small amount of sarcasm. Octavia just laughed from where she was lounging on the couch. "Hey, what's Finn wearing?" she asked, taking pity on her friend and changing the subject.
Clarke shrugged as she walked back to her room. "I don't know what Finn is wearing. It's not like he's walking me down the aisle." Octavia hummed in response just as the tune to the Wedding March began to play.
Clarke glanced up from where she was packing her cosmetics "What is that?!" Exiting her room she saw Monroe holding Clarke's phone while the music streamed from the device. "Is that my phone, give it to me!" Monroe laughed as Clarke lunged for the device. "Oh-ho, I'm sorry! What were you saying about walking down the aisle?" she retorted, jumping out of Clarke's reach behind the couch, waving the offending item.
"Monroe!" Clarke dashed around the couch reaching for her phone, just as Monroe executed a somersault over the back of the couch and plopped down on the cushions. Monroe leaned her head back and held up the phone, grinning cheekily. "At least all those years of gym and cheer have paid off," Clarke said, trying to glare at her friend, but unable stop the grin that split her lips. Monroe just laughed. "Yeah, what would daddy-dearest do if I couldn't at least perform a somersault anymore. All that money, gone for nothing."
The sound of a horn honking repetitively ceased the girl's mirth. Clarke's grin quickly slid from her face at the sound of the familiar horn. "Finn is here! Crap!" she jumped up from the couch and ran into her room, unzipping her dress on the way.
Outside, Finn continued to honk the horn. "Come on Clarke! We don't have all day!" he yelled from his car.
Octavia rolled her eyes. "What is this guy's problem?" she muttered as she walked out to the balcony. "She'll be right down!" she yelled to Finn. Finn slid himself out the open window and sat on the ledge of the door. "Come one Clarke, Columbus is waiting!" Octavia groaned. "Oh suck it, Finn."
Walking back inside, she heard Harper ask, "Clarke, what did you tell your family about Finn?" There was a moment of silence before Clarke answered, "Nothing. I just told them I was bringing home a mystery man and that was it." The three girls shared a look. "So they don't know he's in a band?" Monroe asked.
Clarke walked out of her room pulling on her jacket, oblivious to the awkward glances her friends shared. "No, they don't even know that he is a musician."
"Oh, well I'm sure they'll love his demo." Harper said slyly, nudging Monroe in the shoulder sending the three girls into giggles. Clarke folded her arms across chest and frowned. "Okay, you know what…I thought that if we could spend a few days, alone with family," Clarke emphasized, "maybe my parents can meet the Finn Collins that I know."
To Clarke's relief, her friends stopped laughing at her expense. They still looked unconvinced, but Clarke knew that they just haven't tried hard enough to get to know Finn. He's sweet, caring, a little possessive, sure, but Clarke just had a feeling that he just might be the One. He has to be. Clarke was getting tired of all her friends getting engaged and married and starting families of their own, while she just had one failed relationship after the next. But not Finn. Finn's different. She just needs to convince her friends of that.
Just then the silence was broken with the obnoxious honking of a horn from the street. Octavia grimaced and glanced at her watch. "Go on, it's almost three. You need to get to the airport." Reaching over and pulling her friend a hug, she continued, "I'll call you tomorrow. Now go before you miss your flight!"
A/N: I love the fake date/relationship trope...check that...I'm obsessed. So, here I am, venturing into the world of fanfiction. Long-time reader and reviewer, first-time publishing author on this site. Un-beta'ed, all mistakes are my own. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Disclaimers: Based on a film. I own nothing.