Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight because I'm not Smeyer. If I was Smeyer, I would be writing books about sparkly mermaids right now, but alas, I am not, so I actually have a small fraction of a life. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!


*EPOV*

From the little side room in the church, we could all hear the chatter of people sitting in their pews, just waiting for the ceremony to start.

I chuckled to myself as I thought of Kevin. He was probably standing in front of the alter, nervous as hell, wiping his sweaty hands every two minutes. He was looking forward to getting married, but this big of a commitment scared the shit out of him.

I honestly couldn't blame the guy. After Tracy gave him 'rules' for his bachelor party, he went into full- out freak mode.

~Flashback~

"Em, what's she gonna control next?!"

"Oh, come on, Kevin. She just wants to make sure you don't do anything too crazy."

"Yeah, right. First, it's my bachelor party. What will it be next? Where I can go? What time I can leave the apartment? When I can shit and speak?"

"I think you're being way too overdramatic."

"Oh my God……. What if she turns into one of those physco-wives that force their husbands to wear polo shirts and crocs?! I hate crocs!"

"You really need to-"

"I HATE CROCS!!"

~End of Flashback~

But it was probably just due to being stressed out.

Well, I could only hope, anyway. I didn't need my best friend to lose his mind at 26.

"Boys," the wedding planner poked her head through the door. "The ceremony's starting. We need you out here and next to your partner."

Right. I almost forgot. I was the best man, and Tracy's sister, Becca, was the maid of honor, which meant that we had to walk down the aisle together.

I thought about the last time I saw Becca, and silently prayed to God that she was different.

"Hi, Embry," Becca's voice cooed.

Nope- she was still the same.

"Oh, hey," I said, hoping to keep her from talking even more.

"So what brings you here?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

Did she just bat her eyelashes at me?

"I'm the best man."

Duh.

"And I'm the maid of honor. So that means…… we get to walk down the aisle together!"

"Yay," I said unenthusiastically.

This girl never knew when to quit.

"Okay, everyone. Take your places," the wedding planner said again as the doors to the church opened and music began to play.

I winced with disgust as Becca linked her arm with mine.

Don't get me wrong- it's not like I hated Becca or anything.

There were just a few problems with her:

Like, she constantly threw herself at me every time I saw her.

She was extremely annoying.

She couldn't take a hint!

And she just wasn't Aria.

"Are you ready?" she smiled as we started walking.

No.

I kept my gaze focused straight ahead, just trying to make it to the end of the aisle. The sooner we got there, the sooner I could let go of this annoying girl.

When I looked at Kevin, I saw him smirking at me. He knew about Becca. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised If he made me his best man just to get a joke out of me walking down the aisle with her.

But when I paid closer attention to him, I could see the beads of sweat pricking at his forehead. I sort of wanted to crack up, but the same time I felt sorry for him. Oh well. I was just glad that Tracy was the one who had to hold his hands, not me.

As soon as Becca and I got in front of the alter, we unlinked arms and walked our separate ways. The bridal march began to pick up as I turned around just in time to see the doors open, revealing Tracy in a huge white wedding dress.

It seemed like all eyes were completely focused on her, except for mine. My eyes were focused on the beautiful woman in the middle of the twelfth pew, in her red dress, with her dark hair pulled back into a bun.

I tried to fight the huge smile that was starting to spread across my face.

My date actually showed up.


*APOV*

"Aria!" I heard a familiar voice shout as I walked into the church.

Looking to my left, I saw Kathie waving to me, from the middle of a pew.

"Over here!" she yelled.

I took a seat in the middle of the pew, right next to her, careful not to wrinkle the nice red dress I was wearing. Sure, you were supposed to get dressed up for weddings, but the sick, twisted part of my brain knew who I was really getting dressed up for.

It's like I was constantly contradicting myself.

"Wow, you look hot!" Kathie laughed, looking me up and down. "I love how you did your hair."

"Really?" I blushed, reaching back to touch the bun on the back of my head. "It's just a simple bun, that's all."

"Well, it looks good. Oh- Aria," she grabbed my arm. "This is my boyfriend, Dave."

"Hey," a big guy with a low voice said. "I'm Dave."

"Aria," I held my hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, I just love weddings," Kathie mused as she reached into her purse and fumbled around for something. "But I always end up crying. Kleenex?" she asked, holding out a pack of tissues.

"I think I'll be good," I replied.

Suddenly, music began to start playing.

"The ceremony's starting!" Kathie whisper-yelled.

The whole room got quiet as the bridal couples started walking down the aisle.

I looked at each groomsmen as they made their way down the aisle, hoping that one of them was Embry.

He's gonna look so good in his tux……..

Snapping out of my thoughts, I watched as Embry finally made his way down. He was looking straight ahead, while the girl on his arm had a huge smile plastered across her face, like she was a beauty queen or something.

And, as crazy as this sounds, I actually felt jealous of her.

Not because her hair was in a pretty up-do.

Or because she had the perfect boobs to fill out her dress.

And no, not even because all of the attention was on her.

It was because she was touching him, walking with him. They were a couple! Well, a couple for the wedding, at least. And I could tell that she was enjoying every minute of it, too. She seemed really into him, and it started to piss me off.

Woah, woah. I need to calm down. It's only for a wedding……. It's only for a wedding. Besides, Embry asked me to be his date, not her, so why am I stressing over this?

When Embry finally let go of her and stood next to Kevin, I felt relieved.

The doors opened, and the bridal march started to play. Everybody turned to watch Tracy descend down the aisle, with her breathtaking dress. She looked glowing. I got butterflies in my stomach when I looked at Embry out of the corner of my eye and saw him looking at me.

"Marriage is such a beautiful thing," the minister began as Tracy finally reached Kevin.

All throughout the ceremony, I had trouble paying attention.

The only person I could focus on was the best man.


"And now," the DJ's voice boomed through the speakers. "Let's give a warm welcome to……. The bridal party!"

Everyone cheered as the bridal couples walked into the reception hall under an arch.

I stopped clapping the second I saw that chick all over Embry again.

"Ugh," I said to Kathie, turning around to sip my drink. "What is up with that chick? She's all over Embry."

"Oh, her? Yeah, I noticed that, too. Don't sweat it, sweetie," she squeezed my shoulder. "Wait- are you jealous?"

"No!" I replied. "Why would I be jealous?"

"I don't know, you just seem like you're jealous. It's okay; us women can't help it sometimes."

"Kathie, I'm not jealous," I repeated, taking a gulp of my drink before walking over to Kevin and Tracy.

"Hey, guys," I smiled. "Congrats. The wedding was beautiful."

"Awwww," Tracy blushed, pulling me in for a hug. "Thank you!"

"So, Aria," Kevin began. "Where's your date?"

I searched the room, before finding Embry over by the bar, with that stupid girl still stuck on him.

"At the bar," I said in disgust.

"Maybe you should go over there and snag him. Well, talk to you later, Aria," he said as Tracy took his hand and started walking away.

Was Embry doing this on purpose? Was he trying to make me jealous? I sauntered over to the bar. If he wanted to play that game, then fine. Two could play.

"Excuse me," I said in a flirty voice to the bartender as I slid up on a bar stool. "I need a drink."

I saw Embry perk up and glance in my direction. Good, he could hear me.

"What do you need, toots?" an old guy with a gray beard and a floral shirt said as he leaned in closer to me.

Great. I tried to seduce the bartender without even looking at him first.

"Uhhh," I said, thinking of a way to abort my plan. "I'll just have a Corona on draft," I sighed.

"You sure that's all you need?" he asked, winking at me.

"Positive," I answered, my lip curled up slightly in disgust.

"Here you go," he handed me a glass overflowing with beer.

"Thanks," I slapped down a $5 on the counter.

Careful not to spill anything, I slowly made my way back to the table. I looked down at the glass and sighed. Unless I wanted to make a complete ass of myself tonight, this was going to be the only drink I'd be consuming.


"Will you stop staring over there?" Kathie asked, panting out of breath from dancing with Dave. "You keep looking over at him all night. Get up and talk to people."

"Oh, right. That's a good idea. Especially since my date decided to abandon me for the night," I huffed in annoyance.

I couldn't believe Embry; he asked me to be his date, yet he was going around with some other girl who wasn't me! He didn't even fucking talk to me. He had some nerve.

Making my way over to the wedding cake, I was stopped by an old woman.

"Hello," she said, smiling warmly. "I'm Kevin's grandmother, Lucille. You must be one of him and Tracy's friends."

"Yes, I'm Aria," I smiled back. "It's nice to meet you. Are you enjoying the reception?"

"Oh yes," she replied. "Are you?"

"Sure I am……."

After we chatted for a few minutes, I decided to excuse myself to get some cake.

As I made my way back to the table again (for the millionth time that night), I remembered what Embry said to me about how the restaurant was named after Kevin's grandma from Italy. I decided to set out and find her at this reception. At least it would give me something to do.

I spotted Kevin embracing an old lady and decided to make my approach.

"Well hello again, Aria!" Kevin grinned as I came closer. "Let me introduce you to my grandma. Grandma, this is my friend, Aria. Aria, this is my Grandma."

"It's so nice to meet you," I said. "You know, we share the same name. I think it's so cool that you're from Italy."

"Darlin', we don't have the same name," the woman said in a southern twang. "I'm Kevin's Grandma Betty, from Arkansas."

"Oh," I said, confused. "I'm sorry. I thought that your name was-"

"It ain't no big deal," she laughed.

In that moment, I felt like a downright idiot. Embry either lied to me, or both of Kevin's grandmas did. It was pretty obvious what the answer was.

As I walked away, I felt someone grab my arm. I spun around and came face-to-face (or face-to-chest) with the liar himself.

"Hi," he said.

"Wow. That's all you have to say to me?"

"Aria, look, I'm sorry-"

"No. You invite me to this wedding, and then you don't even say anything to me. Good thing Kathie's here, because if she wasn't, then I would be alone, sitting in the damn corner while you run around with some girl that you-"

"What? You don't think I'm with that girl, do you?"

"Of course not, Embry," I said sarcastically. "Why would I think that? She's just all over you. And you don't even seem to mind. So, of course I don't think you're together!"

"Aria, I'm not with that girl. That's Becca, Tracy's sister. She's had this crush on me for a long time, and every time she sees me, I can't get away. I was just trying to be polite and get away without her noticing, but I had to wait for the right time and-"

"Why should I believe you?" I squinted my eyes at him. "You've lied to me once already. Why should I be so sure that you won't do it again?"

He wrinkled his nose, something he always did when he was confused, and spoke, "What are you talking about?"

"You lied to me about the name of the restaurant. I know both of Kevin's grandmas now, and their names are Lucille and Betty. Why did you lie to me about that, huh?" I put my hands on my hips. "If you lie to me about insignificant shit like that, then how do I know if you're telling the truth about more serious stuff?"

A slow song started to play, and that Becca girl started making her way over toward us, flapping her arms about, shouting, "Embry, Embry! Dance with me!"

"Shit," he muttered. "Pretend to be my girlfriend."

"What?! Why would I want to pretend to-"

"I need to get away from her. Please?" he begged.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "But you better start explaining."

"Embry," the girl said, panting from running frantically all over the damn reception. "Do you want to dance?"

Embry opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

"Actually, he's dancing with me," I clarified.

"And you are?"

"His girlfriend. Isn't that right, babe?" I smiled, wrapping my arms around Embry and cuddling against him.

He owed me big time.

But then again, this wasn't so bad…….

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered.

As I watched Becca storm off, I couldn't stop smiling.

Serves that bitch right.

I led Embry to the dance floor and went on my tiptoes to put my arms around his neck.

"A little help, here."

"Oh, right. Sorry," he laughed, leaning down a little to put his arms around my waist. "So…….. you were pretty convincing."

"I know," I smirked. "Did you see the look on her face? She totally had it coming."

"You don't like her very much, do you?"

"No way!" I snorted. "Do you?"

"Well, she's not a bad person, exactly, but she just- Okay, yeah. I don't like her very much," I sighed.

"I don't really blame you. And I'm glad you feel that way."

Our hips swayed together to the music.

"You're glad, huh?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking! I'm not jealous. Boundaries, remember?"

He shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I remember."

"So, I believe that you, my friend, have some explaining to do," I said, trying to change the subject.

"Ugh, fine."

I looked up at him expectantly.

"I guess I'll tell you the truth," he said.

"That's all I'm asking for."

"Okay," he took a deep breath. "Remember how I said that I knew you from graduation?"

I nodded.

"Well, don't laugh, alright? But I had this crush on you for like three years after I saw you."

I smiled up at him, getting butterflies in my stomach again.

"And then, when Kevin and I opened the restaurant, we had to think of names. Well, I thought of you, and we both decided that your name sounded good with it.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth before?"

"Because you barely even knew me. I didn't want you to think that I was a stalker or something."

"Embry," I laughed. "I wouldn't have thought you were a stalker. So, any more things that you need to clarify for me?"

"Nope," he smiled. "I told you the truth about everything else."

"Good boy," I laughed, patting him on the top of his head as the song ended.

It was amazing how I could be so unhappy with him one minute, then completely amazed by him the next.

I was too lazy to let go of him and walk away. Well, actually, I didn't want to walk away. I wanted to stay like this, with him, forever.

'You and Me' by Lifehouse started playing next, and I moved even closer to Embry, inhaling his scent as we moved.

Eventually, I looked up at his face and saw him looking at me again in that way. Just by the look on his face, I could tell what was going through his mind. And I had to pretend like I didn't want the same thing he did.

Even though, in that moment, it seemed like the one thing I wanted most in the world.


A/N: I wrote this chapter in like an hour, so sorry if it's not very good! I don't have alot of time to write anymore, so I try to take as much advantage of an hour as I can. Well, ARIA ARIA ARIA. What can I say about that girl? She needs to make up her damn mind! Well, I guess you'll all just have to wait and see what happens. I already know, but I'm not telling a soul. *evil laughs* Please loves- review/alert/fave/do something! And thank you all for reading my story! I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to log on here and see how many people like what I write.

That's all for now, folks!