Chapter 20: Committing the Biggest Faux Pas Just Because
The place was abuzz by the time we arrived. I scanned the crowd with a mild frown of distaste. Okay yeah, I was a bitch. I was totally checking out every single female in the building and judging the fuck out of their appearance. I had to know how I measured up to them!
Some of the stuffy adults dressed appropriately for their age, thank god for small miracles, but some of them clearly thought they were still in their late 20's. Like excuse me, why was aunt Gloria wearing a leather body-con dress? That was just wrong on so many levels.
I spotted Lydia as Jasper escorted me to our seats. Yeah, she cleaned up pretty well I guess. I could tell she didn't have as much time as she would've liked and her eyes were sill red, but she looked put together. Good. I didn't want to feel guilty about anything.
Because the bane of my existance was getting married. I had no room for any guilt or pity or compassion. Just pure loathing towards the pug-faced monstrosity that was my nemesis.
"You are getting a little intense there, lil' darling." Jasper murmured softly in my ear. He was clearly trying to distract me, but I was a woman on a mission. So I ignored the hot vampire sitting next to me and just waited for this nightmare to start.
Jasper was having none of it. He took a hold of my hand and rubbed it gently. It tingled. Psh, he couldn't distract me now! He should've thought about being cozy with me when he had the chance instead of just giving me one lousy peck!
Revenge was a dish best served lukewarm.
"Should I be jealous that Ariel has so much of your attention? Is the romance dead in our relationship already?" He said and I could hear the actual pout in his voice. So cute... Jasper Whitlock was dangerously adorable.
It was just so unfair. Couldn't he be perfectly content with just being the sexiest creature walking the Earth? Did he also have to be so fucking cute and cuddly and playful like a puppy? Ugh!
Do not fall for his charms, Ella. Remember Ariel? You want to bask in her misery, don't you? Focus on that!
"Ella... lil' darling... babe... light of my life..." He whined like a baby. It really shouldn't have been so adorable. I couldn't stop the corners of my lips tugging upwards and my posture relaxed. I burrowed myself into his warm side and turned to look at him.
I wanted to kiss that pout away. So I cupped his jaw with one hand and guided his stupid head lower so I could easily reach his delicious mouth. I gave him a light peck and swiped my thumb over his soft lips to remove any excess lipstick.
I wouldn't have minded a proper kiss, but I did want to keep my make up intact. While hot, the smudged lipstick look was so not for me. Not right now anyway.
"There! Are you happy now, Major Whitlock? You have my undivided attention."
He gave me a blinding smile and squeezed my body softly. Such a flirt.
"Why do they make me feel single?" I heard Faye whisper to my brother. They were seated right behind us and apparently they were rudely staring at us. Brody gasped dramatically as if he had been shot. Serves him right. He had rubbed his perfect relationship into my face for years. I smiled a little smugly. Yeah, we were adorably in love. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world with Jasper by my side.
It was almost enough for me to not care that Ariel was having her big moment. Almost. But then my mind flashed back to over a decade of shitty things that my monster of a cousin had done to me. I honestly didn't even remember when we started hating each other.
I was pretty sure it was all Ariel's fault. That bitch was pure evil so obviously she had to be the one who started it all. But it was so long ago that I couldn't even remember a time when I didn't hate her guts. Like yeah, I usually gave as good as I got, but Ariel was always the one starting shit and ruining my life.
"I just can't win against her, it seems. Should I be trying harder lil' darling?" Jasper mumbled into my ear. His lips brushed against it and his voice got like two octaves lower. His deliciously warm hand gripped my thigh gently and... who was Ariel again? Irrelevant.
I looked at Jasper in a complete daze. My fingers crept up his chest, caressing the smooth fabric of his suit. They reached his beautiful royal blue silk tie and I clutched it between my fingers like I was in a trance.
I wanted nothing more in that moment than yank Jasper down by his tie and shove my tongue down his throat. I could actually feel my lips aching because I wanted to press them against his so badly.
Unfortunately, or fortunately if making out with your boyfriend in front of your entire family was not something you wanted to happen, my stupid cock-blocking brother pushed his hands between our bodies and spread them, making our tightly pressed together bodies separate a little.
"Brrrr I'm blowing a whistle right now. Jasper, my man, no groping my sister in public spaces! And you little goblin, the wedding is starting. Can you two not hear the music?"
Oh yeah. The wedding. That was happening.
I blinked stupidly and tried to clear out the haze in my mind. Jasper rolled his eyes and lifted his hands up and away from my body. So unfair. He made a dramatic show of placing his hands chastely in his lap and looking straight ahead.
I'm not saying that I was pouting like a little kid about to throw a tantrum, but my lower lip did kind of push outwards. Just a little. And I might've crossed my arms with a small, barely audible huff. If there were no Jasper smoochies to be had, then I might as well pay attention to the god awful wedding that was taking place.
Justin was standing in front of us with his best man and the priest. I found it somewhat hilarious that there was an actual priest present to bless this unholiest of matrimonies. Like, I wonder what it felt like to be a priest and marry the antichrist to a poor, misguided human.
Was it wrong for me to wish that they had a really unhappy marriage filled with arguments and financial trouble? And I hoped to all that was holy that my dearest cousin was not able to have children... because it would be better for all of mankind if she did not breed.
I suppose none of us should really bring any more children into this world. We were such a fucked up family. But like... how could we not? It was one of those idiotic things that improved our standing in this fucked up hierarchy. If we didn't pop out kids then we were big fat failures and that meant we weren't as valuable to the bloodline as others.
The doors were opened and four little girls stumbled their way down the aisle. All of them were wearing matching pink dresses and little princess tiaras on their carefully styled heads. I knew at least one of the little girls was Justin's niece, and two of the little munchkins were from our side of the family. No idea who the fourth little princess was, but she had to be related to Justin somehow.
They scattered lavender coloured petals with limited success as they walked. One girl got a little distracted and forgot to do what she was supposed to do. Another apparently got a little too good of a look at Granny May's nightmare inducing face and she started sobbing. I had to bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh out loud.
It was mean to laugh at little children. They were doing their best. And I didn't really hate the next generation of my relatives yet. They were still victims in all of this.
Jasper cooed quietly next to me and I couldn't help but to tug my lips upward. Be still my fucking heart. He was a big, goofy softie when it came to kids. My ovaries were pretty much ready to explode out of my body and offer themselves to Jasper.
As I was making moony-eyes at my boyfriend, Ariel's bridal party made their grand entrance. I couldn't give a shit about them. They were all my dear relatives and all of them were huge bitches so who gave a fuck about them. Looking at Jasper's expressive face was way more interesting.
I did catch Elena glaring at me as she walked past our seats. Ohh, that made me giddy with anticipation. If Elena was this pissed off then Ariel must've been a real sight to see. I gave her a sweet and innocent smile. These bitches had no proof that I had been sabotaging Ariel.
I heard Brody gasp audibly and that drew my attention away from my beyond adorable boyfriend. Brody was a huge drama queen at heart, but that gasp registered as genuine shock to my ears so that alerted me that something big was happening.
"Oh my god... El, what the fuck did you do?" Brody mumbled under his breath. Like I said, drama queen. I seriously don't understand why everyone makes a huge deal about my dramatics when I was surrounded by way more hysterical people.
But putting Brody's dramatic ass aside, I could see that he had a point. Dear cousin Ariel had made her grand entrance. And holy shit, I almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
"Why do I hear The Exorcist theme song in my head?" I asked quietly. Jasper snorted in a very un-gentlemanly way. I could feel the burning stare of my mother in the back of my head, but who gave a flying fuck about that. This was everything I had ever wanted or needed in my life.
Ariel was looking rough. Like, way worse than I ever thought possible and she looked like a hellhound on a good day. There was such an intense feeling of joy bubbling in my chest that I squirmed in my seat. Jasper brought one of his hands to my shoulder and I was pretty sure he was getting ready to cover my mouth if I started laughing. Which was more than possible.
It was a good thing that he was backing me up like this. Mom would literally kill me if I started giggling at the sight of the... radiant bride.
Her skin was grey. In a certain light she looked a little green. Her cheeks were hollowed out and it looked like someone had beaten her up with the way her eyes had sunken into her skull and no amount of concealer was enough to cover those dark bruises under her eyes.
Her hair was a mess. It looked like she had been taking out of her frustration on her wedding-do. What probably had started as a beautiful curled and pinned hair now looked like a raccoon had rummaged through it like it was a garbage can. It was looking beyond wild and I couldn't understand how her mom ever let Ariel leave her dressing room looking like that.
I bit my lip to stop the pleased chuckle that was trying to escape from my mouth when I took in her horribly done make up. She should definitely sue the make up artist for that atrocity. They had done a horrible job of trying to cover up the rash that I had given to my dearest cousin. Her whole face was caked and blotchy and it looked like it would crumble any moment now. I could see the uneven finish even from where I was sitting so I could only imagine how horrible it looked at closer range.
Ariel's lips were trembling and pointing downwards and her eyes were bright red and puffy as fuck. The bitch had probably been bawling all through the night and the entire day. Served her right.
The dress was so ill-fitting on her. Faye had done a magnificent job! Ariel looked less like a little mermaid and more like a manatee which was quite the accomplishment for someone so skinny. I had to pinch myself to control my terrible urge to laugh at her misery.
She walked towards Justin with unsteady steps, like she was waaay drunk. And god, her stomach was making so much noise! It was making me feel phantom ache in my gut. I knew exactly what she was going through and if I was a better person, I would've pitied her.
But I was not that saintly and if there ever was a person who deserved to feel this horrible, it was Ariel Reagan. I regret nothing.
"The priest has a fearful look on his face. Do you think he can see the devil in Ariel?" I whispered to Jasper. I witnessed the glorious sight of him biting his lip as he fought against his own urge to laugh.
"I'm whisking you far away from here if he starts to scream that the power of Christ compels the devil to vacate the premises." He mumbled softly in my ear.
Okay, I might've snorted a little at that. But quietly. I swear.
"Deal. I'm so not in the mood to watch anyone projectile vomit slime today."
"We're joining you if Ariel's head starts to turn 180 degrees." Brody added in.
"But are we sure it doesn't do that naturally? Ariel does remind me of a praying mantis." Jasper asked playfully.
Yeah... we were petty and immature idiots. But it was so much fun!
I had to give poor Justin some credit. He was looking at Ariel like she was a fucking angel or something. He had a goofy, dazed smile on his face and he seemed totally oblivious to the monstrosity that was slowly waddling to him.
Wow. Love truly was blind and possibly injured in the head. It was almost enough to make me gag, but I was a lady so that would have been inappropriate.
Ariel finally made it to Justin's side and it was slightly concerning how much joy I felt from watching her nearly break down crying. And was it too wrong to wish that she had actually had a breakdown? Would that make me too much of a horrible person?
Did I care? Not really, no.
I wrapped my arms around Jasper's waist and leaned into him. The bench was making my ass numb and the boring part was still ahead of us. Might as well snuggle with my boyfriend and see if the altar would burst into flames from the unholiness of it all.
000
Three hours.
Three fucking hours.
Who the fuck has a three hour long wedding ceremony?! It was torture! My ass had officially lost all feeling and I was worried if I would ever get it back to normal.
"That was the most boring experience of my life." I said as we finally got to stand up and get the fuck away from the happy couple. I rubbed my ass in dismay. Faye was poking my idiot brother awake. Jasper wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started guiding me away from the crowd.
"I'm inclined to agree with you. I have attended my fair share of weddings and even though all in the attendance were immortal, none of them were this long-drawn and boring." Jasper sounded just as upset as I was.
Poor Jasper. The things this brave man had to go through because of me. He was just the best. I was pretty sure I wanted to keep him forever. Because hello, where would I find a better man for myself? Such creature didn't exist!
"Was I the only one disappointed by the lack of demonic possession? I was so sure Ariel would transform into her true form once the priest started praying."
Jasper laughed and shook his head. I liked it when he laughed. Happy Jasper made me feel all gooey and special inside. Because I did that. I made him laugh.
He never laughed before. At least not at school. Maybe he was a proper jokester at home, but I somehow doubted it. He had looked so sad all the time. Like he was carrying all of this weight on his ridiculously fine and wide shoulders.
"I love you." I blurted out softly. I couldn't help it. Being around him made me feel so good. All mushy and tingly and like I was floating above the clouds.
He stopped walking and turned to look into my eyes. Goddamn he was staring at me so tenderly that I felt like crying. I sniffed a little. And blinked back some tears because I was so not going to cry and risk ruining my make up.
Priorities.
"I love you so much, Ella Johnson. You are so dear to me." He said sincerely. My heart swelled and I lifted my arms childishly.
"Gimme a hug." I demanded.
I sighed happily as he wrapped his warm arms around me and held me tightly like I was something truly precious. I wasn't used to feeling like that. My family frequently reminded me how much of a screw up I was and I never felt like I was good enough for them. Angela, bless her sweet heart, did her best to undo all of that damage with her unconditional love. But this feeling was even more than that.
"Seriously! Can you two stop making everyone feel so fucking single around you?!"
Aaaand there was my brother, ruining our moment. Brody was a nuisance. He should just disappear. Could he not read the room at all? He was such an asshole for intruding on our moment.
I had been nothing but a wonderful sister to him for years! He got to have all the lovey-dovey yucky moments with Faye and I never interfered. This was so unfair. And clearly a declaration of war.
Let's see how my brother liked it when I interrupted his sweet moments with his fiance.
"Ugh... I swear you are ruining my life."
"It's alright, lil' darling. We should be more considering of other people. It's unfair for us to share our beautiful love so openly when others cannot ever reach this level of happiness."
"Bro... that was uncalled for! Another good man lost to the dark side..."
I was surrounded by idiots.
We walked to the party central and whoo boy the place was popping. Or not. My dad was sitting at the bar, nursing a whiskey in the lovely company of several of my uncles. Yikes. Mom was holding court on the other side of the room with her trusted gossip ring. I had to admire how she managed to get all of these crazy women suck up to her.
It paid to be part of the main branch of the family, I suppose.
The guests were all quietly talking to themselves. It looked more like a funeral than a wedding to be honest. Nobody looked like they were having fun, which was understandable.
Our family gatherings were never about fun. They were a necessary evil used to establish everyone's place in the family hierarchy. Nobody was actually happy for the newlyweds. Well, Aunt Hannah maybe, but it was debatable how much she actually loved her daughter.
Jasper lead me to our tabe and pulled a chair for me before running off to get us something to drink. It would be a while before the happy couple joined this merry band of party-goers. I had a funny feeling that Ariel was currently very busy in the bathroom and then there were photos to be taken.
Well.. if there were any wedding photos to be taken. I would personally refuse if I looked like that at my wedding, but maybe Ariel secretly digged the walking dead look. If that was the case then I had done a kind, good deed for my dearest cousin. I was such a good person.
I grimaced when I saw all the people assigned to our table. I was so lucky that I get to spend the evening with my parents. Yay. And of course, Brody and Faye had been seated with other relatives so I couldn't use my stupid brother to divert attention away from me. Not that it would've worked, but I could've tried.
"One diet coke for milady."
I gave Jasper a smile and accepted my drink from him. He sat down next to me and held my hand gently. Goddamn I loved him.
"How long do we need to stay? Do you think mom would be angry if we left before dinner? I'm tired and my heels are pinching my toes and I just want to cuddle with you." I whined. I hated being here. Mom was angry at something I had done and she was no doubt going to let me know all about it as soon as her gossip session was over. I just knew it was going to be one big 'Ella is a huge failure' fest all night long.
Jasper rubbed my neck soothingly. I wanted to melt. I hummed a little. I liked his magic fingers very much.
"At least for the dancing part. It would be quite rude to leave before that. And I still have a little surprise for you, lil' darling. I promise it'll make you very happy."
"You are being very sneaky, Major Whitlock. It's not nice to keep secrets from your girlfriend." I pouted a little. What can I say? I was nosy and really curious as to what he was planning.
I was kind of hoping for a Carrie-like situation. You know, without the massacre. Unless Jasper was the one doing the killing and not the blood soaked woman of the hour.
No... bad Ella. You should not wish for a massacre. You'd be in trouble. No blood and guts tonight for you, missy.
"Not a secret. A surprise."
Psh. He was so stingy when it came to sharing information. I rolled my eyes and tugged his arm so he'd wrap it around me. I wanted to lift my knees up and curl into his side, but some things you just couldn't do while wearing a dress.
God I just wanted to go back to our room where it was just the two of us and no need to deal with my shitty relatives. Or better yet, leave this hellhole altogether and go home! And then lock myself into a room alone with Jasper and cuddle him to death.
And maybe something else too. But I was not going to think that now. I was a lady after all.
Yeah right.
"I was thinking about contacting Peter and Charlotte after we are home. I think I'd like to reconnect with them..." Jasper said cautiously while caressing my bare arm.
I frowned a little. Why was he sounding so cautious? Like he was asking for a permission or something. Did... did he seriously think I would be against the idea of him meeting up with his best friend?
I felt a fleeting sense of anger at Alice. I had no idea if she was somehow behind Jasper's meek behavior, but I was going to blame her anyway. If she hadn't made Jasper think that he needed to ask permission to talk to his family then at least she had encouraged that way of thinking.
What a bitch.
"You should. I got the impression that Peter is really important to you and I'm sure he misses you just as much." I said quietly, mindful of the room full of people.
I was relatively confident that nobody was listening in our conversation but one could never be too careful around these fucking hyenas.
"Would... would it be okay with you if I went to visit them? If they would have me, of course..."
Deep breaths, Ella. Do not get angry at stupid pointy-haired, blood-sucking bitches who made the most wonderful of guys feel like a piece of shit. Alice was out of his life now. And I was going to make it my fucking life's mission to make Jasper see himself as the near-perfect guy that he was.
"Of course it's fine with me. They are your family, Jasper. And you totally need to gossip about your hot new girlfriend with your bro."
He chuckled a little. I smiled proudly. That's right! I could make my man feel happy. Suck on that, Alice Cullen, you miserable hag.
I would like to point out that my resentment of Alice was justified. She had messed with my boyfriend. She was now and would forever be the crazy ex and I was allowed to dislike her for putting my Jasper through all that shit.
Okay like I had no proof that she was as bad as I was imagining her to be, but whatever. I didn't like her and I didn't like the effect she had on Jasper.
"My girl is so wonderful..." Jasper said with a teasing smirk. Damn right I was.
"You better remember that. I'm a goddamn treasure."
"Yes, you are... How did I get so lucky to have met you, Ella Johnson?"
I should just embrace the fact that red was now my new colour. Jasper made me blush way too often. Such a flirt! Cheesy! Annoyingly charming!
Ahhhh I was so in love with him...
000
The atmosphere got better once we had all eaten and were free to roam around. I was more than happy to get the fuck away from my parents who had been giving me quiet, snide remarks for the entire duration of the dinner. Jasper had been gritting his teeth so hard that I was semi worried he'd crack his jaw. Or throw my mom across the room.
I appreciated the fact that he didn't start an argument with my parents. Like yeah, they sucked big time and I understood perfectly the need to throw hands when someone hurt your loved ones. It might've been a little hypocritical of me to want Jasper to leave my parents alone when I was so ready to tear into Alice for making Jasper feel shitty about himself. But... they were my parents and all that.
"Why is our lovely cousin trying to murder you with her eyes?" Brody asked as we claimed a corner of the room for ourselves. I looked at him like he was an idiot.
Of course Ariel was glaring at me. There was no doubt in my mind that she knew I was behind her misery. Like who else would it be? Everyone probably thought I was the culprit, but nobody could say anything because nobody had any proof.
I didn't give a fuck about Ariel's suspicions. I was too busy enjoying her misery. She was spending her time pretty evenly between glaring at me and sobbing while having a hushed argument with her Justin.
The happy couple wasn't looking too happy right now. And I was loving it.
Because there was no way Ariel could use her wedding to taunt me. I had made sure that this day was nowhere near the happiest day of her life. And from the looks of it, her marriage was not off to a rosy start so she wouldn't be able to rub her blissful married life in my face either.
"No idea. Maybe she just needs to feel something to fill that emptiness in her soul. And we all know she's obsessed with me."
"Oh right, because you are so fucking indifferent of her." Brody rolled his eyes.
How rude! I was not obsessed with Ariel! I just wanted to watch her suffer every moment that she drew breath. How was that being obsessed?
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I sniffed.
"Can you two stop bickering for a minute? Look, they are calling Ariel and Justin to the dance floor." Faye groaned. Psh. As if watching my nemesis dance with her hubby was something I would not want to miss.
"Jasper, they are being so mean to me!" I whined and clung onto him. He grinned and did absolutely nothing to stop my mean brother and his fiance from teasing me. Unfair!
Ariel and Justin kicked off their first dance as gross married people to some boring classical music. Like, I recognized that it was a waltz from th beat but I was not into classical music so I had no idea if it was a famous composition or just something generic they pulled from their asses.
Jasper seemed to like it well enough. He swayed to the music slightly. I didn't get the attraction. Why would you want to have your wedding dance to a song that has no lyrics? I was pretty fucking sure that this piece didn't hold any special meaning to the happy couple. Ariel was about as refined in her music tastes as a bag of rocks.
It was just pretentious. Everything about this wedding was pretentious. It was like she had googled 'perfect wedding' and this was what she came up with. Nothing had any personal touches. The decorations were generic, the overly long ceremony was generic, their vows were generic and now even their music was so fucking impersonal. At least the food had been tolerable for a change.
But seriously, did I expect anything else from that devil's spawn? Not really. Ariel was not original in any way. And Justin probably didn't give a fuck about the details because he had been around Ariel long enough to know he'd have no say in the wedding.
I pressed my face into Jasper's chest for a moment to hide a yawn. I was beyond bored and more than a little tired.
"The dancing part is here. Can we go now?"
Jasper laughed and pinched my waist gently. He was being so mean to me tonight. Couldn't he spoil me a little bit?
"Don't sulk, my love. You are far too beautiful to be sulky. Just a little while longer and I swear I'll take you back to our cabin. How would you feel about a dance?"
He bowed down and kissed my hand in a way that made me swoon again. I looked around and saw that people were already occupying the dance floor. I bit my lip and took a second to think if I was feeling confident enough to stay upright.
I was wearing a sensible pair of heels. Ones that I could actually move in without breaking my ankle. But I was tired and my feet were already hurting. But it was Jasper and he was asking me to dance and dear lord I was so whipped for this guy.
"Sure thing. Let's dance the night away."
Jasper took the lead effortlessly and he honestly made me look more graceful on the dance floor than I had ever been. His hold of me was firm and he obviously knew exactly what he was doing. I suppose it made sense. He was super old so he probably had attended a ball or two in his time.
Dancing wasn't something that I was used to doing. Like yeah I could shake my ass like everyone else, but ballroom dancing? Mom and dad had signed me up for dancing lessons when I was like five but that was ages ago. And it wasn't like I was in hot demand during these parties so I lacked practice.
But it was fun to dance with Jasper. He didn't falter in his steps at all even when I accidentally stepped on his toes... and kicked his shin. I don't even know how that happened. He just twirled me around and made it look effortless.
"Do you happen to have any other secret talents that I should know about?" I asked him with a grin. Jasper wiggled his eyebrows in a way that made me laugh. He let out a mock gasp like I had just hurt his feelings.
"I am trying to flirt with you and you just laugh in my face. You are a cruel woman, Ella Johnson." He sounded so fake upset.
"What can I say, your eyebrow game is weak. Maybe you should add some sound effects and see if that works better."
Jasper suddenly dipped me and I found myself subjected to his smouldering eyes. Seriously, Jasper was so dangerous when he was making even the smallest of efforts to turn me on. And fuck me if I wasn't loving the shivers and tingles his gaze gave me.
Leaving this wedding party seemed like a great idea. Jasper should just carry me back to our cabin and show me in a very detailed manner all of his flirting moves...
"What kind of sound effect were you thinking, lil' darling? Would you like me to purr for you... or growl...?"
Okay that was unfair! He fucking knew that him going all 'grrr' was a sure way to revvy up my engines. My head was filled with delicious images of him getting all growly while working up a sweat on top of me. I swallowed heavily. It wouldn't be a good look if I started drooling in front of all these cretins.
He smoothly pulled me back up and continued our dance as if he hadn't just made my insides ache from need. Jasper Whitlock was a big dumb bully.
"That was cheating. You just wait until I figure out all of your weak spots!" I huffed.
The delightful sound of Jaspers laughter blessed my ears again. Well it was great that one of us was amused. I was just horny and tired. And stupidly in love, but that was beside the point.
I was being entirely serious. One of these days I would learn all sorts of neat little tricks that would turn Jasper into a puddle of goo at my feet. Angela always preached about equality in all relationships so it was only fair that Jasper had to experience this bottomless bit of desire too.
Then again, he was an Empath... so he probably already knew what it felt like since he could read me all the time. But I wanted him to feel it coming from himself. I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him. And that was way too many 'wants' in a sentence.
"I'm thirsty. Can you get me another diet coke?" I asked with my best puppy dog eyes. Jasper's gaze softened and my heart was once again filled with warmth. I really, really liked it when he looked at me like that. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and nodded.
"At your service, Miss Johnson."
Jasper was the cheesiest of cheesy boyfriends. In the best of ways. I rolled my eyes and gave him a gentle shove.
"Get to it then, Major. Your girlfriend wants that drink."
Jasper gave me a cheeky little grin and really, it was all his fault. He and his perfect ass walked past me and I couldn't help myself. I gave him a little love tap. Just a tiny one...
So there might've been some groping too, but it was purely unintentional. Really. My hand might've just cramped a little. It happens.
Jasper looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide and mouth comically open. He was holding a hand over his heart like I had shocked him greatly. I swear I just drew in drama queens.
It was a frightening talent.
"Miss Johnson! Did you just grab my ass?" He gasped out. I sniffed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I did not such thing."
"Gasp! I am a gentleman. At least buy me dinner first!"
I bit my lip to stop my silly giggle. It was official. I was dating a huge dork.
And I seriously couldn't be happier about it.
000
"I can't believe my eyes! Look babe, it's my baby sister without her parasite!" Brody said as I made my way back to them. Safety in numbers and all that. Ariel was looking like she was just itching for a chance to approach me and I wasn't looking forward to that. Good thing that Justin was practically holding her down by her shoulder.
"You're one to talk. Do you follow Faye to school or does my poor future sister-in-law get to spend even a few hours a day without your ugly face?"
My brother had no ground to stand on. He was literally clinging onto Faye's shoulders as we were speaking. I didn't know why he even bothered since he was just as attached to his girlfriend or even worse. And they too had been like that since day 1.
And I had to witness that disgusting show for YEARS. Brody should just grow some balls and get used to seeing Jasper around me because I had all the intentions in the world to be the clingiest girlfriend ever.
And nobody could blame me. Jasper was so warm and comfy and wonderful and I just wanted to bury myself into his embrace all the time. He gave the absolute best hugs and I'd be damned if I wouldn't take advantage of my position as his girlfriend and get all the hugs in the world.
"Your brother has a very handsome face, thank you very much. I do have standards, you know." Faye huffed and rolled her eyes.
We would have to disagree on that one. Because Brody? Ew. If he was the standard then... yikes.
"Whatever. So how long are you two going to stay for? Jasper promised to take me the fuck away from this place soon."
"You lucky bastard. Our dear mother wants to talk wedding plans so that means we are stuck here for however long it takes for her to get so drunk that she starts another fight." Brody said with a grimace.
I almost felt bad for him. But not really. If it meant that mom wasn't harassing me then Brody could be sacrificed. He deserved a little misery every once in a while. It was only fair.
But speaking of Jasper... my boyfriend was taking his sweet time getting me my drink. He had gone to the bathroom already, and he really didn't seem to like leaving me alone without a big and strong protector, so it was surprising that he wasn't back to my side already.
Was I going to get my surprise now? Ooooh I wonder what it was going to be... I looked at Brody suspiciously. He had to know. Jasper and Brody had made an unholy bond of brotherhood and there was no fucking way Brody was being kept in the dark...
Hmm... something smells fishy.
"You wouldn't happen to know what Jasper is planning... would you?" I narrowed my eyes. Brody gave me a shit-eating grin and that was all the answer I needed.
He knew and he clearly approved of it. Okay, so that probably meant that Ariel would live to see her first morning as a married woman. Not that Brody would really care if Jasper killed that horrible witch, but I doubt Jasper would have told him about those kinds of plans.
"Are you going to make it a habit of keeping secrets from me, Brody?" Faye asked, raising one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. Hah! My brother was going to be sent to the dog house!
"Babe! I promised not to tell! It's the bro code!" Brody turned into a whiny baby like he always did when Faye acted like this.
I respected her talent in making my brother into a totally whipped man.
I was going to try and get more info out of my brother, but the music stopped playing and someone was clinking a champagne flute. A silence fell to the room and I stretched my neck to see over the sea of people.
It was Jasper. Standing in the middle of the dance floor. Oh shit.
"May I have your attention for a short moment, please? I would like to express my deepest gratitudes..."
Well, my heart was pounding. I elbowed my way closer to him so I could see what was going on.
"These last few days have been... some of the best days of my life. Ariel, Justin... you have been the most gracious of hosts and I am so thankful to be a part of this wonderful celebration of your love."
I bit my lip. My eyes darted between Jasper and Ariel. She was looking alarmed. Sour. Furious.
Jasper had a smug little half smirk on his face. Heat pooled at the bottom of my stomach.
"I was a little hesitant coming here with my beautiful girlfriend. I was worried that I wouldn't be accepted, that I would not be considered worthy to stand beside Ella. I know how much she loves her family and I desperately wanted her family to like me."
Was he really doing what I thought he was doing? I stole another glance at Ariel. Her ashen face was turning redder and redder. Anticipation filled my soul.
"I cannot express how relieved I was when y'all welcomed me with open arms. You have made me feel like I was a part of this family and I am forever grateful for y'all for that. I have been wondering what would be the perfect way to do this, but now I know there is nothing more special than to share this moment with all of you."
Yeah. He was fucking doing it. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the lunatic smile that was threatening to form on my face. My whole being filled with glee when I heard Ariel's outraged little gasp. She knew what was coming.
What a fucking surprise indeed. Jasper really knew the way to my heart.
"Ella, my sweet girl. Come here..."
I saw Ariel trying to make her way to me, probably to smash my face in, but Justin yanked her back. Hooooly shit this was so delicious! I walked up to Jasper, loving the absolutely feral look in his eyes. He was enjoying this just as much.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and he bent down so our cheeks were touching.
"Are you seriously going to do this?" I whispered, practically shivering from the adrenaline and glee. I could feel the way his lips curled up into what I assumed was a downright devilish grin.
"You told me I wasn't allowed to kill her. So I decided to destroy her..."
My knees felt weak. I was pretty sure they wobbled just a little bit. No matter. Jasper would make sure I didn't fall face first to the floor.
"Ella Johnson, I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you. You are the most special person I have ever met. You have been such a bright ray of light in my life and I know that I will fall deeper and deeper in love with you every single day..."
Jasper dropped to one knee and pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket. I wanted to turn around and see Ariel's face so badly. But that would ruin the moment. Jasper took a hold of my hand tenderly and looked up at me.
He was so fucking hot when he was smirking like that. His golden eyes were glowing. I wanted to do unspeakable things to him right then and there.
"I know we agreed not to do this before we graduate, but I just can't wait that long to give you this ring. So Ella, my lil' darling... will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to marry me?"
My ears were ringing. All sounds around me got muffled and my entire focus went towards one sound. A sound that brought me so much malicious joy that I almost fainted. It was a sound that I would never forget.
The sound of Ariel Reagan, my fated nemesis, sobbing brokenly.
I smirked.
Author's Final Notes:
So... Ariel didn't quite get the wedding of her dreams. I nominate her as the most miserable bride of the decade.
Hi guys! It didn't take me over a year to update! Yay me!
It's late and I don't have the necessary brain power to come up with anything witty here, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Ella is enjoying her sweet and utterly petty revenge. And Jasper just proposed to her just to make Ariel feel like shit. He truly knows how to make his girlfriend happy.
It's possible that there is some yelling and potential violence in the next chapter. Who knows. Well, I do but I'm not telling... Okay, I need to go to bed now.
Stay safe, everyone! See you next time.