Descendants: A Jay Love Story

Coronation!

The day had finally arrived. After all this time, Ben's Coronation was finally happening. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Erin and Taylor groggily rose from their slumber. Their hair was all disheveled, resembling bird's nests. Erin had fallen asleep without taking out her high-bun and cleaning her face, which only added to the unkempt look. And Taylor was too tired to do any of that the night before. After helping Ariel and Melody change Erin's clothes into comfortable pajamas, Taylor wasted no time doing the same for herself. Erin's family left quietly as the night grew later. Eric had carried a still sleeping Aiden out before the girls helped Erin out of her clothes. After kissing their daughter and sister goodbye, Ariel and Melody left, promising to be there later in the morning when the girls were ready to leave.

Taylor slinked out of her warm bed and muttered, "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

"Okay," Erin said through a yawn. She rubbed her face and groaned when she saw how much makeup was left on her hands. "Can I have the makeup remover?" She called through the bathroom door. Taylor opened the door just enough to barely see that she was already wrapped in her green, fluffy towel. She passed Erin the bottle and a bunch of cotton pads through the opening before closing the door again. As Erin sat at her vanity, the distinct sound of running water could be heard.

She quickly got to work at removing all the makeup from her skin, knowing that a shower will offer a deeper clean. Then, she began to undo her ruined updo before brushing out the tangled, red strands. Just as she was about to run her brush through her hair for what seemed like the hundredth time, a knock sounded on the door. With a huff, Erin decided that her hair will be more agreeable after a shower, so she abandoned her brush on the vanity and went to answer the door.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted by Ben's friendly face. He was already showered but hadn't put on his Coronation suit yet, opting for more business casual attire at the moment. Always in royal mode, Erin thought.

"Hey, Ben. Happy Coronation Day!" Erin cheered quietly considering it was still super early. "What brings you by?"

"I wanted to check up on you after yesterday. Everything happened so fast, I didn't get the chance."

"Oh! Well, thanks for stopping by. I think I'm okay."

Ben's brows furrowed in confusion. "You think?"

"Yeah, well, I mean the day hasn't even started. But after talking with my family yesterday, I feel better. I feel renewed. And I'm so done letting that one incident define how I see myself. I know who I am, and it doesn't matter what others say. I know how the ones who love me feel about me and that's all that matters."

"Um, about that day, all those years ago," Ben muttered while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't see it happen, but I saw the aftermath. I knew they did something, I just didn't know what. And when you didn't tell anyone about it, I didn't feel like it was my place to say anything. Then, Audrey told me about it recently while we were still dating. She thought it would make me laugh or something. I wanted to break up with her right then and there, but I was scared, just like I was when we were eight. You've always been there when I needed you, through everything. And the one time you needed me, I wasn't there. I am so sorry, Erin. I'm so sorry."

Erin immediately pulled Ben into a hug, forcing him to bend down a bit to comfortably wrap his arms around her waist. This definitely wasn't the reaction he was expecting. He had expected her to yell at him, slam the door in his face, and renounce their friendship. But as Erin held him, he realized how wrong he was. He always knew Erin was the most understanding and genuine person, and he shouldn't have thought of her any different.

"I understand, Ben," she whispered into his ear as if reading his mind. "It was a weird time for everyone. And I never expected you to speak up for me when I couldn't do the same for myself. I forgive you. But as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to forgive. I just know you needed to hear it."