Bride to Be

19: Drunkenly Throwing Her Arms Around

CHAPTER NINETEEN: DRUNKENLY THROWING HER ARMS AROUND

June 27th, 2020

The wedding was a little over a month away. For days on end Gemma woke up in the morning to find Avery sitting at the Perry family's dining room table, with books and binders, filled with different ideas. So far, Avery and Gayle booked the food truck for the reception, which consisted of different taco and salad dishes. A DJ for the event was booked as well. The wedding itself would be taking place at a country club that Gemma always passed by when she was younger. She wondered how the hell Avery and Rowan forked up the money for this exclusive country club, though ultimately figured it wasn't her business. If they wanted to go broke for their wedding, then that was on them.

Rowan occasionally stopped by as well to help with the planning — though Gemma avoided him at all costs. He tried to talk to her, though after being drunk around him on Charlotte's birthday, Gemma figured it was best for her to stay away from him. He was soon to be married, so whatever weird feelings Gemma was having toward the entire situation — her suspicions about their marriage and Avery's pregnancy, would likely go away as long as she completely strayed clear of Rowan.

When rushing past the couple who was sitting at her dining room table as she was about to leave for her shift at Target, Rowan pretended he left something in the car and followed Gemma outside. Gemma made eye contact with her mother on the way out, who just smiled. She still wondered how the hell Gayle was okay with planning the wedding for Rowan and Avery — two people who were once so dedicated in her daughters life. Gayle never questioned the two's relationship, and Gemma did not have the energy to ask her what her thoughts were on it.

"Gemma?" Rowan called after her as she rushed outside the house. She quickly unlocked her mother's car, hoping to avoid whatever it was that Rowan was going to say. Though her plan did not work, given he caught up to her before she had the chance to get in the car.

"What, Rowan?" her words came out meaner than she intended.

Rowan was taken back by Gemma's tone, but continued anyway.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked. Her avoidance of him had not gone unnoticed, and he hated to admit it, but it was bothering him. Ever since he got closure with Gemma the night she was roofied, and the few times he was able to spend time with her -- Rowan found himself feeling comfortable around Gemma again, and although it was under very different circumstances, he liked having her in his life again.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Gemma's tone was still snippy but at this point, she did not care. The last thing she wanted was to be talking to Rowan, when she had to be at work soon.

"I - I don't know," he admitted. Now that he was saying it out loud, it did sound strange. "You've just been avoiding me?" his statement sounded more like a question, because now that he was saying it out loud, he regretted saying anything.

Gemma's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I've been busy," she defended. As she eyed Rowan up and down, she wondered what on earth could have warranted him to feel this way. How could she be avoiding him, when it's not like the two were friends? Sure, in the beginning of this whole wedding debacle, Gemma wondered if spending time together would naturally push herself and Rowan towards friendship. Though after the strange feelings inside of Gemma every time she was around him, and the fact that he was the father of her ex best friend's baby, being friends with him was just too weird. At this point, all Gemma wanted to do was get the wedding over with and return to New York so she wouldn't have to be caught up in this mess anymore than she already was.

"I - "

"You should get back to your fiancé," Gemma sighed, breaking eye contact with Rowan as she opened the car door. For a reason he couldn't explain, Rowan felt a pang in his chest. "She seemed excited about whatever you two were planning."