The Second Tour of 44West

ch. 28 - mk's plan

Rion

~ Wedding Day ~

--

I made my way into the large, reserved venue and immediately felt overwhelmed by all of the decor and... flowers. Flowers literally everywhere.

The smell was already overpowering my nose, and I really didn't like it.

I grabbed a water bottle from an employee with a tray and walked around aimlessly, until I came up to a photo collage wall. I took a drink of my water as I looked at all of the pictures of Elizabeth and Robbie throughout their relationship and I had to admit: they looked happy. But, after being stuck with the two of them for months, I knew better. It might have been happy at the beginning, but it definitely wasn't now.

Rolling my eyes a little too aggressively to be subtle, I turned and made my way towards the actual ceremony space when a surprised voice caught my attention.

"Rion?"

I turned on my heels and almost spit the water straight out of my mouth as I saw who it was.

"MK!" I said, so excited and happy to see her, even if it was under these circumstances. "Holy shit! It's been so long."

"It really has." She agreed with a wide smile as she closed the gap between us and threw her arms around my neck. I reciprocated the action and wrapped her up in a huge, tight hug that almost lifted her feet off of the ground, making her giggle. As I set her back down, she continued talking. "You look great."

"I could say the same thing about you, as well. Where is Ash?" I said, looking over her shoulder to scan the rest of the room.

"Oh, she's with Lizzie back in the dressing rooms."

And there it was. The mention of her name pulling the happiness out of our reunion, and reminding me why I was really here.

"How is she doing?" I asked in a lower voice as both of us knew I wasn't talking about Ashley.

"Um, she's okay." MK replied, a little hesitant. I narrowed my eyes at her telling her I didn't believe her, making her sigh in response. "Look at this place, Rion. Does this scream 'Elizabeth' to you?"

"No." I answered quickly. "That's one of the first thoughts I had, actually."

"Exactly. You and I both know that. But, it's not our decision to make."

"It'd be a hell of a lot easier if it was." I grumbled, taking another sip of my water.

"Yep." She replied. "It would."

We let the silence hang between us for a moment, both knowing what the other was thinking and also understanding that it didn't need to be voiced.

"So why are you here?" She asked, her candor slightly surprising me. But, then I smirked as I remembered who I was talking to.

"You never were one to beat around the bush, huh?"

"Never." She said with a wink. "Now spill."

I shrugged as I gripped the water bottle tightly in my fist. "Robbie asked me to come multiple times."

"That might be true, but that's not the full story."

I paused before bringing my eyes to meet the twin, sighing as I realized I didn't really care if she knew the truth. "I care a lot about Elizabeth. I want to be there for her."

"You love her."

"Never stopped."

"So you're here for her, then. Even if it tears your heart apart?" She asked, making me suck in a shaky breath.