Eight | W2S

SEVENTY NINE.

ONE CHAPTER TO GO 😭😭😭😭😭😭

LATE APRIL, 2027

Talia had given birth earlier than expected. Their beautiful baby boy, Lucas, had been born on March twenty third.

It also meant that they were both going to be okay to come to the wedding, which pleased everyone. It would've felt strange without her and Simon there.

As for the hen do, I'd told her that there was no pressure in coming. If she could make it, brilliant, but spending time with her little one would always come first.

So when Talia showed up at the airport with a suitcase and a smile, I felt as if everything had fallen into place.

I was jetting off to Portugal for a long weekend, finally able to let my hair down.

My dad was looking after Juni, as he was having his stag weekend at the same time. Olive was with her grandparents — and I assumed Lucas was with his too.

"Talia!" I screeched, forgetting all about my own luggage and raced over to her, crushing her in a hug. "I didn't think you'd make it!"

She shook her head with a smile. "You have no faith in me. Course I was going to make it, and Lucas is perfectly happy staying with my mum and dad back in Italy. He's already so tan."

"Olive's inherited Ethan's paleness," Faith shouts out, clearly having overheard the conversation. "You should be lucky Lucas has inherited your genes."

There were seven of us going on my hen do. Myself, Faith, Talia, Freya, Ellie, Rosie, and Laura, who was JJ's girlfriend. 

Faith, being my maid of honour had arranged most of it, although I knew she'd had some help from Freya. The only input I'd had was requesting to go to Albufeira in Portugal. It had been on my bucket list for ages. 

I was met with shock when Faith started to lead the group towards the private terminal, because I'd anticipated just a standard economy flight, considering Portugal wasn't a long flight from London. 

"Fuck off have you sorted out a private jet?" I ask, Faith just smiling innocently at me, still leading us away.

"It's your hen do," Rosie spoke, walking beside me. "All of us went out for it. There's no one more deserving than you."

A few others agreed, and I already knew that this was going to be an incredible weekend. 

The others had already started cracking open the pre-flight prosecco, laughter spilling through the terminal as we reached the jet. It was surreal—the sleek, luxurious plane waiting for us, like a scene from a film. I turned to Faith, who was grinning ear-to-ear, clearly proud of the surprise she had pulled off.

"Alright, alright," I laughed. "You've outdone yourself, Faith."

"Only the best for you, Ken," she winked, handing me a glass of bubbly as we boarded the jet. "This weekend is about relaxing, celebrating, and making sure you remember how incredible you are before you walk down that aisle."

The interior of the plane was everything you'd imagine—plush leather seats, soft lighting, and a bar that we made full use of before we even took off. Freya and Laura were already discussing the best beaches in Albufeira, while Rosie and Ellie were deep in conversation about the itinerary for the weekend.

Once we were settled in and the plane had taken off, the real fun began. Music played softly in the background as we kicked off the weekend with a round of cocktails, thanks to the in-flight service. It wasn't long before we were all a little tipsy, laughter spilling over as we reminisced about the past few years. The Sidemen, our friendship, everything we'd been through—both the highs and the challenges—came up in conversation.