I See You (A Ryan Blaney One Shot)

I See You

As always, there were some creative liberties taken here. Hope you enjoy and congrats to the happy couple!

*****

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the priest announces with a flourish.

We all burst into applause and cat calls as Cale dips Emma and they kiss for the first time as husband and wife.

It's official! My older sister Emma is finally married to the love of her life. That's why both the Conley and Blaney clans have gathered on this Tuesday afternoon in the backyard of our parent's house in Asheville, North Carolina. Originally, the plan was for something more elaborate but when Emma found out she was pregnant, her and Cale decided a shotgun style wedding was more appropriate.

Standing up here under the flower archway, it's totally surreal to see my older sister married let alone with a baby on the way. I will say I'm super excited to be uncle Ryan though. I know I'll be the kind of uncle who spoils their niece or nephew rotten.

Sadly, Emma hasn't been impressed by any of my name suggestions. I don't get what's wrong with naming your child either Anakin or Leia? Every time I bring it up with Emma, she just rolls her eyes and walks away. I'll have to work on Cale...

Focusing back in on the action, I watch as Cale and Emma walk down the aisle together hand in hand. They look so joyful I can't contain the grin that breaks out on my face. I hope one day I can find someone who looks at me the way they look at each other, with pure love in their eyes.

With the ceremony over, I follow the rest of the wedding party down the aisle back towards the house where we're supposed to take pictures. I'm walking along the pathway when I hear my name being called.

"Ry! Over here! We want to get a picture!" Erin waves at me, bouncing up and down. I love Erin but I swear, sometimes she just has too much energy. She's standing down by the lake with one of Emma's bridesmaids. From this distance, I can't tell who it is but I recognize the pastel coloured dress all the girls in the wedding party were wearing.

I saunter over to Erin. When I get close enough to see who she's with, I want to turn around and run. Standing next to Erin is Emma's best friend Cienna. The two have known each other since first grade and were like two peas in a pod growing up. In fact, I bet Cienna probably spent more nights over at our house than her own. I know Emma considers her to be a second sister.

I've had a crush on Cienna since forever. I'm not sure I can pinpoint what it is about her I was drawn to. She's incredibly sweet and witty and a little bit nerdy. Basically, my dream girl all wrapped into one.

Now you might be wondering why nothing ever happened between us? Well, it did. Originally, we started off as just casual friends because of Emma. We would run into each other when she was over at the house and have random conversations about Star Wars and Marvel. As I got to know her better, the more I started to fall for her. We would flirt back and forth with each other all the time time when Emma wasn't around.

Then, one summer when Emma invited Cienna and some of her other friends over for a Fourth of July party I finally gathered the courage to kiss her on the dock under the fireworks. It was incredible. I would rank that up there as one of the most memorable nights of my life. We had instant chemistry. The kiss was everything I imagined it would be and more.

Unfortunately, my heart shattered into a million pieces when Cienna ended the kiss by pushing me away and running back to the house. I was left devastated and confused. I thought I had been reading all the signs right and that she liked me. I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong.