The Good Ones Go

"Do you like this one?" Chelsea asks as she twirls around in front of the wall of mirrors. It's a Friday afternoon, and she's in a bridal shop with Travis who sits on the white leather sofa and watches her criticizing every inch of herself in the atrocious blue silk dress she's wearing.

Travis sighes. "You look beautiful in all of them," he tells her as he sips on his third complementary glass of champagne. Chelsea gives him a look, and he immediately retracts his statement. "See this is why you don't bring me shopping with you, Chels. I have no idea about this stuff," he tells her as he eyes the rack of dresses Chelsea had left to try. What he said is true - she looks good no matter what she puts on, and he doesn't understand this obsession with picking the perfect dress.

"Yes, you do - you're a man," she tells him as she turns around to let him unzip her. He fiddles with the zipper on the back of the dress before he manages to pull it down her back. His hand lingers just up her ass for a moment before he lets it go and steps out of the dressing room so she can put on the next one.

"It's for your engagement party, not the club. I'm not supposed to want to strip you naked and fuck you in front of your fiancé," he says even though he finds himself wanting to do that regardless. When Chelsea comes out of the room Travis is playing with the hem of a white mini-dress on a different rack. He stares at Chelsea's back absentmindedly while she looks in the mirror. He's trying to distract himself and look away, but it's harder than he thinks.

"So I can't look sexy in a parent appropriate dress?" she asks. She's being provocative, but she doesn't realize. She watches Travis reaction in the mirror as he comes up behind her and pulls her hair up in a fist. Her mind momentarily flashes with images of him tugging on it while fucking her before she comes back to her senses to hear his response.

"Fine, but can we come back another day? I've seriously got some shit I gotta take care of, Chels," he begs. He pulls the zipper down to her butt quickly and walks away to avoid temptation again. Chelsea rolls her eyes at him but agrees. She has to get back to work anyway, and the sexual tension building is probably too risky. After she gets dressed they thank the associates and hop into Travis' Porsche. Once she's back at John Hopkins she makes him pinky promise to come to the store with her tomorrow, and he does, secretly liking being able to watch her dress and undress before him.

Five hours later Chelsea's re-adjusting her heels with one hand and pulling her purse out of her locker with the other. She's done with work for the day and Adam is waiting for her outside. They had decided just yesterday that the wedding would be in exactly six months, and Chelsea is finally getting excited about it. A venue is secured for the 18th of June, and aside from picking out her engagement party dress all Chelsea had left to do is to pick out the invitations and the cake.

Since last week when Adam confronted her, Chelsea had taken the time to re-lock Colson away in a little black box somewhere in the back of her mind. She tried to reason through her feelings, but in the end always came up drowning in tears. There is no getting over Cole, just ignoring his existence. She was doing so well until Adam had proposed, but she realizes she just needs to go back to believing it was Cole's loss not hers. After all the shit he put her through her confidence tanked, and this is all easier said than done.

"Hey, baby," Adam greets her as she slams the door of the Civic shut behind her. She leans over to give him a simple kiss before she puts on her seatbelt and checks her cell.

"You ready for this?" he asks her. He has a huge grin on his face as he puts the car in drive and places his hand on Chelsea's thigh.

She doesn't respond right away but checks her message from Travis instead. 'Escaping today?' it reads, and Chelsea has to keep herself from sighing. Her life is heading to a good place, and there is no use in fighting it. 'As ready as I'll ever be,' she thinks to herself in response to Adam's question, but she smiles at him and says, "let's do it." The text she sends to Travis reads, 'no - picking invites,' and she finds herself feeling disapointed that she wouldn't seem him the rest of the day.

The ladies that are helping them with their wedding invitations seem to be fawning over Adam more than doing their job, but Chelsea bites her tongue. Adam has always been faithful so she knows she has nothing to worry about. She ignores their obvious stares and talks to him about which template he thinks is the best; he had wanted to be involved in the wedding planning as much as Chelsea, and it makes her feel at ease knowing she won’t have to bear all the pressure alone. It's only a couple of minutes of conversation before the couple finally decides on a beautiful template and orders 200 invitations - probably a few dozen more than they need, but you never know when you'll need a back up.

When Chelsea hands her credit card over to pay for their order, her stomach turns upside down; it's all getting too real for her. She might have thrown up if Adam's rough hand didn't intertwine its fingers with her own. He seems to be her savior no matter the circumstance, and it makes Chelsea feel secure. She shoots him the most genuine smile as a thanks for comforting her, and she can’t help but feel giddy about the fact that she is finally going to be a wife - something she had been waiting for since her undergrad years.

She kept their hands locked tight all the way out the store and toward their parked Civic down the street. Their Civic. That might be the first time she spoke about Adam and herself as a collective pair. It's hard for her to reconcile moving on when her heart doesn't want to completely, but she knows it wouldn't be fair to Adam otherwise.

A smile dances on her face as she makes conversation with her fiancé, the ring on her finger sparkling for the world to see. The people they pass seem to be shadows of nothingness because she notices no one, just vague figures bustling through the busy streets. Her tunnel vision offers a strange comfort which she needs to reassure herself that she's making the right decision.

When they are only a few feet from their car - for the first time since they had left the store - Chelsea has the urge to divert her attention from Adam and redirect it forward. It seems like there is no other explanation than the work of fate for what transpires next, but her breathing hitches in her throat when she sees the familiar lanky body heading toward them.

Out of all the bodies they are swimming in, only his stands out to her. Her heart drops into her stomach, and suddenly she feels lightheaded. She knows her hands are clammy, but she hopes Adam doesn't notice the reaction the man is causing. She doesn't know how to fight the flutter in her chest as he walks toward them, but she mentally kicks herself because she was finally making some progress and here she is again at first base.

She isn't sure if she had seen a smile on his face or if she is just seeing what she wants to see, but there he is only a few feet from her - so close she could almost hug him.

"Chelsea?" his voice is rugged and smooth just the way she remembers it. How could she forget it? It's the voice that sang her to sleep every sleepless night. The voice that told her how much he loved her everyday for ten years. She thinks she might be dreaming, but when she falls silent and Adam nudges her she realizes that she's breathing heavy.

"Colson, what a surprise," she manages to say suddenly feeling sick again. How do thoughts of Cole always come up when it seems like she's finally managing without him? Adam doesn't seem to move either, but even if he hadvbeen having a seizure Chelsea might have not noticed due to the shock of being so close to the man she had loved almost her entire life. The man that still has her heart even if it is in pieces.

"Yea," he nods as he pulls his hands out of his pockets. "Uh, you, uh, you look good," he tells her awkwardly before reaching out with his left hand when he notices she's got her right wrapped tightly around Adam's.

Chelsea shakes it and responds with, "thanks. This is my fiancé, Adam." She notices him staring down at the rock on her ring finger as his thumb gently sneaks in a caress before she pulls her hand away in fear of upsetting Adam. Truthfully she doesn't pay much attention to Cole's reaction, but more to her own. It has been more than half a decade since she's seen him, touched him, and all she could feel is angry euphoria from the fingertips she can still feel burning into her palm. She is left wondering which she should let overtake her, but Colson's voice brings her back out of her thoughts.

"Adam. Yea, I remember, " Colson says. He's trying to be polite, but his blood is boiling inside him. This douchebag looked like a lamer version of himself, and he hates that Chelsea left him for a downgrade.

"Yea, you finally got it right," Adam teases as he sticks out his hand for a shake.

"So, you're getting married?" Colson asks. His hands find their way back into his pockets as he fights to hide that this is clearly an awkward moment for him. He knew Chelsea moved on, but he thought she was with Travis. Never for a second did he think she'd be signing her heart over to another man permanently.

"Yeah, actually, our engagement party is in a week, you should come. It's at Bon Appetit at 7 PM," Adam tells him with a grin as wide as California on his face. He kind of wants the opportunity to rub this in. Colson had something great, but he threw it away. All those years he treated Chelsea like shit in front of him, and Adam couldn't do anything about it. Now she's with him, and he wants to rub it all in Richard's face - he won.

Chelsea fights the confusion stirring within her. Why would the man she's marrying invite the man she's in love with to anything that had to do with them!? Shouldn’t he have asked Chelsea if she's okay with it? She knows Adam is most likely looking to rub it in his face, but he's rubbing it in hers too. She doesn't want this to be an argument, but she hates that she'd have to stare at Cole all night wishing it was their engagement party.

"Friday night? I'll be there." Colson says. He adds a goodbye and walks off before the couple had a chance to change their minds; he promises himself that he won't miss that night for the world.

Chelsea stands paralyzed for a moment. It feels like the world has stopped spinning, and she's been sentenced to hell. There's no way she'll be able to make it through the night in one piece.

"Chels?" Adam calls her as he pulls her toward the vehicle.

When she's comfortable in her seat she waits for him to walk over to his side and get in before saying, "why would you do that?" She's pissed.

"What?" Adam is confused.

"Why would you invite him?!" she lets her voice rise. She's angry at Adam for bringing Colson back into their lives. Nothing good would come of this, and she doesn't know how long she can fight herself and stay away from him.

"Why not? He was your best friend since 3rd grade. Even if he was a dick to you, you haven’t forgotten his friendship. It's gotta mean something," Adam says. He's looking at Chelsea with a smile feigning innocence. Maybe he's taking this to lightly, but maybe this is the right time for her to really say goodbye - to show him she really has moved on.

"Are you fucking stupid? This guy cheated on me for 8 years of my life, you think I owe him something now?! Fuck you, Adam," she yells as she crosses her arms.

"Chels, hey, I'm sorry, baby," he says. It's too late to take it back so he doesn't know what to do besides apologize. He throws his arm around her as best as he can before saying, "I should have asked you before I said anything to him. Don’t be mad, I promise he won't interfere with anything; he'll just get to see what he gave up." Adam places a kiss on the exposed flesh of her neck in attempt to get her to relax.

She closes her eyes and uncrosses her arms while letting out a sigh when she feels his gentle lips on her skin. She hates when he kisses that spot - it makes her melt like putty in his hands.

"Do you forgive me?" he asks her as he tangles his right hand in her wavy hair.

She bites her lip and looks into his eyes giving him a little nod. He grins and gives her a kiss before licking his lips to taste the strawberry chapstick she used earlier.

"I love you, Chelsea," he says staring at her lovingly. Even if his lips didn't say it his eyes do.

"I love you too, Adam," she admits pulling her seatbelt on. Even if Colson is still somewhere in her heart, Adam is in there too.

It's getting late so he takes her home that night like he's been doing for the past few days. After their conversation a week ago, he has made an incredible effort to give her some space. He has the rest of his life to spend with her, he resolved that there is no rush. Chelsea has never met a more perfect man. Adam is doing everything he can to help her relax, to make her happy, to show her he loves her. She can’t believe how easily she is cheating him out of his own happiness - he deserves better than her, better than someone who loves someone else. Everything Adam is to her she was to Colson: someone to take advantage of.

She lets her hands run down his toned sleeveless arm and takes a deep breath. All those tattooed arms did is remind her of Cole, and she is glad that he won’t be spending the night because after seeing Richard today she doesn't think she could handle it.

"Bye, babe," she says to him before leaning over to plant a wet kiss on his cheek.

When she finally goes to bed it's past midnight, and when she wakes up it's too soon for her aching head. She ignores the pain though and gets ready because she knows that seeing Travis will help. It's 9 AM on a Saturday, and within an hour she's at a dress shop with him, but this time she's sipping on her own glass of champagne.

"I don’t think I can do it, Trav," she tells him as she picks up a dress that caught her eye.

"Do what? Go to your own party? Get real, Lisle. So Adam invited the guy you're actually in love with. He fucked up for years; rub it in his fucking face," Travis says. He follows her to the fitting room casually and watches as she undresses. He can't believe that he's still stuck in this mess of her life. He needs to finds his own way to let go.

"That's not me, and you know that. All my life I've been trying to protect Richard not hurt him, and I'm not about to start now," she says as she pulls off the blouse she's wearing and slips out of her leggings.

Travis leans back to take in her figure. The last time he saw it was in her bed when she had her legs spread wide open for him. The thought make him lick his lips as if he could still taste her on them.

"Travis!" she rolls her eyes at him. "Do I have to kick you out?" She's not in the mood to flirt. The party is in less than a week, and she needs to buy a dress today.

"No m'am. I'll be a good boy, promise," he winks at her and reaches over to tie the halter-top behind her neck. He admires the plunge of the neckline as he stares at her in the mirror. He's trying to redirect his thoughts back to the conversation, and it is becoming hard to do it. "Why are you getting married if you're still in love with MGK?" He wants to redirect the conversation elsewhere, but he knows she's not going to let this go.

Chelsea rolls her eyes and laughs. She was never in love with MGK - she is in love with Richard.

"Because I don't want MGK. I want Adam," she says definitively, but to him it sounds like she's trying to convince herself. Chelsea walks back out to find another dress to try. The one she's wearing had looked better on the hanger.

"If you wanted Adam you wouldn’t be thinking about MGK right now. Better yet, if you wanted Adam you wouldn’t be thinking about me right now," Travis teases. He doesn’t fail to notice the goose bumps rise on her skin every time he touches her. He wonders if she thinks about the couple months they spent inseparable before she up and decided to go out with Adam out of no where.

"I want Adam," she says as she searches through another rack. He still doesn't believe her. He doesn't comment, but he begins to realize that no one will ever be able to compete with Colson.

"Try this one," Travis tells her. He decides to keep his mouth shut about her marriage and instead focuses on what he came here to do. It's her decision in the end, and he won't bug her about it anymore no matter how much he wants her to drop all these dudes and just be with him. Every time something goes wrong she comes to him anyway, why can't she realize that just being with him would be easier?

She stares at the dress Travis holds up, and her mind immediately flashes back to the burgundy sheets she peeled off her bed one night when she came home to Cole with another girl. She puts in on quickly. Her slim figure slides into the gown easily, and she stares at herself in the mirror wondering if Colson would think of one of the last times he cheated when he sees her in it. Would he would think of those burgundy sheets? Would he would think of her on them?

"I like it," she tells Travis.

"Me too," he says staring at her ass. "Adam will like it," he adds with a wink.

'So will Colson,' she thinks to herself while biting her lip in anticipation.