The Good Ones Go

"Babe, you should let me worry about the rest of this stuff. You really need to go pick up your dress," Adam tells her looking over the plate settings one last time.

Chelsea's eyes widen, and she let out a groan, "my dress! Travie, can you pleeeeease go get it????" she begs him tugging on the blazer of his tux.

Travis sighs. "You really need a fucking bridesmaid," he tells her shaking his head. He would cross the fucking world for this woman, but its' difficult to be part of every step of her wedding when it isn't to him. He pulls a cigarette out of his pocket, but before he gets a chance to light it Chelsea snatches it out of his mouth.

"Can you not do that in here? You're gonna stink up the entire room before the party even starts," she scolds him her pink lips still in a pout.

"Fuck, Chels, since when did you become so uptight?" he asks her rolling his eyes. This is getting to both of them.

"I'm sorry, it's just, my parents are gonna be here, his parents are gonna be here, Colson is gonna be here…" Chelsea trails off pulling on her cardigan nervously.

Travis sighs again hoping Colson wouldn't be stupid enough to show up. "If you give me back my cig, I'll go get your dress," he bargains.

Chelsea grins and places the menthol back between his pink lips. Momentarily, images of him kissing her neck flash in her mind, but she shakes it off and reaches over to light it for him before turning around to find her planner.

Half an hour and lots of stress later, Chelsea is in the lounge area of the petit restaurant applying her make up. When she hears a knock on the beautiful French doors she knows it is Travis with her dress so she doesn't bother throwing her robe on. "Come in," she shouts grazing her cheeks with some blush. "Oh, hey, it's you, everything okay?" she says looking at Adam's reflection in the mirror.

"Yea, of course it's me, who were you expecting?" he asks placing his hands on her bare shoulders.

"Travis," she says honestly touching up her lengthy lashes.

"In your underwear?" Adam asks raising an eyebrow and letting his eyes travel to her strapless bra and lacy boy-shorts. The thought makes him uncomfortable.

Chelsea shrugs and puts in her diamond stud earrings. "Nothing he hasn't seen before," she tells him ignoring his gaze. Perhaps she doesn't realize that she's a little too comfortable with Travis, and it makes Adam incredibly uneasy.

"Here, Chels," she hears someone come in and struggles to hide behind the chair she's sitting on. She turns around and sighs in relief to see that man she was expecting the first time around.

Travis walks in casually keeping his eyes off Chelsea's body after noticing Adam's presence. Adam is his friend so he would never cross that boundary with Chelsea, but that didn't mean he couldn’t look, right? Because he really wants to.

"Thank youuuuuuuuuuu," she grins wanting to hug him, but she refrains because she knows it would upset Adam, especially after the conversation they just had.

"You're welcome," he says giving her a smile in the mirror. "We should let you get ready, come on, man," he tells Adam. This his best attempt at avoiding temptation.

Chelsea watches as the men leave and shut the door behind themselves before she opens up the bag to find her burgundy dress begging to be put on. She twirls around in front of the mirror after slipping into it and tousles up her hair a little. The sparkle from her finger glistens in the mirror, and she brings her hand up to play with the engagement ring a smile growing on her face. Suddenly she hears the door open and spins around to see Travis standing there.

"Hey, Chels, your parents - wow," he lets his jaw drop at the sight of her, "you look beautiful," he tells her stuffing his hands in his pockets. He had seen her in it the day they bought it, but it seems like she grew prettier by the day. He knows his reaction is probably inappropriate, but there's only so much he can take in a day.

Chelsea bites her lip and smiles. "Thank you," she says quietly walking over to give him a hug.

"Your parents are here," he tells her as he allows his arms to linger around her a little longer than he probably should. He feels Chelsea nod over his should before he finally forces himself to let go. "Are you ready for this?" he asks placing his hand on her naked shoulder.

Chelsea nods again and takes a deep breath. "See you out there," she tells him walking away with pursed lips.

Travis watches her as she walks through the doors and toward the older couple chatting with Adam. He shuts his eyes and mutters a 'damn', realizing just how much he loves his best friend. He turns to watch Adam's reaction and sees his eyes glisten lovingly as he embraces Chelsea. Travis couldn't help but smile: at least she's happy. He pulls out a cigarette and slides out the back smiling at the thought of what Chelsea would do to him if he even thought about smoking inside again.

Within the next hour the room fills up quickly. The tables are against the walls, and the middle of the room serves as a dance floor as the couple mingles with their dancing guests. Dinner would be ready in half an hour, and Chelsea is still on the look out for Colson - dying to see him again. Dying for him to see her.

Trying to keep her mind at ease Chelsea is in the middle of a conversation with her parents when her mother interrupts her. "Oh, dear, is that Richard? You didn't tell us he's married!" Sonya exclaims with a hand over her mouth.

"What? He's not m -" Chelsea starts but has no words when she realizes what Colson is holding.

Cole smiles as he approaches the three of them before biting his lip nervously.

Chelsea's mother immediately breaks out into a grin. "Oh, Richie, dear! It's been such a long time, how have you been?" Sonya asks. She's too happy to see him for Chelsea's liking.

"Good, really good, mama," he tells her before leaning in to plant a kiss on the woman's cheek.

"And who is this little angel?" she asks grabbing the baby girl right out of his arms.

"That's, uh, my daughter, Casie," he says taking a glance at Chelsea before shaking her father's hand.

Chelsea feels the nausea within her rise as she glances up at the baby her mother is twirling around in her arms.

"When did you get married?" George asks rubbing his beard in thought.

"I didn't," he admits them. He's slightly ashamed as he scratches the back of his head. "Her mom's not really in the picture, unless I'm on tour," he adds looking back at Chelsea for a reaction, any reaction.

"Well, that's okay isn't it little angel? You know why? Because I've always wanted to be a grandma, and you are just soooo cute," Sonya says in that voice you use to talk to babies. "Go catch up you two, we'll take care of her for a bit," she adds and turns to go to her seat with her husband.

Colson and Chelsea are left there alone and Chelsea is at a loss for words. The love of her life is no longer just fucking woman, he's making babies, and that's something more permanent than a one-night stand.

"You wanna dance?" he asks her rolling up the sleeves of the lavender button-down he's wearing.

Chelsea can't find the words to say anything so she just follows his lead as he places her arms around his neck and his own around her little waist. He allows his chin sit atop her head as he pulls her body to him as close as he can. He takes a deep breath before lowering his lip to her ear and saying, "you look gorgeous tonight, Chels." His breaths are a little shaky as he struggles to keep his composure. He had missed her so much. Too much to put into words. Now that she's here in his arms again, it's hard to contain those emotions.

Chelsea closes her eyes and inhales his cologne imagining none of this is happening, and that they are back in the old Shaker Heights gymnasium on their prom night. She's imagining that they would wake up naked in her bed at her mom's house tomorrow morning, still in love.

"Chelsea?" Colson calls her name, and she ignores him pretending things are still perfect.

"If you're mad, she's only 3, it didn't happen while we were together," he tells her pulling away a little to get a good look at her face. "Open your eyes, Chels," he begs her as his thumb rubs her cheek softly.

She hesitates for a moment, but as soon as she complies Travis approaches them. She notices he's a little irritated but ignores it, waiting for him to speak so she could get back to her fairytale.

When he finally does he says, "can I talk to you?" to Colson, not even addressing Chelsea.

"Sure," Colson tells him letting Chelsea know he'd be right back. While they're gone she stands facing her mother staring at the baby in her arms wishing it would just disappear to dust.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Travis shouts gritting his teeth once they're outside of the restaurant.

"Hey, nice to see you too man. They invited me, by the way," Cole responds sarcastically. He's irritated that the dude who used to be his friend is now slamming him up against a wall in an alley.

"That doesn't mean you have to show up. Get your shit and go," Travis demands. His hands are clenching into fists, and he's trying to hard to keep his cool.

"Why should I?" Cole asks smiling a little to provoke him. Travis is the asshole that took advantage and fucked Chelsea as soon as she left him, and he thinks he has a right to be mad?

"Because Chelsea is finally happy, and you don't need to come back and screw it up for her," he yells his breath fogging in the cold January air.

"Fuck you, bro," Colson says turning to go back inside. He's hurt by his friends words, and he doesn't want to show it. The night has already been a whirlwind of emotions, and he's not sure he can handle anymore. Before Cole's tattooed arm can reach the door Travis yanks on it. The momentum spins him back around, and he's met with an inked fist in the face.

Spitting on the ground Colson grabs his jaw - pissed that Travis would lay a hand on him. "You know what? You're pretty fucking lucky that this is Chelsea's fucking night because if we were anywhere but here, you'd get what you deserve you fucking prick," Colson says pulling open the door. "You better watch your fucking back, Mills," he adds before letting the door shut behind him. Colson opens his mouth to stretch his jaw as his eyes surf the room in attempt to find his daughter.

"Hey," he says to the Lisles as he approaches their table. "I should get going. I just got a call from work," he says to them as he reaches for Casie across the table.

"Oh, do you have to?" Sonya asks, "you just got here, dear." She's disappointed. It's been so long since she's seen the boy that she misses him more than she thought she did.

"I know, but duty calls. It was great seeing you again," he tells them giving Chelsea one last glance before walking away. On his way to the door he spots Adam in the crowd who waves him over. Cole ignores him and slams the door behind him. All Chelsea can do is watch him leave with a baby that should have been hers, the baby that she wishes would just disappear to dust.

The evening drags on. Something that's supposed to be exciting has given Chelsea anxiety, and all she can do is sit in her chair and play with her food. By the time their guests start leaving (around 11), Adam is irritated with her behavior.

"Chelsea!" he whispers wishing she would stop daydreaming. She glances over at him with eyes that are fighting to hide the emptiness she's feeling. "Are you going to say goodbye to your friends and family or are you going to keep sitting here with a stick up your ass?" he asks getting up and extending an arm for her. He doesn't know what's gotten into her, but he needs her to fix it.

She lets out a small sigh and stands up following Adam to the door. The couple stands there for the next 45 minutes as everyone makes their way out, thanking them for coming. When they're all gone Chelsea ignores Adam and searches for the manager.

Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets Adam watches her go into the kitchen. He can't understand why she's acting this way. Is she still upset with him for inviting that asshole? What did he do? He pulls the cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one before taking a seat on a misplaced chair. Half way through the smoke he see's Travis walk in through the front door.

"Hey, man, you didn’t leave?" he asks not sure why he's still hanging around.

"Naw, wanted to make sure Chelsea got home alright," he says, and Adam rolls his eyes.

"I'm her fiancé, I can do that," he stands up from his seat blowing a mouthful of smoke Travis' way. This night has been completely upside down for him.

"Chill, dude, you know I'm not on that shit," Travis says holding his hands up. He wonders if he's crossed any boundaries, or if he needed to be a little more conservative around Chelsea now. Adam has never been so jealous before, and he doesn't understand what changed.

Adam lets out a heavy sigh rubbing his face before kicking the leg of the chair he sat on moments before. "I know, Chelsea's just been out of it tonight, and it's really getting to me," he says taking a deep breath. "Maybe you're right, maybe you should take her home, let me just say goodbye," Adam adds walking to the back to find his fiancée.

Adam waits 'til she's done talking to the manager before walking up to her. "Hey," he says loosening his tie a little.

"Hey," is all she says back looking down at the tiled ground.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm gonna give you some space. Travis is gonna take you home tonight, but I just wanted to wish you a goodnight, and let you know that I love you," he tells her grabbing her hand.

"Thanks, Adam," she looks up at him as she speaks. "I love you too," she confirms giving him a soft smile. She leans up to kiss him. He pulls away first and tells her he'll see her later leaving her in the kitchen feeling alone.

Chelsea feels like she fucked up, but she doesn't care. There is only one thing that she truly wants in life, and that's to be with Colson; she doesn't understand why God couldn't grant her that one measly wish. She lets out a long sigh and makes her way back to the front, grabbing her clutch from her table and walking over to Travis.

"Let's go to your place tonight," she tells him not stopping for an answer but heading out the door; she holds it open waiting for him to come out.

Travis watches her for a moment before following suit. He opens the passenger door to his Porsche for her before getting in to his own seat. The ride is deafeningly silent all the way to his driveway.

"Give me a minute to make the bed for you," he says when they walk in, and she shakes her head.

"Don't bother, I know you haven't had sex in the past month," she tells him, "I've been hogging you," she sticks out her pink tongue at him.

He rolls his eyes as he watches her kick off her heels and pull out a bottle of Bourbon from his bar. She pours them both a glass and walks over to Travis who's still standing, watching her. She keeps eye contact as she goes into his pocket and pulls out a metal cigarette case, grabbing a perfectly rolled joint before slipping the case back into his pants. She lights it and takes a long hit, throwing her head back before letting out a small cough. She takes her second hit and connects her lips with Travis' blowing all the smoke into his mouth.

Travis inhales savoring the feel of her lips on his. He bites down on his bottom lip when she pulls back, feeling that familiar excitement surging through his body. His eyes follow her every motion. What happened to being conservative? This woman has too much power over him.

She takes the shot she poured for herself before turning back around and holding her hair up, feeling her vision start to blur from the kush. She squeezes her eyes shut when she feels Travis' hand on her shoulder; she vaguely hears the noise of the zipper as Travis pulls it down letting the dress slip right off. She bends down right in front of him, and he lets his fingers travel down her spine as he stares at her ass while she steps out of the dress and pulls it off the ground. Chelsea turns to look at him. Her eyes are already glazed over from the weed, but still she takes one more hit before letting him have the rest.

Travis watches as she throws her almost naked body onto the couch before pouring some more Bourbon over her ice. He lets out a sighs and pulls out his phone. 'Brought Chelsea to my place, is that OK?' he texts Adam before taking a hit himself. His phone buzzes within seconds, and he looks down to see the 'yes' on his screen. He tosses it to the side and sits down next to Chelsea, watching her stare at the blank TV. Seeing Colson really fucked her up.

"Chels?" he calls out to her and she turns to face him, her eyes as empty as the day she left him all those years ago. "Chels, don't do this to yourself," Travis tells her placing a hand on her naked thigh.

Chelsea throws her head back at his touch, and he immediately pulls away when he catches her reaction. He knows that the high makes it feel like ecstasy for her, and he also knows that she's too gone to even know what boundaries are.

"Chelsea," he calls her again and watches her lick her lips as her name rolls off his tongue.

"Yea?" she asks looking up at him with a touch of lust in her eyes.

"You're fucked up now, Chels, but I need to tell you something important; you have to promise not to forget," he says pulling his hand away from her when she tries to grab it.

"I promise," she says biting her lip seductively. She wants to kiss him so badly, she wants him to make the world go away.

"Stay away from Colson, you hear me?" he asks her with the most serious look on his face.

She nods for a moment before it all clicks in her head. "You made him leave didn’t you?" she yells, her arms trying to cover her naked body now.

"Chelsea -" he tries to reason with her.

"No! I hate you!" she shouts at him running into his bedroom and slamming the door shut. She throws herself onto his mattress and pulls the covers up to her chin. She hears a loud sigh from the other side of the door and knows Travis is upset. The front door opens and slams shut, and she knows that he's gone.

Her eyes shut and the drugs in her body lull her to sleep as she wonders how all her relationships could disappear to dust but that beautiful little baby couldn't.