Coming Home to You

"Abigail! Jeremy! The main event has finally arrived!"
Abby smiled at her over zealous mother and her grinning father as she was enveloped into their arms. Jeremy was beside her, returning their smiles and being polite, asking about how they've been, and blah blah blah.
Jeremy had come to her flat last night, a drunken mess, and repeated what he had said to her only hours before. He explained that it was all out of love, but Abby knew that he was nothing but jealous of her and the guys' relationship. She told him that he had nothing to worry about, and that was the end of it. When she went to bed that night, she thought of Rory, and what he would do if he found out about what her fiancee did and said to her. He would be furious, of course. It was comforting yet scary to know the things that her best friend would do for her.
Abby's mother grabbed her hand and dragged her into the large marble foyer, completed with a chandelier and a winding staircase with two room entry ways on both sides; the left was the living/sitting room, and the right was the den. The future bride and groom were informed that the party was outside, so they followed behind her parents, nothing but the sound of clicking heels against the expensive floors were omitted.
The four stepped outside and Abby literally gasped. The trees were filled with white lights, and some were dangling from one end of the yard to the other. There were tables scattered all over the place, most of them filled with occupants, and there was a small band playing quiet music so that the guests could talk to each other and not scream obnoxiously. Abby turned to her parents, nearly in tears.
"Mum, Dad. This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much."
Jeremy just smiled and placed his hand on Abby's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her parents smiled and Abby could see that her mother was about to cry, as well.
"Only the best for my perfect daughter and of course, the amazing man she had picked."
Abby almost felt the need to roll her eyes as another flash of the previous day struck through her head, and for some odd reason, she had felt disappointed. How could she even feel that way toward Jeremy? She took a deep breath, and mentally noted that again, it was the first time he had acted out like that. She wanted to the marriage to work, and she had to get used to the idea that Jeremy was obviously a little jealous sometimes.
Before her thoughts completely drowned her, her father spoke.
"Did you see who was here, Abby, dear?", he said, his finger pointing to a table toward a group of trees. She smiled as she saw Rou, Chris, and Rob seated together, all nursing beers that were provided. She suddenly frowned when Rory was no where in sight. Her heart rate slowed down, thinking that he wasn't going to show up. Abby looked at her father and smiled.
"I'm going to say hi", she explained, then looked at Jeremy. "Would you like to come?"
Jeremy gave a small smile - one that Abby was unsure of - and nodded.
"Excuse us, Mum. Dad."
Her parents nodded and watched as Abby and Jeremy made their way towards the back of the large, green yard. Chris looked over at her, and told Rou and Rob to stand so they could greet their best friend properly. Abby giggled as she approached, dropping Jeremy's hands so she could hug them.
"You guys came!", she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Rou.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Abs. You know that", Rou replied into her neck.
She hugged Chris and Rob and backed up as Rou approached Jeremy with an extended hand.
"Congratulations, mate. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Jeremy gave a weak smile to him and returned his hand shake, as he did with Chris and Rob. He thanked the three and, of course, the awkward silence settled in. Abby thought about asking where Rory was, but after Jeremy's recent outburst, she decided against it. He was the first to break the silence.
"I'm going to get a drink. Want anything, babe?"
Abby just shrugged and told him to get whatever he was having. He walked away, the boys' eyes following him.
"Is something up his arse?", Rob asked, making Abby look at him. She let out a deep breath, and answered his question with a shrug.
"You know what? I honestly don't know. He's been acting up lately."
Rou raised an eyebrow at her, but bit his tongue, knowing that he wasn't in any position to stick his nose in her business. If she had something to say, she would say it. Chris and Rob must've been thinking the same thing, since they were silent. Abby took the opportunity to ask the desired question.
"Guys, where's Rory tonight?"
Chris opened his mouth, but a voice behind her beat him to it.
"Turn around."
Abby jumped and turned in her seat, and smiled brightly when she saw him standing a few inches behind her chair. She got up, and straightened her cocktail dress out as she approached him. He looked amazing. He wore a black jacket, a white shirt, and a slim, loose black tie with matching pants. Abby felt her heart rate slow down again just at the sight of him. That had been happening a lot lately.
Abby wrapped her arms around him as he did her, his hands placing themselves on the small of her back, holding her close. Abby put her hands at the nape of his neck and put her mouth near his ear.
"I thought you weren't going to show."
Rory let out a breathe into her neck, making her shiver.
"I would never bail on you, Abby. Have a little more faith in me."
She smiled into his neck, and she felt him do the same. The amazing moment was interrupted when she heard someone clear their throat beside her. Her stomach dropped and the two broke apart to see who it was. Jeremy stood their, two glasses of white wine in his hand and a scowl on his face.
Rory cleared his throat and held his hand out to the man whom stood before him.
"Jeremy. Good to see ya again, mate."
Jeremy just looked at his hand as if it was the most repulsive thing on this earth, then looked at his fiancee.
"I got you this. When you're all done here, come say hi to my parents. They've just arrived."
With that, he placed her glass on the table, and walked away, taking all of his wine down in one gulp. Abby let out a loud breath that she had been holding since the hug was disturbed. She turned and looked at her friends, whom were just looking at their shoes and observing the backyard, as if they hadn't been there before.
Abby looked at Rory and saw that his eyes were still fixed on Jeremy as he sat down at another table with his parents, pouring himself another glass. His eyes weren't the light blue that they usually are; they were now a lot darker and she noted that his fists were clenched at his sides. She put her hand on his arm, his head slowly turning to her.
"Please relax, Rory. It's okay. I'll be back in a minute - just gotta schmooze for a bit."
Rory did and said nothing, but the others just nodded and told her not to be long. Rory took a seat as he watched her make her way to the table that Jeremy and his parents were seated at. She approached the two and hugged them, sitting beside his mother. She was talking and laughing with them, but Rory could read her like a book; she had never been more uncomfortable in her life. He just wish he knew more of what was going on. What was Jeremy's problem? What had he done that pissed him off so bad?
"You alright, Rory?", he heard Chris ask from across the circular table.
He looked at his friend and started fiddling with the napkins that had been put out. He looked over at Abby again and saw Jeremy kiss her temple and she smiled at him. He looked back at his napkin and continued ripping at it, releasing a shrug. Rou sighed and Rob just looked at Chris as he spoke up again.
"Sorry, mate."
Rory nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes still fixed on the table.
"It's not too late, you know", Rob spoke up. Chris and Rou immediately scolded their friend, telling him to shut up and 'not start up with that shit'.
Rory looked at his friends, whom were looking at him, just waiting to gauge a reaction from him. He just let out a breath through his nose and then back to Abby, whom was now dancing with her fiancee to the slow music that was coming from the stage nearby.
"I'm fine."

Three hours had passed and now all of the boys except Rory were on the wooden dance floor that was provided for the night; as was Abby, whom was dancing with her father. He had seen Jeremy leave a little earlier and was curious, yet relieved that he was gone. It was extremely unfair that he felt that he couldn't talk to Abby with him around. He sat at the table, his chair facing the dance floor and a beer grasped tightly in his left hand. He took a long swig, and when his bottle was down, he saw Abby approach him. She grinned as she finally made it to him, and put her hands out.
"Come on, Rory."
He let out a humorless laugh and she just kept smiling that brilliant smile.
"Very funny, Abby. You and I both know that that is a joke."
She playfully rolled her eyes, and shook her hands, a motion for him to take them.
"You gotta learn sometime, and who could teach you better than me?"
He rolled his eyes back at her and placed his beer down.
"I'm learning just fine from watching."
Abby pursed her lips at him for a second and finally decided to take his hands by force.
"Don't be silly, Mr. Clewlow. Get out here."
He let out a loud sigh as she dragged him to the dance floor, earning him a giggle from her as she picked an empty spot on the hardwood. The song was slow, so she stood in front of him and started directing.
"Alright. Your left hand goes on my waist while your right takes my left hand. My right hand goes on your shoulder and we just move. Now, that sounds pretty easy, doesn't it?"
Rory smirked at her, but nodded, slowly starting to move to the music. His body relaxed as her hand that was resting on his shoulder was moved to his neck and she held eye contact with him. She had found it hard to control her own breathing as his left started rubbing her side slowly. With that action alone, Rory had made it seem like him and Abby were the only ones in the world, and Abby found that completely okay. In her mind, she was trying to scream it was wrong. She had a fiancee and Rory was her best friend. That was hard to tell herself when her best friend's hand was rubbing circles on her side. Rory spoke up, his own curiosity getting the best of him.
"So where did Jeremy head off to?"
"He has to get up early in the morning, so he decided to call it a night."
Rory just nodded, not really sure of any other response. Abby smiled at him, seeing the clear relief on his face. She was very much aware of the tension between two of the most important people in her life, so she knew she didn't have to ask any obvious questions like "You don't like him, do you?", or "So what do you think of him?"
She wasn't dumb and she wasn't blind. And yet, she found it extremely odd that in that moment, with Rory's hands around her and them moving slowly to the music was the most comfortable moment that she had experienced in a while.
"You know, Rory, you're not that bad of a dancer."
Rory smirked at her and gave a one shoulder shrug.
"Maybe it's because you are the only teacher that I've ever had that I actually paid attention to."
Abby let out a chuckle, the sound going straight through Rory's body. She looked down at their feet, watching how easily they were moving together. She made eye contact with Rory again, and a thought popped into her head.
"Listen, um, Jeremy is going out of a town for a business trip next week, and I was wondering if you wanted to come over and kinda help me get a few things together. I'd really appreciate it."
Rory smiled, but his curiosity had him talking again.
"Sure, that'd be nice. But what about your mum or Lisa, Annabeth, or...a girl? Isn't that who'd you wanna get to help you with that kinda stuff?"
Abby giggled and shook her head.
"I don't need Mum or Lisa or Annabeth. I need my best friend. Besides, my mum is helping me with my dress and I made Annabeth my maid of honor and I made Lisa in charge of most of the decorating. They already have too much on their plate."
Rory smiled and let out a laugh. He nodded his head and rubbed his lips together as she smiled with him.
"Where are those girls, anyway? Shouldn't they be here?"
"Lisa could not get off of work and Annabeth, being the adventurer she is, decided that this week would be the perfect week to go mountain climbing in New Zealand or something."
Rory burst out laughing at the thought of Abby's crazy cousin. She laughed with him, shaking her own head at the thought.
"What kind of help do you need, than?", he finally asked, the relief apparent on her face.
"Booking a venue and making a set list for the DJ, you know; simple things like that."
Rory immediately thought of Jeremy. Where was he in all of this? Shouldn't he be helping his bride to be with any wedding stuff? From the information he's gathered from Abby in the past and right now, he seemed to have done nothing but give her the ring and pop the question to her. Isn't he responsible for anything in this wedding? He decided against asking her about it and would save it for another day when they weren't so close and intimate. Rory was surprised that he hadn't stepped on her feet or something since he was so nervous. But, as always, Abby was cool and calm and seemed to be having a blast.
The song ended and the two parted to clap for the band. Rou, Chris, and Rob had soon joined them after grabbing another drink and the five made their way back to the table. Abby plopped down into the chair with a thud and adjusted the loose hair from her updo. She thanked Chris as he put an ice cold bottle in front of her. She took a sip and felt immediately relaxed. Rory took a sip from his own beer and looked up as Rou spoke.
"How far away is the wedding now?", he asked, Abby's head turning towards him.
"A few months, actually. He wants to get married as soon as possible and I'm not sure why."
Rory looked at her after she had said this and felt a sudden jolt of worry. Rou spoke again, wanting to know as much as the other guys.
"Do you want it as soon as possible?"
Abby bit her bottom lip at the question and just shrugged as she looked back at the dance floor that the elder portion of the party had taken over as the band was playing a Johnny Mathis song.
"I don't want it next week or anything, but I can see why he doesn't want to wait a year or two. His job is quite difficult to work around and my writing does preoccupy my time. But, I can't really argue. I mean, at least he knows what he wants, right?"
The boys nodded in agreement and Rory looked over at her and saw nothing but doubt written across her face. She was staring at her beer bottle that rested on the table as it sweated profusely. He placed his hand on top of hers with out even thinking and it made her look over at him. He smiled at her and gave her a small nod; a sign of reassurance. She released a small smile back at him, and grabbed her beer to take a long sip out of it. Rory released her hand and took his own beer, the party dying down a bit. Chris checked his phone and saw that it was almost midnight.
"Shit, Abs. I gotta go. I got work in the morning. And you arses should join me. We got practice at one."
Abby grinned as the guys groaned but stood up. Abby was glad that they were taking their band practice seriously. When they first decided to become a band, everyone, including Abby, assumed that it was a phase and supported them. It had been about a year and a half now, and they practice all of the time and are always trying to write new material. They even came up with a name and everything. Abby was very proud of them.
"Alright, guys. Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate it. I would've blown my brains out if it wasn't for you."
The boys smiled as they individually hugged her. After each hug, they started out of the back gate. Abby left Rory last on purpose and smiled when she came to him as he stood next to the chair he had just preoccupied. She wrapped his arms around his neck as he did her waist. They breathed in each other's scents, the act never getting old.
"Thank you for coming, Rory. It means a lot to me."
Rory smiled against her neck and nodded.
"You mean a lot to me. You know I'm always here."
"I know", Abby responded as he left a kiss on her cheek. Her cheeks started to redden as the warmth of his lips lingered on her skin. She just smiled at him and released his hands after sliding her own down his arms when the hug ended.
"I'll see you soon. And thanks for teaching me how to dance", he added with a chuckle.
Abby returned the laugh and said that she would talk to him later.
He nearly whispered a goodbye as he held his hand up in a wave and turned around to exit out of the back gate that led to the drive way. Abby held her hand up, as well, and turned to head towards the house when she heard the back gate shut behind him. She smiled at the ground as her feet carried her through the now empty yard. All that was left was the small stage that the band was set up on, the dance floor, and of course, the large cluster of tables and chairs.
"Have a good night, love?"
Abby jumped at the sound of her mother's voice. She had popped out of the house to check in and make sure all of the guests were gone. Abby nodded with a grin, telling her mother that the night was perfect.
"Good. It's a shame that Jeremy couldn't stay that long, though. It was nice that he came, even if it was for a short amount of time."
Abby agreed with her mother and was about to walk past her to go into the house.
"The boys are happy for you, eh?"
Abby turned and practically giggled.
"Yeah, they are. They've been extremely helpful. They are my best friends, anyway."
Her mother smiled politely and took a few steps towards her daughter.
"You know what's funny? Your father and I were so sure that it would be one of them you'd end up marrying. You spend enough time with them, so it just made sense, you know?"
Abby felt her face heat up again, but played it off with a shrug.
"They're like my kid brothers, Mum. I love them to death."
Her mother nodded and gave her daughter a hug, telling her how happy she was for her and how lucky she was. Abby thanked her and headed into the house to say goodnight to her father. She finally got outside and was too excited to get home and go to bed. She was grateful that her and Jeremy had taken their own cars so she would be stranded at her parents' house for the night. She needed her own bed in her own flat. The ride home was filled with nothing but Abby's thoughts. The night was amazing, but she found it quite odd that she enjoyed herself more when Jeremy wasn't here compared to when he was. Was that normal? Probably not. It's not like she didn't want Jeremy around. She was in love with him, for God's sake. It was, however, very difficult to be around him when the boys were there, as well; especially Rory.
On that note, Abby made another mental note to have a serious sit down with her fiancee and best friend and really straighten things out. She didn't know when or where that would take place, but it had to happen. She knew deep down in her gut that if they didn't become to least bit civil toward each other, the wedding would be a lot more difficult to deal with than it already was.