Best For Last || Jacob Elordi AU

reunion

       After talking and laughing for nearly an hour at Drew's kitchen table with her and Raelynn, you'd come to the realization that everything in this town had a memory of Jacob attached to it, even the people. You had to get better at pushing the thoughts of him to the back of your mind: yes, you were here for an old mutual friend of yours, but it was that friend's wedding, and you had to be on your best, cheeriest behavior.

Drew and Rae had just brought up the subject of cosmetology again -- coincidentally, Drew's thing was makeup and Rae's was lashes -- when your phone buzzed with a call in your pocket. You retrieved it, and saw that Arya's contact photo filled your phone screen.

"Just a sec guys," you told your friends as you stood. "It's the bride." They nodded and shooed you away, and once you were in the next room, you tapped the little green circle. 

"Hey, what's up?"

"Heyyy Y/N," her cheerful voice replied. "You're in PA, right?"

"I am; please tell your parents thank you a million times over from me."

"Oh it's nothing, but I will! Listen, Dante got something he wanna tell you."

Your heart dropped automatically. Of course, every worst case scenario popped into your brain, and the few seconds it took you to respond felt like ten minutes.

"Okay," you replied, your voice unsure. "Let me have it."

"Alright," she said mostly happily, but there was a concerned edge to her voice. "Don't be mad."

That comment only worsened things, and if you thought the time you took to respond felt like forever, the time she took to hand the phone to Dante was double eternity.

"Yo," his deeper voice was on the line. "How's life?"

"My heart's about to fall out of my ass, tell me what's wrong." You said it playfully, but you were definitely serious.

He laughed, but it somehow sounded distressed. He repeated his fiancée, "Don't be mad."

"Dante, I'm about to jump off a building. What?"

"So, you remember when I said it's gonna be six of us on this trip? All the groomsmen and bridesmaids?"

You didn't like where this was going. Your silence prompted him to continue.

"One of my two groomsmen is,... ah, it's Jacob."

You froze. Your hearing buzzed and dulled, and you had to lean with your shoulder against the wall to keep your vision from tunneling. Your legs had turned to jelly. You stared at one spot on the floor until you thought you'd burn a hole through it.

"Hello? You good?"

You finally plopped down onto the giant grey sofa cushion, hurriedly exhaling and closing your eyes, "Why... was that not something you mentioned before?"

"Cause, I knew it would've made you not wanna come."

"No shit," you hissed. "Is that why you paid for my tickets?"

"Part of it," he admitted, and you balled your hands into fists until your knuckles turned white. "Look, chill, it's gonna be so busy y'all gonna barely see each other."

"Hardly see-- we're gonna be couped up in a van together for 12 hours!"

"You two are not gonna be the only people in there," his voice remained calm as yours got higher and higher. "Like I said, it's gonna be busy. Stay at opposite ends of the bus, talk to other people. Come on Y/N, it's been like eight years."