Keeping Jemima

Wedding

Jemima

I felt so awkward and out of place at this over the top extravagant wedding. I was shuffling around in a ridiculous lavender beaded full length dress and heels, the boys in smart suits with a variety of funky shirts, Matty wearing a lavender paisley shirt and dark purple suit so we could match. If I had to pose for one more blasted photo I might loose it.
"Hey you doing ok? There's a lot of touching, you would have thought he would have said something before we arrived" max whispered in my ear
"Baby, you want to dance? It's our song!" William smiled his way over
"Sure" I nodded nervously taking his hand letting him lead me to the dance floor where he swayed me around. "How you doing?"
"Surviving"
"That bad huh?" William kissed my forehead "how about...."
"William sweetie you're needed for another photograph with your sister"
"Ok mother just one second, I'll just walk Jemima back to Matty before...mother!" William protested as he was pulled away by his aunt "Jemima I'll be back"
"He'll just be a minute darling" Williams mum tapped my arm and shuffled off complaining.

I stood there in the middle of the dance floor people dancing around me to the string quartet. I felt my breath quickening and the room getting smaller. I was about to drop to the floor when arms pulled me gently in close hiding my face into a neck. "Just breathe Emmy, i got you" max whispered in my ear swaying me softly to the classical music "we're just dancing, no ones noticed, don't look up until you can ok" he kissed my hair "I got you, your safe now". We swayed for a while, my hand on his chest rubbing my fingers over his heartbeat and his Arthur tattoo trying to calm myself. "I was hoping to get a slow dance with you today." Max whispered in my ear cheekily.
"I'm back, shit, are you ok? Max? She ok?" William flustered
"Shush! Don't draw attention to her even more than you already have!" Max complained
"Sorry" William ushered "come here baby I got you, thanks max."
"Never leave her stranded on a dance floor alone again or I'll kick you in the balls, you posh bastard!" Max barked at him quietly, stomping away.

"I'm so sorry, mother said to apologise" William held me tightly "come on let's go sit in the corner with your brother"
"William can you...."
"No" he cut off another family member "I'll be over in a minute Margot, I need to....my girlfriend....I'll be there in a moment." He sighed guiding me to some tables and chairs in the back of the room, waving at Matty to come over "I'm sorry Matty, I have to go do a thing, I'll be back in a minute baby, I'm sorry. I'll take you on a little walk around the grounds when I get back alright, take a break?" he scuttled off again
"Jem, you want to go home?"
"He really does look the man from Thomas the tank engine" I half smiled watching William pose with his cousins "I'm embarrassing him aren't I?"
"No" Matty took hold of my hand "but max is right he shouldn't have just left you there like that"

"Where is max?"
"He went for a walk, I think he's having a smoke with Williams dads work colleague, don't tell Ed." Matty whispered winking at me "he's a little pissed but he'll calm down, he spotted the panic attack from across the room."
"We're looking after each other" I nodded
"I'd noticed you're helping with his ADHD, I take it he finally told you, you know he doesn't talk about it with anyone. He shut down about it down years ago, even with us, so I'm impressed you've managed to get him to open up, even if it's just a little. His mum has a hang up over it, we never figured out why. When midnight blue got signed we were underage so the parents had to agree, she made them put it in the contract that they wouldn't make it public knowledge. Told him he could only sign and give the band a real go if he kept taking his meds and didn't tell the world he had ADHD. Told him he could only do it if he controlled himself. He was still a kid when we started out, it was a lot of pressure on him on top of the mayhem, it took its toll him those first few years."
"That's ridiculous"

"I know right. His is a really severe case, he struggled at school, went to so many docs when he was a kid, his mum always wanted try new cures and treatments, even told him he was embarrassing her once when he couldn't stand still at some red carpet event we took the mums to, I think it was a Mother's Day thing. He had verbal diarrhoea, was chatting to everyone and anyone, flitting around, doing his little wiggle shuffle thing he does, he was excited, it's always worse when he's excited. I think she thinks people will blame her parenting or something. There were a lot of drug rumours about him, all false, except the weed. Drumming is one of the only things that helps him focus, that's why he starting drumming in the first place. His first little girlfriend he had couldn't keep up with him, she used to get so annoyed when his mind wondered or he didn't listen and retain information, he forgets stuff all the time, finds it really tuff to be on time and be organised. She used to have a right go at him when he couldn't sit still, she'd want him to sit and cuddle for hours and he just physically couldn't, especially if he'd been keeping it in all day, when he came home he just had to release it you know. She used to get embarrassed at his fidgeting and twitching on his bad days, always complaining that he was too loud."
"why didn't she just get up with him? Move around? You can cuddle on the move and you don't need to be quiet to cuddle! He likes piggy back cuddles and cuddling while singing Bon Jovi loudly."
"Women eh sis complicated species, haven't figured them out myself yet." Matty joked