matchmaking for experts || h.s au

nineteen

Maia hasn't been to weddings in five years so she's not exactly aware of what's in and what's out when it comes to a wedding. But what she does know is this: everything about Luca and Sofia's wedding is beautiful. Their vows, their first dance as husband and wife, Sofia's dress, the location.

It's an intimate wedding, filled with family and close friends, which made Maia feel out of place. The last time she talked to Luca and Sofia was when they both told her that they'd decided to give each other a chance. So the way she sees it, it doesn't warrant her an invitation to this wedding.

But then Luca and Sofia came over to her and Harry, and told them that they're glad and happy that they're here. That if it weren't for them, they wouldn't have been here. So whilst what she and Harry did seemed like a small matter to her, it was huge to the newlyweds. And that made Maia feel better about being here — at the wedding.

Now, instead of worrying about her presence at this rather intimate wedding and feeling like she has to leave soon, she finds that she's enjoying herself. She's here with Harry, after all, and she can't imagine being here with anyone else or worse, alone. She can't believe that she had ever thought of coming here alone. That would be a terrible idea.

"Maia?" A voice snaps Maia out of her thoughts. She follows the sound of the voice and her eyes widen when they land on her ex-boyfriend. The same ex-boyfriend she hasn't seen since they decided to end things for real instead of going in circles again and again.

"Ryan?"

Running into her ex-boyfriend at Luca and Sofia's wedding is the last thing she expects to happen. And yet, here she is.

"Oh wow, I thought it was you but I wasn't sure—wow, it really is you," he says and then he makes a move as though to pull her into his arms for a hug but stops himself before he reaches her. "Do you know both of them? Luca and Sofia?"

"I-Yeah," Maia nods, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You?"

"I'm dating Luca's sister," Ryan tells her.

Back then, the mere idea of Ryan dating someone else — someone who isn't her — made her feel stabs of pain in her chest. Now, she doesn't feel that. She's... happy for him. Glad that he's found someone. Ryan has always had so much love inside of him. So Maia's happy that he's found someone he could share it with.

He looks around the venue, searching for said girlfriend, she presumes, before his eyes return to her, "Dunno where she's at now. Anyway, are you here alone or...?"

"No, no," Maia shakes her head. She looks around the venue as well, doing the same thing Ryan did earlier. Harry told her that he needed to go to the loo but he still hasn't returned. Maybe the line's long. "I'm with my, uh, boyfriend, Harry."

"Oh, that tall guy with the dimples?" Ryan asks.

"You've seen him?"

"Yeah," Ryan nods. "And I might've overheard some of Luca's aunts dying to dance with him."

"Well, let them know that he's mine," Maia replies, grinning. "But a dance won't hurt, I guess."

A smile touches Ryan's lips as he shakes his head, chuckling to himself. "So... A boyfriend, huh?"

Maia rolls her eyes at him. He still likes to tease her, it seems. It's one of the things that Maia used to like about him. He's so playful, charming and everything she's not. At some points they fit so well until one day they no longer fit in each other's life. It's one of the reasons why they didn't work out.

"Do you wanna get a drink?" Ryan asks suddenly and when he sees her hesitate, he adds, "It won't be long. I just... Want to talk to you."

Maia looks at him, the sincerity in his eyes and smile. "Okay," she agrees with a nod and he grins at her before leading her to the open bar where he orders drinks for the both of them.