thinkin out loud {pafp ~ semi adv }

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    Miles laughed when she said he was more handsome. “Well I definitely could never have pictured you’d look so damn good in a wedding dress either,” he’d said quietly and kissed her hand before they dove into dinner. He was happy she was feeling better, because the rest of the night was hopefully to be extremely fun. And then they were off on their honeymoon essentially to enjoy themselves for a while.

    He ended up drinking a whole glass of his wine before going to talk to everyone, he was going to need it to deal with copious amounts of people. As he took her hand and walked with her to the center of the room, he saw her notice her mom. Miles hadn’t seen her before and he was surprised she’d come. Alex turned towards her, pale, and worried about having seen her mother after all these years. Miles put his hands on her shoulders lightly. “At least I didn’t invite your dad?” he asked trying to make light of the situation, and then let out a sigh. “Alex - I think it’s time to let the past go. All she did was try and protect you from getting hurt. She might not have done it in the best way, but...she’s your mom, and it’s your wedding day,” he squeezed her shoulders. “Come on. I’ll be right with you. You can do this,” he assured her and then dropped his hands to take hold of one of hers again.


    During dinner Ian had mostly been talking to Miles’s other friends/groomsmen and he also had a pad of paper with him, which he started writing on just about after dinner before he got up and sat in the now empty seat by Emma. “I was told just now that there’s usually a Best Man speech,” he informed Emma. “Then again if I knew about it ahead of time I probably still wouldn’t have thought of anything until now,” he laughed as he reached up to untie his tie. He’d already ditched the jacket since it was warm out, so now he unbuttoned the shirt a little and rolled up the shirtsleeves. “So. How do you feel about all of this wedding thing?” part of this was a test, to see if she felt more inclined towards a relationship. Ian didn’t want to keep flirting with her if she still wasn’t ready for commitment.

    Alex tilted her head a bit and gave Miles a bit of a glare at his so called joke. Sure, she thought it was a little funny but it didn't change the fact that she was a little upset he had invited her. He should have said something or asked her about it first. But, if he had she definitely would not be here now and Alex for a moment wondered if maybe she could forgive her mother and get over their shaky past. She looked at Miles warily as he too said that it was time to let go. She bit her lip in thought and let out yet another sigh when she felt his hands grasp her shoulders. "You're right.." She finally mumbled to herself and gave his hand a squeeze right before she took her first few steps in her mothers direction.

    Once they stopped in front of her it was a bit awkward and Alex didn't really know what to say. It would appear Teressa didn't really know either because they sort of just stared at one another for a few moments.

    "You look beautiful." Her mother finally said, breaking the silence.

    "Thank you." Alex replied a bit politely. She wasn't sure why, but in that moment she decided that she might want to do this part alone. To have a real conversation with her mother and try to let her in again after so long. So she turned to Miles. "Hey, can you uh, maybe get me another glass of wine?" She asked quietly. She knew he would understand what she meant and she gave him a brief smile.


    Emma had gotten through dinner without anything crazy happening. She talked and laughed with the other bridesmaids and even watched in amusement as a couple of the girls went to flirt with the groomsmen. It was rather entertaining to see so once dinner was over and everyone was out of their seats socializing with one another, Emma started to sip on a glass of wine. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't have much time to realize that Ian was approaching her until he sat himself down in the chair next to her. She raised a brow at him in amusement and was about to ask how he didn't know about the infamous best man speech when she remembered that he had never been to a wedding before. "Ah," she started. "This is where your luck runs out. If you had been to a wedding before you would have been more prepared." She said with a bit of a laugh. "I find that the most interesting best man speeches are ones that can get a laugh or two out of the guests. So, maybe try throwing in a joke or two." She suggested and leaned back in her chair.

    She let out a sigh then when he asked about the wedding. "Honestly, I usually get really overwhelmed at weddings. Which leads to me drinking, getting drunk and failing to remember most of it. But for some reason, I actually feel really calm for once. I like seeing how happy Miles and Alex are together." She admitted and peeked over at Ian as she lifted her glass toward him, offering a sip of her wine if he wanted some.

    Miles saw his joke did not hit the mark and she seemed a little upset about him inviting her mom but hopefully she would understand he was just trying to help her. He didn’t really get to spend much time with his mom, since she’d been absent most of his life and then he lost her. She had her mom still and things could be repaired and Miles always wanted that for her. “Alright,” he smiled and walked with her over to where her mom was. After the two greeted each other, he jumped in. “She’s stunning,” he agreed, “I’m glad you could make it, Mrs. Davis,” he still felt weird after all these years addressing her by her first name. He tried to fill the awkward silence until Alex asked him to get her wine, and he realized what she meant. “Sure,” he said and kissed her cheek, nodded at Teressa, and then walked off to talk to some other guests because he was sure she didn’t really need more wine just yet.


    Ian sighed and nodded, “I didn’t do much research. I just thought we’d all show up and it would be fun. I did good with the bachelor party though,” he smiled at the night a few days ago when they took Miles out. Not a strip club but an underground kind of club with live music where they drank and rocked out.

    “Of course I’m adding jokes. Making people laugh is something I’m good at,” Ian folded his speech and tucked it into the pocket of his shirt.

    “Mm you say all that as you share your wine with me,” Ian laughed and reached out to take it and sip it before giving it back. “I think you’re going to want to remember this wedding,” he winked and then leaned back in his chair. “I hope they finish their rounds soon so this dancing can get started,”

    Alex smiled her thank you to Miles and nearly melted when he kissed her cheek. Maybe it was because today was their wedding day, but everything he did seemed a hundred times more romantic. She watched him walk off and then she looked back at her mother.

    "He's really good to you." she had said simply, hoping they could start somewhere easy with their conversation.

    Alex nodded her head and looked at the ground briefly. "Yeah, he always has been."

    Teressa nodded her head and let out a sigh. "Look I'm going to get right to it. I know I was hard on you all those years. And I'm really sorry about all of that, I shouldn't have been as strict as I was." She started. "I shouldn't have lied to you about your father either. I don't have a good excuse for doing what I did and being the way I was. I think I was just scared mostly. Your father left me so quickly and all I had was you. I guess I was scared that you would leave me too so I did everything to keep you as close to me as I could. I didn't realize until it was too late that I was slowly pushing you away."

    Alex listened to everything her mother had said and when she said it, it all started to make a little bit of sense.

    "I just want my daughter back. I saw the way you were with Miles's grandmother earlier. And I want to have that with you. You're my family and I love you Alex."

    It was silent for a bit after Teressa finished talking and Alex decided to go for it and gave her mother a long hug. Things wouldn't immediately be perfect between them but this was definitely a good start and Alex was looking forward to it. She then took her mother's hand and let her to a table where they could talk privately for a short while and get a bit caught up with one another.


    "I hope you didn't take him anywhere too crazy.." she started in a teasing tone. "I'm sure Alex would be very disappointed with you if she found out." Ema said while she watched him fold his speech and put it in his pocket. Over his shoulder she caught a glimpse of Alex sitting at a table talking to her mother and she quickly wondered how on earth that had happened and why she was even there to begin with. She would have gotten up and gone to make sure everything was okay, but from where Emma was sitting it appeared as though the two were okay and having a casual discussion. Good.

    She then turned her attention back to Ian as he handed her back the glass of wine. "Exactly, I'm sharing it instead of having it all to myself." She said with a grin and then she found herself blushing for the second time that evening at his words accompanied by a very obvious wink. He was definitely flirting and she finally came to terms with it. Now she had to make a choice...flirt back or brush it off? Before she had the chance to think it through properly she grinned back at him. "And when the dancing does start, are you going to ask that girl you were talking about to dance?"

    Even though Miles went around saying hello, he would keep glancing Alex’s way making sure everything was going alright. At one point he saw her give her mom a hug and he felt relieved. That was a good sign. The two of them walked off to go sit and talk, and he hung around Rose and eventually his own father. Things were rocky between them but they still stayed in contact. He only ever saw him at holidays though. They made small talk about things, and at one point he’d gotten emotional and said his mother would have loved this, which in turn caused Miles to tear up. After a little bit more chats he left his dad with Rose and then went and grabbed three glasses of wine and approached the table with Alex and Teressa. “Mind if I join you two?” he asked.



    Ian shook his head, “Just to a live band,” he said. “But I turn that on you and hope your party with Alex wasn’t too wild either,” he stated and folded his hands into his lap as he leaned back in the chair and kept his attention on her.

    He caught her cheeks coloring again at his words, and he fully started to accept the fact that maybe she was interested again. “Of course I’m still asking. I’m not going back on my word,” he replied, “The first dance is a slow song though isn’t it? With the bride and groom’s first dance. It’s going to be romantic. Hope she’ll be alright with that,”

    Alex glanced up just in time to see Miles approaching them and she gave him a smile. She and her mother had simply been making small talk now so the both had given him a welcoming smile when he asked to have a seat and join them.

    "Yeah, please, have a seat." Teressa said happily. It was more than obvious that she was happy that Alex was talking to her once more. "Alex was just telling me about the day you had proposed to her, that was a very sweet idea." She said.

    Alex leaned into Miles when he took a seat and looked up at him. "He might not look like the type, but hes very much a romantic." she said with a grin.


    "Alex didn't want to do anything too crazy. She's never been the type for that stuff so we went to a bar that had a karaoke night. We got a few drinks in her and it was a blast." she explained to him with a bit of a laugh as she remembered that night from a few days ago.

    She then raised a brow in his direction as he talked more about the first dance and how it would definitely be a bit romantic, but maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. She even kind of was looking forward to it now and she gave her shoulders a brief shrug. "I guess you won't know for certain until you ask her." she said and then shot him a bit of a playful grin. She liked this...being a bit playful and flirty with him again.

    Miles nodded and smiled when they said it was okay to join. He set down the drinks for them and settled into the chair next to Alex. “Ah. Yeah,” Miles blushed as he was complimented by the both of them. “I didn’t really think about how I wanted to do it, and then one day the idea popped into my head,” he reached over to take a sip of his drink. It seemed like things were good between them so he cleared his throat. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, how have you been?” he asked Alex’s mom.



    “Ah that does sound like a pretty good time,” Ian nodded as she explained. He couldn’t help but give her a playful look back. “I’m hoping, I mean, I’m quite the catch,” he said, confident, and then he stood up. “Looks like it might be a few more minutes before any dancing, and I know where the desserts are stashed inside, want to secretly steal some?” he wiggles his eyebrows, but whether or not she wanted to, he walked off anyways because he was definitely going to steal a brownie.

    Alex waited a few moments and then grabbed for her glass of wine to take a couple small sips. She set it down on the table again and looked over at smiles as she spoke. Was it weird that she simply just liked watching him and memorizing every move of every muscle in his jaw as he spoke. It was a bit mesmerizing to her and she reached over to grab one of his hands in hers, stroking her thumb along it gently.

    “I’ve been good.” Teressa said with a bit of a smile. “I get to retire early next year from work, so I’m pretty excited about that.” She explained. “And...I moved out of our old house.” She said with her gaze focused a bit more on Alex now. “I thought it was time to down-size a bit to just a two bedroom. It’s just me so I don’t need all of that extra space.”

    Alex nodded her head at hearing the news and she was sort of happy that her mother was finally getting out of that place. It was filled with a lot of memories and not too many of them were very good. It would be a new start. “Well,” she tried to say a bit more cheerfully. “Since you’re retiring, you should come visit Miles and I sometimes.”


    Emma thought about coming up with some sort of smart response on how we was quite a catch but she didn’t really have much time since he was already standing then and announcing that he knew where the desserts were being kept inside. She glanced around as if maybe they would get caught and scolded by Rose or maybe even Alex, but everyone was so lost in conversation that they weren’t paying much attention to anything going on around them. She took one last sip of her wine and then grinned, gathering her dress in her hands so she could catch up to him and follow his lead. “You’re making me feel like a little kid trying not to get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.” She said with a giggle.


    Miles felt her hand reach for his and he looked over, catching her staring at him. His eyes met hers for a moment, and he secretly hoped his love for her never faded at all. Because he really , really loved the way he felt around her, and whenever she looked at him like this. He cleared his throat as he looked back at Teressa. “Oh congrats on retirement,” he said cheerfully, “As well as a new home,” he added. (Have they moved in together at this point ?? Lmfao).

    “Definitely come see us. Alex makes some really amazing meals,” He decided not to add because of Rose, since that might upset the woman.


    Ian was glad she did decide to follow after him, and he chuckled softly making sure no one was watching as they snuck in and slipped inside, heading for the kitchen. Basically the food was hanging out on counters but were all wrapped up in tinfoil. “We are essentially just that, wonderful observation,” he said and found the brownies finally, opening them carefully and taking out two. One for him and one for Emma before carefully placing the tinfoil back and chowing down.

    (Honestly wasn’t sure, we can say yes they did or maybe they are in the process?)


    Teressa smiled, happy that she seemed to be back in good graces with her daughter and at the fact that maybe they could all be a family some day. She hoped so, especially if she would have grandkids eventually...

    “Thank you, I definitely will. Home cooked meals are always the best.”

    Alex said a few more kind words to her mother and gave her a tight squeeze before standing. “Miles and I should go greet the other guests, but we can talk more later.” She said softly. She still had Miles’s hand in her own and she grabbed for her wine with the other and dragged him off to finally make their rounds together as a couple.


    Emma gladly took the brownie from him with a grin and hoisted herself up onto one of the counters that were free of food with her legs hanging off the edge, swinging them back and forth just like a child might do. She took a bite of the brownie and chewed it slowly. “Wow, this is delicious. You definitely had a good idea, though if we get found out I’m definitely blaming it all on you.” She teased playfully.

    [ok!!]


    Miles was really glad to hear this idea worked and they were okay with each other now. Alex eventually excused them and he gave Teressa a hand shake, only because he didn’t know if she even liked him these days. Then they were off to go mingle with the others again. He wasn’t sure he ever introduced Alex to his dad, so he did that for a while, and then they continued to go around and say hello to their friends.


    Ian leaned against the counter beside her while he practically inhaled the brownie. “If we get caught I’m saying it was all your idea,” he teased right back. He glanced around the house, it was pretty much empty so he didn’t think they were gonna get caught. After Emma had finished her brownie, he noticed she had some crumbs on her face (I’m being cliche) so he shifted to stand in front of her, maybe set one hand on the counter and the other he brushed off the chocolate from her face softly. “You don’t want to be out there with the evidence,” he laughed

    Alex walked around with Miles to mingle with everyone who had shown up and she even got to meet his father for the first time. She was happy she got the opportunity and was happy that like her mom, the two had finally started to have something of a relationship. Not having a family for so many years made her realize how important it really is. She wouldn’t take any of them for granted, no matter how messed up their pasts had been.

    Once they finished with their rounds Alex had turned to Miles and let her hands roam over his arms and chest as she looked up at him. “The first dance is going to start soon. I’m gonna head inside for a moment and use the restroom.” She told him before giving him a gentle kiss.


    (This is going to be great lol)


    Emma was happy than Ian seemed to be able to joke around with her just as easily as she did with him. It made her feel a lot more comfortable. She wasn’t sure what it was about him, but he seemed to make the idea of relationships a little less scary. She could definitely see herself dating someone like him...if not him.

    She almost froze when he stood close and brushed away a crumb of a brownie from her lips and she found herself staring directly at him with a bit of a smile. She didn’t know why she was feeling the way she was but she wanted to act on it. She wanted to feel something for once in her life instead of trying to push people away, afraid that things wouldn’t work out.

    “You’re right. It would be awful going out there with the evidence. Are you sure you got it all? Maybe you want to take a closer look?” She hinted a bit while leaning a little closer to him.

    It was fun getting to talk to people and joke and laugh and share stories. He felt very welcomed and loved and happy, and it was so different from his teen years when he was so alone. Miles knew things would and could only get better from here on out. Eventually they had stepped away from everyone and she excused herself to go to the bathroom. “Okay,” he said and watched her walk off before he turned around to go talk to the DJ and see what the playlist was like.


    Ian knew exactly what he was doing, he was no longer playing stupid anymore. He actually missed flirting with her like this, and he just had felt very bold today with the wedding atmosphere. He’d let his hand linger on her cheek for a moment as he “brushed” away crumbs, and then he let his hands rest on either side of her on the counter. “I might have missed a spot,” he agreed, and played along, eyebrow raised as she leaned closer. Ian figured might as well go for it right? So he took one step closer to where his legs brushed against hers, and then he lightly pressed his lips to hers, giving her the chance to react - or push him away.

    Emma felt her breath catch in her throat when he placed a hand on either side of her on the counter, effectively trapping her in. She wasn’t about to complain though, especially not as he too had started to lean in with agreement that he just so happened to have missed a spot.

    When Emma finally at long last felt his lips brush against hers she leaned in a bit more so that their lips were together a bit more firmly and she returned his kiss. She even went as far as placing her hands on his shoulders since she was unsure of where else to put them and was surprised by how good he felt under her fingertips. Her skin tingle just a little and she found herself enjoying every moment of their kiss. That was until the door leading into the house and conveniently directly adjacent to the kitchen and Alex walked in, catching them in the middle of their heated moment.

    Emma had quickly pulled away from Ian and attempted to look as if everything was perfectly normal and not out of the ordinary even though she knew they had been caught. “Oh. Uh, hi Alex.”


    Alex had walked up to the house and let herself in through the back, though she hadn’t been expecting to see what she did when she opened the door. She practically froze in the doorway when she saw Ian and Emma lip locked as she sat on the counter. A very intimate moment which she realized she had interrupted. Her face was filled with pure shock which she quickly changed and formed a bit of a grin on her face. She knew they had never managed to officially start a relationship those few months ago but that they both always seemed to clearly have feelings for one another. “Hi.” She said back to Emma with a raised brow. “Please, don’t mind me. I’m just using the little girls room. Just pretend I was never here...” she trailed off as she turned and walked away down the hall.

    The relief Ian felt when she didn’t pull away was, a lot. His shoulders had relaxed instead of being tense. Once he’d felt his hands resting on him he lightly brought his to her hips as he deepened their kiss, which was slow and honestly really nice. He had been about to move a hand to the back of her head when there was the sound of the door opening, and Emma pulling away. He glanced to see who it was just as Emma greeted Alex. His face colored a bit, and he gave her a sheepish smile as well as a small awkward wave while she insisted they pretend she wasnt there, and then she went into the bathroom.

    Ian glanced back towards Emma as he ended up laughing nervously. “Well,” he shrugged, keeping his hands to himself. “We should probably get back out there then. Before more people catch us - uh - stealing desserts,” he said, though he didn’t yet move to go.

    “Right. We wouldn’t want anyone else to see us stealing them.” She agreed with a smile, though she reached out for his face once more and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, just to make sure their intimate moment survived the awkwardness of Alex spotting them. She then pushed him back a bit so she could jump down off of the counter. “Alright, come on. Let’s get back out there before anyone notices we’re gone.”


    Alex did what she had to do and even checked her appearance in the mirror before heading back outside. She didn’t want to rush back out just in case Ian and Emma were lingering. They were gone by the time she walked out of the bathroom and she too then went outside looking for Miles, knowing that their first dance would be starting any minute. Plus, she had to tell him about what she had seen.

    She snuck up behind him when she found him and gave him a gentle hug. When he turned around to face her she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. “You’ll never guess what I just saw.”

    Ian had just for a second closed his eyes when she kissed him again, before pushing him back so she could hop off the counter. Okay so this went much much better than he had hoped it would, and he held out his hand for her to take, if she wanted to hold his hand on the way out. He’d understand if not, but there was no need for the two of them to hide their affection. In fact Ian would love to brag about her if she ever wanted to be his - because she had always been truly amazing.


    Miles was scrolling through the song choices when he felt someone hug him from behind, and he handed the iPod back to the DJ before turning around. She seemed giddy or excited about something she’d seen and he raised an eyebrow curiously. “And what was that?” he asked

    Emma didn’t hesitate for a moment and placed her hand into Ian’s as they walked out of the house and back to the rest of the wedding. Mostly everyone that knew the both of the at the wedding knew that they had some sort of history anyway. So she didn’t particularly mind if it brought any attention to them. (They are really cute)


    Alex grinned some more and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Emma and Ian walking through the crowd...hand in hand. She glanced in that direction, knowing it would cause Miles to look toward them as well. “I may have found a certain set of friends making out in the kitchen.” She hinted with a grin.

    Miles did look over at Ian and Emma holding hands, and coupling with Alex’s words, his eyes widened. “No? Really? It’s about time!” he said with a grin, watching the two of them looking pretty happy. That was when the DJ, actually startling Miles since the speaker was right behind him - announced it was time for the dancing and the bride and groom’s first dance. Miles then glanced down at Alex with a grin and pulled her out just as the music started so he could slow dance with his wife.


    Ian tried to completely play it cool but in reality his whole being was singing with the fact that Emma had let him kiss her. Hopefully the rest of the night they could talk about what that would mean and if they could try again, dating, a possible relationship, etc. Afterall he was losing his roommate...

    Alex too had kept her eyes on her friends u til the DJ announced it was time for their first dance and Alex let all of those thoughts slide for a moment as she and Miles walked into the dance floor and stood in each other’s arms. She danced with him and swayed in his arms; resting her head on his chest occasionally as the music played.


    Emma had briefly met eyes with Alex and she let out a huge blush, knowing her friend probably told Miles about what she had seen. But she didn’t really care. She was being pretty public as it was by holdin Ian’s hand and now she was pretty sure she planned on slow dancing with him anyway so...where was the harm?

    She stood off to the side with Ian and kept hold of his hand during the song. Once it was over the DJ had played another one and now the other guests were welcome to join in on the dance floor. Without asking, Emma was bold and stepped forward, tugging on Ian’s hand as she went so he would know she wanted to dance with him.