AU: Final part of the story. Super cheesy, but super cute! -heart-

Wedding Cake.
part 3.

final.

Before they knew it, a week had passed, and the fated day of the wedding had finally arrived.

Leighton Havenstone had passed a less than agreeable week, trying her best to hide the awkward tensions and feelings that passed like a relay baton between her and the best man, so as not to worry the bride and groom.

Stewart Foxley attempted to do the same, but with much less success.

The dance classes continued with glacier cold conversations, and more awkward dancing, but by the end of the week, the only thing that prevented them from dancing beautifully was the horrid fact that they stared at their feet more than into each other's eyes.

"Eye contact is key!" Giorgio would scream.

The two would look at each other, extremely reluctantly, and both hearts would start beating faster. She'd remark the way his adam's apple moved as he gulped, and he would remark the deer-caught-in-headlights look on her face.

Suddenly, everything became magnified for a moment. The feel of his hand on her waist, the warmth of the other's hands.

And Giorgio would be happy, until one of them couldn't take it anymore, and eye contact was broken.

Needless to say, the rift between the two had to be solved before anything else could fall into place.

But both parties were too stubborn and shy to admit to anything.

Frustrating, eh?

The morning of the wedding, it was a flurry of double checks, reassuring words and bone crushing hugs. Leighton got some time off before the actual wedding to run around, but found herself with more than enough time to prepare herself, as Hannah's mother had taken to fussing over her daughter.

The other bridesmaids, also friends of Leighton, suddenly barged into her room.

"Leighton! How are you? You will most definitely look the most stunning in these bridesmaid dresses, you look stunning in everything! Wait, why aren't you dressed yet? Get ready, now! We'll help!"

A plethora of screams and evil contraptions later, Leighton was finally done being primped and pampered.

Geez. It's not like it was her wedding anyway.

Such sadistic friends.

Leighton soon felt as if all their work had gone to waste.

Soon was perhaps not the perfect word for it, but she was feeling more alone than ever.

The wedding ceremony, of course, went without any mistakes, and it was absolutely beautiful. Although it was slightly awkward walking with Stewart, she was able to ignore it, and convince herself that it would just be for a bit more.

But when the wedding reception came around, she remembered in a horrifically sudden manner what she'd have to do.

Dance, of course! The fruit of her hard work! Which would, unfortunately, go down the drain since the stiffness between Leighton and Stewart still had not disappeared.

"Leighton!" Stewart suddenly came, as she waited anxiously outside for the couple. They'd wanted a grand entrance, so most of the guests had already been ushered into the hall. Now, it was only Stewart and Leighton, waiting outside.

"Stewart." she managed to croak out.

"Look... about... before." Oh, he was addressing it first? How unusual. "I think we should just completely forget about it. It was a mistake."

A mistake. It was always a mistake, of course. Leighton sighed to herself, ignoring yet again another feeling that threatened to rise from the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah. Okay." She managed to plaster on the best smile she could fake, and crack a few jokes.

But Stewart wasn't stupid.

This is what she's thinking too, that it's a mistake, he thought to himself. I'm just stating the obvious, even if I don't feel the same way about it...

When the newlywed couple had finally arrived, they made their entrance, and prepared for the first dance, asking Leighton and Stewart to join them. The other bridesmaids hooted and squealed when they saw the pairings, as if they were some kind of dream team.

Obviously, the real couple was able to pull it off, but Leighton and Stewart, even with the 'rift' cleared, still seemed to be a little bit stiff. And when it was finally over, they split apart immediately, both going to the tables in silence.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Both of them knew at least that.

The reception was winding down, and couples began to dominate the dance floor. Not many people were left sitting, alone, and Leighton began to feel more and more lonely.

Why was she the one who was alone?

Why couldn't she be the one depending on someone else?

What had she done to deserve this?

But Leighton knew that these thoughts were completely irrational. They had all been choices she had made for herself, and no one was to blame for her own decisions.

Leighton sighed, and got up from her seat, patting her dress and walking towards the balcony.

The fresh air offered little consolation, and the vacant balcony was slightly chilly. But it was better than being in a room full of the last thing she wanted to see, for the simple reason that she envied it with great passion.

The gardens were lit up magnificently, and a water fountain in the distance glimmered and reflected the light. The sky was cloudless, and some stars were visible.

A crescent moon smiled at her, but she wasn't sure if it was a mocking or pitying smile.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice that someone had also entered the balcony, shutting the doors and situating themselves beside Leighton, leaning against the edge of the railing.

"Beautiful night, eh?" Stewart said, breaking the silence.

Leighton was slightly surprised, but composed herself quickly.

"Really, Stewart, I would've thought that someone of your stature would use a better line than that." she added dryly.

He chuckled. "I guess so."

More silence.

"Why isn't this working between us? I mean, we solved it. You clearly stated that it was a mistake."

"Truthfully, I don't regret it one bit." he answered.

Leighton took a peek at him, to try to find any traces of lying in his eyes or face. But nothing. He was telling the truth, she knew it.

He was never one to lie anyway.

When she settled her gaze on something far away yet again, Stewart looked at her as well.

God, she was beautiful. The raven hair had been elegantly placed into an intricate ponytail, and the make up was sparse but accentuated her lovely features. The bridesmaid dress, usually a tool to make the bride look lovelier than her friends, was the opposite for Stewart. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the room.

Something about her just made him want to hold on to her, forever and ever.

"Then why did you say it?" Stewart was surprised to hear her voice croak it out, uneven and broken. It was such a sad tone, and when he looked again, he saw tears sliding down her face. "I didn't think it was a mistake either, but when you said it was, well. One can only believe that you meant it."

"I didn't. I thought it was what you thought."

Misunderstandings galore.

Leighton, overcome with emotion of not only their conversation, but of the thoughts of being alone, began to sob even harder.

She knew how this was going to end. They were going to fight, and after this night, they would never see each other again. He would find the perfect girl for him in the near future, get married and have a happy life, while she would be stuck with a great job but a less than great life, dying alone and not discovered in her apartment until the landlord comes to get his money.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her and she felt warmth, and she found herself wrapping her arms around the form as well.

"I don't want to be alone." she repeated, over and over again. Even Stewart felt his heart break a little.

"You're not alone, Leighton." he whispered, tearing up a little himself.

Hey, blame it on the secret liking of chick flicks.

When she calmed down, Stewart watched her carefully, admiring her beauty even while she was sad. A wave of emotions came crashing down on him, as he remembered memories of her as he grew up. And how she had matured into this woman now, and how he never wanted to let go of her and never wanted her to be lonely or sad ever again.

Although it was a short period of time spent together, he loved her, he really did.

"I don't ever want you to be alone, ever again. And, I know this probably sounds really weird, but..."

Why couldn't he be eloquent at times like these? He'd always wondered that.

He became even more nervous when he found Leighton's eyes on him.

"I... I l-love you."

Stewart gulped, and yet again, Leighton noticed his adam's apple move up and down.

She raised a hand and touched his neck softly, leaning against him. His grasp on her waist became tighter, and Leighton smiled as he squirmed.

Suddenly, his other hand laced its fingers with her hand, and she found herself gripping his white shirt, and his lips were pressed against hers.

Of course, like the other time, Leighton responded immediately, and the kiss itself was innocent in some ways, tender and caring, evoking and conveying emotion like never before.

When he let go of her, she looked at him, slightly terrified.

"I'm never going to leave you." he said, curing her fears. "Oh, and, is that an, 'I-love-you-too'?"

"Definitely." Leighton responded with a smile on her face. Another silence, but this time it was a tender one.

"So, are you going to kiss me again, or do I have to do it myself?"

Stewart chuckled. Some things never change.

R&R.

-chewyy.