Chapter 21 - To Keep Meeting Like This

(𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕)･ﾟ

I COULD not wait.

It was five days after my initial breakdown and trying-to-forget-phase over Finn. Since then, I'd been mostly (okay, fine, slightly) successful.

That is to say, I'd come to terms with it. Like, okay, I had a crush. I could deal with that; the rest of humankind can do it, so of course I could, too. After that laydown, I'd quickly searched online for the full science between attraction and tips on how to forget a crush.

And that turned out to be only half beneficial, because almost immediately I'd gone down the 'People also ask' rabbit hole.

Big mistake.

But hey! Now I was loaded up with up-to-date information on 'best aphrodisiac scents to win him back' and 'how to kiss him to make him go crazy' and 'why is he so cute asdasdjadfjk'.

Surely, that info had to be useful. Ahem.

I spent the week trying my best not to sit around sulking, but I couldn't help how upset I'd gotten on the first day back, and Aunt Cheryl had noticed.

She didn't pry too much, but she seemed to understand who I was sulking like a depressed sock over about. And so, her way of diverting me from my thoughts was to rope me into joining her to binge watch this show where the contestants attempted to build furniture out of anything but wood. Her excitement was actually contagious, almost concerningly so. When I'd jokingly asked if this was her new obsession, she'd given me this look and smirked, "Oh, it's beyond an obsession, sweetie. It's a frickin' lifestyle."

I'd thought that over, then almost choked on my spit when my mind conjured up a ridiculous image of Cherry hoarding cereal boxes and raiding the dollar store for duct tape in the middle of the night. Gosh, my imagination needed to be on sedatives sometimes, though I'm pretty sure that attempting something like that would be illegal...?

But I digress.

The internet was a fun distraction, and so were Aunt Cheryl's favourite shows on TV, but there was another, bigger distraction waiting for me:

My friend's bachelorette party.

And so there I was, five days later, trying to hold on for dear life as the bus flew down the road. And I was slightly nervous, not because I was practically getting catapulted across the vehicle as the driver hit the brakes, no, but because of the very specific instructions on the invite.

Here it is.

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All the girls invited to Stacey's bachelorette party, listen (or, uh, read) carefully.

All the wedding guests that have traveled from far will be staying at Devenshire's Lunaire Hotel. But all the girls that are going to partayyy (sorry, I just had to), we'll be staying at a smaller mini-resort right off to the side of it.

Here's the important part, however: the groom's friends are also having their own party at the same mini-resort. So we've divided us into houses: the bride's house and the groom's house.

Remember: the bride's house's flag is the one with the gold peacock feather on the midnight blue background, while the groom's house's flag is the one with the midnight blue peacock feather on the gold background.

So unless you want to get stuck snorting crushed Rocket candies at the guys' party, ingrain the above info into your head, and get in without any of the relatives catching you!

Signing off,

The bride, Stacey Millers, soon-to-be Stacey Millers-Ray ♡

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Cute, right?

But what wasn't too cute was the way I was about to puke my guts out because I was nervous about showing up at the wrong house. Like, I really, really didn't want to end up snorting crushed Rocket candies with the guys.

The bride's house's flag is the one with the gold peacock feather on the midnight blue background, I chanted furiously in my head as someone coughed up half their lung somewhere near the back of the bus.

I'd also written the address on my hand in pen out of habit. I could barely go two seconds without glancing down at the address, as if staring at it could make it arrive any faster (it wouldn't, I tried).

Finally, though, my stop arrived, and along with a bunch of other people, I clambered off the bus. Bags in hand, I stared up at the tall buildings and gold name-plate dazzled doors.

I walked down the road casually, trying not to look homeless as people in designer clothes walked past my oversized-hoodie-and-track-pants-clothed self. I would have to change out of this ensemble as soon as possible, now that I'd noticed a heart-shaped blue paint stain on the shoulder that I was sure wasn't impressing anyone. Who'd I think I was, a ripped off version of Vincent van Gogh?

Stop getting distracted, I then chastised myself. Remember, gold feather, midnight background.

I turned a corner of the bustling street, onto a lane with many roadside businesses selling pretty handmade jewellery and aromatic empanadas and colourful scarves among other things. It was a lovely place, probably one I could spend all day and more in. But I could not worry about that right now, for I was a woman on a mission.

Gold feather, midnight background.

But the universe seemed intent on showing me how susceptible I was to mishaps and thrifty catastrophes (maybe it was a vaccination side effect or something).

My breath caught in my throat as someone stepped right in front of me enthusiastically, making me almost trip and land in a basket full of silk shawls that were for sale. The person in question was a lanky teenage girl with multiple piercings on her ears and eyebrows and tattoos running down her arms.

"Sorry to disturb you, my fair lady," she started, voice saccharine as she flashed me a perfect customer-service smile. "But, I'm sure that a smart girl like you could not be walking around to the evil eyes of many that will feast upon the joy you exude," she continued mysteriously, "and so, come to my shop. I have a few trinkets that will help you." She then looked me up and down, and then muttered to herself, "Yeah, you seem perfect for this."

I self-consciously tugged my caramel coloured hobo-style handbag closer to me as I hiked my duffel bag higher up my shoulder.

"Call me Madame Vivi," she smiled as she moved behind her stall labeled Madame Vivi's Magical Trinkets, and I forced a smile but didn't comment on it. Gold feather, midnight background, I chanted in my head absently.

"Um, well, Madame Vivi, I'm so sorry— I kind of have to go right now, but how about I come back later—"

"Oh no no no! No way can I let a customer like you run away— I mean, uh, no way a beautiful girl like you can go out without my amulet protections. Oh, but it would be a crime!" she cried dramatically.

"A crime... to sell these?" I asked confusedly.

"Wha- A crime to not buy them, of course!"

"Ah, yes, yes, of course! But of course, Madame Vivi," I agreed quickly. "But call me a criminal because I'm going to have to make a move to leave—"

"Girl-"

"I'll come back after!"

Madame Vivi gave me a smile then. "Fine, how about you keep this amulet of protection with you, free of charge?"

She shoved a small pink stone dotted with brown spots right in my face, and I reeled back as politely as I could. Flashbacks zapped through my mind of that shaman during the trek— and of course, Finn came to mind as well— and I stepped back. A distraction. Nope, wasn't having it.

"I'm okay," I coughed. "I've dealt with enough rabid raccoons already."

"Girl, did you just call me a rabbit raccoon?"

"Oh sh- No, not you! Madame Vivi, of course not," I gasped as she looked offended. I shook my head so hard I thought it was going to go flying (but I knew if I didn't apologize then I would be the one flying; I wasn't going to take my chances because I had places to be).

"Hmm. Okay, I believe you, girl... but buy this-"

"Um, maybe not right now," I told her as I walked backwards and into the crowd. "Later!"

I could hear Madame Vivi calling after me, but I'd merged with the crowd and was out of there.

I was just slightly traumatized, but maybe this was good because I'd run out of weird things that could happen in a day? There was no way I could deal with some other Lord Zizi or someone right now.

But hey, does the universe ever let my weirdness quota of the day run out? Nope.

Because just then, as I haggardly walked past what looked like a life-sized, metal statue of some traveler, it suddenly moved.

And my heart practically fell right out of my chest.

My scream was short but high pitched, and I stared, with wide, unforgiving eyes at the fully-painted dude who couldn't stop laughing along with other tourists who were chuckling while secretly being relieved it hadn't been them.

"Haha, gotcha!" the totally-not-a-statue guy exclaimed, and I nodded admittingly as I walked by because, let's be honest, he had gotten me, and badly.

But after I walked a few steps, I turned back around, hand to my chest, and shot him a teary side-eye before I continued walking.

Where was I in my power-chanting? Ah, yes. Midnight feather, gold background.

In case I had more hurdles coming my way (I wasn't wearing my running shoes today, sorry not sorry), I kept my head down and hurried to where the gorgeous Lunaire Hotel stood magnificently. And sure enough, right off to the side, I could see edges of a smaller cluster of buildings that were pretty in their own right.

Well, house with the midnight feather and gold background flag, here I come!

Since I knew some of Stacey's relatives, they would definitely stop to stay hello and then inquire about how I was doing, how the family was, what I was up to this summer, what cereal I had for breakfast (but I had waffles this morning, joke's on them, haha), blah, blah, blah.

And I would be happy to answer those questions, but not right now. I would definitely greet and entertain them after (they found my awkwardness cute, for some reason), but first, I had to make it to the bride's house for the bachelorette partayyy (sorry, I just had to).

I hurried that way, and as soon as I caught sight of a giant flag with a pretty dark feather against a shimmering gold background that caught the light prettily, I sped up my pace, finally arriving before the cute building.

No Rocket powder sniffing for me, haha!

I smugly threw open the doors, my jaw dropping in awe as I caught sight of a pretty chandelier that was dimly shining in low light. There was a hallway that spread before me, probably leading to the living area and rooms and everything else. Bags in hand, I cautiously stepped forward, excitement thrumming in my veins.

I walked down the pretty hallway of which the walls were painted a creamy beige that was super well-fitted for the whole theme of it all. And the hallway itself started to diverge into different sections, such as the kitchen, a rec room of some sort, another kitchen, a sauna room, and other cool features that I'd only seen in those YouTube videos of vloggers reviewing lavish hotels for free.

I was practically skipping down the narrowing hallway as it stretched closer to the actual rooms and walk-in closets and other cool stuff. And all my admiring (read: drooling over rich furniture) was going well until I casually peeked into what looked like a mini-gaming room of sorts, only to find, regally mounted on the wall, an erotic painting of a beautiful Aphrodite...clad in a tank top and biker shorts and a visor while she was laying down and holding a rose between her fingers seductively.

My jaw dropped (like, it practically got unhinged; suddenly I was a snake, it seemed; Hsss).

I couldn't tear my eyes away from what was clearly some sort of joke gift; I'd seen my fair share of those. But this, this was way out of the ball park, and I wondered what exactly Stacey was having in mind for her bachelorette partayyy. I stared, thoroughly bewildered.

And then, off to the side, I caught sight of a huge red neon sign that read, 'What Happens Here, Stays Here', right above a party setup that included a roulette wheel for dares, lots of alcohol, and... handcuffs?

Wait...Had my power chanting let me down?

Finally (finally!) I could smell that the air definitely had a slightly masculine, not-so-feminine scent to it, and then my tiny little brain woke up from it's little waffle-breakfast induced coma. A rowdy, guys-only type of vibe hit me square in the forehead as reality sunk in, and my jaw dropped further.

This was the Rocket snorting house. A.k.a, the house of the groom's.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no.

Just then, off in another room, I heard a muffled shout and some laughter that followed, and the noise seemed to be heading, in...um, my direction.

Well, butter my biscuit and call me a witch because I was about to melt under the stream— no, waterfall— of impending embarrassment that was without a doubt about to appear before I could casually tap dance my way out of there.

I stared down the hallway, in the direction I'd walked in from. The intricate door looked so far away...

Maybe I could crawl my way to the fire exit?

I didn't know which way to go. I started off going back, realized I wouldn't make it, and then turned towards the inappropriate room again, and realized that I couldn't make it out of there, either. Especially if everyone came in and asked why I was meditating in front of an semi-erotic painting of a Greek-goddess in her fitness-freak-era.

And so, I was just contemplating laying face first on the ground and hoping that no one would notice me so that I could make a quick getaway when they weren't looking, when suddenly, out of literally nowhere, a hand grabbed me and pulled me away from the midst of the hallway into another, smaller room I hadn't noticed before.

I gasped in shock, the sound coming out wheezily like I was some chain-smoker, and I heard a derisive snort. My kidnapper.

I whirled around, gripping my bags closer to my body, only to meet a pair of very, very familiar dark eyes.

The eyes that had been haunting my thoughts for days now were suddenly before me, and for sure, I was seeing things.

But my heart threatened to fall out, it was beating so hard, and then, sure enough, as my eyes adjusted to the light, I caught sight of that teasing smile I'd come to love. I completely forgot about the current situation, because all I could see was...

"Finn? "

"Miss A.B. What are you doing here?" Finn stage-whispered, a short, cute laugh escaping him as his eyes crinkled at the corners. It really was him, in the flesh, and my heart swelled as my brain promptly forgot its endeavours of the past week, in which I was trying my hardest to forget about the guy in question. Suddenly, the past days that we'd spent apart disappeared, and we were back at the end of the trek again.

Unable to help myself, a laugh left my throat as I threw my arms around Finn. He stumbled back a bit, catching both our weight (and that of my bags), an incredulous laugh sounding from him as his arms wrapped around me.

"I missed you," I admitted breathlessly.

He pulled back, taking a look at my face as a teasing grin adorned his. "It's been a week."

I slapped his arm, glaring at him, even though a smile threatened to break on my face. "I still missed you."

"And I know you expect me to say it back, Cora, but what I'm about to tell you-"

"Shut up," I growled back, and then our eyes met and suddenly we were laughing again, trying to keep it down as we leaned in like we were sharing a secret.

"I can't believe you're here, though," I grinned, still in shock. "Stacey's a close friend of mine, and she asked me to be one of the bridesmaids, a-and I couldn't say no, of course, but then this room- wait, hold on, I'll shut up. Your turn to speak." I blushed, hoping he wouldn't notice in the dimness.

Finn pretended to grab an imaginary talking stick from me, and I laughed at normal volume before I slapped a hand over my mouth, eyes widening.

Somebody help me.

"Vaughn is a family friend of mine," Finn explained. "I'm one of the groomsmen, the sky is blue, and you showed up... here?"

"Not on purpose," I groaned, covering my face in my hands, and then peeking through the gaps between my fingers at Finn. "I tried to memorize the flag, but... I might have gotten distracted, and... well, here I am now." I made a face. "Though that Aphrodite painting is actually going to be hard to get out of my head."

Finn chuckled. "Alright, then, Cora. Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

"Yes, please," I nodded, looking around, and then, when Finn smiled knowingly, I socked his arm. Him and his smiles.

"This is a path that runs through the hotel and to the other house," Finn told me, "and I only found it the other day accidentally when I was going to get a midnight snack."

I looked up at him pleadingly. "Lie to me if you have to, but please tell me they have a buffet?"

"Five course," Finn confirmed, and I just about fell into his arms. He grinned down at me, and I sent him back a megawatt smile.

Sigh.

I broke out of my trance and straightened up. "Interesting," I coughed nonchalantly. "Let's go?"

"Of course."

Finn then turned and led the way, explaining stuff about how the hotel was constructed and other fascinating things. But it was getting darker as we went further, so I grabbed Finn's hand.  He stiffened, voice trailing off, and I immediately let go, blushing.

But then his hand found mine again.

His long fingers threaded through mine, and I gasped silently as an inexplicable surge of warmth shot down to the tip of my toes. He gripped my hand softly but firmly, and then turned to me in the dark. "You okay?" Finn asked, voice slightly rough but quiet.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly alright," I replied, voice thin. And then I rushed to say, "But don't let go."

I heard his chuckle resonate in the hallway, and I blushed as we started walking again, this time hand in hand.

"This is only because you're scared," I mumbled to him.

"Right."

"Um. Safety first."

"Ah, but of course." I heard the smile in his voice, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as well.

Here I was, with Finn, face to face and in the flesh. My heart, though I tried to be casual, wouldn't stop reminding me how much I secretly wanted this, how much it meant to me. It was a coincidence, it was epic, it was strange... but maybe it was a good thing that the universe's weirdness quota hadn't ended for me today.

Uh, erotic Aphrodite painting aside.

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A/N: Bachelorette partayyy- (Sorry I had to xD)

I hope you liked this chapter! xoxo

Stay tuned <3

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