#davestangle

[allthingsfangirl101]

Jealousy Fails–Dave Stangle

"I have something I need to ask you," Jeanie said. I laughed when I noticed that she couldn't seem to sit still.

"Okay," I said slowly. Jeanie let out a small shriek before finally lifting her left hand.

"Oh my gosh!" I cheered when I saw her left hand. "Eric proposed?!"

We stood up and hugged each other, laughing. Once we had calmed down we sat back at our table and started talking about the wedding plans.

"So? When's the date?"

"It's late summer," she explained. "And I was wondering. . . Will you be my maid of honor?"

I was about to say yes but froze. My smile dropped when I realized who else would be at the wedding.

"Is he Eric's best man?" I asked, looking down at my hands.

"Oh," she said under her breath. "No, he's not. . . But he is one of the groomsmen."

I bit my lip as I nervously looked back up at my best friend. "Jeanie, I love you but. . . If he's there, I would be so worried about. . . And I wouldn't be able to enjoy your wedding. . . I'm sorry."

"Y/N, please say you'll do it. It's going to be okay, honey. I know things ended weirdly with you and Dave but. . ."

When she said his name, my breath got caught in my throat. "I can't," I said, shaking my head.

"Y/N, please. I really want you at my wedding."

"But he. . ."

"Y/N," she tried to counter. "He knows I'm asking you to be my maid of honor. He's fine with it."

"He never told me why he broke up with me," I blurted out.

"Wait, Dave never told you?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "He just said it wasn't working out and then. . . He left."

Jeanie shook her head, her anger building. "Wow," she scoffed. "He said that the breakup was neutral. That you both agreed it wasn't working out."

"What?" I asked, my voice breaking. "He told you. . ."

I shook my head, the tears building up. I took a shaky breath before turning towards Jeanie. "Look," I sighed. "You're my best friend and I promised that me dating your brother wouldn't be weird. So I will be there for you on your special day but I can't be your. . ."

"What if I threaten my brother?"

"What?" I asked, slightly laughing.

"I'll do it," she said quickly. "I'll threaten my brother and warn him to stay away from you the entire weekend. I'll make sure he doesn't try to talk to you. I'll make sure Dave and Mike know that part of their brotherly duties is staying away from you."

"Are you sure? I mean, there are a few times that we'll have to be around each other," I stuttered.

"I know," she sighed, "but I'll make sure they don't make you uncomfortable. And if they do, you tell me and I'll yell at them."

"I don't know," I said, looking at my hands.

"At least let me talk to them," she said. "Please? If I tell my parents, they'll make sure too."

I hesitated. I've been friends with Jeanie since we were little. About a year ago, her brother Dave and I got drunk at a party and ended up making out. We didn't sleep together but we got close. I stopped it before we could go too far.

After the party, things got weird between me and Dave. Whenever we were in the same room, the tension got thick. Jeanie eventually asked about it and I told her that Dave and I made out. She asked if I liked him and actually pointed out that I probably did if things were weird.

I was leaving her apartment and Dave was coming in. We almost bumped into each other and just stood there awkwardly. Jeanie came out and sighed. She pointed out that if we were awkward around each other, it was obvious that we had feelings for the other.

Even before Dave and I broke up, I thought about that conversation outside Jeanie's apartment a lot.

                           ~•~

"Okay," Jeanie sighed as she looked between her brother and me. "If you two are this awkward just bumping into each other then you obviously have feelings for each other."

"Well," I stuttered, not looking away from Dave.

"I'm not," Dave stuttered, not looking away from me.

"This isn't high school so shut up," Jeanie cut us off before either one of us could stutter anything else incoherent. "You both have crushes on each other so let's settle this. Y/N, Dave will pick you up at your apartment tonight at 6:30. Dave, don't you dare be late. Go to dinner and admit how long you've liked each other."

With that, she walked past us and headed to her kitchen. I looked up at Dave as I nervously bit my bottom lip.

"So," he said, clearing his throat. "6:30?"

"See you then."

                           ~•~

Jeanie was always supportive of my and Dave's relationship. On our first date, Dave and I had made a plan where I could still hang out with Jeanie like normal and he could still be a part of his sister's life. We also made sure that we had time to ourselves to be a couple. We made sure that I was never ditching her for her brother and he was never ditching her for his girlfriend. We made a deal that we wouldn't let our relationship interfere with our individual relationships with Jeanie.

And as much as we didn't like the idea, we had to talk about what would happen if we broke up. We decided that a certain amount of time after the breakup, we'd try and go back to normal for her.

As much as we talked about it and planned it, it was still harder than either of us expected. Jeanie was amazing through it all.

                                * * * * *

The day after Jeanie announced her engagement, I was walking back into my apartment after work when my phone started ringing. I quickly shut the front door and answered my phone.

"Hello?"

"Good news!" Jeanie cheered as soon as I answered.

"Please share," I joked.

"I talked to Eric, we talked to my parents and all of us talked to my brothers."

"Oh," I said under my breath. I cleared my throat before asking, "How'd it go?"

"Well," Jeanie giggled. "We told them they had to be on their best behavior, for me. At first, they defended themselves but we pointed out that at every family party we've ever had, they get too excited and always end up causing some crazy accident. My parents made them promise to be on their best behavior. Then I talked to Dave about you. I told him that I wanted you to be my maid of honor and the only way that would happen was if he promised to leave you alone the whole weekend of the wedding and during planning too."

"And he was okay with that?" I asked slowly.

"Not at first," she sighed. "But my mom pulled the bride card and he immediately promised he'd be on his best behavior for me."

"That's. . . That's surprising," I said, clearing my throat.

"Y/N, please come to my wedding," she begged. "It wouldn't feel right without you there with me. Please be my maid of honor?"

I bit my bottom lip, debating. I really wanted to be there for her but I couldn't stop thinking about seeing Dave again.

"Okay," I gave in. "I'm in."

                                * * * * *

As I walked into Jeanie's parents' house, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. I knocked on the door, anxiously rocking back and forth on my feet. I jumped when the door was swung open.

"Y/N!"

Jeanie quickly pulled me into the house and wrapped me in a very tight hug. I giggled as she swayed us back and forth, continually saying how excited she was.

"Is that who I think it is?"

We pulled out of the hug and turned around when we saw Eric walking into the front hallway.

"Hi," I chuckled as I gave him a hug.

The second we pulled apart, Jeanie grabbed my hand and pulled me into the family room. My breath got stuck in my throat when I looked over and saw Dave sitting on their couch. I cleared my throat and quickly looked away.

We spent the afternoon going through and making a lot of decisions. By the end, Mike was half-asleep on the couch, Eric was building a tower out of name cards, and Jeanie's dad, Burt, was several beers in. Jeanie, her mom Rosie and I were still going strong with the decisions. I glanced over at Dave and noticed him watching me.

"What do you think, Y/N?" Jeanie asked, making me look away from her brother. "Band or DJ?"

"They're both good," I shrugged, "but something about a live band seems more romantic to me."

I glanced back over at Dave to see him smiling and nodding in agreement with me. He looked up at me and I instantly looked away.

"I agree," Rosie giggled.

"Me too," Jeanie smiled. "Then it's settled. Band."

"Another decision down!" Dave cheered. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to look at him.

"But you can't dance against a girl to band music," Mike mumbled with his face smashed into the couch cushions.

"There will be no dancing up on anyone at your sister's wedding," Burt warned.

I looked over at Jeanie and she shrugged, slightly shaking her head. "Oh!" She perked up. "Y/N, I was thinking we could go shopping for your maid of honor dress next weekend. You in?"

"Sounds good."

                                * * * * *

With all the planning we did, I was never alone with Dave. It was actually surprising that Jeanie was able to keep her brother away from me. Part of me was relieved that he stayed away, but there was a small part that wished we could talk. I don't know what we would talk about but being around him made me realize how much I missed him.

Today was the big day. Eric and Jeanie were getting married!

I sat in the bridal suite in my floor-length gown, waiting for Jeanie to come out and show us her dress. I leaned down and fixed my shoe strap.

"Are you ready yet?" Rosie called out to her, eagerly waiting.

"I'm coming!" Jeanie giggled. We all turned around, tears filling our eyes as she walked out in her perfect wedding dress.

"You look amazing!" I smiled.

"You are the most beautiful bride in the world," Rosie said with tears streaming down her face. I watched as she walked over and hugged her daughter.

"Mom," Jeanie sighed, "I just did my make-up."

We walked down to where they were holding the ceremony, the excitement buzzing in the air. When we were outside the room, Jeanie leaned over to me.

"How you holding up?" She whispered.

"Jean," I sighed, "sweetie, it's your wedding day. I should be worried about you running for the hills. Not the other way around."

"I know," she chuckled. "I'm sorry. I just. . . I know how much you guys cared about each other. I actually thought you guys would be together forever. It broke my heart when you guys broke up. But I made sure that the men were already up there so you wouldn't have to walk down the aisle with him as if you guys were still together."

"Thanks," I cut her off. "Let's stop talking about me and your brother, and focus on getting you married!"

She opened her mouth to say something but her dad came over.

"You ready, pumpkin?" Burt asked with his arm out. She smiled as she stood up and looped her arm through her father's. I looked over my shoulder to see Jeanie sending me a wink.

Throughout the ceremony, I felt like Dave never took his eyes off of me. Whenever I glanced over at him, he was already looking at me.

It wasn't until Eric and Jeanie started to walk back down the aisle did I realize that Dave and I would have to walk together behind them. As we did, I didn't look at Dave. We were halfway down the aisle when he finally looked at me.

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks," I said under my breath.

"I know Jeanie was really excited that you said yes to being her maid of honor. I would've felt. . ."

"Don't," I cut him off. I looked at him, unable to hide the tears threatening to spill. "Please don't."

                                * * * * *

I was talking to the happy couple at the reception when they both froze. They glanced at each other with nervous looks on their faces.

"Did you know. . ." Eric said under his breath.

"Know what?" I asked.

"No," Jeanie whispered. "I had no idea he was bringing a. . ."

I turned around, my breath getting caught in my throat when I saw an adorable girl on Dave's arm. I glanced over at Jeanie to see her biting her bottom lip.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I had no idea he was bringing someone."

"Hey, guys. Meet Alice," Dave introduced her to us. "She's super smart."

"Hi," I stuttered. "I'm Y/N. Congrats on being super smart."

"Thanks," she giggled. "But I'm not that smart."

"She's a second-grade teacher," Dave explained.

"Wow," I nodded. "That's great."

Throughout the reception, I couldn't stop staring at Dave and his date. Every time I looked at them, they were either making out or dancing against each other. It officially got too much when I looked up and noticed him watching me as they grinded on each other.

I stood up when the tears started streaming down my face and quickly left the room. I walked into the hallway with my arms wrapped tightly around myself. I was struggling to breathe as I sobbed. I rounded the corner and leaned against the wall. I covered my mouth, trying to stop the sob.

My knees gave out and I slowly slid down the wall. I wrapped my arms around my knees as I pulled them into my chest. I leaned my forehead on my knee and tried to get a hold of myself.

"Y/N?" I looked up to see Dave running out of the room. He glanced down the other side of the hallway before looking towards me. When he found me, he let out a sigh of relief and started to jog towards me.

"Son of a bitch," I cursed under my breath as I quickly stood up, fixing my dress.

"Are you okay?" He asked when he was in front of me.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"Y/N," he stuttered. "Please give me a chance to explain."

"Haven't you done enough?" I cut him off. I watched as he opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find the right words.

"Y/N," he stuttered. "I wasn't. . . I thought. . . I shouldn't have. . ."

"Don't you get it?" I scoffed, tears continuing to stream down my face. "I'm still in love with you, Dave. I've always been in love with you. And what makes all of this worst is that I don't even understand why you walked away from me, from us. When you suddenly broke up with me, it killed me. I don't understand what I did. Weren't you happy? I was and I thought you were. . ."

He grabbed my face and pressed his lips to mine. I grabbed his waist, pulling him closer to me until we backed up and hit the wall. He held my face as our lips moved in sync. I got lost in the kiss as all the feelings came rushing back. Dave was the first to break the kiss. He leaned his forehead against mine as we caught our breaths.

"I was happy with you," he whispered. "Happier than I've ever been."

"Then why did you leave?"

When he heard my voice break, he leaned back. He rubbed his thumbs on my cheeks before finally letting go of my face. He looked down and grabbed my hands in his, intertwining our fingers.

"I know this is overdue, but I'd like to explain," he said softly.

"Please do," I said under my breath. He pulled me with him, leading us to a couch in the lobby. As we sat, he didn't let go of my hands.

"I didn't break up with you because I stopped loving you," he said softly. "In fact, I never stopped loving you, Y/N."

"Then why. . ." Before I could finish my question, my voice broke. I looked down, embarrassed by the guilt in his eyes.

"It's because of Mike."

"Wait, what?" I asked, looking back up at him. "What does your brother have to do with us breaking up?"

He let go of my hands, immediately running his fingers through his hair as he struggled to find the right way to explain all of this. While he hesitated, I couldn't stop wondering how or why his brother would have something to do with us breaking up.

"Do you remember, right before we broke up, Mike came with us to that party?"

"Yeah," I said slowly. "What about it?"

"Well," he cleared his throat, "after we dropped you off at your apartment, he made a comment."

"A comment about me?"

"A comment about me," he quickly corrected. "He said that seeing us that night, me constantly by your side, made him roll his eyes. He said that I was whipped and was acting like the guys we used to make fun of."

"So you broke up with me?" I asked, my breath getting caught in my throat.

"I know," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair again. "It just. . . I didn't realize it until he pointed it out but he was right! I was whipped. I would've jumped in front of a car for you and he knew it. And it. . . It kinda freaked me out."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he said more to himself than to me. "Mike made me realize that you were the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he smiled, letting out a soft chuckle. Suddenly, his smile fell. "The second I realized it, I got scared. And when I got scared, I ran. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that; being in love, getting married, starting a family. That was all so. . . Mature. And a part of me felt like I wasn't ready for that. But. . ."

"But?" I asked when he didn't continue. I held my breath as he studied me.

"As soon as I lost you, I realized I really was ready for all of that. I was ready to stop playing the role of the crazy party man and start playing the part of the husband and eventually father."

"Wow," I said under my breath as I looked away from him, my face burning. "That sounds. . . Incredible."

"With you."

I looked over at him, nervously biting my bottom lip. I tried to study him to see if he was kidding, but I couldn't read his facial expression.

"With me?" Was all I could think of to say back.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I want that adult life but only with you. Growing up isn't worth it if I'm with the wrong girl."

I grabbed his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his. I felt him smile as he immediately started kissing me back. The longer our lips moved in sync, the more heated the kiss got.

I moaned when Dave gently grabbed me, pulling me over so I was straddling his hips. As his hands rubbed my back, I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair.

"What about Alice?" I asked between kisses. Dave laughed as he leaned back and smiled down at me.

"Here's the thing," he said, placing his hands on my thighs and slightly squeezing them. "Alice and I aren't together. I brought her to make you jealous."

"Oh," I said under my breath. I tried to hold back my laughter but failed. "I know I should probably be angry with you for that, but I'm not."

Dave laughed as I roughly pressed my lips back to his. I moaned as he immediately started kissing me back. He squeezed my thighs hard, making me gasp and giving him the chance to push his tongue into my mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair and roughly pulled on it, knowing it turned him on.

We broke the kiss, both of us breathing heavily. I pressed my nose to his, slightly rubbing them together.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered as we caught our breaths.

"We can't," I whispered.

"Why not?" Dave asked as he leaned back and pouted his lips at me.

"We have to stay for the rest of Jeanie's wedding," I reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he said as he looked down at my hands pressed to his chest. He looked up at me with a teasing look on his face. "I guess brother of the bride and maid of honor should probably stay until the happy couple goes off on their honeymoon."

I crawled off his lap, grabbing his hand and pulling him up off the couch. I was about to head back into the reception hall but Dave stopped me. He pulled me back into his chest and leaned down, pressing his lips back to mine. Before I could really start to kiss him back, he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Y/N, and I'm so sorry for running. I promise I won't make that mistake again," he whispered.

"It's okay," I whispered as he leaned far enough back so he could see me. "I love you too."

I bit my lip, my cheeks burning when I saw the way he was looking at me.

"What?" I asked. I gasped when he pulled me closer and leaned in so he was whispering in my ear.

"I promise to make it up to you tonight."

[pittylover728]

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[allthingsfangirl101]

Getting The Girl Back Part 2–Dave Stangle

Part 1

Dave's POV

The closer we got to Jeanie's wedding, the more anxious I was to see Y/N. I kept rehearsing what I was going to say to her once I finally got her to sit down and talk to me, but it never seemed like enough.

Mike and I spent the few weeks leading up to the wedding, planning and replanning how I was gonna get Y/N to talk to me. Any plan he thought up was extreme. Any plan I came up with wouldn't be enough. Finally, we narrowed it down to a plan and a few backups. They weren't fully formed. The plans were of where and when I could talk to her.

Plan A was to catch her before the ceremony. Plan B was stopping her after Eric and Jeanie walked back down the aisle after the ceremony. Plan C was to find her during the cocktail party. Plan D was to talk to her during the reception. Plan E. . . There was no plan E.

The second I saw Y/N in a beautiful maroon dress, I completely forgot about our plans. My breath got caught in my throat and I could feel my heart skipping a beat every time I looked at her. The first time I saw her, she looked up and we made eye contact. We were both frozen as the room buzzed around us. Y/N was the first to look away.

The rest of the night, I could tell she was avoiding me. Not like it would matter. Whenever I saw her, my feet were frozen and I couldn't make myself move. Even if I did move, I know I wouldn't be able to find the right words.

Plan A didn't work because I never got the chance to find her before the wedding. Plan B didn't work because I was too much of a wimp to stop walking. Plan C didn't work because I hid in the corner and watched her talk to all her old college friends instead of going up and talking to her. Plan D was all I had left.

"Dude," Mike sighed when he saw me watching Y/N from across the room while I downed my third beer of the night. "Just go talk to her."

"I don't think I can," I said under my breath.

"Dave," he sighed, his tone changing. "Let's go over this. You've been in love with Y/N since she moved here in high school. It took you until college to get the courage to ask her out. And you had her for three years until you screwed it up."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Go get her back."

I quickly drank the rest of my beer and jumped up, heading towards Y/N before I could talk myself out of it.

"Hey, Y/N." I internally groaned when my greeting made her jump. She slowly turned around, already nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

"Sorry," I stuttered. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just. . ."

"Are you drunk?" She asked, her voice soft.

"No," I said a little too quickly. "I mean. . . Sorta. A little."

Y/N sighed and started to walk away. "Wait," I stopped her. "Y/N, please. . . Just. . . I'm sorry."

"You're drunk," she said softly as she looked away from me.

"Okay," I said, clearing my throat. "I'm a little buzzed. It's just. . . Seeing you again. . ."

"You had to be drunk?"

"No!" I said quickly. "I thought. . . Can we sit down?"

Y/N looked at me, debating. Finally, she sighed as she walked over to a table and sat down. I sat next to her, shifting my chair. I wanted to be close to her, but not too close to her.

"I know that I don't deserve. . . We were. . . Over the last year. . . Y/N. . . This isn't. . ."

I angrily grunted as I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. My heart sank, my anger evaporating when I saw her take a shaky breath. I opened my mouth to say something but she spoke up first.

"I can't do this," she stuttered. "It seems like everywhere I go today, I run into you and your brother. It's a reminder of everything that happened with us."

"Y/N," I said, my voice breaking.

"I'm gonna go," she said as she stood up and straightened her dress. "Tell Jeanie I said congratulations."

Before she could walk away, I stood up and quickly grabbed her hand. She looked at my hand holding hers and back up at me with wide eyes.

"Y/N, please. . . I know that I don't deserve another chance but. . . I need to. . . Can I. . ." I continued to stutter as I struggled to word what I was thinking.

"Screw it," I mumbled, finally letting go of her hand.

"What?"

I angrily ran my fingers through my hair, looking up at a confused Y/N. I sighed as I shook my head.

"No more plans, no more tricks," I sighed. Before she could ask what I meant, I asked, "Can we go somewhere quiet and talk?"

"Dave," she stuttered.

"Please," I begged. "I have some things I need to say to you."

                          * * * * *

We walked down the beach, neither one of us saying anything. I forced myself to resist reaching over and grabbing her hand. I took a shaky, relieved breath before following Y/N down the beach to a table. I waited for her to sit down before sitting a respectful distance away from her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, not looking up from me. I stood up, took off my jacket, and draped it over Y/N's shoulders. I smiled when she accepted it with a small smile of her own on her face.

I cleared my throat as I gathered the courage I needed to get this out. The truth is, I thought about our break-up and our relationship a lot. And the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that all of this was my fault. She put a lot of time and energy into our relationship. I didn't.

"For starters," I finally started talking, "you were right."

"What?" She asked under her breath.

"You were right," I repeated. "About everything. I may not have known or done it intentionally, but I did put Mike ahead of you. I spent way too much time with my brother and not enough time with you. I made you think you weren't the most important person in my life, but you were. You are."

"Dave," she whispered.

"I like you."

Y/N opened and closed her mouth, clearly shocked. I sighed as I turned so I was facing her.

"I still do," I continued. "In fact, I never stopped. Mike tried to tell me that I would move on, but I never did. I knew I never would. You were everything to me, Y/N."

"Dave," she said, my name getting stuck in her throat. "I think we need to. . ."

"I miss you," I cut her off. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, wishing I could go back and fix everything I did. But I know I can't change what I did. Hopefully, you give me the chance to make up for all of it."

"What do you. . ."

Before she could finish her question, I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers. I felt her hesitate before sighing and starting to kiss me back. I smiled as the kiss quickly got heated. Before we could go too far, I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against hers.

"I'm still in love with you," I confessed as we struggled to catch our breaths. "I never stopped loving you, Y/N. And if you give me a chance, I promise I will be better. I promise I will put you first."

I leaned back so I could try and read the expression on her face. She was nervously biting her bottom lip, her eyes studying me.

"Please, Y/N," I whispered. "Please, give me another chance."

I gasped as Y/N grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine. I smiled as I instantly started kissing her back. Without breaking the kiss, I pulled her over so she was straddling my lap.

Y/N broke the kiss, gently rubbing her nose against mine. "You still love me?"

"I'm still madly in love with you, Y/N."

She giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm still madly in love with you, Dave."

We both chuckled as we pressed our lips back together and instantly started moving them eagerly in sync. Things were just starting to get too heated when we heard someone excitedly yell and run over. We broke the kiss and looked over to see Mike running towards us.

"I knew it!" He was yelling. "What did I tell you? I told you we could fix this! You're back together! Dave and Y/N sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Mike," I interrupted his singing. "Get lost."

"You got it."

[allthingsfangirl101]

Getting The Girl Back–Dave Stangle

Part 2

Dave's POV

A year ago I was dating an amazing girl. She was funny, down-to-earth, hard-working, and made me a better man.

Until I screwed it up.

Y/N and I met when she moved to town senior year. That whole year, I was obsessed with her. Mike teased me relentlessly, but I didn't care. It was so bad I was basically stalking her. She played volleyball and was in theater. I went to all of her games and all of her shows.

When I went to college, I didn't think I'd ever see her again. So when I was walking through the cafeteria and saw her studying, I knew I had to go up to her. I went over to her and started talking. After meeting her every day that week for lunch, I finally asked her out on a real date. We dated for three years before I screwed it up and lost her.

A lot of people say my brother Mike and I are too close. But that's just how we grew up. We were inseparable, always joking around, and equally over-protective of our little sister, Jeanie.

I can't say that Y/N didn't have a good reason to break up with me. I stood her up on our third-year anniversary because my brother and I got drunk at the bar. The morning I tried to go over and apologize still replays in my head.

                                      ~•~

I held my breath, waiting for her to answer the door. The lock clicked and the door slowly opened. My heart sank into my stomach when Y/N stood in her doorway, her hair was thrown in a messy bun, she had on an oversized sweater, she had her glasses on instead of her contacts, and her eyes were red.

"Hey," I smiled. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe, purposefully avoiding my gaze.

"I know that I. . ."

"I don't really feel like talking to you right now, Dave."

"Please, just let me explain."

"Explain what?" She cut me off, finally looking up at me. "Explain how you stood me up on our third-year anniversary? Explain how you left me waiting like an idiot for you while you went drinking with your brother? Explain how you put your brother before your girlfriend again?"

"I don't put Mike before you," I mumbled.

"Yes, you do," she instantly corrected. "Dave, you have constantly put your brother before me. How many times have you canceled plans because your brother needed you? How many times did you run out because your brother texted you? Face it, Dave. Mike is the most important person in your life. No one will ever be able to compete with him."

"Y/N," I stuttered.

"I can't do this anymore," she said, her voice breaking.

"Wait," I said quickly. "Y/N, please."

"No," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't handle being second place to my boyfriend's brother. I'm not asking you to cut him out of your life for me. Instead, I'm cutting myself out of your life."

"Y/N, no. . ."

"I'm sorry, Dave." Y/N's voice cracked as she slowly grabbed her front door, ready to slam it on my face.

"It's over."

                                      ~•~

After Y/N broke up with me, I wasn't the same. Mike tried to reassure me that I would find someone else and move on, but I knew I would never find anyone better for me than Y/N. I was in love with her.

Today, we were helping Jeanie and Eric narrow down the guest list. As I was helping rewrite the list, leaving off the crossed-off names, a certain name written in Jeanie's perfect handwriting caught my eye. My heart jumped into my throat.

Y/F/N Y/L/N

"You invited Y/N?" I asked softly.

"Of course," Jeanie said, not looking up from the invitation samples. She slowly looked up, glancing between our parents and me.

"Y/N introduced us," Eric said, oblivious to the sudden tension. Jeanie reached over and grabbed his hand. It took him a second before his eyes widened. "Oh," he said under his breath.

"Look," Jeanie sighed. "I know you and Y/N ended things on a bad note, but she's one of Eric's and my best friends. So, I'm sorry Davey, but she's coming."

                         * * * * *

Jeanie, Eric, and my parents left, going to test caterers while Mike and I stayed at home, cleaning up the unused invitations.

"You okay?" Mike asked.

"I'm fine," I mumbled.

"Dude," he laughed. "You should've seen your face when you saw Y/N's name. I thought you were going to pass out."

Mike cleared his throat when he saw me glaring at him. "Are you going to be okay with Y/N being at Jeanie's wedding?"

"No," I sighed as I slumped onto the couch. "Of course I'm not going to be okay. I haven't talked to her since the breakup."

"Didn't you text her a million times and leave her hundreds of voicemails, begging for her to call you back?"

"Of course I did," I said under my breath.

"How long has it been?" Mike asked, the tone in his voice changing.

"I haven't seen Y/N in over a year."

Mike sighed as he walked over and sat next to me. He studied me for a second before clearing his throat.

"You really loved her, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice breaking. "I was madly in love with her."

"Was?"

"Still am," I corrected.

"Then tell her," he shrugged.

"What?" I scoffed.

"Yeah," Mike chuckled. "Look, Jeanie and Eric are insisting on inviting her to the wedding. Perfect! Use that to your advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"Dave, if Y/N comes to the wedding then use it. She's been avoiding you for a year, now she can't avoid you at the wedding."

"So, you're telling me to corner her and force her to talk to me?"

"No," Mike laughed. "I'm just saying you wanted to be in the same room with her and now, at Jeanie's wedding, you can be. You just need a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah," Mike shrugged. "We need to come up with a plan that gets Y/N to talk to you. It's too bad she isn't one of Jeanie's bridesmaids. Then she would literally have to walk down the aisle with you."

"I don't know," I hesitated. "Our plans usually end. . . Badly."

"We won't do anything dangerous," Mike tried to reassure. "Just what we need to do in order to get Y/N to talk to you."

"You really think we can get Y/N to talk to me?"

"Hell yeah, we can," he chuckled. I smirked as we raised our hands and did our signature high-five.

"Let's do it."

Part 2