Lose Track of Reason • •

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela didn't want things to turn awkward between her and Ryder. They were both as stunned as each other this morning, but she wanted things to be like they always were between them, even if there was a little voice telling her how impossible that would be now. She couldn't look at Ryder without thinking about him being her husband now. This whole morning just felt so weird and surreal. None of it felt like something she would do while wasted and Allela would be the first to admit that she had done some wild, stupid things over the years. Pushing her hair back again and wishing she could cut it all off in that moment, Allela sighed. She knew Ryder was right; she was just panicking. “I could just do without the thought of everyone's reactions.” She may not care what people thought of her, but it wasn't just her in this. Ryder was a part of it too and she didn't want to hear people whispering about him. She didn't need to think about it to know that she'd lose her cool then. It wasn't exactly something they needed on top of everything else; her being arrested for breaking someone's nose.

Tucked up in bed and feeling like the world was moving way too fast, Allela honestly expected to see a different look on Ryder's face when she whispered those two words. She knew he wouldn't cause a scene in the room while Rhi and Gray were still here, but she'd expected wide eyes or maybe even another shocked look to go along with the theme of the day so far. Instead, she found herself only able to smirk and groan at the mention of their heads. “That could take a couple of hundred years.” She said, pulling her knees up and resting her forehead against them for a few moments. Honestly, she didn't think there was a cure for this hangover. Gray and Rhi arguing about the specifics didn't do much for her head either, but until there was coffee and food in the room she was forcing herself to bit her tongue.

“I don't even remember the club. Forget anything else.” Allela told them both, hoping that could be the end of matters. She didn't have a clue why they had kicked Grayson out of the room or passed out in the bed together. All she was thankful for was that nothing else had happened to make this morning even more awkward. With the coffee clutched in her hand she moved back to the bathroom, happy to get out of this ridiculous costume now. Sober, it was a great idea but hungover the cape annoyed her and everything just felt twisted and in the wrong place. Allela sat on the floor for a moment, chugging down a few mouthfuls of the hot coffee. She didn't care that it numbed her tongue or scalded her throat. She just wanted the caffeine in her to try and break this headache. “I'm fine. I just moved too fast earlier.” She said, unclipping the cape and then working through the rest of the accessories until there was a pile next to her. She hated relying on people, even if it was just Ryder helping her along to the bathroom and making sure she didn't smash into anything on the way. She still made sure not to repeat that mistake while changing into a much more comfortable outfit. Even once she was dressed Allela stayed still for a few minutes. Part of her was still leaning towards the option of staying locked in the bathroom. “So...you and me, we're good, right?” It was a stupid question to ask, but Allela felt she needed to hear the answer before her heart could stop racing. Calming down was a slow process but she was getting there; even if her head was firing out more questions than she could keep up with.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 721!
OUTFIT! Morning Mayhem!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Though the idea wasn’t as terrifying as it probably should have been, Ryder still couldn’t quite grasp that he was married. The whole point of him agreeing to this weekend was to get over the last woman he’d thought he would spend the rest of his life with. And after all of that went to hell in a hand basket, he thought he might never actually get married. After everything, now it just seemed like too much hassle and he wasn’t interested in how many shades of white there were in the world. Even when he was graduated and working as an architect, he would leave painting the buildings he’s imagined to the decorators! He had admitted when things went south with Aimee that he was too young to get that serious about anything in life. Hell, he still had two years of school and still didn’t know exactly if he wanted to be an architect or not! “Then don’t think about it. We’re in our own little bubble right now, right here. It can stay that way until weekend’s end.” He said looking Allela in the eye.

There wasn’t a lot Ryder could do. He was surprisingly useless in this moment and he wasn’t used to that. His whole role in most of his relationships was being useful and here he was just as long in the middle of it all as Allela was. He couldn’t fix this and he hated that. He knew a lot about Allela. There was only so much work that could be done in their little sound box at the theatre so they always got to talking about life outside work and things the other might not know about them. He didn’t know to what her parents would think of this but he knew they would definitely have something to say on the matter. His own parents would as well but theirs would probably fall more towards the stunned, repeated remarks about his own exclamation that he wouldn’t get married until he was thirty, if ever and the fact that he went out and did just that, with Allela. His parents adored the blunt Scottish girl, they thought her hilarious and were always amused that she could easily put their son in his place. So if anything they would just sit there stunned for a few minutes before going off with the jokes about it all. “Nah, maybe a couple decades at most.” Ryder said, grinning, attempting to bring a little levity to the moment.

Ryder nodded, agreeing with Allela. There wasn’t much more than that he remembered either. And it was just easier to nod his swimming head than it was to put in his own two cents. He accepted his coffee, setting it on the side table to cool down a bit while he helped Allela back across to the bathroom so she could change. He stuck around solely in case Allela started to fall or collapse. He wouldn’t have minded giving her a few minutes alone but Rhi seemed to have shut the door before even considering he might exit the fair space as well. It wasn’t as though this was a new thing in all honesty. There had been weekends out that Ryder easily remembered that had Allela stripping out of her club clothes even as she moved towards her bed at the end of the night. Ryder threw caution to the wind and pulled Allela into a hug which wasn’t actually uncharacteristic of the Italian but under recent circumstances he was leaving some space there. “Of course we’re good, Alley-Cat. We’ll always be good.” He said, his chin moving against her shoulder. Ryder took a moment longer like that before finally pulling away. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.” He suggested, holding his hand out again.

Tag || Allela, Gray and Rhi
Words || 638
Clothes || One, Two
Music || Maybe --- One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[grayson clarke harris]

Even if they had all run off to Vegas for this little birthday weekend Grayson would not have expected anything on this scale when it came to drunken shenanigans. He might have been practically comatose when his friends came in last night but if he had any inclination that this was what had happened then he might have snapped to and tried to deal with the situation then. Although he doubted anything other than laughter would have come from Allela and Ryder at that hour. He knew they often joked about spending the rest of their lives together but Grayson never for one moment thought that anything could happen between them. It was always his way of thinking that they'd overlook any feelings and never even notice when they did things a little more friendlier than even best friends were used to.

Rolling his eyes, Grayson sighed and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “And you're also crabbier in the mornings that I'd thought you'd be.” Neither of them were probably helping the newlyweds come to terms with their suddenly discovered marriage, but at the same time no one seemed overly keen on leaving the room. There was a story to tell here, one he wanted to listen to, if only the young couple could remember a damn bit of it! Grayson couldn't say he envied Allela and Ryder right now. Usually memory blanks could be part of a fun night out, but they were going to have to tell people something if they wanted to play house together. He didn't claim to be an expert on these things but he really doubted that the truth would go over so well back home, especially with their families. People, including himself, might have joked about the pair acting like a married couple most of the time, but he didn't think anyone would believe this weekend had actually happened! They might need to make copies of that little bit of paper just to prove to people that this wasn't some hoax the four had conspired about just to torment those who hadn't been able to make this trip.

He looked between the married couple and let out a dramatic sigh. “Well that'll be a story to tell the grandkids.” He knew it was a stupid comment to make the moment the words fell from his lips. The pair of them probably didn't know what they'd be doing by this afternoon now and he'd gone and thrown another shocker their way, but this time he honestly hadn't meant to. “Sorry, that just came out.” He muttered, awkwardly scratching the top of his back and avoiding eye contact with them both. Grayson didn't need to see Allela's reaction to that and he suspected Ryder's wouldn't be all that different either. While they slipped off into the bathroom, he made a start on breakfast, his stomach not able to wait much longer. With the door shut and Rhi hovering outside of it, Gray nodded his head towards the door, gesturing to the newlyweds behind it. “So, what do you think? Honestly.” He asked, biting into a crepe and waiting for Rhi to respond.

• • •

TAGGED! Rhi, Ry, Alley-Cat ! <3
WORDS! 580!
OUTFIT! Violent Voorhies!
LYRICS! Crush'd - - - Say Anything
NOTES! <3

[Rhiannon Kaelyn Webb]

“Well I’m sorry I can’t be all sunshine and violets all the time. Suzy Sunshine I am not. Did you not hear me five minutes ago? No coffee equals bitch.” She said with a shrug. Take her or leave her, at least she was honest and knew herself well enough to know she was a grouchy little thing when she was without her caffeine! Rhi wanted to know what happened the night before as much as the rest of them but without memories, there would be no stories. She wondered if maybe after things settled little and they’d all be fed, they could retrace their footsteps and maybe figure out what happened from the club. There were half dozen little Vegas style chapels on just about every street. It was going to be a very long day if they went through that and since she didn’t end up with massive holes in her memories of the night before, she wanted them that night. Not quite at the scale of Allela and Ryder but maybe a few drinks before that.

Despite what she’d said, she crossed the room so she wouldn’t be overheard through the bathroom door though she could bet she’d have a few minutes before they emerged again. She picked up the fourth coffee mug and doctored it to her liking; over sugared with just a touch of milk. “I think that wouldn’t have happened, no matter how much they drank if there weren’t already feelings. Not those joking ones, either.” She said casually, sipping at her coffee as her free hand reached for a piece of that bacon she’d asked for. “I think Ryder’s family is going to want answers but Allela’s are going to want more. They’re...super Catholic.” She admitted, wondering if Grayson knew that. She only found out by chance but she knew they were the kind of parents that expected their children in for the long haul. “Want to check out Atlantic City in the daylight after this?” She asked, deciding that one of them had to not be a complete idiot and do something to leave them alone. But she was starving and selfish enough to want to wait until she had to be rolled out of the suite first. “We could grab a cup of decent coffee. For a nice hotel, it’s shit.” She muttered, adding even more sugar to the steaming mug.

Tag || Alley-cat, Gray, Ryder!
Words || 400
Clothes || Sweet Dreams Are Made of These!
Music || Maybe ---One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela hadn't given too much thought to whether or not she'd get married someday. She knew she had issues to overcome before then and so had never really dwelt on the matter since doing so usually led to some mini panic attack of sorts. Now there was a ring on her finger and signed papers in the other room that told her she'd gone ahead without any fuss. And then of course there was Ryder. Only twelve hours earlier she had been telling him about how he needed to get out of his moping habits and come back to the world of the living. She knew how upset and confused with life he had been after Aimee and now she couldn't even start to think about the things to say to remedy what had happened. Allela felt awful about it, but now wasn't the time to talk all of this through. “Right...and then we have to face the music.” She mumbled, nodding her head slowly. Sometimes Allela didn't know what she would do without Ryder and this was one of those times when he said just the right thing to settle her nerves. Even if they were only settled temporarily.

When they got back to New York things would be different. They'd have to deal with telling people, making choices they never thought they'd have to make together and both try not to freak out. Allela knew that last thing would be most difficult when it came time to Skype her family. With six siblings and her parents there was no way of gauging what their reactions would be. Her family had never met Ryder in person, but they had seen him on calls and heard stories. Her dad thought him a good influence on his wild, pink haired daughter. It was mainly the Catholic opinions she feared, and they would most come from her mother who had been raised in a very strict religious home. She might have been laidback when it came to pushing religion on to her children, but Allela knew that to be her father's input. It didn't make her easy going about everything and she was the one they all feared finding out about parties when they were teenagers. Allela had no idea in the slightest about how she would take this news. “Like I have a couple of decades to spare.” Allea chuckled, saying her words into the duvet she pulled up to her chin.

Grayson got a glare from her, and not a hungover one but one of Allela's trademark “I'll kill you” glares. She wanted them out of the room now before either of them said something to make matters worse. The bathroom was only a temporary sanctuary and now that she was in comfier clothes she was feeling a lot more like herself. When Ryder pulled her close into that hug, Allela felt herself calming down even more. No matter what happened he was still the same guy she called her best friend. She'd just have to get used to calling him husband now. While she was usually the first to push him away whenever he hugged her and make some teasing remark about him being a softie, today Allela just went with it, hugging him back. For a moment she wished that this would solve everything, but at least it solved one thing; they weren't awkwardly hovering near each other wondering if it was okay to touch. “There better be sausages and toast out there.” Taking his hand she let him pull her from the bathroom. After loading her plate up with food and pouring more coffee, Allela bit into the first piece of toast and then looked at Rhi and Grayson. “Are you planning on spending all day in here? Go on, get. I don't know about him but I'm going back to sleep!” She knew she wouldn't sleep while there were questions flying around her head, but the peace and quiet to think might be exactly what she needed with Ryder now. Plus, she could without one of them putting their foot in it and saying something else about annulments or grandchildren or whatever else kind of hell they could imagine unleashing.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 758!
OUTFIT! Final Fantasy Fierce!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

“By then, we’ll have something figured out.” Ryder was trying to see the silver lining in all of this. But it was damn near impossible to think at all with the throbbing at his temples. He was making it work. Working through headaches was something he did often enough but those were usually from sitting in front of his laptop for too long and not a couple dozen past his limit. When they got back to New York, it would be a change for sure. But Ryder thought, as long as they talked about it, things wouldn’t get too out of hand. But first, they needed the other two to get lost for a while. He thought they would have a bit of trouble on their hands with them going. Ryder wasn’t going to give up though. They needed to be able to sit down and talk everything through without there being a chance of an interruption. And with the way his head felt and Allela looked, getting either of them past the doors of the suite wasn’t going to happen before the sun went down again.

Ryder refused to make this even more awkward than it was. He was the same person before they’d gotten themselves drunk and married. Allela was the same girl, albeit a little on the panicky side. They would figure this out, and the first part he’d like to get out of the way is the explanation for the “I can’t” that Allela barely whispered. He knew her family was very Catholic but not excessively religious so those words sort of threw him for a loop. “I’m sure Gray thought ahead.” Ryder said, grinning. If the blonde man didn’t, someone would be making another phone call down to the kitchen. And it sure as hell wouldn’t be him. Grayson would have made the mistake, he could fix. Though, by the look of Allela’s plate, things were fine and there was exactly what she wanted on the trolley. Ryder grabbed a plate and filled it with what he wanted and turned to take up some space on the corner of the bed, crossing his legs like he was back in preschool. “Just as soon as this plate is empty along with that mug twice, want to pass that to me?” He asked as he gestured to the mug he’d left on the bedside table, untouched while he helped Allela to the washroom. He didn't actually think he would be getting any sleep any time soon but at least he could pretend.

Tag || Allela, Gray and Rhi
Words || 425
Clothes || One, Two
Music || Maybe --- One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[grayson clarke harris]

Grayson shook his head and sighed. While he liked girls and flirted with enough of them, he would never understand them. There wasn't a single part of him that envied Ryder right now. The new couple might not have known what they were going to do, but he would rather be on this side of the conversation than theirs. The thought of being with someone for the rest of his live was enough to send a shiver of panic down his spine. At least if he lived his life this way, single, he had a better chance of making it through the day without small brunettes shouting at him about their morning coffee. He just wanted to be back in bed, but he was awake now and Gray never found it easy to drift back off once his mind kicked into gear.

Listening to Rhi while he finished off his crepe and moved on to some of the fresh fruit, Grayson sighed. He still didn't believe this had actually happened. He couldn't even begin to fathom how the pair of them ultimately decided that this was a good idea; even if they were drunk! “They're close, I'll give them that, but that close? I don't know." They had joked about it before and laughed at the idea of the pair, but Grayson hadn't seen either of them move out of that friendship, not even in some simple little gesture. He didn't know what that meant for them, but he wished he could see this from Rhiannon's point of view. Instead all he could think about was the potential trouble the pair could run into if they tried to make something out of this and found their was nothing there. He also knew about Allela's family and it would be a conversation he definitely would not like to be around for. “At least they have each other.” He mumbled, hoping that it wouldn't be a worst case scenario but then he could only ever picture his own disapproving parents if he had broken this news to them. And they were just rich and with status, not religion. “Sounds like a plan.” He said around a mouthful of bacon. “Those two probably need some time to work this out anyway.” Plus, with the state the pair were in he doubted they'd be up for an adventure around Atlantic City today. Not unless it came with copious amounts of coffee and very good sunglasses. “We could track down a wedding gift for the happy couple.” He joked lightly.

When the bathroom door opened and the two emerged, Gray noticed that they didn't seem as spooked as when he had first come into the room to demand answers. He could only assume that was a good thing and he could take a hint as well as the next person. If either of them successfully managed to sleep after their discovery this morning then he would be amazed. “Yeah, yeah, we're going.” He said, passing Ryder the mug he requested. “Just let me grab more food.” Gray loaded his plate up and then turned towards the door before realising that he was still only wearing his boxers. “And some clothes. Don't want the people of Atlantic City swooning any more than they already will.” He said, crossing to what had been his bed and grabbing some clean clothes from the drawers there. “We'll see you whenever you appear.” He didn't think disturbing them would be the best move after this. They'd come out before the day was through, but they needed their time and any idiot could see that.

• • •

TAGGED! Rhi, Ry, Alley-Cat ! <3
WORDS! 665!
OUTFIT! Violent Voorhies!
LYRICS! Crush'd - - - Say Anything
NOTES! <3

[Rhiannon Kaelyn Webb]

Wanting desperately to see the brighter side of things, Rhi was refusing to allow herself to think about all the things that were wrong with this entire scene. Someone in the suite had to be happy for them and it was obvious Grayson was going to be the blunt one and the pair of them was still in understandable shock that she felt like it had to be her to see the silver lining. She saw the world that way in the first place so why shouldn’t it be her? Rhi knew they should probably figure out how to annul the marriage and go back to things they were but she actually hoped they didn’t. It might have been a drunken mistake but it was still one of the best stories she had ever heard. Though she would hardly be mentioning that with the group she was with; two in shock, one such a giant ass that saying as much would have her getting looks and getting snarky, sarcastic remarks in return. “Obviously there was something there.” She said with a shrug, taking a bite out of the bacon slice in her hand.

As happy as Rhiannon was for the pair of them, she absolutely did not want to be in their shoes at the moment. She was only nineteen; still a baby as far as just about everyone was concerned. The most serious thing she was legally able to do was vote! And she was the farthest thing from political that a person could get. She was lucky she could tell you who was running the country at the moment! Marriage and babies were topics that could wait until she was at least twenty-five. Weddings and babies at a young age were for some people but Rhi just wasn’t that girl; especially since the only way she met people was because the ones she did know dragged her out into the light of day. She would hardly be the best date or live-in girlfriend. Whoever the poor idiot was who did take up with her would have to do quite a bit of work just to get her attention away from her work! “There is that.” Rhi agreed, sipping from her coffee cup and wanting to make a face at it. The comic book illustrator shook her head. She should have known they wouldn’t be able to get far from the jokes. “Yes. Better coffee than what they’re about to drink and maybe a gravy boat.” She said with a sigh because as much as she didn’t want to rock the boat, it was an amusing little joke. It might not get a laugh but she wasn’t a comedian and didn’t care.

Rhi packed a plate for herself full of the greasy food she’d demanded and added a bit of fruit for good measure just so she could go home and tell her parents she hadn’t gone on some terrible binge and didn’t eat healthy. It wouldn’t count towards shit but at least then she wouldn’t be lying to her mother when she called. “As interesting a birthday gift as this has been, it’s not worth dealing with that ego sauntering around Atlantic City.” She muttered, not even caring if they heard her or not. “Text me if you need anything!” She called almost as an afterthought as she turned on her heel and sauntered across the suite to her own room and curled her feet up under her as she got comfortable on her bed so she could finish her breakfast. Give her five minutes and the plate would be empty. She didn’t look like much but Rhi’s nickname may as well have been Hoover with the way she inhaled her food and always seemed to be hungry. For a girl who sat around most days and did nothing but work, she had a stupidly high metabolism and never gained much weight if any at all.

Tag || Alley-cat, Gray, Ryder!
Words || 658
Clothes || Sweet Dreams Are Made of These!
Music || Maybe ---One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

There was a lot to talk about and work through now. Allela had questions upon questions and she could only assume that Ryder would be the same. It didn't take a genius to figure out that most of their day would be spent talking this through, trying to piece any memories together, and figuring out what happened next. It wasn't like this had been some drunken mistake that they could pretend had never happened. Even with an annulment it would be something they'd at least remember for the rest of their days. Once Gray and Rhi had left the room, Allela got up to make sure the doors were closed and then locked. She figured they'd get into some trouble and want to tell them all about it, but she could do without one of them bursting into the room like Rhiannon had this morning. “I don't think I could sleep if I tried.” She admitted to Ryder, returning to her plate and using the fork to scoop up some of the scrambled eggs on the side. “I could just do without Gray puttin' his foot in it or Rhi bouncing about something else.” She finished, leaning back so she could reach her mug of coffee. She loved her friends, but like with most friends there were times when she was sure she could happily kill them.

Alone now, she figured they'd soon start talking through the thoughts they had both kept to themselves while company was around. Allela just didn't know where to begin. She glanced back through the photos on her phone, thinking that maybe something might trigger now that she was starting to feel a little more human and a little less like she was about to have a panic attack at the side of the bed. Nothing was jumping out at her though and she ended up just staring blankly at the final image from the night, still barely able to believe that it was really her and Ryder in the picture. Her eldest brother, Owen, had once called her the Queen of Screw Ups, but she had a feeling that even he wouldn't have expected anything like this from his baby sister. Tossing her phone down on the bed beside her she turned her attention to the man who was now her husband. “I have no idea where to start.” She said with a harsh laugh, tucking her hair behind her ears and reaching back down for some more bacon.

At least with Ryder she felt safe. If it had been any of the other guys in her life who she had woken up next to, wearing a ring, Allela felt like she could guarantee a full scale meltdown. It was one good thing she could pull from all of this. Allela refilled her coffee mug and then settled back on the bed, legs crossed and elbows resting on her ankles as she leaned forward. There was no doubt that she'd continue to pick at the food while it was still around, but for now she was done. She didn't want to eat so much that she ended up back on the bathroom floor again; she was still feeling rather delicate. “So...while we both have no clue how this happened, any clue on where we go from here?” She asked her question quietly. Allela wasn't expected Ryder to have all the answers, but in all of the time that they had been close there hadn't been anything they couldn't figure out together. Usually bouncing ideas off each other was how they found success and Allela hoped that it might be the same now, although she also wouldn't be surprised if they both sat blinking at each other for the rest of the morning either.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 690!
OUTFIT! Final Fantasy Fierce!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder thought there was no way either of them would be sleeping until they asked all their questions and got acceptable answers. Well, there might be a few answers that wouldn’t exactly be acceptable but they would be all they had. And that would just have to do because they didn’t have any other options. Ryder sat quietly, working his way through his plate until Rhi and Gray left and Allela got up and locked the door. It was good to see that she was up without help so that was one less problem they had to deal with. “Neither could I.” He agreed. There was no way he thought he would get any sleep until everything was sorted out. And he was thinking about never drinking again. But then there wasn’t much else that could possibly happen; he’d already drunkenly married his best friend so doing that again was out.

Ryder understood that their friends meant well. Grayson stepping up to be the voice of reason while Rhi was just happy for them. But neither of them was helping to put the puzzle pieces together again and that meant they were completely useless in this case. He had let out a sigh of relief when that door was shut and locked but he had no idea what to say, where to start and his phone was as clueless as he was. He grabbed his phone as well, searching through it again, hoping he missed something and it would all make sense. But aside from that unsent message, his phone held no secrets. “I don’t either.” He said with a shake of his head. He really didn’t know where they should begin. He almost felt like he should say something but he had nothing but giant questions marks bouncing around in his head. So instead, he shovelled more food into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to talk.

Sipping at the coffee in his mug, Ryder kept looking over at Allela to see if she would breakdown again or not. She seemed a hell of a lot calmer than before which was a definite step up. He didn’t know how he would get her calm again if she went into full blown hysterics. “I don’t have a freaking clue.” He said honestly after swallowing the coffee he’d had in his mouth. “But I think we should talk about the “I can’t” you whispered. Siblings or parents?” He asked, knowing it would have to be one of them that would freak out. He would have put money on her parents but he couldn’t say for sure.

Tag || Allela, Gray and Rhi
Words || 435
Clothes || One, Two
Music || Maybe --- One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

There had been plenty of times when Allela had found herself swearing to never drink so much again. Usually it was because of a hangover or a bruise that hurt whenever she moved, but this time she had really outdone herself and was more shocked than she ever expected to be. A small voice kept suggesting that she swear off alcohol completely after last night's events, but Allela knew it would never happen. Plus, she doubted she could trump this with anything else. There weren't many things in the world that were more life changing than getting married and Allela knew that without Grayson or Rhi being around to say something to remind the pair about that. If they had stayed Allela would have only snapped at them and then who knew what would bring her out of a sour mood. Usually she relied on her drum kit for that, but she hadn't exactly hauled it to Atlantic City for the weekend.

Both in the same boat now, Allela knew they had to start somewhere. If that meant they had to be blunt and to the point then so be it. It wasn't like they could dance around the issues marriage put in front of them for long; they'd have to confront them sooner or later. Allela's mentality was that sooner would be better and it would hopefully spare them the awkwardness that would remain if they kept quiet and didn't confront each other. She knew that Ryder would ask that question at some point, but part of her wished that he hadn't opened with it. Sighing, she pushed her plate further away and rested her mug on the bedside table. Pulling her knees up to her chest she rested her chin on them and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Both maybe? Me? I don't know. I just know that I'm already the one who screws up the most in the family and while they only ever joke about it there has to be a line, right?” She had been the only child to be expelled from school, she was the one who got into more fights and trouble than her siblings...it was a recurring pattern and while they were often light hearted about it now, Allela knew that eventually something would happen and they wouldn't find it so funny any more. She couldn't help but think that this might be it. “Plus, as shocking as it might sound, I always imagined getting married would be a one time thing, y'know?” Dating, love and anything relating to that was something Allela tread carefully around, so she always envisioned that by the time she let her guard down for anything to happen it would be the real thing. “But I'm not the only one in this. Gray was right for once and an annulment is a smart idea, so if it's what you think's best then I'll go through with it.” Allela wasn't about to force her best friend into something just because she was worried about her parents. It wouldn't be what she hoped for in her life, but she was a tough girl and she was sure she could handle any backlash. Plus, it was for Ryder. If there was anyone in the world she would do anything for it was him.

Allela downed the rest of her coffee just so she wouldn't say anything else. This whole thing would take time to process even as they tried to work through everything bit by bit. She had just dumped a lot of information on Ryder and she didn't want to go into overdrive on the poor man. However the questions were still building and Allela wasn't sure how long she could keep them all to herself. “What about you? What's Nikki and your parents going to say if they find out?” If Ryder did want this marriage annulled then there was no reason for them to know at all, but Allela was still curious by what they would think. A few short months ago Ryder thought he had already met the girl he'd spend the rest of his life with, they knew that, and it wasn't the pink haired Scot who was now his wife.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 715!
OUTFIT! Final Fantasy Fierce!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder wasn't usually the one to get in trouble. Even growing up, he wasn't a bad kid. He did as he was told. Like any child, he made mistakes, got scolded and learned his lesson after one, maybe two times of getting yelled at. and though he was saying this was some sort of drunken mistake, he didn't know if he believed his words. This wasn't the worst thing in the world that could have happened. One or even both of them could have ended up dead. And as far as Ryder was concerned, he would take matching wedding bands over a toe tag any day of the week. He still didn't think he should ever pick up a bottle of anything ever again but he knew that wouldn't happen either. Depending on what they did, they were going to need a bottle or two just to get through that conversation. Ryder had been under the same impression as Allela though, that marriage would be a one time thing for him. He hadn't planned on settling down to start a life with someone he cared about just to turn around and say things weren't working anymore. They always say hindsight is twenty-twenty. And now he was wondering if things hadn't worked out in the first place, not because he saw how truly ridiculous things were but because he'd already had that person in his life. But he wasn't ready to travel down that path just yet.

He had always thought it was best to get the tough questions out of the way before the easier things. The easier things would go by faster but they were usually less awkward as well, and that meant leaving all the unpleasant things for last. And Ryder would much rather put all the awkward talks out of the way first and then deal with dinner arrangements or something else equally trivial. He was done with the trolley of food for the time being and set his nearly empty plate on the floor so he could turn and face Allela without worrying that he might spill the last contents of his plate all over the bed. And after gulping down the last bit of his coffee, let set it next to the plate to be forgotten until they talked it all through. He kept quiet and just let Allela get everything she needed off her chest out. He knew she hadn't begun to really get all those questions out but it was a start. When he was certain she'd stopped for the time being, he took a minute to think about it all. There was so much to process and hardly any time at all to do so but he had always been good on his feet.

What would his parents and sister think? He hadn't put much thought into what they were going to say that he honestly didn't know what they would do. They all loved Allela, enjoyed having her over on Sunday's when she wasn't busy and she and Nikki got along wonderfully. Bringing Allela over to meet his parents had been one the of best ideas he'd ever had. They were always joking around whenever she was there, and laughing and she got along so well with them that he didn't think they'd say much of anything. They'd be shocked, understandably but they probably wouldn't put up too much of a fuss. If anything, they'd probably be more displeased if they annulled this marriage and found out about it accidentally. They'd expect better than that from their son. Marriage may not have been a really big, super serious thing for his parents, both being pretty easy going but even that would make them made; they had raised him better than to sweep his mistakes under the rug and that would be exactly what they'd think he was doing. "Maybe it's not a mistake." He said slowly, not so much choosing his words carefully but trying to get his thoughts in order. "I mean, yeah, maybe it's all started out a bit of one. We were drunk, things were, are hazy but it doesn't have to stay a mistake, does it?" He asked, looking over at Allela with his question in his eyes. "What if we tried it out? Think about it." He said, holding his hands out to stop anything Allela might say. "We already know each other better than we could hope someone else will. And we've known each other long enough to get the quirks, understand the mood swings and attitudes. We already know what makes the other cheer up and bring the temper, on your part, down." He teased with a small smirk. "So what if we stayed like this? Stayed married?"

Tag || Allela, Gray and Rhi
Words || 794
Clothes || One, Two
Music || Maybe --- One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

They often joked that in a family of seven children there was always going to be one wild one. All of Allela's siblings got into some form of trouble over the years, but some made more of a habit of it than others. Sometimes her brothers covered for her mistakes while her sisters would snitch to their parents. It was a chaotic childhood and turbulent teenage years, but then most of the houses and families in Glasgow boasted the same problems and solutions. Allela's parents while strict when their children overstepped boundaries but gave them room to make mistakes and learn in the first place. Now they couldn't really fault their kids who were not so little anymore and off chasing dreams, raising families of their own. Allela had never really bothered them with any problems from New York.

Allela didn't know what to expect from Ryder by way of his reaction. She knew him well enough that she liked to think she could guess his reaction for most things, but this was something entirely different. She never imagined that either of them would be in this situation with each other or with anyone else. It was impossible to predict and the only thing she knew so far was that their conversation about everything probably wasn't going to be volatile or explosive. Ryder knew how to calm her down if she got close to losing her cool and Allela would try her best not to let it get that far or say something that could be interpreted the wrong way. With all of her words said for now, she just pulled and twisted at the duvet she had her legs and feet tucked under. Allela always needed to keep her hands busy even when she was feeling calm, so when her nerves played up so did her fidgeting. At first his words confused her and Allela didn't have the faintest clue what he was trying to say, but the moment everything clicked into place her eyes were as wide as saucers. She wanted to interrupt him, but she let him finish first. Blinking at him, Allela was sure she did an excellent goldfish impression for a very long moment. “So you want us to make this work?” She gestured between herself and him and then returned to the blinking for another lengthy pause. “That's about as crazy as us getting married in the first place. You know that, right?” She asked, wanting to make sure that Ryder did know what he was saying and wasn't just still drunk from the night before.

Pushing herself to her feet, Allela began to slowly pace the room. She didn't risk moving too fast in case her stomach disagreed with the motion, but she knew she couldn't sit still while thinking all of this through. Ryder had made some very strong points in his mini speech and they were things Allela had to agree with. She may not have been a girl who went looking for romance, but she knew that when it found her it would have to be with someone who accepted how close she was to Ryder. He was her number one for just about everything and he did know her better than anyone else; she might go as far to say even better than her own family. If anyone in New York City could handle Allela it was Ryder, she knew that. However, the strong arguments came with fatal flaws too. “Say we did. What happens in the city? We tell our friends and families, we change all the necessary bits and then what? Do we date, do we live together? Ryder, I'm not wife material and we're not in love! What if you met someone in a year and fell head over heels for them?” Allela had more questions and her heart was beating out of her chest. She had no idea what they were exactly talking about here when it came to the details and thinking this was a good idea was scaring her a little. Her heart was saying it was better than annulling the marriage, but the girl who was terrified of a first date with anyone was finding the whole concept terrifying. “Tell me what you're thinking, Ry. Tell me how you think this will work and what this means and then maybe I'm in.” She wasn't ruling it out, but Allela was scared of this going wrong and losing Ryder. Losing him would be the ultimate thing she wouldn't be able to handle.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 820!
OUTFIT! Final Fantasy Fierce!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder hadn't been ready to start dating again. He didn't know when that day would come, if it would. He had been pretty damn heartbroken when things fell apart with Aimee and meeting other girls, flirting and doing all that single guy stuff didn't hold much appeal for him anymore. It hadn't held much before he'd met Aimee and Allela could attest to that. He'd flirted here and there but he'd only ever made a short lived relationship with one other girl and that was when he was seventeen and thought he knew what he was doing. That "relationship" had only lasted a month at best before he had to call it quits. He didn't like clingy girls, or ones who needed to know where he was at every minute of everyday. He was a very independent person, didn't like relying on other people too much and much preferred doing his own thing. "I'm saying, why not?" He said, not so much correcting her but himself. He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm aware." He said, nodding his head. It was an insane idea, completely ludicrous. But it was an idea, one that didn't end up with an annulment in their past and a broken friendship. Because in all honesty, Ryder didn't know if they'd be able to stay friends after all that happened to them. And he would hate life without Allela in it. She brought the fun and amusement; the sarcasm and the torment of a close friend.

No matter what they decided on, they had little time to figure it out. And Allela meant a lot to Ryder. He went to her with just about everything unless it was something for her; then he ran to his sister for help. They were friends as well and though they weren't as close as he was, there was enough of a friendship there that Ryder could rely on Nikki's words being as close to the truth as she knew. This was a whole new situation for the pair of them though. He had know idea what the proper ground was with this. Ryder got there were plenty of holes in his idea. Too many flaws to count, probably. But it didn't stop him from thinking about it. "That isn't going to happen." He said under his breath. He hadn't been ready to get back into the dating pool when he agreed to this weekend, and despite this entire marriage being accidental, he still considered it what it was; a marriage. Allela might have thought he was stuck with her but it was a two way street and she was stuck with him, too. They may not have been a couple, or ever thought of each other that way but Ryder was raised to respect marriage. Until now, he'd never considered marrying Allela. They were friends but it had always been platonic but unless they did get their marriage annulled, he would be faithful to his crazy, pink haired Scottish wife.

Getting dizzy watching Allela pace, Ryder stood up and put his hands on her arms lightly, forcing her to stop and look at him. "Look, Alley-Cat, neither of us were looking to do this more than once. And it looks like our drunk selves thought it would be the perfect idea. God knows why but we did. Neither one of us is wife or husband material but with each other, we wouldn't have to be. We already like who the other is as they are so there's no having to try to impress anyone, change anything for the other, pretend like we love the little things when they actually drive us crazy. We're already brutally honest with each other. And okay, so neither of us thought we'd be saying "I do" to the other, and okay, we're not "in love" but we do love each other. You can't tell me we're this close and there's not some level of affection there." Ryder said, lightly rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "And we can do whatever you want. If you want to keep your apartment, you can. If you want to move in with me, we'll throw a packing party. Want to date, I'll take you out to dinner and a movie. We don't even have to tell anyone right away. We can ask Gray and Rhi to keep quiet. We can take all the time we need to figure this out, how, if or when you want to tell anyone. I don't know what else I can say, but I know I can't lose you and I feel like if this doesn't work out, I will." He pulled his best friend into a hug. "I'm willing to try, Allela." He said, pulling away just far enough to look into Allela's eyes. "The questions is, are you?"

Tag || Allela, Gray and Rhi
Words || 808
Clothes || One, Two
Music || Maybe --- One More Girl
Notes || <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela hadn't dated at all since leaving Glasgow. Her trust issues were too intense for anyone to even get remotely close without her pushing them away again. Two failed relationships that were both short lived may not seem like a lot to some people, but Allela had been a teenager and was foolish enough to give her heart to both of them only to find it trampled on both times. It was hard to think that things could get better and after the last time she had been certain that it would take the most remarkable person to break through and fix the damage. She hadn't been looking for that though. Allela had been content to live her life, follow her heart and see the world. Even now she was chasing dreams from the moment she woke until the moment she fell back onto that too soft pillow. She was too boisterous and stubborn for the kinds of relationships she heard people giggling about in the corridors, or the kind that were dramatised in those movies Ryder loved so much. It wasn't that Allela was unromantic, it was that she was scared of falling for anyone again. However, not being one for facing her fears or talking them through, she just acted and came across like she hated the very concept of happily ever after and fairy tales. “This is insane. You're insane.” She pushed her hair back from her face and sighed. Right now she didn't know if insanity was just what they needed to find some answers.

Allela was impatient and it was a trait that probably wouldn't help them right now. While they couldn't exactly run from this for long, she wanted answers right now while they were locked in the bedroom and undisturbed. They might have been battling through the worst hangovers all morning and still coping with the shock of waking up married, but she didn't care about those factors anymore. She just wanted to know what came next and how all of this worked. It might not have been easy or fair, but she wouldn't be able to move on or get back into the mood for this trip until she at least felt as though she had some sense of direction. She missed his mumbled words as thoughts of her own raced through her head. She didn't want to go through with this and then ten years down the line have Ryder resent her because this marriage had cost him “the one”. Allela didn't think that would happen to her since she couldn't see anything about her issues changing. It would sound ridiculous to anyone if she told them that she thought she'd still be terrified of dating and intimacy in ten years, but that was exactly why she didn't tell people. Ryder was the exception who knew, but even with him she never spoke about it at length or voiced her every opinion on the matter.

She would have probably worn a hole in the carpet if Ryder hadn't stopped her from pacing when he did. She looked up at him, blinking, listening and trying to calm her racing heart down. She was starting to panic again, but this time for reasons beyond the accidental marriage. Allela could only hope Ryder would say something to relax her; and he did. A smirk crossed her lips and she tilted her head to the side slightly. “I've told you you watch too many rom-coms, right?” She teased, unable to resist making the joke despite the serious nature of this moment and of their conversation as a whole. One again Ryder was making valid points Allela couldn't argue with. They got along fantastically and despite how often they saw it other with work, school and band practice, Allela never tired of hanging out with him. If there was anyone out there who she could put up with, it was Ryder. Shaking her head, she began to tick off the things she knew for certain right now. “There's only so long we could keep quiet for. I mean, these are a bit of a giveaway.” She grabbed his hand and looked at the wedding band snug on his finger. “Plus, if we do this then we do this properly. I'll end up punching whoever asks the damn questions otherwise. I don't know what I want, but I know that making this work is going to be ridiculous if we live twenty minutes apart.” Allela was talking loud enough for Ryder to hear, but in all honesty she was just voicing her thoughts so she could get them out of her cluttered mind. "I don't have clothes for dinner.” Irrelevant, but she was working through a list and everything was coming out of her mouth so that she didn't go insane within the next five minutes. "And you're an idiot if you think for a second that I'm going anywhere." Falling silent, staying still, Allela stared blankly at Ryder for about ten seconds before casting her gaze up to meet his. “I cannae believe I'm saying this...but what the hell. Let's do this.” She let out a nervous laugh and bit her lip, butterflies whirling around in her stomach as the realisation of their decision began to settle over her.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder, Rhi & Gray! <3
WORDS! 883!
OUTFIT! Hungover Honey!
LYRICS! I Can't Do The One-Two Step - - - All Time Low
NOTES!