I Woke up in Bed with the Person I Would Most Hate to Be With – Story of the Day

Abby wakes up on the morning of her best friend's wedding with a hangover and discovers her friend and secret crush, John, in bed with her. As if being charmed into bed by a playboy isn't bad enough, John's mother walks in and delivers catastrophic news: the groom has gone missing, and it's up to John and Abby to find him.

Sunlight speared through the curtains and stabbed at Abby's eyes. She groaned as her head pounded with the aftermath of drinking too much at last night's party. Tangled in the sheet like a drowning fly, her hand brushed against something unexpected—warm skin.

Panic jolted Abby to full alertness, the world a blurry kaleidoscope until it settled on the alarming sight of John lying in bed beside her. A satisfied smirk tugged at his lips as they made eye contact.

"What the hell?" she croaked, the words sandpaper against her dry throat. "What are you doing in my hotel room?" She felt a blush rise up her cheeks as her gaze slid over his bare chest, traveling lower and lower until she reached a startling conclusion.

"You're naked," Abby breathed.

"And you were enjoying the view," John replied.

"Was not." Abby clutched the bedclothes to her chest. "And stop avoiding the question! Why are you in my hotel room, in my bed?"

"Actually, you're in my bed," John replied. "You don't remember? The party? That part where you insisted on teaching me the Gangnam Style, tequila shots in hand?"

Abby swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Gangnam Style? She wouldn't be caught dead doing that, even on pain of losing a toenail. This was a joke, a cruel, hungover nightmare.

"No..." Abby groaned. "You aren't telling me that after the party last night, you and I…"

"All night long." John grinned. "It was the most amazing night of my life… you really don't remember any of it?"

Abby struggled to sit, still clutching the bedclothes to her chest. She and John… just the thought of it made her heart pound. She licked her lips as she glanced sideways, drinking in the sight of his bare chest and toned arms once more. But then she remembered why she'd spent so long resisting the temptation to take things further with John.

Abby shook her head. "I was drunk. Why would you bring me to your bed? God, John, I told you there could never be anything romantic between us!"

"Because you said it would ruin our friendship," John replied. "That wasn't what you told me when you kissed me last night, but maybe a ruined friendship is worth it to gain something more."

Abby bit her lip. Carefully buried under layers of disdain, her secret crush on John felt like a gaping wound now, exposed and throbbing. But she couldn't ignore all his past flings, the endless parade of beautiful women he treated like disposable party favors.

"Abby?" John tenderly placed his hand on Abby's shoulder. "Say something, please."

"It was never about our friendship, John." Unshed tears stung Abby's eyes. "It was about me not wanting to be just another notch on your bedpost, but I guess it's too late to worry about that now, right?"

A flicker of hurt crossed John's face, the first genuine emotion she'd seen from him all morning. "It wasn't like that, Abby. Come on, you know me better than that. And we'd never have ended up here, drunk or not, unless you wanted it, too."

Abby collapsed back against the pillows and rubbed at her pounding temples. "Get out, John."

"You're kicking me out of my own room?" John asked, disbelief echoing in his voice.

"Yes!" Abby snapped. "And I think that once we get through with Kitty and Colin's wedding today, we should never see each other again."

John inhaled sharply. Abby glanced at him and was surprised by the pained look on his face. But it only lasted a second before his jaw clenched and his eyes turned flinty. He nodded, then threw back the bedcovers.

A strange rush of emotions flooded Abby as she watched John, naked as the day he was born, rise from the bed and start dressing. She quickly shielded her eyes with one hand. Then she peeked at him through her fingers…God, what was she doing?

But the doorknob rattled before she could explore her unsettling curiosity about John's lithe, toned body. And then, the world truly tilted off its axis.

Mrs. Harrington, John's stylish and exacting mother, stood in the doorway, her face a thundercloud. Her steely gaze swept over the rumpled sheets and John's bare chest and finally landed on Abby, who was still lying in bed.

The atmosphere in the room crackled with tension as Mrs. Harrington's gaze, sharp as diamond splinters, bounced between Abby and John.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed, lip curling into a disapproving sneer. "Are you two sleeping together?"

"No!" Abby and John snapped simultaneously.

Mrs. Harrington pursed her lips and shook her head. "You two must think I was born yesterday. Never mind that now, we have a situation. Colin's gone missing."

The pronouncement hung heavy, a thunderclap in the hungover haze.

Abby's stomach lurched. "Missing? How can the groom be missing on his wedding day?"

"You tell me," Mrs. Harrington snapped at Abby before turning to John. "I told you kids it was a bad idea to have a wild party the night before the wedding, but what do I know, right? Now, this entire wedding is your fault, John, so you better get out there and find your brother!"

"And you." Mrs. Harrington turned her wrath on Abby next. "While you and my son were in bed, naked, and supposedly not sleeping together, I was comforting Kitty. She's been in tears all morning! Aren't you supposed to be the bridesmaid?"

A knot of guilt twisted in Abby's chest. She should be with Kitty, her best friend, not lying here wrestling with the wreckage of last night's mistake.

"I should go to Kitty." Abby sat up and scanned the floor for her clothes.

"No! The best thing you can do to help Kitty now is to go with John and find the groom! The wedding is in two and a half hours, so stop lying around and get moving!"

And with that, Mrs. Harrington turned on her heel and swept from the room. Abby glanced at John, and an awkward silence settled over them.

John plucked Abby's clothes from the floor and tossed them to her. "We'd better get going. The sooner we find Colin, the sooner we can never see each other again."

Abby frowned. Hearing him fling her own words back at her made them sound unnecessarily harsh, but there wasn't time to dwell on any of that right now.

"How are we supposed to find Colin?" Abby asked as she awkwardly slipped her clothes on under the sheets.

John sighed and pointedly turned his back on her as he buttoned up his shirt. "Don't worry, Abby. We'll figure it out. Right now, we need to start at the last place I saw him. The bar. Meet me in the lobby when you're ready."

He strode toward the door. Abby stared at his retreating back, the knot in her gut tightening with each step. This wedding now felt like a ticking bomb.

The bar reeked of spilled dreams and desperation. Although it was midmorning, a Trivia quiz event was in full swing. Abby, eyes stinging, stayed close to John as he carved a path through the throng of people milling in the bar.

She paused briefly to rub at her temples, her headache still throbbing in her skull, and collided with a whirlwind in knee-high socks. The child yelled an apology as he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Abby struggling to regain her balance. She fell against John, his arms catching her at the elbow. Warmth bloomed against her back, a flicker of something familiar, something… pleasant.

A scene sliced through the fog of her headache. John, holding her in his arms like he was now, and the taste of tequila on his lips when she leaned in to kiss him. Her dress askew over her shoulders, and their giggles echoing through John's hotel room as they danced the Gangnam Style. The way they collapsed into each other's arms when their wild dancing caused their bodies to collide… Abby looked up into John's eyes. Could last night truly have been… fun?

John steadied her, a wry smile twisting his lips. "Think you need a coffee, Abs," he drawled, his voice tinged with amusement.

Her cheeks burned hot. "I need answers, not caffeine." She glared at him, trying to ignore the echo of warmth on her skin and the memory of sweet kisses trailing down her neck. "It's been bugging me… why did your mom say you're the reason Kitty and Colin are getting married."

John promptly turned away and started walking. "She doesn't get it," he said over his shoulder. "Colin's barely twenty-one, she thinks it's too soon for him to get married."

"So you disagree?"

His gaze met hers, the amusement gone, replaced by a quiet intensity. "I believe in love, Abby. True love. Not age restrictions or family disapproval." He paused, then added, almost under his breath, "Always have."

A prickle of curiosity ran down her spine. "Always?"

He shrugged, a fleeting vulnerability crossing his face. "I've been defending Colin since he could kick a football. Always felt it was my job, you know? Be his champion, even when he screwed up, but more importantly, to support him every time he found a dream worth fighting for. Like marrying Kitty, the woman of his dreams, at only twenty-one. I'm the one who convinced our parents to let him go through with it."

A flicker of understanding touched her. John was the older brother and had firmly adopted the role of protector and advocate. The weight of responsibility suddenly seemed visible, etched in the lines around his eyes.

"And that weighs on you, doesn't it?" she asked, a thread of empathy softening her voice.

He laughed, a sharp bark that cut through the bar's cacophony. "Maybe. To be honest, I'm a little envious of Colin. I've been looking for a woman to spend the rest of my life with, to start a family with, for a long time now."

John stared into her eyes, and her breath hitched. Was he talking about her? The thought was ridiculous, impossible. John, the charmer, the serial dater, wouldn't…

But then she remembered how they'd tottered down the hallway arm-in-arm, the warm security of his arms around her, the echo of a night that didn't feel like a betrayal of trust anymore but rather the start of… something. Perhaps, for once, John needed defending too. Defending from the expectations, the assumptions, the image he'd so carefully cultivated.

The emcee's voice boomed, announcing the final trivia round. Abby barely registered it. Her own world had shifted, tilting into a new, confusing, and strangely hopeful light. The search for Colin faded into the background, replaced by a burning question: Could you forgive a mistake if it turned out to be the beginning of something real?

With John at her side, navigating the buzzing bar, she wasn't sure where the answer lay. But for the first time, she knew where to start looking: within herself, in the flickering memory of a night that maybe, just maybe, held more than just tequila and regret.

The bar's din seemed to recede into a muffled hum as Abby stared at John. No. She was getting swept away by the attraction she'd kept under wraps for so long. It was hard not to since John's touching confession was like a scene out of one of her daydreams about him.

But she had to face the facts. There was no way this Casanova of countless conquests yearned for picket fences and bedtime stories. It was all just smooth talk, and she was playing right into his hands… his strong, very skilled hands. Abby bit her lip and brushed aside those tantalizing memories. John's true nature was more important right now, a bitter pill caught in her throat.

"Come on, John," she scoffed. "Don't play games with me. You, a family man? It'd be like seeing a flamingo in a penguin colony."

His smile evaporated, replaced by a flash of genuine hurt. "It's not a game, Abby. And I thought you knew that about me. I thought you knew how much I..." He hesitated, running a hand through his hair, the air crackling with an unspoken confession.

For a while now, what? She yearned to unravel his carefully constructed facade, to see if there really was more to the man than his charming mask. But her own anger, still raw from the night before, was a tangled barrier.

"You thought I knew how much you what?" she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. "Wanted to get me into bed? Well, that isn't an issue anymore after last night, is it?"

His eyes narrowed, wounded pride momentarily eclipsing the vulnerable flicker he'd shown. "Is that what you think of me, Abby? That I'm some guy who's only interested in flings and conquests?"

His question struck a chord, discordant and unexpected. Had she let her resentment paint John with such a one-dimensional brush?

"Maybe," she admitted, voice rough with the effort, "Maybe I have. You haven't exactly given me reason to think otherwise. You've dated a new girl almost every month since I met you."

They stood locked in a tense standoff, the air thick with unspoken accusations and tangled emotions. Finally, John sighed, a weary resignation settling over his features.

"You're right," he said, his voice low. "I can understand why you'd think I don't value commitment. But wanting a family, wanting something real… that's not a lie, Abby. It's not a game."

His words hung in the air. Abby stared at him, the familiar facade of cynicism crumbling at the edges. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was more to John than met the eye. And perhaps, just perhaps, she had misjudged him.

Before she could voice the questions swirling in her mind, John walked away. He navigated through the last of the crowd, separating them from the bar, and leaned against the smooth surface. Abby joined him just as he finished asking the bartender about Colin.

"Yeah, I remember you guys from last night." The bartender flicked a knowing glance at John and Abby. "I remember the young groom, too. I called him a taxi around three a.m. but he was gone by the time it got here."

The news of Colin's disappearance pushed John and Abby's personal battle aside. They exchanged a worried glance.

"What do you mean, 'gone?' He can't have just vanished," John snapped.

John and Abby emerged from the bar, blinking against the sudden brightness of the late morning sunlight. The time for the wedding was drawing closer and closer, and they still hadn't located the missing groom.

"He can't have gotten far, drunk as he was," John said.

Abby nodded. "We should search around the bar."

"I was just about to say the same thing," John replied. "He's probably passed out somewhere."

The search began awkwardly, a silent choreography of scanning faces and the doorways of nearby stores. Abby squinted into the sunlight, her headache pounding in rhythm with the hammering worry in her chest. Then John tapped her on the shoulder.

She glanced at him, and a chill traveled down her spine when she noted the tense, fearful look on his face. John nodded at the alley in front of them. Abbey stepped forward and peered into the shadows, her pulse quickening as she spotted a pair of legs sticking out from behind a dumpster. She grabbed John's hand and ran into the alley.

A groan, muffled and guttural, reached them as they approached the dumpster. John lurched towards the sound, a grim premonition etching lines on his face. Abby followed, her heart twisting in her throat.

There, crumpled like a discarded rag doll, lay Colin. The harsh morning light glinted off the empty beer bottle beside him, a grim testament to his night's journey.

"Colin?" John's voice rasped, a mix of relief and anger.

No response. Colin's chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm, the stench of stale beer a nauseating counterpoint.

Abby knelt beside him, her touch hesitant on his clammy arm. "Colin, wake up. It's almost time."

His eyelids fluttered open, glazed and unfocused. He mumbled something incoherent, words swallowed by the fog of intoxication.

Frustration bubbled up in Abby, hot and acidic. "This is… how could you do this, Colin?" she hissed, her voice barely a whisper. "The wedding…"

John placed a hand on her shoulder, a silent plea for restraint. "Let's get him back to my room," he said, his voice low and urgent. "We need to clean him up, sober him up. We can handle it."

Abby knew he was right. The clock was ticking, the countdown to disaster drawing closer. As they hoisted Colin to his feet, his body a dead weight between them, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over Abby. The night's hangover, the tangled emotions, and the weight of responsibility all felt like a leaden cloak dragging her down.

But the sight of John's grim determination, the worry etched on his face, fueled a spark of defiance. They were in this together, she and John, bound by a desperate hope for a happy ending.

With Colin slumped between them, they started their walk back to John's room. The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows on the street.

Back at the hotel, John and Abby wrestled Colin's limp form toward the elevator. The hotel lobby, once serene and welcoming, now felt like a stage bathed in harsh spotlights, every glance from the staff a silent accusation.

Then, they saw her. Kitty, red-eyed from crying, a frown pulling at her brows as she scanned the lobby, a stark contrast to the crumpled mess that was Colin.

"Oh God! We can't let her see Colin like this," Abby exclaimed.

"You go and distract her," John said. "I'll get Colin up to my room."

Abby nodded. She eased Colin's arm over her head, letting John take his brother's full weight, and rushed off to intercept Kitty.

"Kitty!" Abby rushed up to her best friend with open arms. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Well, what a coincidence because I've been looking for my bridesmaid since I realized my groom was missing!" Kitty retorted. "Where the heck have you been, Abby? I needed you!"

"I-I'm sorry, Kitty," Abby said. "I told Mrs. Harrington I should be with you, but… where is Mrs. Harrington?"

Kitty sniffed. "I gave her the slip. She kept telling me Colin would be here any minute, but what does it matter at this point? He's clearly decided not to go through with the wedding."

"No, that's not it, Kitty, I'm sure of it." Abby put her arm around Kitty's shoulders. "We really need to talk, sweetie. Come with me."

Alone with her friend, Abby found a quiet corner, the clatter of the lobby a muted murmur against the storm of emotions raging within her. She opened her mouth to speak, the words like pebbles caught in her throat, but she couldn't lie to her friend.

"Colin is here, Kitty. John and I found him passed out near the bar where we all were partying last night. We brought him back to the hotel, and John is getting him ready for the wedding as we speak."

Kitty frowned at her. "He was passed out near the bar? I told him not to follow your and John's bad example with the tequila shots." Kitty let out a relieved chuckle. "That dope! I'm never, ever going to let him live this down."

Abby let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you earlier, Kitty."

"Apology accepted, but where were you, Abby? I checked in your room, but it looked like you didn't even sleep there last night."

"I… oh, Kitty! I spent the night with John!" Abby hid her face in her hands. "I don't even remember most of it, but what I do recall… it was amazing."

"It's about time you two got together!" Kitty declared. "I always knew that you and John would make a great couple."

Abby's jaw dropped. "What? Why would you say that?"

Kitty shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, let's be honest, you two are both hopeless romantics, always waiting for your 'something real'." She paused, then added, almost conspiratorially, "John's not really a player, you know. He just hasn't been lucky in love."

Abby stared at her, her mind reeling. The image of John, the charismatic playboy, as a lovesick puppy waiting for his happily ever after? It was… inconceivable.

But then, she remembered his words in the bar, the whispered yearning for family, for something real. Could Kitty be right? Was there more to John than his endless string of girlfriends?

The gears in her head whirred, possibilities blossoming in the wake of this unexpected revelation. Perhaps this messy, chaotic day wasn't about broken promises and shattered expectations but about a new beginning, about two souls, bruised but hopeful, finding their way to a love they never knew they were waiting for.

"Well, I'll figure out what's going on between me and John later." Abby squeezed Kitty's hand. "Right now, I have to help John ensure your groom looks like a million bucks on his wedding day."

She left Kitty and jogged toward the elevator. John and Colin, the wedding, the truth about John's heart – it all swirled in her mind, a vortex of uncertainty and exhilarating possibility.

The sterile white bathroom echoed with the off-key warble of Colin's singing. Or at least, it was off-key until a startled yelp cut through the melody, followed by the hiss of the shower spray.

"Colin!" John's voice, sharp and laced with urgency, pierced through the steam curling into the hallway. "Get out of there, get some clothes on, we're in a time crunch!"

The bathroom door creaked open, revealing a bedraggled Colin, dripping like a forgotten laundry towel in his soaked clothes. His eyes, still sleep-glazed, flickered from John to Abby, then back to John.

"Colin," Abby tried, her voice gentle despite the tension knotting her stomach. "We found you. Can you… maybe take a real shower? Fast?"

The penny dropped, Colin's face morphing into a sheepish grin. "Oh yeah," he mumbled, scratching his chin like an unperturbed bear. "Right. Wedding. Almost forgot."

With a shrug that spoke volumes about his current mental state, he disappeared back into the steamy bathroom, the clatter of the faucet resuming its discordant serenade. Abby and John exchanged a look, a silent conversation etched in raised eyebrows and grim smiles.

They retreated to the sofa, the tense silence stretching between them like an over-inflated balloon. The air, thick with unspoken apologies and lingering resentment, threatened to suffocate them.

Abby broke the silence first, her voice barely a whisper. "John," she began, "about what I said at the bar…"

Her cheeks burned, the memory of her accusation a hot coal in her throat. It felt different now, bathed in the harsh light of truth and Kitty's unexpected revelation.

"What you said… It was hurtful," John admitted, his voice low, eyes locked on the rug. "Unfair even."

"I know that now," she replied. "I shouldn't have said those things."

He paused, his gaze meeting hers, "But you weren't entirely wrong. I haven't exactly made the best choices…"

A hesitant laugh escaped Abby, bubbling up from a well of self-awareness. "Yeah, well, neither have I."

Then, a shift, a subtle change in the unspoken words hanging between them. The anger and accusations faded, replaced by something new, something fragile and hopeful.

"I… I remember things now," Abby admitted. "About last night. With you."

John's breath hitched, his eyes widening. "You do?"

"Climbing the stairs, dancing in your room…" Abby looked into his eyes, "kissing you. Pushing you down onto the bed. I'm sorry I accused you of taking advantage of me."

"No, I'm sorry." He reached for her hand, his touch a whisper against her skin. "We were both so drunk and when you told me how you felt about me, how you really felt, I…"

"I told you all of that?" Abby asked.

John nodded, then he clenched his jaw and pulled his hand away. "And after all of that, I never expected to wake up beside you and immediately face a list of accusations and judgments on my character."

John's words were like an icy spear to Abby's heart. She wanted to kick herself for being so cruel to him, for saying such awful things.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you John, I—"

"It doesn't matter now." John averted his gaze, his eyes narrowed. "We're never going to see each other again after the wedding, right? So, let's just forget all about it."

"I guess I deserve that." Abby hugged herself. "I judged you without even trying to get to know you better. Maybe I should have said yes when you first asked me out."

John looked back at her, his eyes betraying the hope in his heart and something else, a darker emotion Abby couldn't interpret. She edged a little closer to him on the sofa and placed her hand over his.

But before Abby could say anything, Colin emerged from the bathroom. He stumbled over to the table, face pale and eyes heavy-lidded, a picture of wedding morning panic.

"The rings!" he announced, his voice high-pitched. "I can't find the rings!"

John cursed while Abby, ever the pragmatist, jumped into action.

"Maybe you left them at the bar?" she suggested, her gaze flicking to John. "We could go back and check."

John hesitated, then nodded, the disappointment in his eyes quickly masked by a determined glint.

"Let's go," he said, his hand brushing against hers. "Together."

An electric charge traveled up Abby's arm from the point where John had touched her, but there wasn't time now to make amends for being so cold to him or to explain that she was ready to give him her heart and risk everything.

Abby checked her watch as she followed John out of the hotel room once more. One hour and fifteen minutes. That was all the time they had to get Colin to the altar.

The bar was empty now, save for the last few stragglers who'd participated in the Trivia contest and the bartender. Abby and John dashed up to the bar.

"Are you still looking for your missing groom?" The bartender asked.

Abby shook her head. "We found him, but now—"

"We need to know if he left the wedding rings here," John finished.

The bartender let out a low whistle and shook his head. "There aren't any wedding rings in the Lost and Found, but I also haven't had an opportunity to clean thoroughly yet, so they might be around here somewhere."

Abby and John stared at each other. A silent understanding passed between them, and they sprung into action. They scoured the booths, their eyes scanning chipped leather and dusty corners. John knelt behind the bar, peering under the sticky counter.

Abby searched the front of the bar, bending over to peer into the dark recess as she pulled away bar stools. An awkward silence settled between them as they searched, punctuated only by the clinking of glasses being washed. Then, as Abby stood and rounded the end of the bar, she walked straight into John.

The spark jumped instantly, an electric jolt coursing through her body as they both froze. He met her gaze, his eyes shadowed and intense. Only the barest gap separated them, and Abby longed to bridge it.

But it was John who leaned in, his breath warm against her lips. Abby's heart hammered against her ribs, a hummingbird trapped in its cage. For a breathless moment, the world narrowed to the blue of his eyes, the curve of his jaw, and a hunger to relive the pleasures of last night.

Then, a clink broke the spell. A stray bottle toppled to the floor, the sound resonating in the silence like a dropped pebble. Reality, cold and unwelcome, rushed back in. Abby pulled away, a knot of guilt tightening in her stomach.

The search continued, now devoid of its charged atmosphere. They checked every nook and cranny, their hope fading with each passing minute. Finally, defeated, they stood in the deserted bar, the broken pieces of Colin's night scattered around them like shattered dreams.

"No luck," John sighed, his shoulders slumping. The disappointment etched on his face mirrored her own.

Abby managed a weak smile. "It's okay. We did everything we could."

John glared at her and then stormed off, leading the way back to the hotel in agitated silence. The unspoken tension, a tightrope between longing and regret, stretched taut between them. The elevator groaned its ascent, the metal box a suffocating cocoon. The moment they reached John's room, he channeled his temper into interrogating Colin.

"Think, Colin," John urged, slapping his palm down on the table. "Where did you leave the rings?"

Colin mumbled something incomprehensible, picking at a loose thread on his gown. Abby noticed a tremor in his hands, a telltale sign of deeper anxieties gnawing at him.

Finally, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, Colin looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and vulnerable.

"I have them," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper.

John and Abby exchanged startled glances.

"What?" John barked, incredulity clashing with a spark of relief. "You've had them all this time?"

Colin flinched, then met their gaze. "I wanted… I needed some time," he explained, his voice cracking. "To think."

The truth hung heavy in the air. He'd sent them on a frantic goose chase, not through carelessness, but through a storm of self-doubt.

"Colin," Abby began, her voice gentle despite the knot of concern twisting in her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"We have to cancel the wedding," Colin said. He stared at his lap, hands clenched into fists. "I don't… I don't know if I can do this," he choked out, the words laced with fear. "Can I make Kitty happy? Can I give her the life she deserves?"

John, always the stoic protector, let out a harsh laugh. "Are you kidding me? You love her, right? That's all that matters."

The bitterness in John's voice sent a shiver down Abby's spine. This wasn't just about a brother facing cold feet; it was about unspoken expectations, about the pressure to conform to a narrative of success and stability.

Colin shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "Love isn't enough, John. Not when you have nothing else to offer."

"It is. Because as long as you love each other, you can build something together, but this," John gestured to Colin, "this is childish, and I'm not going to let you ruin your life because you've suddenly lost faith in yourself. You can't play with Kitty's feelings like this, Colin. It isn't fair."

Abby felt a sudden urge to intervene, to bridge the chasm of unspoken emotions that threatened to swallow them whole. But just as she opened her mouth, John surprised them all.

"Out," he said, his voice low and curt, his gaze locked on Abby. "This is family business."

The sting of rejection lanced through her, sharp and unexpected. Yet, a spark of understanding flickered within her. This wasn't about her; it was about two brothers wrestling with their demons, grappling with the weight of expectations and the fear of failure.

Stepping out into the dimly lit hallway, Abby leaned against the cool wall, the silence pressing in on her like a physical weight. John's harsh words echoed in her head, tinged with a deeper truth that resonated within her own tangled emotions.

The past few hours had been a whirlwind, a dizzying dance of revelations and near-misses. The walls she'd built to protect herself from falling for John were crumbling, brick by brick, with each stolen glance, each shared whisper, each unexpected moment of genuine connection.

A sigh escaped her lips, soft and tremulous. This wasn't the fairytale romance she'd always dreamed of, but a messy, unscripted chapter brimming with raw emotions and second chances. John had been prickly ever since they didn't kiss at the bar. If Abby wanted to have a chance with him, then she had to make things right.

The door clicked open, and with a hesitant breath, Abby turned to face John. His eyes, red-rimmed and shadowed, held a stark disappointment Abby felt echoing in her own chest.

"We're calling it off," he said, his voice rough, like gravel grinding against asphalt. "He won't budge."

The unspoken blame in his words stung, a pinprick against the tapestry of newfound possibilities she'd been weaving in her mind. Yet, looking at John, his shoulders slumped, his jaw clenched tight, she saw not resentment but a brother's anguish.

An unexpected resolve hardened within her. This wasn't about a wedding; it was about a family in crisis, about John, the protector, the rock, crumbling under the weight of his own expectations and his brother's fears.

"Let me try," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "Give me five minutes."

John's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but before he could protest, she slipped past him into the room, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

The air inside was thick with tension. Colin sat slumped in the armchair, eyes downcast, the wedding suit he'd abandoned crumpled on the floor beside him.

Abby took a deep breath, a silent offering of understanding.

"Colin," she began, her voice soft yet firm, "I know you're scared."

He finally looked up, his eyes dull with doubt. "How could I not be?" he mumbled. "I'm a mess, Abby. And Kitty deserves…"

"Deserves someone who loves her," she finished, meeting his gaze squarely. "But does love need a perfect life to be real? Does it need fancy cars and big houses?"

She spoke from a place of personal experience, the ghosts of failed dreams and missed opportunities whispering in her ear. Colin's fear resonated in her own, the fear of not being enough, of holding someone back.

"I almost lost someone once," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "Someone I loved. I let fear dictate my choices… and I honestly don't know if he'll give me the chance to make things right. It might already be too late. I hope not, but if I could do it all over, I wouldn't let indecision steal our future or a single moment of happiness."

"Look at Kitty, Colin," Abby urged, stepping closer. "See the love in her eyes, the hope she holds for you. Don't let fear steal your chance at that kind of happiness."

Her words, infused with the honesty of her own struggle, seemed to reach him. He stood up, the crumpled suit suddenly looking less like abandonment and more like a discarded shell.

"Alright," he whispered, a shaky breath escaping his lips. "Let's do this."

Abby smiled. It was a small victory, a fragile hope snatched from the jaws of despair.

She helped Colin get dressed, the frantic energy in the room now a dance of determined preparation. The once discarded suit hung straight on his frame as they exited the hotel room together. With a gentle push, she sent him off, a nervous bridegroom venturing into the unknown. His back once slumped with doubt, now held a new resolve, a flicker of the man Kitty loved shining through.

Alone with John in the hotel hallway, Abby knew that, finally, the time had come for her to bare her heart to him. John's gaze held a question, a mix of disbelief and something else, something warm and unreadable.

"How did you…?" he began, his voice trailing off.

Abby walked towards him. "I know what it's like to be afraid to risk your heart. I also know that the more you love somebody, the more frightening it can be to surrender to those feelings and trust in them," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "But now, I also know that sometimes, love is the only compass you need. You showed me that."

The guarded look in John's eyes cut her deeply. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

"I never know what to do in the heat of the moment, John. I wish I could go back to that instant in the bar when we almost kissed and do things differently," she continued. "Is it too late for a do-over?"

John swallowed hard. He didn't say a word as he stepped closer and reached for her, hands hesitant as he circled her waist with his fingers.

"Okay," he breathed, "show me what you would've done differently."

It was now or never. Abby slid her arms around John's neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she pressed her lips against John's with a tenderness that was at odds with the hunger in her heart. He shivered against her as he gently returned her kiss.

Abby was breathless when she pulled away and leaned her forehead against his. Her heart beat like drums, and John's did too, she could feel it against her fingers as she caressed his neck. Abby looked into his eyes and knew his thoughts mirrored hers.

"Think we have enough time for a do-over of last night, too?" she whispered against his lips. "Just because I want to be sober this time."

John answered by kissing her again and pulling her close with a fierce urgency. They stumbled back against the wall a few times before making it through the open doorway to John's hotel room.

Abby laughed as they fell back onto the bed together. She cast away all her doubts and preconceived notions of the man beside her as they tangled together in the sheets. She didn't know if she and John would make it to forever, but she was willing to give it her best shot.

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