Summary: Bailey is in need of a little pep talk at the cast party, and she finds it from the most unexpected source: her niece's boyfriend.
Pairing(s): Rory/MC, Aiden/MC
Word count: 956
Warnings: Extreme amounts of fluff ❤️
Song:
Just a little heads up: I have two HSS MCs, Grace and Callie. Callie is the one that broke her leg. Bailey is Grace's aunt. Keep that in mind as you read. Now let's jump right in!
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Even though it was her own party, hosted at her place, Bailey was feeling incredibly nervous.
She had been nursing the same red cup of soda for about twenty minutes, glancing around from time to time before taking a síp.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Grace's voice greeting her, as she and her boyfriend approached, making her startle.
"Oh! Grace and Aiden! Didn't expect to see you here!"
"Well, I might not be part of the cast but I did your kick-ass make up! If Sydney can be here, so can I!"
"And... I did compose a lovely piece for the play" added Aiden with a gentle smile, before shrugging. "But we can leave if you--"
"That's not what I meant!" Bailey interjected immediately, suddenly a bit more nervous. She sighed deeply. "I just meant... never mind. Of course you can be here, even if you hadn't contributed to the play. We're family after all."
"Awwwww!"
Grace approached her younger aunt to hug her tightly, making her almost spill what was left of her soda. Aiden stood by and watched, noticing just how anxious Bailey seemed to be... and how that anxiousness increased whenever her eyes found Rory, talking to a group of friends close to the window.
He felt a pang of sympathy deep inside him. He knew what was happening. And maybe he could help her out.
"I'm gonna go get us something to drink, I'm parched" Grace disentangled herself from Bailey and gave Aiden a quick peck on the lips. "Don't miss me too much!"
He watched her walk away with a tiny smile and a deep blush, before turning to the freshman next to him, taking another nervous sip from her cup as she side glanced the window.
"So... is tonight 'the night'?"
Bailey startled again, almost choking with her soda. She gave him a questioning look, and Aiden shrugged as he shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans.
"It's just... you're acting exactly like me, almost a year ago. The night I asked Grace to be my girlfriend" he explained, and couldn't help but sigh with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes. "I was wondering if maybe you were thinking of asking something similar to a certain someone."
His eyes found Rory as well, and Bailey looked away immediately, hiding the lower half of her face with her cup. She sighed heavily.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Perhaps only to me, since I can relate" Aiden turned to her with a little smile, arching an eyebrow. "So, are you ready to take the leap or not?"
"I don't know! I mean, I really want to but... what if he doesn't like me back?"
Aiden couldn't help but chuckle at that, receiving an accusatory look from the girl. He raised his hands to show that he meant no harm with it.
"Sorry, it's just... you really remind me of myself right now. I also wondered days and nights if Grace would like to date me or not. The very night I asked her, I almost didn't."
"But you did... and she said yes and now you're together" Bailey finished her soda before letting out a despondent sigh.
"But what if she had said no? What if she preferred to keep it casual, which definitely wouldn't work for me?" he questioned out loud, both to her and to himself, a pensive expression in his face.
After a moment of silence, and another stolen glance at Rory, Bailey spoke again.
"What would have happened then?"
"Well, quite frankly, it would've sucked" he replied with a smile, shaking his head as he spotted Grace talking to Erin and Casey, clearly forgetting about the drinks she was supposed to get. "But at least I would have known for sure, and would be able to move on. I'm immensely happy that it wasn't the case, of course. I love Grace, and I'm thankful for her every single day."
Bailey couldn't help but feel astonished and a bit overwhelmed at those words. Aiden and Grace were in love. It showed in the way they talked to each other and about each other, the looks they shared, even the simplest gestures such as Aiden composing melodies for her and Grace writing lyrics for him.
She wanted that kind of love for herself. And whenever she saw Rory, she felt that warm fuzzy feeling that romance novels talked about. Maybe it wasn't love yet, but it was enough for her.
And she wouldn't know if he felt the same about her if she didn't do something.
"I'm ready."
There was a glimpse of determination in her eyes as she left her empty cup aside, eyes on the window, where Rory laughed at something they couldn't hear. Aiden couldn't help but smile, feeling a strange sense of pride.
"Sorry, Erin was telling me the funniest story just now" Grace approached them again, two red cups full of soda in her hands. She raised an eyebrow at her aunt. "You're ready for what?"
"You'll see. Excuse me, I need to do something important."
Bailey walked away then, taking deep breaths and slow steps to calm down. He could hear Grace and Aiden talking, their voices lowering the more distance she walked.
"What were you two talking about?"
"About how lucky I am to have the most wonderful girlfriend."
"... I'm sure that's not true, but keep them compliments coming...!"
Bailey couldn't help but smile a bit to herself, and before she knew it, she was standing right beside Rory, Clint and Natalie taking notice of her right away.
Rory turned around and his eyes softened with affection at the sight of her, with a smile. She smiled too.
She was ready.
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Author notes: Hi! I hope you enjoyed this short little thing! I wasn't planning on writing it but inspiration hit so here we are. Thanks for reading! ❤️
(Tagged as "zig writes", in case you want to block that tag. Also as "long post". I'll try to add a Read more from mobile. Thanks for your patience.)
