Vegas Baby - 2027
“Oh you have to be bloody kidding me,” Jess sighed, her eyes fluttering closed at the music. Jessica Pierce was currently flying into Vegas, separate from the rest of the bachelor party since she was… well… in a different country. While she had arranged a plane for Dorian and his friends to get there together, she didn’t necessarily join them. She would meet up with them, of course, but honestly, she didn’t mind coming separately. She needed the break… a moment to digest that her best friend was getting married… Wow… Dorian DeLoughrey was… getting married. She was… really really happy for him.
Well okay… happy ish… she would be lying that it didn’t hurt ever-so-slightly, especially as she, herself, wasn’t. After all, it was only a few months prior that her own engagement was broken. And now there was… this. Trevor Jackson with a new hit single topping the charts once again… though let’s not mention, the song was about her. How did she know it was about her… well, the dm’s from the man were one clue alongside the fact that he had sent her a demo of the song yesterday as a heads up that she may get some media push from his fans. Despite everything that had happened, she knew he still cared about her. As hurt as he was when she returned the ring, Trevor still loved her, and part of her would always love him… just not in the way he hoped.
She hadn’t heard the song until now but damn… he really did talk about their sex life in it. Her eyes were focused on the television screen situated in the plane lounge that she sat alone watching; perks of using the family private jet.
“Wow, just…damn… It’s always such a great time to have you on the show, Trevor, you dropped this song literally yesterday and within a day, it claimed its rightful spot at number 1 on the charts. how are you feeling? But more importantly, I have to ask, who is that about?”
Jessica watched as Jimmy Fallon interviewed her ex-fiancé with a heavy heart. Despite everything, she knew what she did was the right choice. Jess just… wanted him to be happy and he couldn’t be that with her…and she couldn’t be that with him. That didn’t mean, however, that she wasn’t filled with a sense of pain watching the two speak.
[color= lightslategray]“It’s great to be back Jimmy, I’m feeling good honestly… well… as good as I can be after my engagement ended as you probably heard but…” [/color]
“Turn it off,” Jess sighed as she watched the flight attendant move over to turn the television off, but not before hearing her own name on the screen. “Gin and tonic… hold the tonic…and make it a double,” Jess whispered, laying her head against the tray - trying… hoping this moment would just end. God… her best friend was getting married. Why wasn’t she happier for him?
Getting to Vegas at 7:22 PM slightly drunk was always a good idea. Well, mostly, that is. There was something about the atmosphere - the gambling, the parting. Being drunk just made everything more of a shock to anyone’s system - hence making it more fun. Jess had arrived at the Nobu Hotel where she had booked everyone’s rooms - though, Dorian and the rest of the gang had arrived hours before she had which likely meant they were already checked in.
“Room for 1 - Pierce” Jess smiled at the receptionist as the man got her keycard. “Do you know if everyone else in my party has arri…” though before she could finish, Jess felt someone’s arms wrap around her and she immediately knew the answer to that question. Turning around, an instant smile met her lips as she found Dorian DeLoughrey standing in front of her. It had been a few months since the two had seen each other in person. Though they often spoke on facetime, it didn’t replace how much she missed seeing him. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she placed a kiss on his cheek, not letting him go for a long time before finally mumbling. “Hey DeLouser, you ready to have the night of your life… for the next few nights that is since I have quite a bit planned for your bachelor’s party.” Pulling away from him, she finally looked into his eyes, a cheeky smile on her lips. “Wow… a married man. Kennedy’s such a lucky girl, you know that right?”
She felt a tap on her shoulder as Dorian was in the midst of replying, turning around, she found the receptionist handed her a keycard. Thanking the man, she grabbed Dorian’s and begin leading him towards the elevator to the top floor so she could leave her stuff and get changed.
“Alright, spill, Dorian. How are you feeling love? One last hurrah with me and your boys and then you’ll have a ring on your finger,” Jess asked, smiling at the man as she walked into her room with him, throwing the suitcase on the bed and grabbing a silky dress for the first night. Jess walked into the bathroom, closing it halfway so she could hear him mumbling something about feeling okay…good about it all. After a few moments, she emerged, turning around so Dori could get the open zipper. “Well, I’m bloody excited.” Jess finished, going towards her fridge and grabbing two little shot bottles. “To your future, DeLoughrey,” Jess grinned before drinking her first drink in vegas, though definitely not her last.
***
Remember me saying it wouldn’t be Jess’ last drink of the night? Well, it definitely wasn’t… 6 hours in, and the party was still going. There was a saying that nothing good happens after 2 AM, and now, it was 2:12 AM meaning Jessica was currently 12 minutes past anything good that could happen that night.
The music was blasting in the club they had just wandered into. Most of the night the bachelor party had been club-hopping, drinking, dancing, and gambling. The last party Jess had gotten them all into was an after-party for a movie that was about to be released. Honestly, who knew what the hell it was about - what she did know was that there were about 50 celebrities in the room - a few Jess knew, a few that would be future friends seeing as she got their numbers. Either way, it seemed Dorian’s friends were having fun - but after a few minutes of endless chatting, Jess found herself gravitating towards Dorian who had a smile on his lips as he talked to Christina Millian. “Hey what do you say you and me get out of here?” Jess questioned - and that’s how the two, alone, ended up at another club alone. 2:12 AM… yep, nothing good happens after 2 AM.
Jess had grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the middle of the dance floor and laughing as she pulled him to slow dance despite the beat or music wanting them to do otherwise. She was going to miss this… miss him. Miss the possibility that they would ever be something more. Maybe that time had long passed, but she forever had a slight glimmer of hope. For a second… maybe longer than a second, it was as if they were the only two in the room. “I wish this night would never end,” Jess found herself whispering. Dorian didn’t say anything to that, instead, he simply stilled.
Jess found her eyes flickering to his, and maybe… just maybe if she was a little less drunk, she would have been able to tell what he was thinking. However, at this point, she couldn’t. All she knew was that her heart ached with the look he gave her – and within a second, he let her go in the middle of the club and begin leaving the club. Confusion filled her body, however, she followed him nevertheless, all the way out to the alley until she finally caught up to the man. “Dorian… what was tha…”
“This could have been our life, you know…This night didn’t have to end but you just… you left me Jess,” Pain. That was what was on Dorian’s features earlier that she couldn’t immediately recognize. A mixture of hurt and pain – one he probably would have never shared if he wasn’t just as drunk as she was.
“Dorian… It wasn’t… I didn’t leave you because I didn’t love you… I just… I had to Dorian, In comparison to the music blaring, the lights flashing, the alcohol buzzing – the atmosphere now felt even more deafening than before. Emotions that neither had ever brought up before slowly begin bubbling up to the surface. Would either of them remember what they were saying tomorrow? Maybe… maybe not, either way, at this moment it felt real… more real than anything had.
“Right Jess. Because you telling me we were better off just as friends after almost two years together didn’t mean what it sounded like. For fcks sake if you cared… loved me like you said then you would have never lef…”
She didn’t let him finish that thought. That feeling of gravity – that feeling that she was suffocating without him took over and she found her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled his lips down to meet hers. Was it a mistake? Maybe. And maybe, she should have pushed him away. Maybe he should have. But at that moment, she needed him. Wanted him… loved him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs tightly around his waist as he pushed her against the wall of the alleyway. Jess didn’t know how long they stayed like that, kissing each other… relishing every taste… every touch. But, breathless, she found him pulling his lips away and leaning his head against hers. A whisper leaving his mouth soon after… one she may have never heard if she hadn’t been paying attention. “Marry me Jess,”
There was no hesitation in her voice as she pulled him closer, nodding her head. “Always,”
***
It wasn’t long until the two stumbled inside a Vegas chapel, giggling like teenagers once again. The two couldn’t keep their hands off one another, their lips off each other. They were walking to the receptionist, drunken smiles as Jess smiled at the lady telling here “We want to get married now pleaseeeee,” Dorian’s arms wrapped around her, as he kissed her neck, mumbling “I just… I wish I had your ring… god I love you so much…” Maybe Jess would have asked what nonsense he was talking about, though soon, she found herself distracted as the receptionist – who did not seem surprised by two drunken people marching through the doors asking to get married – gave Jess a consent release form for both of them to sign (and asked them to pay the fee, of course).
Not soon after, Jess found herself walking down a small aisle, Dorian at the other hand standing to the minister, who in this case, was dressed up as Elvis in a black suit and classic accent – asking the two if they had any vows.
“I… yes… I just… I’m so sorry it’s…not perfect…. I wish it was better I just… want it to be perfect for you Jess because I love you so much. I’ve loved you since we were kids… I loved you even when you left for those four awful years… I’ve loved you after and every day since… well maybe not that time you dyed my hair orange, but I looked completely awful and you know that…god this is so awful I’m so sorry it’s not better I just… I have so much to say to you I don’t know… where to start or where to end I just know I want to marry you and no one else. I love you so much… I’ll love you forever. I promise you I’ll be a good husband… I promise I won’t hurt you… I promise… I’ll always be there… god I love you.”
There was a smile on Jess lips as the Elvis turned towards her to ask if she had anything to say but before he could, Dorian interrupted him… various times – promising her more and more… but honestly, all she wanted was him. Nothing else, just him.
“Dorian DeLoughrey… I don’t even know how to put this into words and I’m a damn writer but… that’s what we are Dori… the amount I love you can’t be… quantified. It’s impossible… Our love is like those from storybooks that could never be captured. I loved you since I was 14… honestly…. I bloody loved you before then I just… never understood what I was feeling. You’re everything to me, Dorian, and It hurts to imagine another day without you…. Just like it hurt the first time I left you I just… I was an idiot… an Idiot who left the love of her life and now that I have you I don’t… I won’t let you go again,”
It only took a second between Elvis saying you may now kiss the bride, and for Jess to wrap her arms around him and pull him into another kiss. It was a kiss that was intoxicating simply for the happiness it filled her with. He was hers… forever and always… right? It was a feeling that carried the two of them all the way back to his room… a feeling that resulted with both of them in his bed doing things that… well… married couples did on their wedding night.
“Mmm” Jess moaned feeling someone’s arms around her. Despite the pounding of her head, the warmth of the body next to her filled her with a sense of security she had searched for. She was honestly… happy… well… until she realized where she was… and what she was doing.
Her eyes immediately opened, her heart racing as her mind comprehended that there was someone in her bed… well… god damn it, she couldn’t even say her bed because her eyes were met with an unfamiliar room. Granted, she had only been in her hotel for about 30 minutes last night, she still knew this wasn’t hers. Fck. Slowly turning around to figure out who was next to her, Jess felt her heart stop when she found Dorian DeLoughrey asleep with his arms tightly around her body. “No… no… fck… no” Jess started, peeking under the covers to just reinforce the fact that both of them were, indeed, naked - not that she needed to look to understand what the two of them in bed together probably meant.
Suffice to say - she found her heart racing as the gravity of the situation set in… Jessica Pierce had just had sex with her best friend who was getting married in a few weeks… AT his Bachelor’s party. Sh!t. Did she feel like a terrible person? Yes. Yes she did.
Mentally cursing herself, Jess honestly found herself frozen in his arms. Part of her didn’t want to wake him up… because if she did this illusion would be over. At the same time, however, she knew he wasn’t… hers anymore and by being in this bed… she had effectively ruined one of the only friendships that mattered to her. For a second, her eyes closed trying to remember what happened the night before. Though her memory was perfect, alcohol did tend to… well… cause a few blackouts in her mind as well. She could remember dancing… feeling awful and trying to drink that pain away… kissing Dorian… getting…wait…oh god… did she…yes… she married him. Her eyes frantically opened, meeting his closed ones for the second time.
Jess leaned her head against his bare shoulder, mumbling “I’m so sorry,” as she grabbed the sheet of the bed and wrapped it around her. Maybe it would be better for her just to sneak back to her room… he wouldn’t remember any of this and then he’d be okay… happy… in love… to be married in a few weeks. Yep… yes… that’s… what she should do.
Carefully getting out of Dorian’s arms, Jess found herself sitting at the edge of the bed cold and broken. Though that was nothing new. Her mind went back to the last time they were together… the last time she had to leave him and her body felt numb. But now… she just… didn’t have time to worry about it. Getting up, Jess walked around, picking up her clothes… any sign that she had been there. Jess had made no effort to change before walking towards the door… she just needed to leave before he- “Jess?”
Pain filled her body as she stilled, her fingers still on the door handle - she had been seconds away from escape. After a few moments of saying nothing, she found herself turning around and facing him with a frown. “I’m…so sorry Dorian I didn’t… I fcked up last night and I just… I was hoping if I left before you woke up then you wouldn’t have to… think about… about a mistake I made.” Jess sighed, dropping the clothes she was holding and running her free hand through her hair. “It’s… it’s okay Dorian… it was a mistake. We were drinking last night… old feelings bubbled up and we… it meant nothing. I won’t… I won’t say anything to her Dorian… you can… this won’t mess anything up it’s fine.” Jess started, saying anything just to fill the silence - even if none of it was true. She knew it meant something, to her it did. But she didn’t… she wasn’t going to be the person who ruined this for him. “We just… we’ll get the marriage annulled I mean… they can’t expect two bloody drunk people to actually have been in their right minds when signing that certificate last night. And then… I just won’t go to the wedding… Just… Andy can take my place as your best man… it’s okay Dorian… I’m… god I’m so sorry,”
Throughout everything that Jess was saying, Dorian stayed silent - simply looking at her hurt. She knew it was likely because she had just… messed everything up with him and Kennedy and god… she never wanted to do that. Her worst fear was being that girl - the person who hurts others… who hurts the person who matters the most to her. I’m… I’m sorry Dorian… I’ll go… I’ll… send Andy the itinerantly for the rest of the party and you can just tell them that I had an emergency…I…I’m so sorry love"
With that, Jess grabbed her clothes again and walked outside the door, letting it shut behind her, a tear falling down her eyes the moment the door was shut. She had really done it… ruined everything that mattered to her. So what did Jess do? She did the only thing she knew how to do. Grabbing her things from her room, Jess left - disappeared. She couldn’t… hurt Dorian… and all she ever did was hurt everyone she cared about so the best thing to do was to be in a place where she could no longer do that.
“Hey Lawrence… remember how I said I couldn’t take that year-long gig in the Cayman Islands to research that fraud case… Well… my schedule just opened up. I’ll take it,”