Book 2: Chapter 22

***Chapter 22***

Much to my pleasure, Jay planned a great date for us tonight in honor of yesterday. He wouldn't let me get ready at the house with him because he had a surprise apparently. However, it was more like a triple date with Kira and Twila tagging along. But the big surprise was going to be for Bradyn. Ashton wanted to surprise her instead of asking her out himself. The problem was getting her to agree to this. See, my job was to convince her to go on a blind date that wouldn't necessarily be blind. Once she gets there, Ashton will be there waiting to greet her.

Everyone was in on the plan, and I couldn't wait to see her face. With some sweet talking from Jay, Ashton agreed to at least take Bradyn out on a date so long as we all come along. It would be a little weird hanging out with Jay with practically all my friends, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he wanted to get to know them better and that was perfect for me. Though, Ashton being Cyrus's cousin made things a little complicated. I don't know how he was going to react to me going on a date with Jay. There's no way he wouldn't tell Cyrus about any of this.

"I don't know, A, shouldn't I be waiting for Ashton and not going on dates? Doesn't that send the wrong message?" Bradyn was on the fence about the whole thing.

Little did she know Ashton was her date. I couldn't tell her that though. "Please, I'm sure Ashton will understand. Besides, did he ask you out or did he say you have to wait?"

She sighed. "He said we should wait but-"

"Then you're allowed to go on any date with anyone you want." I cut her off. "Trust me, you're going to love him."

She pursed her lips not excited about any of this. "Fine, but don't expect me to call this guy once this is over."

I laughed, happy she agreed so we could get ready. It didn't take long for any of us to get dressed, and we met downstairs to get in one of the cars. Jay and Ashton were going to meet us there since Bradyn wasn't supposed to know until we got to the venue. The best part about this is she was moping and groaning about going on a date with a stranger. The surprise was going to shock her a lot more because of that fact. The plan was perfect!

As we got to the venue, it was the same place that I went to with Cyrus and his parents which I found out was called the Rosemary. It was as beautiful as before with the live music, the huge stairs, and the gorgeous balcony. Jay wanted it to be a good night for all of us and what better than the Rosemary?

Getting out of the car, there Jay was in a beautiful suit and tie with a small bag in his hand. His face lit up when he saw me not hesitating to come over and embrace me. He smelled heavenly and I completely fell into him as always. I must admit it was strange being around everyone with this affection being displayed between us. It was the first time I'd been openly around any of the guys and the girls fully took notice. Jay didn't seem to mind though as their prying eyes weren't stopping him from being close to me.

"Don't you look gorgeous," he said kissing the top of my head. "Hey everyone, our table is ready inside."

"Hi, Jason!" They all said in unison. It was embarrassing.

I laughed grabbing his hand as he led us up the stairs. "Is he there?" I whispered speaking about Ashton.

Jay nodded. "Yep, he's waiting for us at the table."

Making our way inside, the excitement I felt building up inside of me was enormous. Bradyn had no idea what was in store for her and when we finally reached the table, she paused with a shocked expression on her face. Ashton sat there nicely dressed as well smiling brightly at her. The girl was speechless in the best way possible. We all laughed as she realized we had tricked her into thinking someone else was taking her on a date.

"Well, say something!" Twila said sitting down next to Kira.

Bradyn gained her composure before finally opening her mouth to speak. "I hate all of you! Why did you trick me?" She said before sitting next to Ashton who hugged her.

"It was all great fun," I say.

"Plus, Ashton wanted it to be a surprise," Jay added.

She laughed, "well I'm definitely surprised." You can tell from her tone of voice that Bradyn truly was.

It was perfect and the night continued an upward trajectory as we ordered our meals while talking amongst ourselves. We were telling jokes and random stories about one another. Even though these were supposed to be dates for all of us, it turned out to be even more than that. Our forming bonds with one another wasn't something I expected to happen. However, these were the people I would be closest to throughout this whole wedding debacle. They made this stressful situation all worthwhile.

After indulging in our appetizers, Jay pulled up the small bag he had in his hand when I saw him. My guess was that he had a gift for me. If I had known, we were giving gifts I would have brought him one too. This was a surprise from him to me that I would end up never taking off. Though it wasn't completed, the moment we took a good picture it would be going in there.

Jay saw the look on my face instantly noticing that I knew who that gift was for. Of course, he had to mess with me a little bit before giving it to me.

"Oh, you thought this was for you?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Jason, who else would you buy a gift for?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "For all you know this could be for Ashton," he said sliding the bag over to him.

Ashton joking lit up. "A present for little ole me? How sweet!"

I laughed before Jay took the present back. He pulled out a small box leading me to think it was a piece of jewelry. As he handed it to me, I opened it in anticipation of being magnified by its beauty. It was a heart-shaped locket with throne-like etchings on it. There was also a lock with a small key attached to it. As I unlocked it, I smiled at the words engraved on one side saying to my gorgeous girl, love Jay.

Although there wasn't a picture inside of it, I loved every piece of it. Jay helped me put the locket around my neck that I planned to never part with. It was gorgeous and honestly the last thing I expected. Leave it to him and Cyrus to buy me the most beautiful gifts known to man. Anything I would get them wouldn't even compare.

"Once we have a proper picture, we can put it in there, but for now I wanted you to have it." He said clamping the chain together.

I smile looking at him adoringly. "It's beautiful Jay even without the picture." I compliment.

He chuckled kissing my knuckles as he's come fond of doing. "Nothing but the best for my special lady." That made me feel giddy inside. "Though this moment is super sweet, I really have to go to the bathroom."

"Yeah, me too," Bradyn said.

Then it seemed like everyone needed to go to the bathroom aside from Ashton and me. Although it was funny it gave Ashton a chance to question me about things. Things that made me look bad in retrospect. Jay said those guys knew a lot more than I thought. However, I didn't expect him to know that much. The fact that this was Cyrus' cousin didn't help either. Would he be angry with me for being with his best friend too? Unbeknownst to Cyrus.

Sighing, he looked over at me with a serious expression on his face. "So, you and Jay? I have to admit, I didn't peg him to be someone to be tied down but you've got him whipped."

I nearly choked on my drink. "I wouldn't say whipped," that was a bit much. "We just enjoy each other's company."

"Of course, but you're both are walking a fine line, Autumn. What about Cyrus?" I knew he'd ask that.

Sighing, I sat back in my seat knowing what I already agreed to with him. "Cyrus means a lot to me too and Jay already knows this."

"But Cyrus doesn't know anything. Is it fair to him?" He kept asking so many hard-hitting questions.

It wasn't fair to Cyrus. None of this was fair to Cyrus. Deep down I believe Cyrus had his suspicions as to what was going on. There were too many signs of Jay and I’s closeness that was getting harder and harder to hide. The more we built our relationship, the more we wanted to be affectionate toward each other no matter who watched. The minute we slipped up in front of Cyrus I'm not sure how he would take it. Though that doesn't change how I felt about him either. Being in love with Jay as well might ruin that though. Then what do we do? The one that'll end up the most heartbroken would-be Cyrus and unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to stop loving Jay. It was inevitable at this point.

"I like you Autumn, you’re a cool ass person. I can tell you have real feelings for Jay, and I don't know the ends and outs of your relationship with Cyrus," Ashton said. "I just don't want to see anyone hurt or any relationships ruined. As a friend, be careful."

That was everyone's advice for me. *Be careful*. There was no way to be careful in this situation and I was going to continue to try my best to make this work. No matter how long I had to hide things from Cyrus. It was the only option I saw as feasible. Down line, some things were going to have to change, but we weren't at that point yet.

Eventually, everyone came back from the bathroom and the night went back to being lively. Taking in what Ashton said, I feel like he was reading the situation on both ends. Jay was clearly his friend as they seemingly had a close relationship, but Cyrus was his cousin. I'm sure being in the middle was harder for him than me since he knows what's going on. Seeing Cyrus and Jay's relationship crumble because of me would be the last thing I wanted to happen. I'm hoping it never gets to that point, but would I be shocked if it did?