(Untitled)

[all_happening]

Gideon was surprised he was coming off as calm as he fucking was with this shit. Inwardly, he was a ball of nerves, which didn't get any better as he fucking stood up front. Everyone was gathered in a halfway decent set-up on the beach, and he knew all eyes were on him. While he didn't usually mind that shit, suddenly it was all in a different

Comments

[nerdinacape]

In the end it kind of reminded him of Amelia's wedding. This was a compliment of the highest order as he'd liked Amelia's wedding more than he had enjoyed Bianca's, not that he was going to tell either of them that.

He'd cleaned up for the occasion, dressed in the tux he'd arrived in, though with a blue shirt and no tie which he felt made it okay. It relaxed it and he wanted to be relaxed at the wedding of two of Eden's best friends that he had somehow been invited to. It made everything easier.

[all_happening]

Penny hadn't stepped away from Gideon for long, but when she saw Grigg, she headed in his direction, a wide smile still set on her face. She had a feeling that wouldn't be changing anytime soon. And while she may not have known him well, she had her reasons for wanting him there, and they had hit it off pretty well, as far as she was concerned. "Hey," she greeted warmly, pausing to take a sip of her drink. "I'm so glad you made it. It's great to see you."

[nerdinacape]

"Thank you so much for inviting me. It was beautiful." He grinned, gesturing to her and nodding approvingly. Which was a strange thing to think about because Penny didn't need approval from anyone let alone him. "You're beautiful."

[all_happening]

"You're sweet," Penny said, an undeniably fond tone to her voice as she lifted one hand to her chest. She had always been confident in the way she looked, but it meant a lot here, coming from someone she hardly knew and just after she'd been married. "But no, I'm just glad you could make it. Are you having a good time?"

[nerdinacape]

Grigg laughed quietly, trying to shrug off the compliment. He'd been called sweet multiple times, but it seemed somewhat different coming from Penny. "I am. An amazing time," he assured her, taking a sip of his drink.

[all_happening]

"That's good, I'm glad," Penny replied warmly, sipping her own drink. It wasn't like the parties she was accustomed to from back in the real world, not at all, but that difference meant the world to her now. It only seemed right to have something so small and low-key for this. "It wasn't too weird, right? You being invited?"

[nerdinacape]

"It might be? But I'm grateful for it. I mean, the point of weddings is to invite people to celebrate, so I'm glad to be a part of it." It might have been stranger if Penny knew that Grigg had something of a thing for her best friend. Fortunately that was kept in the dark.

[all_happening]

"And it's not like you're a total stranger," Penny said with a nod, obviously in agreement. "You know me now, and you know Eden." She'd told herself that if things were going to happen, she should just let them happen. However, that wasn't going to stop her from the occasional subtle hint, or a push in the right direction if need be. "And you do have great taste in music, which is also a plus."

[nerdinacape]

"Music is the universal connector," he agreed, knowing that it had been Lennon's dream to use music to build bridges and tear walls down. It had been a dream that Grigg could get behind. "Which sounds cheesy if I say something like I enjoy being connected to you both."

[all_happening]

"I don't think it sounds too cheesy," Penny assured him, shaking her head a little even as she tried to bite back a smile. It hadn't escaped her that he'd said both of them, and no matter what he had really meant, she liked the sound of it. He was the kind of guy who she knew would be good for Eden. "I mean, hey, it's how I met most of the people I knew." The statement, a specifically vague one, wasn't really anything she intended to go into detail on, especially not at her wedding, so she promptly changed the subject. "So you and Eden are getting pretty close, huh?"

[nerdinacape]

"Um...what?" Grigg was unused to such forward comments from women who were not trying to set him up with their friends whom he wasn't at all interested or one of his sisters. The best friend a woman he was interested in, now that was a different sort of thing. Swallowing hard, he nodded with a bit more force than was probably normal. "Yeah we are. She has great taste in things. I love to talk to her."

[all_happening]

An awkward response was definitely a good sign, and Penny smiled, as if there had been nothing wrong with it at all. Technically, he hadn't said anything about Eden that she wouldn't have herself, but Penny knew better than that. She'd been dumb herself when it came to guys, but not other people. "She really does," she agreed, nodding. "And that's good. I know she's really liked talking to you, too."

[nerdinacape]

"She does?" The response came from in an eager, enthusiastic rush that he immediately wished to take back. It was bad enough that he was talking about it, but to her best friend, that was just asking for trouble. "I'm...well...I can't say that doesn't make me happy."

[all_happening]

Penny had to bite back a smile, not wanting to let on to Grigg what she suspected about the both of them and their feelings about each other. Still, she was intent on at least nudging him in the right direction, or somehow letting him know that he was heading in it. "She does," she confirmed, giving an emphatic nod. "And I think she'd probably like to know you feel that way."

[wishesandsmoke]

Honestly, Eden felt this overwhelming impulse to apologize. Penny might have said she had no ulterior motive, but Eden hardly believed that, and she didn't really want Grigg dragged into this. She was living more by 'this too shall pass' than 'carpe diem' right now.

Even so, she ignored that impulse and others - the temptation of a little liquid courage, for one - and headed over, smoothing her hands nervously over the sides of her dress. She had no hems to tug at in this. "I hope you're saving a dance for me," she said, words light.

[nerdinacape]

"Always." Grigg hadn't meant to be so forward with his answer. It just sort of fell out his mouth before he could stop it. He wanted to blame food and the drink in his hand, but he knew that wasn't the case. Not really.

Shrugging his shoulders, he shook his head and then nodded. "Yes. I mean, I am."