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Upon entering the venue Ted was filled with a sudden feeling of apprehensiveness. All of these people he hasn’t seen in years and some he hasn’t even met. Familiar faces with partners that he didn’t know they had and some faces have changed over the years. As he was looking at his surroundings a voice caught his attention.
“Nice of you to finally join us.” Ted turned around to see a familiar face, Keeley. “Hi.” Ted managed to whisper in response and did a smile with his hands in his pockets trying not to be awkward. However, she smiled widely and jumped in for a hug which Ted naturally obliged. “It’s been what? A couple of years, yeah?” Keeley said softly enough for only him to hear as more people started coming in.
“Sounds about right.” Ted pulled away from the hug first as he saw a few members of the team he used to coach walk toward the venue.
“What are you doing out here? Spying on us?” Keeley had always been the curious one from what he can remember. “You only left three years ago, we haven’t forgotten you.” She attempted to joke before adding — “She hasn’t either if you’re wondering.” The slight mention of Rebecca made Ted’s facade falter a bit. His smile overturned in the slightest. Keeley noticed.
“Here.” Keeley handed him an envelope, his name written in cursive on the front. The writing he knew all too well.
“What’s this?” Ted held it up. The man did not want to open it in hopes that without knowing it he could suppress how he had chosen to forget everything he did to her. For leaving her.
“Your invitation. She didn’t mail it, didn’t know if you’d come seen as you didn’t come back for every other event she invited you to.” Ted nodded, he thought that the last and final truth bomb they shared in his office all those years ago was enough for him to cut off ties from AFC Richmond and England altogether. The feeling of being attached to Rebecca and attracted to her grew stronger after that moment, so he took it into his own hands. Spending one night writing his resignation effective immediately. It took two glasses of whiskey and a text to Beard. Then he was off at the end of that week. “Even to the engagement party… you never came.”
Ted wanted to say something opened his mouth then closed it again as if knowing his words wouldn’t be wildly accepted by Keeley before continuing. “I came here with Beard, or he forced me to come.” Ted shrugged. “Wanted to be here for her. Or at the very least just sit in the audience to see her get what she deserves.”
Keeley looked him right in the eyes and heavily sighed. ‘She’s going to hate me for this’ Ted heard her whisper to herself before speaking louder. “Then see her. Maybe you can knock some sense into her big beautiful brain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Stop asking me questions and give her some answers. Go on, room 319.”
“Isn’t the rehearsal starting soon?”
“It’s just the rehearsal dinner, we can hold off. I’m the maid of honor I can think of something.” Keeley reassured him.
As Ted held onto the invitation in his hand he stared at his name written on the envelope. He felt his name burning into his hand as he was holding onto it. “She didn’t bother trying this time.”
“Could you blame her?” It was a different voice this time. A low grunt escaped after the sentence left the man’s mouth. “I should fucking hit you for being here right now,” Roy said.
“Babe.” Keeley gave him a look.
Roy gave a slow nod to Keeley. “I won’t because I know you’re the only one she would want to be here. Took you long enough.”
Keeley looked from her boyfriend back to Ted. Knowing she did her job and that maybe Roy can encourage Ted more so than she could. “We have a little over an hour before the dinner starts. Room 319.” Keeley proceeded to walk away as if she didn’t just tell the man to insert himself back into the life of her best friend.
“I suppose three years isn’t too late. But I’m surprised you even bothered to show up at all.” Roy said as they both watched Keeley welcome people. “I thought Beard was fuckin’ joking telling me he convinced you to show up.”
“Too late for what?” Ted asked moving back to Roy’s first point.
“Oh fucking hell, seriously?” He huffed putting his hands in the air and turning towards Ted. “You love her. I don’t know for how long could’ve been the entire time you were here. But you are still in love with her, so fucking show it alright?” Roy paused closing his eyes for a moment. “I saw you on the night of the engagement. I saw you open your mouth and shake that head of yours then walk away. I know you were there. She doesn’t, she fully believes that you forgot about her so you can be whatever you left here for. So she moved on. But you came here hoping she didn’t.”
Ted didn’t speak because, at the end of the day, he doesn’t know why he came here. Beard came to his house one day and just told him to pack a bag then they were off. But one thing Ted knew was that it hurt more landing than it was leaving. When he had left he thought there was a chance he could go back to Kansas and work on himself then come back so he could be at least better for her. But after all this time he had convinced himself that it wasn’t worth it to come back and see her if there was nothing left to come back to.
“You saw me that night?” Ted asked another question to Roy.
“I did. Should have chased after you and maybe that would have been a good outcome. We wouldn’t be here or maybe we still would have who knows.” Roy sighed. “I’m not— I don’t do this stuff normally. It’s more Keeley’s thing to do the whole matchmaking and to interfere especially for Rebecca. But… Ted for someone that believes in love so much you let your insecurity of hurting her turn into a reality. It might have been your reality too on the other side of the bloody planet. It was also our reality. Mine, Keeley, Higgins, fuck even Beard and the boys. We saw her. We saw her hide and recoil when you left. If you don’t want to stop her, the least you can do is put her questions at ease. For someone that you love.” Roy gave Ted his hotel room key card. “You need this to use the elevator. Go on, room 319.” He squeezed Ted’s shoulder and left.
Rebecca sat in front of the vanity with her makeup laid out in front of her but her reflection is someone she can’t even recognize. She was never the one to settle for less after Roy knocked sense to her but something about tonight and the ring on her finger at this point stops her. When she would think about the moment she had dreamt about being married (even after Rupert) she wasn’t sure if it felt like this. Marriage to her means something. It means a whole lot. Not in the sense of finding herself in a partner. But unity. Partnership. Love. The pair of them had worked through a lot of that. John had tried his best from the start which Rebecca knew. Which is why she had said yes. But looking down at her ring brings a sense of disconnect in the pit of her stomach. The closest thing she had felt to lightning in the duration of their relationship had been seeing him integrate himself into the club. Seeing him try with the boys and being less rigid. But is marriage about this? She’s not sure anymore. What she knows is that John does love her, not in the way Rupert did… but most definitely not in the way he did. Not in the way Ted did. The man’s name is unspoken between her and John. They had fought about Ted far too many times for her mind to go back to him once again. Especially now at the rehearsal dinner. But like clockwork, as she expected a knock came on her door. Her fiance gave her the space to get ready while he helped set up downstairs.
Getting up she sighed and proceeded to open the door.
“Hi, Boss,” Ted said and she immediately closed the door.
‘What in the hell?’ Rebecca mouthed closing her eyes tightly before grabbing the doorknob once more to see the man she was just thinking about moments before. “What are you doing here?” She replied barely in a whisper.
“You think that I’d… You think I’d miss your wedding day?” He said hands in his pockets swaying slightly on the back of his feet.
“You know?” Rebecca could barely utter anything but questions, her mind going at rocket speed still not processing that Ted is right in front of her. Ted. Her Ted.
“Y-Yeah. Can we talk?” Ted asked looking her directly in the eyes. The look that she knew John would not like. But it said more than his words could ever do. So Rebecca moved to the side to let Ted in the room.
“How.” She paused. “How did you know this was happening today?” Rebecca turned to Ted. This scene is all too familiar to the truth bombs they had shared years ago in the manager's office of the club. Although circumstances have changed since those days.
“I was there watching you get engaged to good ol’ John Wingsnight. I didn’t know why I didn’t go up to all of y’all back then. Shame? Fear? A mix of both who knows at this point? But uh-“ He scratched the back of his head. “I was there. I saw him say how much he loves you and everyone smiling at the declaration. But I also saw something in you. I saw your hesitation and then your half-response of a yes.”
“Ted. Why are you here?” Rebecca firmly spoke the shock wearing off.
“Did you even listen to me, Rebecca?” Ted answered her question with a question.
“I did. But you may think I should be surprised or maybe happy that you saw that moment. I’m not.” Ted's face fell just a bit and of course, Rebecca noticed that she didn’t want to continue but she owed it to herself to stay firm. Even when she had been hoping for him to come back multiple times before this moment. “Yes, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure of an answer and I surely didn’t want to disappoint anyone. But you can’t analyze me anymore Ted. Yes, you were at my engagement night and then noticed the hesitancy. You also did nothing. You said nothing. You left, which is something you have continuously done.” Rebecca stepped closer to Ted. “You have always done nothing. When I told you everything.” She whispered the last word reacknowledging the last time they had seen each other.
Ted knew what she was referring to. The last time they saw each other; the very last solid truth she had told him in the office. It was always her telling her truths. An analysis that Ted had found after the fact and with help from therapy sessions. They had won the whole thing. The final match between AFC Richmond and West Ham is possibly the biggest match of the season. He remembered seeing her so happy that day, the only emotion Ted wanted to engrain in his brain. All smiles knowing that the following day it would be anything but that.
“I am getting married, Ted. Married. Now I understand that this might not have been in your plan of yours. But I stopped waiting the minute you stopped showing up, and I gave you chance after chance. Fuck I gave you three whole years. After I gave you everything and told you it’s your call. I would have been fine with something or nothing at all. Just communicate.” She sniffled and wiped her nose quickly. “I know I’m not the best at proper communication or even proper display of feelings but I thought you of all people knew at least something about me.”
“Rebecca.” Her name fell out of his mouth with a slight bit of resistance.
“What is it, Ted?”
“I just—“ He bowed his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t do enough then, I am. I wasn’t there and I just left with a sorry excuse of a resignation letter. Damn it, Rebecca, I just know that the person I was at the time wasn’t deserving of you. I knew it then hell I know it now. The person who I was then just wasn’t who you should have been with.”
“Ted you can’t come here and expect me to—“
“But I am here now.” He stopped closer to her making direct eye contact. “Becca.” Ted put his hand on the side of her face rubbing his thumb on the side of her cheek; her eyes closed in the process letting her facade break for just a moment. “I’m here now. I admit the mistake I made then. I can’t fix it now—“
It was Rebecca’s turn to interrupt him. Putting her hand on top of his and taking it away from her face. “Please just go Ted.” She whispered. “If John sees you here I won’t hear the end of it.”
Ted just looked at her. Before the years apart they would be able to just communicate without using words at all. A simple look could say enough that’s how it had always been like for them. Except right now. Ted looked at her and couldn’t understand if she was telling the truth or not. So he just decided to escort his way out.
“For the record, though Ted, I’m still glad you came even without an invitation sent to you,” Rebecca said loud for him but quiet enough so no one can hear except for him.
“Coupon for life am I right?” Ted answered and left.
Hearing the door close behind him caused Rebecca’s facade to break. The familiar wall that she had put up after Rupert and the same one that Ted broke years ago. John had joked with her that there’s no such thing as the metaphorical wall she put between herself and everyone else. Rebecca just went along with it because, at the point when John reentered her life, she felt as if this was the best she could ever get. Rupert walked in, changed her, then destroyed her. Ted walked in, changed her, then left her.
Keeley was the first one to see Rebecca come out of the elevator. Frankly, she didn’t see Ted next to her so her thoughts automatically shifted that perhaps seeing Ted did the opposite for Rebecca. It solidified her decision instead of making her realize that she was settling for the sake of doing so.
“You alright babes?” Keeley met her in the middle clipboard still in hand. The last bit of guests walking into the venue alerting the soon-to-be bride that it was time for the rehearsal dinner.
“I just saw Ted,” Rebecca whispered. “I just saw Ted and I-I told him to leave.”
Keeley’s face went in shock realizing that this was Rebecca’s call. “Did he do something to you? Say something or…” Her voice drifted because Keeley knew that Ted is not that person, he was the one to just agree. He respected her boundaries so if Rebecca told him to leave even if he didn’t want to he still would. Out of respect and knowing that no one in her immediate circle for a long time didn’t acknowledge her boundaries.
“He didn’t do anything or say anything. But he was about to before I stopped him.” Rebecca looked down at her hand automatically seeing that her fingers were playing with the engagement ring. “I don’t know why I did.”
“Well, he stepped out after running into your fiance,” Keeley told her what happened moments before the blonde came down and that caught Rebecca’s attention. “Sassy followed him out but, Roy had to break it up or more like take John out. If you want to see your fiance he’s in the main ballroom and if you want to see Ted… He’s out in the south parking lot.” Keeley gave Rebecca a tight hug. “Know your worth.” She whispered to her friend before leaving to attend to some last-minute details.
Rebecca heavily sighed knowing that secretly she had hoped that the universe would choose for her. After the second year of Ted not showing up and then she got engaged… Rebecca thought or at least figured out that fate made its choice. However, that changed when she just found out that Ted was there. Ted saw that moment happen. He saw it but didn’t say anything and that runs through her mind. Why is that? It was as if the universe was listening to her thoughts once again as John walked out of the main ballroom to see his fiance in deep thought.
“Hi love,” He smiled brightly at her and touched her elbow leaning in for a kiss on her cheek. As he broke away Rebecca noticed slight bruising on his hand.
“What happened?” She pointed at his right hand.
“Oh nothing, just saw someone who shouldn’t be here.” John dismissed her. “Should we go inside? Everyone’s seated we’re just waiting for you.”
“Not everyone.” Rebecca looked at John. “I’m going to get Sassy.” She looked at him hoping that he believes her.
“Alright darling, be quick.” Hearing him call her darling made her skin crawl. Something that hadn’t happened since she told him not to refer to her in that way.
“Would you just sit still?” Sassy started to become annoyed with Ted as she tried to ice his jaw. “For someone that looks like he hadn’t been in a fight since the playground… Wingsnight can throw a bloody punch.” She tried to make the air lighter.
“You got that right.” He laughed holding the ice pack himself now. “Go on in now Sassy don’t let me hold you up.”
“Go inside?” She pointed behind them. “Are you mad? I’m not going in there, him doing this to you just proves my whole thing to Stinky. I never liked him anyways.” Sassy dug around her purse for a cigarette and lighter. “Tried to be the supportive friend. Encouraged her for a bit, but the minute she said yes I couldn’t do it. So I told Keeley that she should be the maid of honor even though I knew she would be already. Can’t fake it anymore.” Sassy lit her cigarette and took a drag from it. “What about you? Why now? Hoping for some dramatic stop to a wedding?” She joked again knowing that is a high possibility of Ted’s sudden appearance.
“Wanted to see her get the ending she deserved.” Ted shrugged positioning the ice. “I wasn’t going to stop the wedding if I saw that she loved him.”
“What did you see instead?”
“Sadness.”
“She’s had that look on her face for I don’t know… three years now?” Sassy made direct eye contact with Ted. “You went to her engagement and did shit. You let her say yes to a mister trust fund in there Ted.” They both laughed. “Why did you do it?”
“Would’ve been selfish. Who was I to stop it if I was the one who left? So I watched and see her say yes. To see the team jump up and scream. To see her smile and that gigantic ring on her finger. I didn’t stop it because… as much as I love her I couldn’t expect her to be waiting around for me.”
“But you waited,” Sassy said.
“Call me an optimist.” He looked down at his shoes.
“That you are Ted Lasso.” Rebecca’s voice broke the silence between Sassy and Ted walking towards them.
“I’ll go inside, help Jones cause a diversion,” Sassy whispered in Rebecca’s ear. “Need more ice Marlboro Man?” She yelled at Ted who shook his head then Sassy left.
“Always the optimist Ted Lasso,” Rebecca repeated her words as she walked closer to him.
“Someone has to be to keep the world goin’ round.”
“I’m sorry he did that to you,” Rebecca whispered noticing Ted’s jaw. “I wish he can say it to you himself but…” Her voice stopped.
“He won’t, made that clear right after the punch.” Rebecca and Ted locked eyes and he saw that familiar look in her eyes that would bring him comfort yet would also fill him with sadness and regret. “I think I deserve it,” Ted admitted.
“No, you don’t Ted.” She shook her head with a questioning look as if asking to help him with his jaw. “You of all people don’t.”
“Shouldn’t you go back inside?” Ted asked.
“Why did you leave Ted?” Rebecca countered his question with her own. The same question that had been in her mind for years.
“I was being selfish rather than telling you the truth.” Ted sighed. “Rebecca, do you remember what you told me that night? One of your good ol’ fashion truth bombs?”
“I-I told you I was falling in love with you.” She broke eye contact.
“Exactly. Rebecca, you were falling in love with me, the person who I was then was not even remotely ready to have someone like you in that capacity. I was still trying to navigate so many things in my life, I just started feeling like myself again. But to love you I needed to unlearn everything from the past. You were healing but I had yet to heal. I couldn’t let you do all of that for me.” He took her free hand in his. “Even when I know you wanted to if you only knew the extent to what it was. I needed to stop comparing this life… To what I had then. So ironically I went back and stayed with my ma for a bit. It took a long time to sort everything out, but I did it. That’s why I came now. There’s no such thing as a right time but, Rebecca when you said you were falling in love with me? I had already fallen in love.” That caught Rebecca’s attention. “You were so easy to love, and you still are. I mean look at you! You’re getting married.” He chuckled and wiped some of the tears starting to fall down Rebecca’s face that she didn’t even know were there in the first place. “I left so I can heal myself because I didn’t want to break you by being in love with you. I came back because I love you, and I wanted to see who had the privilege of being on the reciprocating end of your love. He’s one lucky fella.” His voice broke.
“You still love me?” Rebecca put his ice pack down on the ground.
“Couldn’t stop talking about you back home I think ma is getting tired of it.” He broke a joke that made Rebecca lightly laugh. “Who could stop loving you, Rebecca? They don’t know what they got if they do.”
“Funny you say that because that’s what I would think when you told me about you and Michelle.” Ted started leaning in. “How can someone stop loving Ted Lasso? Because I asked myself that question every day for three years.”
Then their lips met in a soft slow kiss that had been years in the making. Ted’s arms wrapped around her waist pulling her into him as if letting go would cause all of this to disappear. What broke them apart was a voice from their friend or rather a squeal.
“Can I send the prick home then?” Roy asked while next to him Keeley just covered her mouth.
Rebecca turned back to Ted. “I’ll give you a headstart.”
“For what?”
“To run.” Rebecca looked at him stone-faced but secretly she was scared he would.
“Where? I’m finally home.” He wrapped his arms around her making her smile.
Taking her engagement ring off of her hand Rebecca put it in her pocket feeling a sense of freedom and relief.
“Oi! So what’s the verdict?” Roy grew impatient.
“Go on, kick him out.” Ted was the one to answer for the both of them. “The wedding is off.” He yelled at the end.
“Is it now?” Rebecca raised her eyebrow at him trying to keep her face still but breaking into a smile. “Thank you, Ted.”
“For breaking off your wedding?” He kept it light.
“For coming back.”