The Rehearsal
"Why is there a rehearsal and a rehearsal dinner?" asked Neil. "Are we going to rehearse eating?"
Andrew stared at him. "You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"
"I've never been to a wedding before!' said Neil. "And now I'm supposed to be in one? How am I supposed to know what to do?"
"You didn't think to ask until now, on the way to the rehearsal?"
Neil shrugged defensively. "I kept thinking Matt would give me more information," he said. "But now . . ."
Andrew sighed. "Okay. First of all, good news. The rehearsal is when the whole wedding party goes and rehearses what to do at the wedding tomorrow. This is traditionally followed by the rehearsal dinner, which isn't a rehearsal at all but follows the rehearsal and is an opportunity for the close friends and family of the couple to get to know each other."
"How do you know that?" asked Neil. "You haven't been to any more weddings than I have."
"I looked it up a month ago," said Andrew, like it was obvious.
"Why?" asked Neil. "You're not even in the wedding."
"No," said Andrew patiently, "but you are. And I figured you'd start asking me stupid, half-baked questions at some point once you realized how underprepared you were." He gave Neil a withering look. "I did think it would happen before we were driving to the venue."
"Okay, but it doesn't matter that I don't know what I'm doing, because we're about to practice."
"Rehearse."
"What's the difference?"
"You rehearse things that are scripted," said Andrew, "like a play. Or a wedding. You practice things that involve skills that will be applied in an unpredictable order. Like Exy."
"What about a speech?" asked Neil. "People say they need to practice a speech, but if your definition is correct, wouldn't they need to rehearse instead?"
Andrew shrugged. "Sometimes people are wrong."
"Can't argue with that," said Neil.
Andrew hummed in contentment and turned down a winding, tree-lined driveway. "We're almost there," he said. "Unless the wedding was a decoy and Boyd's sent us to be murdered in the woods."
"If he were going to kill us, he would've done it ages ago," said Neil. "There were way easier opportunities while he was still at Palmetto with us. We've gotten harder to kill."
Andrew looked pleased. "We have, haven't we?"
They passed a sign reading Whispering Woods Country Club, and a large, Tudor-style building came into view. "This place looks nice," said Neil.
"It's a Country Club," said Andrew. "What did you expect?"
Neil shrugged. "I didn't really think about it."
Andrew sighed heavily as he pulled into a parking space. "Of course you didn't."
"I didn't know I had to rehearse for the rehearsal."
"You don't need to worry about Boyd killing you," said Andrew. "I'm going to do it myself."
Neil laughed and got out of the car. "Sure you are."
He caught sight of Allison, who had stuck her head out the front door of the country club. "Oh, good, you're here!" she called across the parking lot. "Come on! The faster we rehearse, the faster we can get to the restaurant for dinner!"
Neil blinked at her. "Wait, the dinner's somewhere else?"
Allison looked at Andrew. "Did you not prepare him for this at all?"
"I tried," said Andrew. "He's hopeless."
Allison sighed impatiently. "Whatever, you're Matt's problem. Get inside."
Neil looked back at Andrew. "I'm a problem?"
"Always."
Neil grinned and followed Allison inside. She led them down the hall to a larger room, where several rows of chairs were set up on either side of a wide aisle. Dan and Matt were already standing at the front of the room with Wymack. Renee, Aaron, and Nicky were standing near them, and Katelyn was sitting in the second row talking to Erik and a woman in a black dress that Neil didn't recognize. He vaguely recognized Matt's parents sitting in the row in front of them talking to Robert Stevens, one of Matt's pro teammates, and he was relatively sure the two women sitting across the aisle from them were two of Dan's stage sisters.
"Found them!" Allison announced, walking down the aisle towards Dan. "Okay, who's running this? Rehearse us!"
"That would be me." The woman in the black dress stood up and gave a little wave. "For those of you I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet, I'm Aliana, and I'm Dan and Matt's wedding planner! I'll be around all day tomorrow to make sure things are going smoothly."
Neil wasn't sure if he was supposed to be reacting. Allison, Renee, and Nicky were nodding along and smiling; Aaron was just watching her. Neil decided to aim for something between the two and arranged his face into something resembling an attentive gaze.
"Okay, let's line up where we'll all be for the ceremony," said Aliana. "Dan, you'll be right here," she said, guiding Dan towards the very front of the room, slightly to the left of center. "And Matt, you'll be here across from her. David, as the officiant, you'll be right here in the middle. Now, for the bridesmaids!"
Neil tuned her out slightly as she directed Allison—the Maid of Honor—and Renee and Dan's stage sisters—the other bridesmaids—to their spots. Aliana seemed to like physically touching people and pulling them into their positions. Neil made a note to stay out of reach.
"Okay, groomsmen, you'll just be a mirror image to the bridesmaids," said Aliana. She laughed a little. "I hope you were paying attention!"
Fuck. Well, that still sounded easy enough. Neil knew what it meant to mirror someone. He got into position behind Matt and smiled gamely.
"Very good," said Aliana, giving him an approving look. "Neil, right? Looks like Matt picked a solid Best Man!" She frowned at Aaron and pushed him a few inches to the right. "Aaron, just a little further forward. You want to form a line with Matt and Neil, not a triangle."
Neil kept his face arranged in a perfectly pleasant expression as Aliana moved on to making minor adjustments to Robert's and Nicky's positioning. He was not going to gloat. He was the best Best Man, and he wasn't going to be smug about being so much better than Aaron. Not openly smug, at least.
Maybe he'd get the chance to be openly smug during the dinner.
"Time to practice the recessional!" said Aliana, clapping her hands together. "This will be reverse order from the processional, which we'll practice next. That means our bride and groom will be the first ones to go back up the aisle. Then, the rest of you will pair up. These will be the same pairs you'll have for the processional. So, Allison and Neil, you'll be the last ones in before the bride, and the first ones out after the bride and groom."
Neil nodded. That sounded like a standard thing he should know and understand. And it seemed simple enough. Being in a wedding, he decided, was not very complicated. Dan and Matt started their walk up the aisle. Neil looked over at Allison, gave a nod, and started after them.
"Pause!" said Aliana. "Neil, two things. First, before you start walking, you'll offer Allison your arm."
Oh. Neil politely ignored the fact that Aliana hadn't mentioned that in her initial instructions. "Got it."
"Second, this is the bride and groom's moment! You'll want to wait until they're halfway up the aisle to start walking after them."
That had also not been in Aliana's initial instructions. Still, it seemed simple enough. "Sure thing."
"Okay, let's keep going," said Aliana. "Dan and Matt, start walking; Allison and Neil, follow after them when they reach that halfway mark!"
Neil patiently waited until they reached the designated spot and then started down the aisle. Allison was pulling slightly on his arm, keeping his pace slower than he had intended to go. He shot her a look.
"We get it, you're fast," Allison said quietly, keeping a smile on her face and her eyes straight ahead. "Trust me. I should be the one setting the pace here."
"Renee and Aaron, you don't have to wait as long to start following them—how about you give them until, let's say, about a quarter of the way up the aisle. And try to match their speed—excellent job on the pacing, Allison and Neil! You'll need to go a little slower for the processional, of course, but that's an excellent speed for this portion. Try to do it just like that tomorrow!"
"See?" said Allison. "Told you so."
"Slower for the processional?" muttered Neil.
"We've got to give the photographer plenty of time to get our beauty shots in," said Allison.
Neil grimaced. He was pretty sure he was already walking slower than he'd ever walked before. Maybe this was going to be harder than he'd thought. He caught sight of Andrew, sitting a few rows back and watching him with a look of amusement, and his grimace deepened. Andrew was definitely going to make fun of him for this later. Neil sighed and resigned himself to a long evening of walking back and forth at a painfully slow pace.
The processional wasn't any more interesting than the recessional had been, and it involved far more waiting. By the time Neil and Allison went down the aisle, he was barely paying any attention at all. He just let Allison steer him; he figured he'd try to listen better on the next go. He patiently watched Dan's procession and prepared himself for the next round.
"Lovely, everyone!" said Aliana. "All right, let's just run the recessional one more time to get you out of here, and then you're all free to go for the evening!"
Neil blinked at her in alarm. They had only gone through the processional once, which seemed incredibly insufficient. But Neil certainly wasn't going to be the one to say anything.
Dan and Matt were already a third of the way up the aisle. He looked over to Allison and got into position. "You know what we're doing, right?" he muttered under his breath.
Allison snorted. "Yeah, we're good. Just follow my lead, and we'll be the sexiest couple to go down the aisle." Neil looked pointedly ahead at Matt and Dan, and Allison sighed. "All right, fine, the second sexiest. But only because it's their wedding day."
"Works for me," said Neil. Andrew met them at the end of the aisle, and he broke off to talk to him. "So, how did I look?"
"Do you mean appearance, or quality of performance?" asked Andrew.
"Both?"
"Appearance was excellent. Performance was passable."
"Only passable?"
"Are you interested in improving?"
Neil made a face. "I guess."
"You've got two options," said Andrew. "First option, I can go over it with you later, after dinner, until you actually know what's supposed to be happening."
Neil frowned. "Is there an easier option?"
"Just quit fighting Allison and let her guide you into place."
Neil brightened. "Oh. That was my plan, anyway. I'll do that."
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Of course you will."
He hesitated. "Does it matter if I screw up?"
"It matters if you screw up a lot," said Andrew. "But no, if you're a tiny bit too fast or if you start walking when they're three eighths of the way up the aisle instead of halfway, no one's going to notice. This isn't about you."
"Okay, good," said Neil. Based on that standard, they'd rehearsed plenty. "In that case, I'm ready!"
Getting Ready
"Who let Nicky have a wedding party this big?" asked Allison. "There are too many of us. It's tacky."
"No, it's fun!" said Dan, grinning. "And it's a fantastic excuse to spend some time in Germany!"
"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, we've got plenty of makeup artists to go around. There's still plenty of time to make everyone look stunning," said Nicky.
"'And gentlemen?'" Neil muttered to Andrew. For Matt's wedding, all the groomsmen had needed to do to get ready was show up and put on their tuxes.
Andrew gave him a coolly appraising look. "I never realized you were so rigid about gender expression."
"So, you're going to let a makeup artist touch your face?"
"Absolutely," said Andrew. "Gotta look better than Aaron."
"You always look better than Aaron," Neil protested.
"I should certainly hope so," said Andrew. "He looks terrible."
"You're identical," said Kevin, rolling his eyes. "The whole point is that you look exactly the same."
"My condolences," said Andrew. "All these years and I never realized you were completely blind."
"I know we all had stunted childhoods and everything, but someone else here has to know what identical twins are," said Kevin.
"Sorry, dude, I'm with Andrew and Neil here," said Aaron.
"How?"
"I'm obviously not agreeing with the part about Andrew looking better," said Aaron. "That's subjective and also clearly inaccurate."
"You look the same," Kevin insisted.
"Oh my god," said Allison. "Is this how we find out that, after all these years, Kevin can't tell Andrew and Aaron apart?"
"What?" Kevin yelped. "Of course I can! They're—they—they dress differently!"
"We dress differently?" asked Aaron incredulously. "That's the best you've got?"
"In his defense, our mother couldn't tell us apart, either," said Andrew.
Kevin grimaced. "Ah, yes, exactly the person I'd like to be compared to."
"Gotta be careful," said Allison. "You know what happened to her."
"Enough!" said Nicky. "It's my wedding day, and I will not tolerate such morbid topics of conversation."
Allison glanced around the room. "If you didn't want morbid conversation, you should've reconsidered your groom's party."
Renee put a hand on Allison's arm. "Despite our rather morbid pasts, I think we are all fully capable of discussing happier things. For today."
"Thank you," said Nicky, dramatically collapsing onto a couch. "That's all I ask!"
"We got you, dude," said Matt. "Happy topics only."
They all looked at each other for a minute. "So, uh, what do you want to talk about?" asked Dan.
"The food Erik's mom brought us is delicious," said Renee. "And she seemed lovely, too."
"She's great, isn't she?" Nicky agreed. "I'm going to have the best in-laws."
There was a quick knock at the door, and a tall brunette woman Neil vaguely recognized as the wedding planner poked her head in. "Everyone decent? The hair and makeup artists are here if you're ready for them to come get set up."
"Wonderful! Bring them in!" said Nicky, getting up from the couch as the wedding planner opened the door. A group of five immaculately dressed and very efficient-looking Germans filed into the room and began arranging their supplies in the hotel suite. Nicky started talking to them in rapid German. Neil didn't bother paying attention; he assumed Nicky would tell him if there was something he actually needed to know.
Sure enough, after a minute, Nicky turned back to the groomsmen and clapped his hands together. "Okay," he said. "So, we've got two stylists doing hair, and three doing makeup. The girls' hair will obviously take longer than the guys', but the makeup will take pretty similar amounts of time for everyone. I'm going to go last for makeup, because I'm the star and my makeup should look the best and freshest. Renee and Allison, you're up first for hair. Andrew, Kevin, and Matt, you're up first for makeup, followed by the girls if you're done with hair, and then Aaron and Neil last, other than me. For hair, y'all can just kind of filter in whenever someone's free, as long as you're not busy with makeup."
"Why the specific order for makeup?" asked Aaron. Neil shot him a look; he was perfectly happy to be at the end of the makeup line. He was hoping they'd run out of time and not make him wear any, after all. Aaron, unfortunately, didn't seem to be on the same page. "Like, why do you have Andrew going first and me going nearly last? We're identical twins, shouldn't we go at about the same time?"
"Now he admits to being identical," muttered Kevin.
"It's not based on appearance," said Nicky. "It's based on who I think can tolerate wearing makeup the longest, and who's least likely to do something stupid to fuck it up."
"I've had makeup on before," Neil said, suddenly feeling a bit insulted by Nicky's assessment. "For long periods of time. And I was fine."
"That's true," said Allison thoughtfully, "but we didn't put any eye makeup on you, did we? We were pretty heavily focused on keeping attention away from you face. As great as you'll look with eyeliner, that would probably have had the opposite effect."
Nicky nodded. "Exactly," he said. "I'm sure you'll do fine with the basics, Neil, but the rest of it . . ." He shrugged. "I'm just not sure you'll be as self-controlled about it as Andrew and Kevin, for example."
Andrew, looking exceptionally smug, went up to one of the makeup artists. "Hello. I'm ready when you are. Two conditions: let me know what you're doing before you do it, and make sure I look better than that guy," he said in German, gesturing towards Aaron. "Do we have a deal?"
The makeup artist looked over at Aaron, who was scowling, and laughed. "Absolutely."
Allison looked between the twins and then turned to Neil. "Is that something the rest of us need to be worried about?"
"Nope," he said.
"He's biased," said Aaron.
"Not as biased as you and Andrew," said Allison, "and I'm not going to bother the groom with such trivial matters on his wedding day."
Nicky, who seemed happy to stay out of it, just beamed at Allison. "Thank you. This is why you're the highest-ranking woman in my wedding party."
"That doesn't change the fact that Josten's biased," Aaron protested.
"Well, do you think the rest of us need to be concerned?" asked Allison, raising an eyebrow. Aaron hesitated, and she sighed impatiently and turned to her hairstylist. "What about you? Do you think this will affect the rest of us?"
The hairstylist laughed. "Not at all."
"Wonderful," said Allison. "Now, you, I trust."
"Can we go back to the 'highest ranking' thing?" asked Dan. "I was explicitly told yesterday that the order in which we're standing has to do with overall appearance and aesthetics of the full lineup, not how much you like each of us."
Nicky blanched. "There was a complicated and detailed evaluation process that incorporated a variety of factors, in which Erik and I had equal input."
"Ooh, does Erik know you're pushing blame off on him?" asked Allison, eyes aglow. "If not, can I tell him?"
"Hold on," said Matt. "How did you pick between Aaron and Andrew for best man?"
"I didn't," Nicky said with a snort. "I told them to work it out themselves."
"Smart," said Allison, nodding. "It's a win-win. Either they work it out, or one of them kills the other to assert dominance. Whichever way it goes, you're absolved of any decision-making and you avoid a lifetime of accusations of favoritism."
"It was easy," said Aaron. "Andrew didn't want it. Plus, we knew Josten would be third in line."
"Oh," said Allison, sounding surprised, "that's actually kind of cute."
Aaron made a face. "It's really not."
"I say it's very cute," declared Nicky. "And it's my wedding day, so you can't argue with me."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "You've met us, right? This group can—and will—argue with literally anything."
Neil settled back onto one of the couches in the suite, content to watch and listen. He focused in on Andrew, who was sitting perfectly still in the makeup chair. Neil couldn't tell exactly what had been done, but Andrew's features were sharper and more defined. As skeptical as Neil had been of the entire makeup process, Andrew did look good—even better than usual. Not that Neil would admit that to anyone else, except maybe Andrew, later.
Finally, Andrew's makeup was finished, and he could join Neil on the couch. He raised an eyebrow at Neil. "Thoughts?"
Neil blinked at him. "Good."
"Good?" Andrew repeated. "All I get is good?"
"Very good?"
Andrew sighed dramatically. "I am perpetually underappreciated."
"It's not that I don't think you look great now," Neil protested. "It's just—you always look great. The makeup looks good, but if I act like it looks too good, doesn't that imply I don't think you look good without it?"
Andrew stared at him for a minute, then closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "I am over appreciated."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Yes."
"Which one?"
Andrew sighed. "I don't know, figure it out."
"Good, then," Neil decided. Andrew sighed again, but he looked content, so Neil took that as a sign he was right. He settled back into the couch, his arm pressed against Andrew's, and listened to the chatter of the Foxes as they kept getting ready.
Neil had initially been skeptical of the amount of time Nicky had reserved for hair and makeup, but, by the time he was finally called over to one of the hairstylists, he was starting to understand. The whole process was taking much longer than it had for Matt and Dan's wedding—for the groomsmen, at least. But then, for Matt and Dan's wedding, he'd been able to skip out on hair and makeup entirely. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure Allison, Renee, and the other bridesmaids had probably shown up about this early for that wedding, too. Weddings, Neil was beginning to realize, were exhausting.
"You are okay with product in your hair, yes?" asked the stylist.
Neil hadn't really thought he had a choice; if the stylist didn't use product on his hair, there wasn't much else she could do with it. "Yeah, whatever you need to do," he said.
"How do you usually do your hair?"
"Um." Alex had used hair gel; Chris's hair had been buzzed; Stefan had used a spray. Neil, however, never bothered to do much of anything with his hair. "I—don't?"
The stylist nodded. "I can tell," she said. "No worries. I will fix."
Neil frowned. He didn't think his hair was bad enough to warrant fixing. But he also didn't care enough to push back, so he just nodded and sat back, letting the stylist do her thing.
He'd barely had time to get used to the feeling of her hands on his head when she took a step back and looked at him critically, hands on her hips. "Good. You are done now."
"Really?" Neil asked.
"I love it!" said Nicky. "You should do your hair like that all the time. Were you paying attention to what she did?"
"Um."
"Never mind, I shouldn't have asked," Nicky sighed. "Ooh, but I bet Andrew was watching! He'll remember. Right?"
Andrew shot Nicky a withering look, but he nodded.
"Perfect!" said Nicky. "And perfect timing, Neil. Angelica's ready for you in makeup."
Neil grimaced. "Great."
Andrew grabbed an unused chair from one of the hairstylists' stations and pulled it over in front of Angelica's chair. The hairstylist looked like she was about to say something, but Andrew's glare shut her up.
"Um," said Angelica, glancing at Andrew as Neil got into position, "I'm not sure that's the best place—"
"Trust me," Andrew interrupted. "You want me here."
"Hey," said Neil, "does that mean you think I'm going to be a problem?"
"You're always a problem," said Aaron from the next chair over.
"Why does everyone say that?" Neil asked with a frown.
Aaron's makeup artist put a firm hand on his jaw. "No moving."
"Sorry," Aaron muttered, keeping his face perfectly still.
"He's right, though," said Andrew. "You are always a problem. And you'll definitely be one for this."
"What are you talking about? I can hold still," Neil protested.
"Even when she's coming at your eye with something?" Andrew asked. "Or when you've been told to keep your eyes closed for what feels like forever? Or when she's trying to curl your eyelashes?"
Neil silently wondered if it was too late to tell Nicky sorry, but he couldn't be in the wedding after all. Probably so. Damn. "I can stay still," he said stubbornly.
"I'm sure you can," Andrew agreed. His tone was only a little patronizing. "And you'll be better at it if I'm here to watch and tell you what's happening."
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Nicky gushed. "Maybe your wedding will be next!"
"Absolutely not," said Andrew.
"Oof, harsh," said Nicky.
"Realistic," Andrew corrected. "Besides, you don't need us. Aaron and Katelyn are engaged; they'll clearly be next."
"So true!" said Nicky. "I can't believe I forgot! We're going to have so much fun. Have you picked a venue yet?"
Neil tuned them out as Nicky went over to Aaron and continued their conversation. He focused on Angelica and Andrew instead. Angelica had, apparently, been paying attention when Andrew said Neil would do better if he knew exactly what was happening; she was keeping up a steady narration of her actions as she wiped his face down with a cleansing cloth and then began to apply foundation.
"How do you want to handle the discolorations?" asked Angelica.
Neil blinked at her. Was that some sort of makeup term he was supposed to know? "The what?"
"The—well, your—" she glanced over at Andrew for help, and Neil caught up with what she was trying to say a second before Andrew said it for her.
"She means your scars."
"Oh," said Neil. "Just . . . do whatever you usually do?"
Angelica shot Andrew another mildly panicked look, and Andrew snorted. "I don't think she's got a 'usual' here."
The only thing that had been getting Neil through this was the expectation that he would have to make absolutely zero decisions. That expectation was quickly dissolving. "Um. Nicky, thoughts?" he deflected.
"With—oh," said Nicky. He shrugged. "Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me."
On one hand, Neil was pretty sure it was very kind of Nicky to defer to whatever Neil wanted to do. On the other hand, Neil was being pushed dangerously close to having to make a decision here. "Are there options?" he asked hopefully. "Like, multiple choice?"
Angelica nodded. "Of course." She seemed more comfortable now that she was back in her element. "We can cover them up completely—that would take a lot of makeup, but it should be doable. Or, we can emphasize them—really highlight them, bring them out, maybe with some color."
Neil grimaced. "Is there a third option?"
"Yes," said Angelica. "We can go for the middle ground—not really covering, but not emphasizing, either. A lighter, more natural look."
"That one," said Neil. "I pick that one."
"Wonderful," said Angelica. "All right, I am going to go back to the foundation, and then some bronzer."
Neil nodded and relaxed, confident he would no longer have to make any decisions about his face. The process was oddly soothing—like getting a weird sort of face massage. It wasn't even too bad when Angelica started applying the eye makeup. Neil was determined to stay still and unbothered, and his determination carried him through nicely. It certainly wasn't pleasant to have someone drawing on his eyelid or brushing mascara onto his eyelashes, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd worried it might be.
Finally, Angelica took a step back and pursed her lips, then nodded. "Very good. Close your eyes, and I will put on a spray to keep the makeup fresh all through the night." Neil obediently closed his eyes, and he only flinched a little when the cool spray hit his face. "All done," said Angelica, satisfied.
"Thanks!" said Neil, hopping down from the chair. He walked up to Andrew, who was staring at him. "Good?"
"Very good," Andrew agreed.
Neil grinned. "So I'm photo-ready?"
"Absolutely."
Pictures
"You know," said Neil, amused, "you didn't have to say yes." Andrew glared at him, and Neil laughed. "That's what I thought."
"Look," said Andrew, "I'm obviously the only choice for best man."
"Nicky could've done it," Neil suggested.
"Oh, is Nicky Aaron's twin brother? I must've gotten confused."
Neil laughed again. "If it would bug you so much for someone else to do it, it shouldn't bug you so much for you to do it."
"It bugs me that this wedding is happening at all," said Andrew, but there was no heat behind his words. He'd tolerated Katelyn for years at this point, and Neil was pretty sure he'd even come to the realization that Aaron and Katelyn were good for each other – though he'd never admit it, and Neil wasn't stupid enough to point it out to him.
"Andrew, get over here!" called Nicky. "They're ready for the groomsmen pictures!"
Andrew grimaced, and Neil grinned at him. "Your public awaits," said Neil.
"You are enjoying this entirely too much," said Andrew.
"At least one of us should be enjoying ourselves."
"Unnecessary."
"Andrew," called Aaron. "Come on! Everyone's waiting for you."
With one last grimace in Neil's direction, Andrew joined Aaron and Nicky in front of the small grove of trees the photographer was gesturing towards. Neil wondered how long it would take for her to stop instructing Andrew to smile.
"Hello, Neil," said Erik, walking up beside him. "Did I miss anything?"
Neil had no idea what Erik was worried about missing, but it seemed inappropriate to ask. "Not much," he said. "They've done the—the first look, was it? And the other bride and groom pictures, and with Katelyn's family, and then the bridal party. The photographer just started taking pictures of the groom's party a few minutes ago." Listing out what had already happened, Neil felt a bit bad about assuring Erik he hadn't missed much—given the pictures that had already happened, there couldn't be much left—but Erik seemed unbothered.
"Great," he said. "He looks happy, yeah?"
Andrew was fully scowling at the camera, but there was a rare brightness in his eyes.
That probably wasn't who Erik meant, though. "Oh, you mean Aaron? Yeah, he's—" He was smiling, at least. Unlike Andrew, he was actually following the photographer's instructions. The smile was probably genuine, more or less, but Neil had no real metric by which to judge the realness of Aaron's smiles. "Yeah, he looks happy."
Erik laughed. "The y all do," he said. "I know this means a lot to Nicky."
Neil nodded; Nicky's unbridled enthusiasm was readily apparent. "I think he might be more excited for this than he was for his own wedding." Neil winced slightly as he realized how that must sound, and Erik laughed again. "Not that he wasn't excited about that, too."
"Don't worry," said Erik. "I am very satisfied with the amount of enthusiasm Nicky showed for our wedding. And, more importantly, our marriage."
"Good," said Neil. "I mean, it would probably be bad if you weren't, right?"
"Probably so," Erik agreed. He sounded amused, which Neil also thought was good. Better than annoyed, certainly.
The photographer had called Katelyn and the bridal party over to join Aaron, Andrew, and Nicky. The Maid of Honor, who was being posed next to Andrew, was looking at him with clear apprehension. Neil couldn't remember who she was—a Vixen, maybe? Or did Katelyn have a sister?—but she was obviously aware of the tenuous relationship Andrew and Katelyn used to have, and she seemed less willing to forgive and forget than Katelyn had been. Neil understood it, but he still thought it was unfair. Andrew was fully on board with the relationship—now, at least—and he had been on his best behavior all weekend.
"Andrew's happy too, right?" asked Erik.
"Of course," said Neil.
"Really?" asked Erik. "Not that I don't believe you—it's just harder to tell, with him."
Neil shook his head. "It's obvious," he said. "You just have to look."
Erik watched Andrew for a minute and then shrugged. "Maybe so," he said, "but I think you are particularly good at looking. And at understanding what you see."
"It's not that difficult," said Neil, bristling.
Erik smiled at him. "You're quite protective of him." Neil just stared back. "It's a good thing," Erik continued. "Not many people look at Andrew and see someone who could use some protection."
Neil snorted. "That's probably a good thing."
"Fair enough," said Erik with a laugh. "Nicky appreciates it, though," he added quietly. "Knowing Andrew has someone to look out for him. And Aaron. It helps him feel less guilty about being so far away."
Oh. So that's what this was about, for Erik. "He's doing well," he said. "They both are. And—well, you know how often they all talk."
"Yeah," said Erik, smiling. "The calls always make Nicky very happy."
"Andrew likes them ,too," said Neil. "He might not say it, but he makes sure he's available for them, no matter what else we have going on."
"Good," said Erik. He let out a happy sigh, watching Andrew and Aaron pose shoulder to shoulder. "They've come a long way."
"Okay," said the photographer. "That's all I need for wedding party. Katelyn, Aaron, are there any other combinations you want?"
"You want family pictures, too, right?" said Nicky.
"We already did pictures with Katelyn's family," said Aaron.
"I meant your family," said Nicky.
"We already did that, too," said Aaron. "My family's just the groom's party."
"Yeah, but Katelyn wasn't in those, and neither were Erik and Neil," said Nicky. "You need your whole family, in-laws and all! Erik, Neil, get over here!"
Erik walked towards the cousins without hesitation, but Neil blanched. "I'm not—this isn't—"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Nicky. "Of course you are. Right, Aaron?"
Aaron gave Neil a long, hard look and then sighed. "Yeah, fine."
"It's okay, really," said Neil quickly. "I don't have to be in any pictures."
"You're not going anywhere, right?" asked Aaron.
Neil looked at Andrew, who stared back impassively, and he shrugged. "I mean—I don't think so."
Aaron glanced over at Andrew and sighed again. "You're both impossible. I don't know why I even bother."
"Because they're family," said Nicky, his arm looped through Erik's.
"Absolutely," agreed Katelyn. "I think we'll be very happy to have these pictures."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Aaron. "Come on, Josten, we don't have all day."
Aaron's approval—and Katelyn's—was probably the most important, since it was their wedding, but theirs weren't the opinions Neil cared about. "Andrew?"
"You heard the man," said Andrew. His face was still impassive, but his tone was warm. "We don't have all day."
"Okay," said Neil, walking over to join the group. He turned to the photographer. "How do you want us?"
The photographer was looking at them with a slight frown of concentration; it was clear she hadn't expected to get this far. "Okay, let's put Aaron and Katelyn in the middle," she said, "with one couple on each side. Andrew and Neil, why don't you stand by Katelyn, and Nicky and Erik, you can stand by Aaron."
Nicky stood beside Aaron, with Erik on the outside. The photographer had probably meant for Andrew to be on the inside, too, next to Katelyn, but the photographer was probably unaware of the past tension between the two of them. Neil glanced at Andrew, then at Katelyn. "Which order do you want us in?"
Katelyn hesitated, but only for a moment. She smiled at Andrew. "Wherever you're comfortable. I'd be happy for you to stand next to me."
Andrew considered for a moment, and then he nodded and moved closer to Katelyn. Neil shifted with him to say close at Andrew's other side.
Aaron glanced sharply over at him. "Don't—you're not—"
"Don't worry," said Andrew mildly. "I'm just trying to take some nice family photos."
"He is," Katelyn assured him. She gave the photographer a bright smile. "We're good over here!"
Aaron watched them both closely, eyes still narrowed in concern. He finally saw something that made him believe them, apparently, and he gave a blink of surprise. "Oh. That—good, then." He looked at the photographer. "We're ready!"
The photographer gave a nod. "All right," she said. "I'm just going to start snapping—first, let's give a nice smile!"
There was no way Andrew would be smiling—he rarely smiled at all, and never on cue. Neil glanced over at him, prepared to give him a little nudge if his expression was too sour.
His jaw dropped.
Andrew was smiling. Not very much—nowhere near a grin or anything—but the corners of his mouth were turned upwards, and his eyes were happy.
"On the end—Neil, right?" the photographer asked, interrupting Neil's shock. "Can you look at me, and give me a smile?"
Andrew laughed silently and Neil flushed. "Yeah, sorry," he said, turning back to the front and putting on his best approximation of a friendly smile.
"Great," said the photographer. Her voice reeked of false positivity. "Now try to relax a bit, and just smile the way you usually do."
Neil frowned, then tried the smile again. He felt ridiculous—why had he bothered worrying about Andrew? Andrew just had to pull off a family-photo-appropriate smile once, and he'd remember it forever. Neil, on the other hand, had spent most of his life working to stay out of photos, and he had no idea how he was supposed to smile for one.
Aaron was probably going to crop him out of every photo, anyway. That took some of the pressure off.
"Is this better?" he asked.
"Much," said the photographer. "All right, everyone, hold that pose while I get a few shots in." Neil held as still as possible. This part, he could do. "Wonderful, everyone. Okay, now, Katelyn and Aaron, look at each other, and everyone else look at them. Smiles are still good, but feel free to give a little look of adoration, too!"
'Adoration' seemed a little over the top, but it gave Neil something to work with. Maybe he wasn't particularly familiar with posing for photographs, but he'd spent half his life acting. Now, he was playing the role of loving and supportive brother-in-law. It wasn't even that much of a stretch—he liked Katelyn, and he was happy enough for her and Aaron.
"That's great, everyone," the photographer said as she snapped photos. "Andrew, could you move a little closer to Katelyn, please?"
Neil felt Andrew twitch slightly, but he maintained his smile. "No."
"You—oh." The photographer frowned; she clearly wasn't used to being told 'no.' To her credit, though, she rolled with it. "In that case, Nicky, would you mind taking a tiny step back, so we're more symmetrical?"
"Sure thing!" said Nicky, sliding back towards Erik to match his distance from Aaron to Andrew's distance from Katelyn. "How's that?"
"Great!" said the photographer, looking relieved. "Okay, unless there are any other poses or combinations you want to do, I think I've got everything I need for the posed shots!"
Aaron looked at Katelyn, who gave a satisfied nod. "We're good here," said Aaron.
Katelyn's bridesmaids, who had been standing nearby, came back to her side. The Maid of Honor tugged her arm. "Come on, Katelyn, let's get inside so we can be in position before the guests start arriving."
"Yeah, okay," Katelyn said. She looked back towards Aaron and squeezed his hand. "See you in a few for the ceremony!"
Aaron grinned. "I'll be the one at the end of the aisle."
The Ceremony
"Finally, a wedding that neither of us are in," said Andrew as they pulled into the parking lot of the vineyard. "We need more of our friends to like us less."
Neil snorted. "Is that what you're going to tell Renee?" She and Allison had recently gotten engaged, and – though she hadn't asked him yet – they both knew Andrew was going to be her best man.
Andrew frowned. "No," he said, "but it's probably what we should have told some of the others."
"Whose wedding would you have skipped out on?" Neil asked. "Nicky's, or Aaron's?"
"Both," said Andrew, getting out of the car. He squinted towards the rows of chairs, lined up on a grassy area at the top of a hill. "Whose side are we supposed to sit on – Jean's or Jeremy's?"
"No idea," said Neil. "Jean's, probably?"
"Maybe that's why Kevin was so excited to officiate," said Andrew. "He doesn't have to pick. He gets to stand in the middle."
As they got closer to the chairs, Neil spotted Allison, who waved and walked over to them. "Thank god you're here," she said. "Renee's been busy with groomswoman duties, and I've been bored out of my mind. Let's go get good seats on Jean's side."
Neil glanced at Andrew, who nodded, looking pleased. "Sounds good," said Neil. "How long have you been here?"
"Like, here here? Only a couple of hours, for pictures and stuff. But we were here for the rehearsal yesterday, and they arranged hair and makeup for Renee and the others this morning at the hotel, so I've been on the outskirts of wedding party activity for a solid 24 hours at this point. Do you think it's presumptuous of us to sit in the front row? Or would it be helpful for us to sit there? I should've asked Renee at the rehearsal."
"Um," said Neil. He didn't feel like he and Jean were close enough for him to sit in the spot usually reserved for family, but everyone he knew of who was closer with him was in the wedding. It wasn't like Jean had any parents or siblings who would be in attendance. And it would probably be awkward if the front row was just empty on one side. Still, it seemed inappropriate to presume.
"Oh, good, here comes Renee," said Allison. "Hey, babe, tell us where to sit."
Renee walked up to them, wearing a flowy lavender dress, and gave Allison a light kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Andrew, Neil," she said, smiling at them. "I'm so glad you're here!" Andrew nodded at her, and Neil gave a little wave.
"Is there someone specific Jean wants in the front?" asked Allison.
"That's actually what I was coming to tell you," said Renee. "We think it would be lovely for the three of you to sit in the first row."
"Sure," said Neil easily. "We can do that." Neither of them being in the wedding was turning out to be great. The only drawback he'd been worried about was no one telling him what to do, and that was turning out to be unfounded.
"I should get back," said Renee. "We're about to start."
Allison kissed her cheek. "All right, just promise me you aren't going to leave me for the best man."
Renee laughed. "I don't know," she said. "Jeremy's brother is pretty cute."
"Can't disagree with you there," said Allison. She sighed dramatically. "Okay, shoot your shot, babe. Just promise me that if you marry him instead of me, I can stand in the back wearing an elaborate black wedding gown and vanish as soon as you say your vows."
"That can be arranged," said Renee, nodding seriously.
Allison perked up. "Wonderful. Let me know if you need me to put in a good word with Jeremy's brother."
Renee rolled her eyes, but she gave Allison a fond look. "See you after the ceremony," she said, and she disappeared back up the aisle.
"All right, let's sit," said Allison. "I'm sick of balancing on my toes to make sure my heels don't sink into the ground."
"You knew the ceremony was going to be outside, didn't you?" asked Neil.
"Yes, of course, but these shoes go with my outfit, so I had no choice," said Allison, delicately sitting down on the chair closest to the aisle. Neil nodded along as if that made sense and sat down next to her. Andrew sat on his other side. Allison pulled her phone out of her clutch, checked the time, and sighed. "We've still got fifteen minutes until this thing is scheduled to start. Want to take bets on whether they'll start on time? I think yes; Jean's too high-strung to be late."
"I'll take that bet," said Andrew. "You're forgetting that Jeremy is also involved in this wedding."
"Ooh, we're betting?" said Dan, sliding into the row behind them with Matt. "I want in!"
"On-time start, yes or no?" asked Allison.
"No," said Dan with a snort. "Weddings never start on time."
"Usually, yeah," said Matt, "but I think there's a pretty good chance Jean will straight up murder anyone who's running late."
"Wait, so who would win the bet if he 'straight up murders' the other groom?" asked Dan. "Technically, if the wedding never starts, it's not starting on time."
"Yeah, but it's not exactly starting late either, is it?" Allison mused. "I think if the wedding just doesn't happen, that counts as a draw."
"Is it bad luck to talk about a wedding not happening while you're sitting in the audience waiting for it to start?" asked Matt.
Allison shrugged. "Not for me."
"I don't know," said Dan. Her tone was thoughtful, but she was grinning wickedly. "Jean and Renee are close. If she finds out you could be cosmically responsible for his wedding falling apart last minute . . ." Dan shrugged. "Makes you think."
"Ridiculous. Renee and I are unstoppable," said Allison. "However, for the record, Jean and Jeremy are also unbearably cute and in love, and this wedding is definitely going to happen."
Dan laughed, and the conversation continued while other wedding guests filed in. Neil at least vaguely recognized a number of exy players—both former Trojans, and members of Jean and Jeremy's pro team. He glanced at Andrew, who was also watching the other exy players. He and Andrew still weren't public with their relationship; it somehow hadn't occurred to him that people they knew professionally might see them together at the wedding.
Andrew made eye contact with him and gave a small shrug, and Neil relaxed. If Andrew wasn't worried, he wouldn't worry, either. It wasn't like he and Andrew were engaged in any public displays of affection; they were just sitting by each other. And besides, the guest list appeared to be relatively limited—most of the chairs were full, but Neil still thought there were less than fifty people there in total. It seemed reasonably safe to assume that anyone who made Jean and Jeremy's guest list was at least decently good at discretion and minding their own business.
A string quartet stationed near the front began to play what sounded like a cover of a pop song Neil vaguely recognized. Allison bounced in her seat as she tucked her phone back into her clutch. "It's starting!" she said. "Early."
Kevin walked in first, accompanying a woman who looked enough like Jeremy for Neil to assume it was his mother. He paused briefly to drop her off at the first row, where she took her seat across the aisle from Allison, Neil, and Andrew, next to a man that had to be Jeremy's dad. Kevin then took his position at the front, ready to officiate.
Next, Laila Dermott and Sara Alvarez came down the aisle, arms looped together. Alvarez's lavender dress matched Renee's, but Laila was wearing a deeper shade of burgundy. At the end of the aisle, Alvarez peeled off to stand on Jean's side, several feet back from Kevin, and Laila mirrored her on Jeremy's side.
Renee followed shortly behind, lightly holding the arm of a man who looked like a slightly thicker version of Jeremy—his brother. The brother's tie was the same shade as Laila's dress. They parted at the end of the aisle, with Renee going to stand in front of Alvarez and Jeremy's brother going to stand in front of Laila.
The music changed, and everyone stood up, turning to face the back where Jean and Jeremy were making their entrance. It took a minute for Neil to get a clear look at them through the crowd, but when he did, he was taken aback by how peaceful and at ease they looked. The easy joy wasn't out of place on Jeremy, but he was pretty sure he'd never seen Jean look anywhere near this relaxed. It was as if all the years of tension and trauma had melted away. It gave Neil an odd feeling in his chest; he made a mental note to examine it later.
Jean and Jeremy stopped in front of Kevin and turned to face each other as the music gently tapered to a stop. Kevin smiled at Jean and Jeremy and then addressed the crowd. "Welcome. You may be seated," he said, pausing to allow the guests to sit back down. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Jean Moreau and Jeremy Knox. In my experience, the strongest couples are the ones that bring out the best in each other. Jean and Jeremy do just that. As strong as they each are individually, they're even stronger together. It's been an honor to watch their relationship develop, and I can't wait to watch it continue to grow and thrive in the decades to come."
Decades. It still felt odd to think about life as something that would extend that far into the future. Based on the expression on Jean's face, he felt the same—like he could hardly believe his luck. It would still take some getting used to, but Neil was excited for the opportunity.
"Jean and Jeremy have chosen to write their own vows, which they will share now," said Kevin.
Jean, it seemed, was going to go first. He pulled a small notebook out of the pocket of his tux and took a breath. "Jeremy, my light, my love. You came into my life during the darkest of times, and you showed me more brightness than I ever thought possible. You saw me before I really saw myself. I do not know if I will ever be able to give you as much as you have given me, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying. I promise to love and cherish you until the end of my days. I promise to do everything in my power to keep you happy and safe and whole." Jean took another deep breath, and he lowered his notebook to look straight at Jeremy. "I cannot promise you that I will not have days that are still dark. But I can promise that I will try to be the best version of myself. Not just because you deserve it, but because you have taught me that I deserve it, too."
Jeremy's eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "I love you," he said quietly.
"I love you too," said Jean, "and I cannot wait to be your husband."
"I can't wait, either," said Jeremy quietly. He let out a quick breath. "My turn?" Jean nodded, and Jeremy continued. "Jean. Over the past few weeks, I've spent a truly embarrassing amount of time trying to write my vows. But I kept scrapping them and starting over, because nothing was good enough. You are the best—in every sense of the word—and you deserve nothing but the best. About, uh, an hour or so ago, though, just after my unsuccessful attempt to bribe Renee into helping me, I realized my vows don't have to be perfect. They just has to be true. And that—that's the first thing I promise you, Jean. I promise to be honest with you, always. I promise to be here for you, to make you laugh, to help you back out of the dark places when they come. And I promise to love you." Jeremy shook his head slightly. "It doesn't feel like much—not nearly enough—but it's all I have. And it's yours."
Kevin waited long enough to be sure Jeremy was done before proceeding. "Jean and Jeremy, do you take one another as husbands, promising to love and cherish each other, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"
"We do," they said together.
"Now," said Kevin, "you will exchange rings."
Jeremy's brother took two rings out of his pocket and handed them to Jeremy, who kept one in his hand and passed the other to Jean.
"Jeremy, please place the ring on Jean's left hand and repeat after me," said Kevin. Jeremy nodded seriously, keeping his eyes on Jean. "I give you this ring," Kevin started.
"I give you this ring," Jeremy echoed.
"As a token of my love and devotion to you."
"As a token of my love and devotion to you."
"I pledge to you."
"I pledge to you."
"All that I am."
"All that I am."
"And all that I will ever be."
"And all that I will ever be."
"With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring," finished Jeremy, his voice shaking a little as he slid the ring the rest of the way onto Jean's finger, "I thee wed."
"Jean, please place the ring on Jeremy's left hand and repeat after me," Kevin said. Kevin opened his mouth to give the first line, but Jean gave him a look that shut him up.
"I give you this ring," Jean said without hesitation, "as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am, and all that I will ever be. With this ring, I thee wed."
"Show-off," said Jeremy, grinning.
Kevin smiled widely; Neil wasn't sure he'd ever seen him so happy about something unrelated to exy. "With the power vested in me by the state of California, I pronounce you married. I now present, for the first time, Jeremy and Jean Knox!"
Were they supposed to clap? Neil felt like they were supposed to clap, but he couldn't remember, and he didn't want to be the only one, so he was frozen with his hands up halfway out of his lap. He glanced over at Andrew; surely he would remember.
Andrew looked back at him, glanced down at his half-raised hands, rolled his eyes, and started to clap, along with the rest of the guests. Relieved, Neil clapped, too, and the string quartet began to play again. Jean and Jeremy took each other's hands and made their way back up the aisle, glowing. Married. It looked good on them.
The Reception
"How long do you think the catering staff had to rehearse this synchronized presentation of appetizers?" asked Andrew.
Neil shrugged. "Do you think Allison paid extra for that?"
Andrew paused, thinking. "Yes," he said, "but she didn't tell Renee."
"Sounds about right," Neil snorted.
"Hey, man," said Matt, walking up beside Neil and clapping him on the shoulder. "Dan says if we don't take our seats for dinner soon, Allison might start ordering the bouncers to forcibly take us to our tables."
Neil glanced around. Guests were gradually making their way to tables, but plenty of people were still talking and mingling like they were. "Was there some kind of signal?"
"Yes," said Matt. "It was when Allison grabbed Dan and asked why none of her guests knew how to read a room and tell when it was time to sit down for dinner."
"If no one was sitting down, isn't it possible people were reading the room and determined it wasn't time yet?" asked Neil.
Matt's hand was still on Neil's shoulder, and he started gently guiding him towards their table. "I'd recommend not mentioning that to Allison," he said. "Come on, you're over here by Dan at the head table."
Neil grimaced. He'd managed to forget about the fact that, as part of the wedding party, he'd have to sit at the front. Allison and Renee had a long, rectangular table set up at the front of the hall, with six chairs, all on one side, facing out over the rest of the tables. Neil slid into the seat on one end of the line, next to Dan; Andrew had peeled off to the other side of the table, where he'd be sitting between Renee and Jean.
"Oh, good," said Dan. "Now that the wedding party's all here, maybe everyone else will get the hint and sit down."
"They'd better," said Allison, her serene smile at odds with her sharp tone. "I'm hungry."
"The appetizers were really good," said Neil. "Did you get some of those?"
"No," said Allison miserably. "I'm wearing white. I can't have half-trained cater-waiters carrying trays of food that close to me."
"They looked like they were pretty well trained to me," said Neil.
"Sure, maybe," Allison sighed, "but it just takes one mistake to ruin the rest of the evening. I couldn't risk it."
"What about you, Renee?" asked Dan. "Did you eat any of the appetizers?"
"I had a salmon puff," said Renee.
Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. "And then what happened?"
"Allison may have asked the gentleman serving them to stay at least ten steps away from us at all times, and to spread the word among the rest of the wait staff," said Renee mildly.
"You were standing next to me!" said Allison. "And you're also wearing white! Your dress even has a train! It's a disaster waiting to happen. Why didn't we think of this in advance?"
Neil leaned over to Dan. "The waiters that were bringing around the appetizers—they're the same ones who will be bringing out our plates for dinner, right?"
Dan grabbed his wrist. "If Allison hears you say that and cancels the wedding party's dinner, I'm going to eat you."
"Fair enough," Neil agreed.
One of the advantages of being in the wedding party, Neil had learned, was that the wedding party nearly always got fed first. As with all other parts of the event, Allison had spared no expense. Even the salads were delicious, with enough fruit and cheese to make eating it feel worthwhile. Neil had only vague memories of selecting his main course when he'd RSVP'd a few months ago, but he silently congratulated his past self on his choice—the chicken was probably the best he'd ever had.
As they finished their meals, Allison leaned over to Dan. "Are you ready for your Maid of Honor speech?"
Dan grinned. "Absolutely."
"Wonderful," said Allison. She gave a signal, and a man dressed in all black was suddenly by the table, handing Dan a microphone.
"Good evening, everyone," said Dan, standing up. She gestured towards Allison and Renee. "Let's give it up again for the lovely couple!" The guests applauded; Matt and Jeremy, who were seated closest to the head table with Kevin, Wymack, Abby, Bee, and Renee's mom, let out a few whoops.
Dan took a breath and smiled at Allison and Renee. "I've had the pleasure of knowing Allison and Renee from the very beginning of their relationship, when Coach Wymack brought us all to Palmetto State as the first women on his new exy team. We may not have gotten along right away—we're Foxes, after all—but we quickly learned we needed to work together, to be allies. And it didn't take long for that alliance to become genuine friendship."
Allison reached over and squeezed Dan's hand. "Love you," she mouthed.
"Love you too," said Dan, holding the microphone away from her mouth. After a breath, she resumed her speech. "Now, I won't bore the rest of you with all the details, but over the years, as we all grew closer, it became clear that there was something more between Allison and Renee. I think all of us could see it—the way each of them brought out the best in the other, the way they made each other laugh, the fierceness with which they protected each other. I am so incredibly fortunate to call these women two of my best friends, and I could not imagine a better match for either of them." Dan paused again, and she turned to face Allison and Renee. "You know better than anyone how much the Foxes love to bet on anything and everything—especially when it comes to relationships. But there isn't a single one of us who would ever dream of betting against the two of you." She smiled and turned back to the rest of the room, raising her champagne flute. "To the happy couple!"
Allison stood and pulled Dan into a quick hug. "Thanks, babe," she said. She took the microphone and passed it over to Renee, who handed it to Andrew. Allison looked slightly nervous as Andrew stood up. She leaned across Dan and whispered to Neil. "Do you know what he's planning to say?"
Neil shook his head. He knew Andrew wouldn't have needed to spend time memorizing his speech, but Neil hadn't even seen him working on it. "I'm sure it will be good," he offered.
Allison hid a grimace. "Let's hope so."
Andrew seemed completely at ease as he addressed the room. "I'm not one for speeches, so I'll keep this short," he said.
"Thank god," whispered Allison. Renee raised an eyebrow at her, and Allison quickly shifted her expression back to a pleasant smile.
"Renee and Allison, look into each other's eyes," Andrew instructed. Neil wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he looked far too smug as Renee and Allison turned towards each other. "As you embark on your journey as spouses, remember, you are looking into the eyes of the person who is, statistically, most likely to murder you."
For just a moment, there was a stunned silence while Andrew sat down and put the microphone on the table, and then Allison started to laugh, and everyone else joined her. "That's brilliant. Oh my god. I love it!"
Dan leaned over to Neil. "That could have gone very poorly."
Neil grinned. "It didn't, though."
Dan paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough."
"Okay," said Allison, "let's go cut the cake so we can eat it and then start the dancing!"
Renee smiled. "Let's!"
Allison took her hand as they stood and crossed the room towards the ornate white cake, the rest of the wedding party following in their wake.
Neil drifted closer to Andrew. "Nice speech."
"It was well received," he said, sounding satisfied.
They watched as Allison and Renee took the cake knife together and cut a slice, carefully feeding each other their first bites, pausing regularly to make sure the photographer could get the desired shots.
"These are the parts of weddings I just don't get," said Neil as the brides took each other's hands and headed towards the dance floor for their first dance. "It all seems so . . . performative."
Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you saying there are parts of all this that you do get?"
Neil waved his hand. "I don't know, maybe. I'm not talking about those parts, though. I'm talking about the ridiculous parts. Like, the cake thing. Who wants pictures of themselves being fed a bite of cake?"
"Renee and Allison, apparently," Andrew said with a shrug. "And Matt and Dan, and Nicky and Erik, and Aaron—"
"Okay, sure, they all did, it," Neil interrupted, "but did they actually want to? Do any of them have pictures of themselves eating cake hanging up on the walls in their houses? Did they send those pictures out to friends and family? Or are they just sitting in a box somewhere?"
"They've probably got digital collections of the photos," said Andrew.
"Okay, so sitting in a file, not a box," said Neil. "Same thing."
"The computer file's probably a lot less dusty." Andrew was watching Allison and Renee on the dance floor. Their song had started—not one Neil knew, but it was slow and pretty and seemed romantic.
"This part feels weird, too," said Neil. "Everyone's just watching them dance. Like—like it's a dance recital or something."
"Have you ever been to a dance recital?" asked Andrew. "Because this has very little in common with a dance recital."
"We're watching them dance, aren't we?" said Neil. "And it looks choreographed."
Andrew nodded. "They've been practicing for weeks."
"So, they're dancing, at the front of a room, to a specifically-chosen song, with choreography they've been practicing," said Neil. "This is a dance recital."
"Most dance recitals are considerably longer."
"So it's a short dance recital."
Andrew sighed heavily. "Let's go get some cake."
The cake truly was delicious—Neil could see why they'd want to remember it. And it was a great party. Allison had spared no expense, and she certainly knew how to organize a high-quality event. The music kept people dancing, and the catering staff kept the drinks flowing nicely. It wasn't until after Allison and Renee made their grand exit—through a tunnel of sparklers—that the exhaustion started to set in.
Andrew tugged Neil's sleeve. "Ready?"
Neil nodded. "Anyone you want to say goodbye to first?"
Andrew shook his head. "We'll see them at brunch tomorrow."
"Great," said Neil, relieved. It had been a fun evening, and he liked seeing his friends, but he was ready to be done socializing. "Let's get out of here." He followed Andrew out of the hall and didn't look back.
The Proposal
"You know, now that they're done for a while, I think I'm actually going to miss going to all of the weddings," said Neil, leaning back on Andrew's bed.
"You are?" asked Andrew, raising his eyebrows.
"Not, like, all the pomp and ceremony of it all," Neil amended. He was still a little bit drained from Allison and Renee's wedding, and it had been weeks ago. "That still seems like more trouble than it's worth. But the concept of it is nice."
"The concept?"
"Yeah," said Neil, struggling to find more specific words. "The – the confidence of it. The stability. The willingness to say, 'hey, this is real, and it matters, and I don't see that changing.'" Neil shrugged. "You don't need a wedding for that, obviously, and having a wedding doesn't guarantee you actually have those things, but – I don't know. It seems nice."
Andrew stared at him for a long time, silent and intense. Neil was about to backtrack – to tell him it wasn't anything important and he didn't need to think so hard about it – when Andrew stilled, seemingly having reached some kind of conclusion. "Do you want to marry me?"
Neil blinked in surprise. "Do you want to marry me?"
"I asked you," said Andrew, looking amused.
"Yeah, but – we don't have to or anything," said Neil. "I don't want to if you don't want to."
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to," said Andrew. He paused. "There are perks, you know. Tax benefits. Spousal privilege and immunity."
"We might not have to give hospitals a certified copy of our medical directives every time we want information about each other," Neil added.
Andrew narrowed his eyes. "Are you planning to be hospitalized?"
"You don't plan to be hospitalized," said Neil. "It just happens."
"Planned surgeries. Long-term treatments. Diagnostic visits," Andrew listed.
"Okay, you sometimes plan to be hospitalized," said Neil. "But I'm not."
Andrew nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, are you planning to answer me, or do you need time to think about it?"
Neil grinned. "I'm down if you are."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Yes or no?"
"Yes," said Neil, his smile softening. "Always a yes."
"Good," said Andrew. His shoulders visibly relaxed, and Neil grinned again.
"You were nervous."
Andrew glared at him. "No I wasn't."
"Yes, you were. Wait, did you think I was going to say no?"
"Don't care."
"There's a reason you're not a liar," said Neil. "You're not very good at it."
"You're very rude."
"And you want to marry me," Neil teased. Andrew froze, and Neil's stomach dropped. "You do want to marry me, right? I mean it, you don't have to."
Andrew shook his head. "Not that," he said. "It's just – do we have to plan a wedding now?"
Neil frowned. "Oh. Um. Shit."
"Shit indeed."
"We don't have to," said Neil. "We can – elope? Don't people do that?"
"Not any of our friends."
"No," Neil agreed, "but we could be the first. We could just go to the courthouse. Get it over with."
"Get it over with?" Andrew repeated.
"Hey, don't you want to start reaping those tax benefits?"
"Fair enough," said Andrew. "When?"
Neil shrugged. "Now?"
"I'm pretty sure courthouses stick to standard business hours," said Andrew with a snort.
"Okay, when the courthouse opens."
"You fly back to Colorado in the morning," said Andrew. "And it takes a few weeks to get a marriage license in Pennsylvania."
"Right," said Neil with a sigh. "So – not tomorrow."
"Not tomorrow," Andrew agreed. He paused. "You can apply for a license and get married the same day in Colorado."
"Hold on," said Neil. "Did you look this up in advance?"
"I may have seen the requirements once," said Andrew evasively.
"You looked them up."
"It's not like I had to study them."
"But you did have to look them up."
"So, anyway," said Andrew, refusing to look at him, "want to get married when I'm in Colorado next month?"
Neil nodded. "Very much yes," he said. "What time is your flight? Will we have time to go on the way home from the airport."
Andrew thought for a second. "Yeah, I think so."
"Great," said Neil. "Then we've got a date. Is there anything else we need to do? Do we have to tell anyone?" he asked, making a face.
"Absolutely not," said Andrew. "That would defeat the purpose of eloping."
Neil nodded, relieved. "Okay, good. So, just us, and . . . the judge? Do we need a witness or anything?"
Andrew shook his head. "We can have one if we want, though."
"You want one," said Neil, looking at him.
"Not necessarily," said Andrew with a shrug. "You do live with Kevin, though. It could be a little awkward to leave him at home."
Neil smiled. "Kevin should be there."
"Purely out of convenience."
Neil snorted. "Sure, convenience."
Andrew put a hand on Neil's shoulder. "Listen to me. He cannot think it's because we like him. He'll be insufferable."
"We do like him, though," said Neil.
"Of course," said Andrew, "but he doesn't need to know that."
Neil laughed. "We don't have to tell him we like him."
"Good." Andrew brightened. "Hey, we don't have to tell him."
"I know," said Neil. "That's what I just said."
"No," Andrew shook his head. "We don't have to tell him we're getting married."
"You mean just – take him to the courthouse with us without telling him why?"
"Yes."
Neil thought about it for a minute, then he grinned. "He'll hate that."
"Perfect."
"It really is," said Neil. Andrew hummed in agreement. "You know what? Out of all the weddings we've been to, I think ours is going to be my favorite."
"It had better be," said Andrew. "If it's not, I'm going to divorce you. And then marry you again until our wedding is your favorite."
"That could backfire," said Neil. "What if I just really like marrying you and I want to do it over and over again?"
Andrew paused. "I think being married to me will be better than getting married to me," he said. "Besides, we can only tell Kevin once. After the first wedding, he'll know what we're doing."
"True," said Neil. "In that case, I suppose the once will do."
Andrew nodded. "I'll just have to make sure it's your favorite."
"I don't think that will be very hard," said Neil. "You're always my favorite."
"Is this what you're going to be like now?" asked Andrew. "All sappy and weird?"
"Am I not allowed to be sappy and weird with my fiancé?"
"Two hundred percent and climbing."
"Yeah," said Neil, "but you're going to marry me anyway."
Andrew looked at him fondly. "Yeah," he said. "I am."
Neil smiled with contentment. They'd been to a lot of lovely weddings, but theirs truly was going to be the best.
