Just Stay (40 page)
Authors: Mika Fox
She looks over at where Evan and Jake are talking, and Seb follows her gaze. She looks relieved, as though she has been concerned for a long time, but that she finally doesn't have a reason to be, anymore.
"I think it was mostly because of his dad," she says, sounding slightly subdued. "He's not exactly okay with stuff like that."
Seb nods, painfully reminded of how Evan's father reacted when his son came out to him. And the fact that he isn't here, today. He knows that pains Evan more than he's letting on.
"But then he met you," Dana says, turning back to Seb, a small, genuinely glad smile on her face. "And now, he looks happier than I've ever seen him."
She pauses, and Seb doesn't reply, unsure what to say to that. So Dana saves him the trouble.
"He went against all that, for you," she says, softly, as though aware how weirdly difficult it is for Seb to hear. "He stood up to his dad, for you. He's gone against every preconceived notion of him, for you."
She smiles.
"So yeah," she says. "He loves you. Definitely."
She makes another pause, while Seb takes it in. He feels like he has just gotten her blessing, somehow, even though he knows she has been supporting his and Evan's relationship from day one.
Dana takes a breath.
"What I
didn't
see coming," she says, sounding lighter, "was the actual wedding."
She smiles at Seb's slightly confused look.
"He's never really been the marrying type," she explains. "Or the long-term type. Or any-kind-of-commitment type."
Seb rolls his eyes, a small smile on his face.
"Right, I get it," he says. "I'm a unique snowflake."
Dana laughs.
"That's one way of putting it," she says. "You're definitely something, that's for sure."
She looks out across the room, at all the guests and decorations. Seb takes a deep breath.
"Well," he says. "I guess I couldn't have foreseen this."
Dana turns to him.
"What?" she asks, and Seb cocks his head.
"If you had told me about a year ago," he says, "that today, I would be marrying a dude, in a bar, I probably wouldn't have believed you."
Dana laughs.
"Well, there's a story in there, I guess." She sounds happy, and Seb is glad that the two of them have hit it off so well, from the start.
It's true, though. He
never
would have seen this coming.
They sit there for another minute or so, before Dana's cell phone makes a sound, and she checks it.
"I gotta go," she says. "Gotta pick Julie up at the airport."
Seb nods, and she sighs.
"Relax," she says, putting her hand on Seb's shoulder. "You love him, he loves you, you both wanna be here. It's gonna be awesome."
Seb smiles weakly, and Dana gives him a quick hug, before getting up and leaving the table. Seb watches as she goes over to Evan, probably to let him know she's leaving, before hurrying out the door. Evan looks over at Seb then, smiles, and Seb swears that his insides turn to warm, squishy liquid.
Evan makes his way over to him then, and the squishiness gets even more intense.
"You're not bailing on me, are you?" Evan says jokingly as he reaches him, and Seb looks around shiftily.
"Well, there goes that plan," he says. "I was gonna sneak out, just before the ceremony, but..."
He shrugs, as though his fiancé has ruined everything, and Evan chuckles, as he sits down beside Seb.
Fiancé. Ceremony
. Yeah, Seb definitely hasn't quite processed any of that. It's honestly ridiculous how long it is taking for that to sink in.
"You doing okay?" Evan asks, automatically putting his hand at the back of Seb's neck, softly rubbing circles into his skin with his fingers. Seb sighs, but leans into the touch, all the same.
"Why do people keep asking me that?" he says, and Evan smiles, eyes crinkling.
"Because you're a twenty-two year-old guy," he explains, "who doesn't have a full-time job, who's in college, and you're marrying a guy you've been with for little over a year, today."
Seb narrows his eyes, and glares at Evan with such intensity that it straddles the line between funny and scary.
"Oh, that," he says, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I had forgotten about all that."
Evan laughs, leaning in and planting a kiss on Seb's mouth.
"Sorry," he says. "But if it helps, the situation's pretty much the same, over here."
Seb looks at him, and Evan cocks his head slightly.
"I mean," he says, "I'm twenty-four, I work part-time at a pub, I'm studying
music
, of all things, and I'm a mess, with baggage full of daddy-issues and borderline alcoholism."
He smiles. It's a small smile, but a genuine one, and Seb can't help but smile back, scoffing slightly. He takes Evan's hand and looks down.
"Yeah," he says. "We're a great match, aren't we?"
Evan kisses his temple.
"The best."
It's after another half hour or so of mingling and waiting and slight agonizing (at least on Seb's part), that Dana returns, Julie in tow, and Jim goes up to the makeshift altar. He clears his throat loudly, with huge exaggeration, making everyone turn their heads, and Mark raises his eyebrows a little at him.
"Real subtle," he says, and Jim gives him a look that can only be described as pure
sass.
"Whatever works," he says, and Mark shakes his head, while Jim straightens a little.
"Alright, everyone settle down," he says, and all the guests sit down in their seats, while Seb tries to resist hiding in a corner. "Let's get these guys married."
Jim catches Seb's eye then and does a small, slightly obnoxious beckoning motion with his hand, making Seb glare at him, his nervousness momentarily replaced by annoyance, as he and Evan make their way up to the altar. By the time they get there and position themselves on either side of Jim, in front of him, Seb finds that nervousness seeping back again. Then he looks at Evan, though, standing in front of him, and any doubt or ounce of hesitation he has, completely melts away.
The ceremony isn't long. Honestly, Seb is only vaguely aware of most of it; he's too busy staring at Evan's face, just marveling at it, marveling at
him
. At some point, Jim says something funny, making everyone laugh, and Seb smiles a little, too. And Mark and Jake hand Seb and Evan the rings, which are slipped on with just slightly shaky fingers, and Seb swears Evan almost cries a little. And that would have been so typically him, of course. Seb, on the other hand, has a lump in his throat that's honestly threatening to turn him into a bawling mess, if he lets it, and he firmly keeps it down; he isn't about to cry in front of a room full of people.
They doesn't say any vows; they both figure that's private, anyway, and none of it needs to be said in front of an audience. Instead, Seb just feels his heart stutter, as Evan says
I do
, and he himself somehow manages to get the same words out, even though his pulse is racing, at that point.
And when Jim finally says they can kiss, Seb can't imagine anything better, anything sweeter, than feeling Evan's lips against his own, as he pulls him closer and feels those warm, calloused hands cradle his face. It's just all kinds of perfect, and when they break apart, it's to the sound of cheers and applause, and although it makes Seb feel a little awkward, to say the least, he's too happy to care, at the moment, anyway.
The night proceeds with music and drinking and what might pass for dancing if you look hard enough, and Jim turns out to be a pretty good entertainer, being the center of attention, while everyone gets gradually more drunk. He does share a few embarrassing childhood stories, but it isn't that bad, and Seb doesn't mind.
As the night wears on, and some of the spotlight is taken off the newlyweds, Seb and Evan make their way outside, where it's considerably more quiet, although the laughter and music from inside the bar can be heard through the ajar door. Evan takes Seb's hand, and Seb looks up at him, Evan's brow slightly furrowed, as he eyes their interlaced hands.
"I feel like I wanna call you something different, now," he says. "Just don't know what. I mean, we're both keeping our last names, so it kind of takes the flavor out of it."
"Well," Seb says, kind of agreeing; they decided that taking the other's name doesn't matter, so there will be no change, there. But still. "I
am
your husband now, though."
He says it pointedly, feeling a small thrill at the word, and Evan looks up at him, with a small smile.
"Yeah, you are," he says. "Aren't you?"
As though this fact is starting to sink in properly then, Evan's expression grows gradually happier, until he looks positively thrilled. He leans in and kisses Seb, slowly, warmly, but with unparalleled enthusiasm.
"You're my husband," he says against his lips, and Seb can't help but smile.
"Yeah, I think we've established that."
"You're mine, now," Evan continues, kissing him again, and Seb kisses him back.
"I've always been yours," he points out, and Evan chuckles.
"Yeah, but it's forever now," he says. "And I'm yours."
He kisses him, the touch oddly chaste, but excited.
"Forever."
And Seb squeezes his hand, hearing the sounds of his friends and family celebrating inside, while the warm evening air sends a pleasant shiver across his skin, as Evan's fingers gently brush against his jaw.
"Yeah," he says, smiling. "I like the sound of that."
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