Fall Apart Page 3

  “Maybe I am,” Todd eventually answered, but both of his eyes were closed again and it was clear he would say no more.

  The wedding planner squeezed her way into the vestibule with the twenty of them and the family members that were arriving for pictures by the second. She was small, but she had a commanding voice and it was the work of a moment for them to follow her obediently to the private terrace and lawns that Mandy had requested for pictures. They were informed that the group pictures would be done first, allowing people to peel off to the reception hall until it was only the bride and groom left for all the frilly romantic snapshots they could ever want to bore their friends with.

  For his own part, Damon was excited about having a couple beers, eating free food and stealing cake for Davey. He hadn’t had a snack since brunch and that wasn’t really a meal. It was a sampling of bite-sized breakfast foods. Todd had to pack down three plates just to counteract the champagne in his mimosas.

  Damon also had a big speech to give during the dinner and he didn’t have a word planned out. It was likely that three hundred strangers would soon learn how eloquent he wasn’t.

  The photographer and wedding planner gathered both families in for a big picture. Grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts, cousins—people young and old were crawling out of the woodwork. They got a few shots like that and then more of the two families separately. Todd crammed his hands back into his pockets and muttered quietly, Franco scratched his arm as inconspicuously as possible and Damon took a seat on the low terrace wall, mostly hidden by an enormous cement planter with flowers pouring out of it.

  When Luke’s family was being arranged in rows, Damon caught a glimpse of Andrew in the mix and he pushed himself further behind the planter. God, he wanted to punch that playboy mouth. It made him feel better to think that if it were up to Luke, Andrew wouldn’t be in the family picture at all. Not just because of what an ass he’d been to Damon, but because he was an ass in general.

  As the families finished up and headed back into the hotel for cocktails, Luke hailed Damon, Todd, and Franco. Over his shoulder, Damon saw Andrew lingering like he was going to make his approach and start the games. As discreetly as he could, Damon scratched a pretend itch on his forehead with his middle finger.

  Go screw yourself, pecker.

  He didn’t wait to see if Andrew got the idea.

  Luke gestured toward his wife and the bridesmaids. “They’re doing pics with Mandy and the ladies first and she asked Alarik if he’d get some shots of the four of us together while we wait.”

  Alarik. Not Godrick. Noted.

  Franco glanced around the terrace. “Where is he?” Lack of cigarettes was already making him cranky. Sandra picked a perfect time to put her foot down.

  “He’s on his way.” Luke squinted at the three of them, a sure sign he was feeling emotional. “Thanks for doing this for me, guys. You know, for being here this whole week. It means a lot.” He cleared his throat noisily. “The good news is that I don’t have to pee anymore, I’ve got a wife, and I’ll already have a tux to wear when Todd here decides to marry himself next month.”

  The smile that flashed over Todd’s face snuck up on all of them and the sight alone made them laugh. Franco made a crack, blowing off the last bit of steam since Todd struck a nerve in the vestibule, and all was same old-same old with them again.

  Damon nudged Luke in the shoulder. “I thought you were going down on that stage, man. Flat on your face.”

  “I thought so, too. That speech in high school came to mind like fifty fucking times. Mandy would’ve murdered me if I passed out up there.”

  “Damon was ready to rescue with mouth-to-mouth if you needed it,” Todd broke in, that smile still in place.

  Damon shook his head. “It’d be less about saving you and more about me getting the chance to makeout with someone. It’s been a long, lonely haul…”

  Luke pursed his lips and smooched at him and whatever he was about to say was cut off by Alarik’s arrival.

  “Hey, you ready for us?” Luke asked.

  “All finished, actually,” Alarik answered. “I got what I was looking for while you were chatting. I’m not a big fan of posed, school room shots.”

  Oh fucking perfect! Damon hollered to himself. The guy had a goddamn English accent. Added to his looks, it was a vicious one-two punch.

  Alarik was amused about something, but he offered his hand to each of them in turn. “I’m Alarik Elo. Pleasure to meet you.” He said the last to Damon alone and Todd and Franco snickered. Mandy must have shared with them that there’d be another known gay on the loose at her wedding.

  “Damon Wright,” he answered, and pointed to the other two. “Franco Di Alberto and Todd Howard.”

  Alarik gave Damon a reprieve and turned back to Luke. “Mandy didn’t mention she wanted shots with you and the entire batch of groomsmen. Did you want the other boys included?”

  Luke sniffed. “They’re not my friends. These guys are my friends.”

  “Perfect. Less work for me.”

  If Damon’s mother were standing next to him at that moment, she would’ve given him the eyebrow. This guy was charming. Watch yourself, Day, she’d say.

  I’m watching, he thought.

  The wedding planner cracked the whip again and they stood for all of the “school room shots” that Alarik renounced. At one point Mandy asked if he had any ideas he wanted to try for himself and Alarik jokingly told her to take her lady friends and run for the hills while the groomsmen gave chase. She could call the resultant picture “The Fox Hunt.”

  Mandy loved it. She and the bridesmaids kicked off their heels and hit the ground running, skirts gathered in their arms and flowers flying from their bouquets. Mandy’s veil was caught in the wind behind her. It was like a bunch of pixies were let loose on the back lawn.

  Alarik turned to the men with laughter in his voice, saying, “Well, gentlemen?”

  “For Christ’s sake,” Todd growled quietly to himself. He was a competitive son of a bitch, though, and one shared glance between him and Damon and they were off to the races.

  Luke was fast and caught up quickly, Damon was in the best shape, and Todd would kill himself running in order to win. It was a close match-up. Franco was probably somewhere in the back of the pack, wrestling with his jacket and trying to rip a nicotine patch off of his arm. The ladies had a good head start, but it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility that they would be trampled because a race was now involved.

  Damon barely edged his buddies out for the win as they caught the girls on the far side of the lawn. Luke swept Mandy up into a spinning hug, making her giggle like a little girl. Todd shocked the hell out of them all by dipping Valerie, dropping a swift kiss on her mouth, then promptly setting her on her feet and walking back across the lawn like nothing happened. Val’s eyes went soft and that ice cracked for a second before she realized almost everyone was looking at her.

  Franco came pounding up with the last guy in the pack and he was breathing heavily. Reaching for Damon’s arms to steady himself, he spat on the ground. “Don’t worry, bumhole,” he wheezed. “I ain’t gonna kiss you.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  Coughing and spitting on the way back to the terrace and the open bar beyond, Franco nodded to himself. “Sandra might be right about me quitting.”

  “Maybe,” Damon offered.

  Alarik observed Franco’s coloring with alarm as they approached and took a few steps their direction to make certain no one was going to stroke out on the cobblestones.

  “I’m alright,” Franco waved him off. “Need a new set of lungs is all.” He wobbled off toward the doors leading inside the hotel, abandoning Damon to the company of the finest looking representative of the Union Jack since Daniel Craig.

  “I wasn’t really serious about that photo,” Alarik said by way of apology, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a sexy way as his dimples gave a jaunty hello.

  Heck.

&n
bsp; “What color are your eyes?” Damon blurted out of nowhere. Alarik was taken aback by the outburst and Damon knew the heat coming off of him could probably be felt ten paces away.

  Alarik’s dimples suddenly returned with a lightning bright flash of teeth as he laughed. The sound was three times more pleasant than Damon imagined. He tried to think of his mom and her severe look and her cocked eyebrow and her warnings, but things were getting hazy. An invisible cloud of English magnetism was distracting him.

  “I could tell you the answer,” Alarik spoke in an undertone, “but it’s preferable, in my opinion, for you to take a closer look and see for yourself. And that’s an open invitation.”

  Damon knew he was supposed to say something in response, maybe even something witty, but those elusive things called words were hiding somewhere faraway, along with his dignity and sense of purpose. He winced and walked away. Just left the scene of the crime without a backward glance.

  As he yanked open the door leading to the ballroom and lobby, he heard Alarik call out teasingly, “Perhaps later, Mr. Wright.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lord at the heavenly gates, Alarik thought to himself. Oh, he liked that one.

  He realized he was staring at the set of closed doors Damon disappeared through and considered following. Flirting was one of his favorite pastimes and under normal circumstances he wouldn’t hesitate to pursue, yet there was a provoking bit of doubt that told him a recess was in order. He wanted to keep the interest going, not chase the man away, and it was quite clear Damon could outrun him.

  Mandy and Luke were alone with the photographer, the rest of the wedding party having drifted away to find drinks and friends, so Alarik made his exit as well. Gently returning his camera to its bag, he filtered through the groups of guests stacked up in the hall leading to the ballroom and saw that the wedding planner had forced the bridesmaids and groomsmen back into the vestibule for their formal introduction to the crowd. They were much more pleasant this time around because alcohol had been provided.

  As Alarik passed the group he forced himself not to look for Damon. He would be aloof for the time being. At the bar he caught the bartender’s eye and asked for a scotch. Two men were caught up in their own conversation as they waited for their drinks and Alarik heard Damon’s name. His ears instantly perked up and he shifted until he was close enough to hear all that was said. He was gathering intelligence in preparation for battle.

  “I saw him for a minute outside. He’s avoiding me,” the shorter, darker haired one said to his balding companion.

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “That’s how it always starts. I piss him off, make him forget, have some fun, and send him away again.”

  “Maybe he’s got a boyfriend now and doesn’t want to have your kind of fun anymore,” Baldy mumbled into his drink.

  “That’s just it. He’s gotta know that it’s not about being together permanently after the three go-arounds we’ve had. It’s…” he laughed heartily to himself. “Fuck if I know what it is. Fun, I guess.”

  Alarik accepted his drink at the same time that Shorty and Baldy accepted theirs, and the pair noticed him standing there. He gave them a smile he didn’t feel.

  “May I ask your name?” he said to Shorty.

  A spark of interest flared in the man’s eyes as he stood up to his full height—still unimpressive overall, though he wasn’t ugly. Alarik worked in a business where hardly anyone was ugly, though. A smarmy smile and great hair weren’t enough to impress.

  “Andrew,” the man said boldly, as though his voice would cause Alarik’s pants to leap from his body, unable to withstand the force of such blatant sex appeal. Baldy heard the tone and wandered away, unimpressed.

  “Well, Andrew. I’m glad we’ve met.” He tipped his glass in a toast and took a sip. The scotch was warm and made his smile spread wide, which Andrew took as a good sign, seemingly forgetting about his plans for Damon.

  “And why are you so glad to meet me?” he asked, playing coy. The way he leaned against the bar and tried to cock his hip so that particular areas of his anatomy were particularly prominent bothered Alarik. Damon had allowed this three times? Poor fellow.

  Alarik swirled the dark liquid in his glass, the ice cubes rattling against the sides. “I don’t know many people here, and I have this rule, you see, that when I’m in a strange environment it’s best to meet the bastards straightaway. You, Andrew, are a right bastard. It’s great luck that I met you so soon.”

  Andrew’s eyes bulged and his Open For Hot Sex expression became an affronted scowl as Alarik moved away. He hadn’t made it more than a few steps when he paused and turned back around as though he’d forgotten something.

  “One more thing, Saint Andrew. I’ll not allow you near Mr. Wright. Enjoy your drink and back to Baldy with you.” He shooed him away.

  A woman that Alarik hadn’t noticed before was at the other end of the bar and gave a pleased gasp before moving off through the crowd. Perhaps Andrew was better known than Alarik imagined. The further the story spread, the better.

  Go on, then, he thought of the woman, make me a legend.

  The DJ announced that he was about to introduce the wedding party and the crowd shuffled to make room. Alarik applauded, cheered the bride and groom, and found his assigned seat for the dinner. When the toasts began, he sat back attentively, knowing that tradition dictated a few words from Damon. He’d heard The Best Man speak only twice, and it wasn’t nearly enough to slake his interest. Most days Alarik dealt with men and women amongst whom vanity had run amok. The fresh, unpracticed attitude of this man at the head table was difficult to accept at face value. He found he wanted to hear more and more from Damon simply to discover if he was like this all the time.

  Mandy’s sister, Valerie, spoke with feigned confidence to cover her nerves and while her sentiments were sincere, she was remote and robbed her own words of warmth. She didn’t speak long before passing the microphone to Damon and returning to her seat.

  If he makes any awful puns, Alarik thought, this might be over before it begins.

  Damon straightened his tie and stood, one hand on the back of Luke’s chair as he surveyed the audience.

  “Good evening,” he smiled. “I went against the advice of everyone I know, including the bride and groom, by refusing to plan ahead for this speech. I thought about looking up some good jokes, or something really eloquent about the step Mandy and Luke took earlier, but that’s not my way, either. I’m going to wing it. No safety rope.” Damon looked at Todd and Luke who laughed like this was an inside joke.

  “I met Luke when we were much younger. I know him very well,” he continued thoughtfully. “Todd and Franco came along and joined our duo in high school. It doesn’t seem fair for me to stand here and speak only of my perspective, because where you find Luke, you find me and Todd and Franco. A package deal. I’d like to think of this as a tribute from the three of us to you, Luke and Mandy.”

  The bride and groom weren’t far from misty-eyed and Damon had only just begun. Alarik knew Mandy’s sniffles would pick up any moment.

  “I think Todd and Franco would agree with me that Luke is the best of us. He’s very brave.” Todd and Franco were quiet, their attention on Damon, and at these words they nodded in support.

  “Luke introduced Mandy to all of us three years ago and we liked her because she let us make room for her, rather than pushing us out of his life or taking over who he is, which we’ve seen happen to other guys we know. We learned quickly that she is a daring and kind woman.

  “As they were standing there at the altar this afternoon, the brave man and the daring woman, I thought about how right it was. I hope they know they have the freedom to be intrepid adventurers with their life together because they’ll always have the three of us guys close by to support them.” Damon gestured to his friends at his side. “You’ll have Todd, with his honesty and intelligence. Franco with loyalty and strength. And me—I’ll be around t
o listen no matter what, no matter when, dashing good looks and all.”

  Damon held up his glass as laughter spread and then waited until the entire ballroom held theirs’ up in return. “To Luke and Mandy: Brave and Daring on this day and every day.”

  “To Luke and Mandy,” Alarik and the other guests repeated, touched by the simplicity and sincerity of Damon’s words.

  At the head table, Franco and Todd stood to thump Damon on the back and the three of them, in turn, embraced the bride and groom. Mandy was gooey with tears and Luke was pretending he wasn’t wiping moisture from his eyes.

  Alarik turned to the couple smiling at his side and lifted his hands in defeat. “And with that, my plans for a quiet holiday have been ruined.”

  They kept smiling, but with vacant expressions. Alarik shrugged.

  Once the dancing was in full swing, he cut through the crowd, determined to have a talk with Mandy. She noticed him coming and her self-satisfied expression told him what he needed to know. Swinging her out onto the floor, he arched a brow at her and waited.

  “Well?” she asked. “Are you enjoying yourself? Meeting new…people?”

  “You’re Machiavellian ways have caught me off guard. Is this whole wedding and your love affair simply an elaborate ruse to set me up?”

  “I don’t know; is it working?”

  Alarik sighed. “I’d like to kiss him senseless, if that’s what you mean.” Mandy chuckled lazily, as if she’d expected to hear this exactly, and Alarik watched her indulgently. “I’m completely serious, you. I’d like to kiss him until he is entirely without sense, no remaining wits whatsoever.”

  “I knew it,” Mandy said proudly. “I knew you’d like him. Didn’t I say there was something about him?”

  “Oh, you said there was something about him, however, you failed to mention that he is charmingly unsure of himself, stunningly athletic, and eloquent in an odd American way—except for that moment, perhaps, when he shouted at me on the terrace.”