climbs off the bed as well, stalking across the room to dig through his suitcase. “Here. We’re about the same size.” He hands me a pair of well-worn soft gray sweats.
I take them gratefully, tugging my jeans down and kicking them away. My briefs are still soaked, and the last thing I want is for that to get through the sweats and defeat the purpose of me changing, so I lose them as well, deciding to just free-ball it until I get home.
I hear Jesse let out a sharp breath as I tug my briefs off, but he recovers quickly, moving to collect my discarded clothes from the floor and tossing them into his hamper. “Okay, I can wash these for you and give them back…uh—” he cuts himself off, staring at me for a moment. And it doesn’t take long to figure out why. Tomorrow night’s the rehearsal dinner, and Saturday is the wedding. After that, Jesse will be on his way home…
It all adds up to mean these nightly hang-outs I’ve started to become completely accustomed to are over.
“Um, well, I’ll drop them by at some point,” he says a little awkwardly.
I nod. I could, of course, just take them with me now and save him the trouble, but that just seems too final…
“Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I start to move toward the window, but before I can take more than two steps, Jesse tugs me back toward him and throws his arms around my neck, drawing me in for a soft, slow kiss.
“See you tomorrow,” he murmurs once we finally pull apart and he lets me go.
Still completely dazed, all I can do is nod before I head out the window. It’s honestly a miracle I manage to make it down the trellis without falling on my ass.
The rehearsal dinner on Friday night is just family. But considering how huge our family is, there’s about thirty of us crowded into Jones’s—the one semi-fancy restaurant in town. It’s probably a good thing most of us are still single or we’d have definitely had issues finding a place that fit everyone.
After we’re done with our delicious main course, everyone starts calling for the best men to give their speeches. I shoot an apprehensive look at Jesse, who’s seated across the table from me, because I so hadn’t expected to have to speak tonight. I mean, I knew it was part of my job for tomorrow, which is nerve-wracking enough, but I thought that was it. Why didn’t anyone tell me I had to speak tonight?
Clearing his throat, Jesse rises to his feet. If he’s caught off guard as well, he doesn’t show it as he holds up his glass of scotch and smiles at everyone seated at the long table.
“Okay, so someone said to me recently that sometimes it takes something drastic to see what’s right in front of you—like when Spike realized he loved Buffy after having a sex dream about her…”
There’s a smattering of laughter from the party, and Zack shakes his head in amusement. I, meanwhile, am sitting there just completely stunned about the fact that Jesse’s just quoted me in his speech.
“It’s good wisdom,” Jesse continues. “But, I have to say, it’s not something that applies to Zack and Slater. They never needed some drastic event for them to realize how they felt about each other. They just knew. From the time they were kids, they knew they loved each other. Yes, they tried to screw it up—that’s twelve years of our lives none of us are getting back,” he says dryly to another chorus of chuckles, “but everything worked out as it was supposed to in the end. And I think their relationship is stronger for the test they put it through, or some other sappy shit like that.” As yet another round of laughs ripples along the table, Jesse raises his glass higher, flashing a bright grin and Zack and Slater. “And now, before my mom starts crying, let’s just raise our glasses. To Zack and Slater.”
Everyone repeats the words in response, and then Slater turns to me, his mouth curved into a teasing smirk. “Okay, man, you’re up.”
I shake my head, letting out a breath of amusement. “Yeah, no. I’m not following that.”
Fortunately, there seems to be a consensus amongst the guests that after Jesse’s speech, hearing from me isn’t necessary. I make the decision here and now that I’ll be speaking first at the wedding tomorrow.
Later