by Diane Adams
He took Alex's hand and shook it with a limp grip. "I'm Vladimir Juanez, like the sign says! Aren't you gorgeous! All curly hair and such a smile! Alex, you can call me Vlad! Now have a seat, right here on the couch with me!! Halika!" Vlad sank down onto the sofa decorated in a muted floral pattern and patted the cushion right next to him.
Feeling uncomfortable, Alex sat another cushion over and tried to smile. He found Vlad's habit of talking in exclamation points exhausting. He seemed like Jared's polar opposite and he worried if they'd made the right decision in hiring him. Seeing Vlad looking him over, Alex made another attempt at a weak smile.
"And so, you are Clark's best friend? His bespren."
Alex breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of exclamation points and nodded. "Yeah, Clark's been my best friend since we were two." He watched with surprise as Vlad relaxed into a normal posture.
"Salamat sa Diyos!" Vlad shrugged out of the blazer and tossed it over the back of the couch. "Would you like something to drink while we talk? I have coffee or Coke and something to eat." He got to his feet in spite of the fact Alex shook his head. "I've got suman and dried mangos. Clark loves them. One second."
Alex sighed and watched him go. It seemed weird the guy remembered what kind of snacks Clark liked. Stevie and Clark had been married for years. True to his word, Vlad reappeared moments later with two mugs of coffee steaming on a tray, surrounded by bowls of cream, and sugar, a bottle of Coke, a plate of what looked like leaf-wrapped somethings, and the dried mangos. Vlad set the tray on the coffee table.
"There we go, help yourself." He set the example, doctoring his coffee and placing a leaf and some mangos on a small plate. He watched as Alex dutifully, if a bit apprehensively, fixed his coffee, and placed the chunky leaf package on a plate.
They settled back on the couch. "On the phone you said the wedding is in thirty days? That's a tall order even without a dress. Do you have a venue in mind?"
The change in his manner surprised Alex. The uber-gay planner had disappeared completely, leaving in his wake a pleasant and practical man.
Vlad laughed at his expression. "The act is for customers. The ladies especially like it. But any friend of Clark's is a friend of mine. You get the real Vladimir Juanez." He shrugged. "Could be a good or a bad thing."
"You remember Clark well?" he couldn't help asking. He poked at the leaf wondering about the insides and trying to get up the nerve to take a bite.
"Remember?" Vlad laughed again. "I would have a hard time forgetting someone I see every week or so. He is not my bespren, but we are close. He stops to visit. I feed him suman, mangos, and Siopao, and he catches me up on his beautiful family."
"That's kind of strange, why aren't you ever around?" Alex asked without considering how rude he sounded. He stopped poking his leaf to look up, his brain supplying an unwanted image of this man wrapped in Clark's arms.
Vlad's smile dimmed. "It is my choice. He is my customer. I make cards for his wife. Personal interaction beyond those small things would not be appropriate."
Something in Vlad's tone, a secret in his shuttered expression made Alex feel he'd missed something. "You have a strong accent. I’m sorry if I have to ask you to repeat yourself sometimes. Where are you from?"
"Philippines, but that was years ago. I am not sure why the accent is so stubborn."
He chuckled and Alex joined him, glad the awkward moment of Vlad's relationship with Clark had passed.
Clark's not gay. Alex reminded himself, but he couldn't help feeling if Clark ever did go that direction a slim, attractive man he could easily manhandle would be his thing. Good God, Alex, stop it!
"The wedding, you wanted to know…?" Alex began in an effort to get back on track, just as Vlad belatedly explained what he meant.
"Where you want to have the wedding, the venue."
"Yeah, of course. Jared and I bought a house. I want to have the wedding in the backyard. We could go look at it but Jared has to build the deck and we've got to get the sod put down. It's kinda bare…and muddy." Alex leaned forward as he spoke, Clark forgotten as in his mind the waterlogged backyard transformed into a fairyland of sparkling lights, green grass and flowers.
"An outdoor wedding in March?" Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Vlad took a deep breath. "You understand it's likely to be very cold?"
"We have coats."
"Quite possibly rainy."
"I can afford umbrellas, and there'll be a tent."
Vlad perked up. "White umbrellas, one for each guest. We can distribute them as they come in. I'll special order them printed with your names and the date, memorabilia from the wedding even if we don't need them."
Alex brightened. "Oh, that's a great idea!"
Winking, Vlad laughed. "Svempre, it's my job. Today you are going to pick out invitations. I can print them myself. They must be in the mail day after tomorrow."
"Pick them out, without Jared?" He felt disappointed. He'd imagined the two of them pouring over invitation books, visiting the florist and choosing a cake together.
"Do you want to get married in thirty days?" Vlad looked questioningly at him.
"Yes." He didn't like the idea of leaving Jared out, but he refused to back down about the date.
Vlad reached under the couch and pulled out a fat book, plunked it onto Alex's lap. "Then choose. I'll go Google for umbrellas. Tonight you and Jared make a list of who to invite, tomorrow you and I will get the invitations ready to mail, the next day we'll mail them and you'll take me to see this muddy wonderland of yours." His tone brooked no argument. "Don't forget to eat your snack, you'll need the energy. We have a million things to do."
Vlad hurried from the room and Alex looked down at the huge book in his lap. He wondered if calling Jared to complain this wedding stuff seemed more stressful with the planner guy would get him out of there. Knowing the futility of convincing Jared to change his mind, he gave up all thoughts of rebellion. He opened the book and took a distracted bite of his leaf package. His eyes widened, and he peeked inside. Some kind of rice cake thing, it tasted pretty good. He ate all of it as he turned the thick, stiff pages, looking for the perfect invitation, and reached for another one.
The cards all seemed the same, covered with flowers, doves, and scrolly things. Alex could imagine Jared's expression if he saw them. Finding the right invitation wouldn't be easy. He turned another page.
Finding it Hard to Believe
After dinner Jared helped Alex clean up. As he started the dishwasher Jared spotted the wedding invitation Alex had shown him earlier. He picked it up and studied it, turning the card over in his hands. The heavyweight paper felt thick and probably heavier than it should. The invitation looked perfect with their names in blue at the top, and the rest a black elegant script without frills or pretense, inviting people to their wedding. The simple silver border kept it from looking too plain. Alex had done an excellent job choosing the invitation.
Jared wondered why the idea of marriage remained uneasy in his mind. He didn't have a problem with commitment, and the idea of telling people he loved Alex more than breathing didn't bother him much. He supposed the feelings had more to do with how long he'd been against the idea than any real doubt. He didn't change his mind often. Shaking off his groundless apprehension, he held the invitation out to Alex.
"It's perfect."
Alex took the card. "I'm glad you like it."
Jared pulled him in for a hug. "You were worried? You should have known anything you picked would be fine."
Relaxing into the embrace, Alex shook his head. "You only say that because you didn't see some of those things. I've never seen so much swirly writing. Anyhow, I'm glad you like it. Vlad is printing them tomorrow. He said we have to mail them the day after, and then he wants to see our backyard."
Jared maneuvered them across the room to sit on the sofa, keeping Alex tucked securely under his arm. "Sounds like it went well."
"It did. Once he found out I
was Clark's friend, he dropped his flamboyant gay act. Seems uber-gay Vlad is for regular clientele. Anyhow, the whole changing personality thing felt a little weird." Alex shifted and his eyes met Jared's. "Did you know he and Clark are friends?"
"No." He shrugged. "Is there some reason I should?"
"I guess not. It's just they've been friends since Clark got married and no one knows? I mean why's it a secret?" He sounded disturbed and he pulled away from Jared, frowning at the invitation in his hand.
Realizing the problem, he smothered his amusement. "I doubt he was keeping it a secret."
"Then why doesn't anyone know?"
"Did you talk to Stevie?" Jared struggled to keep the humor out of his voice.
Alex looked petulant, an expression that never failed to make him want to tug his bottom lip with his teeth and kiss away the pout, and hitched one shoulder. "No. I can't ask her something like this."
Jared couldn't help it, he laughed outright, earning a glare from Alex. "I'm sorry for laughing, but, Alex, do you really think Clark is having a secret gay affair with his wedding planner?"
A half smile curled Alex's lips and he pushed at him. "No. God, it sounds stupid when you say it out loud like that."
Jared wouldn't let him get away, enjoying the bloom of color over his cheeks. "He's not cheating on you either," he assured him with no attempt to be serious. "You're still his BFF." The elbow he took in his stomach hurt but he still didn't let Alex go.
"Shut up."
"Alex, it's been a rough year, but we're all still here. You made it and haven't lost anything that will still matter in five years."
Sighing, Alex relaxed once more into his embrace. "Vlad fed me these rice cake things wrapped in some sort of leaves because Clark likes them. He knows stuff about Clark I don't."
"You guys aren't teenagers living in each other's pockets any more, it's going to happen." Jared wondered how a leaf-wrapped rice cake could cause so much trouble. It didn't sound very tasty to him.
"I know that." Alex sounded exasperated. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded page from a notebook. "I found this looking at the invitations." Jared took the sheet of paper and read it silently. "He's in love with Clark."
Jared looked up from what clearly was a love poem, one of unrequited love. “The man can't help how he feels. You need to give this back."
Looking the poem over one more time Alex refolded it and tucked it away. "I will."
He still seemed pensive and Jared determined to lighten the mood, well aware his recent battle with depression still colored his emotions. "So tell me, is every gay man in the state in love with Clark?" His question surprised a laugh out of Alex.
"Well, not all of them." He turned the full force of his smile on Jared.
He blinked, finding it suddenly hard to think. "No?"
"Nope, this one's not." Alex crawled into his lap and straddled him, his knees sinking into the cushions on either side of his thighs.
Jared pulled him into a hot kiss promising much more, but Alex pulled back laughing, flushed and breathless.
"Not yet. Did you and Clark get out to the house today?"
Jared realized they weren't done with wedding talk, and sighed. "We did. I've made the plans for the back deck and fixing the front stairs. We pick up the materials tomorrow and I ordered the sod. Everything will be perfect, barring the weather."
Wiggling happily, Alex's grin turned devilish, and Jared moved his hands to his hips, fingers tightening to hold him still. "I didn't think you'd get so much done, that's great. Oh, did you get a chance to look at any of those vows I bookmarked for you?"
Frowning, and more interested in the hard length of Alex's cock easily felt through the layers of denim, Jared tried to focus on the vows he'd read online at lunch. Most of them were so gushy he couldn't imagine saying them to Alex if they were alone, much less in front of everyone they knew.
"I read them." He kept his tone cautious, uncertain what Alex expected.
Alex chewed his bottom lip for a second, apparently lost in thought. "That's pretty much how I felt. None of them seemed much like us." He shrugged and settled firmly on his lap. "We'll have to write our own." Alex's lips brushed Jared's and his hands bracketed his face, thumbs stroking his jaw. "Okay," he breathed. "Now."
As Jared sank his fingers into Alex's curls and his mouth opened to the press of hot tongue, his anxiety about marriage ratcheted tighter.
The Only One
"We finished the deck yesterday," Jared mentioned when they climbed out of his truck parked next to the curb in the quaint, old-fashioned downtown area of town. Shoppers bustled up and down the brick walkway, taking advantage of the warm sunshine. The nice day put parking at a premium, and Jared felt lucky to have found room for his truck less than a block from where they were headed. "They're laying sod today. I went ahead with the front yard, too. Hopefully it'll keep mud to a minimum. If we have to re-sod later in the spring we'll do it, but with luck it'll be fine."
Alex grinned. "I can't believe how fast everything is getting done."
Shoulders brushing, they walked side by side towards the small shops up the street that were their goal.
"I can't believe how fast time is going. Only two more weeks. You said Vlad is sure these ladies are willing to do the flowers and cake for us with such short notice?"
"Yeah, he called them the other day. Told them our colors and everything. They are supposed to have suggestions ready." Alex pulled the collar of his jacket a little higher. The sun felt warm but the breeze still held an edge of winter. "Vlad works with them a lot because they're extremely intuitive. He seemed to think they wouldn't be upset about the time constraint. Of course, their cooperation might have something to do with the budget I gave him."
Alex glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his teeth worrying his lower lip. Amusement curled inside Jared and threatened to escape in a laugh, but he tamped it down. At this point in planning their extravagant short-notice wedding, expense hadn't made his list of worries.
"What sort of budget would that be?"
"Um, that cost is no issue."
"You haven't gotten your million dollar check yet you know." Jared grinned with delight, unable to restrain his enjoyment of Alex's discomfort.
"Yeah, well, it's our wedding."
Alex slowed to a stop in front of a pair of stores. The shops were small and simple, the window of one a riot of colorful flowers displayed in eye-catching arrangements. The other window hosted a myriad of artfully decorated cakes. Jared appreciated the workmanship of both as he contemplated Alex's words.
They'd purchased their new home out of the insurance money from the loss of their house. Despite the extra land—the old house sat on ten acres—the value had been less than half of the house they lost. With plenty of money available to finance the impending restoration, Jared planned to pay for the construction of their new workshop with the money from the sale of their original property. Alex's hospital bills being covered by the stove company, meant they were actually better off debt-wise than they'd ever been, even without the settlement. Alex could have whatever kind of wedding his heart desired.
"Flowers or cake first?" Jared bumped his shoulder against Alex's in reassurance and he visibly relaxed.
"Well, it's a mother-daughter team. We're supposed to meet both of them in the flower shop. They apparently coordinate their efforts."
Alex smiled and the look in his eyes came close to making Jared forget they were standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Tearing his gaze away, he pushed open the door to the flower shop.
"Sounds convenient if a little bit intimidating," he observed.
"You can let me do the talking," Alex reassured him, moving ahead into the brightly lit store. Flowers and their fragrances surrounded them on every side. They were met by a cheerful middle-aged woman. She wore her age well; blonde hair fell in a cute cut to her shoulders. The lines around her blue eyes were from laughter, not worry, and her lips turn
ed up into an easy smile as she held her hand out to Alex.
"Hello, I'm Carol. You're Alex." She shifted her gaze to meet Jared's eyes and his tension eased under the warmth of her expression. "And Jared."
Alex accepted her hand. “Exactly right. I’m pleased to meet you. I guess Vlad did an adequate job describing us," he remarked while Carol shook hands with Jared.
"He told me to be on the lookout for a couple, one sporting a killer smile and the other a redhead." She glanced doubtfully at Jared's hair, dark in the indirect lighting without so much as a gleam of auburn to give him away. "You are sporting a hundred watt smile. I'll have to take the rest on faith. Come with me. My daughter, Foretta, is waiting in the meeting room for us. Our shop fronts are separate but we share a nice big room in the back, it makes coordinating efforts on shared jobs a lot easier. We'll show you what we have and find out if Vlad did a good job explaining the sort of thing you want for your wedding."
Feeling comfortable in Carol's friendly presence, Jared grabbed Alex's hand, threading their fingers together as they followed her through aisles of flowers, and a variety of merchandise for creating new displays. They reached a door in the back of the store bearing a small simple plaque reading 'Private'.
With a slightly nervous smile, Carol opened it and they followed her through. Inside they found a surprisingly large room with a couple long tables surrounded by folding chairs. A random variety of bakery and florist items were piled haphazardly on another table against the wall beside the door they'd come through. Jared assumed they must use the room for classes in floral arrangements and baking. He wondered if they held them at the same time and held back a smile at the thought of the resulting chaos. Admonishing himself to pay attention, he noticed the back wall had been curtained off, causing a surge of curiosity to know what lay behind it. The young woman who stepped out from behind the fabric divider looked like a younger version of Carol, her smile a bright copy of her mother's.
"Hi!" She started forward but came to a sudden stop when Alex turned and grinned. "Oh my God, it's you! I mean, you're them… I mean…" The poor girl turned bright red as she stuttered to a stop.
