Rhett POVI drove my parents to Rebecca’s condo because parking there was always rather scarce, and I didn’t want them to have anything to complain about. The ride was silent, and I wondered if my parents ever had anything to say to me that wasn’t about what happened with Harrison. It seemed like all they ever did was complain to me about my past failures in their eyes, and never anything about my successes. Hopefully, that fact will change after the wedding.Rebecca opened the door for us with a wide smile and hugged my parents as if they were the closest friends in the world.“I’m so happy you are here!”“So are we, Rebecca!”“Come on in, I just set the table.”We all walked in together, and I shut the front door behind us.“What a lovely condo,” mom praised her as she took in her surroundings.“Thank you, Mrs. Langely!”“Oh, please, dear, call me Coraline,” mom insisted. “You decorated the place yourself, yes?”“Yes, my home was my interior designing guinea pig,” Rebecca said with
Harrison POVTwo days passed after our birthday outing, and it seemed like life had gone back to normal; I was simply Rhett’s best man and mentally preparing myself for his wedding in four days, I was handling the bar and getting used to my role as assistant manager some more, and I was still trying to get glitter off of my back since Holly’s and my birthday. Everything seemed fine… until I got a call on my cell from the hospital.“Hello?”“Is this Harrison Monroe?”“Yes, how can I help you?”“This is Dr. Reynolds at St. James Hospital. I’m afraid to inform you that your sister, Holly, has been injured.”As soon as I heard the word doctor, I grabbed my keys and turned the “Sorry, we’re closed” sign on the door of The Lock Box, running to my car.“I’ll be there in ten minutes. What happened? How bad is it?”“I will speak to you when you arrive, sir.”Oh, fuck. I don’t like that answer.I arrive at St. James Hospital in record time and sprinted to the front desk to find out where my sis
Rhett POVI was with my parents, feeling as suffocated as ever by them when the phone rang and I learned that Holly was in the hospital. I up and left my parents with a quick “I have to go” and rushed to the hospital to make sure she was alright and find out what happened. I was startled when I saw the police officers there and walked carefully over to them. “Um, I’m Rhett Langely. Holly is my best friend’s sister.”One of the officers pulled out a little notepad that I saw was an “Approved Visitors” list, and he nodded before letting me enter the room.I saw Harrison first, sitting on a chair and holding Holly’s hand, but I couldn’t see Holly entirely. Our eyes met immediately, and he said my name. I walked toward him as if I was floating on air.Once past the curtain, I saw Holly’s condition, and my entire body went cold. Here was this bubbly, happy person who is always optimistic and fun, laying in a hospital bed covered in bruises with her arm and leg in casts. “Hey, Rhett,” sh
Harrison POVHolly was still recovering in the hospital, and the other guy who was involved in the heist that resulted in her in such a condition was arrested shortly after Rhett had spoken to the police. He’s an accountant, so I figured he gave them some tips or something to find the other guy. I’m currently standing in the room that Rebecca had shown me for the wedding reception, wearing a navy blue suit and matching tie with a white button-down, holding a glass of champagne in my left hand and my other hand in my right pocket as I scan the room. I haven’t been as social as usual since Holly got hurt; it’s taken its toll on me. Seeing my twin beat and weak… something changes inside of you when that happens, and I couldn’t seem to find joy in nearly anything since I’ve been spending my days with her this week, regardless of how perky she acts and how many times she insists that she's fine.I felt a hand on my shoulder come from behind and a sweet voice say my name, “Harrison.”I tur
Rhett POVThe night had seemed to be going well, and I was in good spirits for the most part as Rebecca and I mingled with everyone. My parents had come up to me and shared their thoughts on Harrison’s new relationship and how happy he seems to be, and I was left horribly confused. I looked around and spotted him and Milo walking hand in hand toward the table where dinner was about to be served.‘Well, that’s new,’ I thought to myself. Milo said he didn’t have romantic feelings for Harrison, and as far as I know, Harrison felt the same way about Milo, and their friendship was extremely casual. Did I miss something?Dinner began, and I casually glanced at where Harrison and Milo were sitting a few times. Every time I looked, they were laughing or leaning close to one another. At one point, Milo whispered something to Harrison that made him laugh, and I couldn’t help the tinge of jealousy I felt as I watched them in their own little bubble.“You okay, hon?” Rebecca asked as she placed
Rhett POVThe night before the wedding, after the rehearsal dinner, I was laying in my bed and wondering what my life would have been like if my parents had never walked in on Harrison and me at the lake house that one day. *We had been laying in bed together, naked, post-lovemaking, doing a little pillow talk.“I think you’re my person,” he whispered to me with a sweet smile on his lips. “I think so too,” I had responded with a chuckle. We made love, and each tried our hand at cooking in the small kitchen, and both of us failed. We ended up surviving the rest of our time in the lake house on burnt toast and water. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough.“What happens when we go back to the real world?” He asked as we sat together in front of the fireplace on our last night. “Are you saying this isn’t real?”He chuckled and looked at me briefly before looking back at the fire and pulling his knees closer to his chest. “I mean when school starts, and our parents. How is everything goi
Rebecca POV The night before my wedding, I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling, letting my friend’s comments from my bachelorette party run around in my mind. It just seemed like everyone my age was settling down and starting families, and that day that I saw Rhett I had been wondering if I would ever have that. Maybe I thought the stars were aligning and the universe was telling me yes, it will happen, and here’s who it should happen with, but what if I’m wrong? What if I hadn’t come back and introduced myself to Rhett that next day?*I was passing out the yummy treats that I had made the day before at the office. The floor I'm on right now is where one of my best friends, Alaina, works, and I always love our little catch-ups. The basket I was holding began to slip out of my hold and was too big for me to catch one-handed, and ended up falling to the floor. “Oh, no!” I got down on the floor and began picking up what had fallen out. A set of large hands came into sight and h
Harrison POV I’ve questioned once or twice what would have happened if I never had that summer in the lake house with Rhett. I questioned myself: how long would it have taken for me to discover my sexuality? I always knew I was attracted to boys, but would I wait until college to finally date one? *My parents split ways when my sister and I were seventeen years old and still yet to graduate from high school. Dad left, so mom took care of us for the rest of the year until we were officially adults and could handle ourselves. My best friend and I continued our senior year of high school as the Hype Boys as usual, pumping up people before sporting events and making people smile as we always have. There were whispers since I was considered to be good-looking but never had a girlfriend, but I brushed the comments aside throughout the rest of the year. Rhett and I went to different colleges; his parents paid for him to attend a university while I went to a community college in town, on
Harrison POV*One year later*The front door to the bar opened and in came my favorite person; Rhett Langely, AKA my boyfriend. His arms flexed in his white tank and made him look yummy as he carried in a box of glasses for me. We were getting ready for the opening of my very own bar: Hype. After Rhett’s promotion with Hoshiko Enterprises, we moved in together and still had enough money to buy a building and turn it into my dream bar. Rebecca furnished it and made sure that the overall feel of the place was good with her mad skill of interior design. She said that the dark browns that were in The Lock Box didn’t suit my vibe, so she chose a lighter color palette for Hype; the tables were a blond wood, the seats were blue, the chandeliers were multicolored, and there were color-changing LED lights behind all the liquor on the back wall.Holly designed the posters and handled all social media and promotional advertising. She’s fully healed and back to her wild self after her hospital
Harrison POV What. The fuck. Just happened?! Rebecca said no at the altar! Holy fucking shit! My mind was all over the place and my jaw was on the floor, along with everyone else's as we watched her walk away and through the doors. I looked at Rhett to see how he was doing and noticed that he was smiling while he watched her retreating figure. What the fuck was happening right now?! He turned to me with an expectant smile, and I panicked. “Am I missing a cue or something? Holly didn’t tell me what to do if this happens at a wedding. What does the best man do in this scenario?” He grabbed my hands and pulled me to the altar with him. He answered, “You kiss the groom.” He cupped my face and pulled me into the most passionate, loving kiss I had ever felt, and I knew at this moment that Rhett was finally mine. All these years of friendship, bottled feelings, and buried emotions all let loose into this moment in front of all these people. Gasps could be heard throughout the room, bu
Rebecca POV It was the day after our bachelor/bachelorette parties, and I was nursing a slight hangover when my dad showed up at the condo. “What are you doing here, dad?” “I wanted to speak to you about something.”I invited him in, and we sat on opposite couches. I sat with my legs crossed and a blanket around my shoulders as I sipped on some tea to help my head. Dad leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, tapping the tips of his fingers together as he mustered the courage to tell me whatever it was he came here to talk about. “Is something wrong, dad?”He took a deep breath and didn’t answer yes or no. “Something has come to my attention,” he started. “One of the employees of Hoshiko Enterprises that attended Rhett's bachelor party… live-streamed certain parts of it.”I chuckled. “It’s okay, dad. I told him he could have strippers there.”“It wasn’t the strippers that were troubling.” I remained silent and let him continue, “At one point, the men were doing body sho
Rhett POV I was practically in a daze as the other groomsmen came into my room and helped me get ready. I thought Harry would be here, and I wish I hadn’t scared him away. I just wanted another tender moment with him, but the look on his face was a look I hope to never see again. I had hurt him, treated him like a plaything, taking him at my convenience and never truly admitting what I was feeling to him. He deserved better than me. Far better.Milo didn't let me have another drink to calm myself down after I spilled the first one, so I was empty handed, sober, and overwhelmed with emotions as the other groomsmen talked amongst themselves.The groomsmen were lounging carelessly around the room, now and then they would share words of wisdom (from those married) and sexually explicit advice (from those single) for the honeymoon that nearly made me cringe. My parents stepped into the room just in time to stop one of the guys from going further into detail about the most difficult posit
Harrison POV I had to leave the room and let the other groomsmen help Rhett finish getting ready and into a new shirt. Ever since he asked me to be his best man I was imagining helping him with his cufflinks and smiling with him at the altar as we watched his bride walk down the aisle. Now, I’m not so sure.How dare he make a move on me like that! And doing it an hour before he’s supposed to get married! I just kept thinking of Rebecca and how heartbroken she would be if she found out anything about Rhett and me. I imagined her in her dressing room, standing in front of the mirror with a smile on her face as her bridesmaids fixed her veil around her shoulders and straightened her train. My eyes watered at the thought. I can’t stand the thought of her getting hurt, but what am I to do? I can’t go to her and tell her that her groom and I fucked at his bachelor party and that he made another move on me just minutes before they were supposed to say “I do.” I can’t do that to her, but I
Rhett POVI stood in front of the floor-length mirror with a drink in my hand and barely recognized myself. This was who my parents always wanted me to be, not who I truly am. They wanted me to be a successful, career-driven man with a doting woman on his arm. The person in the mirror looked about right to be that person. Honestly, I don’t know who I want to be, but it sure as hell isn’t this guy in the mirror. I sighed, and heard a voice behind me say, “That’s not a happy sigh.” I turned and smiled at Harrison, looking handsome in his suit. I was yet to put on my jacket and was just in my white button-down and suit pants. We had time before the wedding started.“Nervous?”I nodded my head without a word. “Don’t be. Today will go perfectly. Everything looks beautiful and is set to perfection. What your feeling is just the wedding jitters; everyone gets them.”He came into the room and sat on the couch after unbuttoning his suit jacket. I admired him through the mirror.“Harry… do y
Harrison POVAfter my moment of awful reflection and wondering what life would be like without Rhett, I woke up feeling renewed and ready to watch Rhett begin his life with someone new. I know our friendship is strong enough now that nothing could break our bond, and I was finding it easier to push my feelings to the side. If Rhett could be happy with someone else, then so can I, and I’m excited to find that person.I got ready in my suit and headed over to the venue hours before the wedding was supposed to begin. I’ve never been to a wedding before, but I’ve watched enough movies to know that the bridal party was supposed to show up and be supportive and enthusiastic for the bride and groom as they got ready, so I got ready to hype him up.Valet parked my car and I didn’t hesitate to give them my keys this time. I walked in and immediately went to check out the room where the wedding was set to be. Rebecca had told me how the venue would look and showed me the room it was set to be
Harrison POV I’ve questioned once or twice what would have happened if I never had that summer in the lake house with Rhett. I questioned myself: how long would it have taken for me to discover my sexuality? I always knew I was attracted to boys, but would I wait until college to finally date one? *My parents split ways when my sister and I were seventeen years old and still yet to graduate from high school. Dad left, so mom took care of us for the rest of the year until we were officially adults and could handle ourselves. My best friend and I continued our senior year of high school as the Hype Boys as usual, pumping up people before sporting events and making people smile as we always have. There were whispers since I was considered to be good-looking but never had a girlfriend, but I brushed the comments aside throughout the rest of the year. Rhett and I went to different colleges; his parents paid for him to attend a university while I went to a community college in town, on
Rebecca POV The night before my wedding, I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling, letting my friend’s comments from my bachelorette party run around in my mind. It just seemed like everyone my age was settling down and starting families, and that day that I saw Rhett I had been wondering if I would ever have that. Maybe I thought the stars were aligning and the universe was telling me yes, it will happen, and here’s who it should happen with, but what if I’m wrong? What if I hadn’t come back and introduced myself to Rhett that next day?*I was passing out the yummy treats that I had made the day before at the office. The floor I'm on right now is where one of my best friends, Alaina, works, and I always love our little catch-ups. The basket I was holding began to slip out of my hold and was too big for me to catch one-handed, and ended up falling to the floor. “Oh, no!” I got down on the floor and began picking up what had fallen out. A set of large hands came into sight and h