Jack

There was sweat forming on my upper lip and with a not so steady hand I reached up to wipe it away as Alex stared at the little black box in my hand. I watched him blink rapidly, his long lashes brushing the top of his cheeks. The silence stretched on for a few seconds too long, and the nerves that had been pounding through my body heightened. “Lexy?” I had hoped that, by now, the timing would have been appropriate. Though we hadn’t breached the physical side of our relationship too much, we had managed to go all the way just over two weeks ago without him freaking out. I had organised this moment long before, of course, but the timing was key. “W-Will you marry me? Please?” I cringed at the stutter, thanking my lucky stars that Alex’s eyes hadn’t moved upwards as I said that.

“I…” Alex murmured, his eyes flicking to mine. The caramel-flecked orbs had lightened and the corners of his mouth was twitching up into a smile. “I – of course!” He managed, grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward, connecting our lips. It was a sweet kiss, similar to our first, conveying all of Alex’s feelings that he couldn’t put into words and vice versa. His surprise, acceptance and joy mixed with my nerves until they were no longer just bearing down on both of us; rather we were sharing the feelings. Alex pulled away and pulled me into a hug, wrapping an arm over my shoulder and one around my waist, nuzzling into my shoulder. “Of course I’ll marry you Jacky.” It was my turn to pull away and with still trembling fingers I plucked the ring out of its velvet cushioning, sliding it on to his finger with some difficulty – it got caught around his knuckle. Alex chuckled, taking my hand and guiding it with an air of practised ease.

“I love you, Lex.” I stated abruptly, bringing his hand to mine and kissing first the back of it and then the ring. “Always.” A soft smile still played at the corner of Alex’s mouth, as if he didn’t want to let it go. “Would you like a coffee?”

Alex shook his head ruefully. “Of all the moments you had to disturb this one with your need for sustenance.” He stood and pulled me to my feet, sliding an arm around my waist and playing with one of the belt loops absentmindedly with his long spindly fingers. “The usual?”

“Yeah.”

- - -

I was amusing myself while Alex ordered our coffee, making different shapes with my fingers and looking at the shadow cast by the weak sun streaming in through the window. It was a nice enough coffee shop, with dark wood panelling and delicately made cornices. It was very down to earth, just like Alex. A trellis was set up next to the black board advertising the day’s specials, the dark green vines and lighter leaves setting the place off nicely. I inhaled, the strong scent of freshly brewed coffee lingering in my nose.

“For you, my love.” Alex announced, daintily placing my coffee in front of me. Despite the nice, homely atmosphere the coffee was given in a Styrofoam cup, rather than the more traditional, almost cliché spotless white mugs with saucers. However, nothing was wiping the smile off of Alex’s face.

“Thanks,” I replied, gesturing to the seat in front of me. We sipped our coffee peacefully, Alex toying with my fingers as he did so. We made shadows together, smirking at some of the outcomes. The only halfway decent one was a rabbit with three ears.

“Is your thirst satisfied now?” Alex asked, taking his wallet out and leaving a few dollars in tips before looking at it and switching it for a fiver. I grinned at him.

- - -

I shook my arms as I waited outside the grand doors, trying to calm my nerves. The tie was all but throttling me and I could feel myself perspiring; it wasn’t becoming at all. My new shoes were hurting my feet and were already well worn from the switched pacing and jumping on the spot. I felt my sister’s eyes boring into my back.

“Calm down, Jack.”

“You try it,” I snapped back at her, grimacing and apologising for the harsh tone of voice afterwards.

“Its fine, Jack. But you should seriously calm down. Your cue is in a few minutes. Surely this isn’t the most nerve wracking part of your relationship.” I shook my head in response to her well-reasoned words.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” I blurted, rushing for the men’s room.

“You’re late!” May hissed as I returned, zipping my fly. I muttered a few words under my breath before May took her position by my side, waiting for me to take her arm. She was in a deep blue dress, bordering on navy, which complemented her complexion. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, with a few braids to one side which continued into the style. White roses were in her arms. The doors were pulled open, and we started to make our way up the aisle.

The service was quite small, and we had rented out one of the smallest churches in the area. Alex’s parents had flown over from England and were supposed to be sitting in the front row; instead they were standing with the few others gathered and facing in mine and May’s direction. Once we had reached the alter, May let go of my arm, giving it a final squeeze, and sat down next to Mr and Mrs Gaskarth, exchanging kisses on the cheek.

I finally turned my eyes to Alex, who was in a similar outfit to myself. We joined hands as the priest spoke: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today,”
I mouthed the words 'I love you' to Alex, cracking a smile at him. He was trying to remain serious and was listening intently to the priest’s words. He simply tightened his grip on my hands, softly pinching the skin – a silent reminder to behave. He wanted a proper wedding. It was the least I could give him, and that meant no acting up.

Notes

Title credit: revised lyrics to "Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low.

Now, just so that Kayla and I stick to our plan, this is the second last chapter. I have had so much fun writing this (literally, heaps) and I'm going to miss it so much. Thank you guys for reading it and sticking with it (even with the infrequent updates).

Lots of love,
the voice of Jack (majority of the time) and assorted others,
c0l0urfultears.