Wedding Fever Read online

  “I really needed that. My stomach’s been growling all evening,” Oliver said. “I wasn’t looking forward to vending machine food tonight. I know what you’re going to say; I should pack a dinner.”

  “I’m not saying anything,” Ben laughed. Oliver was relaxed, which made Ben know that bringing him dinner tonight was the right move. It was the first time he’d done this, and he wasn’t sure whether or not Oliver would have been too busy, but now he was pleased to see he’d made the right decision.

  He listened to Oliver talk about work and the meeting. Ben couldn’t always keep up with all of the changes in Oliver’s office, but he didn’t mind. He just liked hearing Oliver’s voice.

  “I’m going to start looking for an apartment as soon as we get back from Erica’s wedding,” Oliver told him. “I might have to start looking for places on Craigslist before we leave.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Ben swallowed that lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Oliver moving in with a complete stranger wasn’t something he ever wanted. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to think what he really wanted. He wanted Oliver around him. The thought of having his best friend as his roommate was exciting.

  But he was hesitant to offer his apartment as a possibility so soon after he suggested that pretending to be boyfriends would be a good idea. Compounded with the feeling that Oliver would be the perfect lover was the surge of arousal he got when Oliver touched his thigh. For the first time ever, he felt tentative towards helping Oliver. Their friendship was more important than anything. He didn’t want to risk hurting Oliver.

  Ben realized he must be really pent up to get aroused by a hand touching his thigh.

  He hadn’t felt the urge to have sex with another person in a long time. In fact, he hadn’t had sex in so long that the thought itself made him nervous. But he wasn’t one of those guys who would run out and grab the first person in a desperate attempt to get laid.

  Oliver checked his watch. “It’s time,” he sighed.

  Ben looked over at the clock on the wall. Although they’d sat for twenty minutes, it felt like no time had passed. There never seemed to be enough time whenever they were together.

  They cleared the table and walked back to Oliver’s office.

  It was a pity they hadn’t taken a vacation together since their fishing trip. Ben thought a few days away from work would do them both good. He hated going away on his own and often went on hiking trips with groups of strangers. Now he was with Oliver, and he just knew they were going to have a lot more fun together. He constantly had to remind himself that Oliver might be too tense to relax around his family, and that he must not slip up in his role as boyfriend.

  Maybe they could go on a trip together some other time, the next time they had time off work. They were just in Vegas a few days ago and now they were going to the Cayman Islands, but in both cases, they were with groups. Ben liked the idea of a getaway with just Oliver and himself.

  4

  Oliver

  “That’s a weight off, then. I thought you were calling to tell me you couldn’t come to my wedding. You know that’s not an option, right? I would literally drive down to D.C. and drag your butt all the way to the docking bay,” Erica said. “Mom and Dad — well, the whole family — are dying to meet your new boyfriend.”

  Oliver felt his stomach tighten just as it had whenever he thought about introducing Ben to his family. He hated that he was being self-centered on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his sister’s life. But he couldn’t stop feeling like a failure. His anxiety peaked. Even with the plan of showing up with Ben, the truth was undeniable. He still hadn’t found someone who he could keep long enough to bring home to his family.

  He stared at his bedroom wall. The earthy green and brown that his sister had chosen to decorate his room on the first week that he moved into the apartment was actually pretty nice. It was a pity he had to find another place to live. Erica would have been devastated if he had to find a new apartment. With the landlord’s permission, Oliver had allowed her to decorate his bedroom when he first moved into the apartment. It reminded him of his bedroom at his parents’ house back in Minnesota.

  “Forget about me, sis. All eyes are going to be on you. I can’t wait to see how gorgeous you’re going to look in your dress,” Oliver said, trying to direct her attention away from him. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Aww, thank you,” Erica said. “I’m even more happy for you. So, what’s his name? I’ll need his name for the reception place cards. I’m upset that you haven’t told me about him before.”

  “Yes, I have,” Oliver said. “Ben.”

  “You mean Ben? Your best friend?” She sounded a little shocked. “Wow, congratulations. You didn’t tell me he was gay. Well, that’s great. I’m so happy for you.”

  “It’s only been a few months,” Oliver said, hoping she wouldn’t become too attached to the idea of him and Ben.

  “My little brother is in love,” she sang. “I should come down right now and meet the man who you chose to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with over your family.”

  Of course, Erica’s tone was joking, but Ben knew she’d drive down to meet Oliver’s new boyfriend in a heartbeat if she wasn’t getting married in a few days. Erica worried way too much about Oliver’s love life, but she wasn’t like his uncle always expected Oliver’s relationship to fail. Erica truly wanted her brother to be happy.

  “Is he there? Can you put him on the phone?” Erica asked excitedly.

  “He’s at the store. We’re having drinks tonight to celebrate our first vacation together.”

  “You two should go out tonight. You never get out much. Go to a few bars. Have a little fun. Just make sure you’re up early tomorrow.”

  Erica was, as usual, taking charge of Oliver’s social life. As his older twin sister, she sometimes took the role of his activity coordinator. Oliver wasn’t a total introvert, but compared to Erica, he seemed like a recluse.

  “We’re staying in tonight. Maybe we’ll do that when we get back.”

  “I’ll leave you to your celebration then,” Erica said. “I can’t wait to meet him. Have fun, Ollie.”

  “Will do. Now I’ve got to go, but i’ll speak with you soon. Love you.”

  “Love you too. Go have fun!”

  Oliver sat at his desk and waited for his laptop to boot. He needed a new one. It took longer and longer to start after he shut it down.

  He decided to do a quick search on Craigslist to see if there were any apartments looking for tenants. He thought about the ideal person that he’d like to have as a roommate and how much he was willing to tolerate. He would like them to be tidy, to be considerate when he had to sleep on his days off, and not blast loud music into the early hours of the morning. He would need to feel safe and comfortable around them, too.

  Oliver wasn’t sure if he could live with a total stranger, or even if he was able to live with another person.

  At that point, his desktop background picture appeared, and he found himself staring at the photo of the time when he and Ben came back from their first fishing trip together. They didn’t catch much; some would have said the day was a failure, but they had a great time, and the photo of them posing with their arms slung around each others’ shoulders conveyed it.

  The photo had been on his desktop background for so long that he couldn’t remember why he’d put it there or even if it was his idea to begin with. Nevertheless, Oliver wasn’t going to change it. It had partly to do with him being too lazy to change the background image and partly to do with how it made him smile every time he saw it.

  It was one happy moment among so many happy ones. It wasn’t about what they did, but the fact that they were doing it together.

  While he was thinking of how his family might react when they meet Ben, the calendar on his desk caught his attention. A moment later, Oliver sat with it opened and read the last entry:

  How are you today?


  The day after the bachelor party in Vegas, Ben had taken his calendar and made an entry to help him get through his breakup with Josh. Now, Josh was the last thing on his mind. How was he feeling? Wary, even a little afraid about the wedding cruise. He had to pretend to be romantically attached to Ben. He was worried that somehow he was going to let slip his huge crush on his best friend.

  He couldn’t ruin their friendship.

  But another part of him was feeling lucky to have someone like Ben in his life. Tonight, he wanted to forget his fears and just have fun with his best bud. He thought that it might be a good idea if they got tipsy.

  At that moment, his bedroom door slowly opened and Ben entered the room carrying two bottles of beer; he handed one to Oliver before sitting down on the bed.

  Ben was staying the night, and in the morning they were heading to the airport.

  “How was Erica?” Ben sipped his beer.

  “She’s really looking forward to meeting you,” Oliver said, taking a swig.

  “I’m already feeling nervous. I’ll have to make a good first impression.” Ben pointed to Oliver’s laptop. “Hey, it’s crashed.”

  Oliver frowned and closed his laptop. “Now we’re all packed, do you wanna have some fun?”

  “What have you got in mind?” Ben raised an eyebrow, draining the last of his beer and setting the bottle aside. “What’s that look on your face?”

  “What look?” Oliver paused, putting his beer on his desk and swiveling around on his chair to face Ben.

  “Like you’re about to suggest that we do something wild.” Ben grinned. “Whatever it is, I’m game.”

  “How about a drinking game?” Oliver asked. He hadn’t really wanted booze at Neil’s bachelor party. If something was bothering him, alcohol only made him melancholy. But things were looking up, which put him in a playful mood. “It’s something I played in college.”

  “What are the rules?”

  “It’s competitive,” Oliver said.

  “I can handle a little competition,” Ben said. “What’s the rules?”

  “Okay, it’s called Power Hour,” Oliver said. He began to explain the rules when Ben interjected.

  “Oh, I know the game,” Ben said. “We have to drink a few shots within an hour. No problem.”

  “I’ll grab a few glasses from the kitchen,” Oliver said, trying not to sound too excited. He hurried to the kitchen, where he grabbed two shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. “All I’ve got is a bottle of vodka.”

  “Is that the bottle from three months ago, when you were my wingman?” Ben asked. “That’s okay. Let’s get started.”

  A few hours later, and Oliver was unable to stand up straight without holding onto something. Ben, on the other hand, looked sober.

  In a moment of sobriety, Oliver noticed that they'd edged closer together. They were suddenly facing each other and sitting so close, their lips were almost touching. If Ben leaned in toward him to close the distance, they would be kissing.

  “You know, we might have to convince your relatives that we’re an actual couple,” Ben said. “Do you think you’re prepared to go that far?”

  “Do you mean…kiss?” Oliver couldn’t stop trembling. In a desperate bid to distract himself, he bit the inside of his lip. A warm feeling spread through his body, washing over the nervous fluttering in his stomach.

  “Yeah. What if we’re expected to show affection?” Ben’s voice was almost a whisper. His gorgeous eyes offered depth and beauty. It was like being stuck in a dream.

  Oliver found himself getting lost in them. Ben didn’t seem drunk, and yet he was bold enough to raise the topic. A topic that, until now, Oliver hadn’t realized that Ben had even thought about.

  “I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge once we come to it,” Oliver said. His voice carried in a hushed tone.

  “Yeah, I just want us to cover all bases.” Ben’s gaze fell to Oliver’s lips. Quickly, he raised them back up again.

  Oliver nodded, slowly. “Have you ever done anything like this before?” Then he corrected himself. “What a ridiculous question. Of course you haven’t.”

  “Sure, I thought about it,” Ben admitted. “There’s been a time when I’ve been drunk and wondered what it would feel like to make out with a guy. There’s no harm in experimenting. Right?”

  “No,” Oliver said. His cheeks burned red. The feeling in his stomach stirred something delirious within Oliver. He was powerless, helpless and confused. “Mm, shouldn’t we get back to the game?”

  “I have a feeling that we might regret this tomorrow if we don’t stop. Or you might,” Ben laughed. “You don’t want a hangover.”

  “I’ll be fine. I can take it.” Oliver took one last shot and fell back on his bed. He hummed. “Okay, that was the last one.”

  “Hey, do you mind if I take a shower?” Ben said.

  “Sure, knock yourself out. There’s a spare towel in the closet,” Oliver said. He got up, opened the closet and handed Ben the towel. “I’ll shower in the morning.”

  A brief flash of Ben’s abs as he removed his shirt caught Oliver’s attention. What the hell? He was getting hard at the sight of Ben’s body, and he hadn’t even revealed that much of himself. Oliver had an embarrassing moment where he wanted to kiss Ben’s chest. He imagined pressing his hands against the warm skin, thrilling at the firm outline of his stomach. Oliver attempted to will his boner away.

  Ben left the room and Oliver waited for his arousal to subside.

  Oliver grabbed the bottle of vodka, flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, not even bothering to hold back as he emptied the bottle in a gulp. He closed his eyes and wondered if they knew what they were getting into.

  5

  Oliver

  Oliver gripped his seat with one hand and rubbed his hand over over his head, feeling his temples. There was nothing like dealing with a hangover while 30,000 feet in the air on a flight to Miami. He wished the day would just end. He wished he could sleep during the flight and wake feeling normal.

  That morning he'd pried his eyes open and looked on his dresser where he saw Ben’s handiwork — an Advil capsule and a glass of water. Although it hadn’t done much to help his recovery, it allowed his throbbing head to subside for a few minutes, which was enough time for him to get up and out of bed.

  “Hey, you don’t look too good, bud. You doing okay?” Ben asked.

  “I think I’m going to have to sleep through the flight. I can’t turn up to the docking port looking like a wreck.” Oliver closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “At least my stomach is fine. What was I thinking last night? And how are you immune to hangovers?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with being immune,” Ben laughed. “I owe my alcohol tolerance to my binge drinking days back at college. I’ve haven’t suffered too many hangovers, though.”

  “You’re lucky,” Oliver groaned.

  The flight attendant approached their seat and offered them drinks. Oliver didn’t want to be a party pooper, but he felt that he wouldn’t be drinking much on the wedding cruise. He was about to ask the flight attendant for water, but Ben beat him to it.

  “Do you have water?” Ben asked.

  “Sure,” she said, reaching down to the bottom of the cart and bring back two bottles of water.

  “You aren’t drinking?” Oliver asked. “You don’t have to drink water on my account.”

  “There’s going to be plenty of booze on the cruise ship; I really don’t mind water.” Ben took the bottle of Advil out of his satchel and handed it to Oliver. “Hey, how are you feeling now?”

  “Dehydrated.” Oliver closed his eyes and swallowed the Advil down with water. He knew Erica would want him to join in the celebrations on her wedding cruise. There was another reason he was afraid to drink; he didn’t want to risk a repeat of last night.

  “Get some sleep.” He touched Oliver’s forehead. “At least you don’t have a high temperature.”

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nbsp; “What are you going to do?” Oliver asked.

  “I’ll just watch a movie or something. Don’t worry about me,” Ben said. “You need to be well-rested. The last thing we need is for you to be ill on your sister’s big day.”

  “Good point,” Oliver said. As soon as Ben’s hand touched him, he felt a little better. He was able to relax and drift off to sleep.

  When he woke up, he glanced over at Ben, who was reading on his Kindle. Oliver looked down and noticed that his hand rested in Ben’s lap. He was confused for a second, but he didn’t withdraw it.

  Without looking away from the Kindle, Ben reached down and clasped Oliver’s hand, gently, caressing a thumb over his skin. The gesture was so sweet that it made Oliver’s heart hurt. It was a tiny, but loving gesture that Ben seemed to unconsciously carry out.

  Ben babied him and fussed over him whenever he was sick or upset, and it didn’t matter if Oliver protested. He rarely had the opportunity to return Ben’s affections. Being a fitness instructor, he managed to stay healthy and cheerful — even when being around at a time when Oliver was coughing, sneezing and feeling miserable.

  Ben also managed to avoid relationships and, as a consequence, never had his heart broken. He’d only had one girlfriend in the three or four years that he’d known him, and since the breakup ended amicably, it didn’t seem to trouble Ben. In fact, it meant they had more time to hang out together.

  “You’re up,” Ben said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Umm.” Oliver was surprised that the pain in his head seemed to disappear. “I feel much better, actually. The Advil seemed to do the trick.”

  “Great, you were out for an hour,” Ben said. He removed the hand that covered Oliver’s. “Hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

  “My head definitely feels better, but I don’t think food would be a good idea, especially with my stomach still aching,” Oliver said.