Otherwise Engaged » [cake] √

Dinner

Dinner - 7:45 pm

The final of the three courses had been served when Michael reached a hand below the table and tapped Calum's knee, one, two, three times, and the younger man looked up questioningly at him.

"Sorry to ask, but could you please put my phone on charge? My mum's uncle wants to Facetime Ashton and me; in an hour or so, and I have no battery left," he explained, taking the same hand that had been on Calum's knee and using it to pass him his phone. Calum couldn't help but notice that the other hand sat loosely holding Ashton's atop the table.

"'Course," he said smiling, taking the phone and standing as Michael thanked him again.

Being Bestman, while quite attention-drawing, did give him a great number of excuses to look busy or excuse himself from any conversation that was proving too taxing or too boring.

Which he had the opportunity to do three separate times on his way to Michael's dressing room.

"Sorry on an errand for Michael," he smiled politely at the very handsy aunt of Ashton's, who for the past year and a half had been inviting Calum to lots of little things. On the one occasion he had taken her up on it, he'd assumed Ashton and Michael would be there, so he'd gone. They hadn't, and she'd spent the whole night trying to not so subtly set him up with one of her friends who was about thirty-odd years older than him and full of internalised homophobia and misogyny to boot. How their friendship worked, he had no idea.

He shoved his way through the first set of doors and then down the hall and through the second, which left him in Michael's dressing room, and he let a sigh of relief past his lips as he flopped down into a needlessly decadent armchair, plugging Michael's phone in before he got too comfortable.

Then he sat enjoying the moment alone, even if he could still hear the continuous hum of voices two closed doors and a hallway away.

There were too many people; that was the first glaring issue with the day. There's no way he'd have more than 50 people at his wedding; well that was if he ever got there.

He flicked his wrist up and took a long look at the face of his watch until the time on it registered in his mind, and another sigh left his lips, and he stood.

The day was far from over.

He let himself have one last moment of peace before he opened the door and started to make his way back to the ballroom. Down the hall and around the corner until he reached the next set of doors, which he exited to find someone was waiting on the other side. He was pretending to look for something, but Calum knew Luke better by now. Which seemed a ridiculous thing to say about someone you'd met less than two hours ago.

"You hanging around waiting for me?" Calum asked, and the easy chuckle that went with it surprised even him.

"I came to apologise for being nosey," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as casually as he could manage.

"Appreciate it," Calum said quietly before asking, "so did you enjoy your dinner?"

They were standing side by side at this point, looking out at the tables, and Calum was grateful; he didn't really know if he could handle awkward eye contact at this point.

"Was nice, I had the chicken, the dressing was nice," he told him simply, waiting for a moment before continuing, "what about you?"

"Oh, I had the seafood salad, but I tried the chicken when they were planning the menu, the jus is gorgeous,"

Luke hummed, and Calum felt the awkwardness in the air, they had no idea what to say to one another, but Calum knew he wanted to say something.

"Did you know that when you do a cake tasting, instead of going in and eating slices of cake-like in the movies, they sell you a tasting box? And it's just full of cupcakes of different flavours and then whatever you like you say you want a whole cake of it!" he babbled excitedly, eyes avoiding Luke's until it felt far too obvious that was what he was doing, and he turned to face him, doing what little he could to keep the nervousness from his features.

Luke's eyebrows were raised, "really? I sort of liked the idea of sitting around drinking mimosas and eating cake as people doted on you," there was a smile in his eyes as he spoke, as though there was something far funnier being said between them.

Calum nodded to himself, letting his eyes leave Luke's again, "I suppose too much effort for not enough money," he shrugged, "if only they'd done their cake tasting after Ashton's dad had decided to pay for everything".

"I assume that means you don't have rich parents?"

He shook his head, "Nah, Michael either, we were both scholarship kids, so to him, this is all a bit ridiculous, you know?"

"Ridiculous to you too?"

Calum hummed, "yeah, what about you?" chancing a look at Luke, whose eyes were fixed on the tables in front of them.

"Rich parents," he shrugged, "always assumed if I got married, it would be a farce," he laughed, but it was good-natured, no bitter vein underneath.

Calum nodded thoughtfully, "well, I suppose a fun farce is better than a dull one," he chuckled to himself, and Luke joined in.

And so they stayed discussing what exactly was required to make a farce wedding worthwhile.