Center Stage (Frazel)

15

The next minute (or maybe five minutes, or ten) were a blur for every person on the stage. All of Nico and Will's entourage shouted things like "CONGRATULATIONS" and "WE LOVE YOU". 

Frank was frantically waving his arms and trying to keep from slipping on the falling confetti - clearly he felt a little awkward in this situation, but still was excited. 

Hazel and Calypso were frantically snapping iPhone photos and recording videos and boomerangs, and Silena was laying flat on her back, her camera mashed against her face, making sure to get the perfect shot of the moment. Charlie was standing next to her to catch any confetti that might block that shot. 

Connor was being, well, Connor, and running laps around Nico and Will, picking up confetti off the floor and throwing it into the air once again - and Sherman was following his lead. They were pretty similar, come to think of it. 

Naturally, Nico and Will were at the center of it all, wrapped in a time-stopping embrace, tears gleaming on both of their pink cheeks. 

"Good God, I love you," Nico whispered into Will's messy yellow locks. 

Will let out a choked laugh. "I promise, I love you more." 

They released each other and took in the pandemonium ensuing around them. It was in this moment that Nico finally realized who was making laps around him-

"You're here!" He hollered, grabbing his best friend and pulling him into a hug. 

"I'm here!" Connor yelled back, spitting confetti out of his mouth. "And you're getting married!"

"I'm getting married!" Nico and Will yelled in unison, and everyone laughed. 

~

"Okay, you all have to calm down before we go inside!" Silena announced, gathering their bunch together as they climbed out of the Uber outside of a downtown Denver restaurant. 

"She's right, she's right, the hipsters will get mad at us if we sing showtunes in their brewery," Connor sighed dramatically. Sherman responded by pressing the back of his hand against his forehead and sighing loudly. 

"I think letting the two of them hang out is a bad idea," Hazel laughed, elbowing Nico to look at their friends. Nico nodded emphatically, linking his arm through Will's and stepping forward to lead their group into the restaurant. 

Hazel turned back, looking for Frank, whom she'd invited to come to dinner with them. He was hanging towards the back of the group, but Hazel saw his eyes quickly flit away from Nico and Will's linked arms. It must have been something about all the love in the air, but all the shyness Hazel usually felt around Frank just... disappeared. Grinning, she linked her own arm through his and pulled him through the double glass doors just in time to hear Nico say, "My fiance made a reservation for nine people, I think."

And Hazel was so happy she could just melt. 

okay. wow. hi. 

wow again. I know I've been gone forever. I'm so sorry. 

I started this book, like, four years ago, and I'm sorry I left you hanging. I started college, and then covid / quarantine happened, and a lot of personal stuff happened, and now i have my own house and cat and sorta serious partner! lol

I'm essentially writing for a major in college, so I don't have much time to write "fun" stuff like this anymore, but tonight (once I remembered my password), this just kind of fell into place. 

I'm not going to promise regular updates. for sake of honesty, I'm not going to promise updates at all. but this is something. 

If you're still here, four years later, please know that means so much to me that I could just cry.  

For all of you that have sent me messages, thank you (well, most of you) for being so kind and caring. sorry that I didn't reply. I'm better now and would love to chat. 

vote, comment, share if you'd like... or don't. either way. I oddly feel like crying typing this. 

I'm hitting publish now. say hi if you're here. love ya so much. mwah.