The Boyfriend Project || CTH

THIRTY FIVE

When I wake up on the day of Poppy's wedding I am more exhausted than I have felt in a long time, partly because of all of the planning for the wedding with Poppy and the other parties involved along with Poppy breaking down completely, which then lead to Emma and I taking her out the day before yesterday. I'm the epitome of lightweight, so when I get drunk I also feel like shit for an unreasonable period of time and need about three days to recover—hence me feeling so rough right now.

I pull myself out of bed with only the thought of coffee running through my head. I only get to the hallway before Emma's voice carries through the apartment. "Scotty!"

"Jeez, Emma," I mumble as I walk into the kitchen with my head hanging low and my hands rubbing my tired eyes. "Why so loud?"

"This."

The moment that I look up to see what she might be pointing to is when I notice the bouquets of yellow roses that cover every surface of the kitchen as well as the entire living room when I turn to look over the half wall. "What the fuck."

"Someone's very sorry," Emma humors as she brings her mug to her lips. "And you know I love flowers and all but this is a bit much so I hope we're both on the same page of wanting to throw some away or give them off to I don't know a hundred of our closest friends?"

"How do you know they're not for you?"

"Because the dude who just dropped them off said they're for Scotty," she tells me. "And it's pretty obvious they're from Calum."

"He really won't give up."

"Evidently not," she says and leans back against a rose covered counter. "Isn't that kind of a sign enough that he's in this for the right reasons? That maybe it's time for you to stop holding on to what he did?"

"Maybe you're right," I sigh. "Maybe I should go see him after the wedding."

"Why not just reinvite him?"

"I can't cancel on Milo now, it's too late."

"I guess," she mutters into her mug.

"I just need to really think on this because I mean Milo is actually kind of great," I tell her. "And obviously I've thought about just going back to Calum so many times but every time that little voice in my head goes wondering if he has other motives."

"I don't thing any guy would go this far for a short laugh with his friends."

"Whatever," I shrug. "We'll see what happens."

...

"All right, I need to say this because no one else has," Poppy says. "Milo is hot."

"Oh yeah," I agree. "He's a part time model."

"You know, I felt really bad for you having to come walk in my wedding after getting your heart broken, so I'm really glad that you have been able to feel happy again after Calum."

"Yeah." I send her a tight lipped smile. "But don't worry about me right now, Pops. You're getting married to the man of your dreams in a minute."

"I am, aren't I?" she grins and my heart melts seeing my friend so undoubtedly filled with joy. "Now go stand in line with your groomsman and make me the happiest girl in the world."

"I love you, Pops."

"I love you too, Skittle." We embrace each other in a teary eyed hug before I walk back to get in line. I smile at the man I am walking with—Cody, George's friend from college—and soon we're sent off down the aisle and my hands are starting to sweat a bit around the bouquet I'm holding.

The ceremony is beautiful and I catch myself blushing every time I make eye contact with Milo who sends me a wink or pulls a funny face.

The real drama happens when it gets to the part of someone wanting to object to the marriage, which is really just a formality but no one actually expects for it to happen.

But just when the question is asked a familiar man comes jogging down the aisle out of breath as if he's just run all the way through the city to come here. It's Calum who's dressed in a sharp suit and dress shoes along with a tie. He's caught everyone's attention and once he's neared the altar George sends Poppy a confused glance. "What is this?"

"I–I," she stutters but Calum cuts in.

"God no, I'm not here for her," he shakes off and I see relief in George's eyes. "Scotty, I'm here to get you back."

Now, I am acutely aware that the attention of at least a hundred people is directed at Calum and I, and I gulp. "Calum, we're in front of all these people."

"I don't care," he says. "I haven't been able to reach you in a week and that's a problem for me because it physically hurts me to be away from you. I've done nothing else this past month than try to make you see how much I love you—no games, no lies, I just want to love you."

"You hurt me," I finally say, and my voice echoes in the locale as everyone else in it is sitting in absolute silence watching what is going down up front. "You hurt me more than anyone has ever hurt me before, and you humiliated me."

"I know what I did, Scotty, and I regret it, but you know on the inside that even though it didn't start out that way my motive are pure."

"You lied to me about everything."

"But you know why I lied."

"Um, excuse me but—"

"Shh, let them finish," Poppy interrupts George's interjection and Calum continues.

"I smoke when I'm stressed out, I own a pair of Velcro shoes, I eat meat sometimes when you're not around, and I had Mali sit through a FaceTime meeting to explain why moisturizing is so important," he rants. "But none of those things change the fact that as I'm standing here looking at you in that damn canary dress I'm completely and utterly in love with you, Scotty Lee."

I don't know what to say so I stay silent. Calum takes this opportunity to continue.

"You told me once that you don't need a grand gesture like a thousand roses to know someone loves you and wants to be with you," he starts and he pulls out a yellow rose identical to the ones that Emma and I hadn't found the time to get rid off yet out of his suit jacket. He looks at it. "There's nine hundred and ninety nine yellow roses in your apartment to tell you I'm sorry. This one makes a thousand and if you want it then we forget that this whole thing ever happened, but if you don't I will leave and I promise you that you won't have to ever see me again."

I stay silent for a moment and Poppy hits my arm. "What are you doing?" she whispers. "He just crashed a wedding for you. Take the rose."

Calum sighs and I can tell he's about to turn around to leave. I take a step forward. "I don't want to never see you again."

The smile which takes over his face is enough to crumble the walls built up around my heart and I step closer to him again.

"I don't want to never see you again because I'm completely and utterly in love with you too, Calum Hood."

I don't notice the applause coming from the crowd until they are dying down after Calum and I pull out of a kiss which had made me forget about the world for a moment.

"Can we go through with the wedding now?"

...

These ankle mosquito bites are really getting on my nerves