Sweep Me Off My Feet Ch. 07

Zayne Lennox had become a pro at pretending things were okay when they really weren't, so as the sun rose on the day of Daniel and Brielle's wedding, he went out with his normal smile and joking disposition as they ate breakfast before the three of them went off to shower and get dressed in their best. The three of them took a selfie, with Zach and Elias kneeling down to be closer to Zayne's height, and then off they went.

Brinxton had to spend the morning with Daniel and his brothers, though he could get some relief whenever his sister needed help with something. Brinxton had gotten messages of apologies from his friends, saying they would support him on whoever he wanted to spend time with. Brielle could tell that he was in his head though, so she tried to give him some small things to do to keep him away from Daniel and busy. They were simple things, like grabbing the pastries from the delivery person for each getting ready room and putting the boutonnieres in the men's dressing room at the venue.

Eventually she handed him a champagne glass with a mimosa in it. "Go get dressed and try to have some fun. I know you don't like Daniel but his brothers are sweet. If I see any red hair from my window as the guests come into the garden, I'll let you know."

Brinxton did as she ordered and tried to have a good time with Daniel's brothers. James and Garrett did try to include him in the fun, and Brinxton knew Zayne had told him how great they had both been after the accident, bringing over things like heating pads, ice packs, heated blankets, and easy to make food even after Daniel had left him.

They had a photographer taking photos as they finished getting dressed and got their boutonnieres on. Then they took some posed photos of the groomsmen with the groom. There was another photographer in with the bride and her bridesmaids. Eventually guests started to flow into the garden the wedding was taking place in.

Zayne decided not to take the wheelchair into the garden, but it was in the back of his car for the cocktail hour and reception. He walked in with a cane made of cherry stained wood. It was carved to look like a wolf on the top. They found seats in the middle with their parents and Aspen, and waited for everything to start.

Daniel came down into the garden first with his dad to stand at the altar waiting. From where Brinxton was behind a bunch of bushes, he could see where Zayne and the others were sitting. He wouldn't be able to talk to them until later though. Everyone got into line as Brielle had set up the day before, and when the music started, they began the procession.

Everyone stood when it was time for the bride to enter. Brielle looked stunning in her gown. It was a beautiful ivory color that was covered in lace with a sweetheart neck, chiffon off the shoulder sleeves, and a long ball gown. Her dark hair was half up in a decorative bun while the rest fell down her back in curls. She went for makeup that matched the jewel tones of the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmens vests on her eyes and a more natural lip.

Once the guests were sitting again, the ceremony began. They had readings, the lighting of candles, pouring sand into a container, and then the vows. All through that, Zayne couldn't help but keep glancing over at Brinxton. His vest was a rich jewel toned blue and they made his eyes stand out even more than normal. Anytime they caught each other's eye, Zayne would smile at him.

He may have been upset about what happened the night before, but something about looking him in the eye just made Zayne want to smile. It was probably because he was completely and irrevocably in love with the man. For Brinxton's part, he spent most of the ceremony miserably ruminating on what had transpired and trying to figure out how he could have handled it better while forcing himself to smile neutrally for the photos. Daniel noticed that he was distracted and got a nasty smirk on his face when Brielle had turned to get the ring for the exchange.

Finally, the reverend announced Daniel and Brielle as husband and wife, and everyone cheered and started blowing bubbles as the couple kissed. Brielle and Daniel walked back down the aisle to all of the bubbles around them, and then their entourage exited in order and towards the gardens where they were to take photos.

Zach went to get Zayne's wheelchair once they were onto the patio area where the cocktail hour was. Zayne tried various hors d'oeuvres but didn't drink much. He spoke with some of the people he knew, and stuck with his family most of the time.

A little over an hour later, it was time to go into the reception area, which was inside the building where there was a ballroom. They found their seats and the bridal party was all announced before the newest Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Williamson came in to join the party. Zach didn't even wait for Daniel and Brielle to sit down before he started to gently hit his fork against his wine glass, and others joined in. It was meant to make the bride and groom kiss at the reception, and Zach was doing it just to annoy Daniel, but Brielle was a good sport about it.

They listened to speeches and then got into dinner. Brielle's taste was impeccable and everything was delicious. Then they got through the normal rituals, like cake cutting, first dance, and bouquet throwing. The guys all made sure Zach was the one to catch the garter, much to his amusement.

Once it was finally time for cake and dancing, it seemed like Zayne was never quite able to catch Brinxton. Daniel had him off on some errand or another, all under the guise of it was what his sister asked for, though Brielle had wanted Brinxton to go off and find Zayne and maybe even dance with him, and she had told her husband that.

Zayne was of course disappointed to not be able to find Brinxton but he tried to handle it as best he could. He danced with his sister and a few of their friends, and he even danced with Zach at one point. Of course, he had to be careful in his dance steps, but luckily most of them were slow songs, or his partners were happy to go slower for him.

At some point Zach, Zayne, and Elias took some shots with Daniel, though Zayne only drank one of them. The photographer captured all four of them taking the shots before he moved onto the next guests and left them to chat with each other.

When Daniel started to run out of things to get Brinxton to do as they came to the second part of the reception, he sent one of his friends over to keep him occupied, whether by drinking or flirting. He didn't care which.

Brinxton tried his best to get away from the guy, but he was persistent and damned impossible to redirect. Brinxton suspected what this man's mission really was but he really needed to get Zayne alone for a few moments so he could try to make amends, and try to explain how he felt. Something told him that the window to make things right was closing and he didn't like that feeling at all. He could feel the panic slowly rising at the idea of Zayne not being part of his life anymore.

Zayne was finding that keeping up the act of being okay was more tiring than he remembered it being. He didn't know if it was because he wasn't as young anymore, or if it was just an inherent part of chronic illness and pain. He could see that Brinxton was busy, though he didn't pick up on how annoyed he was by it.

He was just beginning to wonder if it might be time to call it a night, even though there was still another hour and a half of the reception, when he turned and bumped into a mutual friend he knew from society. Carter had always been closer to Daniel, but Zayne had gotten along with him fine and it had been a while since he had seen him.

"Zayne!" Carter cried, a smile on his face. "I'm surprised to see you here and acting buddy buddy with Danny again!"

Zayne shrugged. "Well, time heals most wounds, and I prefer to move forward and on rather than dwelling on it."

"That's such a mature way to view it," Carter replied as Zach came up to join his twin. "I'm glad to hear that. I thought after the cheating you would never speak to him again."

Zach frowned at that, though he didn't look anywhere near as surprised as Zayne did. Zayne sat there looking at Carter like he had just told him aliens had invaded the wedding. "The what?" Zayne finally asked once he found his voice again.

"You didn't know?" Carter asked. "Daniel swore you knew. Him and I only slept together once, but he was seeing a couple of other people too, the last...oh, six months you were together? I believe it was six months. Three people total from what I know, two men and one woman. Not Brielle, of course. She wouldn't be anyone's side piece of anything!"

Zayne felt like his entire body went cold and he was sick to his stomach. Honestly, he wasn't angry at Carter. Carter had always had some loose morals, and he wasn't the one who had made a commitment to him. Hell, he couldn't even bring himself to be angry at Daniel. Daniel didn't matter in the grand scheme of things anymore, except how he was connected to Brinxton now. Still, learning that the last six months of his relationship had been a lie was hitting him hard.

"I didn't," Zayne admitted. "But thank you. It certainly puts things into perspective."

"Sorry," Carter said to him and then slunk away.

"I'm gonna kill him," Zach said and was getting ready to do so when Zayne stopped him.

"Don't," Zayne mumbled. "You can kick his ass tomorrow before he leaves for his honeymoon. There's supposed to be a brunch tomorrow with the families, remember?"

"What's the difference between kicking his ass now or tomorrow?" Zach asked.

Zayne pointed to where Brielle was dancing with a few of her friends, and Zach frowned again. Zayne could feel all of his energy draining out fast now, and he looked over to where Brinxton was, and all he wanted was to be in his arms. He let out a deep breath and reached back to the small bag that was attached to his wheelchair, which usually held things like his wallet, doctor paperwork, and more.

He handed an envelope to Zach. "Can you give that to Brinxton? I'm going to go home. Give my love to the bride and...well, maybe not the groom."

Zach wanted to argue for him to stay, but he could tell how exhausted his twin was so he just nodded his head. Zayne disappeared in the crowd and wheeled out to the car where he got his wheelchair in and headed back to his house. Once there, he left the note for Zach and Elias on the table, put Cloud in his cat carrier, and took him out to the car to begin their two hour drive to Vail.

Zach ran into Elias first and told him what happened. Elias was of the mind that they should definitely murder Daniel, but Zach didn't want to upset Zayne more, so instead the two of them went to save Brinxton from his persistent pursuer.

"Mick, don't you have better things to do than harass the brother of the bride?" Elias asked as they walked up.

"But he's so damn cute," Mick replied.

Zach stepped in here, putting his arm around Brinxton and practically growling, "And taken, now shoo."

"Oh, please, you two?" Mick asked.

Zach turned Brinxton's head toward him and kissed him hard. It wasn't like kissing Zayne, though he could tell Zach was a good kisser. Still, it made Mick grumble in annoyance and walk away from them with a huff and Zach grinned after his retreating figure, which was really more a showing of teeth, before his face fell back into the scowl he'd been wearing since talking with Carter.

Brinxton absent-mindedly wiped his lips, as if to wipe off the memory of the kiss, saying, "Thanks for the save. Where's Zayne? I wanted to apologize again for last night and maybe talk a bit about what we're going to do moving forward."

Zach and Elias shared a meaningful look, and it was now that Brinxton noticed how tense they both seemed. "He went home, he was upset. He wanted me to give you this though."

Brinxton opened the letter and quietly read what it said:

"My Dearest Brinxton,

I've put a lot of thought into what I want to say to you, and for some reason I just can't bring myself to say it out loud. Maybe if I do, it makes it too real, and if it's real and you reject it, then I don't know how I would handle it.

It's been a year now since we met, a year since we started this casual relationship, but I don't think I can handle it being casual anymore. The truth is, I'm in love with you. You were worried that I would fall into the idea of some Hallmark ending where Daniel sweeps me off my feet, but the truth is that it was you I wanted to do that. Every time I picture getting married now, it's you and only you. Daniel isn't even an option in my head because I never loved him the way I love you.

If you proposed tomorrow, as crazy as that is, I would say yes.

But we aren't focused on the same things, and I don't think what I want is what you want. As much as I would love to be with you in some capacity, it's breaking my heart over and over, and I can't take it anymore. So I'm going to take a break, step away, and try to heal before we talk again.

Thank you for the best year of my life. I hope with time we can be friends again, without blurring lines. I love you, and I want only the best for you.

Always yours,

Zayne"

Brinxton looked up with tears in his eyes, his chest feeling like it might cave in from the pain that he was trying to hide from them. "Looks... Looks like he needs some space. I was hoping to talk to him tonight but it looks like he had already made up his mind. I'm going to... um... I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll give him the space he asked for. Thank you, guys," he said before turning and walking away into the night, the letter dangling from one hand dejectedly.

"Is it just me, or does he look, dare I say, heartbroken?" Elias asked Zach.

Zach let out a sigh. He also didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't meddle too much or else his twin would be upset with him. He decided they should go back home, because the longer they stayed, the more sure Zach was about punching Daniel and that wouldn't do anyone any good. When they got back to the house, they found Zayne's car gone, as well as Cloud, and a letter on the table that read:

"Dear Zach and Elias,

I am not okay, but I will be. Mostly, I need time. Please give me at least two weeks before you come after me. My breakup with Daniel was so public and I want the time to just fall apart in private. Please.

-Zayne"

"So, do we know where he is?" Elias asked.

Zach nodded his head. "The cabin. Jessie will be around so he won't end up entirely alone. I guess we should give him the time. It's killing me though."

Elias squeezed Zach's shoulder. He could never understand the twin connection, but he had seen it time and again between the two of them, and it never failed to amaze him.

Once in Vail, Zayne hit the remote for the cabin's garage door and pulled in. Jessie's car was outside so he assumed she was there, and he was proven right as she came outside in a flannel jacket and her dark hair in a hat. She helped him get Cloud and his belongings inside. The garage had been altered to include a ramp and two bedrooms on the ground floor had been turned into one with a bathroom for him.

"I just turned on the heat," Jessie commented as they went into the house. "It'll take a bit to get to human warmth though so I started a fire. Now let me hug you."

She came up to him and wrapped him in a big hug. She was about a foot shorter than him, but she had a big personality and he had always adored her. She pulled away and looked up at his face, looking at him closely.

"You look pale," she said.

He let out a weak chuckle. "I'm always pale. I'm a redhead. This skin doesn't tan unless I pay a pretty penny and do it by unnatural means."

"Ah, witchcraft," she said knowingly.

That got a laugh out of him. "Yes, witchcraft. Now you know my secrets."

She smiled at him and then turned the look serious. "I mean you look sad, though. Not yourself. You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Zayne shook his head and bent down to let Cloud out of his carrier. "No, I just need some time to myself."

"Was he an asshole?" she asked.

Zayne looked at her in surprise and confusion. "Who?"

"The guy you're mourning over," Jessie guessed.

He shouldn't have been surprised. She could almost read him as well as Zach could. He thought about the question and then smiled sadly. "No, not at all. In fact, he's easily one of the best people I've ever met."

"So why didn't it work out?" she asked.

Zayne sighed and sat down on the couch, looking into the fire. "We're just at different life stages. He is focused on work and figuring his life out and I'm..."

Jessie nodded her head in understanding. "Ready for the whole marriage and kids life."

"At least marriage, yeah," Zayne admitted.

Jessie gave him a kiss on the forehead before grabbing her purse. "I am a phone call and a short drive away. It's supposed to start storming soon. The generator is in the basement but should come on as soon as the power is out. Let me know what you need and when."

"Thank you, Jessie," he said and watched as she left. He heard the garage door close and finally let out a sigh of relief.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, turned it off, and then took off his socks, shoes, and shirt before he laid down on the couch in front of the fire. He pulled the flannel blanket down around him and finally gave in to the emotion that had been bubbling up for hours. He brought the blanket up to his eyes as he sobbed, crying over what an asshole Daniel was, and over what he was losing with Brinxton. He didn't know how long he cried for, but eventually he fell to sleep on the couch in front of the fire.

~~~

Despite the turmoil of emotions going through him, Brinxton was expected and his parents had demanded he go to the brunch the day after the wedding. He was already getting lectured by them for kissing Zayne at the rehearsal dinner, which Brielle was angry about and was telling them to knock it off. It was mostly family on both sides with a sprinkling of friends. Zach and Elias were there with Aspen, though they gave Brinxton some space.

It was a nice enough brunch, though Brinxton was counting down the seconds until it was done. Any time he looked over at where Zach and Elias were, he could tell they were both tense, like they were waiting for something. They seemed to have tense talks from time to time as well, with Aspen shushing them.

The time they seemed to be waiting for came up soon enough though, as Brinxton was standing outside with Brielle and Daniel as most of the family had left. Brielle was trying to make sure Brinxton was okay. Brinxton saw Aspen whispering to the two of them frantically before Elias and Zach played rock, paper, scissors. Zach played rock while Elias played scissors, and Elias looked annoyed. Then, Zach called Daniel's name as he strode toward them almost chipperly before he wound back and punched Daniel in the face.

Brinxton blinked in surprise, then let out a shocked laugh. Brielle just stared with wide eyes, having clearly not expected this at one of the wedding events.

"What the fuck, Zachariah?!" Daniel exclaimed from his spot on the ground. His lip and nose were both bleeding.

"Oh don't you 'Zachariah' me!" Zach spit at him. "You deserved that punch last night -- nay, five fucking years ago -- but today will have to do!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Daniel demanded.

"Carter told Zayne about your cheating last night," Elias explained in a voice that was almost too calm, like he was purposely keeping his voice level. Daniel's face immediately paled at the words and he just stared up at them. "What did he say? Six whole months of cheating on your disabled, bed ridden, spinal surgery patient boyfriend before you left him? If that isn't a dick move, I have no idea what is. I'm just mad I'm not the one who got to hit you, though if anyone should have had a chance, it should have been Zayne."