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Rhett leaned close to the mirror, running his fingers through his hair for the nth time. He tilted his head slightly to his friend, appraising him. Link stood next to him, untying his tie. Again. He had to be on his seventh or eighth time fixing it. He was could tell that he was getting more and more frustrated every time he untied it. Rhett watched him untie it again before turning to him.
“Man, are you alright?” Rhett straightened up, raising his eyebrow.
Link sighed, “I’ve tried to fix my tie ten times and can’t get it to work with me.”
“It looks fine, man. Don’t worry about your tie.”
“Don’t worry,” Link snapped, throwing the tie as far as he can, “How do you expect me not to worry? This is the biggest talk show we’ve been on.”
“We’ll do great, buddy.” Rhett soothed, speaking low.
“I can’t do this, man! And I’m not going out there without a tie. We have an impression to make here.”
Rhett watched his best friend. He was uncharacteristically nervous. This wasn’t like him at all. He studied him for a moment before making his way to the tie that lay crumpled in the floor. He picked the tie up, brushing it gently between his fingers and glancing at Link again.
Link stood in the bright lights of the makeup mirror, glaring at collar as he tried to fix it. Rhett smiled softly at him. Even if he was out of sorts, he still worried about how he looked. He looked between the tie and Link. He stepped toward the shorter man, engulfing him in his arms.
“What the hell, man? Get off!” Link struggled, fighting Rhett’s arms odd.
“No, listen. I’m gunna fix your tie, man. Stop so I can do it.”
“I can do it myself!”
Rhett sighed, “You just said you couldn’t do it.”
“I don’t care what I said. Get off, dude.” He continued to struggle, pulling at Rhett’s arms.
“Quit fighting, man. You know I’m stronger than you. I’ll hold you down if I have to.” He tightened his arms around Link, pressing his cheek against his.
Link stilled almost instantly and sighed, “Fine, get it over with.”
Rhett smiled and straightened, draping the tie over Link’s shoulders. He stepped close again, looking over Link’s shoulder. He carefully went through the steps, looping the tie and tying the knot. He stopped briefly, looking at the mirror across from them. Link stood, eyes closed. He finally seemed to be relaxing. He still had his hands in front of him, though, wringing them. Rh ett released the tie, his hands moving soothingly down Link’s arms. He pulled his hands apart gently and laced his fingers into his, squeezing.
“Come down, bo. We’re going to do great.” He murmured.
He waited for a beat before releasing Link’s hands, moving back to the tie. He pulled the tie up slowly. He straightened up, adjusting the collar below his hands. As he folded the collar down, he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the soft skin just behind Link’s ear. It was not meant to be anything other than comforting, but he did note the quiet breath that Link sucked in. He pressed their cheeks together again, looking into the mirror as he made the last few adjustments. From his periphery, he could see Link staring. When he finished, he adjusted his gaze, his eyes meeting Link’s. His brilliant blue eyes shone in the bright white light. They were full of unasked questions.
Rhett shook his head, worry about it later.
He stepped back, brushing his hands over Link’s shoulders, “You’re good to go, buddyroll. Come on, they’ll be callin’ us any minute.”
Just as Link opened his mouth to speak, a knock sounded. Stevie and another young lady from the show stood in the door.
“Come on, guys. They’re ready for you.” Stevie waived them out.
Rhett motioned for Link to go first, glad that he didn’t argue. He followed him out the door. Link smiled at the young woman, speaking with her as they walked.
Stevie put her hand in front of Rhett, smiling up at him, “You know, you could have put that tie on and then gave it to him.”
He glanced down at her, his cheeks coloring a slight pink, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, Rhett. Come on, let’s catch up.”
He nodded, smiling at her as he ran to catch up with his best friend.