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“Do you have a speech done?” Stuart asks, taking a sip of his pint. “That’s top of the list of things to do.”
Callum’s stressing out about the wedding, trying to get everything in order, making sure that he has everything. For some reason, Stuart seemed like the best person to go to with this worry, rather than Ben. So here they are, sitting in Stuart’s flat of an evening, a football game playing quietly on the television, already empty cans of beer squashed up and resting against the table, new beers in their hands. There’s a scrap piece of paper sitting on the coffee table, and on it a list in Callum’s handwriting, a list of things he knows he needs to get done. It’s been written for days now, but with every day that passes, it feels more and more like Callum won’t be able to complete the list.
He nods. “It’s half written.” Callum admits. There’s a week to go until the wedding and his speech is only half written. “It’s not that I can’t think of anything to say. It’s just - I don’t know. It’s like I have all these feelings for him, but I can’t put it into words.”
Stuart shrugs. “Well, what would you want to say to him?” He asks.
Callum just looks at Stuart, and he’s aware that even two years ago this situation would’ve been so alien to Stuart, and now he’s sitting here listening to Callum as he worries about his wedding speech. They’ve both come a long way in such a short space of time - Callum’s finally happy, effortlessly happy, and he’s in love and proud to be himself; and Stuart, well he’s sitting here actually listening to Callum, and helping him out.
“I can’t put into words what he’s done for me.” Callum says, because it’s true. He wouldn’t be sitting here now, planning a wedding, if it wasn’t for Ben. He would still be unhappy, living a lie, if it wasn’t for Ben. “He’s everything.”
“Right.” Stuart says, putting his beer down on the table. He sits forward, on the edge of his seat. “Here’s what we’ll do. You talk, I write. Then we’ll work a speech out from that.” He picks up a pad of paper and a pen, biting the lid off and letting it drop down the side of his body, probably now hiding in the corners of the sofa. “Go.”
There’s a pause as Callum thinks for a moment. “This is stupid.” He says, closing his eyes and tilting his head towards the ceiling as he falls back, resting against the sofa.
“It ain’t! Look, just say it as if you’re saying it to Ben, I won’t care what you say.” Stuart says.
Callum rolls his eyes, and starts thinking again. “I want him to know how much he means to me.” He starts. “That’s a big thing.” He watches Stuart as he writes. “He taught me about love, and we both know I never saw that growing up. I never thought I’d ever feel it, I wasn’t even sure it existed. But then I met Ben, and I just knew. I knew from that moment that there was something there. I want to tell him, like, I’m glad I met you , because if I hadn’t, I’m not sure who I’d be right now. And even though he constantly winds me up and gets himself into trouble, I wouldn’t want to go through life without him now. It’s weird, right, how different life can be when you have someone who loves you by your side. I get to wake up every morning and he’s there, more than likely still sleeping, but he’s there. It’s manic sometimes, it would be with his family, but I can deal with them because I’ve got Ben by my side. I feel like I can deal with anything with Ben by my side. He gave me a family, Stu. I know I have you and I love ya, you’re my brother. But he’s given me Lex now too, and I’ve always wanted a kid. He makes me so happy. So happy.”
Callum watches his brother through teary, blurry eyes. He’s still writing, and Callum notices that the page is full. “Is that alright?” He asks, suddenly nervous.
Stuart looks up, and he nods. “Amazing bruv.” He admits happily. “I reckon we could get a speech out of that.”
“It wasn’t too much?” Callum asks.
“It’s perfect. Ben will love it, I promise you that.” Stuart responds, ripping the page out and passing it over to Callum.
Callum holds it in his hands, running his fingers over the words. He reads some of it, and he can’t quite believe that he was the one to say all of that.
“I’m sorry, you know?” Stuart breaks the silence.
Callum looks up at him, confused, because he’s got nothing to apologise for as far as Callum knows. He raises an eyebrow and shakes his head a little bit. “What for?”
Stuart drains the rest of his pint as though it’s dutch courage. “For everything I did when you and Ben first got together. I should’ve just listened to you and encouraged you to be yourself, I know that now.” He explains. “You’re my little brother, and I thought I was protecting you, but I just caused you more pain. You’re happy now, with Ben, I should’ve seen it back then too, but I just got angry with him, thinking he was making you miserable or hurting you. I know he wouldn’t. He loves you too much, I can see that now.”
“I don’t think it’s me you need to be apologising to bruv.” Callum admits. “I mean, he might annoy me to the point I’m contemplating locking him in the boot of a car, but I wouldn’t do it.”
Stuart nods. “When I see him, I’ll apologise to Ben too.” He says. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.” Callum smiles. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”
“Yeah?” Stuart enquires.
Callum breathes out a shaky sigh. He doesn’t even know why he’s nervous, but this is officially the last thing on his list of things to do, and that probably makes it all the more real that he’s practically days away from having a husband. “Will you be my best man?” Callum asks.
Stuart beams and grins and almost jumps on Callum, agreeing repeatedly.