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Link’s hands were sweating slightly as he turned the navy over itself in the mirror. G. E suspended fourth. E minor 7th. E minor. Strumming this guitar may seem like I don't know what to say...
If he gets through the first few lines, it’ll be fine. The rhythm will pick up, little taps on the strings will keep him steady. And then a harsh tap on the wood. There was no need to move. His mom had been acting as the room’s security guard since he arrived in fear that he would see Jo in her dress, and he knew better than to argue with her today.
“Amelia?”
“Maureen! How are you?” Before she received a response she slithered around the woman and headed straight to Scout, enraptured with a LEGO space shuttle on the couch. He was currently set on becoming an astronaut. Amelia looked pleased as she sat down next to him, and Link silently thanked his mom for forgetting to pack his tablet.
"I'm well, but I didn't realise you'd be here so early!"
"Oh yeah, sorry," she was breathy as she processed her imposition. "I'm barging in on you guys. I just couldn’t resist coming to see this little guy in his suit. You look so handsome!” She ruffled his hair, giggles warming the space between the pair. Link had finished placing his boutonnière and grabbed Scout’s pocket square from the same bag. As he leaned down to put it in the boy’s blazer, he caught her eye, green in this light and in that dress. And with a glint in them, she opened her mouth. “You don’t look half bad yourself. Cute flower.”
“Well, I’m going to check on the band. Good to see you Amelia.” Maureen declared loudly from across the room and rushed outside, seemingly no longer caring about leaving the room vulnerable to entry.
“You managed to find a band? Didn’t you plan this, like, an hour ago?”
“Four days ago, thank you. But no, we did not. We have one cellist who isn’t getting here for another half hour. She’s not a great liar”.
She grimaced. “Does she still hate me?”
“She loves you, really. I think she was more heartbroken than me that we broke up.” They both know that part isn’t true.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little nervous. I wasn’t. I was going to just wing it up there with the vows, but Bailey really got into my head about it and now I have a song instead.” He gestured toward his guitar in the corner with a slight shyness. She smirked. Then the sweat again. “It feels more liable to screw ups than just.. saying a few words. Maybe we should have just gone with the set ones?”
“Oh come on, you’re so good at playing that thing! It’ll be really sweet.”
He thought back to her bad nights during COVID, her skin a little rough, hair tangled and torn at. Her curled up in Meredith’s living room after dark, breathing a little too heavily. He’d improvise riffs and spout stupid lyrics about whatever movie the kids subjected them to that day or how much he loved her; her lips would reluctantly turn upwards behind the cup of chamomile tea he used to make her after Zola said goodnight. Eventually the timbre would always be replaced by a tinny-toned crying, a groan, and the creak of the wooden stairs.
But Scout was quiet now, as white fabric donned his chest and he moved the plastic toy up and down with wonder. And Amelia's features were flooded with ease as she readjusted glossy waves behind her ear. Link moved to grab his guitar and sat down on the other side of Scout, his hands settling on the strings with a light touch. G. E suspended fourth. E minor 7th. E minor.
“It looks very cosy out there." She thought for a moment. "This is not what I expected when you got engaged.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I mean, I’m shocked you didn’t go a bit more extravagant with the whole thing. I'm glad I had this dress sitting around already. Is Jo scarred from when half the guests ended up across the city and her and Alex got locked in a shed at her last one or something? Didn't you want yours in the French Quarter?”
His breath hitched a little and his fingers stalled. “You remember that?”
“I was panicking over those conversations for half a year.” It stung. He was marrying Jo in an hour and it shouldn’t. The wound had clotted over but small scratches still sent blood running down his skin. Jo wanted what he wanted. They felt right. He still couldn’t buy her a ring before she said yes.
“It’s where I wanted to marry you.” He admitted without making eye contact. “It would have felt too weird.” He sighed, and leant the guitar against the table in front of them. He looked at her again. “Anyway, it was just convenient to take the slot before we have the twins. We’re happy with this place.”
“No, of course. It’ll be beautiful. I’m happy for you guys.” There was some guilt in the green now, but her cheeks lifted up to compensate.
“Let me get a picture of you two, okay buddy?” He needed to change course. They smiled. The phone clicked. It was a sweet one and he smiled too. “I’ll add it to the shared album”.
“Thank you. I’ll get out of your hair.” She made it to the door a little too fast, and he felt a potent mix of emptiness and relief. “Don’t drop the ring Scout!” Her playful voice echoed through the hallway outside as she walked away.
“She has such high expectations for you already.” He muttered, taking his seat back with his phone grasped in his twitchy hands. Some time with Scout would help. Hemostasis. He put his arm around him, applying pressure.
“Bluey?” He’d thrown the space shuttle across the couch in a sudden restlessness, and was gazing up at him with a familiar aquamarine that went straight through to his heart without breaking the skin.
“One episode.” He opened Disney Plus to his child-tainted profile and clicked on the queue, holding the screen between them. Knock, knock. Bluey, that's a bit loud, honey.. “Just don’t tell Mommy”.