Chapter 13

Evening lovelies! So this is part three, as I mentioned in my previous notes I cant include everyone all the time so everyone who is not in it today, I promise you will be in it next week! I really hope you like it, I don’t know if its any good, its my 13th chapter so I hope its not unlucky! All feedback is so, so appreciated! You can contact me on my twitter, medsies_world, to let me know what you think, thank you so much guys it really means the world to me! Any shout outs you can do to get as many people reading this would be absolutely fantastic, so thank you! ☺ Lovelove x

Laura settled down on to their hotel sofa and took a sip of her tea. It had been a long day of traveling and was struggling to keep her eyes open. She hated traveling. The chaos, the stress, the timing… It would be even worse when her and Ben had children. Looking down at her stomach Laura smiled, you could just about see the first swellings of a bump underneath her t-shirt. Ben and herself had been absolutely over the moon when they’d found out; they’d been waiting for a baby for so long.

“I wonder if Mark’s around anywhere.” Ben said as he walked in and settled beside his new wife. “I haven’t seen him since I got here.”

Laura swung her legs up onto his lap and leaned back against the sofa. “He’s probably with Gary.” Laura said.

Ben took her foot in one hand and rubbed it gently. “I doubt it, I could hear Gary shouting about flowers from all the way down the bloody hall.” He grinned.

Laura smiled sleepily. She had yet to actually meet Mark, her husband’s very best friend. Mark was always so busy, or Laura was traveling with her job.  The wedding was their first opportunity to meet. Her work friends had gone positively giddy when they’d found out she was attending the Donald-Orange wedding and Mark Owen was going to be there! They’d all begged her to give him their numbers even though they knew they were barking up the wrong tree.

Laura’s eyes drifted closed and just as Ben leaned down to kiss her goodnight there was a loud banging on their hotel room door. Laura groaned.

“Tell whoever it is to go away.” She mumbled as Ben stood up to see who it was.

“Mark?” Ben said in surprise as he opened the door to find his best friend standing there. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I… stay with you guys tonight? Just on the sofa?” Mark said, his mouth set into a grim line.

Ben stepped out the way, confusing lining his features. “Of course, where’s Gary?”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Apparently he has more important things to do than be with me.”

Ben raised his eyebrows. Mark sighed. Mark didn’t know what he had expected to find when he had knocked on the door of Jason’s hotel room. Did he expect some 6-foot of tanned muscle in gold hot pants to answer the door? What Mark didn’t expect was for there to be no one there. After he had repeatedly knocked with no answer, Mark had tried the handle and finding the door unlocked had pushed it open. The hotel room was empty, Jason’s bag was left unpacked on the bed and when Mark had tried his mobile there had been no answer. Mark resolved that he would simply have to find Jason in the morning, hopefully before it was too late.

***

Gary slammed down his phone onto the counter beside the sink. Then realizing he hadn’t actually hung up, picked it up and pressed the stupid little red key. Good God but new mobile phones made it hard to hang up angrily. He missed the old phones, which you could really slam down to make your point. Switching his phone off, Gary opened the bathroom door cautiously. He planned to apologize to Mark and he hoped that they could pick up where they left off.

“Look I’m sorry, it’s just the stupid flow- Mark?” Gary stopped and stared at the empty bed before him. Mark’s clothes were gone. Gary sat down on the edge of the bed. Great. He had blown it.

Well, fine, thought Gary, if Mark wanted to walk out like a child instead of dealing with their problems like an adult then that was that. Gary was too tired to try and find him. Ignoring the pain that had settled in his belly, he laid his head against the pillow. It was cold in the room, instead of falling asleep in Mark’s arms, he was alone. Just like old times.

***

Jason stood staring out of the big bay windows, people were beginning the arrive, the venue filling with people from the boys and his own life. He smiled. Robbie, dressed in an expensive looking tux was busy chatting away to one of Howard’s family, Kate dressed in lilac silk dress hung off his arm smiling.

“Hey.” Kennedy’s voice sounded behind him. “How do you feel?” She smiled, laying her hand on his arm. She was dressed in the cream dresses that had been picked out in the end by Howard and Jason, after Gary tried to force them to wear a hideously lacy apricot dress.

“You look beautiful.” Jason said smiling. “And I feel… good. I’m marrying the man of my dreams, I’m happy.”

“Nervous for the wedding night?” Chloe said, grinning, joining them.

Jason laughed. “No, not at all… well it’s not our first time.” He grinned.

Kennedy looked at her watch. “Not long now, I’ll go get the guests.”

Turning on her heel she walked through the wooden doors and out into the foyer. Jason watched as the previously empty chairs began to fill with people.

Chloe pulled him into a big hug and went to join the other bridesmaids. “Good luck!” She mouthed.

Gary walked briskly in and stood beside Jason. Mark was late. Gary hadn’t even seen him this morning. Gary couldn’t believe Mark hadn’t even bothered to show up on time to the wedding Gary had slaved over. Gary wasn’t sure if he wanted to shout or cry… what he didn’t want was this wedding to be ruined by his relationship troubles.

Clapping Jason on the back he gave him the thumbs up. All systems go, Gary thought to himself as the music began. Gary had poured long and hard over the play list, Howard and Jason had wanted quiet music to be on throughout the ceremony. The big doors opened and Howard walked through just as the first chords of ‘(Everything I do) I do it for you’ Bryan Adams sung out softly over the stereo. Jason turned to Gary and smiled.

Look into my eyes, you will see… What you mean to me

Gary looked down at the floor then back to the empty space where Mark was supposed to be standing.

You know it's true… Everything I do, I do it for you

“Friends, family.” The vicar began. “We are here today to celebrate the love of Howard and Jason. Their love is special, their love is strong and they are here today to promise each other their love is forever. Love has no boundaries; it does not conform to what society tells it… Love is blind, love is imperfect, love is something to be celebrated.”

Take me as I am, take my life…I would give it all, I would sacrifice

“Howard and Jason have chosen to write their own vows… If you’d like to begin.” The vicar said smiling at Howard.

Howard took a deep breath. “When I was younger I struggled to always say what I wanted to say, nothing ever seemed right… nothing ever seemed complete.”

Don't tell me it's not worth fighting for, I can't help it, there's nothing I want more

Gary swallowed. Maybe he hadn’t been treating Mark right recently… he supposed he had made their relationship his second priority to the wedding. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had told Mark he loved him. God, thinking about it he wasn’t surprised Mark had walked away. But God, Gary needed him here. He wasn’t anything without Mark.

“From the first time you swaggered through those audition doors, wearing those frankly horrific trousers, I knew… I knew I’d found what I had been looking for. Yes it’s the biggest cliché in the book, but I can’t be with anyone else. You make me the man I am now; I don’t care what people think… I want to celebrate how much I love you with the world and listen carefully because this is the cheesiest thing I have ever said… I want to grow old with you, I want to share my life with you, I love you and my God I promise to love you forever.”

There's no love, like your love… And no other, could give more love

He had to find him. Gary had to find Mark, he had to get on his goddamned knees and beg for forgiveness, because he had truly been one hell of an arse hole to Mark recently.

Oh, you can't tell me it's not worth trying for… I can't help it, there's nothing I want more

Gary watched as Howard slid a ring onto Jason’s finger. The girls were already wiping tears from their eyes. He smiled to himself; the wedding was perfect… now he had to sort out his own life.

Look into your heart… You can't tell me it ain't worth dying for

Just as Gary turned on his heel, Mark came flying through the wooden doors, his tie hanging around his neck.

“Stop, stop everything.” Mark yelled. “Stop the wedding.”