Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 18:27:12 -0700 From: B.E. Kelley Subject: The Wedding Date Chapter 4 This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention. Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization. Comments are always welcome at: hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com The Wedding Date Chapter 4 Chandler was grateful for the shower, he'd never really liked fishing and he hated the smell. He was under the water, letting it rinse away the grime, when Hunter jumped in with him. "Hunter, geez, you scared me," said Chandler. "Surprise," Hunter smiled. "What are you doing here anyway, the Phillips..." Chandler started. "Forget the Phillips for a minute, I locked the door and I doubt Mary Phillips is going to wait in our room to see if we come out of the shower together," said Hunter. "Ok, good point," Chandler agreed. "I wanted to give you something," said Hunter. "In the shower?" asked Chandler, "I don't see anything." "I wanted to give you this," Hunter grinned, wrapping his arms around Chandler and kissing him tenderly but passionately. "Mmmm," Chandler murmured, taken by surprise at the intimate embrace. Hunter ran his hands up and down Chandler's water slick back, even running his hands down far enough to rub his pert bottom. He kissed him hard, enjoying the silky feeling of his tongue against Chandler's. "There, that's better," said Hunter, pulling away and giving Chandler a playful smack on the rump. "That was great, what made you feel the need to do that?" Chandler smiled. "Just a reminder," said Hunter. "Reminder of what?" asked Chandler. "Of how much I love you and how no horny chick is going to change that," he smiled. "Thanks for that babe, it was very reassuring," said Chandler, hugging Hunter and resting his head against his chest. "My little green eyed monster," Hunter giggled. "Yeah, and don't you forget it," chuckled Chandler. After their shower, the boys got dressed for dinner. They had both gone to an elite prep school and one of the top Ivy League universities, but Chandler was the preppy, Hunter was the more casual of the two. Hunter threw on a polo shirt and a pair of jeans, Chandler a polo shirt, khaki shorts and a pair of deck shoes. Hunter's outfit gave him a ruggedly handsome appeal and Chandler looked like a GQ model. They dressed differently but they both looked their best when they joined the party out back. A clambake is a traditional New England feast and if you've never been to one, you're missing out. The Weston's spared no expense, they hired a caterer to handle the festivities and while the guests mingled and had drinks, the hard work began. While the men had been out fishing and the ladies had their tea, the caterers built a fire pit on the back lawn, near the beach. They began by laying out a large number of flat stones, then stacking wood on top of them. While the wood burned, fresh seaweed was collected, along with seawater. When the stones were glowing hot, the remaining wood embers were raked between them, to form an insulating bed. A layer of fresh seaweed was spread out, then the caterers piled on lobsters, mussels, potatoes, corn, sausage and carrots with more seaweed, in alternating layers. A canvas tarp, drenched in seawater, was placed over the top and the food was allowed to steam for a few hours. When dinner was ready, the guests took their seats at rectangular tables, where the seafood and side dishes were laid out. Krissy hadn't bothered Hunter much, she'd been busy mingling with the other bridesmaids, but now that it was time to sit down, she was back in action. Chandler sat on one side of Hunter and he was happy to see Jacob take the other side, that is until he got up to get a drink and Krissy took his seat. Hillary could see how uncomfortable Chandler was and mouthed an inaudible, "sorry," when no one was looking. Throughout the meal, Krissy was back to her old tricks. She laughed at every joke Hunter told, she made excuses to touch his arm but the last stray was when she placed her hand on his thigh. Chandler was about to say something, the only thing that stopped him was the uncomfortable expression on Hunter's face and the way the unwelcome hand was making him fidget. At least he wasn't enjoying it. Chandler kept his seat and seethed in anger, who the hell did this girl think she was? Hillary couldn't see what Krissy was doing but she had known Chandler long enough to read the look on his face. She knew her brother loved Chandler and that he probably didn't know how to handle Krissy's unwanted affections, no one had planned for Noah's sister to come on so strong. Short of making a scene, Hillary thought the best thing she could so was distract Chandler so he wouldn't have to watch. "Hey everyone," said Hillary, drawing the guests attention to her, "I know he probably hasn't said anything because he's so humble, but we have a real celebrity with us tonight. My uh, cousin, Chandler, is going to be starring in a production of the opera Turandot, in August." "Oh that's wonderful, I love the opera," said Mary. "Oh Hillary's just exaggerating, I'm not starring, I just have a small role as one of the soldier's," Chandler blushed. "Don't sell yourself short darling," said Janice, "he's quite wonderful." "And you're singing at the ceremony on Saturday?" asked Harold. "That's right," said Noah, "it's going to be great." "What are you going to sing?" asked Angela, the maid of honor. "Oh, well..." Chandler began. "It's a surprise," Hillary smiled, "we want everyone to be surprised when they hear it for the first time." "How about a preview?" said Mary. "Oh, no, no I couldn't," Chandler blushed, he wasn't used to performing on the fly. "Oh, please Chandler," Janice pleaded. "Yeah kiddo, that'd be great," said Bill. "I couldn't, I don't have my guitar or anything..." Chandler started. "I got you covered," said Hunter, who jumped up nervously and ran for the house before Chandler could object. What Chandler hadn't seen was Krissy's hand move up from Hunter's thigh and brush against his crotch, that's when he bolted from his seat and ran for the back door. Hunter opened the storage closet and quickly found the guitar he'd taken lessons on as a child. He'd given up after only three lessons and the instrument eventually moved from his family's home on Long Island, to their beach house in Newport. Hunter opened the case, found that the guitar was in the same condition as the last time he'd seen it, then ran back out to the party, least Chandler wiggle his way out of performing. It wasn't that he wanted to put Chandler on the spot, but he thought it might keep Krissy's hands at bay for at least a minute. "Here you go, it's all tuned and everything," said Hunter, thrusting the guitar into Chandler's hands, when he returned. "Well, ok, I guess I'm going to sing," Chandler relented, "uh, any requests?" "You pick something," Hillary smiled. Chandler thought for a moment, then made his decision. "Ok, well, this piece comes from Sicily, it's called Brucia La Terra, The Earth is Burning and well, this is for Hillary and Noah," said Chandler. "Brucia la luna n'cielu, e ju bruciu d'amuri, focu ca si consuma comu lu me cori, l'anima chianci addulurata, non si da paci, macchi mala nuttata," sang Chandler, in perfect Italian. "The Earth is burning, the moon is burning in the sky and I am burning with love. The fire is consumed like my heart, my soul cries painfully." "I'm not at peace, what a terrible night. The time passes, but there is no dawn, there is no sunshine, if she doesn't return." "My earth is burning, and my heart is burning. What she thirsts for water, I thirst for love. Who will I sing my song to if there is no one who shows herself on the balcony?" "The moon is burning, so is the sky and I am burning with love. The fire is consumed, like my heart." When Chandler finished, the guests sat quietly for a moment, in awe of his impromptu performance. Several of them, men and women alike, were dabbing their eyes. "Wow," said Harold, the first to break the silence, "bravo son, that was spectacular." "Thanks but really it was nothing," Chandler blushed. "Nothing, you're so modest," said Hillary, who rose to hug Chandler and kiss him on the cheek, "he's amazing, you're not going to believe how wonderful he's going to sing in the church." The guests gave Chandler a warm round of applause and as dinner broke up and they went back to mingling, he was surrounded by a group who was curious to learn about his childhood in Rome. Chandler was happy to indulge their questions, he was a modest and humble performer but that didn't mean he didn't like the attention, when he received it. He lost track of time and Hunter, when he finally spotted him, Chandler felt a growling deep inside of his soul. Krissy was introducing Hunter to some of the bridesmaids and holding his hand. Chandler didn't want to make a scene, in order to avoid it, he excused himself, claiming that his throat was dry, from the singing and all the talking, then went to the bar. He leaned against the garden retaining wall, sipped his water and festered, until the best man joined him. "You like that girl huh?" asked Caleb. "Huh, what?" said Chandler. "Krissy, you like her, don't you?" he repeated. "Oh, right, uh, yeah," Chandler agreed. He figured Caleb must have seen him starring and assumed it was Krissy he was interested in, not Hunter. Remembering he was supposed to be a straight guy this week, he quickly admitted to the accusation. "Well, that's a relief, I guess," said Caleb. "I'm not sure I follow you," said Chandler. "Well, you know, all that artsy stuff, the opera and all that, I thought you might be looking for a certain kind of bar, if you know what I mean," said Caleb. "I can assure you that I don't," said Chandler, haughtily. "Hey, I didn't mean to offend you, I'm just saying, guys that are into that stuff are usually playing for the pink team and then I say you starring at them," said Caleb, gesturing at Krissy and Hunter. "Oh, uh, he's my cousin," Chandler reminded him. "I know, I thought it was gross," Caleb laughed, "anyway, don't worry about it, you don't want to hook up with her anyway." "I don't?" asked Chandler. "Nah, you seem like a nice guy, I mean, she's my buddy's sister and all, but that girl's got a reputation back home, she gets around, know what I'm saying?" said Caleb. "Yeah, I gotcha," Chandler smiled. "So anyway, some of the guys are going to go play some ball down on the beach, are you in?" asked Caleb. "Yeah, screw it, why not?" said Chandler. "Right on man, let's go," said Caleb. While Chandler followed Caleb down to the beach, someone else recruited Hunter. When they gathered on the shore, there were enough guys for two teams of four. Initially, Hunter and Chandler ended up on the same team, but Chandler wasn't in the mood to be around Hunter, he was angry about the hand holding, and he traded sides with Toby. "Hey, what are you doing?" Hunter asked, before the game started. "Playing football, I'm just supposed to be one of the guys, right?" asked Chandler. "Yeah, but why don't you want to be on my team?" asked Hunter, a little hurt. "We're always on the same team, nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?" said Chandler. "No, I guess not," Hunter agreed. The game started and Chandler scored the first touchdown. When the center hiked the ball, Chandler ran for the opening and caught a long shot interception from Caleb; he charged past Jacob and Toby and dove for the end zone. Hunter's team took possession of the ball but Chandler had been watching his boyfriend play football for years and knew what he was going to do. Rather than throw a pass, Hunter kept the ball and was about to run down the makeshift field, when Chandler blindsided him, catching him around the waist and taking him to the ground. "Hey, that was a little rough, don't you think?" said Hunter, surprised by Chandler's aggression. "Pussy," Caleb teased, unaware of the dynamic playing out between hunter and Chandler. "Ok, if that's the way you guys wanna play," said Hunter. He didn't know what was the matter with Chandler, but it was starting to piss him off. On the next play, Chandler took the snap and made the pass, Hunter intercepted it and pushed his way through for a touchdown. Determined to regain the upper hand, Chandler waited for Jacob to throw to Hunter on the next play. Chandler launched himself at Hunter, wrapped his arms around his waist and held on, but he couldn't stop Hunter from making another touchdown. By this time, the guests who weren't playing; settled on the beach to watch the young men. Krissy cheered Hunter's every move and further fueled the jealous monster that hid behind Chandler's green eyes. On what would be the last play of the game, Chandler caught the pass again and as he charged down the field, Hunter grabbed him by his slender waist. "Gotcha," Hunter exclaimed. "Don't bet on it," Chandler grunted, as he threw an elbow at Hunter, accidently hitting him in the face. Chandler felt Hunter's grip slip and he scored the final touchdown. When he turned around to gloat, he saw Hunter lying on his back, holding his nose and groaning in pain. The rest of the players and some of the spectators, gathered around him to make sure he was ok. "Geez dude, it's just a friendly game," said Toby. "Chandler, you could have broken his nose," scolded Krissy, who had rushed over with some paper towels for Hunter's bleeding nose. "I, I'm sorry," said Chandler, "I didn't mean to." Chandler felt terrible, he'd let his anger get the better of him and he'd hurt the person he loved most in the world. He was embarrassed and ashamed of the way he'd behaved, when no one was looking, when all the eyes were on Hunter and his wounded nose, Chandler slipped away and went back to the house. He had tears in his eyes and he didn't want anyone to see. Chandler went up to the room he shared with Hunter, into the bathroom and washed his face. "Come on Chandler, get a grip," he told his reflection in the mirror, "you're getting all upset over a stupid girl, grow up." But that didn't make him feel any better. It was late so Chandler changed into his pajamas and went to bed, not long after that, Hunter came in. Chandler wanted to say he was sorry, but he wasn't ready to face Hunter. A sensitive young man, Chandler was still ashamed of what he'd done and his guilty conscience insisted on punishing him. Hunter went into the bathroom and cleaned up, when he came out, he stood over Chandler's bed. Chandler knew he was there, could sense his presence, but kept his eyes shut. Hunter reached down and brushed the hair off of Chandler's forehead, he stroked his cheek affectionately and then leaned down to kiss him goodnight. "I love you," Hunter whispered, before he climbed into bed. Chandler waited until Hunter's breathing slowed to a gentle rhythm, when he was sure his boyfriend was asleep, he released the tears that had been building up. "I'm sorry," Chandler whined. Chandler cried himself to sleep, feeling like an asshole for what he'd done and like a wimp for the way he was crying. He hadn't fought with Hunter since that day on the soccer field, back in prep school, and now he remembered why, it always made him feel awful.