“You’re my triplet. You’re a part of my soul, and I’m done missing you. Whatever it is, we can overcome it together.”
Kent’s Adam’s apple bobs in his throat.
“Can you not even look at me now, Kent?” Keaton asks, and his pain is clear to see.
Kent lifts his head, staring at his brother, and I can tell it hurts him to do it. “If this was just about missing you, we’d have been speaking ages ago,” Kent admits, and I rub soothing circles on the back of his wrist, urging him to continue.
Austen’s gaze flicks to mine, and we exchange a silent communication. I can tell this is as hard for him as it is for me.
Neither of us understands it, but we don’t have to understand it to support our partners.
I have only met Keaton and Austen one time, but the love they share is unbreakable and undeniable. There is no doubt in my mind Austen would move mountains to make Keaton happy like I would do for Kent. Austen subtly nods at me, and I return it, both of us confirming we will do whatever we can to help make this right—even if we haven’t spoken the words out loud and even if we don’t fully understand it.
Keaton leans his elbows on the table, straining toward his brother. “What is it about?”
Kent shakes and his eyes narrow as he struggles to hold on to his control. Snaking my arms around his trembling body, I hold him close, whispering assurances in his ear.
Tears pool in Keaton’s eyes. “Did something happen to you, Kent?”
Kent goes rigidly still, and you could hear a pin drop in the room.
“Because it’s the only thing that seems plausible,” Keaton continues. A tear rolls down his face, and Austen circles his arm around Keaton’s shoulders, moving in closer to his side. “I have thought about this over and over, and I don’t believe you’re homophobic. I can’t accept you hate me because I’m gay. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Kent shucks out of my arms, climbing to his feet. “Don’t.” He shakes his head repeatedly, jabbing his finger in the air, waving it in his brother’s direction “Don’t conjure up stuff to explain this.” He starts pacing the room, and I can almost see the demons sitting on his shoulders, clinging to his back, whispering ugly truths in his ear, imploring him to lash out. I won’t let them take Kent from me or make things worse with his brother.
So, I get up, cross to my boyfriend, and pull him into my arms. Over his shoulder, I gently plead with Keaton to drop this. Whatever it is, Kent is not ready to discuss it.Who knows if he ever will be?
“It’s okay.” Keaton stands, coming over to us. “I didn’t come here to upset you.”
“Why did you come here?” Kent asks, lifting his head from my shoulder. He repositions us, moving me so I am pressed against his side but still a little in front of him, slightly blocking his body. His arms go around me, and I hold on to him, making sure he knows I am here and he can lean on me.
“To ask you to be my best man at the wedding.”
Silence descends on the room. Kent stares at his brother in shock. Austen comes up alongside Keaton, linking his fingers through his. “Why would you wantme to be your best man?” Kent splutters.
“Because you’re my triplet! Because you’ve been there for me through every other major event in my life and I need you to stand at my side while I marry the man of my dreams! I only want you and Keanu. The others understand. And Austen is just having his brother, Orwell, and his friend Colton as his best men.” The words burst from his lips in a nervous rush.
Poor Keaton.
He’s terrified Kent will turn him down.
To be honest, so am I.
Kent can barely look his brother in the eye, and though we don’t understand the reasons, he’s not accepting of Keaton marrying Austen. My heart breaks for them. I understand why Keaton wants Kent to be there, even if he doesn’t support the marriage, but it isn’t right. Or maybe Keaton knows, deep down, that Kent does support him, that it’s not personal, and Keaton is selfless enough to look beyond the exterior hate, because he just wants his brother at his side.
“Keats,” Kent croaks, and pain twists in my gut when tears run freely down his face. “I want to be there for you, I do, but I…I don’t know that I can.”
Keaton steps closer, cautiously placing his hand on Kent’s shoulder. “I won’t force you to do it. You don’t even need to give me an answer today, but please say you’ll think about it. I don’t want to look back on my wedding and feel sad because my brother wasn’t by my side. I don’t wantyouto look back and regret that you didn’t do it.” Keaton’s shoulders slump. “Just think about it. Please.”
Austen steps up behind Keaton, placing his hand on his hip, holding him close. Emotion-filled energy swirls around us as Kent grips me tighter. More tears fall from his eyes when he says, “I don’t know how you can want me there. Not after how I’ve treated you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he says, when we all know it does. Keaton has the biggest heart, and I have a sudden urge to hug him because he’s cut his heart open and he’s laying it at Kent’s feet. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to have his brother by his side when he marries the love of his life, even accept his hidden truths if it means he gets his brother back.
“It does, brother,” Kent says, staring his brother in the face. For the first time, he doesn’t look away, eyeballing Keaton with less obvious conflict. I know the turmoil is still there, coiling under the surface, because there is no way you can overcome this kind of conflict without more soul baring, but as I look at my boyfriend, I know he’s trying. “I’m sorry, Keats. I know I’ve been unfair to you and Austen. And I know you don’t understand.” He’s trembling again, and Keaton can feel it because he still has his hand on Kent’s shoulder. “But I will try. For you.”
Hope blooms on Keaton’s face. “What exactly are you saying, Kent?”
The trembling subsides, and Kent holds himself steady, still clinging to me, but reasserting some confidence. “I will be your best man. If that’s what you want, you have it.”
