The Best Man | Part 15: The Rehearsal Dinner (Patreon)

All characters depicted in this story are fictional and 18 years of age or older. Everything portrayed is safe, sane, and consensual.

The rehearsal dinner was the kind of thing my mum lived for. Crystal chandeliers, long tables draped in white linens, waiters in starched uniforms sliding wine glasses onto coasters like they were arranging jewels. The bride's family had clearly spared no expense, and judging by the way Nathan kept grinning at Olivia (Nathan's fiancée) whenever their eyes met, every bit of it was worth it.

I sat near the middle of the table, wedged between my cousin-Ben and Nathan's groomsmen Ralph, smiling politely while the room buzzed with small talk and the faint clink of silverware. My jacket felt stiff, the collar a little too tight, but the problem wasn’t the tailoring. It was Calvin.

Across the table, in a perfectly fitted navy suit that looked like it had been custom-made for him, Calvin leaned back in his chair with his wine glass balanced between his fingers, smirking at something Nathan had just said. The candlelight caught the sharp angle of his jaw, the faint curl of his hair at his forehead, the way his lips seemed to always linger on the edge of a grin. And when his eyes flicked up from his glass and landed on me, I nearly forgot how to breathe.

I forced myself to look down, cutting into the filet on my plate. The chatter around me went on, but all I could feel was Calvin’s gaze like a hand on the back of my neck.

Nathan’s fork clinked against his glass. “All right, everyone,” he said, standing. His voice carried easily over the room. “I know the wedding’s tomorrow, but I wanted to say something now, while I’ve got all of you captive with good wine and Olivia’s favorite food.”

The table chuckled, and Olivia squeezed his hand, eyes glowing.

I tried to focus on my brother, but Calvin stretched out his legs under the table, and for one second, I was sure his shoe brushed my ankle. My head snapped up, and there he was, still smirking, sipping his wine as if nothing had happened.

Nathan went on, talking about Olivia, about how he’d met her at a party and known within five minutes she’d be the one. My chest tightened. Ten years together, countless ups and downs, and tomorrow they’d make it official. Nathan’s words were sweet and a little corny, but he meant every one of them, and I couldn’t help feeling proud.

When the room applauded, Olivia’s eyes were shiny, and Nathan looked like he’d just scored the game-winning touchdown. He sat back down, kissed her cheek and the toast moved to me.

“Mason?” my dad said, tilting his glass toward me. “Care to embarrass your brother a little?”

I stood, the blood rushing hot to my cheeks. Public speaking wasn’t my thing, but Nathan had been waiting his whole life for this. I owed him.

I stood, glass in hand, and cleared my throat. “Alright… I’ll keep this short, because Nathan hates when I talk too much.”

Laughter broke out around the table, and Nathan shook his head with that grin of his, already embarrassed.

“I’ve known Nathan my whole life....unfortunately,” I added, which got another round of laughter. “Growing up with him meant living with a golden retriever in human form. Loyal, loud, excitable… and always somehow knocking things over in his rush to be helpful.”

The table laughed again. Olivia tilted her head, smiling at him, and Nathan shrugged like he knew it was true.

“But here’s the thing,” I continued, letting my voice soften. “Nathan and I have always been close… just not in the way most people might imagine. We weren’t the bros who texted every day or shared every little detail of our lives. We had our own differences, our own worlds. But the bond was always there. Always.”

Nathan’s eyes flicked to mine across the table. He smiled...small, knowing. And in that second, I felt it. The weight of all the years between us, and the memory of one night I’ll never forget.

I swallowed, blinked, and pushed forward. “He’s been there for me in ways most people will never know. Especially during the harder times. And that’s why he’ll always hold a special place in my heart.”

The table had gone quiet, listening. Nathan’s smile hadn’t left his face, but now his eyes were a little glassy.

“And Olivia…” I shifted, looking at her now. “Thank you. For loving him, for grounding him, for seeing him the way I always hoped someone would. You balance out all that golden retriever energy with patience and grace. Honestly, you make him better.”

From the back of the room, Ralph shouted, “You’re gonna make him cry!” and the tension broke into warm laughter. Nathan wiped at his face quickly, shaking his head.

I raised my glass, smiling. “So here’s to Nathan and Olivia; may your life together be messy, loud, full of love, and never short on wagging tails.”

Everyone clinked glasses. Nathan pulled Olivia into his side, still grinning through the tears. I sat down, my heart pounding a little too fast...especially when I caught Calvin watching me with that unreadable look.

Glasses clinked, applause filled the room, and I sat back down, my pulse racing. I could feel Calvin’s eyes on me again, heavier this time. When I finally risked a glance across the table, he was leaning forward, chin resting on his hand, watching me like he was seeing straight through the suit, the smile, the speech...down to every nerve lit up inside me.

The rest of dinner blurred. Waiters cleared plates, wine was refilled, stories were told. Nathan’s friends from college went on about their wild road trip, Olivia’s maid of honor shared a story about her sneaking out of her dorm. I laughed in all the right places, nodded politely, but all I really felt was the heat building across the table.

Every time I glanced up, Calvin was already looking. Sometimes he licked his lips, slow and deliberate, like he wanted me to notice. Sometimes he tilted his head, like he was daring me. And sometimes, like when Olivia leaned over to whisper something to Nathan...his hand slid along the stem of his glass in a way that made my throat dry.

By dessert, my nerves were frayed. I excused myself, muttering something about needing the bathroom, and pushed back my chair.

As I slipped through the crowd, I caught it: the scrape of Calvin’s chair against the floor, a beat after mine.

I didn’t turn around.

The hallway outside the ballroom was quieter, lined with mirrors and gold-trimmed sconces. My shoes clicked softly against the marble floor. I passed the men's bathroom door, then stopped at the second, my pulse hammering.The men’s bathroom was empty when I stepped inside, the hush swallowing me whole. The heavy door swung shut behind me with a dull thud.

I crossed to the sink, bracing my hands against the cool marble, watching my reflection ripple under the bright lights. My chest rose and fell too fast. I let out a shaky breath, trying to come down from the speech, from the stares, from him.

The door creaked again.

Footsteps.

I glanced at the mirror, and my stomach dropped.

Calvin.

He slipped in like he owned the place, jacket gone, tie loose at his throat, his grin sharp and hungry.

“Well,” he said, voice low and amused, “that was some speech, Masey boy.”

The sound of it in the tiled room made my skin prickle.

I turned halfway toward him, pulse hammering. “You followed me.”

“Damn right I did.” He tugged at his cuffs, rolling his sleeves slow, casual, like he had all the time in the world. “Couldn’t take my eyes off you all night.”

A shaky laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

His eyes caught mine, darker now, as he pushed off the door and started toward me.

And in that instant, I knew...this night was far from over.The Best Man | Part 16: Bathroom Heat