Before The Vows 🤍 | Part 1: The Weekend Begins (Patreon)

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

It started with a text I almost ignored.

Ben Carter. The name lit up my screen one afternoon while I was halfway through a meeting, and for a moment I didn’t believe it was him. The message was polite, almost formal. “Tom tells me you two ended on good terms. I was hoping you’d join us for our bachelor weekend.”

I read it twice. Then again. It wasn’t flirty or emotional, just friendly enough to sound harmless.  The kind of message you send to someone you’ve met once or twice at a party. I remembered him from photos mostly. Tom had sent me one months ago. The caption said ‘He proposed’

I hadn’t spoken to Tom Reid in over a month. The breakup a few years ago had been quiet, clean, but the kind that left an ache that didn’t fade. Seeing his name again, even through someone else, made my stomach twist.I had typed out a polite congratulations back then and stared at it for a while before pressing send. Now here was Ben, inviting me to a weekend that felt like a social experiment in emotional masochism.I told myself not to overthink it. Maybe it really was just an innocent invitation. Tom and I hadn’t ended badly. There was no betrayal, no screaming. Just time. The slow decay that turns something bright into something heavy.

I poured another glass of wine and stared at the message again.

Maybe I wanted closure. Maybe I wanted to see if I could stand in front of Tom and feel nothing. Or maybe I was just lonely.

I replied before I could change my mind.

“Sure Ben. If you’re sure it’s not weird.”

Ben texted back almost immediately. “Not weird at all, Oliver. We’d both love to have you there. It’s just a small thing. Private. Should be a lot of fun :)”

Private. The word lingered.

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The drive up was long enough to think, which was never a good thing. By the time I reached the Airbnb, I had imagined at least five different ways the weekend could go wrong.

The place was stunning; a sleek, modern home set back from the road, all glass and pale wood, overlooking a ridge that caught the last light of evening. The open layout and soft lighting made everything look like a film still, deliberate and curated, as if Ben already knew how every moment of the weekend should look. Beyond the glass walls, the hills stretched out in a quiet glow, and an outdoor hot tub bubbled near the deck, sending small ripples of steam into the cooling air.

When Ben opened the door, he looked exactly like his pictures. Effortlessly handsome, the kind of man who could make anyone feel seen. He smiled wide and pulled me into a hug like we were old friends. His cologne was subtle but deliberate.

“Oliver, finally,” he said, laughing. “We were starting to think you’d bailed.”

Inside, the place was alive with low music and conversation. A few of Ben’s friends stood around the kitchen island, drinks in hand. I smiled, nodded, exchanged the usual hellos, but my attention had already shifted.

Tom was standing by the window, half-turned, drink in hand. When he saw me, his expression froze for a heartbeat before he managed a smile. The same one I used to fall apart for.

He looked good. Softer maybe, but good.

“Oh..Hey,” he said, walking over, voice lower than I remembered.

“Hey yourself.”

The hug lasted longer than it should have. Just enough for me to feel the tension behind it. The kind of hug that says I remember everything without meaning to. His hand pressed against my back, firm, familiar.

“You look good,” he said, glancing over at my body.

“So do you,” I lied, because he didn’t just look good. He looked happy. Or maybe he wanted to look happy.

Ben watched us from the kitchen, leaning against the counter, eyes flicking between us with a calm I couldn’t quite read.

Dinner was easy at first. Ben was the perfect host…funny, attentive, filling every silence before it could grow awkward. He kept the wine flowing, the music soft. Every so often, he’d make a small comment that landed just a little too close to the edge.Every so often, though, I’d catch his eyes lingering where they shouldn’t…on Tom, on me, on the space between us. It wasn’t overt. Just enough to feel like observation.

When he refilled my glass, he said, “Tom used to talk about you a lot. Said you got him into running.”

I shrugged. “That was years ago.”

“He said you could never sit still.”

“Still true.”

Ben’s smile widened, playful but sharp. “Some habits don’t change, huh?”

Tom coughed softly from across the table, avoiding my eyes. Ben only chuckled, lifting his glass. “To good company.”Later, when the music softened and the dinner ended, Tom and I ended up alone for a few minutes by the balcony. The air was cooler out there, the city lights spread beneath us like a reflection of stars.

“So,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “this is weird, right?”

“A little,” I admitted. “You look good, though. Happier.”

He smiled faintly. “Thanks. You too.”

There was a pause that didn’t need to be there, a silence heavy with everything we weren’t saying. I wanted to ask if he was really happy. I wanted to know if Ben knew how he used to look at me when we were alone.

Instead, I said, “He seems nice.”

“He is.” Tom’s voice softened, defensive, maybe even protective. “He’s… different.”

“That’s good,” I said.

Ben called from inside, “You two better not be talking about me.” His voice was teasing, light, but it carried a strange weight beneath the laughter.

Tom looked at me. “He just wants us to get along.”

“Sure,” I said. “Seems like it.”Tom laughed and turned , Ben stepped out onto the balcony, drink in hand. The cool night air swirled around him as he leaned against the railing between us, looking from one to the other with a grin that seemed effortless.

“I leave you alone for two minutes and already you’re plotting,” he said.

“Just catching up,” Tom replied, a little too fast.

Ben’s gaze moved to me. “I’m glad you came, Oliver. Tom wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”

I gave a small shrug. “Neither was I.”

He laughed, low and genuine, the sound carrying easily in the quiet. Then, casually, he reached out and brushed his hand over my biceps. “You’ve been hitting the gym a lot, huh?” His fingers pressed lightly at my bicep before dropping away. “Is Tom asking for some tips?”

Tom let out an awkward laugh, looking down at his drink. “Yeah, sure. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”

Ben chuckled, eyes still on me. “I’d believe it. You look solid Oliver.”

It was said playfully, but there was something deliberate in the way his eyes lingered… like he wanted to see how far he could push before I called him on it.

Tom glanced at him, then at me, his smile tight. “We should probably get back in babe.”

“Right,” Ben said. He took a slow sip of his drink before turning toward the door. “You coming, Oliver?”

“In a minute.”

Ben nodded and stepped back inside, his hand brushing against Tom’s back as they went.

I stayed on the balcony after that, finishing the last of my drink. The night had cooled, the sky deepened to a quiet shade of navy, and the sounds from inside were soft… laughter, music, the clinking of glasses. Through the glass wall, I could see them. Ben was talking animatedly, one hand moving as he spoke, the other resting on Tom’s shoulder. His thumb brushed lightly against the fabric there, a touch that looked too familiar to be accidental. Tom laughed at something he said, the sound genuine, warm.

I turned toward the window again. The reflection caught them both perfectly… Tom smiling, Ben leaning close. And then, just as I was about to look away, Ben’s head turned slightly.

Our eyes met through the glass.

He didn’t look away.

He smiled.

Like he’d been waiting for me to notice.

I blinked, unsure if I had imagined it, but the look lingered a second too long to be accidental. Then Ben turned away, laughing at something one of the guests said, hand still resting on Tom’s shoulder. The ease between them was striking. No tension. No insecurity. If he’d noticed the way Tom’s attention drifted toward me, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it almost looked like he liked it.

I stayed outside until the last of the music quieted and the air turned cold enough to sting. The wine was gone, the lights from the living room dimmed, and I could still see the faint outline of them through the glass…Tom sitting on the couch, Ben cuddled up against him, saying something that made him laugh again. It was domestic, comfortable. And yet, beneath that comfort, something about Ben’s stillness bothered me. It was too calm. Like a man who already knew what was going to happen next.

When I finally went back to my room, the silence felt heavier than before. I set the empty glass down and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the half-packed bag I hadn’t bothered to unpack. My phone buzzed once…group text, probably about breakfast plans but I didn’t open it. I just sat there replaying every look, every gesture.

Why would Ben invite his fiancé’s ex to his bachelor weekend? Out of kindness? Curiosity? Or something else?

He hadn’t acted jealous once. If anything, it was the opposite. The teasing, the casual touch on my bicep, the way his eyes lingered when he thought I wasn’t paying attention…it was all deliberate. Like he wanted me there. Like he wanted to see what would happen.

And that smile on the balcony…

It wasn’t the smile of someone being polite. It was a quiet challenge. A dare.

I lay back, staring at the ceiling, trying to shake the unease that had settled in. But even as I closed my eyes, one thought refused to leave me.

Ben wasn’t just being friendly.

He was planning something.

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Before The Vows 🤍 | Part 2: Private Games (PT🍑 Exclusive)Future parts of this story will stay exclusive to Personal Trainers 🍑 as part of this month's exclusive story.All parts will be released in December.This might be my favourite PT Exclusive story yet ;) It’s especially fun once you realise why Ben invited Oliver. I’ll be dropping a few hints in the story.. DM me if you think you’ve figured it out. And please, don’t spoil the reason in the comments. Let everyone enjoy the reveal when it comes ;)