If the Stars Fall

by Diane Adams

  Jared exchanged a puzzled glance with Alex. "Is everything okay?" He felt compelled to ask although it seemed obvious the young woman might be a little unhinged.

  "Foretta!" Carol sounded horrified. "What a way to great our customers!"

  Foretta's blush darkened and she had the presence of mind to look apologetic, but it seemed beyond her ability to tear her eyes away from Jared or Alex. "Mom, it's them. The proposal guys I showed you on YouTube. I can't believe we get to do their wedding."

  Jared stopped feeling perplexed as realization sank in. She'd seen their engagement video. Although a simple video didn't explain why she couldn't stop staring at them as if one of them were Brad Pitt, or that Edward guy, or whoever girls got their panties in a twist for these days. Alex seemed as unsettled as he still felt if the tight grip he had on his hand was any indication.

  "If you’re talking about that video some college kid did of us, it’s not important." Jared couldn't help giving Alex a look that said 'I told you so'. Alex should have let him take the thing down. “I’m surprised you’ve seen it.”

  Astonishment showed in Foretta's eyes and she clasped her hands together in delight. "Oh my, you don't know! Wait here, I'll get my laptop." She hurried towards a door Jared supposed led to the bakery.

  "Foretta, that's not why…" Carol made a last attempt to rein in her daughter but Foretta just fluttered a hand over her shoulder in her direction.

  "It'll just take a minute, Mom."

  Carol sighed as the door closed behind her daughter. "I'm sorry." She turned to Alex and Jared. "She's very romantic and the video of your proposal captured her imagination. I'm sure she'll be right back. Can I get you something to drink?"

  Jared considered asking for a shot of whiskey to brace him but seconded Alex's request for a Coke.

  Mother and daughter returned at the same time through different doors. Foretta carried an open laptop, while her mother held two plastic bottles wrapped in familiar red and white labels. Jared and Alex accepted the sodas as Foretta set the laptop on the table in front of them.

  "Look," she said.

  She had already brought the video up and Jared watched the familiar scene unfold on the screen. He shrugged. "I don't see…"

  "Jared?" Alex pulled his hand out of Jared's to brace himself on the table's edge leaning closer to the computer. "Oh, my God."

  The background music sounded tinny pouring from the laptop speakers. He stepped closer, his hand coming to rest on the small of Alex's back.

  "Alex?"

  "Jared, look."

  "I am looking. You're hot all rumpled."

  Giving an exasperated snort Alex elbowed him to behave and then pointed, his finger pressed against the screen under a number. "Not at the video, look at the number of views."

  Jared's gaze dropped to the number underscored by Alex's finger and his mouth went dry. If every single person they knew watched the video all day and night for the last two weeks the number wouldn't be right.

  1,790,361

  "What the hell…"

  "Viral, Jared, the video of your proposal went viral." He began scrolling through the comments. What he read made him chuckle. "'You are either sickest, most depraved bastard ever born or the most romantic man to walk the earth, gay or straight.'"

  Jared stared at the screen in disbelief, watching as he slid the ring onto Alex's finger.

  "I can't believe you didn't know. I bet Ellen calls you guys to be on her show, she loves stuff like this," Foretta gushed, she couldn't seem to help it. "It's amazing we get to help with your wedding."

  "Well, we didn't know, but this doesn't change anything." Jared felt uncertain and he looked towards Alex.

  "Being internet famous really doesn't change things, but it's kind of awesome that the whole world knows what a lucky guy I am," Alex assured Foretta, but his eyes locked with Jared’s. He couldn't restrain himself from invading Alex's space. Unable to untangle the knot of emotions enough to express what he felt, he leaned in for a kiss.

  They jerked apart when Foretta sighed, and they tore their attention from one another to find her sitting in a chair watching them, misty-eyed. "I hope someone loves me like that one day."

  Realizing how blatantly they'd put their affection on display in front of virtual strangers, Jared's cheeks heated. But found himself almost pulled into yet another unprecedented public display of his affection, when Alex gave her an understanding look from where he stood with Jared's arm around his waist. "I hope it happens for you too, because quite honestly? It's amazing."

  The rest of the afternoon passed in a kind of blur for Jared. He and Alex closed the computer and relaxed in a couple chairs, drinking their sodas and getting to know the women who were willing to do so much work on such short notice. Once Foretta got over being star struck, Jared found them to be pleasant and quite knowledgeable in their respective fields of expertise.

  He thought Alex might by ready to burst with excited curiosity by the time they pulled back the curtain to reveal arrangements of flowers in blue and green, spring green table cloths and sky-blue napkins, dark green ivy and dark brown baskets to hold the arrangements. Baskets in all sizes from big enough to hold floor displays to small enough for centerpieces.

  "This is all incredible, especially the flowers. What are they?" He fingered soft blue petals with a gentle touch. Most of the plants were real. Only the table arrangements had been made with silk flowers.

  "Hydrangeas," Carol told him, looking pleased with his reaction. "I'm glad you approve."

  "I think it's amazing that you could use the same flower for both of the colors Alex picked. I didn't even know there were green flowers." Jared laughed. They had kept their yard well landscaped but never ventured beyond well known, tried and true flowers like impatiens and petunias. Alex was fond of pansies in the fall. "I'd like to plant some at the house."

  Carol caressed a leaf. "That's not a problem. All the decorative plants on the platform and near the house will be potted live plants in baskets. You'll have more than enough to landscape with after the wedding. You should keep them indoors until the threat of frost is well past, though, before you transplant them."

  "Jared, the cake." Alex pulled Jared's hand to get his attention. He turned away from examining the floral decorations to look more closely at the wedding cake. He saw instantly why Alex was so excited.

  The cake was a work of art. White, three-tiered, and decorated with painstakingly handcrafted blue hydrangeas. It was incredible in its elegant simplicity.

  "Jared, it's exactly what I imagined." Alex leaned into his shoulder. “It’s perfect.”

  "You're right, it is." Shaking his head in wonder, he turned his smile on Foretta. "How in the world did you make a cake that is so perfectly 'us' and you didn't' know us from Adam?"

  Foretta’s cheeks colored. "I've never made a cake for two men before, but I kept thinking about that video and how beautiful it is. Elegance, passion, dignity and so much love." She shrugged a little, looking truly embarrassed. "I imagined what sort of cake I’d create for them if I had the chance."

  Jared and Alex burst out laughing. "No wonder you were so shocked to see us." Jared grinned at her.

  Foretta's face turned an even brighter red, but she squared her shoulders proudly. "It was easy to make a cake for the men in that video, everything between them was so real. I've had to make cakes for people I knew better, but didn't understand. That's a lot harder."

  Alex pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight before letting her go.

  "Thank you so much." Alex told the beaming young baker. "It's exactly right. Jared hates fussy details. I thought for sure we'd have to fix the cake, but this is amazing."

  Foretta glowed under his complements.

  Accompanying Alex as he went from item to item on the long table, face lit with happiness and expectation, discussing plans with Carol and Foretta in exacting detail, filled Jared with a sense of peace he hadn't known in months. He’d had a brief moment of
regret that he had let the proposal video remain online, but seeing Alex so filled with life and plans for the future was worth any price, even knowing millions of people were watching.

  * * * *

  Foretta's phone rang shortly after Jared and Alex had made their final decisions and departed. Still lost in thoughts of how the video she loved didn't come close to revealing the depth of affection between the two men, Foretta startled at the sound. She laughed and hurried over to the kitchen phone hanging safely on the wall, where they could always find it and it mostly avoided being coated in flour.

  "Thank you for calling Foretta Bakes. This is Foretta, how can I help you?"

  "Hi, Foretta. This is Jared. I need to add something to our order." His tone was hushed and hurried. Foretta guessed whatever he had in mind was a secret and her heart leapt. She barely restrained a squeal of delight at the thought of helping plan a surprise for Alex.

  "Of course, Jared." She grabbed her scratch paper and a pen from their cubby hole. "What would you like?"

  "It's going to seem odd."

  "Not a problem, what is it?"

  "You probably don't know it but March fourteenth is Pi Day."

  "Pie day? What kind of pie?" Foretta chewed the end of her pencil. Pies were good but hardly high demand for weddings.

  "Not eating kind, the math kind. Three point one-four."

  "Oh, okay…" Foretta felt dismally lost. She couldn't imagine what Pi had to do with Alex's and Jared's wedding.

  "Why it matters is a long story and I don't have time to tell you, but pull this off and I promise to tell you every romantic detail… well, almost every detail."

  "Deal." Foretta perked up. She'd promise the moon if it meant getting romantic details about their past from Jared himself.

  "What's the biggest pie you can make?"

  "Well, usually nine inches. How big do you need it?"

  "Big enough to be the bottom layer of the wedding cake."

  A creative spark lit in Foretta at the challenge and she chewed the inside of her cheek. She could set the cake on a layer tier over the pie easy enough. And cut hydrangea petals and leaves out of pie crust to decorate it. None of the pie pans were big enough but she could use the cake tier pan a size larger than the bottom of the cake.

  "Foretta?"

  She gave a little laugh, realizing she'd gone into design mode, etching pictures on her paper, lost in thought with Jared still on the line. "I'm sorry, I was thinking. You're right, it's weird. What kind of pie?"

  "Cherry. And you have to chop up the filling."

  Foretta pulled away to look at the receiver as if it could untangle the riddle of the chopped-up cherry pie for her. "Okay, any particular reason?"

  "A very important one, but that's part of the story." He paused. "If you have any questions about this make sure you call me and not Alex. It's a surprise."

  "I got that." She chuckled. "You can count on me. Can you at least give me a hint what this is about?"

  "Pi Day this year is our sixteenth anniversary."

  "Sixteen! Oh, my God, that's a long time." Foretta tried to guess how old they were, thirties at the most. So they'd been… fifteen… sixteen… they'd been together their whole lives. "That's the—"

  "Most romantic thing you've ever heard." He laughed, finishing her statement. "It's not all that much, when you consider he promised me infinity."

  "Infinity?" Foretta breathed hoping for more.

  "Nope, no more story until I get my pie," Jared reminded her. "I know it's more work for you, but it means a lot and you can just adjust the bill accordingly. Thank you, Foretta."

  With a quiet sound the call disconnected in her ear, but Foretta sat starry-eyed and lost in thought until the receiver started beeping unpleasantly. She hung up, trying to overcome the disbelief that she had the chance to be a part of the wedding between two people who adored one another beyond reason. Wait until she told her sister. Foretta's eyes widened and she grabbed the phone.

  "Mom! You have to call Vlad. They are going to need a caterer. It has to be Terri. We can't do this without her!"

  "Foretta, oh my goodness, calm down, child. I'll call Vlad and remind him. He's used her before but her business is new enough he might forget. I think you are a little too worked up over this. Foretta, you need to find your professional hat and put it on before the wedding."

  Foretta rolled her eyes at her mother's teasing tone. "Mother, you know I'm always professional."

  "That's been true, dear, but you've never had a crush on the grooms before."

  "I better go, I have lots of work to do," Foretta replied in her most professional voice, relieved her mother couldn't see her blush. "Tell Terri to call me."

  "I'll tell her to call you as soon as she's heard from Vlad. I'll see you at home."

  "See you. Bye, Mom."

  Foretta pulled out several sheets of the crisp white paper she used for design and went to work. She did her best not to daydream but found it difficult to keep her mind from drifting back over the afternoon. She recalled how Jared had been unable to keep his eyes off Alex, and the way they touched one another, a hand to the small of the back, fingers on the back of a hand, or shoulders brushing, seeming unable to keep any distance between them.

  And they'd been together sixteen years.

  Imagine.

  For the Lucky and the Strong

  Alex came out of the bathroom still damp from his shower, wearing nothing but the towel wrapped loosely around his waist. It caught on the new lean cut of his hip bones, threatening to spill the rest of the way to the ground. He rubbed his hair with a second towel, watching Jared as he sat on the edge of the bed studying their wedding invitation. Something in his eyes gave Alex pause. He thought he read trepidation lurking in the blue depths. He thought at times over the last month Jared had seemed just a bit off, as if something he kept locked away weighed on his heart.

  At least I know what it is. He tossed the towel aside and headed across the room to sit beside Jared, mentally girding himself for the battle ahead. Alex rarely confronted him about his feelings, having learned over the years he got around to things in his own good time. Waiting could be frustrating and annoying, but pushing Jared to give up some inner part of himself before he was ready usually had the opposite effect.

  "Something about getting married bothers you. Tell me what it is." He kept his voice gentle. He didn't want to start a fight, but with only one day remaining between them and the wedding, they didn't have time for Jared to work things through. He'd had all the time he could have. Alex settled onto the bed next to him, their shoulders touching.

  Jared set the invitation aside, laying it carefully on the bedside table next to a picture of them, one Annie had taken at the cookout the day after Jared had proposed. It still surprised Alex to see the beard on his own chin. He touched the soft hair on his jaw. He wondered how Jared felt about it. He'd never said one way or the other. With a slight shudder, Alex recalled the eager lick of his tongue on smooth bare skin and guessed he knew the answer without being told.

  In the picture, he laughed up at Jared, clearly enjoying the weight of Jared's arm around his shoulders and Jared beamed, his expression filled with the delight of being with him. A combination of affection and raw need threatened to steal Alex's breath.

  Jared's fingers closed around his, calluses from hard work rough against the new skin grafted to the back of his hand.

  "Annie has a bit of talent taking pictures."

  Alex looked up and noticed Jared had followed his line of sight to the picture. "She does, but talking about it isn't going to get me to change the subject. We're getting married in two days. Jared, if you're having second thoughts, I need to know." Alex turned his hand under Jared's to link their fingers, palms touching. He looked at their hands lying on his thigh, so different and yet fitting together so well.

  He wondered what would happen if Jared had changed his mind. Few people saw marriage as a natural progression in a gay relation
ship. Breaking up and moving on to the next guy would be viewed by most everyone as more natural than the way he and Jared cleaved together. Alex closed his eyes and tried to imagine what life would be like if he didn't have Jared, if the familiar shape and scent of him faded from his life. He tried to get some sense of how it would feel if all the places inside him currently filled up with Jared were suddenly empty.

  Pain that could only be a shadow of what such a reality would be like sliced through him and he sucked in a breath. The answer, for him, had suddenly become crystal clear. If Jared had reservations, they wouldn't have the ceremony. Everything faded into nothing compared to Jared. They'd get up the next day and call everyone who needed to be called, cancel everything, pay everyone and go back to their living their lives as if the most romantic proposal in the world had never happened.

  "I want to marry you." Jared's voice sounded as firm as his grip felt. "There's nothing to worry about, I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't."

  Alex rubbed the back of Jared's hand with his thumb, the slight dusting of hair pleasant under his touch. He loved touching him.

  "That's not what I asked. I know you want to marry me, but something's eating at you about this whole thing. I know a lot of the reasons you were reluctant to do this in the past, but since it's legal getting married is important." He hesitated, wrestling with his discomfort of digging into things Jared didn't want to talk about. "But you know all those things. Whatever is going on is different, something more personal. It's not safe to ignore it."

  Leaning to press a kiss on his bare shoulder, Jared rested his head against Alex's. "Not safe?" He sounded more amused than irritated.

  Encouraged, he took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "Not safe for our relationship. I won't lose you over this. If we aren't both a hundred percent onboard we need to cancel the thing and move on."

  Jared gripped his hand hard. "If I told you, right now, tonight, I don't want to do this, you'd stay with me?" He sounded incredulous and it made Alex laugh.