Page 67 of Septembers

Theo shot him a cocky grin. “Everything looks good on me.”

“That’s true.” Quiet. Shy. Pink cheeks. It was like their first year of university all over again. They were always fine on calls, and they texted nearly constantly, so why was Dae nervous? Why was Theo nervous? It was Dae. His Dae. Here in front of him. Solid and three dimensional.

“Meanwhile, your hair is the exact same.” Theo reached up to ruffle it and nearly moaned, it was so thick and soft. “Are you ever going to change it?”

Dae gently swatted him away. “You gave me this haircut.”

“Four years ago!”

He ran a hand through it, leaving it adorably haphazard. “Why fix what isn’t broken?”

Theo needed to touch it again, and he had the perfect excuse with the locks sticking up, but Caleb called out to corral them for dinner and their private little bubble burst.

Theo’s only reference for an extended family dinner was Chuseok, so he’d been imagining the same boisterous chaos, but instead, it was polite and softly friendly. Avery’s family seemed reserved but nice, while Caleb’s family was smiley and chatty, asking questions and actually listening to the answers as they all stiffly ate their tiny portions of weirdly spiced meat.

Apparently bridal parties didn’t normally give speeches at these things, which Theo learned after agreeing to give one, but since Jason was the best man, Dae and Theo were asked to give toasts instead. Dae opted out, of course, but Theo never passed up an opportunity to be gazed upon.

“When Caleb asked me to give a toast, I said, Sure, but you can’t regret it if I say something embarrassing, and Caleb said, If you embarrass me, I’ll never forgive you.” He paused for dramatic effect. “The beautiful thing about Caleb is that not one person in this room believed that for a second.” Smiles and loving nods with a few glances at Caleb. “He’s the most positive, kind, joyous person I’ve ever met. If anyone else had told me they were getting married at twenty-three, I would’ve said it was downright bananas to get married so young. But with these two, I’m shocked it took this long.” A soft, fond chuckle rippled around the table. “They were right from the first day, and everyone who ever encountered them knew it. They make each other better, and they’re the dictionary definition of adorable. I might be jealous if I wasn’t so disgusted.” He raised his glass and everyone followed suit. “To Avery and Caleb, may you disgust us for the rest of your lives.”

A polite chuckle from the group, a huge grin from Caleb, an honest-to-goodness teary nod from Avery, and an approving, almost adoring smile from Dae. Not a bad result.

Avery’s grandmother, the only person in the room who seemed like she actually belonged in a place so fancy, set her sights on Dae and waved to get his attention. “You’re the one living in Asia?”

He nodded with a slight bow. “Yes, ma’am, in Korea.”

“And you speak several languages, my Caleb informs me.”

Everyone else kept talking around them, but Theo was enthralled with how Dae didn’t shrink from this woman’s attention.

“That’s right,” he said with a modest nod. “Three. Working on a fourth.”

“That’s very impressive.” The words weren’t complimentary, just fact, which seemed to make them mean more to Dae. “You’ll go far with that skill. Will you be staying in Korea or building your career here in Canada?”

Theo’s heart twisted watching Dae hesitate. It was possible—likely, even—that he’d find a great job and stay away forever.

It was taking such an excruciatingly long time for him to answer that Avery’s grandma pursed her lips. “Don’t take too long to decide, young man. Connections are important, and you build them during the foundational years of⁠—”

“Mother.” Avery’s mom patted her hand with an apologetic smile to Dae. “We’re celebrating your grandson’s marriage tonight. Perhaps leave the career counselling for another time?”

Dae seemed relieved for about three seconds before he was pulled into another conversation, this time with Caleb’s uncle Dip, who told the story of the disastrous skinny dipping adventure that earned him his name.

Theo wished he could pay attention, but his brain was half occupied by the potential desolate Dae-less future stretching before him. Caleb’s voice rising above the din brought him back, exclaiming to a cousin, “Thankfully, she had that sticker on her shoe, or I never would’ve had the courage to say anything.”

Theo shared a smile with Dae. Over the years, Dae had considered telling Caleb he was Bob Is Not Your Neighbour, but Theo was glad he hadn’t. It made his stomach all gooey to have a secret with him.

Once dessert—some fancy layered fruit thing—was finished, they milled around for another half hour in the most awkwardly elongated round of goodbyes anyone had ever endured. Then, finally, it was just Theo and his boys repeating that slappy bro-hug.

“Big day tomorrow.” Jason grinned at Caleb, who rocked on his heels, his excitement still as fresh as when they’d arrived.

“See you guys at my wedding.” He flashed another exuberant smile before melting back into the blob of mingling families.

Jason paused halfway into putting on his jacket, his eyes caught on Dae’s phone. “You can’t be serious.”

“What?” Both Dae and Theo asked at the same time but with entirely different tones. Theo glanced at the screen of Dae’s phone and barked a laugh when he saw the green and white train schedule.

“You’re not serious.”

Dae mumbled like he knew nothing he said would be acceptable. “My parents are expecting me.”