Here With You | ✔

CHAPTER SIX; part two

Calvin Sumner-Gibson

     Dres. Dresden Gibson. Dresden Sumner-Gibson. Mine. Completely mine. 

     We walk down the aisle back towards the wedding hall, under the slew of flower petals being tossed by our guests. Dres is leading, or maybe I'm lagging, staring at his back, at his broad shoulders and his tapered hair cut. The top of his hair has been parted and swept off his face. The most handsome man I've ever seen. I knew it the moment I saw him, all those years ago. And even more beautiful now, with everything I know about him, with everything I love about him. 

     We pass the last row of guests, but Dres doesn't stop, leading the way into the wedding hall. The ceremony and reception are outside, so it's empty inside. I've got Dres's hand and I pull him towards the first door I see. It's a small sitting room, with two armchairs and no windows. Great.

     Dres is grinning as he says my name. My full name. "Calvin Sumner-Gibson."

     I reach up, pulling his face down to mine, kissing him open-mouthed, all air. Dres groans, turning his face away. "We shouldn't," he says.

     "I just need a minute," I say quickly, frantic. My hearts racing and I feel. I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I can't think straight. "I just—." 

     I push him towards the chair and he falls into it, laughing. First, because he thinks this is something else than what it is, but then he gets a look at me and his expression changes, confused. I climb into his lap and wrap my arms around him, clinging to him.

     "Oh," Dres says . "I thought."

     "I know what you thought," I say, turning my face into his neck and breathing deeply. Dres tightens his arms around me and we stay like that, cradling each other for a few quiet minutes.

     "That was the most intense thing," I say finally as my heart catches up with this moment. I feel better. Grounded. Being with him, apart from everyone else, is helping.

     "I know," he says just as softly.

     "I feel like after everything we've been through, like, I don't know. But somehow that was probably the most nervous and excited I've ever been at once? And I always thought that feeling would be reserved for the first time we fucked."

     "So our wedding beats our first time, is what you're saying? Our wedding beats sex."

     "Alright, don't be smug. I'm saying the feeling was more intense, yes," I respond with a roll of my eyes.

     Dres leans back, cupping my face. He kisses one of my cheeks as he says, "Sumner," and then the other as he says, "Gibson."

     "The hyphen's doing it for ya, huh," I tease. "I think someone's got a little bit of an ownership kink."

     He tries not to smile but he can't help it. The hyphen is doing it. How fifty shades of him. There's a knock at the door, and I startle. Dres doesn't but he turns his head in the direction of the sound like he has x-ray vision. Or laser vision. He's giving the door the most lethal of looks.

     "You both better be decent," comes Amelia's voice before she throws the door open.

     "Shouldn't you have waited for us to say we are decent?" Dres asks.

     Amelia looks at us quizzically. "What are you two doing? Is this part of the mating ritual?"

     "I see comedy runs in the family," I say sliding out of Dres's lap. He sits up, giving Amelia a look that is all parts withering.