My Brothers Best Man

What a beautiful Wedding

*Scene*

 A Hotel Ballroom decorated in gold and white with a live band on stage and waiters serving champagne.

The wedding reception is in full swing. The bride and groom take the floor for their first dance, and I get to stand uncomfortably with his friends.

My brother only made me a groomsman because mom wanted him to. Well technically she wanted me to be the Best Man, but that title went to.

Jonas: Simon, you must be so happy for your brother.

This guy!

Simon: Ecstatic!

Jonas isn't really a bad guy or anything, he is just overly nice to everyone so he is hard to hate.

He and my brother met in college and basically became inseparable. It feels like he is actually my brother's brother and I am invading their space.

Jonas: I told Sawyer he and Annabelle were meant to be, I mean look at them.

The perfect couple!

It's true, Sawyer and Annabelle are perfect for each other. They are the couple "discusses disagreements over a cup of tea". My mom thinks I am jealous of them, and maybe I am.

My last relationship ended with me curled up in a ball crying and him dating some girl his parents forced him to be with.

But that doesn't mean I'm not happy for my brother. I mean I am happy that he is happy, I just wish I could have even half of what he has.

Simon: I guess they are what people call hashtag couple goals.

Jonas: Oooh, I'm stealing that for my speech!

Doreen: Actually Jonas, do you mind if Simon does the speech instead?

Simon: Wait? Mom! What? No!

Doreen: You are his brother, people will expect you to do something for him.

My mom is always like this, very over the top. When I came out to her in high school she put a pride flag in our yard and joined PFLAG, not to show me support but to revel in the attention.

For weeks she would introduce me as her gay son and talk about how proud she was of my bravery. Then somehow the topic would switch to how she, as a single mother, was the reason I had the confidence to be me, because she taught me all I know.

Simon: Mom, no! I don't have ish prepared, and Jonas is the

Best Man not me!

Jonas: Hey, it's cool. She's right, he is your brother, so how about we share the time?

See, overly nice. I have been searching for a reason to hate this guy and the only thing that keeps coming up is I'm the jerk.

Simon: No! Jonas, I'm not taking any of your time. You are the person my brother

chose for this job so you are doing it.

I lay my hand on Jonas' shoulder. He is definitely taller than me and his muscles are firmer than I expected.

Wait a minute..... He's flexing!

My hand is frozen right now and when I look up at his face he gives me a wink. I have to get back on task so I quickly move my hand from his firm body. Why is Jonas the whole package? It's annoying.

Simon: Mom!

Doreen: Simon! Lower your voice and speak to me with respect!

I take a deep breath and stare into her soul.

Simon: Stop trying to take over Sawyer's wedding. If he wanted me to give a speech he would have asked. Okay Mother?

My mom looks at me and scoffs then does one of her soap opera poses

Doreen: I just want to keep you boys together. But I get it, now that you are both adults you don't need your mother anymore.

My mom sashays to her table like the Queen she is. Drama thriving in every joint that bends.

Simon: Ignore our mom. She always tries to find a way to be in the spotlight or use us to give herself more importance.

Having me be Best Man and giving speeches is just to show she is a good mom with two good sons.

Jonas gives a little chuckle and I feel my heart skip a beat when it hits my ears. Damn you Jonas and your beautiful laugh.

Jonas: I guess we are lucky she didn't wear white right?

Simon: Oh, we just hid all the white dresses and had our cousin on stand by with red wine ready to pour on her if she got one past everyone.

Jonas: Haha, wait a minute. Was that a joke or are you serious?

I point Jonas in the direction of my cousin Ashley, the only person with red wine at her table.

Jonas: I keep forgetting you guys have a ruthless side. It's scary on Sawyer, but it's cute on you.

I want to ask him what he means but the dance is over and it's time for us all to take our seats up front. My brother and his new bride are filled with laughter as they hold hands and make their way to their seats too.

Annabelle: Jonas could you please tell Sawyer he did not look like an elephant learning ballet.

Jonas: No, he is definitely more like an Ostrich on ice skates.

Sawyer: Hear that baby/ I'm as graceful as a desert bird in winter.

The whole table is laughing and I can't tell if it's an inside joke or am I just not into their kind of humour. I take a sip of my champagne so that I can look too distracted to laugh along when Jonas leans over and whispers to me.

Jonas: When they went on their African Safari, the tour guide said Sawyer walk wild like an Ostrich and would probably step on his own toes.

I try to stifle my laughter and end up dribbling champagne on myself.

Jonas grabs a napkin and quickly helps me clean up as he chuckles softly.

That annoying adorable laugh. He places his hand on mine and whispers softly,

Jonas: I promise I wasn't trying to kill you. Just wanted to get you in on the joke.

Simon: Thanks for that. Now I can tell my grandkids how I almost died because I was visualizing my brother as an ostrich on his wedding day.

Jonas: Don't worry, I will make sure to tell them it was all my fault.

That definitely caught me off guard. If he wasn't my brother's best friend, then maybe this would be the start of something.

The speeches start and Jonah gets the mic.

Years ago I met Sawyer under a circumstance that neither of us needed to repeat, and that day I didn't know the dude who got on my nerves would eventually be my best friend.

Jonas' speech is really sweet, hitting all the important points of their early twenties.

Jonas: Then one night I happened to see my cousin, aka the maid of honor, at the bar so I dragged Sawyer over and well. My cousin was hanging with her play cousin Annabelle. That night Sawyer and Ana ditched us to get to know each other and have been inseparable since.

Oh, I didn't know Jonas was related to Annabelle. There is a lot I don't know about my brother really.

Jonas: And lastly all I have to say is, here's to Sawyer and Annabelle hashtag couple goals.

Everyone raises their glasses to take a sip and I rib Jonas once he sits down.

Simon: You added that in so seamlessly.

Jonas: Well it's thanks to you, I was looking for a closer.

Simon: It was nicely done.

Jonas: Well I'm glad I was able to impress you.

Something about the way he said that made me tremble a little. Now his low hushed whisper is making me weak.

I doubt I will survive tonight if I have to spend it beside My Brother's Best Man!