Simply Red

Seth’s Perspective

 I finally started to relax a little at the rehearsal on Friday night. Seeing my friends cringe when Kelly stopped and corrected us made me feel awesome! I know that sounds stupid and a little mean but seeing them react that way made me feel a little less crazy… it was like the idea that she was driving everyone insane, not just me, helped take some of the pressure off. That and the fact that we told Nathan… I mean dad… about already being married and he was cool with it helped a lot too. I had been stressed out as hell (thanks to my mother-in-law), but now that we were in the throes of it all with the bachelor party and rehearsal under our belts, and all our family and friends there with us, I felt more relaxed. The rehearsal dinner was a chance for me to relax a little bit. Nathan had encouraged everyone to order steaks at about $50 a pop, plus drinks, for about 50 people I was doing the math in my head (so much for relaxing). God, the Halls were spending so much damn money on our wedding and I felt guilty about it no matter how many times Nathan and Kelly assured us they wanted to do it and not to worry about it.

I tried to put the money and worry out of my head and just have fun with my family, friends, and village who were all there with us. A lot of people stood up throughout dinner and made toasts. Damn, they said the nicest things about me and Zach and shared great memories. I was on the verge of crying all night just from being surrounded by all the awesome people in my life. “Are you having fun?” Zach whispered in my ear as he sat next to me cutting his steak. I just kissed his cheek in response, then the entire place started clinking their spoons against their glasses and we kissed. We were undoubtedly the center of attention. Every single person in that room had given up their time and spent money to be there… just because they loved us. I tried to bask in that thought instead of worrying about shit like money or being in the spotlight. I may not have been comfortable with all the attention, but I was damn well appreciative.

The next morning, I sat up in bed, took a deep breath then exhaled. The big day had finally arrived after almost five years. I woke up in the Hall’s guest room alone because Kelly insisted Zach and I not sleep together the night before the wedding. Kelly was doing her best to embrace our non-traditional wedding by inserting as many traditions as possible… it took me a while to realize what she was doing, but that was it. She was trying to make our wedding as traditional as possible. As I sat there looking at the garment bag holding my wedding suit hanging on the closet door trying to get up the nerve to start the biggest day of my life, Zach knocked on the door and let himself in.

“You ready?” He asked as he kissed me as he handed me one of the two coffee mugs in his hands.

“Fuck no” I replied with a sigh. I was so excited to see everyone, but I was so anxious and nervous about the spotlight being on us. Zach seemed totally at ease with it. He was the outgoing one, the soccer star, the politician. I was the quiet bookworm who was more comfortable in the background than the limelight.

He snickered a little and whispered “I love you, and we’re gonna make this the best day of our lives. We’re already married, so the pressure’s off. Just enjoy our special day and have fun with all our family and friends.”

“Hmff” I grunted “OUR special day… yeah right.” We both knew it was Kelly’s special day.

“Stop. I know we didn’t want any of this, but we have it. So, let’s enjoy it and be grateful that we have so many people who want to make this special for us… even though they may not always know how to do that” he said with a grin referring to his out of control mother. But he was right, the event would be amazing and no matter what happened… we were together, and THAT is what this was all about.

Zach moved onto the bed next to me and we leaned against the headboard sipping coffee and talking. “What is the number one thing you want to do today?” He asked.

“I’d say marry you, but I did that already” I said with a grin as I leaned in for a kiss, then I said, “I want to talk to people. To everyone! I want to really enjoy the day without worrying about shit. How often do we get to have all the people we love in one place?”

“Literally once.” Zach said. “but don’t forget that there are gonna be about 200 people you never met before too.”

I rolled my eyes and said, “That’s what freaks me out.” Zach just nodded, he understood.

“Big deal. It’s your day… they’re supposed to impress you not the other way around.” He said with that fucking smile that still melted my damn heart even after almost five years together. We sat on the bed and talked quietly as we sipped our coffee. “Mom, Dad, and Riley are already at the church decorating. Mom gave us the morning off, but the barber is opening up for us at 8:00, we gotta get rolling.” Zach had arranged for his old barber to open the shop early just for us. We both needed cuts, Max had been on the road for a week, Teddy had been working overtime, and some of the others just didn’t get to it. So, we were meeting everyone who wanted a haircut at the barbershop. “We can shower when we get home” he said as he kissed me and reached into my boxers to give me a little good morning squeeze. “Hell Seth, when was the last time you trimmed down there?” Zach asked with a snicker.

“Weeks ago,” I’d been so focused on finishing my first year of grad school, work, then prepping for the wedding, that manscaping was low on my priority list. Plus, between the stress and Kelly’s constant presence we hadn’t had sex for over a week.

“We’ll handle that when we get back” Zach said with another kiss and a smile. We both got out of bed and pulled on some shorts and a T-shirt then headed off to the barbershop. The barber was happy to see Zach and we thanked him profusely for opening for us. Max brought a box of coffee and some donuts for everyone and we turned our haircuts into a little party. It was totally casual and pressure free, a great wind-down before the big event. As I was sitting in the chair getting my hair cut and talking to my friends, I realized I really wasn’t stressed out anymore. Once we were all quaffed and looking good, Zach and I went back to the Hall’s house. The place was deserted. My sisters talked Kelly into joining them and the other girls for Mani-pedis while Nathan was at the Country Club dealing with some final details leaving us alone to get ready. Zach pulled his electric shaver and his toiletry kit from the suitcase and said, “Come here” as he led me to the bathroom. “We’re gonna trim that bush.” Once the door shut, he told me to strip then got on his knees and inspected my cock and balls before turning on the cordless shaver and going right for my neglected pubic bush. He trimmed the hair above and around my cock then shaped it. When he was done, he reached through the shower curtain and turned on the water and told me to get in. Meanwhile, he ran into the hall to get a broom and dustpan and swept all my pubic hair from the floor and flushed it. Then he stripped and joined me in the shower. He was perfectly manscaped and carrying a can of shaving cream and a razor. I had already rinsed myself under the water when Zach dropped to his knees and started covering my balls with shaving gel. He lifted my soft, wet cock with one hand while he very carefully shaved my balls with the other. He was very meticulous as he made sure every inch of my scrotum and every crevice was smooth and hair free. Once he was satisfied, he had me turn around and spread my legs. I braced myself against the cold tile wall as he covered my as crack with the foaming have gel. “Pull your cheeks apart” he said through the rushing water. I repositioned myself so I was standing with a slight bend and exposing my crack and hole to him. He lathered me up then very carefully shaved every rogue hair from my crack, my hole, and my taint. Finally, he stood and put the shaving paraphernalia on the shelf. The two of us were under the hot water as I faced the wall and he wrapped his arms around me. I could feel his manhood growing. “This is your last chance to have sex with a single guy” Zach whispered in my ear.

“You’re not single. We’ve been married for six months” I replied through my moans of pleasure.

“Well, WE know that… but practically no one else does. That counts” he said with a laugh as he kissed my neck and pushed his hardness against my crack. I pushed back. It had been so long, I was so stressed, and it just felt so good to be alone and intimate with Zach. He moved his hard cock up and down my newly smooth crack, as he grabbed for the shower gel and started soaping me up.

“Your mom would freak if she knew we were having sex right before the wedding” I whispered.

“Yeah, she’d also freak if she knew we got married six months ago” he laughed in response. “So, fuck it… today is about you and me… not her.” He tapped his soapy cock against my smooth, hairless hole. The heft of his man meat slapping against me did it for me. I reached back and lined his swollen cockhead up with my tight, neglected hole, then pushed back. The shower gel worked miracles and he slipped in with ease, I let out a grunt as he breached my ring. Zach put his left hand on my hip and moved his right to my chest for leverage as he breathed a sigh of contentment in my right ear. He started tweaking my nipple as he pushed himself all the way inside of me making me whimper with pleasure. He smacked my ass with his left hand as he began to pump in and out of me with more and more conviction. I braced myself against the slippery tile wall with one hand while I reached back with the other pulling his head to mine as I turned to kiss him. Our lips met in a passionate kiss, suddenly the rest of the chaos and craziness of our “special day” didn’t matter. It was me and Zach. Nothing else. He moved in and out faster and harder making love to me until he expelled his seed deep inside me with a lusty grunt. He pumped in and out a few more times before he pulled out, turned me around for a tender kiss, then dropped to his knees and took me down his throat, His talented mouth wasted no time milking me of my weeks plus load. Oh my god it felt so good to just let it go and I instinctively grabbed his freshly cut hair with both hands and pumped my load deep down his throat. I could hear him gulping and slurping over the rushing water doing his best to swallow every drop.

He cleaned my cock with his warm tongue before standing and kissing me. I could taste myself on his lips. We lathered each other up before our final rinse. We even washed each other’s hair before getting out of the shower and drying each other off, then brushed our teeth, together, put on our deodorant and our “special occasion cologne.” We parted at the bathroom door to go to our separate rooms and get dressed. As we made our way into the hallway, we heard Kelly and Nathan coming into the house. We had finished just in time.

The next hour was chaotic as the four of us rushed to get ready. Zach and I both wore custom blue silk-wool tuxedos with black shawl-lapels, tails, and a bowtie. The groomsmen tuxes were basic black tuxedos with blue vests and bowties that matched our tuxes. The bridesmaid’s dresses were custom made with the same blue and black silk-wool fabric as our tuxes, and each of the women chose their own style. Zach and I emerged from our rooms and descended the staircase into the living room. Goddamn he looked so fucking amazing! I truly believed Zach was one of the most handsome men in the world, I don’t know if that was just my love for him, or he actually was that incredible looking… the way he turned heads I had always assumed it to be the latter. “My god, Zach” I said as I fixed his bowtie and took in his beauty. He gave me a kiss and asked, “have you seen yourself?” then he pointed to the mirror above the old fireplace and I caught a glimpse of us. I let out an involuntary “wow.” I couldn’t help it, we looked stunning.

Zach grabbed me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes, “before everyone comes down the stairs and the chaos begins” He said in a quiet, sultry voice, “I just wanted to remind you to relax and enjoy this day. I know it’s not what you wanted, but it will be amazing and most importantly…” he paused, “I love you more than anyone or anything in the world Seth Westin-Hall” (yup, I hyphenated my name). My heart melted and tears of joy filled my eyes.

“I love you too Zachary Nathan Hall, and I promise to enjoy our big day” his mother came down the stairs still in her robe just as we kissed and let out a loud gasp.

“You two look absolutely amazing!” Our tuxedos were literally the only thing she hadn’t seen. We had them made in St louis and hid them from her because we thought she should have at least one surprise since she worked so hard. She knew the colors, but not the style. “Wow!” she said as she started to cry “Just wow.” Nathan came down in his tux and echoed Kelly’s sentiments, he looked handsome as hell. Zach definitely came from good genes. “The car is out front waiting for you, it’ll take you to the hotel to meet the rest of the wedding party and another car. The two cars will take you all to the church, we’ll meet you there.”

The Hall’s hugged and kissed us both and we thanked them for everything. I was truly humbled by how much they were giving us. “Kelly and Nathan, I can’t believe how much you’ve done for us, I… I just don’t know how to thank you.”

“Love our son, that’s how you thank us” Nathan said.

Then Kelly surprised me by adding “I know this isn’t what you wanted. I know you wanted a small, personal affair, but this is one of the few chances we get to spoil you two.” She was very sincere as she continued, “We watch you to work so hard to put yourselves through school and build your future, and we want to help so badly, but you two are so damn independent. This is our time to spoil you… do something for you that you’d never do for yourselves. We love you two so much.”

“And we’re so damn proud of you both” Nathan added. “Seth, I can’t imagine a better partner for my son.”

“I agree” Kelly said, “We want you two to thoroughly enjoy today.” All I could do was nod, cry, and hug her as Zach hugged his father. Then we switched.

“I love you both” I said.

“He speaks for us both” Zach said as Nathan opened the front door for us. The Hall’s stayed in the doorway and watched as we walked to the white stretch limo parked by the curb. “THIS is the car? I was expecting an uber” he joked as I laughed and we waved goodbye to the Halls and ducking into the back of the beautiful car as the chauffer shut the door behind us. Once we were in the car Zach asked, “You okay?”

I nodded affirmatively as I said “No. I’m a fucking mess” then we both laughed. “Your parents are amazing. I can’t believe that they did all this for us.” I said feeling guilty for hating it all until now. “I thought your mom was just doing all this for her… I not only hit the husband jackpot, I hit the in-law jackpot.” I was full-on blubbering by that point. Zach pulled a tissue from the small table in the limo and wiped my tears. We rode to the hotel wordlessly with my head on his shoulder. When we got there, another limo was waiting out front and all our friends were dressed and ready to go.

“Damn. They hose down nice” Zach said with a laugh. He wasn’t wrong, our wedding party looked hot as hell! We stepped out of the limo to greet everyone and were welcomed with whistles and catcalls. We both did a quick twirl to show off our wedding duds. The entire wedding party was there except for the kids, they were coming with their parents later.

I couldn’t help but notice how handsome my brothers looked, and how beautiful my sisters were. For the first time in a while, I thought about my parents. My only thought as I looked at my incredible family was ‘look what you missed out on because of your bigotry.’ It was just a fleeting thought then I was back in the moment surrounded by people who truly loved me unconditionally. This. This was family. We loaded into the limos and headed to the tiny church. Our limo was loaded with our blood relatives. Me, Zach, Riley, Theresa, Mary, Brian, and Eli. Riley had bonded with my sisters over Mani-pedis earlier and she fit right in. The short ride to the church was a lot of fun and I was completely at ease with all the glitz and glamour I had tried so hard to avoid.

The rest of the wedding party followed in the other limo. We got to the church and exited the stretch as the car transporting our friends pulled up… you could hear the bass a block away and Cam was standing with his head through the sunroof as they approached. They were obviously having a shitload of fun as they exited the limo singing and dancing to the obnoxious music blaring from the long white chariot. We hung out front for a little bit just goofing around and having a good time before we went into the little church for the big event. Riley and Kelly had been working on the church all morning and it was beautiful. White lace bows with baby’s breath lined the isle of the quaint little church and several beautiful huge, white flower arrangements adorned the altar. There was also a crew setting up lights and cameras ready to record the big event on film. Seriously, Kelly went all out.

Brad, Scotty, Kev, Randy, and the kids arrived about the same time as Zach’s parents. Shortly after that, the church began to fill with Guests and the wedding party moved to the big room in the back of the church to wait for the ceremony to begin. As nervous and stressed out as I had been for the last week (okay, fine. Last several months), I was surprisingly calm right before the ceremony. Kelly came into the room with some last minute instructions for us all and the music started to play. Kelly had hired a string quartet to play during the service, and the cocktail hour between the wedding and reception at the country club. We all line up two-by-two in the back of the church.

Max and Brody started the show. They looked incredible in their tuxedos. You know, I don’t think I ever saw Brody dressed up before then (their wedding was very casual). He looked extremely handsome and his slight build in contrast to Max’s muscular frame was striking. All eyes were on them as they walked down the white carpeted aisle setting the pace. Cam and Elliot were the perfect distance behind them (Kelly made sure of that as she stood at the back of the church directing everyone), Eli and Riley went next… they made a cute couple. Riley had really grown up a lot since I first met her almost five years prior, she looked ravishing. Next Teddy and Theresa made their way to the front of the church. Theresa had been married for almost a year and just announced she was pregnant, she had a tiny baby bump and looked radiant. Brian and Gina were next in line. I saw Dylan sitting in the middle of the church watching her with an infectious smile on his face. Max told me the two of them were starting to get serious. I had to admit I was a little jealous of how close Max and Gina had become, in college she was my go-to. But I’m glad she was happy. Next, Eric and my sister Mary made their way down the aisle bringing up the rear. Mary had recently gotten engaged to a great guy we were all so happy for them.

The entire wedding party was poised on the altar waiting for Zach and me. Next, Matty and Maddox walked to the front of the church holding their ring pillows, then went to sit with their dads as Brooklyn and Scotty made their way to the altar spreading red rose petals on the white carpet as they did. Once they joined their families in the audience, the church went silent for a moment, then the quartet started to play the wedding March as everyone turned in their seats and all eyes were on Zach and his stunning parents as the moved down the aisle. The Hall’s kissed their son, then took their seats in the front row. We were next. We moved our way towards the altar with Brad on my right arm and Scotty on m left. I couldn’t help but scan the crowd. Damn, so many people who had played such important roles in our lives were there to witness us commit ourselves to each other for life. Damn, we were loved. When we finally got to the altar, I turned to hug Scotty first, then Brad. He pulled me into a vice-grip-like hug and whispered in my ear “I am so damn proud of you baby brother and wish you two a lifetime of happiness.” I held back the tears. Who knows what would have become of me without Brad and Scotty? They took me in and kept me out of foster care. I was eternally grateful to them. Brad finally released me, and the two of them took their seats with the rest of the family and I stepped up on the altar, face-to-face with Zach as the reverend welcomed everyone and started the ceremony. It was all a blur to me at that point. I tried to look out into the crowd again, but it was just a big white light, all I saw was Zach and that brilliant fucking smile. Kevin read a poem about love, then Mauricio read 1 Corinthians 13 “What Is Love.” He started out with “What’s love… got to do, got to do with it” quoting Tina Turner and getting a laugh, then went into the Bible verse. After that, we got to our vows, Zach went first. We had said what we needed to say in Vegas and decided to keep it simple.

“You and me forever” Zach said with a smile on his face and sincerity in his eyes.

“You and me forever” I repeated with my eyes locked to his and love in my heart.

“I promise with God as my witness” We both said in unison. We had talked a lot about our vows and decided to keep it simple, sincere, and include god… Zach had watched me struggle with religion and spirituality over the years and felt it was important that we make our promises to god instead of keeping everything secular. I agreed. The boys brought us the rings and we placed them on each other’s fingers.

The procession took forever, but the ceremony was short and sweet and ended with “By the power vested in me… I now pronounce you husbands.” The quartet played as Zach and I kissed then led the rest of the wedding party down the aisle and out of the church. Although we had been married for six months, it somehow felt official now. The wedding party formed a line outside the church doors and shook hands as people left. Then Kelly loaded us into the limos and whisked us off to a park by a nearby lake for a photo shoot. Scotty, Brad, Kev, and Randy joined us with kids, Mom and Pop Nicholl’s, and the rest of the Nicholl’s family (MY family). Kelly had hired three photographers and made a list of photos she wanted. She thought of every single combination possible. Extended family, blood family, couples, our group from college, the wedding party, etc. etc. The Hall’s had invested a fortune into our “royal wedding” and Kelly wanted to capture all of it.

After our photoshoot the limos took us to the country club to join the rest of our guests for cocktails under the giant, airconditioned tent before dinner in the ballroom. As the limo turned into the long driveway of the country club, we saw a lone protester standing there in the hot summer sun holding a sign that said, “One man, one woman.” We all looked at the man and the jovial mood turned a bit more somber. Both limos pulled up under the Porte cochere and several valets came to open the doors for us. We entered the tent and joined the cocktail party; Zach ran off and came back a few minutes later with an ice bucket holding a few bottles of cold water. “Come on” he said as he grabbed my hand and we walked the long length of the driveway until we reached the protester. Zach handed the man the bucket and said, “It’s hot out here, you need to keep hydrated” Then extended his hand adding “Zach Hall. This is my husband, Seth.”

The man looked at him, clueless as to how to respond. “Marriage is between one man and one woman” Is all he could come up with.

“I disagree but respect your right to believe as you do. I hope you will extend us the same respect” Zach said in response. Then added, “You’re welcome to join us under the airconditioned tent for cocktails if you’d like.” He smiled, grabbed my hand and turned to walk back toward the tent. Zach was a diplomat and had a talent for starting a conversation with anyone. Since we had moved to St Louis, he had become politically active and dragged me along with him. He was a leader; I was a doer. We complemented each other well.

“That was a ballsy move, Mr. Hall” I said as we walked back.

“Hey, I don’t agree with the guy, but you’ve gotta admire his conviction… it’s hot out there.” He responded. A few minutes later we were under the tent with cocktails in our hands, surrounded by everyone we loved. So far, our wedding day had been amazing.

 

To be continued…