Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The blaring alarm was the least of Kel’s worries. 

He had been awake since 3 A.M., knowing that there were a list of things threatening to ruin his day. His phone buzzed with messages from a co-worker or two. Kel was already thinking about whether it was worth it to read it, if they were telling him to haul ass to the studio at that moment or if they were just showing him yet another job opportunity that he wasn’t going to be interested in. His bathroom door hinges were broken yet again for the fourth time this week - no matter how many times he or Cove or even Miranda attempted to fix it, it always seemed to squeak and open on its own. Alexander, his cat, had knocked something off of his dresser.

And, worst of all, and the very reason he had woken up at 3 in the first place, was the dream he had. He could still remember it, could still remember Baxter whispering those words…

This is the end for us, Kelsey. I-

Nope. No. He is not dealing with this today.

Kel bolted up in his bed, pressing “off” on the alarm and looking out the window. The sun was just barely up, peeking through the city buildings. He sighed. Then, leaving his bed, he got to work.

First, the cat. He had to feed Alexander, his beautiful gray tabby, his elegant cat who had so lovingly knocked his portable charging block off his dresser. Breakfast for Alexander, and then breakfast for Kel. 

And then came the messages. All… 14 of them, yikes. He knew one of his co-workers, Joey, was a night owl, but she couldn’t have sent this much. And he was right. Sort of. 

joey from work

(03:07) DID YOU SEE??

(03:07) omg bea just sent this to me look

(03:08) [Sent Link]

(03:08) WE WON BEST FILMOGRAPHY

(03:08) ong we should be given a raiseeeeee

(03:09) oh also kathy said we got put on a new project yesterday

(03:09) apparently corporate loved our work

(03:09) goodbyeeeeee commercials

(07:55) kathy just told me the project might be canceled :(

Kel stared at the messages, then moved on. Not on duty? Not his problem. 

The other 5 were from a set of friends he knew well.

RANDY 💯

(06:15) Sorry to spring this on you!

(06:15) I know you’re either exhausted or something but call us when you’re awake?

(06:18) It’s about Jude’s wedding.

the transgender agenda (terry)

(07:46) ok who would win 

(07:47) one t rex sized bee or 5000 bee sized t rexes

Okay, well, one of them was actually serious. Kel sat down at his kitchen island, biting into his waffle as he started a video call.

“Hello?”

“Ok, first of all, tell Terry that it’s 100% the T-Rex sized bee.”

“Ha!” Miranda laughed, pointing the camera at a preoccupied Terri, who gasped in shock.

“Seriously?! I thought we were comrades on this!”

“Not even a question, sorry.” Kel shrugged.

“Haha! Okay, anyways. Good morning, Kelsey.” Miranda giggled. “I’m so glad you called. We need some help.”

“What’s the matter?” Kel gasped. “Don’t tell me the wedding’s off.”

“No! It’s all fine!” Miranda cried. “Well… no. It's not. We've been trying to save money by doing everything ourselves, but we're inching closer to the date and…”

“And you need some help?”

Kel took a glance at the calendar pinned to the bulletin board. The wedding was going to be that Saturday, and he had already gotten his day off prepared in advance. 

“We asked Cove first, since, you know. He lives here. But he still has to work, and he suggested asking you since your schedule’s been all over the place.” Miranda sheepishly added.

Kel propped the phone up against his tissue box. Truthfully, he'd been off all week, having been called into the studio on Monday before Katherine, his boss, kicked him out and insisted he use his vacation days since there were no big projects to work on.

“Well… he’s not wrong? I’ve have been off all week. I just haven’t gotten around to, uh, buying a ticket.”

“Oh! Well, um, if you don’t mind, you could… fly down and help us? Preferably by Wednesday.”

Kel looked away from the camera, debating it in his head. He did need to return… eventually. No matter how many memories he’d rather not dig up. 

“Oh!” Terry exclaimed, appearing from behind Miranda. “You could stay with Jude and Scott! That way you don’t have to worry about lodging?”

“Yeah! And it would make it way easier for us to find you!”

If Kel was smarter, or wiser, or just had a better sense of hindsight, he would have said no. Although, truthfully, he was doomed from the moment he agreed to go to the wedding.

🎞 🎞 🎞

“You know… I really like the way you dress.” Kel laughed, nervously. “Someday I’ll buy a bunch of black and white clothes and mix and match them, just like you.”

“But I like your yellows.” Baxter replied. “It makes you feel so positive. Like a sunflower.”

“What, this thing?” Kel tugged at his pullover. “I don’t even know why I wear it. It’s too hot for sweaters.”

“It fits you.”

“Just barely.” Kel laughed. “Your shirt fits you more. Someday, I’ll wear a monochrome shirt, and it’ll be like a keepsake. To remind me of you, forever.”

Baxter’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he didn’t find it funny.

🎞 🎞 🎞

Kel stared at his closet. There was a large collection of black t-shirts and white button-ups, and Kel wondered if it was worth it. If it were up to him, all of the yellow jumpers he wore in highschool would’ve been donated, or burnt. Somehow, when it came time to replace his closet, he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of them. They were instead stored in a box in the back of his closet. Funny, he thought to himself, that the things that reminded him of the colors black and white the most were the most colorful things in his closet.

The rest of the day lazed by without much issue. He stayed home the whole day, aimlessly listening to music or watching the TV, anything to fill the time. He went out for a walk in the afternoon, bought himself a creamsicle at the convenience store. Nothing too major.

As he reentered his house, he sighed at the realization that he needed to prepare to leave for Sunset Bird. He already bought the ticket. As he did, there was that sinking feeling in his stomach at the prospect of having to return to Sunset Bird for a second time after already having been there once that summer. His anxiety was only assuaged by the idea that Jude and Scott actually lived a little far from his neighborhood, and there was no possible way that Baxter could show up there . Definitely.

He walked into his bathroom to remove some of his toiletries. The toothbrush. The toothpaste. The contact lens case. Black. White. White. He really had been thinking about Baxter a lot, lately, to the point that it was embarrassing. He tried to convince himself that it was because he’d been in Sunset Bird recently, but that wasn't a very good reason. It would be absurdly pathetic to be reminded of an ex-boyfriend just by walking down your childhood street.

Kel looked in the mirror, and wondered if he would have been the same if he had never met Baxter. But he didn’t have the heart to ponder that any more. He didn’t even want to imagine it.

Chapter Text

Baxter's cell phone dinged in the middle of the phone call, and he had to mentally stop himself from checking his phone. It was a habit he picked up in college, after the summer of…

Well, now was not the time. He turned his phone off, returning his attention to the call.

“Tomorrow would be wonderful.” Baxter added. “We can meet for dinner if you’d like.”

“Oh, that would be great! Thank you so much for this.” The person on the other line returned. “We know this great restaurant. I’ll send you the address.”

“Of course. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.”

The phone beeped, and Baxter sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The work day was almost over, yet he couldn’t stop himself from getting distracted by a silly text notification. Still, he glanced at it.

Kel

(09/25/16) hey, how’ve you been?

(12/18/17) college has been a bitch, lmao, i don’t know how you handle this.

(10/04/18) almost threw out my yellow clothes, but i thought you might like them.

(11/07/18) my shirt kind of reminds me of you.

(04/20/19) milk, cheese, odiles stupid kale, cat food?

(04/27/19) milk, cheese, cilantro??, spam, cat food

(05/14/21) wedding - buy formalwear?

(17:13) flight at 5 am, 12 hours of sleep not counting the flight

From the looks of it, he had given up after 2 years of radio silence, instead using the texts as a sort of pseudo notes app. It was almost a joke, to still be seeing Kelsey’s life play out in snapshots while he still refused to rekindle the connection. In fact, Baxter wondered if it was some kind of karmic retribution, to be seeing how Kelsey has moved on since they parted. He smiled a bit, reading back at old messages.

Baxter heard his door open, and swiftly put the phone down as an assistant from the office down the hall peaked their head through the door.

“Mr… Ward?”

“Ah, yes, hello. Did you need something?” Baxter asked, getting up from his seat. The assistant gave an unreadable and confused look.

“...Yes, sorry to bother. Mrs. Duke wanted to know if you got her email?”

Baxter glanced at his computer. No email notifications.

“No, I… I didn’t.”

“Hm. Alright, well, I’ll just let her know.”

“Thank you. Tell her that I’ll be heading out now.”

“Alright.”

With that, the assistant was gone. Baxter sighed, sinking back into his chair. He stared down at his phone, embarrassed that he let himself get distracted by something so trivial. He sat for about 9 minutes, allowing himself to calm his flustered state, before standing up and preparing to leave.

Baxter could think back to when he was in college, when he would glance at his phone and catch himself waiting for a text. It was a stupid thing to wait for, the text, when he knew he wouldn’t be responding to them. A habit he picked up in 2016, probably, where he accidentally trained himself to feel joy the moment his phone dinged with the notification of a message. For some reason, it got to a point where he ended up dropping everything he was doing to respond to one text. After all, it would be rude of him to ignore a text from someone so special. When he left, that need to read Kel’s texts was still there.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Hey, what do you usually think when I text you?” Kel asked.

“Hm. Well, I usually look forward to what the text is going to be.”

“Really?” Kel tilted his head. “Why?”

“Well, you're always inviting me over when you text me.” Baxter replied. “I just like getting excited at the prospect that we might spend time together.”

Kel laughed. 

“That's so cute.”

“Why do you ask?”

Kel thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“I was just thinking about it. I think I conditioned myself to get happy every time my phone buzzed. I think it's because of you.”

Baxter smiled.

“That is very cute.”

Kel nodded, leaning his head against Baxter's shoulder. There was some silence for a bit, then Kel spoke up again.

“Have you ever heard of Pavlov's dog?”

❖ ❖ ❖

Baxter picked up his bag and left the office. He thought about his client - his new one, how they and their team of helpers for the wedding would be meeting tomorrow. How their last name sounded so familiar, and suddenly he was thinking about Kel Last again. 

He opened the car door, sat down, and promptly slammed his head against the steering wheel. He was an idiot . He wanted to pretend he was uncaring, that the simple summer fling they had was just that - a fling. But the more he reminded himself of Kel, the more curious he was. How did he fare in college? Does he still wear yellow? What shirt did he buy that reminded him of Baxter? Who’s Odile? Did he get a cat? Who's wedding is he attending?

Where was he flying? Was it for the wedding? Was he the one getting married?

Baxter gave a loud sigh, leaning back in his car seat and calming his nerves. He wasn’t going to do anything. He would just have to stay curious fore-

A sharp knock on his car window jolted him out of his thoughts. He whipped his head around, coming face to face with his co-worker. He rolled the window down.

“Are… Are you alright, Baxter?” Mrs. Duke asked, clearly very concerned.

“I- Yes. I am perfectly fine.”

“Are you sure? Because, well, I just saw you bang your head against the wheel, and Antonio told me you were frowning at your phone earlier, and you know if it's a frustrating client that you can talk to me any ti-”

“I-” Baxter started abruptly, interrupting Mrs. Duke. He muttered an apology and continued. “I am perfectly fine, Mrs. Duke. I promise you, I am completely fine.”

Mrs. Duke stared at him with concern for a bit, then smiled apologetically.

“Is it a love issue? Me and my partner have been together 5 years now, maybe I can-”

“Mrs. Duke, really. I'm fine.”

Mrs. Duke sighed. 

“Alright then. If you're absolutely sure. Have a good day, Baxter.”

Baxter watched as Mrs. Duke walked off to her own car across the parking lot. So she had deliberately made the detour to make sure Baxter was okay. 

Baxter creased his brow. That was somehow even worse.

Chapter Text

Kel picked at the plate silently, and for the first few minutes of dinner, it was tense. The silence made him feel bad, but he didn't know what else to say. 

“So… That's your ex?” Jude awkwardly began, earning a glare from Miranda. “What?! We can't just gloss over that.”

“You could have a little more tact, Jude.” Miranda muttered. “Sorry about him, Kel. And sorry about…”

“It's fine, Randy. You didn't know he was going to be their wedding planner. And they didn’t know he and I were a… thing. This is just a series of really weird coincidences.”

“Weird is an understatement.” Terry added. “He was wearing purple .”

Miranda snickered, and Kel suppressed a laugh with a large bite of fish. Jude and Scott looked at each other in confusion, then back at Kel.

“You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with.” Scott apologetically smiled. “If you want, we can have you working on party favors until the wedding.”

“It's fine! I don't… I don't feel anything now. It might make things awkward, but that's like… a staple of my life at this point.” Kel defensively replied.

Terry cocked an eyebrow and Miranda sighed, patting Kel on the back.

“I can only foresee this ending badly for you, Kel.” Miranda whispered as she leaned in. “Remember to voice your discomfort if you're not feeling too hot.”

“Randy, I'll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am a 23 year old adult man. If I'm not fine now, I'll never be fine.”

Quite obviously, Kelsey was not fine, but that was a problem for a future him.

“...Alright. Uh, anyways, I can’t believe it’s really time. We’re getting married!” Scott began, and the conversation began to flow away from Baxter to the wedding - something substantially more bearable.

As Kel talked, he fiddled with the clean cut business card in his hands, the one that Baxter had given out to all of them. The cards were black and white, like how he still was in Kel's mind. The purple really did throw him off.

“...take you back?”

Kel blinked, looking up from the card and turning to Terry.

“What? Did you say something?”

“Oh, uh. I was just asking if you wanted Scott and Jude to take you back to the house.”

Kel blinked, and for a second felt a bit of relief that Terry didn't bring up Baxter again.

“Yeah, sure. You guys need to get going home anyways. I'll just hitch a ride with Jude and Scott.”

“Great! See you tomorrow.” Miranda grinned.

“See you tomorrow!”

Kel threw himself on the bed and groaned. For once, he was thankful to be exhausted, because it meant he could avoid thinking about Baxter under the guise of being too haggard to think straight. 

He stared up at the ceiling, glanced at the clock, then opened his phone.

mermaid man 🌊

(20:17) are you awake

(20:17) No

(20:19) What do you want

(20:20) so

(20:21) you know baxter

(20:21) Nope

(20:22) figures

(20:23) Hey wait i remember now

(20:23) You dated him

(20:23) You cried for hours when he left you

(20:23) bingo

(20:24) Dude, are you seriously thinking about him right now?

(20:24) He’s not even worth your time

(20:25) okay as much as i would LOVE to admit that i don't think about him all the time

(20:25) Even though you totally do

(20:26) i have a good reason this time

(20:27) No reason is a good reason to think about your ex

(20:28) OK BUT what if i said

(20:28) that i SAW HIM. IN PERSON

(20:29) What??? Are you high??

(20:30) call me

It didn't take too long for Cove to ring. That was something Kel could always count on.

“You're so lucky work ended early today.” Cove muttered, and Kel could tell he was ready to pass out. Kel wondered if he was forcing himself to stay awake to answer his call.

“Are you just saying that, or are you actually exhausted?” Kel asked.

“I am actually saying that. I just got back from helping my dad pack up some old furniture he wanted to sell - that's why I'm so tired.”

“Oh, okay. Phew.”

“What's up?”

Kel tapped his fingers against his phone case.

“So, Jude and Scott are getting married, right?”

“Yeah, that's why you're home, aren't you?” Cove asked.

“Yeah, well they figured they couldn't do everything by themselves, so they hired this… wedding planner.”

Cove went silent for a second.

“...Okay?”

“Seriously? Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Cove made a noncommittal sound, and Kel took that as a yes.

“Baxter Ward is their wedding planner. ”

“Ohhh shit.” Cove replied. “Wait, so now you have to think about him.”

“That's what I've been saying! ” Kel threw his hands in the air. “This is going to suck so bad.”

“...Wait, you aren’t… still in love with him, are you?”

Kel blinked, then bolted up.

“Wh- No! Of- Of course not!”

“Oh my god, Kelsey, you’re screwed.” Cove muttered.

“I told you, I’m not! Stop saying that!”

“You’re still in love with him!”

“I’m not!”

There was silence. Kelsey was standing now, sweating and nervous. Then, swallowing in his pride, Kelsey cupped his hand over his mouth and the speaker.

“Please don’t tell Miranda and Terry.”

“Oh my god.”

“I’m serious! If they know how uncomfortable I am, they’re going to take me off the team! And this is so important for Jude and Scott.”

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Cove added.

“But they’re counting on me!” Kel groaned. “Please, you have to believe me. This isn’t even that serious. I just needed to get it off my chest.”

“Are you really sure you’re going to be fine?”

“Of course I’m not going to be fine! He’s hot!” Kel cried. “But… But I’ll survive.”

“Okay. Fine. I will not speak a word.”

“Thank you. This is only until after the wedding. If I’m lucky, he won’t even talk to me.”

“...Is that it?”

“Yep.”

Cove was silent for a few moments.

“That’s it? Really?”

“No! I’ve been complaining this whole time. How have you been?”

Cove laughed.

“Nothing’s changed since I last talked to you. Can’t wait to see you when this is all over.” Cove sighed. “I think we both could use a break.”

“Agreed.” Kel snickered. “We gotta hang out soon. With Terry and Randy, too.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Alright, sleep tight.”

“Yeah, bye.”

There was some silence, until Cove abruptly added: “And try not to dream about Baxter.”

“Oh my god, good bye .” Kel hissed, hanging up. 

Kel stood awkwardly beside the ottoman, leg pressed against the couch. He felt out of place in such a nice office, knowing that Baxter worked in that office every day . The thought of it was making him giddy inside. His anxiety was making him nauseous. It was a bad combination. From what he could see, he had two options here: pretend he wasn’t still in love with Baxter and help Jude and Scott have the best wedding ever… or die. And he was really starting to lean more towards dying. 

A knock on the door startled Kel. His heart leapt in his chest as Baxter walked in, almost casually. At least one of them was still holding up. Kel inched closer until he was leg-to-shoulder with Terry. Terry glanced at him, but made no attempt to point out the sudden physical touch.

“Good morning, everyone.” Baxter began, leaning back in his seat. 

“Hey.”

“‘Sup.”

“Good morning.”

And then whatever happened after that hardly stuck in Kel’s brain.

Kel wished he had been listening, so that he could at least pretend he wasn’t churning his insides to hell and back. If he had paid attention to his words, he wouldn’t have caught the way Baxter avoided looking at him, or how Baxter would turn his body away from Kel deliberately, as if to say “I am not speaking to you, so don’t look at me.” Kel stared down at the floor, in hopes that he’d forget where he was and why he was there, if only for a moment.

“If the two of you are the most informed about the guest favors, then someone who doesn’t know that process as well could attend the bakery with me.” Baxter spoke.

Kel blinked. If he wasn’t paying attention before, he certainly was now.

“The only person who has no idea what’s happening is Kel.”

“Oh.”

Baxter turned to look at Kel. At that moment, Kel felt small.

“It doesn’t have to be Kel.” Scott hurriedly spoke up. “Anyone can do it, if they want to.”

“It's-!” Kel stopped himself. He had quickly spoken up before anyone else could, but piped down once he realized his volume. “It’s fine. If that’s what would be the easiest, that’s what we should do.”

Scott sighed, and apologetically smiled at Kel.

“Really…? Thank you so much.”

“We owe you.”

Kel sighed. He felt like a soldier, sacrificing himself at war. He knew that no one else except him would consider it a ‘sacrifice’, but a sacrifice nonetheless.

“It’s settled.”

Before he knew it, Kel was walking out of the building, trailing behind Baxter. The pit of his stomach began to churn as they approached the car.

“Welcome to my car.” Baxter muttered.

Kel opened the door to the passengers seat, and stared at the leather interior with the sinking, nauseating feeling he usually got when he was nervous. He hoped he wouldn’t throw up in the middle of the car ride.

Chapter Text

The trip was silent, and for the most part, Baxter liked it that way. He was grateful that Kel had the understanding to not talk about what happened between them that summer. But there was still something so off about how Kel acted around Baxter, and the distance between them served to both comfort and concern him. 

Kel seemed the same. Kind eyes, friendly yet calm demeanor, with the ability to stay cool under pressure. But the yellows and other colors that once lit up every room he entered were swapped for the same monochromatic colors and alternative fashion that Baxter wore in his youth, if not with a more loose, casual style. Unlike Baxter, who had intentionally refused to wear anything that wasn’t black or white to an almost childish degree, Kel's transition into monochrome was… deliberate. Mature. 

And that’s what it was – Kel had grown. Perhaps he was right earlier, and Kel had long since moved on from Baxter and only saw him as a reminder of teenage years long gone. He certainly acted like it.

The thing that changed the most, Baxter thought, was Kel’s silence. Or perhaps that was just his way of dealing with the sudden reappearance of an ex-boyfriend, and he usually wasn’t this quiet.

“We’re here.” Baxter muttered, parking and turning off the car. 

Kel, who had spent the entire car ride silently staring out the window, nodded, opening the door and exiting the vehicle. The lack of eye contact was… uncomforting, but expected.

As they walked into the bakery, Baxter couldn’t help but glance at Kel. Amongst the bright. colorful walls, he stood out. But still, it was almost as if he were meant to be there. The pink framed him, and Kel glowed against the bright background. If Baxter wasn’t so acutely aware of where he was and why he was there, he could stare at Kel forever.

Xavier walked into the room, and Baxter quickly turned his head. This was bad. He had been around Kel for less than 30 minutes, but he was already getting distracted.

“Baxter, welcome! Always a pleasure. Is this a new client?”

“Not quite, but I do have a job for you. This is Kelsey. He’s a friend of the couple.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kel nodded.

As Baxter explained the situation, he could see Kel out of the corner of his eye, shifting from one foot to the other and staring at the cakes in the display.

“What?!” Xavier exclaimed, having finally the chance to comprehend Baxter’s request. Kel flinched from beside Baxter, and Baxter couldn’t help but grin.

“For flavors,” Baxter began. “They would like chocolate and vanilla. Separate for two of the tiers and in combination for one.”

“Flavors are not a concern right now, monsieur.”

“Really? I would say that’s fairly important.”

“Not if I can’t do the order!”

Xavier began to scold him, and Baxter could see Kel crack a smile.

“It's alright, Xavier. I have faith in your abilities.” Baxter smiled, the edges of his eyes creasing. “Besides. There are worse predicaments.”

“Oh yeah?” A very irritated Xavier scoffed. “Like what?”

“If, for example, you were expected to make 36 cupcakes, frosted and decorated, the night before a party.” Baxter sighed, fondly remembering the night as exhausting but as rewarding as it was. “Kel can vouch for the chaos of that night. Truly, if it weren’t for him, I’m certain we would have utterly failed.”

Baxter chuckled a bit to himself, remembering how Kel would take over when Baxter had utterly failed. How Kel joked that if anything happened to those cupcakes, he would be utterly devastated. How Kel would tease about him drinking alcohol, how Kel insisted on including him in the party, making his own appreciation party without his knowledge… 

He was quickly rushed out of his thoughts upon glancing at Kel’s face. Kel didn’t seem as nostalgic as Baxter was, in fact, he seemed almost tense and uncomfortable at the memory. Baxter’s eyes widened at the realization. Those memories, they both shared with a certain kind of fondness. But as Baxter watched Kel’s face distort into something unreadable as the memories were brought up, he began to ask himself if they really had the same opinions on some of those memories.

“I… It wasn’t anything special.” Kel added, nervously laughing to himself. “But it was ridiculous.”

Baxter turned to look at Xavier, who seemed shocked and almost even amused.

“Wait, I thought you two didn’t know each other?” Xavier mused, crossing their arms. 

Baxter blinked, a slight gasp escaping his lips. He didn’t realize how lost in his nostalgia he had gotten.

“We… We really should move on. Three days may not be as short as one night, but it’s still a tight deadline. It would be rude to take up more of your time than necessary.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll do it for you.” Xavier sighed. 

Baxter sighed in relief.

“Thank you very much.” Baxter grinned.

A few follow up questions later, and Baxter was wholly prepared to get back to thinking about other things. Baxter put his notepad away, and gestured to Kel that they should leave.

“Thank you for shopping at Xake. You owe me a drink. Let’s all hang out sometime soon, okay?”

Baxter blinked, then sighed. 

“Kel is just an acquaintance. We don’t hang out together.”

“I’m not sure why you’re saying that, but… Well, I’m sure you two can explain it next time.”

“No, Xavier.” Baxter insisted. “There will be no next time. Once this wedding is behind us, there will be no reason for Kel to interact further.”

“Right, like those words have ever meant anything before.” Kel muttered, and Xavier couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. 

Baxter turned to Kel with a smile, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Kel blinked in shock, then averted his eyes. 

“Clearly, the two of you will be wonderful friends.” Baxter scoffed.

“And that doesn’t extend to you?”

“Exactly. Now, if you’ll excuse us, We should be off.” 

Xavier sighed, having had their fair share of attempts at building a connection only for it to crumble due to Baxter’s unwillingness to try. They looked at Kel, seemingly looking for answers, but Baxter didn’t want to entertain what Kel might think about it all. He turned and began to walk out of the store, not caring to check if Kel was following him or not.

It was just not worth it.

Kel found himself staring at the leather seats again. He wondered how many times he would find himself staring at the seats. What was he doing here? What if he just disappeared right now ?

No. He’s not going to do that. But he really did need to throw up right now.

He sat down, breathing slowly as if that were supposed to do anything. Baxter wasn’t saying a word, and Kel wasn’t going to say anything either if he could help it. He had a feeling that as soon as a word left his mouth, he would throw up. It wasn’t that he had motion sickness. But a moving car was the last thing he needed right now.

“Can you give me the address to where you’re staying so I can drop you off?” Baxter asked. Kel quietly obliged, but quickly slumped back down once inputted. Baxter was upset. Or angry. Neither were very good options. Kel looked out the window as the car began to move. 

Baxter seemed so appalled by the idea that he could be anything more than acquaintences. Kel knew the feeling well - he didn’t want to bring up the fact that they had a past together either. But then Baxter started talking about the cupcakes, and praising Kel for doing basically the bare minimum, and suddenly Kel could feel his stomach churning again. This wasn’t good. Kel wondered if he should’ve bought a bottle of water.

“I… must apologize.” Baxter abruptly began. “I should’ve been more professional with how I interacted with you and Xavier. I see I'm not any less immature than I was five years ago.”

Kel blinked, but didn’t look over.

“I shouldn’t have overstepped. I’m a wedding planner, and you are just someone working on the wedding. No more, no less. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with the conversation.”

Kel inhaled, prepared to respond, but he stopped himself. Oh. Oh no.

“I understand if I made you uncomfortable. I assure you it will not-”

Baxter glanced over, and stopped speaking once he saw the hunched over Kel in his seat, clearly holding a hand over his mouth.

“Kel? Are… Are you alright?” Baxter asked, foregoing his professional demeanor.

“...Pull over.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Pull over. I'm about to throw up.”

Kel sighed, breathing in the fresh, ocean air as he sat crouched by the side of the car. Baxter awkwardly stood, holding a bottle of water he had quickly purchased from a nearby vending machine. Kel swallowed a few, nondescript anxiety pills, and took a sip of the water.

“Um…” Kel muttered. “I’ll, uh, I’ll pay for the water. How much was it?”

“It’s fine, Kel. How are you feeling?”

Kel inhaled and exhaled slowly.

“Better now. Sorry about that, Baxter.”

Baxter gave an apologetic and polite smile.

“It’s perfectly fine. I wasn’t aware you still had motion sickness, Kel. I would have driven a bit slower if you told me to.”

Kel averted his eyes. This wasn’t the kind of thing that was easy to explain, especially in a situation like theirs.

“And… about at the bakery-”

“Baxter.” Kel interrupted with a smile. “It’s okay. There’s nothing else we can do. Nothing we will say will resolve this. We both made mistakes. Let’s move on.”

Baxter blinked, as if he hadn’t expected it, but nodded.

“Of course. Take as long as you need to recover, then we can get going.”

Kel watched Baxter walk back to the car and re-enter the driver's seat. Kel stared down at the water bottle, then breathed slowly. 

He might’ve started feeling better physically, but there was something still in his head that wouldn’t go away.

🎞 🎞 🎞

Kel coughed out into the trash can. It smelled awful, but Kel was already used to it all. He couldn’t count the amount of times he found himself hunched over a trash can before a particularly harrowing performance or a class presentation. His stomach already felt hollow after throwing up a bit.

“Kel?” Cove asked. “Um… Did you want to talk to Baxter?”

“Huh?” Kel muttered in a daze, then stared at his phone. Oh, it was open to his messages. “Oh, yeah. I sent him a text.”

“Okay. Well, he’s here. I’ll leave you two to it.”

Cove was gone, and Baxter closed the door behind him. Baxter tilted his head, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Motion sickness?” He asked.

“...Well, the moving boat didn’t really help.”

“What’s the issue, Kel? Are you really okay?” He walked up to him, sitting beside him on the floor. Kel averted his eyes as Baxter took the trashcan and placed it a bit away.

“I… I don’t know. This usually only happens when I get really anxious. Throwing up, I mean. I… I don’t think I’m that nervous.”

“Is it about the boat? Or… maybe about me?”

“What?” Kel asked. “Why would I be nervous about you?”

“Well, you did invite me last minute. And you were practically introducing your new partner to your close family. I don’t think it’s that far-fetched.”

“...Well, I know they like you, so I don’t know why I still feel so sick.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Baxter. I totally ruined this boat ride for you.” Kel sighed.

“It’s not something you should apologize for, Kel.” Baxter smiled. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Kel stared down at the floor. He wondered how Baxter would feel if he knew that Kel wasn’t as great as he thought he was.

Chapter Text

Until he got back to the house, the car ride was nothing but silence. As Kel exited the car, Baxter gave a small farewell. Kel raised a hand in response, but didn’t look back. He was scared to look back, for fear of turning only to see that Baxter had disappeared. That was a stupid thought.

“Kel!” Miranda sighed as he walked in. “You’re back. How’d it go?”

“Good. We have a cake now. Or, well, we will have a cake now.”

“Great. Come on, let us show you how to make the wedding favors.”

The afternoon lazed by without much issue. Other than a few hiccups, courtesy of the learning curve, the rest of the favors were done quickly. Many hands make light work, as someone once said.

Baxter. Baxter said that.

Kel abruptly dropped his head on the coffee table, and Terry flinched at the sudden movement. He turned to Kel with a cocked eyebrow.

“Are you good?” Terry asked.

“...Yep.”

Kel was going to have to give himself a lobotomy. It was the only way. What, Baxter shows up for less than a day, and suddenly Kel was remembering every little thing he’s said like it was some kind of mantra? Obviously, something was wrong with him mentally.

“Something is wrong with me mentally.” Kel groaned, and Miranda barked out a laugh.

Kel sighed as he threw himself onto the bed. Usually, he would be out like a light at this hour, but there was too much on his mind, and he, frankly, hasn’t been sleeping very well since he flew into Sunset Bird. His phone buzzed with excitement once the clock struck 12, which Kel could only assume was Cinderella herself calling to gush about how the ball went and how she met the prince of her dreams.

Kel snickered to himself at the image.

He looked at his phone. No Cinderella (obviously), but someone else.

joey from work

(24:00) okay so

(24:01) remember how you said u were in charge of the storage closet inventory last week

(24:01) i need u to tell me where you put the spare 35mms

(24:02) cus i totally left mine at home and i dont want kathy getting mad at me again

(24:03) oh also project wasn’t canceled, but we’re not starting till august

(24:04) yk what? just call me

Kel squinted. His finger hovered over the call button, but he stopped himself. He began to type.

(24:06) 35mm lenses are in the 2nd floor supply closet

(24:06) also, can't call

Kel sighed, putting the phone down, but it buzzed once again. Someone was calling. The caller ID was Joey's.

Kel creased his brow. He picked up.

“What part of ‘I can't call’ do you not understand?”

“It’s midnight and you're literally on vacation right now.” Joey mused. “I think we both know why you actually didn't want to pick up.”

“Why did you call me, then?” Kel hissed. “I'm too exhausted for your bullshit.”

“Rude. What's up your ass? You're usually not this pissy when I call you.”

“I am not pissy. You don’t listen to me.”

“What, wedding work not going well?” Joey asked.

“Wh- How do you know about that?”

“Kathy told me.”

“I’m telling her that you call her Kathy.”

“Fine with me.” Joey scoffed. “I’m telling her that you sign your emails to me unprofessionally.”

“Seriously, what do you want?”

“Can’t I talk to you?” Joey whined. “I’m so bored. Bea’s on some date. I don’t wanna bother them.”

Kel sighed.

“Fine. What is it?”

“Well, I don’t know! Tell me about you. How’s your vacation?”

“Amazing.” Kel sarcastically muttered.

“Obviously.” Joey snickered. “You sound like death. What the hell is going on there?”

Kel sat there, wondering if it was worth it to share. After all, Joey was practically the only person that he really knew up where he worked, but it wasn’t like they were super close. If he told Joey, then he’d be hearing about his business from other co-workers, and that was the last thing he needed.

“Uh, well.” Kel began. “It’s just kind of hard being back home after so long. I basically left and never looked back, you know?”

“Ah.” Joey muttered to herself. “Yeah, that does sound sucky. And you’ve got to help out with wedding preparations on top of that? You know vacations are supposed to be a physical and mental break, right?”

“I know, I know.” Kel groaned. “You’re starting to sound like Katherine.”

“Eugh, don’t say that.” Joey laughed. “That’s crazy, aren’t you, like, super far south right now? Didn’t know Prism Vista was your hometown.”

“It’s not. And I’m not in Prism Vista. My hometown’s waaaay smaller.”

“Huh. You went to college upstate, right? You ran pretty far. What’s up with that?”

Kel blinked.

“Are you trying to pry emotional baggage out of me right now?”

“Dang, you could tell?” Joey whispered jokingly. “I’m not, I promise. I was just curious. You don’t have to tell. You really never yearn to go home sometimes?”

“Joey, I can’t move on if I’m always stuck in the past.” 

“Wow, when did you get so deep?”

“I guess I’m deep now.” Kel muttered. 

“You should write a book.” Joey laughed.

“Uh-huh. Did I satiate your curiosity?”

Joey sighed on the other line. 

“Alright, I get it already. You don’t want to talk. I’ll get out of your hair. But seriously, I couldn’t find the lenses.”

“Did you even check?” Kel asked. “Whatever, I don’t know why I picked up your call.”

“Maybe you wanted someone to talk to.” Joey replied. “Subconsciously, from someone outside your situation.”

“I don’t know about that.” Kel rolled his eyes. “See you on Monday. Probably.”

He hung up.

Kel loudly sighed as he tossed his phone to the side. His eyes lingered on the phone. If, somehow, there were ever a day where he had to tell Joey about Baxter, it would probably only be if Kel was so beyond saving that he had no one else to talk to.

The phone buzzed again, and Kel groaned loudly. Was Joey just trying to annoy him? He picked up the phone.

“Joey, I told you , they’re in the 2nd floor supply closet. If you didn’t find them, then I don’t know what to tell you, but-”

“-Ah.” A deeper, more masculine voice muttered on the other line. Kel blinked.

Fuck .

“Baxter.” Kel mumbled. “I’m- I am so sorry.”

“No, no, its-” Kel could hear a slight noise, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was trying to hold in a laugh. “It’s fine.”

“I’m- What did you need?” Kel squeaked out.

“Oh.” Baxter paused for a second. “Well I- I was just calling to confirm you told the couple about the cake.”

“Yes!” Kel exclaimed, and he realised quickly that he had said it too loud and too enthusiastically. “I mean, um, yes. I did.”

“Ah, thank you.” Baxter replied.

There was silence on the other line for a while. Then, Baxter breathed in.

“Also-” Baxter began. “Are you feeling okay?”

“What?”

“Are you feeling alright? After… this morning. You’re not nauseous anymore?”

“...Yeah.” Kel smiled to himself. He felt a bit touched, even if in his mind he knew that Baxter was just naturally kind like that. There wasn't anything special behind his words, but he couldn’t help but feel all his irritation fade at the sound of Baxter’s worry.

“That's excellent. Alright. I will see you tomorrow.”

“...See you tomorrow.” He muttered, and the phone went silent. 

The “happy” couple, as Baxter would so kindly refer to them as, was failing to fulfill their title very well. Baxter glanced at Kel as he sighed quietly, burrowing his face in his hands in an attempt to ignore the awkwardness. But Baxter knew that for such an uncharacteristic argument between the couple, it was actually pretty common during wedding planning.

“ You shouldn’t have to do anything either! That’s my whole point .” Jude shouted exasperatedly. “But if you keep taking on stupid crafting projects, then I have to handle some of it for you. But it’s not needed ! Nobody cares that much.”

Scott glared at his fiancee. 

“ I care. Even if I’m the only one.”

“Oh, come on. You know that’s not what I meant.”

“ Right, Jude. It really sounds like you’re invested.”

Baxter could see Kel shifting his eyes around at Miranda and Terry, who seemed just as exasperated about it all as he was. Yet, even still, Baxter hadn't said a word, instead choosing to let the couple air out their complaints before any real work could begin. Finally, having exhausted their argument, he spoke up.

“Let’s take a pause to breathe and assess what’s happening here.” He began. “There’s nothing wrong with caring about your wedding. However, it is a truly draining experience to create such a massive event from the ground up. That’s why there are wedding planners.”

As Baxter spoke, he leaned back in his chair.

“Now, I have a very important question to ask the two of you.”

The couple gave their full attention to Baxter, with almost deflated looks in their eyes. 

“What are your opinions on bowling?”

An almost too-loud snicker could be heard from the other side of the room, and Kel averted his eyes. Baxter’s smile grew wider.

“What… the hell?” Scott muttered.

“Bowling. It’s a casual game, popular with almost all ages.”

“Dude, he knows what bowling is.” Jude added. “He’s just confused on why that’s your important question. Are you trying to say people have bowling at their weddings?”

Well, it would be a strange thing to ask all of a sudden, but Baxter smirked at the reactions. It never got old.

“Well, not that I’ve personally experienced.” He began. “Though I’m sure one or two couples out there have set up a game of lawn bowling for their guests, or even held their reception at a bowling alley, though that’s not what I’ve had in mind.”

He cleared his throat as he got up from his seat.

“No, what I intended was to invite the five of you to bowl with me today. Right now, preferably. And, of course, it will be my treat.”

Scott was, understandably, confused. After all, it’s not normal for a wedding planner to invite his clients for bowling, but Baxter would hardly call himself a normal wedding planner. And this was his near fool-proof method. Kel would understand, Baxter thought to himself.

“I’d do it.” Jude spoke, almost immediately.

“What?”

“I said I’d do it.”

“You would?” Scott asked.

“I love bowling.” Miranda chimed in.

“Sounds fun.” Kel added, a slight smile on his face. “Bowling sounds like a great idea.”

“Agreed.” Terry replied. A high-five was shared between Kel and Terry.

“Uh.” Scott started. “Then we can… go do that?”

“Excellent.” Baxter smiled wider, tugging on his jacket sleeve. “I know just the place.”

❖ ❖ ❖

The funny thing about a bowling alley was that, despite its wide, open plan, it actually felt quite intimate because of the seats’ closed off nature. Something that Baxter quite enjoyed the feeling of, especially when it was Kel that he was sharing the lane with.

“This place is very date-like, huh.” Kel grinned. 

“I agree.” Baxter smiled. “There’s food here, and an engaging activity. Something to rile up a friendly competitive spirit.”

“And these huuuge seats.” Kel sighed, leaning back into the red leather and propping his legs up on the  expanse of the couch that was left. “For some reason, these seats make you want to cozy up with the person next to you.”

“Oh? Are you propositioning me, Mr. Last?” 

“I wouldn’t dare, Mr. Ward.” Kel gasped with the skill of an ameteur actor. He laughed, and repositioned himself to sit a little more reserved on the seats, taking up less space.

“I also think it’s just uncommon enough that every visit feels special.” Baxter added. “People don’t usually go to the bowling alley every day.”

“Plus, there’s plenty of time to talk in between rounds. We could have conversations on anything if we wanted to.”

“Like how we are right now.” Baxter added. Kel flashed a wider grin.

“Very observant, Baxter. It means I get a chance to learn more about you.”

“Oh?” Baxter turned his whole body to face him, the ball having hit the gutter and rolled away. “Well, by all means, Kelsey. Ask away.”

Chapter Text

The bowling alley hasn’t changed. The floor was a little dirtier, and the employees looked a little more like teenagers who nabbed the position for a summer job, but it was still the place that Kel had been to before. It was almost embarrassing, Kel thought to himself, how long ago it was that he had gone bowling at this specific place. 5 years? Jeez, he’s old.

“Hey, how about we play teams? Mine vs. yours, Jude, just like always?”

“Sure thing, Scott.”

Kel stood by Terry and Miranda as the teams were picked. And, as it stood, he was definitely going to end up on a team with Baxter. Two picks later, and just as Kel had suspected. Jude, Terry, and Miranda stood on one side of the lane. And on the other, Scott, Kel, and… Baxter.

“Um, if you don’t mind, Kel?” Miranda asked

“Of course not.” Of course he did. “Let’s do this!” He can't do this.

Since Jude chose his teammates first, they all found it reasonable for Scott’s team to go first. Scott’s turn wasn’t too bad, and Kel found himself getting better as his rounds went on. As he walked back to the seats, past Baxter, he held his hand up for a high-five - something he often did with other friends after a round was over. Instead, Baxter tilted his head in his direction and gave a slight smile.

“I’m also glad to be on this team.”

Kel stared at Baxter as he walked past, with his hand still in the air. 

He couldn't do this. He had to fake his death and run away.

He quickly shut down that line of reasoning. It was almost involuntary how quickly his mind jumped to such a drastic measure. Quickly, he lowered his hand and kept walking to the leather seats, embarrassed at how long he stood staring at Baxter. 

He watched as Baxter picked up a white ball (because of course it was white) and strode up to the lane with about as much elegance as Kel had ever seen at a bowling alley of all places. Not that his elegance was going to do any good, anyways - Kel realized pretty quickly that, actually, he kind of sucked at bowling. At least, more than Baxter and Scott did. 

As the game went on, whether or not anyone was winning was actually the last thing on Kel’s mind. Especially since it was pretty clear that no matter what, Miranda planned on throwing the game in Scott’s favor. No, Kel spent almost all of his time absolutely avoiding looking at Baxter. He was almost certain that if he made eye contact with him, he would be so embarrassed about their earlier interaction that he would probably make an even bigger fool of himself the next chance he got to step up to the lane. By the time Kel had realized it was over, his team had won. And Kel hadn’t looked at Baxter once.

Scott seemed overly joyous about the turn of events, and luckily, Jude seemed happy to see his future husband happy. Kel glanced over at Baxter - he had his suspicions that the reason that Baxter brought up bowling was to get the couple to work in sync again, and from Baxter’s soft and sweet expression, he was right. 

“Well, since we’re already here, and it’s nearly lunch, how about we grab something to eat?”

“Here? Wait, you want to get food at the bowling alley?” Scott asked, then held his tongue once he realized how rude that sounded. Still, it was a question that was in the back of everyone’s mind. Well, everyone except Kel, who had long since expected the unexpected from Baxter and was, quite frankly, not aware of what made that such a strange observation.

“Yes. I don’t see why not.” Baxter replied.

Luckily for Baxter, the others were not so caught up in their shattered image of Baxter to deny the chance to eat. Of course, that didn’t stop Terry from satiating his curiosity.

“Okay, I gotta know.” He grinned, as his girlfriend beside him opened the bowling alley’s menu. “So, Baxter, why would you wanna eat at a run-of-the-mill place like this? Do they secretly have an unquestionably good cook back there? You can tell me.”

Kel snickered, averting his eyes. Baxter smirked in amusement, having been suspected so heavily by the ‘normal’ people around him.

“I’m not a nobleman, if you weren’t aware. I eat food the same as everyone else.” He sighed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. “It’s just more convenient to eat here than it is to eat anywhere else.”

Terry grinned, nudging Miranda with his elbow. 

“He didn’t say anything about that final question. I’m on to you, Baxter.”

“Right, because you’re such a typical, ‘ordinary’ guy.” Kel playfully grinned, leaning back in his seat. “You can just admit the food’s good, Baxter, it’s okay. We won’t tell anyone.”

“Well, I suppose you’re going to have to try the food to believe me, hm?” Baxter teasingly responded, and Kel rolled his eyes. 

The food was, in fact, incredibly typical. Kel bit into his grilled cheese - the first grilled cheese he’s had in weeks - and, true to Baxter’s word, it was quite literally just an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. Nothing more, nothing less. Kel wondered if he should have ordered another.

“Look at us.” Terry began, leaning into Miranda. “Me and Randy. Jude and Scott. Kel and-”

Terry stopped himself. Jude and Scott sat next to each other, and Terry and Miranda sat across from them, next to each other as well. That just left Baxter and Kel, who hesitantly sat across from each other like they had done so at the country club 5 years ago, eating. And Kel was suddenly no longer able to drown his discomfort in mediocre grilled cheese triangles and soggy bowling alley fries.

Jude coughed. 

“Awkward exes?” Jude asked.

“Oh. So you’ve heard of that.” Baxter spoke, averting his eyes. 

“Right.” Jude replied, and Scott laughed nervously.

“Well, I believe its wonderful that Kel and I are taking charge and being so unique amongst the romance.”

Kel snickered, averting his eyes.

“Are you serious right now?” Scott muttered with an amused smile.

“No.” Baxter replied, which earned a full laugh out of Kel.

“I got work, so I can’t stay behind.” Terry sighed, as they walked to where his van was parked. Baxter, himself, walked just a few steps away to his own car. It was close enough that Kel was still conscious of what he was saying, in case Baxter heard them.

“Speaking of work…” Miranda thought out loud, turning to Kel. “I saw the results of that film festival you and your company participated in. Great work.”

“Oh, yeah! Look at you, big shot.” Terry grinned, ribbing Kel with his elbow. “Best filmography, huh? You’re just a step away from writing for the big screen.”

Kel laughed. 

“That’d be nice. If… you know, I could still write.”

“It’s just a little writer's block. Nothing, you know, a break can’t fix.” Miranda cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m telling you, my work is my break. Haven’t written a thing since I started camerawork.”

“Yikes.” Terry crossed his arms. “And that’s a good thing?”

“Well…” Kel averted his eyes. “It’s neither here nor there.”

Kel glanced over at Baxter, who seemed to be staring in shock at them. As if he was listening in. Kel stared down at the floor, then back at the van. It was hard to make eye contact with Baxter, not when Kel knew there was something so glaringly missing from the ‘Kelsey Last’ that Baxter was so fond of.

🎞 🎞 🎞

Kel silently watched the movie before him. It was a short film from the highschool film festival that took place just in the winter, before graduation. He and a couple friends from the movie and film club submitted something, but the film festival was scheduled for mid-summer. It was still the beginning of summer, after all. Kel was just… watching his competition. And wallowing in his own self pity. The life of a creative.

Baxter walked up behind him, and Kel remembered at that moment that he had actually been waiting for Baxter, after asking him to hang out that afternoon. But Kel got there a bit early - he’s an early riser after all. And, well, since he knew Baxter was going to take a while…

“What are you watching?” Baxter asked. 

“Uh.” Kel quickly paused the movie and checked the title. “‘The Wrong Way’. It’s a short film from the, uh, South California Youth Film Festival.”

“Oh! So you like movies?”

“Ah, uh, yeah. Kind of. Moreso, um, me and my film clubmates submitted something to it, actually. And, well, I’m just watching the competition, I guess.”

“I didn’t know you were in a film club.” Baxter noted as Kel got up from where he sat.

“Yeah. I like movies, I guess. I’ve always wanted to write for one. And I did - well, I wrote the script for the short film we submitted. I can show you later.”

“I would love that.”

Kel laughed, averting his eyes.

“I have to warn you. It’s pretty… amateur.”

“I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is.”

“You haven't even seen it yet!” Kel laughed. Baxter rolled his eyes, an affectionate smirk on his face.

“I don't need to see it to know that it'll defy my expectations. You always seem to do that.”

🎞 🎞 🎞

When they got home from the craft store, the house was… noticeably cleaner. Kel realized quickly that Scott and Jude spent their hours of rest cleaning the house. Which was a wild thing to do, considering how much they’ve already been doing for the wedding. But it wasn’t Kel’s place to say.

There are still people around him. Miranda is collapsed on the couch after Terry left. Jude and Scott, they’re looking around. Making dinner, maybe. Kel’s eyes turned to Miranda. She stared down, lost in thought.

“What’s the matter, Randy?” He finally asks, leaning forward. He hasn’t sat down. He can’t commit to it.

“I’m… ugh!” She sighs. “It’s nothing.”

“Sounds like something.” Kel cocked an eyebrow.

“...” Miranda stared at him for a long while. Until finally, she sighed. “It’s… I feel so bad. Terry does all this stuff for us, and he’s great, and I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend. But I feel like all I’m doing is receiving. I want to give him something…”

“Like a gift?” Kel sat.

“Yes! But it can’t just be anything. It has to be special. Meaningful.”

Kel sighed. Miranda, unlike him, could be so devoted when she wanted to. Kel knew, just from the problem being proposed here, that there weren't any real problems in Terry and Miranda's relationship, just Miranda’s self-doubts. The kind of doubts that couldn't be solved simply by saying ‘He loves you’. In fact, the only reason that Miranda was bringing up the problem in the first place wasn't because Kel had pushed her to. It was because she knew it was nothing, and in the end figured keeping it inside her would do no good. Kel envied her for that carefree approach.

Kel resented himself for thinking that way. He couldn't remember when he started thinking so cynically. It was a part of him that he never liked. Because it reminded him of Baxter.

“You could propose.” Jude chimes in, peeking in from the kitchen.

“She could also not do that.” Kel barked back. Miranda's face flushed red, and she glared at her brother.

“...Fine, fine. My opinion here is moot.” Jude disappeared once more.

“Besides the obvious,” Miranda rolled her eyes, “It's not like there's much else to give him. And we already live together, and that's about as far as I'm willing to go right now, futurewise.”

“Why not a trip?” Baxter chimes in, and Kel flinches.

How… How long has Baxter still been here? Has he been there the whole time? Miranda seemed to think the same, as there was a noticeable gap in the conversation, probably from Miranda realizing that Baxter was not only there, but also that he was attempting to add to the conversation.

Baxter cleared his throat.

“Ahem. It wouldn't- It wouldn't be anything grand, I'm sure. But trips are sort of… intimate. They're away from friends, where you two can spend time together.”

Miranda blinked.

“That's… That's a great idea!” She grinned, but then quickly deflated. “Ah, but… what if he doesn't like… surprises.”

“Randy, be serious with yourself for a second.” Kel grinned. “You guys have been dating for, what, 2 years now? I think you know the answer to that question.”

Miranda beamed, sighing in relief. It was less that she doubted Terry's reaction, but more so that she wanted confirmation on it. She stood up quickly.

“Aaaahhh! I'm gonna gather my courage and surprise Terry with a vacation!”

Kel gave a little ‘whoop’ in response, just as Baxter chuckled.

“Of course, if you need any help planning the trip… Well, my doors are always open.”

“Spoken like a true businessman.” Kel muttered. Baxter didn't say anything to that.

“Well, since I've confirmed everything is as it should be, I should get going. Scott? Jude?” Baxter called out behind him.

The two men turned their heads in near perfect synchronicity.

“I'll text you the time tomorrow.”

“Roger.” Jude threw a thumbs up. Baxter turned towards the door.

“Ah-” Kel paused. Usually, he wouldn't bother. After all, it's not like Baxter's going to… see him again. Or anything. 

Kel watched as Baxter stopped the moment he heard Kel speak. He turned to look at him.

“Did you need something, Kelsey?” He asked.

Kel quickly thought back to their banter at the bowling alley. And the bakery. And quickly, a certain kind of feeling started welling up in his chest. The unfamiliarity. They didn't know each other anymore. Kel couldn't deny he was curious. And, normally, he would ignore the urge to talk to him, to bring himself back to that summer, but-

“Let me walk you out.”

Baxter blinked in shock.

“That's… very kind of you, Kelsey.”

“Yeah, I'm… I guess I'm kind, now.”

When he turned to look at Miranda, perhaps for a sign that he shouldn't go through with it, she just gave him a thumbs up. 

Thanks, Randy.

Chapter Text

Kel opened the door for Baxter, who gave a short bow of his head in thanks and walked out. And Kel watched him walk to his car. And, well, Kel wanted to watch Baxter drive away, but then Baxter stopped at his car door. And turned to look at Kel, who stood at the doorway and stared at him. And there was silence. Like, a lot of silence.

Kel cocked an eyebrow. Baxter coughed.

“Well, I’ll… I’ll see you around.” Baxter smiled.

“Yeah. See you around.” Kel nodded.

Despite saying that, Baxter made no effort to move. Kel tilted his head.

“You… you can go inside now.” 

“I could.”

“No, really. I’ll see you tomorrow or so.”

“Yep. See you tomorrow.”

More silence. Kel was starting to regret being curious and confident. He didn’t even know what he wanted to get out of it all. Perhaps it was a form of closure, to see Baxter drive away for the last time as opposed to going home after a scarily calm argument over a failing relationship, never knowing exactly when Baxter chose to call a taxi and leave for the airport. 

No- Kel wasn’t going to psychoanalyze himself right now, on the front porch of someone else’s house, in front of the man that has plagued his inner psyche for 5 years. 

The staring game continued for what felt like forever, until finally, Baxter loudly sighed and crossed his arms. Frustratedly, Kel throws his arms up.

“Go home, Baxter!” He cried.

“You go inside!” Baxter argued back.

“Not until you tell me why you're not driving off!”

“Fine, Kelsey! I was going to get an ice-cream, okay?! From an ice-cream truck!”

Baxter trailed off, averting his eyes. From an outsider's perspective, this was incredibly absurd. These were two working adults, both of which were having a mental stand-off outside of an unrelated party's house. Over ice-cream. Sorry, let me rephrase that: Over ice-cream truck ice-cream.

“What ice-cream truck, Baxter?”

“What ice- Kelsey, look around us. This is the exact same neighborhood we got ice-cream from an ice-cream truck back in 2016. And I searched it up. It's the same route.”

“And you can’t just… buy ice-cream from the store?”

“Well-” Baxter stopped himself. Kel figured out pretty quickly that he was not going to explain why going to this ice-cream truck was so important. So Kel stopped asking.

“Are you still going to get ice-cream?” He asks instead.

“...Yes.” Baxter replied.

Kelsey stared at him.

"Okay."

Baxter looked up at Kel, an almost shocked expression on his face.

“What?”

“Ice cream sounds pretty good right now.”

And not for lack of Baxter’s understanding - one look at his befuddled face tells Kel that not even the ever unpredictable Baxter Ward could expect this out of him. Because Kel didn’t usually do this. But the notion of ice-cream was tempting, and the idea of getting to spend time talking to Baxter, however terrifying, was even more tempting.

“Are you sure?”

“They won’t mind if I’m gone for a few minutes.”

What changed? It’s a question Kel thought about himself for a really long time. Really, what changed about him? Nothing, he would tell himself. His tastes in music are still as general, and as broad, as ever. Yellow is still his favourite color. He still likes to watch shows and read books and play video games. His favourite dish is still anything with cheese. His taste in ice-cream is the same as ever. Orange Creamsicle, or the sad off-brand version that the middle-aged lady in the truck sells.

“I see your preferences haven’t changed.” Baxter chuckled to himself, with a low kind of laugh, the kind that makes Kel want to shove the whole creamsicle in his mouth and choke until he’s sure Baxter isn’t comfortable being around him. Seriously, he needed to get a grip.

Baxter’s holding an ice cream sandwich. It’s black and white. Just like his favourite colors. Kel wished he were anywhere else.

What changed? Nothing. Although maybe he was a bit more realistic than before, and a bit more scared of forming meaningful relationships with people at work. And maybe he was more willing to run away to a university upstate to avoid thinking too hard about Baxter. But at least his ice-cream preferences were the same, right?

“Yeah.” Was all he said. 

They walked for a bit, back to the house and back to the driveway where Kel would finally see Baxter leave.

“I guess you gave up on that character popsicle?” Kel smirked as he bit a chunk out of his ice-cream.

“Oh, god, don’t remind me. It was already too sugary for me back then.”

And then they laughed. And all was ‘right’ in the world, as Kel would insist to himself over and over until Baxter left his mind. Baxter turned his head, glanced at Kel, until finally, his curiosity caught up with him. Kel couldn’t blame him.

“So, how was your life in these past few years?”

“...Good. Yeah, it was pretty good. I went to college, then got an internship at the company I work at, then after college I… got hired. And that’s pretty much been these 5 years in a single sentence.”

“Oh, where did you go for college?”

“Just upstate. In Los Angeles - that’s where the movie people are.”

“Ah.”

“How’d you end up becoming a wedding planner?”

“Ah, well-”

And the conversation kept going. The hard part wasn’t asking the questions, but listening to the answers. Because Kel didn’t actually want to know about what Baxter had been up to. It was just filler, to control the conversation and to avoid steering it in the direction that he was sure that neither of them wanted to talk about. The script was about as simple as Kel could make it. He would ask miniscule questions about Baxter’s life - vague and strictly objective, to avoid things like ‘feelings following the aftermath of the breakup’ or ‘things that reminded you of the other’. Although a conversation like that would last days. Kel had his own fair share of feelings that he’d rather not bring up.

“You know… you really haven’t changed.” Kel finally said. Baxter glanced at Kel, and sighed.

“I think so too. I… try to say that I’ve changed but…”

“You still like to help people.” Kel shrugs. “And you're still pretty smooth with your words. But I get it. You still feel immature.”

“...You know, I had been thinking about this since earlier.”

Kel, who had been staring ahead, took a last bite of his ice-cream and turned to Baxter.

“Thinking about what?”

“I was thinking that you seemed… a far cry from back then. You dressed differently, you acted differently towards me. But I think I get it now.”

You don't get anything, Kel wanted to say. But he was silent, all the way up to Jude and Scott's house.

“Kel.” Baxter called out. 

Kel turned, hesitantly, to stare at him. 

“...Yeah?” He asked.

“...You haven't changed either.”

Kel didn't respond. He didn't want to. So he nodded, if only to give Baxter the satisfaction of having been heard, and walked back inside the house.

The moment Kel closed the door, he sighed in relief. The worst of it was finally over. And Kel was back to his normal, stupid self. It hadn’t gone at all like he wanted - it was supposed to be picturesque and meaningful, where Kel would finally get his closure watching Baxter leave the driveway. But, instead, he was the one who left the scene first. All because of a single, stupid sentence.

You haven't changed either.

Kel brought a hand to his head, frustratingly gripping his hair with an exasperated groan before letting go. A cough brought him back to reality, and he turned to look at Miranda, who stood there with her hands behind her back.

“Welcome back.” She said, quietly.

“Yeah.” Was all he could say.

“Did you get everything out of your system? Your… deepest feelings, your most romantic confessions?” She teased, walking closer. There was amusement in her voice, but her eyes told Kel that she wanted to know what really happened.

“We were just catching up, it’s nothing like that.”

“Catching up. Riiight.” 

“...I can't do this.”

Miranda gasped out loud, then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth in an over-exaggerated gesture.

“Oh my god, will you stop that?!” Kel laughed, poking Miranda in the shoulder.

“Ahhh, but I just can’t help it. You’re utterly insane, you know that, right? Like, you give him stupid heart eyes every few minutes. It's so bad.”

“You think that’s bad? Wait ‘til you hear about how much I've been thinking about him since summer of 2016.”

That earned a hiss out of Miranda and an almost unreadable expression. Kel laughed nervously, glancing away.

“You know, I can tell it's eating you alive.” Miranda finally said. “You're… not happy about that, are you.”

“I just wish I were anyone else, right now.” Kel muttered. “But… Thanks, Randy. For being here. And for putting up with my bullshit.”

“If I won't, who will? Besides Cove, who I'm, like, 90% sure is close to killing you.”

“Sounds about right.”

Scott peeked in from the living room. It seemed he, too, was as curious as his sister-in-law. If not a little more respecting of Kel's privacy.

“So… you guys are okay now?”

“Uh, as okay as we'll ever be, I guess.” Kel replied. “Sorry for disappearing on you, by the way.”

“Don't sweat the small stuff.” Jude added on, walking up beside his future-husband. “We're glad you're okay now.”

“Seriously, though, he's kind of eccentric. Did you really date a guy like that?” Scott laughed.

“Well, it kind of makes sense you're thrown off, Scott. After all, you're the only one who's never met him.”

Jude looked bewildered.

“What? When have I met him?”

“Randy's birthday party.” Kel chimed in. “The chocolate fountain.”

Jude blinked, then his jaw dropped.

“The emo kid?! With the eyeballs?”

“What?! What's wrong with his eyeballs?!”

“There's nothing wrong with his eyeballs!” Kel cried defensively.

“I don't wanna hear that from you, of all people!” Miranda bumped her arm into Kel's side, earning a yelp from him.

And Kel, although a little unsatisfied, was content with leaving it there. Was content with ending his 5 year long emotional turmoil here.

Kel woke up in the middle of the night, cold sweats running down his back. There was something that he couldn't bring himself to confront. Confront until now.

When Kel entered college, he replaced his whole closet. He didn't have to do that - clothes were expensive, and all his clothes from highschool still fit him just the same. No, when he placed those yellow jumpers and sweaters and shirts, he had done so with the intention of getting rid of them. And that was done, almost entirely in part, because those yellows represented a part of him that he chose to let go when Baxter left him. The part of himself that he left behind in Sunset Bird. Because no matter how Baxter wanted to make it seem that way, Kel wasn't the same person he was 5 years ago. He wasn't even close. And no matter how many times he tries to forget it, Kel was changed by the breakup. For better or for worse.

Kel wished he could say he tried to be his own person. Tried to be the bigger person. But one day, one horrible, lonely day in the summer after his first year at college, he looked in the shitty mirror at the communal bathrooms in his dorm and he saw Baxter Ward. And the image of him staring, wide eyed with the realization, is an image he’ll see of himself every time Baxter brings up the past. 

What changed? Well, nothing, except everything that made him ‘Kelsey Last’, shoddily replaced with what was left of Baxter Ward in that villa. With what cynicism, self-doubts, and fears of being vulnerable again that Baxter left behind.

You haven't changed either.

Kel felt himself grow hot with frustration and shame. Baxter Ward didn't know the half of it.

He snatched his phone from the bedside table, wondering if he should bother anyone about this. He could call his co-worker, finally divulge what has been chipping away at him day by day, but he really didn’t want to hear Joey’s thoughts on the situation. He could wake up Cove, the poor guy, or Miranda and Terry, and cry over the phone. But really, why would he do that?

He scrolled through his messages, and stopped on one who’s most recent messages were sent by himself. Baxter.

His mind was practically screaming at him. Put your phone down, for the love of god.

He tapped on the contact and began to read.

Chapter Text

Baxter sat on the couch at the front of the suit shop, scrolling through his phone. 

Jude and Scott were deep in conversation with the store clerk on how to wash the suit, what detergent is or is not recommended, what to do when certain stains got on the suit… Basically, a conversation that Baxter didn’t need to involve himself in. So he sat down and waited for a bit, while Jude and Scott were able to get most of their questions answered.

Baxter stared at some of the meaningless texts that Kel used to send to him when it was late at night, and Kel didn’t want to be alone. He always wondered what Kel did once Baxter was gone. Did he get over his loneliness? Did he find someone else to fill that void? His brow furrowed at the thought, and he kept scrolling. He was sure Kel didn’t think so much about these things like Baxter did. After all, he didn’t say anything about their relationship yesterday. Like he refused to talk about it. Although, maybe it had always been like that.

A cough took him out of his thoughts, and he turned to look at the source of the cough. The couple had finished asking their questions.

“I see you’re done. Now, in terms of where I’m going to be teaching you ballroom dancing-”

“What were you frowning at your phone for?” Jude asked. Scott coughed. Again.

“Ah.” Baxter glanced down at his phone. “It’s- They’re nothing important. Nothing you should concern yourself over.”

“Were you… looking at texts from Kel?” Scott asked in a softer, more careful tone. As if he were slowly approaching a frightened animal. Baxter, taken aback, laughed, almost in disbelief.

“I- that’s really not important. Besides, I don’t know why I would be looking at those. It’s not- I don’t- Me and Kel aren’t- I don’t like Kelsey like that.” Baxter stammered.

Scott and Jude looked at each other, in a sort of silent conversation that, really, only couples could have. They then turned back to Baxter.

“We… didn’t say anything about liking Kel.” Scott laughed, nervously.

“...Right. No, of course you didn’t. I don’t-” Baxter coughed. “I don’t know why I said all that.”

“It’s because you still like Kel, right?” Jude asked upfront.

“I don’t.” Baxter spoke matter-of-factly, as if he were confirming an obvious fact.

“Look, we may not know the whole story between you and Kel but…” 

Baxter looked at the two men in front of him, then sighed.

“I- I don’t like Kel like that, really. And frankly, I-” 

A name popped into his head at that moment. Just a quick name in passing, typed out as part of a series of notes that Kel used Baxter’s texts for. No, it was inappropriate to ask clients about this.

…It was inappropriate to ask clients about his personal problems, he repeated to himself in his head.

Baxter cleared his throat. “...Sorry. Actually, I did want to ask a question.”

“Y-Yeah! Go ahead!” Scott quickly replied, almost too enthusiastically.

“Who’s… Who’s Odile?”

There was silence for a bit. Jude seemed almost genuinely confused, but Scott… looked almost shocked. 

“How… do you know that name?” Scott quickly asked, and Jude turned to his fiance.

Baxter quickly opened his phone to Kel’s messages, inadvertently revealing that not only did he have Kel’s number saved, but he also never deleted his number. Quickly, upon realizing that fact, he pulled his phone back.

“Wow, I didn’t know texting your ex after a breakup was a real thing.” Jude almost laughed.

Scott sighed, maybe in relief at having learned that Baxter wasn’t a stalker, but instead just a guy who was still in love with Kel. Baxter didn’t like either moniker - though he supposed being labeled as a lovesick fool was still better than being labeled as a creep.

Baxter averted his eyes.

“So, let me get this straight.” Scott began, as if he were walking on eggshells. “You still have Kel’s number. You still read Kel’s texts. And, yet, somehow, Kel hasn’t realized that if you had deleted or blocked Kel’s number, he wouldn’t even be able to send those texts in the first place, and just started using your messages like a notes app.”

“Yeah, sounds like him.” Jude shrugged.

“And, also, you’re here, asking the people who probably know the most surface level information on Kel, about Kel.” Scott smiled apologetically, ignoring his fiance.

“...You’re right, I must be insane.”

“Or you’re in love.” Jude cocked an eyebrow. “And also insane.”

“No, no, that’s- I’m not in love with Kelsey.”

“Aw, Baxter, it’s okay. You don’t have to hide your feelings from us. We’ve been vulnerable in front of you.” Scott added.

“No, I’m- I’m not in love with Kelsey, stop saying that.”

“But if you’re still in love with him, why’d you break it off?” Jude asked.

“Okay, again, I’m not in love with him. I’m just curious.” Baxter laughed, nervously. He clapped his hands together. “Anyways. Perhaps it’s better that we move to our next location before we spend too much time here.”

That seemed to get them to snap back to reality. Quickly, with the suits on their person, they made their way into the car and off to a ballroom - one that was nestled very comfortably in the same building where Baxter worked. Still, walking in alongside them, he could feel the couple’s eyes on him, boreing holes through his back. He would have to talk about it eventually. Finally, Baxter opened the door and ushered the couple inside.

Baxter slowly breathed in, and then out. He had said this spiel countless times before, and he always had to prepare himself for the inevitable rejection and discomfort with his opinions. Still, this was how he did things. This was how he always did things. 

“I never sought out a permanent romance. It was just supposed to be for the summer. And Kel knew that. So… it was amicable and… Agreed upon…” Baxter trailed off, staring at the faces of the two men in front of him. Jude had his brows furrowed, but Scott seemed to be pressing his lips together in an almost concerned expression. 

“And you just… left? You never talked to him again?” Scott finally said, after a few moments of awkward silence. Baxter’s eyes darted around.

“...Yes?”

There was more silence. Clearly, Scott wanted to say something, wanted to bring up how bad of a thing that was, but didn’t. Jude, on the other hand, coughed.

“So… you’re in love with Kel, you’re curious about him, and yet you haven’t made so much as an effort to reconnect and resolve the past. This…” Jude folded his arms. “This is on you.”

Baxter averted his eyes. Again. It was hard to face Jude and Scott, not after he knew he was an idiot and a fool for letting Kel go when he so obviously still had feelings. He felt like a child, being scolded by two older mentors. Even though he was the one guiding them through the marriage process.

“Look, it really doesn’t matter that Kel agreed to breaking up after that summer. Because, frankly, I can’t imagine Kel lying about agreeing to that just to date someone - that’s not who he is. What I’m more caught up on is the fact that you didn’t apologise. Because you wanted the break up, so really, it was a product of your own selfishness.”

And Jude was right. So much so, that Baxter couldn't help but avert his eyes. Scott only nodded. Baxter knew how unreasonable he was being - hell, he might even be the first to call himself out on his bullshit. But this was the first time someone pried his eyes open and forced him to look at the situation for what it was: a big, hot mess with himself at the center. Baxter didn’t want to say anything.

“Ah! But, of course, this isn’t to say we don’t support you. We know you’re a good guy. If you have any questions, we can totally answer them for you to the best of our ability.”

Baxter glanced up at the two, and although feeling under scrutiny, he felt seen and understood. So, taking a deep breath, he straightened up.

“Well, Kel told me that he worked… in film? Does he really? He doesn’t write?”

“I don’t know anything about writing, but its true.” Jude shrugged. It was easy to see that he might know just a bit more than Scott, seeing as how he had his sister to tell him everything. “He went to college upstate, and he’s lived there since. Works as a… A camera guy, I think? For commercials and stuff.”

Baxter blinked. Kel doesn’t live in Sunset Bird anymore? Well, he would suppose so, considering that he, himself, had lived here for the past 2, 3 years and hadn’t seen a glimpse of him once. Although he had been scared into thinking he saw him several times. That was just the paranoia talking.

“He lives upstate…” Baxter could only mutter.

“Yep! In, um… San Francisco, I think? With a cat, and- Ah!” Scott began. “Odile. You were asking about her, right? She was Kel’s roommate, up until a year ago. Kel hated her, so we heard a lot about her.”

“They weren’t in a relationship.” Jude rolled his eyes. “If I so much as insinuated it, he’d pretend to gag.”

“I don’t think Kel’s been in any relationships since… Well, you, I guess.”

“Not that we’d know. We’re just his friends.”

Before Baxter even realized, he was sighing in relief, leaning against the ballroom’s mirror. He must’ve looked like a fool, but it was good that he was able to get those questions out of his system. The kinds of questions he’d be unable to- no, that he’d be too cowardly to ask Kel himself. Jude and Scott glanced at each other, then back at Baxter.

“So… are you gonna ask him out?” Jude asked.

“Wh- Jude! That’s not our place to say! We don’t even know if Kel still feels the same.”

“What are you talking about? Kel total- mph-!” Jude’s mouth was promptly covered by Scott’s hand, paired with a knowing glare from him. Jude sighed, slowly removing his fiancée's hand from his mouth.

“I… Perhaps it’s best if we get started.” Baxter laughed, changing the subject. He didn’t want to think too hard about the implications of… everything.

❖ ❖ ❖

“...So…? What do you think?” Kel asked, expectantly.

“It's… really good.” Baxter replied, smiling.

Kel had sent him a link to a document, with his latest draft of a book he had been writing. And he asked Baxter, his boyfriend, to proofread it. And Baxter learned that day why there was a word for genius. 

Maybe he was biased. But it was only natural, as a teenager with a desire to seem as likeable as possible to the person he loved. And, well, Kel's draft was good. It was obvious he was talented. But he wasn't exactly book-ready.

Baxter looked down at his feet.

“...Hey, its okay if you don't have anything good to say.” Kel tilted his head. “I'd prefer it if you just told me the truth.”

“I just want to support you.” Baxter explained.

“You can support me by providing constructive criticism.” Kel laughed. “You don't have to hide your true feelings to make me feel better. I know when you're lying.”

Baxter smirked at that.

“Oh really?” Baxter chuckled. “I see.”

“Now. Let me ask you again, and PLEASE, can you tell the truth?”

“I swear.”

❖ ❖ ❖

As everyone gathered in the living room, Baxter looked over everyone. Jude and Scott had their hands intertwined, together on one side of the couch. Terry and Miranda, on the other side of the same couch, with Terry’s arm around Miranda’s shoulders. Kel sat on the loveseat on the other side. Alone. Baxter felt a twinge of some unidentified feeling when he saw him sit, relaxed and seeming almost frustrated at Baxter’s presence. He thought they left things on a good note that day, but perhaps Kel had changed his mind.

Baxter cleared his throat.

“Thank you all for coming to the final meeting before the big day. I must say, I am very proud of you all and the work you’ve done. I’ve never met a team more dedicated to a wedding as you four. Nor have I spent so little time on a wedding.” He joked. A chorus of laughter passed through them. “Now, luckily, Xavier has finished the cake. And he’s sent a picture.”

The reaction to the cake was obvious. Awe, but displeasure. Baxter expected this. He hadn’t even gotten around to clearing the tension when they chose the cake, and in a way, Baxter regretted having them decide on the cake so early. But, then again, it would have been too little time for Xavier, who surely would have done it and then used the payment for the cakes to hire a hitman. So, in a way, there was nothing to be done about it.

“It’s beautiful.” Scott whispered, which could have easily been mistaken for sentimentality but could more accurately be described as dejected acceptance. Jude glanced at him, but gave no response.

“It’s settled. Tomorrow, you two will be married.”

Baxter glanced at Kel, who’s frustration was still evident on his face, but now his glare was more poignant. More meaningful. As if Kel was saying, “I know you don’t believe yourself.”

Now Baxter found himself outside, just standing out by his car. This time, Kel didn’t even bother to walk him out. Maybe this was it. This was the end.

He remembered Kel’s stare. The fact that no one else said anything, no one else stared at him the way Kel did. No one else caught what Kel caught. And Baxter, no matter how reserved he was about this whole wedding, couldn't let it end like this. Not while that cake was a representative of the disharmony between the grooms. Not while Baxter knew that things weren't perfect. And Kel's stare cemented that for him.

He had to try harder.

Quickly, he pulled out his phone. But he couldn't text Jude. Jude would tell Scott, that's how strong their bond was. He paused, seeing the chat logs for Kel's contact sitting there. Glaring at him, like Kel had done just a few minutes earlier.

He tapped on Kel's name.