The night before the wedding.
Girls were at the house. Doing girl things.
Boys were out. Doing boy things.
Keifer. Yuri. Aries. Percy.
Four old friends. Together again.
The bar was loud. Music. Laughter. Drinks.
Percy: "TOAST! TO KEIFER! LAST NIGHT AS A SINGLE MAN!"
Keifer: "I've been taken since I was seven."
Aries: "Same."
Yuri: "Same?"
Aries: "Not you. Me and Ella."
Yuri: "Oh. Right."
Percy: "TOAST ANYWAY!"
They drank.
Hours passed.
Drinks multiplied.
Conversations got deeper. Louder. Sillier.
Percy: "I REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE KIDS! YOU THREE WERE MY ONLY FRIENDS!"
Aries: "You were annoying."
Percy: "I WAS CHARISMATIC!"
Yuri: "You were both."
Keifer: "He was something."
Percy: "I WAS PERFECT!"
More drinks.
Keifer started smiling. Not his usual smile.
A goofy smile.
Aries: "He's drunk."
Yuri: "Very drunk."
Percy: "HISTORICALLY DRUNK!"
Keifer: "I'm not drunk."
Aries: "You're drunk."
Keifer: "I'm happy."
Percy: "SAME THING?"
Keifer: "SAME THING!"
They laughed.
Keifer pulled out his phone.
Stared at it.
Percy: "What are you doing?"
Keifer: "Calling Jay."
Aries: "It's 2 AM."
Keifer: "She's awake."
Yuri: "How do you know?"
Keifer: "She's always awake. Waiting for me."
Percy: "THAT'S ROMANTIC!"
Keifer: "THAT'S JAY!"
He called.
Jay answered immediately.
Jay: "Keifer? You okay?"
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Yeah?"
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Keifer."
Keifer: "I love you."
Jay: "I love you too."
Keifer: "No. Like. I REALLY love you."
Jay: "I know, baby."
Keifer: "You're so pretty."
Jay: "You're drunk."
Keifer: "I'm honest."
Jay: "Same thing?"
Keifer: "SAME THING!"
Jay laughed.
Jay: "Come home safe."
Keifer: "I will. For you. Always for you."
Jay: "Tss."
Keifer: "Stop."
Jay: "No."
Keifer: "I'll be home soon."
Jay: "I'll be waiting."
Keifer: "Promise?"
Jay: "Promise."
He hung up.
Stared at his phone.
Percy: "He's gone."
Aries: "Completely gone."
Yuri: "Happily gone."
Keifer: "I'm getting married tomorrow."
Percy: "WE KNOW!"
Keifer: "To JAY."
Aries: "We know."
Keifer: "The most beautiful girl in the world."
Yuri: "We know."
Keifer: "I've loved her since I was seven."
Percy: "WE KNOW!"
Keifer: "I'm going to cry tomorrow."
Aries: "Probably."
Keifer: "Definitely."
More drinks.
More stories.
More laughter.
Then—
Keifer: "I need to go home."
Aries: "You can barely stand."
Keifer: "Jay's waiting."
Yuri: "We'll get you a car."
Percy: "I'M COMING TOO!"
Aries: "You're staying with us."
Percy: "BUT JAYFER—"
Aries: "Tomorrow. Let them have tonight."
Percy: "...Fine. But I'M DOCUMENTING TOMORROW!"
The car arrived.
Driver helped Keifer in.
Keifer: "Fernandez house. Please. My future wife is there."
Driver: "Got it."
Keifer: "She's beautiful. Did I mention she's beautiful?"
Driver: "You did."
Keifer: "She's also smart. And funny. And she steals my 'tss'."
Driver: "Your what?"
Keifer: "It's OUR thing now."
The car pulled up.
Keifer stumbled out.
The door opened.
Jay stood there.
In pajamas. Hair messy. Face soft.
Worried. Waiting. His.
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Keifer."
Keifer: "I'm home."
Jay: "You're drunk."
Keifer: "I'm yours."
Jay: "Same thing?"
Keifer: "SAME THING!"
He stumbled toward her.
She caught him.
Jay: "Come on. Let's get you inside."
Keifer: "Wait."
Jay: "What?"
Keifer: "Look at you."
Jay: "I'm in pajamas."
Keifer: "You're beautiful."
Jay: "You're drunk."
Keifer: "I'm honest."
Jay: "Same thing?"
Keifer: "SAME THING!"
He cupped her face.
Drunk. Wobbly. Sincere.
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Yeah?"
Keifer: "Tomorrow. We get married."
Jay: "I know."
Keifer: "I've waited my whole life for tomorrow."
Jay: "Me too."
Keifer: "I'm going to cry."
Jay: "Probably."
Keifer: "You're going to cry too."
Jay: "Definitely."
Keifer: "We're going to be so messy."
Jay: "The messiest."
Keifer: "But happy."
Jay: "The happiest."
He kissed her.
Slurred. Sweet. Perfect.
Jay: "Come on. Bed."
Keifer: "With you?"
Jay: "Always with me."
Keifer: "Good. Because I don't want to sleep without you. Ever. Again."
Jay: "Keifer."
Keifer: "I mean it. Every night. Forever. You and me."
Jay: "I know, baby."
Keifer: "Jay."
Jay: "Yeah?"
Keifer: "You're my favorite person."
Jay: "You're my favorite too."
Keifer: "In the whole world."
Jay: "Same."
Keifer: "Love."
Jay: "Love."
Keifer: "Wife."
Jay: "Almost."
Keifer: "Soon."
Jay: "Tomorrow."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "No."
She guided him to bed.
He fell onto the mattress. Pulled her with him.
Keifer: "Stay."
Jay: "I'm staying."
Keifer: "Promise?"
Jay: "Promise."
Keifer: "Jayfer forever?"
Jay: "Jayfer forever."
He smiled. Drunk. Goofy. Hers.
Keifer: "I love you."
Jay: "I love you too."
Keifer: "More than anything."
Jay: "Same."
Keifer: "Goodnight, future wife."
Jay: "Goodnight, future husband."
He fell asleep. Holding her hand.
She watched him. Smiled.
Tomorrow.
Finally.