The Wedding
Title: The Wedding, chapter 6
Author: SERipley
Original Posting: FanFiction.net [pleeeease leave reviews on this site as well for me!]
Rating: G/K
Disclaimer: I do not own these boys, gosh darnit.
Summary: Luke and Reid hit a bump in the road on a day that should be full of happiness.
Notes: Chapters 6.
"Alright, everyone, it's time to toss the bouquet!" the DJ announced. Reid groaned at the sound of every woman, single and taken alike, squealing, flocking around Lily who was standing on a chair before the growing sea, bouquet in hand.
"Come on, Luke, you might as well be a single lady," Allison laughed. Reid looked up at those words to see Allison standing before Luke, who was now alone he noticed. Luke looked across the room at him, his eyes full of exhaustion and pain. Reid frowned, and Luke frowned back.
"That's alright, Allison, you go head," Luke said quietly. Reid couldn't hear him but he could see Allison walking toward the front alone, Luke standing uncomfortably and moving in the opposite direction. Reid straightened up, craning his neck to follow Luke through the crowd. He finally lost him and instead of standing up or going after him, he turned his attention toward the annoying gathering of women, trying his hardest not to think of Luke.
He would regret this decision later when he learned that in that moment of neglect, Luke was hovering in front of the bar. Everyone was watching the front of the pavilion and the workers keeping the buffet and bar clean didn't know enough to bat an eye at the twenty-something Snyder who was now pouring himself a glass of champagne. Luke knew this was a stupid idea for many reasons. For one, his remaining kidney wasn't as healthy as it might have once been. On top of that, Luke was an alcoholic who knew what one drink would do to him. It was sad to admit, but it was true. He stared at that glass for a good five minutes before finally bringing it to his lips and downing it quickly.
The partying continued. Allison was hanging on Casey on the dance floor, the bouquet of delicate white flowers practically glued to her hand. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Noah was preoccupied, catching up with old friends and paying little mind to his ex boyfriend or his ex doctor. The only two who seemed to not be enjoying themselves were Reid and Luke, and their misery did not require any company.
By 6 o'clock people were beginning to leave. Reid had retreated to the farm house at this point, sipping at his second beer for nearly an hour in the Snyder kitchen, miserable but undisturbed. Luke sat at the dock on the pond, tossing stones into the water with two empty beer bottles beside him and a third half-empty bottle in his hand.
"Please tell me those were filled with water," came a concerned voice from behind Luke. The blonde looked up, already looking plenty wasted, to see Noah standing behind him. The look of disappointment on his face made Luke want to cry. He suddenly felt angry, pushing the empty bottles off the edge of the dock and into the water. Noah frowned and walked toward him. "Give that to me," he demanded carefully. Luke stared at him before bringing the bottle to his lips. Noah grabbed at it, pulling it away and tossing it into the water with the others.
"What the hell, Noah?" Luke said angrily.
"I'm not going to watch you kill yourself, Luke," Noah frowned.
"Don't be so dramatic," the blond groaned. Noah stood over him, hands in his pockets, and sighed.
"Why the hell are you drinking, anyway?" he asked. Luke shrugged.
"That's what you're suppose to do when things are falling apart, right?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Noah, seeming to take Luke as being the dramatic one. "You're parents just got married, your foundation is doing great, you and Reid…" he said, trailing off. He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
Luke looked down, shaking his head.
"Wait, is this about Reid?" Noah asked, still feeling strange calling Dr. Oliver by his first name. Again, Luke said nothing, but his silence told Noah he was right. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Luke laughed sarcastically. "Yes, Noah. That's exactly what I want, to talk to my ex about how my current relationship is falling apart." Noah flinched.
"Luke, you know you can always talk to me," he said, coming to sit beside Luke.
"No offense, Noah, but talking to you would only make things worse," Luke said coolly. Noah tried not to look offended.
"How would that make things worse?" he dared to ask.
"Do you really have to ask? Reid is already furious that you're here, especially since I was stupid enough not to tell him," said Luke.
"Wait, you didn't tell him I was coming? Why?"
"Why do you think, Noah?"
Noah said nothing.
"It doesn't matter what I say or do, he's never going to forget how things started with me and him, how they ended with us," Luke started to explain carefully. A part of him knew that if he were sober he never would have offered up any of this. "He's jealous of you, Noah."
Noah laughed nervously. "He's jealous of me? Why?" Luke shot him a look. "Stupid question," Noah sighed. "Well, I don't know if it will help, but he shouldn't be jealous of me."
Luke eyed him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he's the one with you now, not me. You two have been together for a long time. I've been in California most of that time. I have my own life now, too. I mean, don't get me wrong, Luke, there's a part of me that still loves you, I can't change that, but I didn't come here to try and win you back. I'm sorry if he saw it that way," said Noah sadly.
Luke shook his head. "Even if I explained that to him, it wouldn't help."
"Why not?"
Luke turned his eyes to the sky, which was now filling with beautiful shades of red and pink. "We've been having trouble for weeks, even before you showed up today. I don't know, he just always on edge, always acting paranoid," Luke sighed. Noah remained quiet, which encouraged Luke to go on. "Whenever I try to talk about him about our relationship, about our future, he just shuts down. I know he loves me, and I get that he has trouble showing it sometimes, but it's never been like this. I… I feel like he's slipping away."
Noah took a deep breath, letting the silence linger a moment longer before responding.
"I always knew he was an idiot," Noah sighed. They both laughed without meaning to. The sound didn't last long, but helped to ease things. "He's making the same mistake I made," said Noah. Luke turned to him suddenly, frowning sympathetically.
"Noah, you didn't…" Luke began, but Noah shook his head.
"Let me finish. I pushed you away, over and over again, when all you were trying to do was keep our relationship strong. He was there to see that, hell, he even talked down about me for it," Noah said, and Luke grimaced a little, "so for him to do the same thing, it just makes no sense."
Luke said nothing.
Author: SERipley
Original Posting: FanFiction.net [pleeeease leave reviews on this site as well for me!]
Rating: G/K
Disclaimer: I do not own these boys, gosh darnit.
Summary: Luke and Reid hit a bump in the road on a day that should be full of happiness.
Notes: Chapters 6.
"Alright, everyone, it's time to toss the bouquet!" the DJ announced. Reid groaned at the sound of every woman, single and taken alike, squealing, flocking around Lily who was standing on a chair before the growing sea, bouquet in hand.
"Come on, Luke, you might as well be a single lady," Allison laughed. Reid looked up at those words to see Allison standing before Luke, who was now alone he noticed. Luke looked across the room at him, his eyes full of exhaustion and pain. Reid frowned, and Luke frowned back.
"That's alright, Allison, you go head," Luke said quietly. Reid couldn't hear him but he could see Allison walking toward the front alone, Luke standing uncomfortably and moving in the opposite direction. Reid straightened up, craning his neck to follow Luke through the crowd. He finally lost him and instead of standing up or going after him, he turned his attention toward the annoying gathering of women, trying his hardest not to think of Luke.
He would regret this decision later when he learned that in that moment of neglect, Luke was hovering in front of the bar. Everyone was watching the front of the pavilion and the workers keeping the buffet and bar clean didn't know enough to bat an eye at the twenty-something Snyder who was now pouring himself a glass of champagne. Luke knew this was a stupid idea for many reasons. For one, his remaining kidney wasn't as healthy as it might have once been. On top of that, Luke was an alcoholic who knew what one drink would do to him. It was sad to admit, but it was true. He stared at that glass for a good five minutes before finally bringing it to his lips and downing it quickly.
The partying continued. Allison was hanging on Casey on the dance floor, the bouquet of delicate white flowers practically glued to her hand. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Noah was preoccupied, catching up with old friends and paying little mind to his ex boyfriend or his ex doctor. The only two who seemed to not be enjoying themselves were Reid and Luke, and their misery did not require any company.
By 6 o'clock people were beginning to leave. Reid had retreated to the farm house at this point, sipping at his second beer for nearly an hour in the Snyder kitchen, miserable but undisturbed. Luke sat at the dock on the pond, tossing stones into the water with two empty beer bottles beside him and a third half-empty bottle in his hand.
"Please tell me those were filled with water," came a concerned voice from behind Luke. The blonde looked up, already looking plenty wasted, to see Noah standing behind him. The look of disappointment on his face made Luke want to cry. He suddenly felt angry, pushing the empty bottles off the edge of the dock and into the water. Noah frowned and walked toward him. "Give that to me," he demanded carefully. Luke stared at him before bringing the bottle to his lips. Noah grabbed at it, pulling it away and tossing it into the water with the others.
"What the hell, Noah?" Luke said angrily.
"I'm not going to watch you kill yourself, Luke," Noah frowned.
"Don't be so dramatic," the blond groaned. Noah stood over him, hands in his pockets, and sighed.
"Why the hell are you drinking, anyway?" he asked. Luke shrugged.
"That's what you're suppose to do when things are falling apart, right?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Noah, seeming to take Luke as being the dramatic one. "You're parents just got married, your foundation is doing great, you and Reid…" he said, trailing off. He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
Luke looked down, shaking his head.
"Wait, is this about Reid?" Noah asked, still feeling strange calling Dr. Oliver by his first name. Again, Luke said nothing, but his silence told Noah he was right. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Luke laughed sarcastically. "Yes, Noah. That's exactly what I want, to talk to my ex about how my current relationship is falling apart." Noah flinched.
"Luke, you know you can always talk to me," he said, coming to sit beside Luke.
"No offense, Noah, but talking to you would only make things worse," Luke said coolly. Noah tried not to look offended.
"How would that make things worse?" he dared to ask.
"Do you really have to ask? Reid is already furious that you're here, especially since I was stupid enough not to tell him," said Luke.
"Wait, you didn't tell him I was coming? Why?"
"Why do you think, Noah?"
Noah said nothing.
"It doesn't matter what I say or do, he's never going to forget how things started with me and him, how they ended with us," Luke started to explain carefully. A part of him knew that if he were sober he never would have offered up any of this. "He's jealous of you, Noah."
Noah laughed nervously. "He's jealous of me? Why?" Luke shot him a look. "Stupid question," Noah sighed. "Well, I don't know if it will help, but he shouldn't be jealous of me."
Luke eyed him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he's the one with you now, not me. You two have been together for a long time. I've been in California most of that time. I have my own life now, too. I mean, don't get me wrong, Luke, there's a part of me that still loves you, I can't change that, but I didn't come here to try and win you back. I'm sorry if he saw it that way," said Noah sadly.
Luke shook his head. "Even if I explained that to him, it wouldn't help."
"Why not?"
Luke turned his eyes to the sky, which was now filling with beautiful shades of red and pink. "We've been having trouble for weeks, even before you showed up today. I don't know, he just always on edge, always acting paranoid," Luke sighed. Noah remained quiet, which encouraged Luke to go on. "Whenever I try to talk about him about our relationship, about our future, he just shuts down. I know he loves me, and I get that he has trouble showing it sometimes, but it's never been like this. I… I feel like he's slipping away."
Noah took a deep breath, letting the silence linger a moment longer before responding.
"I always knew he was an idiot," Noah sighed. They both laughed without meaning to. The sound didn't last long, but helped to ease things. "He's making the same mistake I made," said Noah. Luke turned to him suddenly, frowning sympathetically.
"Noah, you didn't…" Luke began, but Noah shook his head.
"Let me finish. I pushed you away, over and over again, when all you were trying to do was keep our relationship strong. He was there to see that, hell, he even talked down about me for it," Noah said, and Luke grimaced a little, "so for him to do the same thing, it just makes no sense."
Luke said nothing.