To Get A Groom

"Beb~?"

Yves stopped chewing the meat in his mouth to regard the waggling eyebrows of his friend. He half-glared at Alexandra as her eyes flickered to the man across the table.

So much for being a closeted unicorn.

"Shut it." Yves stabbed another beefy cube of meat on his plate. "I know what you want, Alex."

"I just want the sauce," she said using gay language, grinning. "The saucy details."

Yves grabbed a dipping sauce holder filled with thick, dark sauce and handed it to her. "Here's the sauce. I told you, nothing worth retelling happened. Now, stuff your face with anything edible and keep your mouth occupied. I want to eat in peace."

"Is this the thanks I would get?"

"I already gave you my thanks earlier, right? Do you want me to keep repeating it like a broken record?"

Alexandra pursed her lips at him. "Red days, Beb? I have tampons here. You want?"

Yves ignored her and continued eating, catching the congressman's eyes, who just listened to them bicker in a language he may or may not understand. He received a coy smile that had Alexandra pinching his side while suppressing a squeal that sounded like a rusty saxophone.

"So pretty, my friend! You got a big-time hunky to notice you. What's your secret? You may wanna share the secret recipe with this lonely friend of yours?"

Yves pointed a fork towards her. "First of all, don't call me pretty. Second, if I have a secret, you'd be the first to know, so I can finally get rid of people looking at me like I'm a prize they need to win or something. I'm out of the market and won't be available anytime soon."

"Then put a ring on your it." Alexandra waggled her fingers in front of her. "They said it's effective in warding off suitors. But be careful, you may also attract evil spirits."

"Yeah. Evil spirits. Hungry bitches who's into committed people. In your case." Alexandra threw the congressman a glance and curled her fingers like talons. "It's a hungry, daddy wolf. Roar~!"

Yves pulled a disinterested face at her attempt at a sexy roar, then rolled his eyes. "This is why you're still single. Eat and stop bothering me before I feed you to some shitty wolves."

"Ehe~! I'd love that."

Okay, wrong choice of words. Yves didn't know if he should facepalm or not.

The party continued with guests dancing over ballad music sang by a professional wedding singer. Patrick's and Nico's family truly went all out. Yves spotted several celebrities in the Banquet Hall that he had to contain his inner fanboy from going after them for an autograph. Given his profession, however, it didn't take much effort to keep himself civilized.

When Richard put down his utensils and took a glace of water, Yves quickly excused himself with a pat on Alexandra's arm, jerking his thumb to the exit. "Be right back. I need to use the washroom."

It's not that he was entertaining the thought of cheating on Timothy. But it's not everyday he would get a chance to socialize with the likes of Richard Alonzo. As long as he stayed within his bounds, a little friendly chat wouldn't hurt.

Yves trudge outside and whipped his head from left to right, looking for a place he could spend away from the crowd. The path towards the chapel was empty, so he let his feet carry him back to the still decorated place.

The chapel of El Cielo Lodges was a mixture of a primitive and elegant architecture. It's not made of concrete, but fully varnished woods stacked horizontally to create a dome-like roof. With all sides open and only supported by strong logs posts, it overlooked the night view of Baguio City, covered with thick clouds.

It's as though he was floating in the sky, surrounded by oriental flowers and wooden benches. Yves closed his eyes and inhaled the evening dew. Just a little more. He just wanted to fill his fantasy with what it felt like to stand on the altar and exchange commitment vows with the man he loved the most.

"Do you want to get married too?"

Yves didn't flinch at the voice, knowing the older man would follow him. "Who wouldn't?"

Richard sauntered inside the chapel as if he was strolling in a park with both hands tucked into his slacks' pockets. He walked to the altar to stand beside him and smiled. "How long have you been dating your boyfriend?"

"Almost three years. Two years and ten months to be exact."

"I see." Richard roamed his gaze around the chapel. When he deemed the surroundings were clear, he reached for Yves' wrist to inspect his hand. "Then why don't I see a ring on your finger? Three years is already a long time to get to know your partner. Not even a commitment ring or some sort?"

An uncontrollable shiver ran down his back at the thumb caressing his knuckles. Yves withdrew his hand from the congressman's grasp and inched away, still smiling bashfully. "M-My boyfriend and I are just not the type to wear jewelries. Besides, marriage is not even legal yet. You know that, right?"

"Of course, I know. I'm a legislator, after all." Richard sighed and looked to the far corner. "Passing the same-sex marriage bill is not as easy as it sounds. If you've been watching the news, you know how many times the conservative senators had blocked it."

Yes, he was painfully aware.

There were many factors as to why it wouldn't proceed: the conservative views, the homophobic opinions, the Family Code of the Philippines, etcetera. Until the opposition realized that marriage was a basic human right, and not limited to a faith-based belief.

As if sensing that their conversation had turned more political, Richard looked around again. "Well, this isn't half-bad. Not bad at all. I arrived late earlier, so I didn't get to see what it looked like here. They put a lot of effort into the decorations. But my wedding with my late wife was more majestic than this."

"I didn't ask," Yves chided.

"I'm just sharing," Richard said, as he looked at Yves and smiled. "Who knows? I might invite you to my next wedding."

Yves gave a mocking a laugh. "Maybe you should worry about who you should marry first. You can't have a wedding without a bride."

"Then maybe I should get a groom instead?"

It only came out as an obvious joke, but the way Richard grinned at him brought a sensation that tickle the inside of his chest. Yves regarded the involuntary giddiness as due to Richard being a famous politician celebrity and scowled to mask it out. "Don't you think you're too old to be a flirt? You are, like, eighteen years older than me."

"Oh, so you're poking at my age now?" Richard faked a gasp, his grin growing wider. "You know the golden saying: 'love has no gender; age is just a number.' And what made you assume I'm flirting with you?"

Disbelief had Yves looking around the chapel in search of any other presence other than the two of them. He chuckled because maybe the congressman was seeing something he couldn't see. "Oh, I'm so sorry for assuming. It's not like you didn't just bring me to your cabin earlier, expressed your interest in me, and followed me here for whatever reason. Yeah, no reason to assume. Bye."

"Wait! Wait!" Richard grabbed Yves' arm when he turned around. "I was just joking. For someone as young as you, you sure are an ill-tempered one. You're going to have age lines on your forehead if you keep this kind of attitude."

"Right? So maybe get your hands off of me before I do something in front of the altar and get struck with lightning. I will die without getting the chance to marry because of you."

"Then let's get married. Now."

"Are you crazy? Why would I marry you? You look like a priest."

Richard's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"Excuse you? Excuse me! Let me go or I will--!" Yves stopped at the low rumbling of thunder and stared at the cross hanging at the center of the chapel.

Richard wagged his index finger at him.

"Can you stop that?" Yves grabbed Richard's finger, but it only prompted the older man to hold his hand. "Hey—!"

"If we get struck with lightning, it's your fault."

Yves stopped struggling, face flushing as Richard grabbed his other hand. And they just stood there like idiots holding onto each other, staring eye-to-eye. Heaven may forbid, but Yves swore he will slug the congressman if he moved in any suspicious way.

"It's crazy," Richard whispered, eyes glossed in a mystified way that rendered Yves frozen. He let go of him, fingers clasping around his hips, pulling him closer. "I just met you, but I feel like I've been waiting to meet you, for a long, long time."