Chapter 11 Pretending Feels Too Real #3
Alex glanced sideways.
Jamie was already looking at him.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
When the applause ended, the live band began playing.
Several couples drifted naturally toward the dance floor.
Emma appeared almost immediately.
"I've been waiting for this."
Alex sighed.
"I don't like that sentence."
"You don't have to."
She looked at Jamie.
"Dance with my brother."
Jamie smiled nervously.
"Again?"
"Especially again."
Alex laughed.
"I think she's more invested in this than we are."
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"I seriously doubt that."
Before either man could object, she gently pushed them toward the dance floor.
The first song was slow.
Elegant.
Perfect for couples celebrating decades together.
Alex looked at Jamie.
"You don't have to."
Jamie smiled warmly.
"I'd like to."
They stepped onto the polished floor.
This time, there was almost no awkwardness.
Alex naturally rested one hand against Jamie's waist.
Jamie placed his hand lightly on Alex's shoulder.
Their fingers intertwined without either of them consciously deciding who should move first.
It simply happened.
"You've gotten better at this," Jamie said quietly.
"I've had a good teacher."
Jamie smiled.
"I've only corrected your feet twice tonight."
"Only twice?"
"That's progress."
Alex laughed.
"I'll take it."
They moved slowly beneath the warm lights.
Around them, married couples celebrated anniversaries spanning decades.
Some danced with practiced elegance.
Others simply swayed together while smiling into each other's eyes.
Jamie looked around the room.
"They're beautiful."
Alex nodded.
"They really are."
"What do you think the secret is?"
Alex considered the question.
"I think..."
He looked at Jamie.
"...finding someone who feels like home."
Jamie's breath caught.
The music continued.
Neither looked away.
For one perfect moment, pretending disappeared completely.
They weren't acting.
They weren't performing for curious relatives.
They were simply enjoying each other's company the way they always had.
Only this time, they didn't have to hide how naturally they fit together.
As the song ended, applause echoed softly around the ballroom.
Alex instinctively kept hold of Jamie's hand while they walked back toward the tables.
Neither seemed to notice.
Margaret noticed.
So did Emma.
So did almost everyone watching them.
Alex's grandmother smiled knowingly.
"I've never seen Alexander look so peaceful."
His aunt nodded.
"He looks happy."
Emma quietly whispered, "He's finally where he belongs."
No one disagreed.
The evening drew to a close shortly afterward.
Guests began saying their goodbyes.
Alex thanked his parents for inviting them before collecting their coats from the reception desk.
Outside, the night air carried the cool promise of approaching winter.
The parking lot was almost empty.
Jamie stood beside Alex while he unlocked the truck.
"Thank you," Alex said softly.
"For what?"
"For doing this."
Jamie smiled.
"I didn't really have to pretend that hard."
Alex laughed.
"I noticed."
Jamie looked at him for a long moment.
"So did I."
Neither moved.
The silence between them felt warm instead of awkward.
Jamie stepped a little closer.
"Your parents are wonderful."
"They liked you."
"I liked them too."
Alex smiled.
"My grandmother's already planning to invite you for Sunday lunch."
Jamie laughed.
"I had a feeling."
For reasons he couldn't fully explain, emotion suddenly swelled inside Jamie's chest.
The evening had been everything he had secretly dreamed about.
Holding Alex's hand.
Dancing together.
Being welcomed by his family.
For a few precious hours, pretending had felt astonishingly real.
Before he could lose his courage, Jamie reached up gently.
His fingers briefly smoothed Alex's jacket collar.
Then, moving almost on instinct, he leaned forward and pressed the lightest kiss against Alex's cheek.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
Soft.
Tender.
Grateful.
When Jamie stepped back, both of them looked equally surprised.
"I..."
Jamie smiled nervously.
"...thank you for letting me be part of tonight."
Alex couldn't find words.
He simply nodded.
Together, they climbed into the truck.
The drive home was unusually quiet.
Not uncomfortable.
Just filled with thoughts neither of them knew how to say aloud.
Alex kept remembering Jamie's hand in his.
Jamie laughing with his grandparents.
Jamie standing beside him while everyone naturally accepted them as a couple.
Most of all, he couldn't stop thinking about the kiss that still seemed to linger against his cheek.
It hadn't felt strange.
It hadn't even felt unexpected.
It had felt...
Right.
He tightened his hands around the steering wheel as city lights slipped past the windshield.
For years, he had imagined that finding the right partner would require searching.
Meeting new people.
Taking chances.
Building something from the beginning.
Tonight had quietly shown him another possibility.
Maybe the person who fit beside him had never been someone he needed to find.
Maybe...
He had been driving home beside him all along.
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