Beyond the Sun

“I have never had that much food in my life,” Vengeance groaned as he sat back in his chair, glancing over at Gina for sympathy. When he received none, he tried me. “I might explode, honestly.”

“You seem to forget the gargantuan meal you had at our place about three weeks ago, Zack,” I said with a smile. “Or did that plate of ribs, steak, and mashed potatoes mean absolutely nothing to you?” I cracked a smile, and he sighed, knowing that he was caught.

Brian’s smooth lips met my cheek. “You forgot one, love,” he said softly, his rusty voice a gorgeous husky tone when in a whisper. “I seem to remember fish filets.” I smiled a little.
Vengeance opened his mouth to say something, but as he did, the band Brian had hired walked to the stage. They were meant to sort of be a surprise for me, so the lights were dimmed and the band made it impossible for me to catch their faces, but then a small blue light focused in on the man that was meant to be the vocalist.

I looked back at Brian, and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck and smiling to himself.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” came a familiar rasp. “If you’re here for Brian, you’ve heard of me and my band, and if you’re here for Heather, well…you may have just heard our music at top volume.” There were a few quiet chuckles throughout the guests. “If Brian and Heather would so please to find their way to the dance floor, me and the guys would like to provide the music for their dance as husband and wife.”

I slid from where I was halfway perched on Brian’s lap, and he took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

As we walked and my free hand found its way to Brian’s shoulder, a guitar played the intro to Beyond the Sun, and as Brian pulled me closer to his body, his arm snug but warm around my waist, gently touching his lips to my forehead, Brent began to sing the words.
I closed my eyes as my head found Brian’s shoulder, and he ducked his head so that his cheek could rest against mine, his breathing slow and even- he’d closed his eyes, too. We moved in small circles, and as the music began to escalate, Brian held me tighter, murmuring the words in my ear. I bit my lip, becoming lost in this dance- it was just us and the music.

And of course Brent made accommodations with his voice for the size of the room, which was much smaller than any concert venue he’d ever performed in. There was just something about the way he sang the words- as though the dislike for marriage we’d all teased him about a year and a half ago was long gone, and he was believing in eternal love because of this wedding.

I just could never fully swallow the fact that a man like Brian was so happy swearing his life away to me. A year and a half ago, he’d been a free man- he’d been able to date, flirt, and kiss more than one girl and get away with it- and he’d given all that up for me.
I lifted my head from his shoulder, meeting his gaze as he lifted his head as well, and he smiled down at me before gently kissing my forehead, my nose, and my lips.

“I love you,” he whispered, and I held on to his hand a little bit tighter. “You will always be my sun.” I smiled back at him, and he touched my chin with his knuckles before returning his hand to my waist. The smile remained- he was so gentle now, and so many months ago, he’d been a rock star ready to take on the world.

He still was a rock star, but he wasn’t moving so quickly toward the world domination anymore. He always seemed more than willing to let me hold him back- ultimately agreeing tonight that we could work on starting a family. “You amaze me,” I whispered back to him, and he simply chuckled, letting his lips rest on my forehead.

“You amaze me more,” he whispered, his voice breathy against my skin, and I gave him a gentle kiss as the song came to an end. “Go find your father. I have to get my mom.” He flashed a smile, pulling his hand from my waist and kissing my hand like a prince would with a princess before walking over to his mother.

I watched him for a moment before I turned to find where my parents were sitting.
“And now,” Brent said into the microphone, “the bride will dance with her father and the groom will dance with his mother. If they would so kindly take the floor, we have a song for them as well.”

There was yet another acoustic introduction, and as I reached my father, he smiled and rose, offering me his arm and leading me to the dance floor when I took it. I could see Brian doing the same with his mom, and she looked over at me, a warm gleam in her eyes. He winked at me, and then he began to lead his mom into the same kind of dance he’d just had with me, except she was grinning up at him and they were already having a quiet conversation.

I looked up at my father, and he smiled warmly down at me. “What do you think?” I asked him. “Does he pass?”

He sighed, and I found it easy not to listen to the music being played- even though Simple Man was one of my favorites. After a few moments, he said, “It’s not as though I have much say any longer, but yes. He seems genuine, and it’s obvious that he makes you happy.” He smiled again. “That’s all your mother and I want for you, child.”

“I know it is, dad. I just…I was so afraid someone would say something about having an objection, and…”

He shushed me by shaking his head. “We shouldn’t talk of such things on your wedding night, my dear.” I nodded, letting him pull me close to him, as though he was giving me a hug or something, even though we were still technically dancing. “All I’ll say is that Brian is a good man, and whether your mother will ever approve or not…I do. You chose well.” He kissed my hair, and then for the rest of the dance, we were silent.

When the song was over and Brian came over to me, I gave my father a small smile before walking back to the table with the man that was my husband, settling beside Vengeance once again, catching Brent’s gaze and flashing a smile at him. It thrilled me that he and his band were here to perform for our wedding. I knew that this was really only a renewing of our vows, technically, but it was beginning to feel like the closure we’d intended it to be, and that made me feel a little better inside. I didn’t feel so horrible for letting Brian take me away into the sunset anymore, and that was enough to satisfy me.

I didn’t want to feel guilty for being in love any longer.

And nobody made me feel that way all night. All they made comments about was how well Brian and I went together, how sweet he was with me despite his rock star alter ego, how adoringly his friends watched over us, and how perfect this night was.

And as sad as it was, I couldn’t really pay attention to the time as it passed. It seemed that the next four hours were simply a meshed together melee of dancing and sipping lemonade instead of the wedding reception that it was.

I didn’t care. All I could think about was being alone with Brian at our house, in our bedroom, on our bed, him making good on the almost-promise he’d made tonight. I could only imagine the smooth planes of his long body, and each time he went to the dance floor without me because I didn’t know the dance and wanted to talk to Gina, he was the only one I watched.

A woman obsessed was what I had become.

Gina could obviously sense this, and she smiled, patting my hand whenever my expression seemed too hopeless for my own wedding, and I just couldn’t stop watching him.

I couldn’t stop wanting him.