Carry Me

Ping. Ping. Ping!

The crowd, filled with a few dozen family and friends, turned their attention to the main table. Brian had stood up and was hitting his glass with his fork, trying to get everyone’s attention so he could give his speech about Matt and Addison.

Levia sat next to Addison, who was perched in a large, almost throne like chair. Matt was in a similar one right next to her, and the two were holding hands discreetly.

No more need to be discreet, really.

The entire wedding party sat facing the rest of the room, allowing Levia full access to creeping on whoever she wanted. She let her gaze wander around the room, absorbing all of the familiar and unfamiliar faces. She could see all of her family in one section of tables near the front, the various tones of skin and obvious variety of heritage, making it easy for her to pick them out. She could see Matt’s family, including his parents and sister, near her own family.

On the other side of the large reception hall, there were the many friends of Matt and Addison. Most of them included bands they were friends with, like the guys of Good Charlotte, Papa Roach, Shinedown, and their families. Addison’s closest friends were all her bridesmaids, so there were only a few other people that Levia recognized.

Movement at the Papa Roach/Shinedown table caught Levia’s eye as she looked around. It appeared that Jacoby and Tony were having a leg pinching fight, much to the amusement of Shinedown and Jacoby’s boys at the next table. Levia could see Kelly shaking her head in disappointment, though it was easy to see that she found it just as funny.

Jacoby chose that moment to look up, and Levia froze. He had caught her staring.

Was it her fault that he looked so nice in that suit of his? His purple dress shirt underneath made his eyes stand out, and Levia was struck. It was almost like when she looked into Zacky’s eyes; she could never get away from the gaze.

He smiled at her and gave a wink. Levia knew she was probably blushing and looked at the table. Anywhere but Jacoby.

“And when I caught those two in my laundry room, that one summer night, I knew they were meant to be-”

Brian continued to give his speech, which apparently was pretty funny since almost everyone in the room was chuckling to themselves, while Levia let her mind drift to other things. This included Zacky and his eyes, and Levia suddenly had the urge to look at them.

His lifted up her head and to her surprise, Zacky was already watching her. He smiled slightly at her and she smiled back. She wasn’t used to guys treating her so sweetly, with such respect. She was used to just being…there. Just a shadow amongst everyone else. It was nice to have someone notice her.

Two someones…actually…

Levia had gotten so caught up in staring at Zacky that she didn’t notice Brian’s speech was over until Veronica nudged her in the side. Everyone was clapping, even Zacky, so Levia quickly joined in.

“You were spacing out there, huh? Everything okay?”

Levia nodded at Veronica, “I’m fine.”

She chuckled, “You missed Jimmy’s interruption. It was hilarious.”

Levia frowned. Knowing Jimmy, whatever he had to say would have been highly amusing. And probably true.

Levia’s eyes widened as various foods were passed around and down the long table. Caterers carried food in an out from some unknown place, and Levia was overwhelmed with all the choices.

She could never make a decision.

“It’s just food, Lev,” Matt chuckled, digging into a piece of delicious looking breaded chicken, “it’s not like you have to choose between guy-ow!”

Addison smacked him lightly on the arm and gave him a disapproving look before looking at her sister, “Ignore him.”

“That’s not how you should talk to your husband,” Matt mumbled, pouting slightly.

Addison rolled her eyes and leaned over to give Matt a kiss on the cheek, “You know I love you.”

Matt smiled like a little kid, his dimples showing, “I know.”

Levia bit her lip to keep from smiling. Those two were just too cute.

“Hey! Lovebirds! Let the girl eat!” Brian said with a mouthful of potatoes, smacking Matt on the arm.

Matt tossed his hands in the air in half annoyance, “People! Stop hitting me!”

Jimmy reached behind Brian and slapped Matt on the back of the head, grinning innocently when Matt looked his way.

Matt pointed an accusing finger at Jimmy, “You better watch it.”

Jimmy screamed like a little girl, earning strange looks from the nearby tables.

“Oh I’m so scared! Big bad Matt is gonna get me!” he cried in a high pitched voice.

Zacky coughed, choking a bit on his wine. He smiled sheepishly when Matt gave him a glare.

“Sorry. It was funny.”

Levia smiled to herself. She loved these people.

Something, or someone caught her eye again in the middle of the room. One guess as to who it was.

Jacoby was flicking spoonfuls of potatoes at Brent Smith, who was wondering where all the mashed potatoes on his suit were coming from.

Levia tried not to laugh, but failed and let out a rather loud snort. Everyone at her head table turned to look at her, with Jimmy laughing like an evil genius for unknown reasons and Zacky staring at Levia like an infatuated idiot. Levia paid no attention to the latter, since she was too busy gawking at Jacoby, who was grinning at her suggestively.

Jerry hit him on the arm and the two exchanged words Levia couldn’t hear over the loud noise of conversation in the room. He winked again at Levia, running his tongue over his lips before turning his attention back to Jerry.

Levia tried to hide her face, but Veronica caught it call before Levia could even try.

She smiled guiltily and Veronica laughed.

“I didn’t see a thing.”

Levia let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, more than just slightly embarrassed.

“No problem.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Levia watched with interest as the Papa Roach guys got set up on stage. They tried to be secretive about it, but the entire place knew what they were doing, anyway.

They were going to be performing Matt and Addison’s wedding song.

Only the Roach guys knew what song it was. Not even Matt and Addison knew, but they were willing to let the guys choose their unofficial song. Of course, that meant that they had chosen an ‘official’ one for themselves. Levia wondered what it was…

“Earth to Levia!”

Levia snapped her head over to Laney, who was looking at her curiously.

“You alright?”

Levia nodded, smiling when she saw Johnny sneak up behind Laney and wrap his arms around her. Levia remembered how just two short months ago, the two had hated each other with a passion, and now they loved each other with so much passion it hurt Levia to even look at them. They really were ‘the next Matt and Addi’, as Zacky had named them.

“Where’s Zacky?” Levia asked, interrupting Johnny, whom she didn’t even know was speaking.

Johnny rested his chin on Laney’s shoulder, “Chatting with your family, I think.”

Levia raised an eyebrow and looked over in the direction of her dad and his family’s table. Indeed, Zacky was seated there, playing with Damien and chatting up Nana Wallace, Levia’s grandmother.

“He keeps putting the moves on your grandma. It’s hilarious!” Laney said with a chuckle.

Levia watched Zacky, and it did look like he was playfully hitting on Nana, who enjoyed the attention. Papa Wallace was also amused.

Levia thanked Johnny and Laney, deciding to leave them to their own devices until Papa Roach was finally set up. She walked over to her dad’s table, concentrating on not twisting her already sore ankle in her heels. She wasn’t a big fan of them, but it was all for Addison. It was worth the risk.

“Levia! Meine kleine enkelin! Alle erwachsen!”

Levia smiled at Nana’s use of German and hugged the small woman. Her Papa, much to her relief, spoke to her in English and not his second language of Swahili.

“Nice to see you, little Levia,” Papa spoke, his voice deep and booming, much like her father’s.

Zacky watched the exchange between Levia and her grandparents with a smile on his face. Damien sat on his lap, mumbling words about guitars and music, to which Zacky would happily reply back to.

Levia couldn’t help but watch him with a smile. He was just too sweet, that man.

“Your geliebter, Zacky, is quite the nice young man,” Nana said, her German accent thick.

“Oma!” Levia exclaimed, embarrassed.

“You mean to tell me he is not your geliebter?” Nana asked, confused.

Zacky chuckled, bouncing Damien on one knee as he looked up at Levia, a smirk on his face. Her face grew hot and she gave him a judging look.

“You understand everything she’s saying, don’t you?”

It was more of a statement than a question, and Zacky nodded.

“Ich tue.”

Levia put her head in her hands as her family laughed at her expense. She forgot Zacky was of German heritage. Granted, he probably didn’t grow up with it like she did, but he probably knew enough.

Zacky patted his other knee, gesturing for Levia to sit on him. She shifted her eyes around, not meeting the gaze of her grandparents or her father.

“Just do it, already!” Barry said, his loud voice half joking, half disgusted.

Nana picked up Damien and put him on her own lap, allowing Levia to fully sit on Zacky, though her side was to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she put one arm around his neck, her head tilted downwards.

“No need to be embarrassed, meine liebe,” Zacky chuckled, earning a loud laugh from Nana.

“Oh mein! I love this boy already!” she chuckled, patting Zacky on the back.

“Well at least you’ve got Nana’s stamp of approval,” CJ said, giving Levia a smile.

Barry rolled his eyes, “Mom, really. Leave my poor girl alone! You’re embarrassing the shit out of her!”

Papa snorted, similar to Levia, while Nana gave her son a disapproving look.

Levia ignored the rest of the conversation, and her Nana’s lecture, choosing instead to focus on Zacky and his arms around her. He had called her ‘his love’, and allowed her grandma to refer to him as her ‘lover’. Didn’t that mean something?

Of course, he could just be joking around, playing with his knowledge of German. Maybe Levia was just overanalyzing things. Maybe it was all just a joke. After all, Levia knew that a month of dating certainly wasn’t enough time to fall in love. Was it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by two things. One was Jacoby starting to speak into the microphone, his gaze fixed on Levia. The other was Zacky’s hand running up and down her thigh under her dress.

One look from Jacoby, to Levia, to Zacky, was all it took for Nana to figure everything out. She gave Levia an amused look.

Levia tried to ignore the tingles that ran up her thigh when Zacky touched her, but it was no use. She tried to focus on Jacoby’s voice instead.

“Will the bride and groom please make their way onto the dance floor?”