Suffocation.

Finally, after months of careful preparation and Frankie breathing down everybody's necks, tonight it the night of the wedding rehearsal. After school let out for spring break Daphne, Graham, Toby, Melanie and I drove up to New London to meet the rest of the family the night before.

The hotel is only a short minute drive to the location of the wedding; Harkness Memorial State Park. My dad and Denise had booked the Eolia Mansion for all of Saturday as Bobby and Frankie's wedding present.

The venue is absolutely breathing taking. The ceremony is taking place in the outside amphitheater that is surrounded in beautiful, blooming flowers and outlooks the ocean. Cocktail hour would be held in the gardens followed by the reception that will be held in the ballroom of the mansion.

Frankie put me to work by putting my in charge of overseeing the reception set up; which isn't hard. This isn't the first wedding this set up crew has set up for, but everyone agrees that it's best to do what the bride wants.

Once set up is complete, we finally start the dress rehearsal. Frankie, Daphne, Melanie and myself sit in the bride's room until Denise says that it is time. One by one, with me in front and Frankie bringing up the rear we make our way out of the Eolia Mansion and down the amphitheater steps, down to the waiting groom and his groomsmen.

We quickly breeze through the ceremony; Frankie ha had everyone practice this part multiple times before. We pair up, Toby and Melanie, Daphne and Frankie's brother Alec, myself and Graham, and follow Bobby and Frankie back down the aisle.

My dad booked the large banquet room and called a caterer to do the reception dinner. Frankie and Bobby are having a smaller wedding since the venue has a maximum capacity of one hundred and fifty people, the more important friends and family members were invited to the dinner.

I slide a bracelet onto my wrist before Daphne and I head down to the elevator to go to the banquet room. We run into Graham and Alec in the hallway. I give Graham a warm smile, I haven't really spoken to him all day and we haven't been alone together since before we got here yesterday night. Graham gives me a small smile and mutters a greeting as he averts hi eyes to the floor.

"I just want to say thank you so much to Daphne and Lennon, they have helped me so much through this wedding and I am so lucky that you two are finally my sisters," Frankie says holding up her wine glass as she makes a toast the head of the table.

Once dinner is served and the focus is off the wedding party, I slip my hand underneath the cotton tablecloth, resting it inconspicuously on Graham's thigh. As I start to trace small circles on his leg with my fingertips he grips my hand and pushes it off him, giving me a harsh sideways glance. After a moment, I do it again, only instead of resting my hand on his thigh, I find his hand, and intertwine our fingers together.

Graham tenses, pushing my hand away again. He leans over the table to talk to my dad, "Lennon and I have to go finish the best man and maid of honor speeches. We want them to coincide with one another. Thank you for the fabulous dinner," Graham quickly gets up from the table and leaves the banquet room.

I rush to follow him out and he's already getting onto the elevator. We're silent, I can tell that Graham is trying hard to focus on something but I am not sure what. We get off on the third floor and travel down the hall to his room that he shares with Bobby.

I barely had the door closed behind me when Graham and whipping me around, pressing my against the door and attacking my face with his own. He's like a crazed, starved animal and I am his prey. His lips don't linger on a patch of skin for too long as we works his way along my neck and collarbone, biting, sucking, and licking my sensitive skin.

Graham's fingers push the hem of my dress up and over my hips then he hooks his two index fingers into my panties and yank them down until they fall around my ankles and I step out of them. He moves to grip my bottom, picking me up and turning to toss me onto the bed.

Within minutes Graham is producing a condom out of his pocket and slipping it onto himself, before forcefully entering inside me. I let out a large outtake of air from the unexpected assault. At first I try to slow his tempo but I give up quickly, deciding to match him thrust for thrust until I can feel the familiar feeling that is building up inside of me.

"Come on, Baby," Graham growls and it's enough for me to let go, feeling a wave crash over my entire body. "Yes," he hisses as he finds his own release.

Graham collapses on top of me, his heaving breath warming the skin on my neck. I let out a laugh as soon as Graham rolls onto his back.

"Wow, that came out of left field."

"Yeah well you're wearing that with your legs and your back all showing, and touching me. What did you expect?"

"I didn't know that my attire would have such an effect of you."

"You always have an effect on me. I just couldn't control myself this time."

"Always? Even at school," I joke.

"Even at school," he nods. "You're very alluring in that uniform. It makes me think impure thoughts."

I rolled on top of Graham, straddling his hips as I grab the hem of my dress and pull it over my head, ready to start round two.

*

Frankie stood looking in the mirror as I smoothed out the train of her dress. I have never seen anyone look so radiant before, no one smile like the way Frankie is smiling right now.

"I'm glad you're in my wedding. I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you and Daphne helping me," she says to me when we make eye contact through the glass.

"Happy I could help," I say as I look down at my own dress. Daphne and I have the same style dress, only mine is knee length and silver instead of dark gray. Melanie has the same dress as Daphne with small spaghetti straps as the only difference.

"You ready dear?" Frankie's father said, popping his head into the room.

Frankie nods then turns to me, "You still have the ring right?"

I hold up my thumb to show Bobby's wedding band. She smiles again and we take our cue to line up with Melanie in front and Frankie in back, right behind me.

This is the first time seeing any of the guys in their tuxes. They all have the same tux, just the ties, vests and pocket squares are different. Bobby is wearing a coral color vest that matches our shoes and flowers, Graham is wearing the same silver color as the shade of my dress, and both Alex and Toby are wearing the dark gray color that Daphne and Melanie have on to complete the colors of the wedding.

"Do you, Francesca Renee Miller take this man, Robert Anthony Holt-Abrams as your husband, to love him and to honor him, to nurture, serve and support him, in times of joy and in times of difficulty? Do you promise to remain by his side regardless of what trouble befalls you, and in the presence of temptation to forsake this love; do you promise to remain steadfast and true? Do you promise with all your heart and soul to honor this vow till death do you part? If so, answer now, 'I do.'," the officiate says into a microphone that is clipped onto his suit.

"I do," Frankie chokes out passed her joyful tears.

I can see tears welling up in Bobby's eyes as he says those two words as well.

"With the power invested in me and the state of Connecticut, I pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride," the man stepped back to allow Frankie and Bobby to share their first kiss as a married couple.

The crowd exploded with cheers and clapping as they made their way down the aisle, Graham and I linked arm in arm, following them.

Once the wedding party and family were finished taking what seemed to be thousands of photos and the guests have enjoyed cocktail hour, everyone besides the bride and groom head to the reception area to wait for them to be properly announced.

Graham drums his fingers casually against my shoulder as his arm hangs off the back of my chair. Frankie and Bobby are intertwined with each other on the dance floor and for the moment all eyes are on them.

"Lennon," Graham whispers quietly in my ear.

"Yeah?" I smile up at him.

"I think I love you too. No, I know that I love you."

I had blurted out that I thought I loved him the night of my birthday. I know nothing about love, but I know that this is it. "I know that I love you too."