**** 2 left, it's drawing to a close! ****

The week went by agonizingly slow, and yet, now that it was here it seemed to have gone too fast.

Ronnie had kept his promise to take me away whenever I got too uncomfortable, much to most of my families discontent.

Now today was the day. My little baby brother was getting married. He would no longer walk the path of his life alone. Now, he would have Mae by his side, and Mae would have him by her side.

I did my best not to let my pessimism take control of my mind. I tried not to think of affairs and miscarriages and all the bad that can happen to put a strain on a marriage. I pushed divorce rates out of my mind.

I only let the image of August smiling into a bashful Mae's face as they joined hands and turned to face the priest.

I didn't think of my lack of religious beliefs. I only thought of how Mae clutched onto August's hand so tightly I could see the skin dip underneath her grip.

I only thought of how August only smiled at the sensation, leaning his head to rest against Mae's, as, with Mae's high heels, she was tall enough to reach past his shoulders.

Throughout the service, I found myself not even registering what the priest was saying. No, instead I focused on every little step and gesture that they made towards each other.

They didn't need words to show their love; their body language did enough already to prove their enamored affection for each other.

They were completely in orbit with each other, and it was so fulfilling to see that the affection was returned tenfold, an endless supply of attention and affection.

They didn't look away from each other once.

Even when the ceremony was over, and August carried Mae out of the cathedral, their eyes never left each other.

They took quite a while to arrive at the after party, and Leah and I were considering that they had started a little early on the honeymoon part of the marriage.

But they did show up, and Mae did her father daughter dance whilst August grabbed my mother's hand and pulled her on the floor as well.

My chest tightened, seeing how happy they all seemed to be, how comfortable and affectionate they were towards each other.

I couldn't help but feel completely and utterly out of place, as if I didn't belong here.

But that was nonsense, I belonged here because August had asked me to come. This day was about him and Mae, and both had seemed very happy that I was there.

I didn't let myself consider the possibility that they were faking it.

And apparently, neither did August, because before I saw it coming, he had made his way over to me and grabbed my hands, pulling me to the center of the dance floor and dancing with me.

I used to complain that he would never do stuff with me. I guess he remembered, because he decided to involve me in his wedding dances.

I looked over to see Mae dancing with who I assumed to be her older brother, as their similarities were uncanny.

"I know it was really hard for you to come, Ryker. I just wanted to thank you for going through it for me."

I blinked rapidly in a failed attempt to prevent the tears from pooling out of my eyes.

"August, I would cross an ocean of lava if it meant I got to see you look this happy. It's nothing, I promise."

August smiled, and I caught him ogling Mae, which only made me happier than I had come and been able to witness this.

August let go of me after the song ended, and I retreated back to the wall of people as he made his way to Mae for their first dance as a married couple.

However, I was instead pulled back to the dance floor, pulled towards a familiar, warm chest.

"So, can you ever imagine having something like this?"

I looked at Ronnie, smiling a bit.

"You know, when I was younger I always thought I would never ever get married. But, who knows. I've gotten rather sentimental over the past few years. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, sharing my life and my entire being with someone, so officially."

Ronnie smiled, leaning his forehead on mine.

It was probably a good thing that the music stopped before we could kiss, because I'm sure August really didn't need to see me having a heated kiss with Ronnie - and it would get heated. It almost always did.

"Alright everybody, it's time for the games."

Mae sat down on a chair, making silly - sexual faces as August kneeled down and crawled over to her, putting his hands under her dress.

He probably started tickling her, because soon Mae was squirming and chuckling whilst giving a half hearted berating look to August, who smiled sheepishly and pulled out her garter.

He spun around in enough circles to get dizzy, before blindly tossing the garter.

Someone from Mae's side of the family caught it, and he smirked proudly before probably realizing that it had been on Mae's thigh, and dropping it in an instant.

Mae laughed, grabbing her bouquet and turning her back towards the collection of girls.

I stayed with Ronnie in the middle, not one for fighting over a bouquet to determine if I was to be the next to get married.

It's not like it worked anyways, right?

Luna caught it, and she snorted as the man who'd caught Mae's garter started walking towards her.

Max put his arm around her soon enough, to make it clear that she wasn't available, as if anyone couldn't tell they were together.

The music started again and Ronnie pulled me back into a dance, and I smiled, relieved that today had gone so well, and that Mae and August seemed so happy.