I sat down at the bar and watched Danny dance another set with the handsome young man. They were laughing and chatting like two peas in a fucking pod. Yeah I was jealous as hell. How could he brush me under the rug so damn easily? How could he forget the way we pleasured each other last night? I glared at my scotch and spun the glass around on the counter. Fairy lights glowed above the bar as I finished my drink and ordered another one.

A tall woman in a long midnight blue dress sidled up to me. She was the same lady who was barking orders at the staff earlier. She ordered a glass of wine for herself and sat down next to me. I could feel her eyes on me while I drank my second glass of scotch.

“You’re not so bad for an American band.” She told me.

“Thanks, I guess.”

She took a sip from her glass and cleared her throat. “I don’t fault you for drinking around all this abomination. This is one gay circus, not a proper wedding.”

I stiffened at her words. She rubbed me the wrong way. She was so fucking judgmental. “Anyone should be free to be with whomever they want”

She raised an offended eyebrow before turning to look at Danny who was having the time of his life with the other prince. “Daniel sure looks like he wants something. What a waste of a man.” She said in a voice rich with disapproval.

I tightened my grip around the glass. People like her were the reason I decided to stay gay behind closed doors. I was fucking sick and tired of being labeled a certain way. Tabloids and magazines already spread false rumors about me. I didn’t want to give them more shit to talk about. The world was filled with judgmental assholes. This woman was a prime example of why I kept my private shit to myself.

The bride flashed me a smile as she got up with a microphone in her hand. She was actually a very decent and humble woman for a princess. She waved her floral bouquet in the air and invited all the single ladies to gather around for the traditional bouquet toss.

“Danny! You too.” She giggled.

Prince charming shook his head no. He looked embarrassed as fuck. Those high cheekbones of his were too damn irresistible.

“Come over here, Danny boy. I insist.”

“Fine. Just this once.” He chuckled and joined the group of women who were patiently waiting for Lizzie to toss the bouquet. She turned around and counted to three before tossing it over her shoulder. I smiled when I saw Danny reaching upwards to catch it. I wished I could be just as bold as he was. He didn’t give a shit about what other people thought of him.

The flying bouquet landed in his arms. Lizzie turned around and laughed when she saw him. He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Looks like my favorite cousin is getting married soon!” She gushed.

He pinched her freckled cheek and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry ladies. I stole all of your luck tonight.” He apologized to the disappointed women.

Lizzie sat down and stretched out her left leg. It was time for the groom to find her garter. He invited all the single men to gather around him as he crouched down and reached under the bride’s dress. “You do know what a garter looks like, right?” She giggled as he went fishing under the puffy fabric of her skirt.

“Yeah. You showed it to me last night, remember?”

He tugged it down her leg before raising it in the air like a prize he just won. “Are you guys ready for the garter toss?” He got up and turned around. His friends gathered behind him and were joined by Scott, Calvin, and Guy. They called me over, forcing me to take part in that weird tradition. Why would anyone throw a piece of underwear during a wedding? Why the fuck was a garter considered a good luck charm anyway? It was just a piece of fabric they used a long time ago to keep stockings from slipping.

Mark tossed the damn thing in the air. It flew in my direction before hitting me square in the head. I automatically reached upwards and caught it with my hand.

Fuck.

Lizzie clapped her hands and announced that I had to dance with Nathan. “This is our tradition around here. Whoever catches the bouquet must dance with the garter guy.” She explained.

I was stunned. Shit like that never happened to me at weddings.

“This is completely up to you, Nathan.” She reassured me. “If you don’t feel confident enough to dance with Danny, then feel free to give the garter to someone else.”

“So, what exactly is the dance for?” I asked, trying to sound casual about the whole thing.

“It’s an old Raplen matchmaking tradition I guess.” She replied. “It’s meant to cast a love spell on the bouquet and garter couple. You can simply do it to honor this tradition and make one of your fans incredibly happy. I’m pretty sure Danny won’t mind dancing with you.”

I glanced at her cousin who was busy handing out roses to the single ladies who failed to catch the bouquet. “I don’t mind dancing with him either.”

She grinned and called him over. He handed her the flowers and gave me a polite smile. “Shall we?” He reached out and took my hand. It felt odd to have a guy hold my hand in public. I tried to go with the flow and ignore the awkwardness of the situation. The Raplen crowd barely looked at us as we made our way to the dance floor. I guess they were used to same-sex couples, unlike my band mates over there. Scott and Calvin were snickering and pretending to gag. I needed to have another conversation with those two about respecting our hosts. Danny and his family were incredibly gracious and hospitable. They didn’t deserve this fucking homophobic circus I brought along with me.

“Having fun?” Danny’s baritone voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yeah. This is the fanciest wedding I’ve ever been to.”

“By the way, my grandmother was very impressed with your performance. She wants you to perform at our annual Jubilee celebration.”

“Wow. Holy shit. Really?” I stared deep into his ocean blue eyes. He was serious. Dead serious.

“Yes.” He nodded. “The celebration is in two weeks.”

We danced at an acceptable distance while I contemplated his offer. “I’ll have to discuss this with my manager first. We don’t have any more tour dates so we should be free by then.”

“Good. I’m pleased to hear that.” His fingers flirted with my waist.

I licked my lips and drowned in his ocean blue eyes. The soft piano ballad faded in the background along with everybody else while we swayed to our very own rhythm. He was incredibly hard to read but I could tell that he was still attracted to me.

“Can I see you later?” I whispered.

He stiffened at my question. “It’s not wise of us to meet in secret anymore. Sorry.”