"Really now?" Donghyuck mocked me with his arms crossed from across the dressing room. He had just finished his battle with his bow tie, gave up and had let the ends hang nonchalantly across his collar. That's punishment for being too ambitious for a wedding outfit, I chose the traditional black suit with a black tie, along with a pink rose clipped to my chest pocket - Aunt Tiffany's favourite type of flower.

"I'm thinking spoken word poetry would fit the atmosphere," I continued pondering on the next word, the 2B pencil in my hand. I couldn't think of anything good to say since the last two days, inspiration had to be taken away from me just when I needed it. Ha. "But rhyming seems nice too, I'm just worried it'll sound like a children's rhyme."

"Oh boy..." Donghyuck rolled his eyes. "Here's one 'roses are red, violets are blue; it's our wedding day, I love you'"

"Cliché," I replied, trying the best I could to form a final stanza in my mind. Over the past few months, words, I learned had much more meaning than just saying them out loud. Aunt Tiffany had asked me to give a speech on her wedding day, I didn't think preparing the script would be this hard. Every word I would speak later on at the reception, I wanted it to be remembered and severed for I wouldn't feel like saying them out loud thereafter. "Donghyuck, help me out here. Spoken word or rhyming?"

He shrugged, "Don't ask me, Shakespeare - I'm not a poet. Do you have to choose? Why not spoken word and rhymes?"

The spark of ideas started setting off once again, count on Lee Donghyuck to get what you need. "And, or, anything and everything - Donghyuck, you're a genius!" and immediately, I started writing down all the words overflowing from my mind and onto the yellow legal pad. I was so focused on completing the script, I didn't mind him looking at me with utter confusion. 

"I-I guess I am a genius, Mark Lee..." he scratched his head.

Doc followed Aunt Tiffany's advice and actually shaved his face for once. It made him look ten years younger, and oddly foreign without his facial hair. For a man who handled a house full of mentally ill teenagers 24/7, his wedding day was the thing that kept him on edge. The wedding went according to plan, Aunt Tiffany walking down the aisle in her beauty of a dress as she held her bouquet of light pink roses, hair an ebony black....

Then came the moment of truth...

Donghyuck shoved me a little when I walked towards the podium, I made a promise to kick him after the ceremony was over. Even after more than two years leaving Larson House, I was still getting used talking in front of a big crowd, and this was no less of a fright. I gulped as I stared at the seats of people, my hands were frozen in place unable to move. 

Then at the back of the crowd, was a familiar face. Donghyuck was standing on a chair at the far back so he wouldn't block anyone - with both his arms in the air, and signaling me a 'thumbs-up'. I grinned and reached for the script in my pocket. I cleared my throat, "H-hi, I'm Mark Lee - you'll probably know from the surname by now that my Aunt Tiffany and I are technically not related - so Doc, you don't need to worry about her having any affairs before meeting you. She's still a , hopefully."

That caused an uproar of laughter. 

"Aunt Tiffany," I continued. "You know I'm not the type to speak my mind, because I don't really know how to. So I wouldn't call this a speech - but more specifically something you'd enjoy listening to rather than me rambling nonsense. It's called 'A Gift'." before continuing on, I my lips. 

"And, or - two similar words yet so different from each other. The decision of choosing between either, or having the option of both. Two simple words, yet when put into use, they become words to make hearts ache. To choose between choosing anything over anything, then deciding to have everything of everything - I believe that makes the difference. They say love has many forms, each persona adapting to one's liking; Love can be winter as well as spring, love can be a starburst of constellations as well as the sun lovers were crashing into; love is an everchanging shapeshifter, playful when it should and important when it's supposed to be. Then some people say that love hurts and cuts and burns, it causes wars and sadness and despair."

I could all eyes on me, being still as mice. I carried on, "But that's the perfect illusion to be fooled by. Yes, love can be anything - but never a crook. Love doesn't hurt, loneliness hurts, rejection hurts, losing someone hurts, waking up everyday knowing the person you once loved will no longer whisper back the identical 'I love you' whenever you open your eyes - that hurts. Everyone confuses these things with love when in reality, love is the only thing in this world that covers up all the pain bottled within us. Love has a right to take a leave, to have a break - and when love comes back - you might not recognize it, as it may come with a different face, in a different form. But no matter how different love changes, smile and welcome it with open arms." I got to the last line, I felt that wave of melancholy again. 

I didn't expect such a big round of applause, but it was deafening to me. I didn't mean for Aunt Tiffany to cry on her wedding day, but she was b with tears as Doc held her close. I ran down from the podium and sprinted towards her. "Aunt Tiffany, I-I'm so sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

Miraculously, she shook her head. "No, no Mark. Sweetie, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. And you recited it perfectly." she hugged me tight, I responded the same way. After I was no longer haphephobic, I realized I was a hugger. I didn't mind embracing friends and relatives, a handshake didn't make the cut. I felt another pair of arms wrap around the two of us, I knew it was Doc. I raised my head, Donghyuck was standing at a corner, looking at us. 

I beckoned him over, he was reluctant but eventually gave in and joined the hug. The four of us stayed in our little circle, and I felt like we were the center of the universe. 

"For family?" Doc finally said, his smile brighter than ever before kissing Aunt Tiffany. 

"Family." Donghyuck and I answered at the same time. 

It was time for the tossing of the bouquet.

The twenty or so female guests lined up, excited as if it was their wedding day. It was none of our business, so Donghyuck and I decided to stay away from the crowd of rabid single females. He nudged me, "You thirsty?" he asked.

"Kinda, yeah I am." I answered and grinned. "I could really use a glass of punch. Better yet some of that leftover champagne."

"And who gave you the authority to boss me around, Lee?" he crossed his arms.

"Because I'm older than you," I stuck out my tongue.

"Really? You're gonna make that move?" he rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll see if I can find some poison ivy around to put in your glass." and he walked towards the drink table. 

"Aunt Tiffany wouldn't like that,"

"Your welcome." 

When I turned back to the crowd of female guests, Aunt Tiffany was about to throw her bouquet. The bundle of pink roses went up in the air, and spun like a dice. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, guests jumping around to catch them. I counted how many times it spun. One, two, three, four, five-

It landed right onto my head, and bounced into my hands. I caught it. My eyes widened in surprise, unsure of how to react. My attention darted towards everyone else, responding in complaints and groans. All Aunt Tiffany did was laugh, covering to not show how much she found it funny. It wasn't.

"T-this doesn't count!" I said, flustered. "I'm a guy! You all can have it!" I offered the bouquet to the guests, but no one wanted to accept it anymore. 

"Mark, once the bouquet is thrown and when somebody catches it - it's already taken," Aunt Tiffany told me. "That means you're going to find your true love very soon, sweetie."

Was she serious with this?

"Ha. Ha, very funny Aunt Tiffany," I said without any tone. "Now can I give you back your flowers? I don't need them anyway."

"Oh no, do keep the flowers."

I held onto them for the sake of making her happy on her wedding day, I was being a very good foster son. The last segment of the night had arrived, and the slow dance music rolled in. Doc and Aunt Tiffany had taken a swing on the dancefloor and were waltzing for all I cared. In all my boredome and misery, I sat at the empty table as I bobbed my head to the music. I found myself dreaming in silver gold-

"Like a scene from a movie, that every broken heart knows..." Donghyuck stood next to me, his hands in his pockets. He knew the words to the song, and was humming along. He eyed me and grinned crookedly, "You look bored, Mark Lee."

I snorted, "As if watching lovestruck people dancing along to 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You' isn't boring enough."

Out of nowhere, he held out his hand. I raised my eyebrows, he looked like he was waiting for me to reach out. "Care for a dance, Lee?" he asked sheepishly. 

I couldn't tell if he was joking. I blinked, "Are you for real now?" I asked. 

He shrugged, "If you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em." 

"But-"

"I'm giving you a chance to put those goddamned roses down, don't say I didn't try to help out." and impulsively, he grabbed my hand. Just like that, he dragged me onto the dancefloor, under the flashy lights and surrounded by crowds of swinging guests. 

I looked at him, dumbfounded, "Are you sure you aren't high, Donghyuck?" 

He rolled his eyes, "Just roll with me, Mark Lee. It'd be nice if you'd stop asking so much, it's not always that I get to tantalize you with a wedding dance. Besides, I'd like to see your mad dance skills."

"That's it, I don't know how to dance!" 

"Me neither," he answered. "What better way to make a fool out of ourselves? Besides, I'm sure it won't be that hard - they always look pretty simple in the movies."

"Wow, that's your logic right now?"

"Just shut up and dance with me, Lee." 

Reluctantly, I shut up. We were in a very awkward position, where I wasn't sure where to put both of my hands and he had no idea where to look. The way I put it, we looked like two awkwardly positioned statues that were out of place. Still, we managed to move around a little. But I couldn't deny our situation was funny.

"So this is was your wonderful idea?" I said, trying to not burst out laughing. "Congratulations, genius."

"Thank me later, Lee," he groaned, but I knew he was laughing inside too. "One more week, and we'll be back in school again."

I sighed, "Senior year, here we come. I can't believe it's been two years since you moved in, it's like a dream you know. Doc proposing to my aunt, you guys staying with us - it's all like a coincidence, right?"

"I'll trust you to make everything seem poetic and feelsy," he teased. "But yeah, I'm thankful. Hey, I think we're getting the hang of it." 

We had only upgraded from shifting sideways to moving in a circle, but it was improvement anyway. "Let's take this as practice before prom." he suggested.

I groaned, "I escaped it at Larson House, now I have to do it again?"

He laughed, "We'll both steal Doc's car and camp out at Chipotle, then."