As he allowed his body to give way to the music he saw him there across the room. It had been years since they’d last seen each other, but now he saw him in a new light. He glowed a million shades of neon greens and blues as the spotlights hit him in all the right places, and his eyes caught his as the music faded into the distance.

“You have spaghetti on your nose” Ryan pointed out to West who was golfing down the spaghetti like it was his last meal on Earth. The two boys burst into laughter as Ryan’s Mother Mrs. Jenkins came over with a fresh plate of warm garlic bread. “You boys are so cute together, I hope your friendship lasts forever.” The boys smiled warmly at each other as Mrs. Jenkins took her seat at the head of the table. “Why I bet you’ll even be each other’s best men at your weddings.” Ryan looked to West with a sad confused smile. “I want West to be at my wedding Mum.” And she smiled back thinking she’d ended the conversation with her first bite of spaghetti.

Mrs. Jenkins took Ryan’s nervous arm in hers as she led him down the aisle towards an anxious West, standing handsomely in his burgundy velvet suit.

West stood still waiting for Ryan to cross the room, neither said a single word as Ryan placed his lips against West’s. “Hi” he said afterwards looking him deep in the eyes. West laughed as he took his old friend by the hand and led him out the club.

Ryan took West’s hand at the altar and looked him deep in the eyes as Mrs. Jenkins held a hand to her heart. “I’m glad you got to come to my wedding” Ryan whispered in his groom’s ear before planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Our wedding” a young West blurted out loud at the dinner table. Mrs. Jenkins dropped her fork with a clang “don’t be silly West two boys can’t get married.” Ryan looked over at West’s spaghetti stained face and burst in to tears. “Oh now look what you’ve done you’ve upset him, I’m calling your father and you’re going home young man.” Mrs. Jenkins erupted out of her chair and stormed over to the phone as the two boys gripped onto each other’s hand weathering the storm together with rain pouring from their eyes.

Before Mrs. Jenkins returned to her seat she took both Ryan and West’s hands in hers and looked them both in their tear filled eyes. “My boys, thank you for teaching me what love looks like, and thank you for giving me another chance. The way I treated you both when you were younger is inexcusable. I want you to know that you are both my beautiful sons. And West your father will be looking down at his smart handsome boy with pride in his eyes.”

The music at the club blared back into life as the men stood outside on the cold summer night. Ryan never tore his eyes away from West as they waited for their cab back to the hotel room. “You have something on your face” Ryan pointed out with a laugh “it better not be spaghetti” West joked back. “No” Ryan took West’s face in his hands and planted another eternal kiss “it’s me” West snorted with laughter as the cab approached. “That was so cheesy but you know what? I don’t care, Ryan Jenkins you are the cheese to my spaghetti.”