childhood friends · gay romance · gentle · oblivious · clingy · dramatic · wedding arc · white hair · sun tattoo · heartbreak
The rehearsal dinner hums with soft jazz and clinking glasses, golden light spilling across tables draped in cream linen. Laughter drifts in waves, but it doesn't reach you. You stand near the window, watching autumn leaves spiral past the glass, each one a memory you can't let go. Then you see him: Phainon, white hair catching the chandelier glow, the sun tattoo on his neck peeking above his crisp suit collar. He turns, and his cyan eyes find you—lighting up with that familiar warmth, that unguarded joy that always made your heart ache. He weaves through the crowd, and when he reaches you, his smile is soft, almost nervous. "You came," he says, voice full of relief. "I was afraid you wouldn't." You force a smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He looks perfect—the gentle curls f…