His Naughty Lessons

** Eli **

"This is probably the twentieth time you’ve fiddled with that bowtie today." Tyler glanced into the mirror and commented a bit helplessly. "I promise you, it looks perfectly fine. Not crooked at all. Just relax and leave it alone."

Eli breathed in sharply, lowering his restless hands. "Alright, alright. I’m just trying to find something to do while we sit around and wait."

"Well, before you decide that the next thing you’ll find is to ask me whether I still have the wedding rings, yes, I have them. They are sitting safely right here." Tyler patted his breast pocket. "So now, relax. That is what you really should be doing while you wait."

"Ugh. Just wait until your own wedding day. It’s too much easier said than done."

Eli paced around the room back and forth as his best man stared up at him from the comfortable lounge chair. It was tempting to sit down as well and enjoy the view outside the window, and Eli knew that he could totally use a short rest right now to calm his mind. But he didn’t want to risk putting creases in his trousers ... and it wasn’t like he could make himself sit still for more than ten seconds before he’d start pacing again anyway.

The thought must’ve been written all too clearly on his face, as Tyler let out a resigned chuckle. "I feel like the photographer should be here with you now instead of the bride. It would make much more dramatic photos, with great stories to tell."

"... Yeah, because knowing her, she’s probably so chill that she’s still checking her web novel notifications like it’s just another normal day." Eli sighed, envious of the ease anyone could possibly feel on the biggest day of their life. "But I guess I can’t complain if I am the one doing all the stressing for both of us. She should be the focus today anyway ... I just hope the photographer and the makeup team and all that aren’t tiring her out."

The casual tease on Tyler’s face faded a little at that, slowly replaced by a look of thoughtful seriousness.

"Harper did get that right," he commented. "You really do care. Maybe even a little too much sometimes, though not in a bad way. Just completely beyond my expectation."

Eli’s footsteps halted in the middle of his pacing, caught off guard by the sudden appraisal out of the blue.