Free Rebuilding Forever by Natalie J. Damschroder

fuck's sake, Seth, you're doing the right thing. You know you are. You're half the man apart from her than you are with her. You're just terrified you're going to lose her again. You're not."
    The flap of the tent that had been set up on the beach was pulled aside, and Brad and Robert pushed their way in, followed by Troy.
    "Yoko's finally doin' you in for good, I see."
    "Troy!" Seth clapped him on the back and Julian hugged him. Seth eyed Blue Silver's original drummer, who looked fit and tanned. "Spending a lot of time on the water?"
    "As much as I can. Congratulations, mate." He squeezed the back of Seth's neck. "It's great to see you finally happy."
    Julian snorted, and Troy looked at him. "He's not happy?"
    "Only if you call being in total meltdown happy. He's--" For a second Seth thought he was going to tell them about the dream. But he only said, "He's pissing his pants in fear."
    The others laughed, except Robert. "I just saw Cassie. She's glowing, and she told me to come in here and do anything I had to do to calm you down and make you understand it will be fine."
    Seth knew what she meant by "anything," and shuddered. "Not the green goo."
    "Especially the green goo." Robert was notorious for his health regimen. Hey, it worked for him, but... Seth figured it was working for him, too, just by making him want to avoid it.
    "Am I going to fuck this up?"
    "No," chorused his four friends, and Seth didn't know why, but he finally believed them.

    * * * *
    "Thank God you're not doing the ugly dress thing."
    Cassie whirled at the acerbic tone, and grinned. "Arliss. You made it."
    Her old friend and former Silverette came into the bride's tent. "Wouldn't miss it. Gave me an excuse to get away from that bastard Thompson for a few days. Plus, you know--Caribbean!"
    Cassie laughed. Arliss hadn't changed, not much, anyway. She looked calmer, less likely to jump into a rage, and Cassie knew that was Robert's ongoing influence. But she had retained the snark that defined her. "I'm glad you're here," she said.
    Arliss smiled a little. "Thanks for inviting me." She glanced around the tent. "Where are the others?"
    "Georgie went to get me a bottle of water because my throat is empathizing with the sand out there. I haven't seen Faith and Marci, yet." Because they wanted small and intimate without all the fuss of a typical ceremony, only Georgie and Julian were standing up for them. If she had to guess, Cassie figured the others were at the bar, waiting.
    "Well, I guess I'd better get out there. It's close to time." Arliss paused at the tent flap and eyed Cassie's sarong. "Nice choice. Suits you, somehow." She herself wore a shortish, flirty skirt and lace-trimmed camisole. Cassie decided not to comment on the look, so very much not the Arliss she knew. But she seemed more comfortable in her own skin, and hence her clothes.
    "Thanks," she said. "I'm glad you're here."
    "Me, too." With a grin, she left.
    And Cassie was once again abandoned to her freakin' thoughts.
    She hadn't told Seth about the dream. Hadn't wanted to drag out their mutual anxiety--especially his--on their wedding day. But she was having a hard time thinking about anything else. Every time Georgie mentioned Julian's name, she flashed back to her hand on his dick, his mouth around Seth, and wondered if there truly was a triangle here that she should get out of.
    "Okay, I've got passionfruit-flavored carbonated," Georgie started reciting before she was even inside the tent, "mango uncarbonated, pineapple protein--"
    "Just give me a fucking bottle of plain water." Cassie snatched one out of Georgie's arms and twisted the cap off ferociously.
    "Geez, help a friend." She saw Cassie's expression and stopped griping. "What's wrong?"
    "Nothing." Cassie shook her hand with the cap loosely trapped inside her fingers, trying to release her nervous energy. She took another swig of water, but this one was hard to swallow. "I just--I think this is probably a mistake."
    "Fuck that."