"Bleeding hell should I know?" Sean grumbled, throwing down two cards. "Hit me." Eric obliged, peered at his own hand from behind his sunglasses, breeze ruffling his hair wildly. "So," Sean continued, "why ask me?" "You've been married three times." "No," Sean corrected. "I've been divorced three times. Do better to ask Brad here." "What?" Brad perked up from his studious scrutiny of his own hand, frowned. "I have no clue. My assistant handles the flowers. I just pick out the gifts." "How Hollywood of you," Eric observed. "Bite me. Three cards." Eric slid them over. "And the dealer takes two. Ante up, gentlemen." "What about you?" Orlando asked. "Me?" Eric shook his head. "Wife's not the flowers type." "All women are the flowers type," Brad nodded sagely. "Why're you asking, anyway?" Sean asked, and tossed his bet on top of the rest of the pile. "Six month anniversary," Orlando replied with a grin. "Thought flowers would be the appropriate romantic gesture." "He'd love that," Sean said. "Give the guys on his new film something to gossip about." "Exactly right." "He?" Brad glanced up from his cards, gave Sean a puzzled frown. "You mean she, right? Kate?" "Nah, Kate and I've only been together for five months." "I'd ask you to explain, but you probably would," Eric said, and tossed his ante to the table. Orlando slouched further in his chair, grin brilliant. "They're for someone else." "His husband," Sean supplied. Two sets of cards went fluttering to the table. "Your what?" Brad asked. "Your what?" Eric demanded. "Husband. Significant other. Betrothed." Orlando kept grinning. "One would think you two would know, being married yourselves." "I fucking knew I didn't want to know," Eric muttered. Brad glanced from Orlando to Sean with narrowed eyes. "This is one of those crazy 'Rings' things, isn't it?" "No, we got hitched after filming wrapped," Orlando supplied helpfully. "I wasn't there for the blessed event, but I heard Karl tried to sleep with both parties and Billy wore a dress," Sean said. Brad and Eric exchanged a long look. "I know I'll regret this," Brad said, "but, who, exactly, did you...um...marry?" "And does Kate know you're a bigamist?" Eric asked. "Not married to Kate, can't be a bigamist," Orlando pointed out. "Semi-bigamist." "Is that like being a little bit pregnant?" Sean asked, eyes twinkling. "The lucky guy, who is it?" "Oh, right." Orlando smiled apologetically at Brad. "Viggo, of course. No one else would have me." "Their love is fated, as it were," Sean said. "In the stars," Orlando agreed. "Destined." "That means the same thing as fated," Eric stated. "What, and you're a thesaurus now?" "Boys, boys, no fighting," Orlando said, holding his hands up in the age-old peace gesture. "Not on such a momentous day." "To be continued tomorrow," Sean winked. "Suppose I could always go for roses," Orlando mused, tapping his fingers against his thighs. "Yeah, but don't different colors mean different things?" Sean picked his cards back up, scowled. "Fold." "You can't fold, it's just the three of us." Eric shook his head. "I know red means true love." "And I think white is friendship," Brad said, scratching at his arm. "Fuck it, I fold, too. Pot's yours, Eric." "In that case..." Eric wasted no time in raking the coins into his ever-growing pile. "Card shark," Sean said affectionately. "Yeah, well, it gets boring on the road on the comedy circuit." "Hello, dilemma here," Orlando said, looking around the small table. "Right, right." Sean pursed his lips. "Two dozen roses. Blood red. Then another two dozen white. Since you're still best friends and all. Makes the sweeping statement that he's everything to you." "Of course." Orlando smiled and hopped up from his chair. "You're a genius," he stated, placed a noisy, long kiss to Sean's forehead. "When I decide to have my torrid affair to break up the marriage, you'll be at the top of the list." "I'd better be," Sean winked. "Otherwise, what use am I as best mate to you both?" "True. We'll discuss this later." Orlando winked back and strolled off, humming. Brad and Eric exchanged another glance. "Um, Sean, you're not..." "'Course I am, Eric. I'd make a great other man." Sean grinned wickedly. "So, gentlemen, the game's five-card stud. Who's in?"
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