-In 2023, not all parents hold their children to traditional standards for love and marriage, but modern lifestyles are still not always accepted. Especially not when your younger sibling is getting married first and your parents are practically jum...
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When the wedding starts, you follow Honoka and the other bridesmaids down the aisle.
Your breath nearly stops when you pass by the aisle Hinata is sitting in. You've got no idea how he's going to react when he sees you there. If you had no idea he was your date, he mustn't know either, right?
But then it strikes you. Is that a good thing or is it bad? You thought he liked you- the you he met before you became his friend's sister. But here he is agreeing to go on some date with another girl he didn't know, or think, was you.
When you stand in front of the audience, watching your brother get married, all you can feel is the burning sensation of eyes staring into your soul. You've obviously caught his attention now, but what's your next move? Is it better to just ignore him? How can you when he's literally your date?
When your brother kisses his bride, you follow the typical procession outside until the wedding is officially over. But it's not until you meet up with Kotonoha and Faye can you finally catch your breath.
"Hey, did you get to talk to him yet?" Faye whispers as she looks around to make sure he isn't in earshot of the conversation.
"No, but I bet he probably is looking for me. Shit, what do I do?" you sigh.
"Just talk to him. What's the big deal?" Kotonoha shrugs.
"The big deal is that the two of us," you begin before pausing. You don't want to give too much detail about Hinata just in case it somehow gets back to your mother, or worse, Sawamura. "Well, I kinda liked him and I thought he felt similarly. But if he's on a date with someone who he thought wasn't me, maybe it isn't going to work out the way I thought it was..."
"So that is why you were weird about that guy on the beach, huh? Jesus, Y/N, why didn't you just tell us?" Faye asks.
"Because it wasn't that serious back then. But I've hung out with him more now and it's different. What do I do?" you plead.
"Act normal. Pretend it doesn't bother you, for your brother's sake. After the reception, you can confront him if that's what you want. But it's Sawamura and Fuyuko's time right now. Deal with the cards you've been given and talk to him later. That's my advice," Kotonoha shrugs.
"I hate saying that bottling up your emotions is a good idea, but for now it's probably the right thing. For Sawamura," Faye nods.
"Dammit," you grumble. "Alright, but please, please stay with me or I might actually freak out."
"We're not going anywhere," Faye smiles as she wraps her arm around you. "But let's not be antisocial. Care to grab some hors d'oeurves?"
"Stress makes me hungry. Let's go," you nod.
When you get to the appetizer bar, you and your friends sink yourself into the food and a decent amount of wine. You have a good time walking back and forth for seconds, but when you turn around from the bar for the third time, you nearly run straight into Hinata.
"Y/N," he whispers wide-eyed. He must've been too preoccupied thinking about something else to even recognize you standing there.
"Hey," you smile nervously. "How's it going?"
"What, uh, what're you doing here?" he asks quietly.
"I'm at my brother's wedding. And you?" you ask despite already knowing the answer.
"Um, me too. Well not- Sawamura's not my brother, but, uh, he's my friend," he explains clumsily.
"It seems as though we've been set up for each other without even knowing it," you smile tensely.
"Yeah, uh, about that..."
"Don't worry about it. Not now, okay? Let's just enjoy the wedding. We can talk about it later, okay?" you say.
"Does that mean you're still my date?" he gulps.
You think about it for a second. Half of you wants to say no while the other is dying to say yes.
"Yeah. Everyone expects us to be. We need to keep cool for now."
"Alright, if you say so... But when you want to talk-"
"I'll let you know, 'kay?" you whisper once more before looking past him. Your friends have already spotted the two of you talking. "Do you want to come sit with me? I mean, us. My friends and I are at the front table."
"That's where my nameplate is, too. I just didn't know if I should..."
"You should," you interrupt accidently, getting a bit too excited in the moment. "As long as you want to."
"Yeah, okay. Let me just grab some of these pollo asado tacos and I'll be right there..."
"Alright," you nod before walking back to your seat. And when you place your plate down and sigh, you look up at your friends and see them staring daggers into your soul. "What's wrong with you two?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong with us?!" Faye exclaims before lowering her voice. You look up at Sawamura and Fuyuko's table nearby. Sawamura's attention is now on your little group. "What happened with you know who?!"
"Nothing happened," you assure her. "I was polite and encouraged him to sit with us."
"You do know who's sitting at this table, right, Y/N?" Kotonoha says quietly.
"No... Just more of Sawamura's friends, right? I didn't look. Why are you bringing that up? I doubt they care" you shrug.
Kotonoha points to the two empty seats directly across from you. "Those two. They're your parents' seats, Y/N!"
"You just threw yourself right into a flaming pile of shit," Faye shakes her head. "Unbelievably."
"And speaking of the two-headed devil..." you murmur as you notice your parents approaching. "Here they come... Please don't out me."
"Our lips are sealed," Faye nods.
"We won't say a thing," Kotonoha agrees. "Just make sure Hinata keeps his mouth shut, too. Did you brief him on the whole situation?"
"He knows I don't really get along with my parents but I never explicitly told him not to tell my parents that he's done things my parents think I should only do when I'm married!" you whisper shout.
"Well, you better hope he remembers that conversation then," she tells you as she looks up behind you. "He's walking up right behind you..."
