With your face and the beautiful eyes
And the conversation with the little white lies
And the faded picture of a beautiful night
-Taylor Swift
I was too mad to remember what signature cocktails we'd chosen for the wedding, but I asked for a double of whatever the strongest one was. Maybe getting drunk would make me feel better. I was already a little tipsy, so a couple of doubles should get me where I wanted to be.
As I waited for my drink to be made, I watched as people danced and mingled happily. I hardly recognized anyone, which made me somewhat sad. This was my wedding and I felt so alone. The bartender handed me my drink and I took it out to the balcony. I needed some fresh air.
The grounds of the estate were well manicured. I could tell that the Malfoys took pride in what they owned. I was admiring the land when I heard footsteps coming toward me. I turned and then rolled my eyes. It was Draco.
"I wanted to apologize," he said as he came and stood next to me.
"For what," I asked before taking a drink. The cocktail was quite strong, but still good.
"I realize that what I said was a bit harsh."
"'A bit'," I repeated, laughing unhappily.
"I'm trying, okay?"
"I don't think you are," I said as I turned to him. "I've been doing my best to be pleasant all day and to give you grace, as I'm sure this isn't easy for you either. You've seemed unhappy and bored with everything. Can't you at least try to make this day suck a little less?"
"I'm not good at faking my emotions," he said.
"Obviously," I scoffed before taking another drink. "Am I that repulsive to you that you can't even act a little happy? Or at least stop acting so unimpressed?"
"I don't find you repulsive," he said with a sigh, sounding annoyed that I'd even suggest that. "You're obviously very pretty."
"Ugh. You make saying something nice sound like a chore," I groaned. What had my parents gotten me into?
"I'm sorry, alright? I just don't like being told what to do and this day has been nothing but that."
"I don't like it either, but there's no way to get out of it. Trust me, I've tried for years. Whether we like it or not, we're stuck with each other. All we can do is try to make the best of a shitty situation. I'm choosing to do that with the help of alcohol. You need to find your way. Get your shit together for at least the rest of the evening." I finished off my drink and shoved the empty glass at him, making him take it, before walking off.
Throughout the rest of the evening, I nursed a few more drinks. I didn't want to make an ass of myself at my own wedding, so I made sure to drink water between each cocktail. Draco eventually joined me, but it was mostly to keep up appearances. We didn't talk much to each other. Towards the end of the evening, Draco and I cut the cake. It was the last thing on the wedding itinerary, which I was happy about. We were almost done. As people ate their desert, I talked to Chrissy and Laura at our table.
"Blaise asked me to come back to his place," Laura told me, giggling.
"No way! Theodore asked me to come back with him," Chrissy added.
"At least some of us will have a nice ending to the evening," I replied, not bothering to hide how grumpy I was feeling.
"You aren't going to take advantage of your wedding night," Chrissy asked.
"No way! I hardly know him!"
"That hasn't stopped you before," Laura laughed, referencing my previous hookups.
