Where the Stars Fall

6 | Here comes the bride

WE'RE FINALLY AT THE RECEPTION VENUE, not listening to the instructions of some hysterical wedding coordinator named Paul, who's bossing everyone around with his annoyingly screechy voice and effeminate mannerisms.

"Is this a fucking prank?"

"I'm afraid not, Rob."

"Sweet angel of death, please, take me now." Letting out a long puff of air, Rob leans against one of the marble pillars in the entrance hall.

Only a few moments later, we're allowed to follow the newlywed couple as they enter the exquisitely decorated dining room and take their positions to a loud thunder of applause, the soft notes of 'Here Comes the Bride' playing in the background.

"Have you noticed that if you decrease the tempo a tiny bit, it'll sound just like the 'Funeral March'? Fucking ironic, don't you think?"

I repress a grin. He's got a point.

"Why is it all about the bride and her perfect day?" He snorts, unamused, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "If this is supposed to be the 'best day' of their lives, then I guess women aren't aiming very high, are they? And why doesn't the guy get a song too? Fuck me, 'Another One Bites the Dust' would make a great wedding song! 'Highway to Hell' wouldn't be a bad choice, either."

"Robert?" I hurl a sideways menacing glance, telling him without words that he still has to behave. "Found your table already?"

"I wish I hadn't," he snarls, jerking his head towards his wife. "Seriously, the only way I can tolerate this crap is with a few bevvies. I really need a goddamned drink." With that thought in mind, he leaves.

*

"Look at Kate's baby, Brian. Isn't she adorable?" Susan asks, looking at her husband with a why-don't-you-get-me-pregnant-asshole face. "I can hardly wait to hold my own..."

I grab the 3D ultrasound image, a close-up shot of a baby's face, and look at it as if studying each feature. "I don't know, she looks cute but... the nose is a tad too big, isn't it? You sure it's yours, Ethan?"

While the guys let out a hearty chuckle, Kate's brows knit instantly in shock.

Outrage takes over Susan's face too and her hand flies to her chest. "Brian! How dare you say such a thing to a pregnant woman? That's not funny!" She shoots her husband an authoritative look demanding immediate backup.

"Come on, girls. You know I'm joking, right?"

I glance around the table. Mr Wimp and Mr Wuss, who must have lost their balls somewhere along the process, are unable to utter a single word. Beside them, Simon looks catatonic.

Honestly, we should kick ourselves for agreeing to sit at our married friends' table, Simon and I. He's shut himself off from the rest of the world around him and women are talking to me as though I'm a pompous, egotistic prick. All because I mentioned I don't see myself settling down anytime soon. I guess they're missing a very important detail here: I'd need to meet someone first. Otherwise, my plus one today wouldn't be Simon, for sure.

I scan the room for the hundredth time, looking for Olivia. She's already given me the wait-a-minute-I'm-coming gesture three or four times, but there's always someone coming in the middle, wanting to greet and chat.

"She wasn't supposed to come, you know? I heard it was a last-minute decision," Kate leans towards me and says it under her breath, probably after reading the expression of disappointment plastered upon my face each time Olivia sits down at a different table.