Haunted

The Wedding [part one]

Brooklyn's P.O.V

The Bride floats through the door to reception, the same way she did down the aisle just hours before. Only this time, she is entering with her husband not meeting him at the altar as her fiance. The newly wed couple join the rest of the bridal party at the long table across the front of the massive room, the guests cheering and clapping loudly. A small smile slips onto my face as I watch the happy couple, only love and pure happiness shining through their features.

I look around the crowded room as the first course is served to the many guests. This is by far the biggest wedding I have ever been to, but let's disregard the fact that this is only the second wedding I have attended because that's beside the point. The bride and groom would have to of invited at least one hundred guests each. I didn't even know it was possible to be friends with this many people, but you do what you gotta do if you want a big wedding I guess.

Only at this point in time do I realise how many unfamiliar faces there are around me, even at the same table. Now thinking about it, I only know about three or four people, all of which are apart of the bridal party. There isn't even anyone remotely close to my age here. Everyone is either really young or old enough to be my parents.

I scan the room more thoroughly as I remember seeing a young boy who looked around my age at the service, though maybe he didn't come to reception. I wouldn't blame him, this is going to be one long night.

I lean back in my chair as my first meal is placed in front of me; a strange looking soup and bread. The other guests at my table chat amongst themselves as we eat our entree and I keep to myself, wondering if anyone would actually notice if I went back to my hotel room just upstairs.

The next hour consists of the same thing, only now we are devouring our main course; a delicious chicken and vegetables dish. Our table is filled with small talk, making me wonder if any of these people actually knew each other before this reception or if we were just forced to dine together.

What feels like eternity passes by as numerous people give their emotional and humorous speeches, each containing inside jokes that no one clearly understood but laughed along anyway. I feel myself getting bored and tired by the minute, hoping that the dancing will start soon so I can slip out of here.

Eventually the time for the bride and groom's first dance comes around and the couple make their way to the dance floor situated in the centre of the room. They gracefully glide across the floor in time with the music and I can't help but watch in awe. This truly looks like a fairytale where a princess finally gets to dance with her prince at the ball. But I know all too well that fairytales don't exist.

The music suddenly changes to upbeat music in which the couple breaks away and grabs a couple people from the crowd. Soon enough, the dance floor is filled with guests dancing their hearts out. Now's my time.

As I look around the room for the best escape route, my eyes fall upon a boy chatting light-heartedly with a young girl and other guests at a table across the room. It's him. The boy I saw earlier today. He is a lot better looking than what I remember from a few hours ago, but maybe it's just from this distance. You never know.

His eyes flick up to meet mine and only then do I realise that I'm staring. I quickly avert my eyes to something else, hoping I look as casual as I'm pretending to be.

I glance back over, but this time the roles are reversed in which a tiny smile creeps onto my face. Maybe I can stay just a little longer.

The exchanging of glances continue on for God knows how long, everytime one of us pretending that we weren't looking. I look back again, only this time he isn't there. What the heck? I think as I try to subtly look around the room for him, but he is nowhere to be seen. How does someone just disappear? Then again, with this amount of people in one room, you could lose yourself.