From: [email protected]
Date: Sat, July 17, 2021 at 7:25pm
Re: Subject: script
Cool, glad to hear it. Sorry to miss you in FL but see you soon.
M
I’m giddy as I walk back outside to rejoin cocktail hour.
“You okay?” Alyssa asks when I spot her standing alone on the terrace. “You look… suspiciously happy.”
“Never better. Love a smoldering evening.”
“You’re the smoldering one, with those lips.”
I smack them at her. “All the better to ravish you.”
“To ravishsomeoneanyway,” she says, glancing over at Seth, who appears to be introducing his family to Marian’s celebrity husband.
“Stop staring at him,” I hiss.
“Why?”
“Because it’s embarrassing. You’re being conspicuous.”
She snorts. “Maybe you should be more conspicuous and stop pining.”
“I was pretty damn conspicuous last year, if you recall.”
She and Dezzie have come to know all about my exuberant sexual performance, and the way it was politely rejected.
“That was different,” she says. “He was just out of a relationship. You should go talk to him.”
I know she’s right. He is, after all, a huge part of the reason I came to this wedding.
But despite my good cheer, I feel a little demoralized where Seth is concerned. Wounded that he never reached out after last year. I can’t help but read it as a sign that he thought about what he wanted, and I wasn’t it.
I need him to take the first step.
But I’m glad that my good news has given me this boost of confidence tonight, of all nights. I hope he notices my shine.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Well.” Alyssa sighs. “Rob and Dezzie are having an argument about what time they need to be at the airport tomorrow. They disappeared somewhere. And I sent Ryland off to get us some drinks. Shall we mingle?”
We make our way toward Jon’s parents to congratulate them. Jon’s mom was our fifth-grade teacher, and his dad was the dean of our high school. From there we run into Kevin’s siblings, and before long it’s time to go in for the reception. Kevin’s family has always been quite prosperous, and I suspect they are paying for this evening, because everything is lavish, from the frescoed ceilings, to the mountains of white peonies, to the 1920s-style brass band playing jazz standards.
I take a sip of champagne, happy to be with my friends in such a beautiful environment. The vibe even seems to work on Rob, who pulls Dezzie onto the dance floor as soon as the grooms are done with their first dance. Alyssa and Ryland are close to follow. Which leaves me at the table with Marian and Javier, who are so busy canoodling they don’t notice I’m alone.
I survey the room for someone to talk to and see that Seth is leaning against the bar, staring at me. He looks good in his white linen suit, albeit rangier than the last time I saw him, like he’s lost muscle—maybe since gyms have been unsafe for so long. Thank God I never worked out to begin with.
“Dance?” he mouths, pointing between himself and me.
He is so handsome I almost want to say yes.
