I smiled. “Will that ever happen again?”
Ryan shuddered. “I hope not.”
“Everyone’s having fun,” I continued my story. “Dancing and stuff, and this really stern groomsman somehow found us and asked to see our invites. I froze, Joey said that he doesn’t speak English while speaking in English, and Zach walked away.” That made the guy particularly mad and I was stuck dealing with it.
“Did you save the day with your dimples?” Ryan guessed, hint of a smile on his face. “No one can resist the dimples,” Ryan said sagely.
“You can’t, people can.” I looked away, bashful for a moment even though I could feel the smile on my own face.
I turned on the charm and got the groomsman to start talking about himself, even though he wasn’t interestingat all. His favorite topics of conversation had been the treads on his tires, model airplanes, and the weather. I’d been stuck on the edge of the dancefloor, trying to avoid the occasional partier stepping on my foot while my friends came and went as they pleased.
After the dude said a million boring things and we got to stay, Zach tried to take all the credit for it. Jerk. He did do one thing. I told Ryan, “Zach convinced the guy these other people, who were actually invited, were the ones crashing instead.”
Ryan nodded. “Sounds like him.” I almost let Joey steal a present just so that he could give it to those people, but he didn’t want to share.
“And then later we had a drunken fight over who really convinced the guy—"
“Thought it wasn’t an open bar?” Not an open one, but there was a bar.
“Life finds a way,” I said. Don’t really remember how that happened, because there’d been a lot of alcohol. “Zach took credit for that too.” Which wasn’t really like him.
My best bud was super smug about things he actuallydid, not stuff hepretendedto do. Yet he was so insistent. I actually thought I won that fight because Zach’s arguing skills were weirdly lacking. He just kept saying,no, it was totally meand looking all proud. No other explanation. Even though he didn’t do anything.
I didn’t understand it. I had never understood it. Until right now.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “Oh my god.”
“What? Are you okay? Babe?” Ryan looked at me with concern. “Are you having a stroke? I can’t say for sure that there’s doctors here, that would be a stereotype.”
“No, I. Just. Pieces of the puzzle are filling in,” I replied distantly, still putting it together. “The groomsman totally wanted to bone Zach.” We got to stay, but Zach didn’t doanything. He did someone?
“Best twist ever,” Ryan decided.
I didn’t know Zach was bi back then, and I didn’t know that guy at all. But looking back with the information I have now? That guy totally let us stay because he wanted a shot with Zach. He even kicked out actual guests for Zach’s amusement!
“Okay,” I said, shaking my head, trying to get back on track. “The moral to this story—"
“Hook up with strange men at parties!” Ryan guessed joyfully and people looked at us weird. Yeah, that was warranted.
“No.” Was it? “I mean, maybe. But. IthoughtI was hot shit, that I saved us, and Zach was just being an ass.” Historically, that was how things went. “Except I didn’t convince the guy at all. I now see in sight behind me—” No, what was it called? “Wait, hindsight.”
I said it at the same time as Ryan.
“I got it on my own,” I informed him. “The point is, sometimes taking risks and trying new things goes like this. You end up making a big fool out of yourself.”
Ryan thought about it. “Did Zach hook up with that guy?”
“I mean, probably.” At least drunken making out in the coat closet. Wait. “No, definitely.”
Zach made a few comments about hooking up with someone at the wedding, and this was one of the few times I asked for details, yet he didn’t give them to me. Even though he gave me details a lot when I didn’t want them. And he was in a good mood afterwards.
That’s why it was memorable. Zach fooled around all the time. It was just how he liked to live his life. For it to actually put him in a better mood? Well, something impressed him.
Ryan looked like he felt a little better but that wasn’t good enough for me. I tried to go above and beyond when it came to boyfriending. Ryan deserved it.
“You were right you know,” I informed him. My finishing move.
“I know.” That was all. He just accepted it, like duh. And it didn’t need further explanation.
