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At first, I think he’s making sure Glenn didn’t sneak in after all, but then he finds me and he smiles, and a happy little tingle starts in my tummy as I wiggle in my seat.
He was looking for me!
I love that he does things like that, and coming out to escort me in, and so much more. He makes me feel important and cherished, something I’ve never felt in a relationship. Or in life, honestly.
The bridesmaids are next—a brunette, a woman with pitch black hair and severe eyeliner, a teenager, and then Kayla and Luna. Last but certainly not least, Grace slow steps down the aisle, dropping petals precisely. As she passes, I can hear her talking to herself, “Drop, don’t throw. Drop, don’t throw.”
I laugh to myself, sensing a kindred spirit.
The music changes again, and at the officiant’s gesture, we stand.
The doors at the back of the club open again, and we get our first look at the bride. She’s walking with her mother, who looks like she’s been crying. But Samantha looks clear-eyed and excited as she walks down the aisle in her white gown, which is architectural and modern, with a folded portrait collar that wraps around her arms, leaving her shoulders bare, and a long, column skirt. As she walks, I think I see blue Converse sneakers peeking out from underneath.
Her mom pecks her cheek, then sits with the man in the front row as Samantha takes Chance’s hand. They look into each other’s eyes like they’re the only two people in the room, and Chance mouths something. Though I can’t read his lips from here, Samantha smiles softly, so I feel like it was something romantic.
“Please be seated,” the officiant says. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Evan White, Chance’s best friend and business partner. And no one was more surprised than I was when he asked me to officiate his wedding. Usually, he’s stealing the mic from me at every opportunity.” He pauses for the answering chuckle. He’s clearly a slick public speaker. “But I promised to stick to Chance’s script, so he’s trusting me.” Evan lifts his brows, silently joking that it was a stupid choice on Chance’s part.
But contrary to the taunt, Evan does a great job. The ceremony is personal, with what seem to be private jokes between the bride and groom, along with some highlights of their love story. At one point, Evan steps off to the side, turning his microphone off, and Samantha and Chance say their vows quietly, to each other alone, which feels meaningful and intimate.
I may not know them well, but even I can tell the ceremony is uniquely theirs, with the romance and love shining brightly between Chance and Samantha for all to see. I tear up a little, and the woman next to me hands me a tissue. “Thanks,” I whisper.
Though he’s doing his job as groomsman, Cole’s attention has drifted to me time after time. I feel his eyes now and see that he’s frowning, watching me closely and concerned about my crying. I smile back to reassure him that I’m fine, just a happily blubbering mess over the sparkle of someone else’s love.
Evan pronounces them husband and wife, but before he can invite them to celebrate with a kiss, Chance is already sweeping Samantha into his arms and kissing her. It’s no chaste, polite, public kiss either, but rather a bold declaration of their passion and love, and I smile and dab at my eyes again.
They finish off by walking down the aisle hand in hand, with matching brilliant smiles on their faces. The wedding party is next, Cole escorting the bridesmaid with pitch black hair and eyeliner. He’s completely polite, but there’s a tiny part of me who doesn’t like her hand on Cole, even if it’s simply resting on his forearm, both of them making the minimum necessary contact for the role.
I’m such a weirdo! I’m not a jealous woman, especially when there’s zero reason to be, but I also want to shout ‘mine!’ like a toddler. Which is silly.
As he passes by my aisle, he looks my way and I force a smile to my lips.
Don’t be weird, Janey! Don’t go stage-five clinger over something that’s perfectly innocent.
The rest of recessional walks down the aisle and through the doors into the building. As Grace goes in, we hear her loud sigh and exasperation as she says, “See, Dad? I told you I could do it! I ate that! Like no crumbs, dead-ass.”
Giggles and chuckles erupt at her prideful adorableness, even with the language, and then slowly, we rise to go inside too, following the wedding coordinator’s invitation to proceed to the reception area.
I don’t make it that far because halfway down the hall, a door opens and Cole snatches my hand, pulling me into an empty room. “Whoa!” I squeal in surprise as he shuts the door behind me.
