The Reception

The hall for the wedding was nice. High ceilings and a huge marble staircase greeted us when we walked in, along with servers carrying champagne. Of course, I immediately grabbed one. I also downed it in minutes.

When I grabbed another, Mark gave me a warning look. "We still have the ceremony before the reception," he reminded me.

I playfully rolled my eyes and winked at him. "I can handle my alcohol."

He started to introduce me to a few people; it was his childhood friend's wedding so I ended up meeting some of his friends, along with their parents. His parents luckily weren't there.

The ceremony was short and sweet. By the time we got to the cocktail hour, I was three glasses of champagne deep and starving. There were a bunch of stations bordering the room and we stopped by all of them.

Once I noticed Mark's short attention span earlier in the day, it's like I couldn't notice anything else. He would ask about one option on a table and become disinterested before the server even finished answering the question.

I tried to limit my plate, even though I wanted to pile on the mac and cheese like it was my last meal before execution. We ended up in front of the bar and I immediately ordered more champagne. Mark didn't say anything this time, because he probably forgot it was my fourth glass.

I met most of the people who would be at our table during cocktail hour. Everyone was very welcoming and I could tell they were a close knit group. A guy's friends can be a huge variable and in Mark's case, they were a plus.

I was stuffed by the time the cocktail hour was over, but I knew I had to focus my energy. I was not going to be a boring date. The least I could do for Mark was be a good date.

Once we were informed the cocktail hour was over, Mark guided me into the main room with his hand on my lower back. It was sexy.

I grabbed another glass of champagne. I was not feeling even slightly buzzed and I was getting frustrated.

When we got to the table, I knew almost everyone there; the vegan couple, the newly engaged couple, and the really successful couple. A man in a dark gray suit walked up to us and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you," he began. "I'm Greg, Megan's boyfriend."

Mark extended his hand and I followed suit. Mark soon informed me that Megan was in the bridal party, along with the girl in the vegan couple. They were both in a different area, about to make their entrances.

For the next couple hours, I had so much fun. We all drank, talked, and danced. When dinner arrived, Mark was seated for maybe 90 seconds before he whispered in my ear that he'd be right back.

I began indulging in my roasted chicken for a bit before looking up and realizing nobody was at the table, except Greg. He was looking at me and laughed when we made eye contact.

He picked up his plate and switched seats so he was sitting next to me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a creep," Greg said. I shook my head, but he continued. "You're an outsider like me, huh?"

I looked across the room. I saw Mark, with most of our table, chatting with another group of people. "I guess, but I'm having fun."

"Me too," he continued. "I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but didn't really feel like eating alone."

I smiled. "Me neither, but I'm sure they'll be back soon."

It turns out, Greg made a good move. Mark and his close friends didn't come back over for at least 15 minutes and we were done eating by that point.

"I'm starving," Mark said upon return. No apology?

"I'm going to grab a drink. Do you want?"

Mark shook his head. "Boy, you're a drinker, huh?" I smiled and didn't respond.

I was waiting for my drink when I heard Greg behind me. "I guess we're on the same schedule now."

I laughed. "Or you're stalking me."

He laughed. "You caught me," he replied before the bartender appeared with my drink.

I had one more encounter with Greg about an hour later. I was walking out of the bathroom when my left heel broke. "Damn it," I said out loud to myself as I reached down to check the damages. I was balancing myself against the wall when I heard his voice again. "Okay, you're allowed to file a restraining order now."

I turned and laughed. "I always thought it'd be cool to have a stalker, so we're good," I responded.

"Let me take a look at that," Greg insisted as he bent over and looked at my shoe. At that moment, my friend from the bus came towards me.

"Oh my God, I've been looking for you all night!" She squealed.

I was actually eager to see her all night, but at that moment I couldn't wrap my head around anything besides my shoes. "Me too! We'll catch up in there after I finish up here."

She nodded and stumbled passed me.

"Okay, all fixed."

I looked down and wiggled my foot. The shoe looked good as new!

"Whoa, don't shake it too much," Greg laughed. "It's only held together with nail glue."

"Nail glue?"

Greg took a small tube out of his pocket and wiggled it around. "Megan asked me to hold on to it earlier in case she broke a nail. I guess it came in handy."

"Well, thanks," I said. "I'd seriously be lost right now if it weren't for you."

We walked back into the reception and I found Mark. He was talking to one of his friends and when I walked over to him he gave me a serious look. "Can we go talk?" He asked.