As far as weddings go, it hadn't been too bad. As far as family went, well it was fucking awful. It was a testament to how much I loved my little sister that I was there, and to be honest up until this morning I wasn't 100% sure I was going. But here I was sitting at the extras table keeping a low profile. The bridal party and family were still down at the beach taking photos, here in the function room about 80 awkward strangers were starting to loosen up thanks to the open bar. Cold beer in hand I sat back and watched, every now and then I catch someone glancing my way and I pretend not to notice. Fuck them. Fuck their boring straight, middle class, missionary position, 2.5 kid lives.
By eight o'clock the cake's been cut, I've made mindless small talk with Ally the groom's cousin, a couple of the groom's old buddies from uni and their wives - mortgages blah blah, work yadda yadda, kids, and on, and on. I danced the dance, swapped my chicken roulade for her filet mignon, swapped the beer for red wine and we all avoided talking about my relationship to the bride.
You know, I couldn't tell you why I stayed as long as I did, maybe it was the free booze, maybe because I knew it would piss my Dad off. It was around 10, Ally the cousin was on the dance floor with one of the groomsmen who was sweating profusely, the tail of his shirt hung down and Ally had her hands down the back of his pants. I raised a glass to what looked like a long night of bad choices by her. The college friends had left, because, you know, kids. And I was left sitting on my own, I thought about getting onto grindr, nothing chases the blues away faster than a strangers cock in your mouth.
Just as I was pulling my phone out of my pocket the chair next to me slid back and guy dropped into it and held out his hand, 'Hey I'm Matt.' I grinned at him, left my phone where I found it and shook his hand, I could feel callouses and his hand was warm and dry.
'Hey, Luke'