Kisses and Other Necessities

《 kisses and weddings 》

"What a beautiful wedding this is," Carmen Belles said as the main course was served. Chicken with herbed butter and caper, that was, and the smell of freshly chopped tarragon filled the silence.

Flora picked up the wedge of lemon on the side and squeezed, realizing that it was the first sentence of the evening that directly addressed the event. Carmen's comment hung in the air without anyone rushing to catch it.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Dylan said finally. He was mashing the potato on his plate with one hand, before feeding it to the toddler sitting on his lap. His name was Jerome, he was thirteen months old, and he had also been the main topic for the first half of the reception. Dylan had explained that one, he was dating Jerome's mom, two, the kid wasn't his, and three, he didn't care because he'd been with her through the pregnancy and had even been the one to cut the umbilical cord. He practically felt like a dad now.

He had offered to babysit, something he claimed to have done a dozen of times, since she had a job interview to fly to.

"I'm not being sarcastic," Carmen said, her eyes flicking over his face. "I'm really happy for Janet."

The wedding was beautiful, Flora had to admit. She was glad it took place right after she came back from her junior year in Tokyo. It was small and cozy, with flickering candles, stunning table decorations, exquisite flower arrangements everywhere to meet the eyes, and the food was glorious. There was even someone playing harp on stage. But it was beautiful and nothing else.

"The problem is it's not Janet," Sandra said, echoing her thoughts. "This is Janet's wedding, but there's no Janet in this."

"I thought her wedding was going to be a rock concert," Dylan said. "I mean, it's our J. She wore a pair of leather pants to prom, remember? But now look at her."

"My grandma has something just like that," Jake said.

Flora glanced over at two tables away, where Janet was sitting in a vintage lace dress, looking so out of place she might as well have been Photoshopped in. Flora had offered a shopping trip, a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, and an all-of-the-above combination as soon she got the wedding invitation, but Janet had declined, saying she wasn't interested in anything conventional. Flora half expected it. Janet probably found those things too girly anyway.

She could see now that Janet was unexcited about this wedding because this belonged to Brian's parents, not her. The room was full of friends from the groom's side, while Janet's high school bunch and people she knew from the music industry only made up two tables.

"Guys, give her a break," Flora said. "Her in-laws paid for everything, so she doesn't really have too much say in anything."

"Well, I think that's a lovely dress," Carmen said.

"That lace pattern reminds me of calcified seaweed." Sandra took a dainty sip from her champagne glass. "Poor girl looks like she's about to break out with hives."

Flora's eyes traveled to the last person at the table, Janet's man of honor, who had been mostly quiet ever since he made his toast. Sean seemed to turn more handsome every time she saw him. It was hard for her to decide whether he looked better in his beach attire or a slim fit suit, but either way, she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

He wasn't returning the glances, however. He was staring at his cell phone, which seemed to beep and vibrate every other second. He was never the kind of guy to obsess over missed texts, but this evening he barely joined in the conversation. His fingers flew over the screen until he stopped for a brief second to say, "It's just a wedding. It's just a dress. The point is J married who she's always wanted to marry and that should be enough."