Wait

Wedding Crasher

I look down at the picture of the invitation one last time to make sure I have the address right. My hand had been shaky while taking the picture in a dimly lit bar, so the numbers and words are blurred. Looking back up, I laugh at the thought of Nat getting married here. After all her vision boards and our talks about how amazing getting married in one of the small Las Vegas chapels would be, she chooses a barn. The only explanation would be that she is marrying a cowboy, farmer, or hipster.

I check my pockets to make sure I have my motorcycle keys before taking the first steps toward the white-washed barn across the red gravel road. Last time I forgot it I ended up with a black eye and in a jail cell. Shrugging off the bad memories of that night, I enter the barn amidst pre-wedding chaos. White fabric hangs loose around the rafters above entangled with Christmas lights. Off to the side, I see a white carpet rolled up which presumably will be the aisle. Wooden chairs are being unfolded by workers in crooked rows. Nat will definitely be upset if they are still crooked when she walks down the aisle. I chuckle at the thought of her stopping the ceremony simply to make everyone stand up and fix the mess.

"Can I help you?" A voice interrupts my thoughts. Turning around, I find myself face-to-face with a man slightly taller than me in a gray suit.

"Actually, you can," I start, trying to formulate a lie in my mind. "I am one of the bridesmaids'... cousins. She forgot something of Natalie's at her... apartment and needed me to bring it to Natalie." The brunette man scrutinizes each pause I take, so I barely breathe with my last sentence. "Can you tell me where to find her?"

He glances down at my empty hands and non-bulging leather jacket. "I can take it to her." His hand waits patiently in the tense space between us.

"Well, you see... it's something a bit more... personal. She doesn't want to risk anything happening, and I just don't want it to be on me if it doesn't get to the bride." I wave my hands in big motions around me while I speak in order to distract from the fact that I do not have anything on me besides my motorcycle keys and cell phone.

"I'm the best man. Pretty sure I know Natalie pretty personally." His face begins scrunching up in frustration. I can tell my time is running out.

"Oh... are you insinuating what I think you are? I don't think the best man should know the bride too well. You get where I'm going?" The look of pure shock on his face definitely makes this entire interaction worth the long five-hour trip. "Here's the deal. You tell me where Natalie is getting ready, and I won't tell anyone that you're secretly in love with the bride."

Gray suit man mumbles directions to what sounds like a small spot across the property before turning away. Repeating his words in my head, I look like a crazy wedding crasher, which I am. The entire trek, however, I can only think about what I will say once I see her again. It has been three years since I last saw her.

Since I broke her heart after she broke mine.