for June

34. A little salt to the wound

Chad thought a lot about out-of-body experiences that night. How peopledescribed it as being there but not connecting to your body. He almost felt asif he was watching himself through someone else's eyes. Arriving at Steal's extravagant five-hundred-guest strong wedding reception with June gliding armin arm, felt a little like watching someone else. This couldn't be him.

I have got to cut down on coffee and sugar. He stared at her hand in his as they approached the regal bride and groom adorned in a sea of red and gold, and he couldn't quite feel it. Her touch. She had a smile on her face. He had a giant one on him. Yet, he couldn't feel her presence. Was she there? Was he touching her? Yet, he was.

The couple ahead of them strutted up the steps to the extravagantly glitzy stage, complete with his and hers high-backed thrones. The photographers and the many phones clicked away like paparazzi and Setal was lapping it up, smiling, posing, and greeting each guest with her face forever turned to the lenses.

"Gee, do they have to do that with every guest here?" June whispered in shock, her hand leaving his and flying to her mouth. Her voice was louder than it would have been if not for the music drowning them out.

"I guess." He watched her from the corner of his eyes nervously. He couldn't find the words or the ease he had established once upon a time. It was back to the park and the first day of meeting all over again. A little ball of nervous energy sat in the pit of his stomach. He was waiting for her to explode at him again. Maybe then it would feel real. Her being there with him.

June approached the steps and Setal caught sight of them. She waved them up with such enthusiasm that to anyone who was looking; they looked like the best of pals.

June smiled back and thrust her hand out to Chad, trailing behind her, turning to say, "Hold my hand."

Chad complied, though terror swarmed his heart. He clasped his sweaty palm in hers, hoping it wouldn't slide off. Her grip tightened around his and she pulled him up onto the stage.

"Oh my God, you two came!" Setal squealed as she eyed their faces before glancing at their hands. A flicker of anger danced over her caked face for a tiny moment. Chad missed it because he was concentrating hard on making June and him look believable. But June didn't.

"You look lovely, Setal," she said as sweetly as she could manage and gave a quick customary hug to the bride.

"Oh, thank you so much," Setal too gushed, sweetly, and held onto June a little longer, whispering something in her ear. She let go of June perfunctory and turned all of her attention to Chad. He hadn't looked too shabby in the hour he'd run around like a headless chicken, getting ready: showering, shaving, and finding his 'good' suit.

"Arvind, you already know Chad, and this is June," she introduced the two to her husband without glancing at June as she told him her name. "This is my husband, Arvind. He's a financial controller at..." At that moment, her 'husband' held her back by her arm and inched forward to shake Chad and June's hand.

"Please honey, they don't want to be bored with work talk. Nice to see you again, Chad, and you June," he said with a genuine smile on his handsome face. "Setal tells me you go back a while?"

Despite the awkward situation, Chad thought, he is a pleasant bloke. What the hell is he doing with her?

"Uh... we.. uh...," he again couldn't find the words or a lie convincingly. How do you tell the man his bride was the girlfriend he'd proposed months ago? It was impossible. The few times Chad had met Arvind at a gym, Setal used to force him to go to when they'd just started dating many moons ago. He now recalled she had only ever introduced him as a 'friend' and never a 'boyfriend' to the guy.