The Circle of Friends

III - Wedding Surprise-1

III - Wedding Surprise

Sunday evening, Sarah was slouched in a lawn chair with a book when her phone rang. Recognizing Matt’s number, she answered in as cheery a voice as she could muster.

“Hey, girl,” said Matt, his voice alive with energy. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just reading,” she replied, closing the book in her lap.

“I’d love to see you tomorrow night,” he said, getting right to the point.

Sarah sighed. “I can’t. I’m helping Lori with wedding stuff.”

“Okay, um, shoot,” he said. “Tuesday night, Mark and I are setting up for Jason’s bachelor party. Oh, heck! Mark doesn’t get off work until seven anyway. Can I take you out to dinner Tuesday night?”

She smiled, amused by his determination. “Yes, you can.”

“Pick you up at a quarter till six?”

“I’ll be ready. Where did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go,” Matt said. “Italian okay with you?”

Touched by his honesty, Sarah laughed and told him she loved pasta. He promised to be punctual on Tuesday and told her goodnight. She smiled to herself, thankful she had turned down Paul’s offer. A dinner date with Matt sounded much more enticing.

Monday afternoon she rode around town, picking up various items for the wedding. Sarah felt overwhelmed by her friend’s elaborate plans. Lori and Jason were going to have a storybook wedding, and it rather depressed her. Sarah’s position as Maid of Honor had long since lost its appeal and she yearned for someone special in her life, too.

By five o’clock, they returned to Lori’s house and unloaded her car. Lori began setting items on the formal dining table. This room had become the catchall for the wedding and boxes covered the floor and chairs. Everything was present except Lori’s dress, which remained hidden in her mother’s bedroom closet.

Sarah understood why when Jason appeared after six. He entered the dining room carrying four wide wicker baskets. Sarah glanced up from the tiny bubble bottle she was wrapping in mesh. There were a hundred of these small bottles already prepared and sitting at the end of the table, tiny strands of ribbon holding the mesh in place. Several more boxes of the cake-shaped bubble bottles were waiting on the floor.

“Tell your mother thanks for getting these baskets,” Lori said, taking them from Jason. “Hopefully four will be enough.”

“How many of these do you have to do?” he said.

“Too many,” Sarah replied. She tied off another bottle and set it aside. Sinking into her chair, she sighed and glanced up at them.

Lori laughed. “We’re about half done. There were two hundred total. I hope it’ll be enough.”

“You can always get more,” Jason observed, picking up a bottle and turning it over in his hand.

Sarah’s eyes became wide as she envisioned herself wrapping hundreds of bottles. “If she gets more,” Sarah began, “then you can wrap them.”

Jason chuckled. “No thanks! I’ve got plans this week.”

Leaning forward on her elbows, Sarah smiled. “Yeah, someone’s got a bachelor party Wednesday night,” she exclaimed.

“That’s right,” replied Jason, glancing at his fiancé.

“It’s not just gonna be all boys is it?” Sarah said, unable to resist taunting her friend.

Jason shot Lori a suspicious look and then laughed. “Yes, it will. Matt and Mark wanted to hire a stripper and I told them no way.”

“Think they’ll do anything else?” said Lori, leaning against the edge of the table.

He shrugged. “Matt promised no girls, so I don’t know what else they’ll do.”

“Won’t he be lost without them?”

“I think he went through enough women this past year,” Jason answered.

“Yeah,” agreed Sarah, “and he didn’t have to resort to bopping Heather even once.”

“He never spent the night in your room?” said Lori.

Sarah caught her breath, but Jason’s laughter diverted their attention.

“Matt has never slept with Heather,” he said.

“But the night of the prom…” began Lori.

Jason looked from Lori to Sarah, still grinning. “They’ve gotten friendly before, but believe me, Matt and Heather have never had sex.”

“Really?” blurted Sarah.

“Matt swears she’d have to be the last woman on earth and even then he’d have to think about it,” declared Jason. “Besides, they’d make a lousy couple. They’d just fight all the time and Matt would end up killing her.”

“I can’t picture Matt that mad,” Lori said.

“I’ve only seen him really angry once,” he admitted, “and it involved Heather.”

Lori and Jason continued talking, but Sarah was lost in her own thoughts. She assumed Heather and Matt had been physical many times. At least that was the impression she’d gotten from Heather. Jason’s revelation answered a few questions and raised even more. However, Sarah was glad Heather had never been intimate with Matt.

Matt hadn’t told her how to dress for their dinner date, but Sarah chose a pair of her nicest jeans and a blouse. She even selected a dark green color over her customary black. Her parents always accused her of looking like the walking dead and she did not want Matt to share their opinion.

When the bell rang at five forty-five, Sarah raced to the door, thankful no one was home to witness her mad scramble. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself before answering. Swinging open the front door, she smiled when her eyes met Matt’s.

“Right on time,” she said. “You’re good.”

“I try not to be,” he said, giving her a wink.

She stepped out on the porch and locked the front door. Matt walked her to the car and even opened the passenger door. Sarah hesitated, unused to the courtesy, but decided she liked it. Opening his own door, Matt swung into the driver’s seat. Still struggling with the seatbelt, Sarah realized he was waiting for her to settle into position. Securing the seatbelt at last, she looked up and noticed Matt watching her intently. Placing his hand on her neck, Matt drew her closer. Intended to be a simple caress of lips, their kiss turned passionate.

Matt pulled away just enough to view her face. Sarah took advantage of her hand’s position around his neck and fondled his hair. The wavy locks were soft. He seemed to enjoy her touch, for his eyes closed and he leaned forward to kiss her again. Matt relaxed his grip and grinned, his eyes alive with pleasure.

“Dinner,” he stated. “I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“Yes, you are,” Sarah told him, though not minding the diversion.

Matt laughed and gave her one more kiss. “We’re going, we’re going,” he said, starting the car.

They arrived at the restaurant in record time. Matt and Sarah were seated and drinks placed in front of them within minutes. Pleased to have his complete attention at last, Sarah scrutinized the young man across the table. Noticing traces of grease around Matt’s nails, she asked if he was mechanically inclined.

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” he said, looking at his hands. “Guess I was in a hurry and didn’t scrub long enough.”

“Were you working on your Eclipse?” she said, surprised his almost new car would need any amount of work.

“No, I’m working in the service department at my dad’s dealership. It’s only three days a week, and I usually don’t do more than oil changes, but it’s extra cash to spend.”

“Didn’t you say that’s where your brother works, too?”

Matt took a sip of his drink. “Yeah, Mark had no interest in college. Started as a salesman right out of high school. He’s really good, too. I could never do it.’

“Why not?” said Sarah. “You’re really good with people.”

“Not forceful enough. I couldn’t talk anyone into anything,” he said with a laugh.

“You don’t need to talk,” she observed. “You’re good on a nonverbal level.”

“Oh, I am, huh?” he said, c*****g his head. His eyes were full of mischief.

“You convinced me to stay up all night playing games and watching movies, didn’t you? Not to mention conveniently falling asleep in my bed,” she said.

“Hey, that wasn’t intentional, just a bonus,” he exclaimed with a boyish grin.

When their food arrived, Sarah attacked her food with zeal. After a couple quick bites, she slowed her frantic pace. Refraining from eating every scrap of her dinner, Sarah discovered she was quite full without cleaning her plate. Matt ate all of his food and finished her bread, too.

“You know, I think it would be cool to fix up an old car,” commented Sarah as he finished eating.

“Got to work on an old Corvette. Once I had the engine running smooth, I even got to drive it my junior year.”

“Yeah, I remember. What happened to it?” said Sarah.

“My dad sold it,” he said. “But, I get a new car every year now. Probably come home with the latest model Eclipse here soon.”

“Same color?” she inquired. His current vehicle was metallic silver.

He c****d his head. “Don’t know yet. What would you get?”

Sarah laughed and slapped her hand on the table. “Black, of course!”

They continued to converse, enjoying the stimulating conversation. Sarah realized they did have a lot in common. The major difference resided in attitude, as she tended to view the world through cynical eyes. Matt’s optimism and casual posture seemed like a better way to live.

Matt leaned back and glanced around. “Damn, I’m sorry Sarah, but I gotta get going. I’m supposed to be at Mark’s around seven-thirty,” he said with regret.

“That’s all right,” Sarah reassured him. “Just be sure you guys buy enough alcohol to get Jason really trashed tomorrow night.”

Matt laughed and promised her they would do just that.

Once in the car, Sarah remembered to thank him for dinner. Normally her dates did not take her to such a nice restaurant and she appreciated his thoughtfulness.

“My pleasure,” Matt said, laying his hand on her knee. When she covered it with her own, he clasped her fingers tight.

“You know,” she began, trying to gauge how her suggestion would be received, “I don’t really care if Heather knows.”

Matt cast a sideways glance at Sarah, his eyebrows c****d in mild surprise. “You don’t, huh?”

“Not now. She’s not my roommate anymore, so she can only harass me so much.”

“Yeah, but she’s my neighbor again,” Matt reminded her. “So she’ll give me the grief.”

“Well, I guess we could continue to keep it a secret…” said Sarah, her voice heavy. Perhaps she’d been correct in assuming Matt did not want anyone to know, either.

“Sarah,” Matt said, giving her hand a squeeze. “I’m just teasing. I don’t care if Heather knows. She gives me any lip, trust me, it won’t be the first time I’ve told that girl to shut up and mind her own business.”

She smiled in relief. “Now that I can believe.”

Matt pulled into her driveway and Sarah exited the car. He apologized for not walking her to the door, but it was seven-forty and Matt was already late. He did manage to get another kiss and she told him to have a blast Wednesday night at the bachelor party.

“I always have a good time,” he said with a wink.

He backed out of the driveway, honking his horn once as he departed. Sarah watched his Eclipse vanish from sight.

“And I always have a good time when I’m with you,” she said to herself.

The rehearsal at the church Thursday night was entertaining. Everyone behaved quite silly, and Sarah marveled at the minister’s patience. If they were going to act irresponsible though, tonight was the best opportunity. Lori’s mother would berate anyone who got out of line during the ceremony.

Matt was the last one to arrive. He strolled in still wearing his shades and sporting a hangover. His step, usually jovial and light, had been slow and plodding. He managed to get through the rehearsal, relying on Sarah to keep him moving in the right direction up the aisle. When they went to dinner, he removed his sunglasses. Matt still looked rough and Sarah decided to refrain from giving him grief.

However, Heather was merciless. She occupied the seat beside him and pestered Matt all night long. Between his throbbing head and Heather’s constant annoying comments, Matt was hard pressed to smile tonight. Sitting beside Heather, he appeared quite miserable. Sarah took pity on him and tried to raise his spirits. Using her position across the table from him to her advantage, she slipped off her sandals and touched Matt’s legs with her bare feet. He smiled faintly when her toes brushed his leg.