1
Kat
Kat scanned the room. Surely she’d see him...
There he was! she thought with a bit of excitement as she saw his blonde hair. He was talking to the other groomsmen, but surely she could lure him away for a moment.
On a nearby pew, she set down the flowers that the bride had sent her to get, then took a deep breath. She walked with a purpose toward the group of men.
He saw her coming when she was a few feet away. For a moment, she thought she could see his smile fade, but a moment later it came right back.
“Brian, right?” Kat led with. Of course she had remembered. She had hung on his every word when they had spoke before the wedding, and he had seemed to like her too, but now she had to make it look like she wasn’t that interested.
“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “Carrie, right?”
She sighed. Maybe he was just bad with names. “Kat, actually.”
There was a long pause, as if he thought she had more to say. He spoke up, though. “Oh, of course, Kat. What’s up?”
What’s up? Kat thought to herself. She had thought that he’d be more eager to talk with her after the conversation that they had shared earlier.
“Oh, nothing’s up. Just thought I’d say hi.”
“Hi,” he replied, looking a little confused.
You’re losing him, Kat thought. This was what always happened with guys.
Not tonight, though...
“I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight. Maybe drink and dance, you know?” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.
He looked at his buddies, and Kat thought she saw a little nervousness. “Sure. It is a reception, I’ll probably see you there.”
“I’m a good dancer!” Kat blurted out.
The other guys in the group chuckled. “I’m sure you’re great,” Brian told her. “But, I’m just looking to have a good time tonight. Maybe I’ll see you there.”
“Yeah, okay. Maybe,” Kat said, knowing that she had already lost him.
Really, all she wanted was a dance. While this was a wedding, she wasn’t the one getting married. She was single and ready to have a good time at the reception. It wasn’t like she was asking him for more than a dance.
Brian shuffled his feet. “You look like a nice girl, but that’s not what I’m looking for.”
“But…”
“Sorry.” He shrugged. “You just aren’t my type.”
Kat stared at him as he turned back to his buddies. She was speechless.
Nice girl? she thought, turning and grabbing the flowers that she had set down a moment ago. Who wouldn’t want a nice girl?
Kat headed back toward the chapel area. Every bit of this wedding had reminded her that she was still single, and she hated that she had come to the wedding alone.
Granted, she wouldn’t have had much time for her date if she had brought one. Renee, the bride, was keeping her plenty busy, running errands and being a non-official bridesmaid. That didn’t mean Kat didn’t want to have a date.
Inside the chapel area, the bridal party was taking pictures. Along the way, she saw the photographer’s empty camera bag on the floor, so she stopped and put it up on a chair as she passed. The bag looked expensive and she didn’t want anyone accidentally stepping on it.
“Okay, I need the groomsmen for this one, can someone go fetch them?” the photographer called out. Renee carefully walked down the three steps of the dais and grinned at Kat.
“I’m so glad you’re still here,” Renee told her. “ I just realized that I forgot the garter back at the house. I thought for sure you had left with that cute guy you were sitting next to.”
Kat sighed. “I can grab it on my way to the reception.”
“What about Brian?” Renee grinned. “You meeting him at the reception?”
“Um, no.” Kat glanced away.
“What? Why not?” Renee asked.
“He said I wasn’t his type.” Kat shrugged. “He said I looked like a nice girl, but that I wasn’t what he was looking for.”
“Oh.” Renee looked thoughtful for a moment. “I could see that.”
Kat blinked twice. “What do you mean?” She managed to keep the offense out of her voice at least a little bit. Renee had the tendency to be a bit blunt.
“Okay, I’m telling you this as your friend,” Renee said, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You’re a good girl. You’re a great friend, but you dress and act like a total goody-two-shoes. If I were looking for a fling at a wedding...”
“You wouldn’t pick me,” Kat finished for her. She wasn’t sure why it stung so much to say the words. It wasn’t that Kat didn’t like fun, or that she didn’t know how to let her hair down and have a good time. It was that she was usually the one making sure everyone else was okay. It was hard to dance on tables when she was usually in the bathroom, holding a friend’s hair out of the toilet or making sure that everyone had a sober ride home.