bridal waltz

weddings always make me feel a little strange. perhaps it's the fact that everyone in attendance are often in some form of coupling. straight coupling. husband and wife. boyfriend and girlfriend. de facto partners. even those who aren't - bachelors and single girls - are usually eying one another.

i feel like a lone gay island surrounded by an ocean of heterosexuality...

"i hate weddings, don't you?" the girl sitting opposite me says out loud.

i look away from the dance floor where the rest of the guests have congregated, enticed by the swelling tunes of the bridal waltz.

"this one's not so bad," i smile at her.

it's friday night and we're in the beautifully adorned halls of the reception venue. white linen covered tables peppers the room, each littered with porcelain dishes and silver cutlery. the wine glasses filled with an assortment of coloured liquids. the speeches done, the dinner served, and the formality dispensed with. all and sundry are up and boogieing.

well, almost.

from our table of ten now sit only two: me - the gay man - and the girl - presumably single. i don't know her, she doesn't know me, but for the evening, we share space together. she looks enviously across the room to the dance floor of couples, intimately holding and tightly turning.

"so, how do you know the newlyweds?," i ask, attempting to distract from the growing melancholy.

"i'm a friend of the groom. you?"

"i work with the bride."

smiles exchanged. silence.

"i'm marissa, by the way," she gets up from her seat and comes sits next to mine. i shift to face her.

"i'm r*yan. nice to meet you."

"same." more silence. a beat. "so, where's your date?"

i should have expected the question, but am still slightly surprised. i have a feeling where this is going. "don't have one. yours?"

"same." another beat. another smile. "it sucks being single at a wedding."

"yep, couple city," i jest.

"so, how come you don't have a date?," she quizzes with a sly grin. i'm about to answer but she goes on, "shame, really. cute guy like you... anyone here you fancy?"

yep, i know where this is going. i smile, look back at the dance floor. i point out a couple, "see that two?"

"oh, yes... i guess she's cute."

"yeah. but he's cuter."

i turn to face her and wait for the penny to drop. two seconds. then it registers.

"oh!," she exclaims, her grin faltering. "i see."

she turns to stare at the dance floor, the silence hanging.

"wanna dance?," i ask.

she looks back at me surprised, "yeah, i'd like that."

"great - let's go!" i reach for her hand.

"okay, but one thing," she says before taking mine, "let's bump the bitch off the cute guy. after all, he's the best man."

she winks slyly as we go join the rest of the guests doing the bridal waltz.