Over the years working as a waiter for a catering company, Hori had worked lots of weddings. Most were fairly uneventful, he'd just bring out the ordered plates then wander around filling drinks until it was time to pack up for the night. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but it payed well enough and wasn't too stressful most of the time. Though, this job was one of the most difficult he'd ever worked.
It should have been simple. It was a small, simple wedding with a short guest list. There wasn't much food to be prepared and weren't many people to serve, so Hori figured it'd be a pretty easy day. Of course someone had to come along and screw it all up.
For about the seventh time that evening, the girl with the short, navy hair waved him down, grinning the whole time. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Hori set his jaw and paced over to the table, where she sat completely alone. Most of the guests had moved to the dance floor or went to grab a second piece of cake, but she still sat at the table, not even seeming the slightest bit ashamed of being without a date or even a friend.
"What is it?" Hori asked, doing his best to keep civil and polite, though a bit of his annoyance crept in to his tone. It wasn't like she would notice anyway. Every time he had come to her table, more and more empty glasses were littering her place setting. Now, some pink, fruity drink was sitting beside her plate, a fresh refill from the bar.
"I love this song," Kashima (he'd learned her name after her second cocktail) said with a wide smile, eyes bright. "You should come dance with me," she insisted, swaying in her seat to the beat of the song.
"I already told you, I'm working," Hori replied shortly, wishing she would just take the hint. No matter what he told her in reply, she just dismissed it and kept talking, not seeming to understand the fact that he was working and that meant he couldn't just stand around and chat with her all evening.
"Come on, one dance can't hurt," Kashima urged, "loosen up." With that she reached for her drink, though Hori saw no ending where it wouldn't end up spilled all over her. The cup was filled to the brim, and she certainly wasn't being careful. Some of the fruity cocktail sloshed out onto the table cloth, which, luckily, was a similar shade of light pink. Though, before she could spill anymore of the drink onto her nice, expensive looking dress, Hori snatched the glass from her hand, setting it back down on the table and out of her reach.
Pouting, Kashima turned to face him, glossed lips turned down in a frown with her pink cheeks puffed out. Cracking a smile at her admittedly cute expression, Hori gave a short shake of his head. "I don't think you need anymore of that," he said with a wry grin.
"You're no fun," Kashima pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I can live with that," Hori replied dryly, taking a step back from her table. He was about to duck his head and head to the back of the room before she could come up with some other impossible request for him when she reached out and caught his wrist. Letting out a quiet sigh, Hori turned his attention back to the tipsy girl.
"Where are you going?" she questioned, giving him her best attempt at a stern look, but it was more or less ruined by the way her lips curled into a lopsided smile. "You still haven't danced with me," she said, letting her grip on his wrist loosen and fall.
Gathering her long legs underneath herself, Kashima stood up with a wobbly step, her gaze pointedly flicking from Hori to the dance floor and back. Starting to explain to her, once again, that he was working and couldn't go out to dance, Hori cut himself off when she took a step forward. Shaky on her tall heels, Kashima's ankle gave and she stumbled, dangerously close to falling had he not caught her arm. Helping her steady herself, Hori gently pushed her back down into her seat. She'd kill herself if she tried to go dance now, especially with the ridiculous heels she had on. It wasn't like she needed them anyways, she was taller than almost all of the guest at the wedding, both men and women. Though, if he was being honest, she did look good in them.
"Stay there," Hori said firmly, giving her a stern glance. "Let me get you some water," he offered, more gently this time. Though, Kashima just shook her head, reaching for her drink that he had set at the center of the table. "And, I'll take that with me," Hori added, swiping the drink away from Kashima's reaching fingers and off the table.
On his way to dump the cocktail and find some water, Hori sighed, running a hand through his hair. Nowhere in his job description did it say 'take care of the bride's cousin (another thing he had learned about her during his many visits to her table) who happened to get a little too drunk' and yet, here he was. He threw out the brightly colored cocktail and poured a glass of water for her before heading back to Kashima's table. Luckily, she was still where he left her, absently playing with one of the decorative rings on her fingers.
"Here, you can drink this instead," Hori offered, taking a seat next to her. He figured it couldn't hurt. After all, the reception was winding down and the other waiters could take care of anyone else who needed anything. Though Kashima eyed the glass curiously, she eventually picked up the water and took a sip. She didn't look overly thrilled with it, but didn't complain either.
"You know," Kashima said after a few quiet moments, her attitude sobering even if her system was still filled with alcohol, "I really did try to find a date for this wedding, but my last boyfriend dumped me before I could ask and I couldn't find anyone else."
"That's too bad," Hori replied, letting his thoughts turn down a reckless path. Had Kashima met him before the wedding and asked, he probably would have agreed. Despite her somewhat overbearing and obnoxious tendencies, she was actually kind of funny and quite charming. It didn't hurt either that she was, as much as Hori would hate to admit it, gorgeous, especially made up and dressed up for the wedding.
"What about you, did you bring a date?" Kashima asked, not even attempting to hide the jealousy in her expression.
Giving a playful roll of his eyes, Hori was amazed at how dense and clueless she was, it was impressive even factoring in how many drinks she'd had. "I'm a waiter, of course I didn't bring a date," Hori replied, chuckling at how the jealousy on Kashima's face immediately faded to relief that someone else had come without a date. She still didn't seem to really get that he wasn't a guest. Shrugging, he figured it didn't really matter.
"Next time I have a wedding to go to, you'll be my date, then," Kashima replied with a satisfied smile.
"Sure, why not," Hori said, giving in to her fantasies. It really wasn't such a bad idea. If she was sober, he didn't think he'd mind going out on a few dates with her. More likely, though, he'd never see her again and that would be the end of it. That'd be fine too, since she was quite a handful. At least, he could say this would be one of the more memorable weddings he'd ever worked.