XXI "Aftermath"
The room was occupied at first by silence, disbelieving. Someone laughed aloud, and that was the end of it…the solitary vocalization became many, and was even joined by Roy and Riza's. The red in their faces had faded a little, now that the tape had stopped.
"Oh, there's much more,"Havoc said, between fits of giggles. "Unfortunately, this is a family event and as much as we'd like to share it with everyone we know Riza would shoot the lot of us before we'd have time to blink. And since we've heard it, and we know the bride and groom are terribly offended at the thought of it slipping out of our hands…"
A small, padded package flew through the air and bounced off the remains of Roy's cake, spattering frosting in a two-foot radius. He couldn't help but think, That's a good arm, even as he glared in the general direction of the sound booth.
"…and since we couldn't afford to buy them anything else either, we decided to just give it back."
Then the evening was over, they said their farewells, and as Havoc went to get into the drivers' side door of the getaway vehicle, Roy grabbed him by his collar. "I swear, if you've made copies of that tape…"
"Nah. We got our laughs out of it," he said, winking. "Besides, we thought you and the missus would enjoy it as much as we have. You've got some of our commentary on it, too."
Disgusted and amused in mixed amounts, Roy dropped him. Riza hadn't spoken since the little "dedication," and as he climbed in beside her he realized her eyelids were drooping.
"What a day," she murmured, pulling off her gloves. Various ceremony-and-photos-only dress adornments littered the floor of the car already—the ensemble looked much less bulky now.
"But we did it," he told her. It felt like congratulations, just by itself. "It's only once, and you know trying to sneak away quietly this time just wasn't going to work."
"I don't think it ever has." She laid her head on his shoulder once more, seeking his warmth in an evening grown chilly. Twenty minutes down the road, both he and Riza were fast asleep, embarrassment forgotten.