0
0
"We haven't, um, really gotten a chance to talk," Mary said, backing into conversation carefully.
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked.
Mary shifted her hands nervously. "I don't know. Anything. I just want to talk."
He smiled. "Why is it that women always want to talk?"
"Forget it," Mary said sullenly. "Never mind." Mary had hoped that things hadn't really changed, that they could just fall back into the awkward comfort they had grown accustomed to a while back, but evidently she was wrong. He was turning into a completely different person.
"No, no. Mare, stop." He used his reasoning tone of voice. "How have you been?"
Her head screamed awful, but that wouldn't have been an appropriate response. "Fine. You?"
He knew she wasn't fine. He knew she was miserable. He was borderline miserable, too, but he couldn't admit that to her- especially since he was the one who moved out on her. "Same."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The grand room where the reception was being held was decorated impeccably. The dim lighting on the walls offset the oak paneling the room was comprised of. White fabric was draped all around from the ceiling and the tables were set with crisp white linens. A single Lilly of the Valley flower, which symbolized life, was placed in a glass vase in the center of each table. Even the tall, thin chars were covered in white from the top of the back and draped down to the floor.
"Talk about virginal," Mary mumbled to Wilson.
"Yeah. This would have to be illegal or something at your wedding."
Mary hit Wilson in the side of the arm playfully. "Shut up! And, you know, you better not start with me again. Because, if you do, I swear I'll be out of here so fast-"
"Calm down toots. I'm well aware of how volatile you are- we are."
Mary partially ignored his comment. She spotted Matt and Sarah at the other end of the room and dragged Wilson over to congratulate them. Matt and Sarah were so happy and in love. They weren't fighting, or staying quiet, or anything. They didn't need sex to make their relationship work, either. Mary envied them.
Sarah beamed at Matt, then turned to Mary. "You guys are seated over there, third table in."
Their seats were up toward the front of the hall in the middle of the row. They were near Matt and Sarah and Mary assumed that, unfortunately, her parents would not be too far away. Mary quickly glanced at the rest of the placecards at their table. Lucy, Kevin, Simon, Ruthie, Mary, and Wilson were all there. Ben, who had been squeezed in last minute, must have been stuck at another table. Wilson was happy about that.
Neither Mary nor Wilson said anything as the rest of the guests began to file in for the next half hour. Ruthie, Simon, Eric, and Annie showed up within a few minutes after Mary and Wilson arrived. Lucy, Kevin, and Ben came about twenty-five minutes after them. Matt and Sarah's first dance came, the food came and went- the party was half over. Still, noting had happened.
In an extemporaneous decision, Wilson reached for Mary's hand on the table and held it. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.
Mary was sure she heard the rest of the table gasp. However, that could have just been her own gasp she'd heard. "Sure," she finally responded. Wilson held Mary's hand and led her onto the dance floor. Other couples were dancing, but Mary and Wilson's presence seemed to garner the attention of the entire room.
Eric was among the first to notice them get up. He looked on intently as Wilson placed his hand carefully on the small of Mary's back and pulled her body in closer to him. Mary positioned her hand gently on Wilson's shoulder and the remaining hand he held in the air. Wilson only had to spin Mary around the dance floor three times before Eric couldn't take anymore.
"Would you care to dance?" Eric asked his wife seated next to him.
"Oh Eric, how sweet. I would love to." Annie didn't always pick up on things that quickly.
Eric took Annie near Mary and Wilson- near enough to be within earshot. He could have been right on top of them for all it mattered, though; he still would not have heard anything. Mary and Wilson weren't saying anything. Neither of them had words that would justify the moment.
Unbeknownst to them, they did not need to be worried about ruining the moment themselves. Eric was fully capable of doing that. After kicking Annie to the curb, he tapped Mary on the shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"
Wilson dropped the hand he had on Mary's back, intending to give her up to her father. To both Wilson and Eric's surprise, Mary grabbed Wilson's hand and placed it back behind her.
"Sorry Dad, not now."
"What do you mean not now? I'm your father," Eric said sternly.
Wilson braced himself. He knew that was not going to go over well with Mary.
"Dad, I am an adult; I'm almost twenty-one years old. I'm dancing with Wilson right now."
Eric walked away dejected. Mary sighed heavily. In an attempt to calm her, Wilson rubbed her thumb in circles on her back. She felt better almost instantaneously.
"You're dad's a nice man. Don't be so hard on him. He's only trying to protect you."
"I can take care of myself."
Wilson almost smiled. "I know that."
"And… and I wish he didn't have anything to protect me from."
"That's impossible. The world is full of-"
Mary looked Wilson in the eye. "I'm talking about you." For the first time that day, Mary showed Wilson a glimpse at an emotion other than sheer glee. She was somber, cold, unforgiving. Mary turned those emotions on for that brief moment, then turned away from him and left Wilson alone to sit back down.
As Mary pushed past a few people to make it back to her seat, she saw Ben approaching from the side of the dance floor. She had hoped he would leave her alone, but all chances of that diminished when he walked right up to her and started speaking.
"Hey Mary. Want to dance? I've already asked about fifteen of Sarah's cousins and they all said no to me."
Mary had to use most of her strength to keep from bursting into tears. "Not right now, OK? Why don't you go ask Lucy or something?"
Mary finally made it back to the table in one piece, only to find it empty. The entire table had cleared out, and Mary suspected that was no accident. She was all by herself, again, and she hated it. She knew that it was only a matter of time, though, before Wilson showed up and tried to do damage control.
He sat back in his seat next to her and tried to think of something with meaning. After coming up with nothing, he gave it his best shot. "You want to talk, talk about something real?"
"Sure, why not?" She was half sarcastic, half sincere.
"I don't like that Ben guy."
Mary almost laughed. "I knew you were jealous of him. I could see it in your eyes."
"I'm not jealous. I just don't think he should be hitting on you like that. It's not appropriate."
"You are too jealous. And you know what, that's absurd. You made it painfully obvious that you wanted nothing to do with me."
Wilson rolled his eyes at her. "Mary, let's not do this here."
"Fine, we don't have to. But I'm angry Wilson, really angry. I tried not to be, but it just makes me more and more hostile, belligerent even."
Mary looked up at him and he glared back. "I guess we're even then. I'm angry that you don't have any faith in me."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing sweetheart. Don't worry your pretty little head."
0
0
0
0
0
A/N: I reworked this chapter three times. I've had two different ending ad two different beginnings. I never thought this would have given me so much grief. Whatever though. It's done and I'm over it.
0
0
0
Don't make m worry my pretty little head. Review please.
0
0