Words in Frame, 7/22

Honestly, he preferred funerals; at least there he didn’t have to fake a smile for 3 hours. The ceremony was beautiful and tears were shed, but all that paled in comparison to the pain his face felt after holding that damn smile.

They were at the reception now so at least he could drink, but the constant buzzing of merriment around his head was still too much for him. The new bride and groom picked an awkward spot near the coastline to host the reception. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the ocean really, but he appreciated its respect of space. Here he could hideaway and not be bother, taking comfort in the company of the oceans eternal waves. On the surface it was pretty and scenic, but upon closer inspection you would find trash littered all over the rocks along the water.

“Hmm, kind of like marriage” He said aloud to himself, before chuckling at his own joke.

“What’s like marriage?” A familiar voice uttered behind him.

He turned to see his girlfriend approaching him, two bottles in hand. A Corona for her and another Angry Orchard hard cider for him. He was living on the edge as always.

“Oh…nothing, just taking to myself” He took a sip of the cider before facing the water again.

“You know, there are bouncers here”

“What?” He was a bit too excited for a potential bounce house at a wedding reception.

“We have bouncers for people trying to crash the wedding, so you don’t have to keep watch of the sea for potential invaders.” She smiled at her own sly joke.

“Oh.” He fell for it. No bounce house. Damn.

“My sister and Ed look so happy together, it’s almost as if they should be together forever or something.” She sat down next to him, tired of standing in her heels.

“Yeah, they should just get married and leave everyone else alone.”

They both laughed before the silence settled in again. She was so good at being around people, and didn’t have to try to be social. On the flip side he was so painfully introverted that even going out to dinner can become an uphill battle on the wrong day. She was ridiculously patient with him and most days he didn’t understand why she bothered. In moments like this though their relationship shined, they were laughing about anything and mocking the world together.

…

“Cheer up babe, the obligatory cupid shuffle is starting soon” She knew exactly how to pull him out of a funk.

“Hmm, I do love me a good cupid shuffle, but I think I’ll pass”.

“Oh come on, all you have to do for that one is move, no smiling required.”

He remained still, watching the water crash into the rocks again. The ocean at least understand his need of solitude, forever yearning for solitude all while people polluted its water and depleted its resources.

“Okay, come on.” She was fed up with waiting and grabbed his arm to lift him up.

“Hey, wai-”

“No ‘heys’ from you, we are gritting our teeth and making an appearance on the dance floor.”

It made sense, after all she was a bridesmaid and had been away from the party for a bit too long, but he still wasn’t happy about the forced interactions. They made their way to the central party area, with ornate arrangements of flowers and lights surrounding a square oak dance floor. The DJ’s booth was covered in post-it notes of songs that people requested, some weird thing that this particular DJ did to engage his audience. Most, if not all, of the partygoers were drunk except for the children present.

 It was his worst nightmare, a loud and large gathering of people he didn’t know. He felt like the world was closing in on him and in that moment all he wanted to do was run back to his safehaven by the water. Then he felt a hand, her hand, grabbing his and pulling him farther and farther into the center of the chaos. He was still terrified but as long as their hands stayed connected he felt as though he was invincible. It was just the two of them, together in the eye of the storm, having and amazing time. The speeches were over, the tears were done, and all that was left was the celebration. For once he would meld into the collective party hive mind and release himself into the wild to enjoy the moment. Across from him was the woman strong enough to pull him out of his own fears, who made him believe it was okay to interact with the real world. His best friend.

…

Later on during the drive home she was sitting cozy in the passenger sit wearing his suit coat and enjoying the warmth of the car.

“See?” she stated, “That wasn’t so bad at all.”

The water he used as his shield now lined their drive home, close enough for comfort but far enough away for him to feel like he belonged with others and, for once, not just with himself. He felt at peace with his reclusive nature, knowing he would always have both a place to hide and the inspiration to leave his comfort zone when need be. He thought about his own future, and marrying the girl of his dreams. He pondered spending the rest of his life with his reason for stepping outside. He smiled, and this one was genuine.

“No,” he replied after a minute, “that wasn’t so bad at all.”