Now and for the Last Time

43 장

"Woah," Gayeon whispered to me, as we stood together at the back of the crowd. "Those tablecloths look great with the crepe paper. Did you do that?"

I looked at the nearest table, lined with two mason jars of sunflowers and a blue glass votive, the candle flickering warmly inside. "I helped. But this was really Sehun's thing."

"Impressive," she said. "The student becomes the master."

"What?"

"It's a martial arts movie thing," she explained, smiling at Jaebum, who was standing beside her in a button-down and shorts, holding her hand. "His favorite."

To this, I only nodded, as the groom and Chen, his friend who was officiating, took their places under the big tree at the end of our makeshift aisle. Suho was in a suit that looked like it was hot and uncomfortable - I hadn't made it to the wish yet, but if I had, I would've considered, for him, breathable fabric - Chen in khaki pants, sandals, and a white shirt. Off to the side, in Wooyoung's typical spot, was Sehun, who then signaled to Kyungsoo to start the music. When he caught my eye, I looked away.

I was still processing what had happened - or not - at the store. We hadn't talked again, as the entire ride home Sehun had been putting out fires involving both the beer and a blown breaker due to Kyungsoo's piano amp. Then, as soon as we'd arrived, Tzuyu was waiting in the driveway, arms crossed, clearly unhappy and ready for A Discussion. I'd slipped inside to help with the keg and everything else, but had to assume whatever had followed had not gone well, as I gotten a text from him soon after that said only: CONGRATS. YOU WIN.

Now, as the song on Kyungsoo's phone attached to the speaker, began, everyone turned to the porch, where Jihyo stood with her mom. She was a gorgeous bride, in a plain white sheath and her grandmother's gold cross on a thin necklace, her something old and borrowed. The new was her flower crown made herself. The blue, the beads on her white sandals, was visible with each step she took as she walked down the stairs.

She smiled at me as she passed, and I nodded, then bent down to adjust a bit of her hem that was doubled over, catching on the grass. A tiny detail, but one people would notice. And if you could fix something something, why wouldn't you?

"I still feel weird we're here," Gayeon said in my ear as Jihyo and Suho turned to face each other. "We don't even know these people."

"You saved everyone from eating nothing but pizza," I said. "You've earned an invite."

That had been another crisis. Sehun's list for the friends who'd gone grocery shopping had requested pizzas on the front, with frozen eggrolls and meatballs and other finger food continued on the back. When they didn't turn it over and then did their own strange math about how many they'd need, we ended up with forty frozen pies and nothing else. Luckily, Gayeon and Jaebum hadn't left her house yet, and between their two trucks were able to produce enough grilled cheese and ham and chicken biscuits on the fly to nicely round out the menu. It had taken only a quick canvas of the early arriving guests to find a couple of people happy to preheat the oven and arrange things on the cookie sheets, all of which were now warming up as Jihyo and Suho said their vows. Then all we had to do was plop them on trays and we'd be good.

Now I watched as the bride and groom took each other's hands, their very short ceremony already speeding toward its reception. When they began their vows, I looked up at the twinkling lights in the trees as a breeze blew across the yard and all of us assembled. Then I looked up at Sehun again, his face in profile, watching as Jihyo slid a ring on Suho's finger. What had he meant, that it was good to know I wanted him to be happy? I wanted to think about it, and yet didn't, at the same time.

Moments later, the bride and groom came back down the aisle, Suho flushed and actually smiling, Jihyo waving her bouquets over her head. As everyone cheered, throwing the flower petals we'd collected from pruning Julee's older roses, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out: Mark.