Til Death Do Us Part. Stephen Edger

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       THREE

      ‘I promised I’d go easy on him,’ Dave said, his large arm brushing against Alice’s shoulder as he reached for the bottle of wine on the table between them. His jacket was now slung over the back of the chair, and he looked more like himself.

      ‘Thank you,’ Alice replied over the loud music already pumping out of the room next to them, grateful that Dave’s ribbing of Ben throughout the best man’s speech had been gentle. ‘It was a good speech.’

      ‘You should hear the first draft,’ he teased, a wide grin breaking across the stubble on his cheeks. ‘I should let you read a copy of it, so you get to see the man you’ve really married.’

      She gave him a cursory stare, but found her own lips reflecting his smile. ‘I wonder what sort of speech Ben would write about you though, Dave.’

      His expression changed to one of mock hurt. ‘Moi? Didn’t you know? I’m an angel. They broke the mould when they made me. Scout’s honour.’

      Alice doubted very much that Dave had ever been in the Scouts. No matter how hard she tried to picture him in shorts and a woggle, she just couldn’t do it.

      Now that the speeches were complete, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She’d even caught both of Ben’s parents chuckling as Dave had relayed stories of how the two of them had met, how Dave viewed himself as something of a Cupid for helping the happy couple connect, and had avoided all references to previous partners.

      Dave’s hands had trembled as he’d read out his speech, but Ben had looked even more nervous, sipping his wine every sixty seconds or so, clearly dreading the potential grenades Dave could have dropped.

      The hotel staff had kicked them out of the room just after five, as Dave’s speech had dragged on a little longer than expected, and Alice had taken the opportunity to change into her evening gown and freshen up. The honeymoon suite was everything she had hoped for. High ceilings, a four-poster bed and a balcony with a view of the lake and luscious green lawn where the photography session had taken place. Picture-perfect didn’t come close to describing it, but then she’d left nothing to chance, and had spent the majority of her free time in the last two years planning every minute detail. From the embossed ‘Save the Date’ cards, to the individual handheld dessert selection that had been served during the speeches, she had overseen every detail.

      Today was her day, and nothing was going to spoil it.

      She hadn’t seen Ben since the breakfast, but Dave had found her and promised the rest of the lads were looking after him, which probably meant they were drinking and exchanging banter where they couldn’t be overheard. The evening guests were now gathering in the suite ready for the evening disco and buffet, awaiting the newlyweds’ arrival and the cutting of the cake.

      ‘Are you having a good day?’ Dave asked, leaning closer again.

      ‘The best,’ she gushed.

      ‘I’m sorry I was late getting Ben to the church,’ he continued sombrely. ‘It’s absolutely my fault, and you shouldn’t blame him. It took us ages to find an open pub. The one I’d planned for us to go to was closed, and we had to drive around until we found one. Ben kept saying we should just forget about it, but I wanted him to have a proper send-off. I hope you can forgive me. The last thing I’d want is to spoil your big day.’

      She patted his arm warmly. ‘It’s okay, Dave. No harm done.’

      A sudden crash into the table was followed by a hand resting on Dave’s shoulder.

      ‘Hey mate,’ the owner of the hand slurred. ‘You got a cigarette I can steal?’

      Dave looked annoyed at the interruption, but turned to face the man. ‘You don’t smoke, Abdul.’

      ‘Yeah, but I like one every now and again, when I’ve been drinking. Go on, don’t be tight.’

      Dave shuffled the chair back and stood, reaching for the suit jacket draped over the arm. ‘Sure, I’ll come out and join you.’ He paused and turned back to Alice. ‘Have you two met? Alice, this is Abdul. Abdul, this is Ben’s better half.’

      Alice hadn’t met Abdul before, but she’d heard Ben and Dave talking about him. From India originally, he had met the other two at university and they’d spent most of their time high as kites, before going their separate ways at graduation.

      ‘Hi,’ Alice waved.

      ‘Great day,’ Abdul replied. ‘Appreciate the invite.’

      ‘I’ll see you in a bit.’ Dave winked at Alice, before following Abdul away from the table and towards the hotel lobby.