"Could you get that woman in the blue dress a gin and tonic?" Veronica asked a passing waiter, her eyes scanning over the crowd. The ceremony was just starting, and even though she had done this hundreds of times, her stomach was in knots.
The waiter nodded and went into the kitchen. She spotted the bride's mother walking towards her, and Veronica put on her best I-am-here-to-help-you-even-if-you-decide-to-pelt-me-with-stones smile.
"Hey," she said. "Is everything okay?"
The woman, Emily, was dressed in a pale pink gown with a brown shimmery shawl wrapped around her shoulder. The pearls around her neck looked like they cost more than her yearly income. "If my daughter asks for any more alcohol before the ceremony, just send over a glass of water." She rubbed her temples gently. "She's drunk enough that water will taste like vodka at this point." She was wearing a tiara made of flowers and leaves that was given to all the guests attending the event.
Veronica nodded and made a mental note to convey the message to the staff helping around the wedding. "I can send over some coffee?"
"That would be great," Emily replied, clutching Veronica's hand in gratitude and walking away.
The wedding looked beautiful. The flowers on everything made the place resemble a fairyland. Once the sun set, all the lightbulbs wrapped around the trees would be illuminated, making the wedding look even more ethereal. The path to the altar was riddled with white petals, and Martin had somehow managed to create a fake lake that looked suspiciously real. She spotted one of the bridesmaids flirting with one of the best men. Right on time.
"Martin's asking for you in the kitchen." Cassie snuck up to her side, making Veronica jump.
"Is everything okay?" Veronica asked, scrunching up her eyebrows.
"I don't know, but he did have a slightly green tinge to this skin," Cassie explained. She was holding a tray full of appetizer skewers.
"Oh, well," she said with a loud exhale. "Time for the guillotine."
Making her way through the labyrinth of waiters and guests, she entered the kitchen just in time to see Martin chug the last dregs of whiskey from his glass.
"Okay," she said, taken aback. "Where's the fire?"
Martin turned and looked at her. "The bartender called in sick."
Veronica blinked and shared a look with Minho. The kitchen was buzzing with the cooking staff doing last-minute preparations for the wedding meal. The bride had requested a three-course meal, which she had changed five times before settling on skewers of almost all varieties as starter. For the main course, she had settled on butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce and grilled petite filet with roast potatoes. For dessert, the bride had decided to have three choices: spiced carrot cake, dark chocolate cake, and cherry pie. The kitchen smelled so heavenly that Veronica wondered if someone could make a perfume smelling like this.
"Anaya called in sick?" Veronica repeated, feeling the panic set in. "She was fine when I talked to her on Thursday."
"Two days is all it took for her to catch the flu," Martin explained, running a hand through his hair. "She called in thirty minutes ago. Apparently, she can't even get up from her bed."
"Okay, okay." Veronica licked her lips, her brain going into problem-solving mode. "What about -"
"Alan?" Martin finished his sentence. "He's on vacation in Greece with his girlfriend."
Shit. Shit. Shit. She moved to the side, letting a waiter pass through. They were supposed to open the bar in thirty minutes. She fished out her phone from her purse, an idea taking root. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she hit the dial button.
"Hey Veronica," Chan spoke on the other end.
"I am about to ask you the biggest favour anyone's probably ever asked of you," Veronica said as a way of greeting, not bothering to hide the hint of panic in her voice.
She could hear some rustling on his end. "I am putting on my shoes. What do you need?"
"I need you to bartend this wedding at the inn," Veronica said, biting the inside of her cheek.
"Our usual bartender called in sick, and the backup bartender is vacationing in Greece, and we are twenty-five minutes from the guests starting a revolt and the bride putting our heads on a pike. So, please, you are my only option."
She faintly heard a door shutting in the background. "I will be there in five minutes."
Veronica couldn't remember the last time she had been this elated to see someone. She felt flowers and fireworks erupting in the background. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you -"
"How skilled are you?" Martin stepped before her, blocking her view of Chan.
"You name a drink, and I can make it," he replied calmly.
"So," Martin started, and Veronica rolled her eyes at what was coming. "If someone asked you to make a Moscow mule, what would you add to it?"
"Martin, is this really necessary?" Veronica asked, tapping her foot in irritation and checking the time on her phone.
Veronica could hear the laugh in Chan's voice when he replied, "A Russian hybrid of a horse and a donkey?"
Veronica snickered. She was sure she saw steam come out of Martin's ears. He turned to her, "If he fucks up, it's on your head." With that, he walked away, muttering something under his breath.
"Always a pleasure," Chan replied, watching him walk away. "So, where do I set up?"
"I will lead you to your station," Veronica answered, exiting the kitchen.
"Did I tell you how grateful I am that you are doing this?" Veronica said, leading them to the cocktail bar they had set up in the garden. "Because the next time you come to my apartment, don't be surprised to find a statue of you erected right in the middle of the hallway."
They reached the bar and he took in the available liquor bottles and cocktail equipment. The front of the bar was covered with vines and flowers, making it on theme for the wedding. He read over the signature drinks that the groom had approved, the only contribution he had made to the whole wedding.
"I can make all of these, plus your bartender wrote down the recipes just in case," he said. "So that statue, can I supply you with the photo as a reference?"
Veronica pretended to think, tapping her nails on the counter. "I was just thinking it could be a statue of you dressed as Dionysus. You know, holding a goblet of wine and dressed in a peplos."
He chuckled, showing a dimple. "That's some imagery you built there."
"Well," Veronica exhaled. "You are nothing short of a Greek hero for me today. I will let you get to work."
"Veronica?"
She turned around when he called her name. He was looking at her with a small smile on his lips. "You look like a fairy."
She looked down at her outfit, a midnight blue ruffle maxi dress with sparkles in it. She had managed to find something appropriate to the wedding theme at one of her favourite vintage stores.
She tried to hide her smile but couldn't. "Thank you, Chan."
The rest of the ceremony passed without a glitch. The coffees Veronica had sent to the bride's room had worked their magic. The bride and groom read their vows, and as the Minster pronounced them, husband and wife Veronica found herself cheering with the rest of the wedding guests.
Toasts were made, champagne glasses were drowned, and as the sun bid them goodbye, Veronica watched the whole garden get lit by the hundreds of bulbs wrapped around the trees.
As dinner was served, Veronica took a small break and decided to check in with Chan. He was in the middle of pouring someone bourbon when she took a seat at the bar.
"Martini with a twist?" He asked, reaching for the vodka.
"I will have some red wine, actually," she replied, crossing her legs.
He raised an eyebrow and placed a wine glass before her. "All good?"
"Yeah," she said. "I think everything's good. These events are always so stressful."
He poured her wine. His eyes were on her. "The wedding looks beautiful. Like out of a book or something."
"Yeah, really pretty."
The band announced that it was the time for the bride and groom's first dance. She watched as the groom reached for the bride's hand just as the band started playing 'Can't Help Falling In Love' by Elvis.
"Have you ever wondered what song you'd pick for your first dance?" Chan asked her, leaning on his elbows as the two of them watched the newlywed couple dance.
"I don't know," Veronica replied. "It's too much pressure on just one song. I think the first dance is just for the couple, so the song should mean something to them. Something intimate."
"Like the song they danced to in the rain," he supplied.
"Or the song that was playing when they first said, 'I love you.'"
"My parents' first dance was on the song that was playing at the party my dad saw my mom at. It was 'I Just Wanna Be Your Everything' by Andy Gibb."
"That's so sweet." She took a sip of her wine. The band was asking for other people to join the bride and groom. Even after managing so many of these weddings, Veronica never got tired of how magical it all felt. Watching two people who loved each other, promising to continue loving one another till the end of the time. Celebrating this joy with the people who meant the most to them. It was beautiful. Veronica wasn't sure she believed it, though.
A couple of guests arrived at the bar, and for a moment, Chan got busy making their drinks. She watched as he casually chatted with the customers while he mixed the liquor expertly. His hands moved like water. He made it look like a choreography he had practised so much it was effortless.
"What are you thinking?" he asked when she hadn't spoken in a while.
"How people promise to love each other till the end of time," Veronica answered, her eyes focused on the couple. "And how most of the time, that love is simply not enough."
"That's a morbid thought to think at a wedding," he commented.
"Yeah, well," Veronica replied, finishing her drink. "I don't know how much I believe in eternal love or soul mates for that matter."
His mouth fell open. "You are telling me you don't believe that some people are just meant for each other?"
Veronica shook her head, amused at his reaction. "I think we change so much over the course of our lives that the possibility of someone changing at the same pace as you is quite slim. And they might not love the next version of you because that wasn't who they had married."
She believed that they were supposed to meet certain people during certain points of their lives. Romantic relationships were different from platonic ones. Friendships offered more grace. There were fewer strings attached. Platonic love was endless. Cassie loved her not because of Veronica's looks or what Veronica brought to the table. She simply loved her.
Chan looked like a ten-year-old kid who had just found out that Santa Claus wasn't real. "Changing together is the most beautiful part of being in a relationship. To watch the person you love grow into themselves is a privilege. Love is choosing to stay and making that decision every single day. It's a commitment." She watched his face light up as his hands made frantic gestures trying to get his point across. "It's an art. Poets went crazy trying to describe it, trying to immortalize the ones they loved and lost."
Veronica wondered how it must feel to be loved by someone who felt so much. Who understood the gravity of choosing to love someone? She thought about her last relationship. How she had vowed never to make the same mistakes as her mother just to come home to the smell of pot and weed.
"Some of us are not that lucky, Chan," Veronica replied, a sad smile on her face.
All her relationships, be it with her mother or romantic, had never brought her any comfort. Her search for a reprieve had brought her no joy. She remembered being afraid. And ashamed at believing the lies that were fed to her. She had left the broken walls of her home only to fall into a box made of glass. Unrelenting and suffocating.
He opened his mouth to say something, but someone came and asked for an apple cider margarita. She noticed that the bride's mother was looking for someone and decided to get back to her job. She offered a small wave to Chan before leaving.
"Everything okay?" She asked.
Emily looked giddy and slightly tipsy. "Oh, I was just looking for you. The ceremony was perfect. The guests couldn't stop talking about the decorations and the food."
Veronica smiled, genuinely glad. "I am happy that everything was to your liking."
When the ceremony was over, she gave the reigns over to Lucille. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep for at least 48 hours straight.
"It was a success," she said to Martin, who was packing up for the day.
"Your boyfriend really came through," Martin commented, and it took Veronica five seconds to realize that he was talking about Chan.
"Yeah, he did." She glanced at Chan, who was busy talking to Cassie about the next movie night. Cassie had taken Chan's movie education upon her.
"Tell him thanks from me," Martin said before walking away. Veronica couldn't believe her ears. Martin had directly expressed gratitude. She couldn't remember the last time he had done that.
She walked over to where Chan and Cassie were standing. "Martin said thank you. Like he told me to explicitly say thanks to you from him."
Cassie gaped. "Did something fall on his head? Is the world coming to an end?"
"Who knew that Martin's software was programmed to show gratitude," he replied with a shocked smile, a hand over his heart.
The last of the wedding guests had left, and all around them, the staff members were clearing up the garden. All those weeks of preparation just for a few perfect hours.
"I will be heading home now," Cassie said, loosening her tie. "I will probably sleep through tomorrow. How long are you staying, Veronica?"
Veronica's yawned. The day's stress and exhaustion catching up with her. "I will leave too, Lucielle said she had everything covered."
"I bid you my goodbye then." Cassie saluted in their direction and walked away.
"I will leave too," Veronica told him. "The night is getting cold, and I forgot to bring my coat. Plus, I have to get right onto that statue I will be making."
"Here." He shrugged off his jacket.
"Chan, no," Veronica protested, but he draped it around her shoulders.
"Don't want you to turn into a popsicle before you make my statue. Come, I will drive you home." He gestured for her to follow him.
Veronica had to admit, a car sounded good. She was bone tired, and the heels were beginning to shoot shards of pain up her back. "It's going to be a really big statue, I promise." She wrapped his jacket around her, which was still warm with his body heat. It smelled like him, too.
He chuckled, leading the way to the parking lot. They were almost by his car when his phone rang.
"Hello," he answered.
Veronica couldn't hear what the other person said, but Chan furrowed his eyebrows.
"Diana, hold on," he said. Veronica looked at him. "Calm down and speak slowly."
Diana must have repeated her crisis on the other end because Chan replied, "I will be there soon, okay?" And then hung up.
"Is everything okay?" Veronica asked, genuinely concerned.
"I have to go," he replied, looking at her.
"Oh." She blinked. "Of course, I will take the bus. It's no problem at all."
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Something hot swirled in the pit of her stomach, but Veronica ignored it. She took off his jacket and said, "Chan, go. I have taken the bus a billion times. I will be okay. Here." She offered him the jacket back, trying to suppress the zap of the chill air on her skin. Of all the days to forget her coat.
"Keep the jacket, please," he said, ignoring her outstretched hand. "I am sorry, Veronica."
Veronica waved away his apology. "Go. She needs you."
She watched him give her a final glance before getting into his car. He rolled down the window and said, "Text me when you get home."
She nodded, watching him drive away. She folded the jacket, not wanting to wear it again for some reason. This was why they were doing this in the first place, she reminded herself. To get him back with his girlfriend. It was good that Diana had called. She didn't need to be driven home. She was capable of walking to the bus stop and taking the bus. She wasn't dependent. Then why did her stomach feel hollow?
She turned around, but instead of walking to the bus stop, she walked back to the inn.
When Lucielle saw her, she asked, "Veronica? I thought you were going home?"
"I am not that tired," Veronica replied, tying her hair up in a knot. "Thought I might as well lend a hand."