The sun beat down on Matt’s dark suit, heating his now perspiring frame. The wedding service seemed to have been going on for hours, though a cursory glance at his watch revealed it had only been 40 minutes. The bride and groom stood in front of the altar, grinning at each other, completely oblivious to the discomfort of their assorted guests.

Matt tugged at his collar for the umpteenth time and let out a silent sigh, willing the proceedings to disappear before his eyes. His eyes began to roam through the assembled throng. There was gathered the usual gallery of wedding guests; restless kids, old women in big hats, bored-looking men (amongst whose number he certainly counted himself) and attractive but terribly serious looking blonde women who hadn’t gone on diets and had their hair straightened for hours to look, in any way, as if they were enjoying themselves.

To his left, a lady in a ridiculous plume-feathered effort, shifted in her seat and removed her head-piece to cool off. At this point Matt was able to see beyond her and thus he laid eyes upon a familiar face. He was wearing shades but Aimee must have felt his eyes upon her. She turned her head slightly in his direction and from behind her own sunglasses she mouthed a simple ‘Hi’.

The day was suddenly saved from oblivion as Matt recognised his pretty friend from law school. Small, curvy and impossibly attractive, Aimee had always been classed by him as ‘the one that got away’. He cursed himself on a regular basis that he’d never properly closed with her in spite of his ample opportunities. She had been in his class for two years, yet he’d spent the first of those moping over the girl from school who had broken his heart and the second chasing the unattainable beauty of the junior attorney with whom he worked for a summer at the end of that academic year. Aimee, meanwhile, had been right under his nose. For much of that time however she herself was mixed up with a lanky, vacant football player who appeared in their classes just enough to pass his exams.

They had always been on good terms though and often saw each other at parties and at bars, yet by the time their third year rolled around, Aimee had fled to Spain for a semester to study. When she came back, Matt was graduated and out in the world of work. They lost contact until meeting up again in a club one night. They chatted for hours and he, now free of all stupid emotional constraints, took her number.

They went on a couple of dates but she had soon made her way to London for more studies. Matt was frustrated by the lack of progress with a girl he genuinely liked. He saw her intermittently when she was home but was unable to make any headway in their relationship. Eventually he gave up when her education next took her to Strasbourg. He couldn’t be bothered any longer. It looked to be over when she took a job in Brussels and Matt expected little further contact.

But now she was sitting 20 feet away and looking rather stunning. She had always looked good but Aimee had really gone all out today. She wore a strapless cream dress decorated with a pink and dark green flower motif. Her large boobs were pushed upwards by a tight, low-cut neckline. She wore a small, single blue pearl necklace that was cradled in her cleavage and her brown hair was curled only slightly; in stark contrast to the severe hair treatments of most other women at the event, including the bride. Her large sunglasses rested elegantly on her cute, angular nose and the gorgeous little mole that decorated her left cheek peeked out from beneath the frame.

The ceremony finished, suddenly but mercifully. As the crowd dispersed, beating a path to the shade of the reception room, Aimee made her way towards him, a large grin showing off her neat row of pearly white teeth.

“Hello you!” she said in a semi-surprised tone. “What brings you to this?”
“I’m a friend of the groom. What about you?”
“The bride” she said smiling, before fanning herself with the order of service.
“It’s too fucking hot out here, let’s go in and catch up…” Matt muttered as he led the way to the cool of the indoors.

Aimee followed him in, towards the reception room, where he stopped to check the table arrangements. They were placed on separate tables however most people were mulling around the lobby and bar still.
“I’ll take my chance and sit next to you then. I’ll just tell anyone who comes to sit in my seat that we’re a couple and a mix-up has seen us placed apart” Matt proposed.
“That’s great. And I’ll do my very best to look attached” she giggled.

They entered the large room and made their way to the table assigned to Aimee and quickly took their seats. Almost immediately a hulking man with a moustache and beads of sweat peppering his brow arrived at the table, a large pint of beer in his hand.