I arrived at the aquarium moments after hanging up with my brother. I knew there would be tourists present, but I didn't anticipate it being so busy. I should have known better on a Saturday. I explained to the woman at the ticket counter that I was there for a wedding, and she nodded, seeming to know exactly what I was talking about. She asked if I had been there before, and when I told her I hadn't, she gave me a map, circling the area marked "Great Saltwater Reef" and telling me it would be obvious when I got there and saw that the tunnel was blocked-off with a curtain.
"The tunnel is closed?" The question came from behind me, and I turned to find a lady with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes ma'am, but only for an hour," the clerk explained.
I walked away, feeling slightly guilty for getting to go into the tunnel when other people couldn't—especially since that lady was so disappointed.
I was a little early, so I stopped off at the restroom before I headed to the area indicated on the map. I used the facilities, just for general principals, and then I stood at the sink, regarding myself in the mirror as I washed my hands.
I had just gotten my hair cut a few days before, and I was still getting used to the look of my dark waves resting just above my shoulders rather than several inches below. I liked it, though, and thought it felt fresh for spring. I wore it parted to the side, and I tweaked and adjusted it as I stared at my reflection.
I always wore jeans to work, so it was fun for me to get dressed up. I had on a pink blouse with a short, floral skirt that was gathered in pleats around my waist and flared playfully around my thighs. My white strappy sandals were extremely comfortable and matched the outfit perfectly. Maybe it was a little much for going to an aquarium, but I was sure the other wedding guests would be in the same type of attire. It was one of my favorite outfits, and I would have no shame in wearing it again that evening to the reception. I took a compact out of my clutch and used it to powder my face simply because I was a little early and still had some time to kill.
I was glad the ticket clerk had sent me on my way with a paper map because the aquarium was larger than it looked from the outside. It took me several minutes to make my way to the Great Saltwater Reef. I could see the black velvet curtains covering the entrance of the tunnel as I approached.
"Other side, sweetie," an older woman was standing near the curtain wearing a warm smile. I heard her, but I was slightly nervous, so I didn't quite comprehend what she had said.
"Ma'am?" I asked.
"Other side, honey," she said, pointing toward her left. "You're here for the wedding, aren’t you?"
I smiled. "Yes."
"The guests enter through the other side," she said, again motioning to the left. She held the side of her hand to her mouth as if she was about to tell me a secret. "The bride's in here," she whispered. She whispered so loudly that I wasn't sure why she had whispered at all.
I smiled and nodded. "Oh, okay," I said, whispering back.
"Who is it?" I heard from the other side of the curtain.
The lady looked at me with a questioning expression.
"Sidney," I said, knowing it had been Abigail who asked.
"Hey Sidney," she said from behind the curtain. "Are you by yourself?"
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one, especially Ash, was behind me. "Yeah," I answered. "I'm alone."
Abigail cautiously peeked out from behind the curtain, and I smiled at the sight of her. She was so sweet, and I could tell how excited she was. Tears instantly stung my eyes as I thought about this being her big day.
"You look so beautiful!" she said.
"Nooo," I said instinctually. "You do. You look beautiful."
She narrowed her eyes playfully at me. "You can't even see me."
She was right. All I could see was her head.
"Yes, I can," I said. "I can see your face, and you look gorgeous. I'm so happy for you and Ash."
"I'm so happy too," she said. "Thank you for being here." She glanced behind me as if looking for someone. "Did you bring Matt?"
I shook my head. "He's coming tonight."
"Shoot," she said. "He would have loved this."
The truth was that when the wedding planner had called, she specifically said that the wedding would be extremely intimate and that the number of attendees was limited. She encouraged me to bring my plus one to the reception. I didn't say any of this to Abigail, obviously.
"He's gonna have so much fun tonight," I said. "He's really excited about it. Thank you for thinking of him."
"I wish he could have come today," she said. "Maybe we can bring the whole class here sometime. Lance is good friends with the owners. I'm sure they would let us in for free."
I smiled and nodded. "They'd love that."
She reached her hand out from behind the curtain, and I extended mine so we could squeeze each other's fingers.
"I'll see you in a little bit," she said.
Again, I smiled and nodded, agreeing with her as she disappeared behind the curtain.
I pointed in the direction the lady had indicated before. "This way?" I asked.
She nodded. "Past the touch-tank and then around the jellyfish. You'll see it once you get over there."
"Thank you," I said as I headed that way.
The lady was right. I saw another velvet curtain in the distance once I made my way to the jellyfish area. There were a few tourists nearby, but they were preoccupied with staring at all the glass walls.
I knew I was in the right place because there was a man dressed in a suit near the heavy curtain. I thought it was Ash at first, but then I realized his hair was a little lighter and he was bigger. Ash wasn't a small guy, but this guy was even taller and broad across the chest.
I instantly straightened my posture and sucked in my gut. The man was strikingly handsome. Grey suit. White shirt. No tie. Collar unbuttoned, showing the tan skin of his neck. No offense to the little old lady, but the view at this end of the tunnel was far better than the view at the other end. This guy could have easily been a Tom Ford model with his perfectly tailored suit and slicked back hair.
I was already kind of nervous about going to the wedding, anyway, but this man standing at the entrance had my heart pounding in earnest. What made it worse was that he caught sight of me and began staring straight at me as I approached. Even from twenty or thirty feet away, I could see him looking in my direction, an easy smile touching his lips like he recognized that I was there for the wedding. I smiled back as I continued to walk that way. I thought he must be some kind of greeter or usher stationed there to show the guests where to go. Surely, he could tell by the way I was dressed that I was one of the guests.
In those seconds as I approached, I tried to plan what I was going to say to him when I got close. I thought of things like, "I'm here for Ash and Abigail's wedding," or "Is this the right place for the Winters' wedding?"
Then he waved at me.
He smiled and waved—a little casual, two-fingered wave like he knew me. The sight of it had me struggling to catch my breath. He was the most attractive man I had ever seen. He had a little bit of short facial hair lining his jaw, and his eyes were close-set. He reminded me of Ryan Gosling, if Ryan Gosling had more rounded features. He was strikingly handsome and yet somehow kind and approachable looking—almost familiar.
All of these thoughts crossed my mind in the period of a second or two after he waved at me. We didn't know each other, but I was not about to let his wave go unanswered. I smiled at him and lifted my hand to wave back, and just after I did it, I felt someone rush past me. It was a woman—I could smell her perfume and feel her as she blew past, walking much faster than I was.
"Oh my gosh, Lance, I hardly recognized you all dressed up like this!" she said. "I'm used to seeing you in your work shirt."
Instantly, I realized what I had done. The gorgeous man had not been waving at me at all—nor had he been looking at me for that matter. It was a classic case of he was waving at the person behind me, and like an idiot, I waved back.
I could feel myself beginning to blush, and I was thankful that the woman walked into his arms, giving him a hug and distracting him. She was with another man, and I heard him begin talking as well. They were all close to me as I approached the curtain, but I didn't look at them.
How could a mistaken wave be so incredibly embarrassing? I tried to tell myself that I didn't regret doing it, that waving back at someone was the reasonable thing to do, but I did regret it. I wished I could take back the last thirty seconds of my life and do it all over again. Just as I approached the other side of the curtain, someone came out from behind it. I was shaken-up, but I recognized him, and relief flooded my body because of it.
Dylan.
Abigail's little brother had gone from little boy to young man in the time since I had last seen him. I probably wouldn't have recognized him had I not seen a few recent pictures of him on her social media.
"Hey Dylan, I'm your sister's friend, Sidney. I talked to her on the other side, and she said I should come around this way."
"Yes ma'am," he said with a smile and a little nod. He offered me his arm. "Right this way." He glanced at the others who were standing nearby. "Would you like to follow us, or are you still waiting for someone?" he asked.
"I'm still waiting for someone," the handsome one said. He glanced at me, and I quickly glanced down at my clutch as if to check on something.
"We're ready to go in," the lady said. "Mandy and Tim Foster," she added, formally introducing herself and her husband.
"Right this way," Dylan said with a nod.
Dylan kept a hold of my arm, and the couple fell into stride behind us. I knew he didn't recognize me as a friend of the family from Cutler Bay, but I didn't bother explaining who I was. I simply walked next to him as we made our way into the dark tunnel. As my eyes adjusted I could see that there were about twenty or thirty people already lining the walls. Some of them were talking to each other, but most of them were staring at the gorgeous blue underwater world that surrounded us on all sides. What a magical place for a wedding. I wondered if anything like this had ever been done before or if Abigail and Ash were the first.
"Right here will be fine," Dylan said, as he led us to an area on the left.
I thanked him for showing me in and situated myself along the wall, leaving a little space between the person who was already standing there since I didn't recognize them. The couple who had introduced themselves as Mandy and Tim Foster came to stand next to me, again leaving a little space.
My eyes weren't adjusted at first, and I was overwhelmed with staring at the gorgeous, liquid walls and ceiling. That was why it took me a minute to notice the red carpet that extended down the center. The tunnel was huge, but both ends of it seemed to be dark. I couldn't help but wonder where exactly the bride and groom would say their vows.
I felt a little off my game, standing there with my back against the wall. I was still somewhat embarrassed by the waving debacle, and I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I was relieved for the darkness. I decided to look at the fish again. I turned and stared into the expansive aquarium, and instantly, I breathed a little easier. There was something so calming about watching fish glide through water.
I focused on a hammerhead shark in the distance, and then my eyes fell onto a group of smaller fish swimming closer to me. I knew next to nothing about fish, so I had no idea what I was looking at. A few of the varieties, like the hammerhead, were obvious, but otherwise I was pretty clueless. I didn't need to know what type of fish they were—all I knew was that they were beautiful, majestic, breathtaking.
I could hear people talking around me, and I noticed as Dylan showed a few others to a place on the other side of the tunnel, but I never talked to anyone or even turned around to look at them. Someone made an announcement that the ceremony would begin in five minutes. I glanced at him when he spoke, but otherwise, I stayed focused on the fish.