Message-ID: <23489asstr$954835803@assm.asstr-mirror.org> From: michaeld38@aol.communism (MichaelD38) X-Original-Message-ID: <20000403171722.22701.00002367@nso-cg.aol.com> Subject: {ASSM} The Teaser {MichaelD}(MF, FF, MFF, rom)(5/6) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 04:10:03 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: newsman, IceAltar, Lambchop, gill-bates, dennyw *********************************************** The Teaser Copyright 2000 by MichaelD38@aol.com Free redistribution permitted; no commerical use without authorization. Archives at www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MichaelD/www ************************************************ VIII. The wedding was the first weekend in June. I drove up to Newport Friday night and checked into the hotel. Kate had told me they were planning to regroup at the hotel bar downstairs after the rehearsal dinner, and I drifted down there around ten. I spotted them quickly, Kate and Preston surrounded by a big knot of their friends but somehow paying little attention to each other. I immediately looked around for Mara, not seeing her. Kate waved me over and gave me a big hug. "Hey!" "How you doing?" "Great. Come meet Melissa." She introduced me around, and Melissa proved to be a fairly intriguing prospect, who did indeed look somewhat like Kate, slim and impish and brown-haired. "Kate's been telling me a lot about you," she said. "Has she?" "I almost think she's been trying to sell me on you." We exchanged a grin. "How do you know her?" I asked. "We went to high school together, at Choate. We haven't seen as much of each other since then, but we've tried to stay in touch." "Kate told me you're a doctor." "A baby doctor. I just started my internship last fall. I've still got a long way to go." "What are you thinking of doing?" "I'm not sure. Maybe emergency medicine. I really like what I'm doing now." "Didn't get into it to do anything specific?" She smiled. "I got into it mainly because half the people in my family are doctors. Did you meet Phillip?" "Yeah." "He's my cousin. He's a doctor too. So's my dad." "In my family, it's lawyering. My granddad is a judge. Where'd you go to med school?" "Harvard. We're a Harvard family, pretty much. What about you?" "I went to Yale." She laughed. "So much for that." I talked with Melissa for about an hour. Though she was nice and interesting, it became clear to me fairly quickly that there were no sparks developing. Kate was still working the room, trying to talk to everyone--except Preston, that was. It wasn't as if they were avoiding each other, it simply struck me that they might not have anything to say to each other. Eventually I was ready to call it a night, and I walked Melissa back to her room. I went to sleep dreading the next day, for long list of reasons. * * * I spent most of the next day sitting around my room watching television and trying not to think about anything. I showered and dressed at five, then descended to the lobby. And there, sitting on a couch waiting for the shuttle to the church, was Mara. I saw her before she saw me, and I briefly considered fleeing back to my room, before discarding the idea as juvenile. Her blonde hair was pinned up in an elegant roll, and she wore a trim peach-toned suit and some well-coordinated jewelry where she had once worn little beyond jeans and sweatshirts. Mara had always been naturally pretty; when she tried, she could be beautiful, and she was certainly trying this afternoon. I wasn't quite egotistical enough to think it had anything to do with my presence, which Kate had surely warned her about by now. She finally saw me approaching, and an uneven look passed across her face. Then she stood up. "Hey," I said. "Tom. How are you?" "I've been worse. I'm still in New York." "Are you a lawyer now?" "Yep. How about you? Kate said you're in Chicago." "I'm in grad school at the University of Chicago. I'm going to get my MPA this summer." "Congratulations. What are you going to do with it?" "I'm applying to a couple of federal agencies. I got an offer from HUD, but I turned it down. It wasn't really what I wanted to do." "I'm sure you'll find something great." She nodded and turned away from me. I stood there uncomfortably, not sure what to say next. She continued staring out the window toward the street. A few more guests approached, and we stood in a clump waiting for the van. Mara was still not looking at me. We hadn't seen each other in about four years, and our last parting at Yale was not amicable. I wanted to say something to reduce the tension, an apology of some sort, but this was really not the best time for it. The shuttle arrived at that point, and Mara stepped out toward it, not bothering to wait for me. She took a seat in front, and I sat in back. * * * The wedding was being held at a nearby Episcopal cathedral. When I arrived, I saw Preston in the foyer, joking and roughhousing with his groomsmen as the guests filed in. I sat by myself, amongst a clump of other guests I didn't know, about five pews back from the front. Little expense appeared to have been spared for this undertaking. Exotic arrangements of stargazers, orange blossoms and orchids were arrayed around the inside of the cathedral, and the central arrangements on the altar were at least six feet high. The service began at six, and the groomsmen gradually seated all the members of Kate's and Preston's families. Then Preston took his place at the head of the church with the priest and his groomsmen, and the bridesmaids finally began their procession. When the last of the bridesmaids had reached the front, and the organist began the wedding march, I had to close my eyes and fight to stay in control. My stomach tightened, and for a moment I thought I might vomit. But I regained my composure after a second or two and turned toward the rear of the cathedral. Kate was beautiful. They say all brides are, but she was. She walked slowly the center aisle at her father's side, giving me a nervous smile as she passed. Most of the ceremony flew past me by in a blur. I felt as if I were watching it on television, not really there, not really a person who had any connection to the people or the event. Just a spectator with nothing at stake. I kept waiting for the bit when the priest would ask if anyone wanted to stop the ceremony, thinking of all the things I could say, feeling immensely stupid because of it. I could stand up and shout, "Preston fucked two hookers at his bachelor party!" or "Kate told me herself that she doesn't love him!" And all of that would, of course, accomplish nothing beyond profoundly humiliating Kate, and probably driving her out of my life for good. "If anyone can show just cause why these two may not lawfully be joined together in matrimony," the priest said, "let him speak now or forever hold his peace." I held it, and held it tightly. * * * The reception was on the back lawn of the Armitage family mansion, looking out over Narragansett Bay. I rode over in a shuttle with the other guests, and we filed in through the house. Several huge tents had been set up over the dining area, the orchestra and the dance floor. There were already at least a hundred people there, and more arriving every minute. The wedding party arrived about twenty minutes after I did. Kate's parents were polite but distant to me as I went through the receiving line. You wouldn't have thought that I had known their daughter for nearly eight years. I allowed myself a smidgen of revenge at this snub by thinking of Kate's story about catching the two of them having sex all those years ago. Kate herself was giddy and teary-eyed when I got to her. She gave me a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here." "I wouldn't have missed it. Feel any different?" "I'm still in shock." "Congratulations." She relaxed her grip, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I withdrew from her and shook Preston's hand. He pumped it up and down vigorously. "Congratulations," I said. "Thanks, man. Great to have you here." Dear God, he was already half-drunk. I could smell the liquor on his breath. I stifled the expression of disgust that fought to climb onto my face. I managed a final smile and moved on to meet Preston's parents. I continued down the line and headed to the bar when I was free. "What can I get you?" the bartender asked. "Bourbon. Neat," I said. "Make it a double." He poured me a double shot of Maker's Mark, and I downed it in two gulps. * * * I went looking for my seat, and there I discovered that either Kate, out of some twisted desire I could not quite fathom, or the cruel gods of chance, had conspired to seat me at the same table as Mara. I sat down, watching the other guests blankly. About a minute later, I saw Mara approaching the table. She saw me at the same time, and her face tightened. She sighed, dropping her purse across a chair a few seats away. "Well," she said. "Yeah. I, uh, I'll move if you want me to." "No. It's all right." She sat down. "Do you want a drink?" I asked. "I was about head back to the bar." "A white wine would be nice. Thanks." I returned to the bar and got Mara's glass of wine. She was still there, quiet, when I returned to the table. She regarded me for a few moments, and as she did so, something caught in my stomach, and I found myself wondering if she had been this good- looking when we were dating. Then a small smile spread across her lips. "This must have been a weird experience for you," she finally said. "What do you mean?" She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Come on. I know you better than that." I had to look away from her. "I'm all right." "Sure you are. I know you wanted to up there with her tonight instead of Preston." The twinge in my stomach grew into a rock. I couldn't say anything. She twisted the knife a bit more. "Must have been tough, watching the only woman you ever loved marry someone else. Someone she doesn't even love herself." I forced myself to look at her. "She's not the only one I ever loved." Mara's eyes flared a little at that, and her lips pursed. "Maybe not. But she was always number one with you, wasn't she?" I shook my head slowly, trying not to let her get to me. "Tom, do you know what a `teaser' is?" "No." Her eyebrows went up in mock surprise. "Wow. A miracle. Something I actually know and you don't." "Just say what you're going to say." "It's a ranching term. When you're going to breed a mare who's in heat, you can't let the stallion at her right away. You bring in another horse first to see if she's ready to mate. If she is, you take that horse out and bring in the stallion. That first horse is called the `teaser.'" "And your point being?" "That's what you were with Kate. They let you hang around until it was time for her to get married, then they booted you out of the picture and brought in Preston. You never had any chance with her. You were just the teaser." I couldn't listen to this anymore. I returned fire the only way I could. "Does it still hurt that much? That I dumped you for some impossible dream with her?" She looked away from me finally, and her eyes closed. I realized she was battling tears, and I suddenly felt like shit. "I'm sorry. That was over the line. I shouldn't have said that." Mara shook her head. "No. It hurt, but . . . the truth always does." I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. She returned the squeeze. "Let's just forget all this, okay?" I said. "It's ancient history." She nodded. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have started." "Well, you were right, too. I'm not really enjoying myself tonight." A smile, a much more genuine one, crept back onto her face. "Probably more than Kate is." I grinned. "Probably." * * * The reception ran on into the night, and as it progressed, I found myself paying more attention to Mara than to what Kate was doing. At first I thought I was just trying to spare myself any further pain, but when I watched Kate dancing with Preston for the first time, I realized what I had to do. Kate was gone. For good, this time. She was not mine and never would be. I either moved on with my life, or I would end up wasting it by pining after her forever. I danced with Mara a few minutes later, and though some tension still lay below the surface, we seemed to enjoy ourselves. Then Kate cut in, and I danced with her through the end of the song. "I can't believe you're dancing with Mara!" she whispered when we were out of earshot. "Some one put us at the same table." Kate gasped. "No! Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." "It's all right." "I didn't have anything to do with the seating chart, I swear. It was my Mom who set it all--" She froze, as did I, jaws agape. Then we both started laughing, though inside I was thinking that Mara might well have been correct about my role. Kate hugged me, shaking her head. "You don't think . . . " "I'm not going there," I said. "I wouldn't put it past her. You know she knows all about you." "Yeah. But as I said, it's all right now." * * * When the song ended, I rejoined Mara at the edge of the dance floor. "I think I discovered the answer to tonight's mystery," I said. "What mystery?" "How we ended up at the same table." Her eyes swelled. "Kate?" she asked incredulously. "She says no. But it looks like it might have been her mother. So maybe you were right after all." She put her hand over her mouth and stared across the dance floor in a daze. Then she exhaled slowly. "I don't know whether to be upset or just amused." "I'd go with amused." She laughed softly, and I laughed with her. * * * I spent about half an hour circulating through the room after that, catching up with some of our old friends from Yale. I danced with Melissa for one song, then with another friend of Kate's I had known in college. I ran into Phillip near the bar, and we talked for a few minutes as I watched Preston getting progressively drunker. "Preston sure knows how to have a good time," I said. Phillip snickered. "He won't be having a very good time tonight if he keeps up like that." I laughed, trying not to feel pleased at that thought. * * * A bit later, I found Mara again, sitting on a low wall that surrounded the pool. "How are you doing?" She shrugged. "Tired." I leaned forward onto my knees, holding my drink in my hands. "Mara, um, I'd like to say something." I heard her sigh. "Go on." "I want to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to you. I've realized over the past few months how much of my life I've wasted chasing something I can't have. I'm not asking you to forgive me, I just want you to know that I'm finally realizing how stupid I've been." I glanced at her, but she was looking away from me, looking out across the water. "I guess, maybe tonight was what it took to make me realize how much I hurt you. I'm sorry." She took a ragged breath and turned back to me, eyes aflame. "You think you know how much you hurt me? Do you really fucking think you know how much you hurt me?" "I don't--" "You don't have a fucking clue how much you hurt me!" She paused for a moment or two, nostrils flaring as she glared at me. Then she shook her head in disgust. "You don't know how proud I was of myself for making it to Yale, how happy I was knowing I was getting out of that jerkwater town. That was I was actually going to go places and be somebody. That I wouldn't have to date any more boys who smelled like cow shit and had dip stuck between their teeth. And then I meet this great guy from New York whose grandfather is a judge and who knows all these important people, and the whole time I'm scared to death that I'm not good enough for him, that I just don't know enough about life and how to be sophisticated enough for him." She paused, wiping her eyes and catching her breath. "And then I find out that I'm not! That every fear and insecurity I've been carrying around the entire time I was at Yale is confirmed. That no matter what I do or how I look, I can't compete with girls like Kate, who've had everything their life handed to them on a fucking platter." She looked down at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Tom, I loved you like I didn't think I could love anyone. And you stabbed me right through the heart." I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to tell you except I'm sorry." She wiped her face again and cried into her hands. Then she leaned back and took a deep breath. "Do you remember my mentioning that offer I got from HUD?" "Um . . . yeah." "I told you I didn't take it because it wasn't what I wanted. That wasn't quite true. It was what I wanted, at least the job, but it wasn't where I wanted it to be." I closed my eyes and sighed. "It was in New York," I said. "Right. So I turned them down. Eight million people in New York, and I turned them down just because I didn't want to risk running into you on the street." "I'm sorry. I'll say it however many times you want me to. If it's any consolation, I'm hurting pretty bad myself right now." She laughed weakly. "You know, that was the one thing I was really looking forward to tonight, seeing the look on your face when she married Preston." She paused, sniffling. "Except when it happened, I didn't feel better. I just felt like shit." I sat back next to her, trying to smile. "I didn't mean I'm hurting because of Kate. I meant because of you." Half a dozen emotions shot through her eyes before she turned away from me again. I sat there numbly, not sure what to say. "Do you mean that?" she asked quietly. "Do I feel dead on the inside thinking of what I did to you? Yes. As for Kate . . . it's over. It was over a long time ago, I just couldn't let go of it until tonight." She looked back at me now, jaw vibrating. She reached up and touched my cheek gently. "Tom . . ." "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm just saying I think I understand now." Then her hand dropped, and she turned toward the lawn. "I need to think about this." "I know." "I can't go through all that again." "I'm not asking you to," I said. "Things would be different." "HUD is still after me about that job, but . . ." "I know. It's a big step." "I'd like to see you again." "We would take it slow. Start from the beginning." "A blank slate," she said. "A blank slate. Absolutely." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Do you have your card with you?" "Yes." I dug one out of my wallet and gave it to her. She stared at it for several long seconds before slipping it into her purse. "I'll try to call you when I get back to Chicago." "Okay. No pressure." She looked at me, eyes still wet, and then kissed me tenderly on the cheek. "Thank you." She stood up, and I stood up with her. "I should go," she said. "I have an early flight tomorrow." "Okay. Take care of yourself." We hugged gently, and then I watched her leave, walking slowly across the lawn toward the house. The orchestra began a slow, jazzy tune, and I looked wearily up at the stars, twinkling in the sky above me. * * * *********************************************** The Teaser Copyright 2000 by MichaelD38@aol.com Free redistribution permitted; no commerical use without authorization. Archives at www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MichaelD/www ************************************************ Michael ~Story Archives~ www.asstr.orq/files/Authors/MichaelD/www/ www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Richard_Bissell/www ~Other Archives~ www.storiesonline.net www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/BitBard/www/forray/michaeld/ -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: | | FAQ: Moderator: | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Archive: Hosted by Alt.Sex.Stories Text Repository | |, an entity supported entirely by donations. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+