Tattoos and Wedding Blues by Jennie L. Morris

Author:Jennie L. Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: By Quill and Lantern Publishing

Aurelius

People swarmed the dance floor. The band played a decent cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Colorful flashing lights and the hefty sound system turned the tent into a concert venue. At some point, the musical acts changed. The new band wore vintage leather and ripped jeans, flannel shirts, beanies, a time capsule of the hipster movement. The male lead singer swayed his hips on the make-shift stage, grinding against the microphone stand. With the alcohol flowing from the bar, the suggestive motion garnered aggressive catcalls.

The migraine Aurelius refused to acknowledge settled in for the long haul. The blood vessels along the left side of his head pulsated with the upbeat music. He squeezed the bridge of his nose; the pressure winning out over the pain for a moment of relief. The contrast of the bright lights against the dark night zapped his pupils with each contraction, sending jolts into his brain. He longed for a pair of sunglasses.

During the meal, the speeches, and the obligatory first dances, Aurelius avoided further tête-à-têtes with the Kendricks. He was the person behind the camera, present but unseen.

Now he loomed in the periphery, watching the couple dance, considering the mechanics of the relationship. Monogamy wasn’t for everyone. But why get married? An armchair philosopher, he wanted to ask the nitty-gritty questions. He suspected that broaching the topic would give the Kendricks false expectations he wanted to take part in their lifestyle. He wished the couple all the best in their endeavors, but he wanted nothing to do with their kink. Building his business was his number one priority. He lacked time to deal with his own issues. Adding a complex relationship—or any relationship—into the mix was not on his radar.

Pulling himself from his wandering thoughts, Aurelius inventoried the day’s shots. They checked off all the essentials on the list. His SD card had several thousand photos, and he assumed Cyndi’s had a similar number.

Close to nine o’clock, the wedding had turned to the celebration phase. By his reckoning, they were done for the night. He caught Cyndi with her camera to her eye, adjusting the aperture for the low light. Aurelius skirted the thin section between the tables and dance floor to reach her. He tapped her arm and motioned for her to follow him.

Halfway between the tent and the house, the music reached conversational level. Cyndi let her camera rest against her chest and stretched out her long arms. Although she put in nine hours, her makeup was smudge-free, and she kept impeccable posture. Aurelius’s back burned from contorting and squatting all day.

“What’s up?” Cyndi asked, rolling her neck.

She was great at compartmentalizing. On the outside, she appeared collected and calm. She bided her time, waiting to strike at him for the slight against her earlier judgment call. On the rare occasion, they had an argument, like every working relationship. People were people; it happened.

“Ready to wrap it up? I think we’re finished.” He brought up the app and scrolled through their checklist again.

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