No roses for you. (Short Story)

The function was as good as any. All family and friends dressed in their best, flaunting the wrong amount of wealth they carried on their necks. The bride looked beautiful, as royal as a queen. But she was beautiful for someone else, and wasn't my type anyway. My eyes were locked on someone else. Someone, who was far more numinous. My friends had already retired to the dinner, I was finally alone and I wouldn't have to come up with reasons for looking in a particular direction. Peace, at last. Now I could see her in her beautiful red dress. She looked like a rose. She was not looking at me though. Earlier I thought that it was a good thing, I wouldn't have to stray away my eyes for a chance of contact. But she was not looking at me even when I stood in front of her. Something was wrong.

I followed her over the huge fest. She was looking for someone. Someone who wasn't there for her, while I was. She wouldn't even look at me. But my God, was she beautiful! It didn't even feel like she was walking. She just hovered over the ground and winds would gently carry her wherever she wanted to go. She was occasionally glancing at the entrance of the ground, but unknown faces and empty winds greeted her. Her movement was like flowers dancing due to wind. I thought maybe I could give her some company, maybe even get to know her more. And God knows I wanted to do that. She sat alone at one of the chairs, with her chin on her fist. She looked as if she was posing for God Himself. Eyes like bees, hovering over the people around, she was downright made of honey. I started walking up to her, but she saw someone at the entrance and got up. I paused and followed her gaze, there was no one there. She felt slightly perturbed. I wanted to kill the person who made this girl wait. She walked away from me towards the dinner. She too had finally, gave up to the call of hunger.

I followed her, inconspicuously. I too would occasionally sit with some of my friends and gossip about, but my sole focus was her. I too was glancing at the entrance, maybe whoever she was waiting for would come and end the hell I was put in. I reached behind her in the line for food. I even took whatever she took. That was a mistake though, apparently she liked eggplants. I sat across her two tables away and ate silently, while she too ate silently, intently waiting. More than once, a girl would ask me if she could sit at the table and I, being an idiot, said no. No one could replace her, though. Food filled me with the required courage, and I thought maybe then I could approached her.
"I was watching you for some time. You seem alone." No, that would be the dumbest thing I could have said. "You seem alone"? "Am I a loon?" and what's with the, "I was watching you for some time." Bloody creep! No, I have to do better. Quick, what can I say?
Hello, I am...

She stood up, a guy who smiled showing all his thirty teeth came up to her and patted her on her back. If I could I would have punched all his thirty teeth back in his jaw. Who pats on the back anymore, anyway? She too smiled at him, but was visibly uncomfortable. But the most uncomfortable person in the world was me. The food stopped tasting in my mouth. I threw the plate in its appropriate place and stormed out of the room. I went to sit with my friends who were busy making fun of the groom, but I could not find myself to laugh with them.

Later after the ceremony, everyone was insistent on making everyone else dance. I was in absolutely no mood. That girl was there too, and she looked gorgeous and the most graceful while dancing in her red dress. I stole my gaze away from her and went out on the gardens. It was chilly outside, but quieter. I sat alone on a bench, thinking of myself as a petty screw up. I plucked a rose from a nearby plant and smelled it. At least one rose was generous with me. I sat humming to the music inside with my solitude. I felt a little itch at the back of my throat. After a while, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was her. The most beautiful thing in the world was calling me. I sprang up like a frog. "Hello." I said, but my voice was coarse, it did come out like a frog, What the hell is wrong with my voice? I rubbed the hand which held the rose on my chest as I coughed a little. Coughing in front of her, real smooth. She said, "Hello. I saw you leave the dance in a hurry. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I don't dance. Sorry. But, thank you for asking." I was still croaking like a toad. What if she thinks this is my real voice?  I coughed again, a little louder, this time. I could not feel the air in my lungs. I coughed even louder.
"Should I get someone?" She was so sweet. She cared for me, a stranger in every sense of the word.
"I'm alright, I'm alright. That is a nice dress." I was as far from alright as humanly possible.
"Are you sure?" she went. I was full blown wheezing at that moment. I just nodded my red face. Ofcourse, it was a nice dress. She gave her handkerchief to me. I took it as some muscle twitched in my throat, and blocked the air. I fell to the ground, ruining my clothes, coughing. She ran inside, visibly afraid. In that daze however, I put her handkerchief in my pocket. Before anyone else came, I had already fainted.

I woke up in my house, on my bed, I could not fathom the time which had passed. Was I dreaming the whole time? If yes, then it was a brilliantly vivid dream. My imagination had conjured up someone so beautiful and managed to completely mess up the first meeting. Thanks brain. My sister came in my room. "Ah, you live. Even though you completely ruined your clothes, you know." It hit me harder than I thought. I was an idiot in front of her. 
"Where are they?" I asked for my clothes. My sister was picking up some plates near my bead.
"In father's room, he had to change your clothes" she giggled. It was getting weirder by the minute. "What happened to me?"
"The doctor was very casual about it. Apparently, it seems you are allergic to roses." Absolutely perfect. "Unfortunately, you'll get better by yourself. And here I thought I might just get your room." She pranced out laughing before I could get up and catch her.

I walked around to my father's room and saw the clothes, all soiled, dumped in the corner. "Those were expensive, you know. You could've fallen on the bench." My father said from behind as he passed. Very funny. I hunched near it. The clothes had wet soil stuck to the entire right side of it. The white upper jacket and it's edges were fully fledged with brown soil. I could've fallen on the bench. I reached out and picked it up when I felt something in the pockets. I put my hand in them and produced a beautiful white handkerchief. 'A souvenir from heaven.' It was folded neatly. I kissed it and was almost transported back in time to her. It was a peculiar fabric, with the threads of the cloth very finely woven, it made it very smooth to touch. It must have been expensive. I opened it to see the whole thing and in the corner I saw the embroidery of a small Rose.