My hand fell into the crook of another host's arm as I was escorted to the ceremony space, a mix of rose petals in deep reds and magentas coating the edges of the aisle. Well over one hundred and fifty people were gathered for the occasion, the room illuminated with a dull, romantic lighting from the chandeliers above. Somehow the knowledge that everything in the room cost more than my college tuition made it feel less cheesy, even with the giant heart made from roses in place of an arch for the bride and groom to stand beneath.

I scored a seat at the back by the aisle next to a couple who didn't shy away from switching chairs so that I sat by the female partner. People eyed me as one of the final to arrive, unfamiliar and alone among guests who chattered among themselves to create a low buzz in the room that told me everyone knew everyone.

I snuck a peek to my phone for any notifications and turned my focus to the ceremony program that'd been waiting in my seat. The room grew quieter as the violinist allowed her playing to fade out, leaving behind a silence meant to capture our attention.

The doors to the hall opened and she started back with a romantic medley, notes that felt like a familiar song that I couldn't quite place. My gaze followed each person who entered, starting with the officiant and parents of the bride and groom.

Several photographers and videographers were stationed around points in the room that provided the best angle. The groom took his place under the heart, rubbing his hands together nervously as if he were working hard to hold back emotion.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen took turns entering at timed intervals in identical dresses and suits. Their smiles and every step were rehearsed so that no one was out of tune.

Though the aisle was already lined with petals, a young girl sprinkled more on her path as the crowd awed over her. The ring bearer who followed made it halfway down before bursting into tears from all of the attention, scrambling to the safety of his mother's arms among the bridesmaids.

I appreciated that we were instructed to remain seated during the bride's entrance, the couple's immediate family standing from their seats at the front of the hall so that they had a full view of her descent. I could already see tears that welled behind the thin veil over her face, the width of her ballgown taking up most of the space and leaving her father pushing against layers of fabric to escort her properly. At the front her groom used a handkerchief to dab at the corners of his eyes, the best man reaching out from beside him with a brotherly tap on the shoulder.

Seokjin was centered in the row of groomsmen, my eyes halting to meet his as they shifted down the line.

The ceremony was probably beautifully sentimental but I wouldn't remember a single second of it, enchanted by round lips that curved into a smile and oval eyes crinkling at the corners every time they caught mine.

The fastly increasing clamor of applause brought me to as the newlyweds were announced for the first time. I was inelegant, rising from my seat a few seconds late. Their hands clasped together, arms stretched above them with excitement and an eagerness to celebrate.

We were ushered into another room for an hour of cocktails while the bridal party stayed behind for official wedding photos to be taken. I nervously latched onto the only familiar thing in sight, food and alcohol from the servers who floated between guests.

A middle-aged woman with sharp features and an angled bob was quick to approach the bar high table I stood beside, catching me with a saucer piled with hor devours and at the bottom of a champagne glass.

"I noticed you talking to Seokjin before the ceremony. Are you here with him?" She questioned, clasping her hands at the front of her lap..

"I am." I nodded my head toward her. "I'm Seline. It's nice to meet you."

She looked at me with eyes full of critique. "I'm Mrs. Choi. Seokjin's mother and I are close friends." She introduced herself.

"Seokjin has spoken highly of you." I smiled. It wasn't a lie and I suppressed a chuckle at the numerous times he mentioned that her nose was either stuck high in the air as she looked down on everyone or in someone's business.

"I'm sure." She cooed over him. "How has he been?"

My answer was automatic. "He's been fine." Her left eyebrow arched, letting me know that she wanted more. "He has good and bad days, but that's typical."

Her interrogation was calculated and I imagined she'd been tasked with gathering as much information as possible to deliver back to Seokjin's mom before the night could even end.

"How long have you been dating?" She asked. I noticed that hosts and hostesses began gathering guests to escort to their assigned tables for the reception. I hoped that one of us would be pulled away soon and that we wouldn't find ourselves at the same table.

"It hasn't been long. I only moved into the city a few months ago." I kept my responses vague.

Whether she picked up on my aversion to answering her questions or not, she continued. "How did you meet?"

I learned a few things about people since arriving in Rochester, one being that talking about illness usually made them uncomfortable. "We met at the hospital. My father and Seokjin are treatment buddies."

She was surprised by the confession, her fingertips moving to her lips with a small gasp. "Your father too? That must be difficult for you." Any sincerity hidden in her words was overpowered by her obvious desire to pry.

"It can be, but I think it's important for them to have support. Having family around means everything in situations like these." I was a bit fed up. I didn't have much information about Seokjin's family dynamics but I couldn't find a single reason that would justify their lack of presence through his treatment.

"I'm sure it is, but with a business to run it's more of a challenge for them." She spoke like she believed it, continuing to advocate their absence. "Thankfully they've been able to provide him with access to the best treatment and staff to help take care of him."

It took everything in me not to roll my eyes and I no longer had any kindness or patience for more of her questions. I popped a stuffed mushroom into my mouth, following with another as soon as the first was swallowed. I speculated that she'd report to Seokjin's mother that my comments about family carried a bitter undertone and perhaps that I was a bit of a slob.

"Mrs. Choi." A host saved me, appearing by her side with a smile and extended arm. "Your table is being seated." He acknowledged.

She offered a pinched smirk to return the curt nod I gave, seeming to float away with the effortless way she walked.

I downed another drink and cleared my plate, watching the number of people in the room dwindle down until my table was gathered. I was led to a round table with only two seats available. I took the one on the other side of a pregnant woman whose dress showed off her round stomach. She looked tired already, her shoes kicked off under the table and would probably appreciate being next to someone who wouldn't ask about her pregnancy.

The lights dimmed once the room was filled and I craned my neck to see over the heads that blocked my view of the spotlight that shined on the doors. The emcee welcomed everyone and introduced himself to the room, finding the perfect balance of time and added humor so that we stayed genuinely engaged.

He moved on to introducing the wedding party, relying on the duo and band providing live music for the night to accompany their arrival with a rendition of "24K Magic."

They took their seats at a table that stretched across the front of the room, standing behind their chairs until the bride and groom joined, stopping in the middle of the dancefloor to share a kiss.

The band continued playing while we were served our dish of choice, an aroma of steaming lamb chops, scallops, and prime rib wafting through the room as we were served. The man across from me took charge of making small talk with everyone at the table between bites, asking about relationships to the bride and groom. Once I revealed that I'd been invited by Seokjin I was met with another set of questions about his health from the partner of the woman next to me. I kept my answers limited, relieved when he was cut off by the emcee's indication of toasts by the best man and maid of honor.

I'd hardly touched my food. It felt as if with every person who learned I was Seokjin's date, another set of eyes cast sorrow toward me. I picked over the bed of potatoes on my plate, taking a few bites before having another drink that I swallowed too quickly.

The reception transitioned from dinner to dessert, a few people gathering by the cake table to watch the wedded pair slice into and feed each other a section. I listened to more applause and cheers, distracted by the gathering of empty plates around the room.

The chair beside me was left open as the woman excused herself to the restroom, most of the people at our table taking an opportunity to mingle.

"Worst date ever?" I heard his voice before he took the seat next to me, setting a plate with two slices of cake on the table between us.

"I'm sure I could think of a worse one. Plus, there's still time to make it better." I replied, reaching onto the plate for one of the small forks.

Seokjin pointed toward one of the slices. "I thought you'd like the lemon cake since you love those lemon cookies." He waited for me to take a bite, digging into the other slice once I went in for a second.

"I met Mrs. Choi. I'm not sure your mom will be very fond of me once they talk but she'll at least think you're dating someone." I smirked at the content smile on his lips, disappearing as he licked a drop of frosting left behind.

"I'll have to make all of this up to you somehow." He suggested.

I shook my head, imagining that however he repaid me would only draw us closer together. "You don't have to. Plus, this is me making up for all the time you've been there for my dad."

"It's really been the other way around. He–" Seokjin was cut off by the couple who'd been seated at my table returning. He stood, embracing them both and taking a moment to catch up with each other.

There was more commotion in the room as people relaxed and chatted, until the emcee took to the mic again, announcing the couple's first dance. Guests began to crowd around the dancefloor and Seokjin held out a hand for me, letting the couple stand ahead of us.

I could feel my pulse in my fingertips, wrapped around his as the intro to an Ed Sheeran song started to play. Over his shoulder I could see one of the photography crew members switching between settings and reviewing pictures as if trying to find the right lighting.

"I'll be right back." I dropped Seokjin's hand, excusing myself through the crowd toward the young man who appeared frustrated with his work, having moved to a table to find the best balance of light.

He didn't look up as I approached, focused on figuring out his problem with a deep line in the middle of his forehead and hurried clicking of buttons as the song's bridge began.

"Is it the camera or the lighting in here?" I asked.

"Lighting, it's so dim that I can't get a good shot." He glanced past me toward the dancefloor, his eyes nervous as the first dance came to a close.

I held out my hands. "May I?" I hadn't touched a camera in the months that I'd been here. The photographer watched past me while I made adjustments and he explained that he was helping out his father with the event but was still a novice. "There's a bit of a red tint to the room with all the decor and the lighting is low. If you adjust the aperture so that the shot is wider and lower the shutter more light will get in." I spoke quietly so that we didn't create too much commotion.

He took a few test photos as the couple eased into dances between the bride and her father and the groom and his mother, grinning when the they were clearer and more defined.

"Thank you." He said, pivoting back to the job. I was too far out of the mix of people who lined the dancefloor's perimeter to rejoin, claiming a spot where I could lean against the wall to observe between the heads of onlookers.

The music changed over from sentimental, heart-felt songs to a more up upbeat song, cueing the true partying to begin. Seokjin turned to eye me through the gust of people, about to make his way over until he was swept away by the groom, dragged into the circle of groomsmen who took turns dancing in the center.

I was offered another drink, starting to sip at it slowly when I realized that Seokjin was being completely truthful when he said he couldn't dance.

Technically, his moves weren't wholly bad, but he seemed like he didn't know what to do with his arms and was always a beat off the actual rhythm of the song. I giggled into my glass, laughing even harder when Seokjin caught my teasing.

He sauntered over to me with a half-walk half-shimmy that left me covering my mouth to hide the way the apples of my cheeks lifted too high and lips spread like a jester.

"Don't hide now. You're my next dance." He exclaimed, taking my cup to leave behind on the closest table and tugging me through the slew of bodies.

We danced across from each other, Seokjin putting a little more effort into making his moves ridiculous so that the sound of my laughter mixed with the music. We danced until the nape of my neck shined with a small layer of sweat and a dull ache kicked in on my feet, and it was the most fun I had since the beginning of him.

A few people left the dancefloor when most of the performers took a small break, leaving only a guitarist and male vocalist sitting on the edge of the stage. They began with a few chords and Seokjin reached for my hand. We met so that our bodies were pressed against each other, one of his hands holding me to him at my back and the other still in mine.

We moved side to side, slowly so that he was able to stay in rhythm by my lead. There were a few other pairs drifting together around us. I was all too aware of the eyes on us, even catching the bride and groom whispering to one another and turning their heads in our direction as if we'd been the topic of conversation in the midst of their dance.

I let go of Jin's hand to move it so that my fingertips curved around his neck, keeping the other on his shoulder. I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, taking in his full lips, the deep dip above his mouth that led to his nose, and blemish free skin on the way.

It was hard to really look at him, to appreciate perfection without panic.

"Don't look at me like that." His voice was flat but he pulled me even closer. Apparently my change in expression indicated questioning. "Like everyone else looks at me, like I'm dying. I can take it from everyone else, but not from you."

All night I'd been feeling it, the pity in people's eyes when they found out I was his date and the underlying message that I was somehow noble for being with him behind words of encouragement. He had it even worse, every hug and encounter treated like the last time.

I wished I could flip it off immediately, that I could look at him without fear or worry but I wasn't there yet. So I turned my head to the side to rest against his chest, letting the thrum of his heart behind the melody be the present proof to hold on to.