mannered. Okay, mostly well mannered. Except for those
times when he was awkward and nerdy. He claimed to have
mild Asperger syndrome, and that explained his difficult
side. But since most people didn't notice those difficult
moments, the two of them were considered "perfect" for
each other. Too bad they weren't.
The two of them started as friends in business school.
He was so cute and smart and considerate that she was
fooled into thinking he'd be a good lover. Sadly, the fires
never caught. All she got was a momentary flash of
kindling, leaving behind a cold, damp pile of unlit wood.
Quentin seemed to have no idea what Rebecca wanted
from him. She had tried to explain her desires, but he
couldn't get it. The guy simply didn't do passion. He was
content to park himself in the boyfriend cubbyhole of her
life, mostly ignoring her and occasionally filling a need.
One of those needs was to accompany her to Kay's wedding,
so nobody would think she was a lonely workaholic. But
Rebecca knew how lonely she felt, even when she was with
Quentin. The lack of attention, the insincere compliments,
the disconnect. She hoped she wouldn't catch the bouquet.
Just as Rebecca pondered all of this, Quentin arrived.
His work day was done and, precisely at the planned time,
he was there to take her home. He gave her a little buss on
the cheek and issued a perfunctory hug, then stepped back
to admire the dress. "Nice."
"You should have seen it when my hair was out." She
took off the hat and let her hair fall.
Quentin looked at her for a second, then shrugged.
"Looks the same to me." Kay and Bubbles chuckled.
"Don't you see how this dress clashes with my hair?"
Rebecca held out a lock.
Quentin stared at her and fidgeted, clearly struggling to
answer the question. Rebecca wondered if he even knew
what "clash" meant. Few men did.
She offered a hint. "My red hair looks bad in this pink
dress."
He brightened, finally able to understand the
conversation. "Oh, come on! You always see red and pink
together. Everything on Valentine's Day is red and pink."
"I am not a Valentine."
"Well then, if your hair looks so bad, why don't you dye
it?"
Rebecca and Kay stared at each other for a second
before bursting into laughter. "You're kidding, right?"
"Hey, you can dye it back after the wedding, can't you?"
More laughter followed that.
Rebecca tried to explain. "Not happening, Quentin. It's
not that simple."
"Dye the dress?"
Kay wiped away a tear of laughter and put a hand on his