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I was walking around the auditorium aimlessly. I'd arrived with my dad and so was forced to wait until he was ready to go home before we could leave. That was fine with me, though. I was in no hurry to get back to the piles of laundry and dishes that waited for me at home. And even though I didn't know many people at this wedding, I knew enough to keep me occupied should I decide I wanted conversation. Right now conversation wasn't at the top of my list, but at least the option was there. So I walked from one room to the next, carrying my handbag in both hands, watching the different people talk to their friends and family and congratulate each other.

That was the funny thing about weddings. All the congratulations. Everyone happy for everyone else, no matter how small their connection to the bride and groom, as if they had nothing else to say while they stuffed their mouths with cake. I didn't really like taking part in it, which is why I'd chosen to walk around instead. The church where the wedding had taken place was small. Two big rooms, side by side, served as the auditorium for services and the fellowship hall for after services. There was a small back room and a baptismal behind a tiny stage in the auditorium. Then on the other side, off the fellowship hall, were a nursery, a kitchen, and three classrooms. There was a small lobby upon entering the front door where a line for the bathroom had been formed, and that made up the whole of the tiny family church where my dad's friends, Carlos and Jennifer, had decided to tie the knot. I didn't understand why they'd insisted on this church in particular. Someone mentioned that this was the place where they'd first met, at a wedding of mutual friends who'd also met there...at a wedding... Maybe it was a tradition or something? I didn't know. Nor did I care enough to really pursue the answer.

I made my rounds through the auditorium and, upon finding no one left interesting to talk to or listen in on I turned to head back to the fellowship hall. It was then that I heard a fairly familiar voice calling out to me.

"Ari?!" I turned. No one had called me 'Ari' in a while. "Ariel! It's you, isn't it?" My eyes widened when I saw the lanky red-head jogging towards me. He wore a wide grin, and didn't stop when he reached me until his arms had pulled me into a tight hug.

"Jeremy," I laughed, wrapping my arms around him in return. "Wow! how good to see you! What has it been? Three years now?" Three years sounded right. Last I'd seen this guy we'd both been Freshman in high school. I'd never actually attended classes with him, though. I'd had classes with his brother... Speaking of which.

"Rel!" came the hated nickname from somewhere behind me. Jeremy stepped back in time to let his brother wrap his arms around my shoulders. "How ya been, Rel?"

I sighed. This man would never cease to tease me about that! When we'd first me in college, he'd insisted on called me Ariel the way it was said in the movie about the mermaid. He pronounced my name Air-ee-el, which drove me nuts because that wasn't my name. Finally one day I confronted him about how much I disliked the teasing. I'd told him my name was three letters. R. E. L. Ariel. Simple, right? Well, R.E.L. was soon turned into Rel, just because he liked to see me roll my eyes every time he said it. Now, though, as much as I still hated the name, I had to admit it was great to see him too. I turned in his arms and wrapped my own around his neck. Both boys were much taller than I was, with orange-red hair and blue eyes. Although Jeremy's eyes were a much darker navy blue compared to Jeff's light blue eyes.

Oh yes, and they were twins. Identical twins. Of course I'd always been able to tell them apart. It came with getting to know them well enough. But these boys were experts at switching on even their parents, so sometimes even I'd been confused. Not now, though. Now they were completely themselves.