Luke
“Which one?” Alex yelled from the other side of his bed into the tiny screen. We were FaceTiming. I squinted my eyes as he was holding up two ugly ties.
Neither, I thought to myself, not wanting to hurt his feelings. But then again...
“Neither. They’re both hideous,” I said, buttoning down my shirt.
We were getting ready for Mady’s wedding, which wouldn’t start for hours, but as maid of honor, Hazel had to be there early. I didn’t mind going with her so soon, sticking around. I didn’t mind spending so much time with her these days anyway.
She hurried me out of the room and into the living room, where I was cornered into taking a call, forced to choose between two painfully ugly options.
Alex was going to the wedding, too. We all were.
It had started with Hazel introducing Mady to Ava, who agreed to make the wedding cake.
Later, Norah found her the venue. We slowly pulled Mady into our circle with game nights and hiking trips. The rest was history, as they say.
“C’mon, man, I need help. Which one?” Alex sounded desperate and annoyed.
“The one I gave you for last Christmas,” I said.
“But these two are more fun.” He approached the screen, showing me the ties. They were even uglier than I thought. I threw him a skeptical look.
“Which one did Ava tell you to wear?”
Alex exhaled, his eyebrows lowering in defeat. “The one you gave me for last Christmas.”
“Well, you should always listen to your wife,” I laughed, proving my point. “At least I will listen to mine,” I murmured to myself, fighting a smile.
I’ve literally never been this happy. I couldn’t believe we got engaged yesterday. It probably would’ve been more romantic if I were the one asking the question, but I knew it was important for her to really want it. To say it out loud.
The bedroom door creaked open just as I finished adjusting my cufflinks.
My breath caught in my throat as Hazel stepped into the room in a gown of lavender and gold, cascading gracefully down her legs.
The hem at the back trailed slightly longer, the silken fabric hugged her figure flawlessly, accentuating every curve, her bare shoulders glowing in the soft light. She was breathtaking.
I pressed a hand over my chest, trying to ground myself in front of the overwhelming grace in front of me. My lips parted in a silent wow, because speech had suddenly left the building. She smiled, just a little, leaving a rose-tinted color on her cheeks, and I swear the room tilted.
And she was mine.
“Alex, I’ll see you at the wedding.” I hung up the phone and crossed the room in slow steps, never faltering in my gaze. She turned, giving me the full view, the fabric of her dress catching the light as she spun. I pulled her into my arms just as she made a full circle.
“Gorgeous,” I said, my lips brushing against her knuckles.
“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”
My thumb followed the curve of her jaw, following the signals her body couldn’t hide. A faint shiver ran through her, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how effortlessly beautiful she was.
“How long would it take you to put this dress on once more?” I asked, my voice low as I let my fingers lightly graze the strap on her shoulder, brushing it aside with deliberate slowness.
“Once more?” she asked, confused. I leaned in and kissed the base of her neck while her arms tightened around my biceps for support, and she smiled in realization.
“Too long, unfortunately. But I promise I’ll allow you to do it after the reception,” she said in a low husky voice.
My blood ran to all the wrong places, and I tugged at her curly locks, providing me with more access to her parted lips.
Our mouths met for a second, and I let her go.
Hazel arranged my bow tie, looking at me all lovingly. I stared back, wondering how on Earth I got this lucky. I grazed the smooth skin on her arm and noticed her hand was missing something.
“Yes, about that,” Hazel said, her tone apologetic.
“Do you mind if I... if just for tonight I wear my ring here?” She pulled out a small chain on her neck, secretly hidden under the fabric.
“I just don’t want to upstage Mady. You know, I don’t want to be one of those people who declare marriage and pregnancy at other people’s weddings,” she chuckled.
I froze, my eyes widening in shock. Pregnant? Is she...?
“Oh no, no, no. NO. I’m not pregnant, just an example.”
I wouldn’t hate it if she were. I just didn’t want to share her yet. As childish as that sounded.
I wanted to create a life with her. Travel the world. Smoke some weed together and make her come on an abandoned beach somewhere in Europe while her senses are all heightened. But... I’d also like the sleepless nights, weird food cravings in the middle of the night.
Pancake Sundays!
“Is it the same no as yesterday?” I teased, pulling her closer in my arms.
“No,” she giggled, “but I’ll wear it if you really want me to.”
I pressed my forehead to hers and let out a slow breath, her presence enough to steady me.
Hazel’s way of moving through the world changed my heart in a way, too. Her will to live life fully was bigger than the loss she’d experienced, and through her, I began to see more clearly.
“No, it’s okay,” I said, gently swaying her. “It’s their big day. I understand.” My palms landed on both of her cheeks, and I put a light kiss on her lips.
“But later tonight...” I whispered into her ear, letting my breath linger against her skin.
“It’s a date,” Hazel murmured, as I leaned in again, helpless to resist.
Her eyes said she was only mine anyway.
* * *
The reception was in full swing. People were tipsy, relaxed, drifting between tables and the dance floor, lost in the kind of joy that only happens at weddings.
The ceremony earlier had been beautiful, but truthfully, I only half-registered the vows or the flowers or the officiant’s words.
Most of the time, my eyes were on Hazel.
She was glowing. Not in that cliché way people describe bridesmaids, but in a very real, very distracting kind of way, moving with a quiet grace.
She was nervous at first, triple-checking the seating cards and fluffing Mady’s dress until it was practically floating. But once the ceremony started and the music swelled, Hazel softened. She took her place beside her best friend, shoulders lowered, lips curled into a genuine, relaxed smile.
And it hit me like a wave—soon, it’ll be her at that altar.
I was at the bar, leaning against the counter, a whiskey in hand. I took a slow sip, letting the burn settle, and tried to focus on anything other than the swirl of thoughts I’d been carrying all day.
“Hello, handsome,” Norah approached me.
“Hi,” I said, smiling back. I followed Hazel around the room with my gaze. She was talking to Mady’s parents. “Where’s your husband?”
“He’s taking selfies with Ethan. Apparently, he found the photo booth. You know how that goes.” Norah looked at me, and, after a pause, added, “I saw some interesting, new jewelry on Hazel this evening.”
“You did?” I asked casually without a hint of surprise in my voice.
Our gazes met, and I grinned, not able to hide it anymore.
“Congratulations,” she whispered and squeezed my arm.
For the most part, it was Norah who pushed me, who supported me.
Now I understood. It wasn’t that she simply wanted me in a relationship.
She knew being open to love would bring out the best in me.
Love had the power to make me grow in ways I never imagined.
It liberated me, rather than chaining me, as I once feared.
“You know that’s all thanks to you,” I said.
“Nothing I did would have changed a thing if you hadn’t wanted it. You have no one to thank but yourself.”
Norah was the steady presence our group didn’t know we needed—part older sister, part parent. In some ways, she saw me in a way my mom never had.
“It really suits you,” she said. “Love, I mean.”
“Who knew?!” I teased back, as she was walking away in search of Logan and Ethan, I assumed.
“Hey, Norah,” I yelled out, and she turned. “Love suits you, too.” I nodded at her swollen belly. She was five months pregnant and glowing. She raised her glass in a toast from a distance, and I mirrored the gesture in response.
Meanwhile, Hazel’s eyes had found me, and she was walking in my direction.
“Ms. Ridley, how nice of you to join me,” I said, putting my whiskey down to take her in my embrace. As we were swaying to the sound of music, my gaze instinctively drifted to her palm, and there it was—the ring. “Or should I say future Mrs. Davis?” I pulled back, surprised yet happy.
She gave me a soft, subtle smile. “Yeah, I figured out there’s no harm in me wearing it now. I felt like it showed that I was yours.”
“You are mine. With or without it.”
Hazel’s head rested gently against me, a peaceful contentment in her touch. “I am.”
Technically, Hazel had fulfilled all her maid-of-honor duties, so we could slip away for a moment without causing any trouble. But just as I was about to suggest it...
Clink, clink, clink
“May I have your attention, please?” John spoke into the microphone on stage. A little tipsier than I would ever find myself on my wedding day if you asked me. Mady sat at the newlywed table.
“We want to thank you for coming to this event, that... that my beautiful wife had... had organized.” Alcohol was making its way through his system, but nobody batted an eye at a man of the hour who clearly celebrated his own wedding.
It was the happiness and love of the bride and groom that clouded the guests’ vision.
His words were jumbling together in a swirl of alcohol and appetizer paste.
“Also to my parents and Mady’s parents for blessing us with your presence, but most of all,” he said, looking at his new wife with glazed eyes.
“To my... my gorgeous, beautiful wife. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.
I, for sure... definitely would be a worse man without you.
There’s never a day when I don’t thank God for bringing you into my life.
” Mady looked with dreamy eyes at John and mouthed ‘I love you’ at him.
“You’re my dream girl, you’re...”
“Nothing.”
“Say it again.”
A sudden loud voice echoed through the room, causing everyone to turn their heads. On the plasma TV, which had been set up for the Newlywed Game earlier, a black-and-white video flickered to life.
“She’s nothing compared to you, Liz. I’d give her up in a second just to touch your boobs.”
The first thing on the screen was a man, butt-naked, having sex with a dark-haired woman. It took me a moment to recognize the man, but when I did, it was undeniable. It was John.
Gasps of shock escaped everyone’s mouths, and I watched Mady slowly rise from her seat, her eyes glued to the screen, horror written across her face.
“You fucking slut. I’ll fuck you into oblivion if you don’t make me come the night before my wedding.”
“What your wife is gonna think about that? If she finds out?”
“I. Don't. Fucking. Care.”
The guttural sounds coming from the man made everybody in the hall freeze. It was clearly not Mady, and the timestamp on the top confirmed it was indeed yesterday.
I sprang into action since I was closest to the stereo system. I yanked out all the wires, not bothering to figure out what was what. The screen went black, and dead silence fell over the room. All eyes shifted between John and Mady, waiting on how the situation would unfold.
Then suddenly Mady bolted, sprinting toward the nearest exit without a second thought, her face unreadable.
Hazel rushed after her, and the room erupted into chaos, people shouting.
I saw John jump off the stage to follow them, and in a split second, I was at the door.
Standing a foot taller and with a broader build, there was no doubt I would crush him to the ground.
He ran straight into my chest, stumbling back from the impact.
“If that’s not some AI-fake bullshit that we just all saw, I suggest you turn around and find another way out,” I said, my voice cold and steady, fists clenched at my sides until my knuckles went white. “Before I crack your skull so hard your relatives won’t recognize you at the morgue.”
I didn’t show my anger often, but damn was I angry. Mady was the closest to what Hazel considered a family, and to be humiliated and disrespected at her own wedding like that. Unacceptably brutal.
John swallowed a gulp. He knew I wasn’t kidding. We had previous encounters, but I never considered him a friend, an acquaintance at best.
“You better start running,” I said again, taking a step forward, my gaze dark and unwavering. I wasn’t about to repeat myself. Fear and disapproval flashed in his eyes as he stumbled backward, quickly disappearing from my view.
I quickly turned around and ran out the door. Just as my feet hit the pavement, a white Land Rover screeched around the corner. I dragged a hand through my hair, watching helplessly as my future wife and her newlywed best friend vanished into the distance, slipping away right before my eyes.