After Nine Years of Being In Love

Synopsis

At my best friend's wedding, the bridal bouquet, symbolizing fate and romance, after all the tossing and turning, finally landed in my arms. The crowd erupted in cheers, and everyone's gaze shifted to the man next to me, Harry Green. Harry and I had been together for nine years. "Marry her! Marry her!" the crowd chanted. "It's been nine years. It's about time you made it official," someone shouted. Harry was pushed right in front of me, looking sharp in his suit, still as handsome as ever. He was still that guy I couldn't help falling for all those years ago. I gripped the bouquet so tightly that my fingers pressed hard into the stems. The chill of the thorns pricked my palm, but I barely felt it. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it might burst. I was waiting for him to drop to one knee and pull out a ring. I was waiting for that promise I'd replayed in my dreams thousands of times. But Harry just lowered his eyes, his gaze barely flickering over the flowers in my arms, showing not the slightest hint of emotion. The next moment, he reached out and gently took the bouquet I treasured, then handed it to Dorothy Keller, his chief assistant, who was always close by. Harry's tone was soft, but it chilled me to the core. "Give it to Dorothy. Let her catch some of that wedding luck." He patted the top of my head, his touch so gentle that it felt like he was calming a loyal pet. "Good girl, we're not in a hurry. Maybe next time." The spotlight moved away, and the noise slowly faded. I stood in the middle of the crowd, my smile growing stiff, so much so that even trying to move my lips hurt. Harry would never know that for us, there was no next time, not in this lifetime. My wedding was just ten days away. And the groom standing next to me at the altar would never be Harry.