Is that possible for us? –Liana
Liana
We didn’t speak for three days.
Not because we fought. Because we didn’t.
Elias didn’t chase me down or push me to talk.
And I didn’t apologize for freaking out over a woman he hadn’t seen in years.
Instead, we walked around each other like two ghosts in the same house, still sleeping in the same bed, but with miles of silence between us.
Then came Alex’s wedding.
We couldn’t back out.
Not without an explanation.
Not without ruining her day.
So we went.
The ceremony was beautiful. Too beautiful.
Alex looked stunning in her dress, off-the-shoulder lace, hair down in soft waves, lips red as a dare. Her husband stood at the altar crying before she even reached him.
The whole room laughed.
I didn’t. I just watched.
And for a second, something deep in my chest ached in a way I didn’t have words for.
We sat at the same table, smiled for the same photos.
Elias’s hand rested gently on my thigh under the table.
But we still hadn’t said what needed to be said.
“You two are disgustingly cute,” Luca’s girlfriend joked after snapping a group photo.
Elias smiled.
I didn’t. I just reached for my champagne and tried not to look like I was suffocating.
Later, while Elias was grabbing drinks, one of his old colleagues clapped him on the back.
“Holy shit, Wolfe. I thought you were gonna be a bachelor forever. Didn’t know you had it in you to go steady.”
I froze.
The man laughed, not noticing me standing a few feet away.
“You brought her? That’s a first.”
I turned my back before I could hear Elias’s reply.
My face burned with panic.
Like I’d been seen before I was ready to be. Before I even knew where we stood now.
Alex found me by the dessert table.
“Hey,” she said, linking our arms. “You okay?”
I nodded, badly.
She gave me that look. The one that meant: Don’t lie to me.
I tried anyway. “It’s fine. Just tired.”
Alex rolled her eyes.
“Elias told me about the incident in the hospital. Look,” she said, voice low. “I won’t pretend Elias was a monk. He had… history. He had charm. And yeah, women noticed.”
I stayed quiet.
She looked at me seriously. “But in all the years I’ve known him, he’s never—never—brought anyone to a wedding. Or a party. Or a birthday. He never called anyone his girlfriend. Never stood beside anyone like he does with you.”
I swallowed.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect,” Alex added. “But if you think you’re just a temporary thing in his life, you’re not paying attention.”
And then she left.
I didn’t know what to say. So I said nothing.
Just stood there, holding that ache in my chest, not sure what to do with it.
After I didn’t know how long, someone yelled, “Bouquet toss!”
The bouquet came out of nowhere.
I wasn’t even trying.
It bounced off two other people, flew right over someone’s head, and landed square in my arms.
Everyone cheered.
I stared at the flowers like they were made of dynamite.
Elias watched from across the room, unreadable.
And for a moment, I couldn’t tell if my chest was too full or too empty.
Elias
We drove home in silence. Not tense. Just… quiet.
She held the bouquet in her lap, fingers absently curling around the stems.
I glanced at her, then back at the road.
Thought about the way she looked at the married couple. That gentle smile.
And something like envy and longing in her eyes.
“You looked happy at the wedding,” I said finally.
She hesitated.
Then nodded. “I like weddings.”
Pause.
“They looked happy,” she added softly. “And they get to have their own home. Their own life. A family.”
I nodded.
She didn’t look at me.
And I didn’t push.
I never pictured myself getting married. But something about the way she looked today… made me wonder.
Liana
I glanced out the window, heart thudding.
I didn’t ask him if he wanted a family.
Or a wedding.
Or me.
I was afraid to hear the answer.
But I thought about it.
For the first time, I thought:
Would he ever ask me?
