Falling for the other brother

Esme stood on the Altar alone, waiting for the groom who had disappeared. Standing alone on the Altar on her big day should have been devastating. That too when the groom was her best friend of fifteen years and fiancé of four years. She should have seen this coming. And she should be a crying mess. But she is not. Strangely, she is feeling relieved. Her gaze fixed on Leo Ashford, her Fiancé's elder brother. The wrong brother she fell for. The brother she shouldn't be thinking about. The brother who is off limits. The last man to whom she shouldn't have lost her virginity.

'I promise Esme, I will cherish you this time' she remembered Noah's promise from just a few hours ago. She felt bitter, because he couldn't even hold his promise for even a day.

SIX MONTHS AGO....

Esme Carson is stunned by the anger in her Fiancée's tone. And to say she didn't do anything to deserve that would be an understatement.

"What the hell are you thinking? It's Nicole's 21st birthday. Are you trying to insult her by not attending? She is your best friend, did you forget? This should be one of her best days. Intead of being happy, she is sad that you didn't come. Do you have a conscience" he yelled at her through the phone speaker.

Esme is stunned. She looked at her father who is in a coma and who needs to be taken care of. Recently his health deteriorated and she has been spending all her free time in the hospital with him. She cannot afford a caregiver, and she absolutely doesn't have the energy to attend parties after her long part-time shift. But who would tell that to her Fiancé, Noah Ashford? To say that he is her childhood bestie would be a joke at this point.

Her father, David Carson, was an ex-Navy man who got injured badly on a mission. After that, his health gradually deteriorated and now he is in a coma.

"Noah, you know that I have...." she tried to explain, but he cut her off mid sentence.

"Save your excuses for someone who believes your lies. I want you to be here in half an hour" with that said, Noah, her fiance of four years and her best friend of fifteen years disconnected the call.

Esme is stunned. She remembered how Noah promised to be there for her when they both got engaged. But now, she is alone in the hospital taking care of her father, while he is celebrating Nicole's 21st birthday.

'What is changing between us, Noah? Why are you behaving like this?' she thought sadly.

She wiped at her tears and decided to attend the party for half an hour and come back again. With that thought in mind, she looked at her tired reflection in the hospital bathroom mirror. Her hair is a mess and the faded jeans and the t shirt she has been wearing since that morning is wrinkled.

'He is just another boy' she remembered how Noah used to tease her. She always preferred pants and t shirts over dresses. So Noah calls her her a boy all the time.

"I can't go home to change. It will take me an hour more if I go home now. Dad's health is deteriorating these days. I should stay with him more" she decided to attend the party the way she is. If she had to choose between dressing up and some time with her dad, she would easily choose her dad. She splashed some water on her face to clean up a bit, and she is ready to go.

After half an hour, she reached Ashford residence where Nicole's birthday is being held in the back yard. Nicole's family is not well off, so it must be Noah who is celebrating her birthday.

The moment Esme stepped inside the familiar Ashford residence, a wave of comfort washed over her. She practically grew up in this house after her mother passed away early on. But the feeling of comfort is drained when she went to the backyard. She was greeted with music and laughter and her friends who are dressed to impress. Noah was seen dancing with Nicole, who is dressed in an off shoulder short red dress. A crown is sitting on top of her head and the table is filled with gifts and a four-tier cake.

It was Nicole who noticed Esme first.

"Esme, I am so happy that you could make it" Nicole hugged Esme tightly, knocking Esme in her stomach with her elbow.

"Ahh.." Esme gasped with pain at the impact. She noticed that the blow was too hard to consider it an accident. But Nicole pretended as if she didn't notice. So Esme forced a smile.

"Happy birthday, Nicole," she wished.

She met Nicole on the first day of her sophomore year of college. They hit it off immediately. Even Noah started liking her, and the three of them became inseparable. Unlike Esme, who prefers loose jeans and shirts, Nicole dresses up like a girl.

"Come on, let's cut the cake," Nicole dragged Esme to where Noah was standing. He has a frown etched on his features, looking upset.

"Are you trying to embarrass me Esme? Can't you even pretend to be happy for Nicole and dress properly? I never thought you are this kind of a person" Noah snapped at her right infront of their friends.

Esme felt a pang of pain tug at her heart. But she buried the pain.

'He doesn't know that I am coming from the hospital,' she justified his behavior once again.

"Noah, I am coming from the...." she opened her mouth to explain, but Nicole stopped her.

"Come on Noah, what is wrong with you? Esme came to my birthday party. Its more than enough for me. Come, lets cut the cake" Nicole looked like she is defending Esme. But that only made Noah more angry.

At six feet height, Noah looks like a chocolate boy. He is handsome in a gentler way, and he has too many female admirers to count.

"You don't have to always defend her, Nicole," he said to Nicole. His voice was softer and gentler than when he had just spoken with Esme.

'I heard Esme is jealous of Nicole'

'Nicole got a boyfriend like Noah, obviously, Esme would be jealous'

'How can someone be so vicious?' Esme heard their mutual friends whispering among themselves. Nicole pretended that she didn't hear, while Noah didn't bother defending her.

Everyone is probably thinking that Noah and Nicole are a couple. Their closeness added more fuel to that rumor. Noah wanted to hide their engagement, so no one knows that Esme is Noah's fiancée, but Nicole does.

Nicole cut the cake and fed the first piece to Noah, and he to her. They ignored Esme, who is lost among the well dressed carefree people around her. Esme found herself standing alone near the pool, while everyone is seen enjoying near the garden not too far away.

"Esme, you didn't feed me the cake. What are you doing here alone?" Nicole interrupted, holding a small piece of cake.

Esme turned to look at Nicole, her side profile facing the pool.

"Hey, I just didn't want to ruin everyone's fun," Esme replied softly. She pinched a small piece of cake and fed it to Nicole.

Nicole grinned and fed Esme the other half of the cake.

Suddenly, Nicole's feet slipped and she fell into the pool. When she was falling, she grabbed Esme's arm and pulled her in along with her.

As Esme was closer to the pool, she fell first and to everyone around, it looked like Esme pulled Nicole instead of the other way around.

"Ahh.."