I Was Never the Groom

I took a deep breath and forced down the ache rising in my throat. "Then, let's break up."

Avery Bruce frowned at me, clearly annoyed. "It's just a wedding ceremony to fulfill an old woman's dying wish. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

My younger brother, Chad Baird, rolled his eyes. "Exactly. The wedding is still happening. We're just switching out the groom. What difference does it make?"

My mom's voice sharpened with anger. "Evan, why are you being so selfish? Davian lost his parents when he was young. Is it really too much to ask you to do this one thing for him?"

I looked around the table at each of their faces. Every single one of them acted as though what they were asking of me was perfectly reasonable.

And just like that, something inside me went quiet. The part of me that had spent years desperately longing for their love finally stopped fighting for it.

I retorted, "So, fulfilling his grandma's wish means I have to give him my wedding?"

My childhood friend, Davian Robbins, reached for my hand, his eyes reddening. "Evan, are you upset? If this is really too much for you, I can figure something—"

My mom cut him off before he could finish. "What's there to figure out? Your mom was my best friend. She's gone now, so anything involving her son is my responsibility."

Then, she turned to me, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Evan, you can be one of Davian's groomsmen too. The more, the merrier."

Avery nodded without hesitation. "That's perfect. Old Mrs. Robbins will get to see Davian get married, and you'll be right there beside him as the friend he grew up with. She'll be so happy."

Just like that, Avery had turned me from the groom into a groomsman, as though it were nothing.

But things had not always been this way.

When I was in elementary school, my parents finally brought me back home from the countryside. By then, my sweet-talking younger brother had already become the centre of their world, and favouring him seemed to come naturally to them.

I was timid back then and desperate for even the smallest bit of attention, so I tried to copy how Chad acted around them. I tried being cute and asking for affection the way he did, hoping they might finally look at me the same way.

All I ever got in return was, "Stop being a nuisance."

Only Avery and Davian seemed to notice how lost I was.

Every day after school, they would wait for me so the three of us could walk home together. Davian would secretly slip me the candy he had been saving, while Avery would pat her chest confidently and promise, "Evan, you still have us."

Back then, I truly believed that was enough. Maybe my parents did not love me very much, but at least I had Avery and Davian.

Then, little by little, Davian became the one who received everything I had always wanted.

My mom fussed over him whenever something went wrong. My dad gave him advice and always made sure someone was looking out for him. Even my own brother trusted Davian more than he trusted me.

Davian had lost his parents when he was young. Yet somehow, over the years, he had ended up with mine.

Moreover, Avery had forgotten the promise she once made to the lonely little boy everyone else had overlooked.

She had told me that I would always have her.

I gently pulled my hand out of Davian's grasp. Without another word, I stood and headed for the door.

Avery's expression shifted. She started to rise as if she wanted to follow me, but Mom stopped her.

"Leave him. He'll come back on his own," she said impatiently. "I don't know where he gets it from. He's been selfish since he was a kid. All he ever thinks about is himself."

Chad immediately chimed in, "Exactly. Davian's grandma is barely hanging on, and he's still fighting over something like this. That's cold."

My dad sighed. "Just let him go. He's always been this way. He's never willing to give an inch."

My hand froze on the doorknob.

I swallowed the tears burning behind my eyes, opened the door, and kept walking without looking back.

…

Once I reached the yard, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. The call was answered almost immediately, and the voice on the other end sounded pleasantly surprised. "Evan?"

I forced my voice to remain calm, even though my hand was trembling badly around the phone. "You told me before that if I ever agreed, you'd marry me whenever I wanted. Does that offer still stand?"

There was not even a second of hesitation before her answer came, firm and certain. "It does. All you have to do is say yes."