She Keeps Forgetting I'm the Groom

The seventh time Nora Hayes writes the wrong name on the marriage registration form, the clerk finally snaps. "Ma'am, your fiance's name is Nathan Reed, not Ryan Bennett." Nora freezes. She quickly apologizes, takes a fresh form, and starts over for the eighth time. I sit in the waiting area with my arm in a cast, watching her fill it out again. A few minutes later, the eighth form ends up in the trash, too. After being stabbed in the same wound so many times, I have reached the point where I can barely feel the pain anymore. Maybe I should have seen it coming. Our refrigerator is covered with magnets listing Ryan's food preferences. "No onions. Nothing too strong. No spicy food." Even the top suggestion in Nora's navigation app leads straight to Ryan's apartment. And when we meet with the wedding planner, she keeps repeating the same things. "Ryan likes champagne gold. He wants an outdoor wedding on a lawn." The planner eventually pulls me aside, clearly confused. "Mr. Reed, aren't you the groom? Then who is Ryan?" I give her an awkward smile, too embarrassed to explain. Ryan is my best friend. Somehow, without either of us ever saying it out loud, he has slowly taken my place. And now, as Nora prepares to marry me, she can't even remember my name.