The Wrong One to Love

Kieran's car finally pulled up ten minutes before the park closed.

He climbed out, scowling. "If you hadn't insisted on stopping to take pictures, we wouldn't have had to drive all the way back here this late. I seriously don't get why you need to take a million pictures everywhere we go."

I'd spent five hours stranded there in 10°F weather, and the first thing he did was blame me.

He never explained why he hated taking pictures of me so much. Every time I handed him my phone, he acted as if I were asking him to perform brain surgery. Yet, his camera roll was packed with pictures of Leah.

My eyes were starting to redden, but before I could say anything, Leah slipped between us with an innocent smile.

"Don't be mad at him. Kieran planned this whole route for me, and we only stopped long enough to take a few pictures before coming back for you. See? He's not as careless as you make him out to be."

Something inside me went slack, and I didn't even have the strength to clench my fists.

I'd spent two years trying to convince Kieran to take this pre-wedding trip with me. His excuse was always the same: planning trips was a pain.

He hated researching destinations and planning itineraries, so I'd done everything myself. I researched every stop, made all the bookings, and even put together a twenty-page itinerary so he wouldn't have to lift a finger.

But now, I finally understood.

Kieran wasn't too lazy to make plans. He just didn't want to make them for me.

He reached over and affectionately ruffled Leah's hair, the anger slowly melting from his face. "Okay, no fighting. Put your coat back on before you freeze."

That was when I noticed the coat draped over his arm.

For one stupid second, I thought he'd brought it for me because he knew I'd been standing outside in the cold for hours.

Then, I realized it was Leah's.

He'd been carrying her coat while I stood there in damp clothes, shivering as the temperature kept dropping.

Leah must have noticed.

She reached over and took the coat from Kieran.

"Seriously, Kieran? Read the room!" she teased, shooting him a playful look before holding it out to me. "Here. Go change out of those wet clothes before you freeze."

I wanted to refuse. The last thing I wanted was her pity, but I was so cold I could barely feel my fingers. So, I took the coat and went to the restroom to change.

I had just turned on the faucet when I heard Leah laughing outside the door. "Told you Alivia would cry. You owe me 500 bucks."

Kieran let out a helpless chuckle. "You know her temper better than I do. Fine. I'll pay up."

Leah sounded smug as she teased him, "You should be embarrassed. She's your fiancee, and you don't even know her this well. I've never seen you this clueless about anyone else."

Their voices dropped as they laughed, but not enough.

I heard every word.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My face was pale from the cold, and suddenly, the situation seemed pretty ridiculous.

I'd spent five hours freezing and starving while they drove around together. To them, it was nothing more than entertainment—something to bet on and laugh about.

I dried my hands, closed my eyes for a moment, then opened the door and walked out, pretending I hadn't heard a thing.