All Chapters of Calling Off the Wedding and Finding Myself: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Tristan's POVWhen I got back to the office, my boss, Marcus Grant, was still there working late.He looked at me in surprise around a mouthful of bread."Done looking at the apartment already?"I forced an awkward smile and asked him, feeling out of place."Mr. Grant, that thing you mentioned before, about taking me to headquarters — does the offer still stand?"Before I'd even finished, his eyes lit up."Finally came around, did you? Good. You leave next month."I nodded, and for the first time since the wedding date had been set, the knot in my chest loosened.My phone kept buzzing. Serena Dupree's texts poured in one after another.Serena: [Knew you'd be late. Tristan, tell me, what would you even do without me and Ryan?]Serena: [Thank god for me and Ryan, or nothing would've gotten decided today.]Serena: [Oh, and do you have any thoughts on the renovation?]My fingers trembled. Before I could type a reply, the next message had already popped up.Serena: [Never mind

Chapter 2

That night, I went home and started packing.I'd just closed the suitcase when the door burst open. Serena and Ryan tumbled in together, laughing and shoving each other.Ryan hung off Serena's shoulder, doubled over with laughter."Quit pushing me, you're clearly the one who's wrong here!"Serena shoved him off, laughing just as hard."You're the one who's wrong."Only once they'd finished laughing and roughhousing did they notice me standing there.Serena pushed Ryan off her and pulled a stack of catalogs out of her bag like she was presenting a prize."Tristan, I had a friend bring back some wedding-planning catalogs special. Take a look when you get a chance."She held them out to me.I stared at the glossy wedding photos on the covers, hesitating for only a few seconds.Ryan had already pounced and flipped one open."Whoa, this venue's gorgeous. Serena, look at this one!"Serena leaned in, and the two of them pored over it head to head, fingers jabbing at the pages."

Chapter 3

I moved into the company dorm for the time being.A few quiet days passed.Then, a week later, Mr. Grant sent me to the mall to pick up samples from a brand partner.The mall was packed that weekend. As I cut through the clothing section, I caught a glimpse of two familiar figures out of the corner of my eye.Serena and Ryan were standing in a bridal boutique.I stopped short, meaning to steer clear. But Ryan had already looked up and spotted me, and he came jogging over."Tristan!"He grabbed my arm and pulled me along."You got back from your trip and didn't even tell us? Come on, come look at the suit I picked out for you."A row of suits hung on a rack. Ryan grabbed a white one and, without waiting for an answer, started steering me toward the fitting room."What do you think of this suit? It took me all morning to narrow it down to a few options."The instant the silky fabric touched my skin, I yanked my hand back."I'm fine."Ryan blinked, caught off guard for a seco

Chapter 4

The day before I left the country, my boss gave me the day off, specifically so I could spend some time with my family.Before I'd even gotten through the door, waves of laughter were already spilling out of the old house.My mother's laugh rang out the loudest."Oh, Ryan, if you were my son, I'd wake myself up laughing in the middle of the night."My hand paused on the door handle.I pushed it open, and the whole room, faces lit up with smiles, turned toward me all at once. It made me feel like I didn't belong.Serena sat right in the middle of the couch, eating an orange. The moment she saw me, the smile fell off her face, and she let out a short, cold huff.My mother shot me a look, already gearing up for a fight."Tristan, what's going on with you? Serena said you two have been at odds lately?"I didn't answer. I just poured myself a glass of water.My mother rolled up her sleeves and started to get to her feet.Ryan glanced at me and jumped in to smooth things over. "Mr

Chapter 5

Third-person POVMeanwhile, Serena drove with a yawn.Most of the wedding arrangements needed to be scrapped and redone from scratch, and she'd been on the phone hashing it out until well past midnight the night before.She pursed her lips and glanced over at Ryan, who sat in the passenger seat, lost in thought."What do you want to eat in a bit? We'll grab food once we pick up Tristan."Ryan kept his head down, his voice dry."Ask Tristan when we get there. I think he's actually mad this time."Serena laughed."How different could he really be? He's been a pushover his whole life. He'll blow off some steam, and then he'll be fine."She turned the car into the office park where Tristan's company was based and pulled out her phone to text him.[I'm downstairs. When are you coming down?]The message went through. No reply.She sent a few more. Still nothing.She frowned and dialed his number instead.It went straight to the "phone is off" recording.She held the phone for

Chapter 6

Ryan grabbed Serena's arm."What do you mean, he's gone? Gone where?"Serena gripped her phone in a white-knuckled fist and turned, her eyes red-rimmed, glaring at Ryan."He doesn't want me anymore. He meant it — he really meant it. He said he wasn't marrying me, and now he's not."Her voice broke, and she pointed at Ryan like she was falling apart."This is your fault. If you hadn't inserted yourself into every single thing, how could someone as soft-hearted as him possibly be this ruthless?"The blood drained from Ryan's face. His throat worked, and he let out a hollow, useless laugh."Serena, what are you saying? You're blaming me?"Serena's voice rose."Shouldn't I blame you? Tristan is the one marrying me, but you're the one who picked the renovation, you're the one who chose the wedding decor, even the wedding suit was—"Her voice trailed off, quieter and quieter, even as her eyes went redder and redder.She couldn't finish the sentence. She was remembering, now, that

Chapter 7

Tristan's POVI'd arrived abroad right as headquarters went into its summer break.Mr. Grant waved a hand and gave me two weeks to settle in.I ended up signing up for a language class near my apartment.One day after class, I wandered the streets and ended up in a bakery.I stood in front of the counter for a long time, my eyes drifting from the croissants to the toast, then from the toast to the cinnamon rolls.Back home, Serena and Ryan never once asked me what I wanted to order.They'd just tell the clerk to give them two of whatever they were having, then turn and jut their chins at me."Got you one too. Don't mention it."I'd never once stood at a counter and picked something out for myself — even my own taste had always been someone else's decision.I sighed and shook my head.A soft laugh sounded beside my ear."Do you have a fear of making decisions?"I turned around.It was the substitute teacher from my language class.Zoe Callahan shrugged, flashing a wide, t

Chapter 8

Serena had made up her mind to hound me relentlessly.For several days straight, she staked out the sidewalk beneath my apartment.Every morning, a huge bouquet of red roses would show up at my door.On the evening of the sixth day, someone knocked.I assumed it was Serena, and my expression had already settled into irritation by the time I pulled the door open.But it was Ryan standing outside.He'd gotten even thinner than Serena, and the hairstyle he'd always kept so meticulously groomed now hung limp and uncared for.When he saw me, his lips moved like he wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it.He didn't ask to come in, and I didn't offer.We stood there in the doorway, with nothing to say for a moment.After a long silence, he held out a paper bag."Your mom asked me to bring this over for you."I took it and thanked him.His eyes started to redden, and he said quietly, "I'm sorry, Tristan. Back when we said we'd be friends for life, I promised I'd have your bac

Chapter 9

I bought Serena a cup of coffee.She sat across from me, almost giddy with the gesture, and eagerly slid the sugar packets over to my side of the table.I smiled."I like my coffee black."Her hand froze halfway across the table, caught between reaching further and pulling back."But you used to..."She started to say something, then stopped herself, looking uncomfortable.I picked up my cup and took a sip.Black coffee tasted bitter, but clean — no cream or sugar dragging behind it in a cloying aftertaste.Serena used to always buy lattes whenever she got coffee for me and Ryan.That was because Ryan had taken one sip of an iced Americano once and nearly gagged from the bitterness.Back then, I'd said I liked the taste.Serena had laughed and told me not to put on airs — if even Ryan couldn't handle it, who was I kidding?But I'd genuinely liked it.All those years, whatever I liked, no one had ever bothered to care.I set my cup down and decided to just say it plainly.

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