Cervidcall
After seven years with Luca Lorenzetti, I was finally in a wedding dress.
We were at a private photography studio in Sicily that served only members of the Lorenzetti family. My best friend, Avery Conti, who'd introduced me to Luca years earlier, was trying on her bridesmaid dress nearby.
The moment Avery stepped out in her custom silver gown, Luca's eyes lit up in a way I'd never seen before.
Luca asked Avery to join us for a few shots.
"Think of it as a keepsake from before the wedding."
I stood in the middle in my wedding gown. Avery fussed with her skirt off to the side and laughed softly.
"Maybe not. Standing next to Chloe in this, I'd look like an ugly duckling."
Without a word, Luca walked over, pushed me aside, and gave Avery the spot right in the center.
When the shutter clicked, the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder like a couple made for each other.
As we looked through the photos, Luca pointed to one of the three of us. He wanted it enlarged, framed, and used as the welcome poster for our wedding.
I frowned.
"Avery's in the middle of our wedding poster? That doesn't seem right."
Luca gave me a disapproving look.
"Chloe, why are you being so difficult? If Avery hadn't introduced us, you'd never even have met me.
"So what if we use one group photo? You're still the one standing at the altar with me in the end, aren't you?"
I looked at myself in the photo. Even in the most expensive dress there, I looked like an outsider who'd wandered into the frame by mistake.
Some places aren't yours, even when you're standing in them.
If that's how it is, I don't want to be his bride anymore.