I'm Calling Off The Wedding
I was two hours late to check out our future home.
By the time I finally rushed in, my fiancé, Daniel, had already signed the paperwork.
He and my best friend, Gina, were huddled over the floor plans with their heads together as they debated over the interior design.
They went from discussing the layout of the gaming room to the nursery.
They continuously bickered over whether the master en-suite needed a freestanding tub or not.
A middle-aged couple standing nearby smiled warmly at Daniel.
"Renovating your first home, huh?" the husband chimed in with a wink. "Take it from me, son, always let your wife have the final say."
Daniel let out an awkward cough as his eyes drifted to Gina, whose cheeks had instantly flushed a soft pink.
"Alright, fine," Daniel muttered, giving in with a grin. "We'll get the tub."
I stood just a few feet away, watching them decide every single corner of my future home.
The three of us had grown up together.
When we were kids, they were the ones who picked the schools and told me where we were going.
When Daniel and I started dating, every date night and vacation was planned by them. I just showed up.
And now, even with my own future house, it felt like my only job was to wait for their final memo.
For years, I had lived like a shadow to the two of them.
Shadows didn't have voices. They just followed silently, a step behind.
But even shadows would get tired.
And sometimes, on a bleak, overcast day, a shadow would stop and refuse to take another step forward.