Wedding Day, I Ditched Him For Another

Chapter 2

Every guest's eyes pinned to me.

"Quit fooling around, Anna." Tyler, Zach's best buddy, was the first to laugh, waving the officiant off. "Push it half an hour. Zach said he'd be right back. You always do what he says."

The other groomsman, Derek, nodded too. "You know Zach. Says he's leaving, but his heart's with you."

Tyler came over to pull me along, grinning. "Anna, why don't you sit down? Zach'll be right back. Honestly, marriage is all about compromise. All these years, which time wasn't you giving in?"

Just then my screen lit up—a text from Chris.

Chris: Everything's set. Wait for me.

A smile pulled at my mouth.

Derek nudged Tyler and dropped his voice. "Look at Anna, smiling like that. All bark, no bite."

Tyler shot him a look. "Right? Zach's so lucky to have somebody this easygoing. If my girlfriend were half as sweet as Anna, I'd wake up grinning. She does whatever Zach says, gentle as a kitten. Mine would break my legs if I tried to walk out." He got going. "Remember when they went to get the license? Zach and Anna agreed to meet at City Hall, and the second they got there, some girl called and Zach took off. Anna waited the whole day—by the time he came back, City Hall was closed."

I'd never told a soul about that day. The woman Derek meant was Vivian, who'd cried that her boyfriend vanished, and Zach hung up and rushed off. And I waited from nine in the morning to five that evening, until I finally saw my best friend's post: two coffees side by side, captioned Thanks to someone for spending the afternoon with me.

That day I sat outside City Hall and made myself a deal: if I counted 99 couples getting married and Zach still hadn't shown, I'd break up with him. By the time City Hall closed, 199 couples had walked out smiling. I'd braced myself to do it—and folded the second I saw Zach turn up, dusty and worn out.

Three years of feelings aren't something you just drop.

But now I'd worked it out completely. The person who won't come is never going to come, and I'd stopped waiting a long time ago.

Tyler's ringtone cut through my thoughts. Zach's name flashed on the screen; he grinned and waved it at me. "Anna, that's gotta be Zach, worried about you. Called me special to check in."

The next second, Vivian's laugh came through, mixed with loud wedding music. "Tyler? Get over here! It's Zach's first wedding—you guys need to be here. Can't have empty groomsmen. My groom's games need players."

The groomsmen glanced at me, awkward.

"Go," I said, calm, keeping up the gracious front. "It's his first wedding. He shouldn't be there without a single friend."

Tyler tested the waters. "Anna, are you mad?"

"What's there to be mad about?" Besides—Chris and I have our own wedding. We don't need anybody else's groomsmen.

A few seconds of quiet on the other end, like Zach had taken the phone. "Anna, come over too. Vivian's worried you'll be bored, wants you as a bridesmaid—you take good photos."

I laughed and turned it down. "I'll pass. My wedding's starting. I'll wish you a happy wedding over the phone!"