On the night of the party, it took me a while to realize I’d come to the wrong venue.
Alexander stood at the center of the stage, surrounded by lights and a tower of champagne glasses, with Jessica in a pink gown at his side.
After he finished saying, “Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday,” he paused and turned to look at her.
“One more thing,” he said, taking her hand. “We’ve decided to get married. The date’s already set.”
The room went dead silent for two seconds, then the applause surged like a wave.
So this wasn’t just a birthday party.
It was an engagement party.
I sat on a single armchair tucked into a corner of the hall, the champagne in my glass already flat as I watched them kiss under the lights.
Everyone around them cheered, whistled, called out blessings.
