The Cracks Between Us
1351 Words
Wedding planning had become my full-time job after work.
Every evening was filled with guest lists, venue calls, flower arrangements, and endless decisions.
Joel insisted on helping with everything.
“You’re doing too much,” he’d say.
“I don’t mind.”
“I do.”
He’d take the laptop from my hands, kiss my forehead, and finish whatever I was working on.
At first, it felt romantic.
Then…
I realized he had started making decisions without asking me.
“The roses are white now?” I asked one evening.
“They looked better.”
“I picked blush pink.”
“I know.”
He smiled.
“I changed them.”
“They’ll match your dress better.”
He said it so casually that I almost questioned whether I had ever wanted pink in the first place.
Almost.
⸻
Two days later, I met Mimmy for lunch.
After weeks of cancelled plans, I finally had a free afternoon.
When I walked into the café, she stood and hugged me tightly.
“So you do remember I’m alive.”
I laughed.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’ve said that a lot lately.”
“I know.”
We ordered coffee.
For a few minutes, everything felt normal again.
Then Mimmy looked at me carefully.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“I’ve just been busy.”
“And tired.”
“I guess.”
She stirred her coffee without looking up.
“Are you happy?”
The question caught me off guard.
“Of course.”
“Really?”
“Why are you asking?”
She hesitated.
“Because every time I see you…”
She searched for the right words.
“…you look like you’re trying to convince yourself.”
I frowned.
“I’m getting married.”
“I know.”
“To a man who loves me.”
“I know.”
“So why do you keep questioning it?”
Mimmy sighed.
“I’m questioning him.”
Silence settled between us.
⸻
“Hope…”
She reached across the table and took my hand.
“I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If you ever feel trapped…”
I laughed.
“Trapped?”
“…promise you’ll tell me.”
I squeezed her hand.
“I won’t be trapped.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Her eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite understand.
Fear.
⸻
That evening, I told Joel about meeting Mimmy.
“How is she?”
“Good.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Oh…”
I smiled.
“The wedding.”
“My dress.”
“Work.”
“And?”
I looked away.
“She asked if I was happy.”
Joel nodded slowly.
“That’s an odd question.”
“I thought so too.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her I was.”
He smiled.
“I’m glad.”
Then…
Almost as an afterthought…
He asked,
“Did she seem disappointed?”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He shrugged.
“I’ve always felt like Mimmy never wanted us together.”
“That’s not true.”
“I hope you’re right.”
⸻
The following weekend, my mother organized another family gathering.
When we arrived…
Everyone greeted Joel before they greeted me.
“Joel!”
“There he is!”
“My favorite son-in-law!”
Even my little nephew ran straight past me.
“Uncle Joel!”
Joel picked him up with a laugh.
“Hey, buddy.”
I smiled.
It was sweet.
Wasn’t it?
⸻
While everyone chatted in the garden, my cousin Sarah sat beside me.
She nudged my shoulder.
“You know…”
“What?”
“I’ve never seen Mom and Dad like someone this much.”
I laughed.
“They’re dramatic.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“They trust him.”
“So do I.”
Sarah looked toward Joel.
He was helping my grandmother into a chair.
“You’re lucky.”
“I know.”
Then she added quietly,
“I just hope you don’t take him for granted.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
She smiled awkwardly.
“I just mean…”
“Men like Joel don’t come around often.”
⸻
Later that afternoon, I accidentally walked into the kitchen while my mother and aunt were talking.
They didn’t know I was there.
“…she forgets everything these days.”
Mom sighed.
“I worry about her.”
“It’s wedding stress.”
“Maybe.”
“Thankfully Joel keeps everything together.”
“He reminds her about appointments.”
“He remembers birthdays.”
“He even pays attention to her medication allergies.”
I froze.
Medication allergies?
I didn’t even remember telling him that.
My aunt laughed.
“Honestly…”
“I think he knows Hope better than Hope knows herself.”
They both laughed.
Something inside me twisted.
Not because they were wrong.
Because…
They believed it.
⸻
On the drive home, I couldn’t stop thinking about those words.
Joel noticed.
“What are you thinking?”
“My mom said something strange.”
“What?”
“She thinks you know me better than I know myself.”
He chuckled.
“She’s exaggerating.”
“Maybe.”
He reached over and held my hand.
“I just pay attention.”
“I know.”
“I notice things.”
His thumb brushed my fingers.
“That’s what people do when they love someone.”
I smiled.
Yet…
A question lingered in the back of my mind.
When had everyone stopped asking how I was…
And started asking Joel?
⸻
Three days later, I received a call from my father.
“Hope.”
“Dad.”
“Joel mentioned you’ve been working late.”
“Yes.”
“You need to slow down.”
“I know.”
“He worries about you.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“I told him I’d talk to you.”
I frowned.
“You did?”
“He asked me to.”
After hanging up, I sat staring at my phone.
Why hadn’t Joel talked to me himself?
Why ask my father?
⸻
That evening, I came home to find Joel cooking dinner.
The smell of garlic and herbs filled the apartment.
He smiled as I walked in.
“Tough day?”
I nodded.
“My dad called.”
“I know.”
I looked up sharply.
“You know?”
“I asked him to.”
“Why?”
“You don’t listen to me.”
He laughed softly, as if it were a joke.
“But you always listen to your father.”
I forced a smile.
“I guess.”
“So…”
He plated dinner.
“Maybe hearing it from someone else helps.”
His answer sounded reasonable.
Thoughtful.
Loving.
Yet…
Something about it unsettled me.
⸻
That night, my phone buzzed.
A message from Mimmy.
Can we meet tomorrow? Please. It’s important.
Before I could reply, another message appeared.
Don’t tell Joel.
My heartbeat quickened.
Why would she say that?
I typed back.
Why?
The three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally, her reply came.
Because every time I tell you something about him… somehow he already knows.
I stared at the screen.
My fingers went cold.
How could that be?
I had never…
Had I?
Behind me, the bedroom door creaked open.
Joel stepped into the hallway.
He smiled warmly.
“Who are you texting?”
Instinctively, I locked my phone.
“No one.”
For the first time since I’d met him…
Joel’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
It lasted only a second.
Then it was gone.
“So…”
He walked toward me.
“Ready for bed?”
I nodded.
But as I slipped my phone into my pocket…
One question echoed through my mind.
How did Mimmy know to tell me not to tell Joel?
And for the very first time…
A tiny crack appeared in the perfect picture I’d built of the man I loved.
- Writer
