or
Nick glanced at Andrew and said, “I’ve known you a year longer than he has.”
Andrew looked utterly confused as if he had just walked into a play without knowing the script. Nick continued, “I was all set to confess my feelings, but then you told me you had someone else.”
I froze for a moment, memories flooding back.
That was the year Andrew and I first got together.
Nick had just enrolled at our college and was constantly asking me questions.
Andrew was jealous, and eventually, I used my studies as an excuse to distance myself from Nick.
The thought of it churned something bitter inside me.
Did Andrew really not understand the boundaries of relationships? No, he was just testing my limits.
Nick’s voice grew steadier as he spoke, “I thought if I let you be with him, you’d be happy. But then he humiliated you at the wedding, and now you want to get back together?”
His tone shifted, rising in pitch with anger.
Ophelia turned her head away, clearly embarrassed by her brother’s outburst.
Nick seemed to sense the awkwardness, clearing his throat a couple of times.
“Look, if you get back with him, I swear I won’t stick around, he declared.
I coughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. “I won’t get back with him, but you need to come down first.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
I nodded earnestly. “Really.”
He immediately tried to step over the railing, sending my heart racing.
Ophelia coughed again, trying to rein him in.
Nick stepped back, furrowing his brow. “No way, what if you change your mind?”
Andrew opened his mouth as if to say something, but when I shot him a look, he closed it again.
I promised Nick, “I won’t change my mind.”
“Then let’s make it official,” Nick said, his brow furrowing in thought, adding, “How about this: you and I get a marriage license?”
I replied without hesitation, “Sure.”
Andrew couldn’t believe his ears. “Evelina… are you really going to throw away our seven years of love just for him?”
His eyes were glistening, and I knew he was trying to play the sympathy card.
But the catch was it had to be from a guy I actually liked.
I’d grown tired of Andrew’s face long before I saw him in that wedding dress fitting with Amelia.
I tossed back his earlier words. “Or what? Watch him jump? It’s just a piece of paper; don’t be so heartless.”
Nick chimed in, “You’ve only known her for seven years. I’ve been crushing on her for eight, and we’ve known each other since we were kids. I’ve got. you beat.”
A smirk crept onto my face, the tension easing with his playful banter.
Andrew interjected, “I know you’re just being stubborn. Don’t make a decision you’ll regret.”
With that, he turned and walked away, looking utterly defeated.
Ophelia shot him the finger behind his back, mimicking his earlier words with a sarcastic flair.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sibling antics.
