The living room buzzed with warmth and laughter as Elena and Adrian stepped back inside. The lights were softer now, the music gentler, the atmosphere glowing with the kind of happiness only a wedding rehearsal could create. Maya stood in the center of the room, bouquet in hand, her fiancé laughing beside her as the photographer adjusted his camera settings.
"There you two are!" Maya said, relief and excitement blending in her voice. "Come on, everyone's waiting."
Elena offered a small smile. Adrian just nodded, slipping effortlessly back into the composed, unreadable version of himself. Leela stood near the fireplace, radiant in a shimmering dress that hugged her frame. When she saw Adrian enter, her face brightened instantly.
"There you are," she said, walking toward him with a boldness that made Elena's stomach tighten again. "I was beginning to think you'd escaped."
Adrian didn't respond to her teasing. His eyes flicked briefly toward Elena—just a second, barely noticeable—before he turned back to Leela with polite disinterest.
"Group photo first," the photographer called. "The bride and groom in the middle! Everyone else, fill in around them."
People shifted into position, voices overlapping as they tried to arrange themselves. Maya tugged Elena close on one side while Ethan pulled Adrian to stand on the other. But Leela moved quickly, catching Adrian by the sleeve.
"Come stand with me," she said, her smile bright and confident. "We'll balance out the colors."
She slid her hand down his arm as she spoke.
Elena's breath hitched—quiet, small, but impossible to hide from herself.
Adrian didn't pull away.
But he didn't lean in either.
He simply held his posture, expression steady, eyes fixed on the camera.
The photographer clapped to grab attention. "Alright, everyone ready? Big smiles!"
Flashes went off.
Laughter rippled.
People shifted and leaned and joked with each other.
But Elena felt none of it.
Her smile was thin, careful. Her heartbeat felt too loud in her chest, her skin warm with the sting of something she didn't want to name. She tried to focus on Maya's excitement, on Ethan's joy, on the importance of capturing these moments. But she could feel Leela's laughter from the other side of the group—too bright, too sure—followed by her hand brushing Adrian's again for the next photo.
"Okay, let's try a more relaxed pose," the photographer said. "Maybe lean in, arms around each other if you're comfortable. Let's make it look like a family."
Family.
The word made Elena's throat tighten.
As the group adjusted, Adrian moved slightly, his shoulder brushing Elena's. It was just a graze, accidental, but her breath caught. She forced herself not to react.
But he felt it.
His head turned—barely—his eyes meeting hers for a second too long.
A second that meant something.
Or maybe meant nothing.
She couldn't tell anymore.
Before either of them could look away, Leela slipped her hand around Adrian's arm, pulling him playfully closer for the "family pose."
He stiffened—only someone watching him closely would notice—but he didn't push her away.
Flash.
Flash.
Smile.
Pretend.
The moment stretched painfully.
When the photographer called for individual shots—Maya with her bridesmaids, Ethan with his groomsmen—the room shifted again, buzzing with movement.
"Elena!" Maya called. "Your turn!"
Elena stepped forward, trying to let the joy around her wash away everything else. She didn't want to ruin her best friend's night with her own tangled feelings.
As she posed with Maya, the photographer lifted the camera. "Beautiful! One more—chin up just a little… perfect."
Elena exhaled slowly, grateful for the distraction.
But across the room, Adrian stood with his hands in his pockets while Leela hovered beside him, talking animatedly. She leaned closer to him, whispering something, her lips inches from his ear.
Elena looked away quickly, her stomach twisting.
"You're thinking too much," Maya murmured beside her.
Elena blinked. "I'm not—"
Maya raised a brow. Elena sighed, defeated.
Before she could respond, the photographer called out, "Alright, everyone! Let's get a full bridesmaids-and-groomsmen shot!"
Adrian stepped forward again, walking past Elena but slowing just enough to murmur—
"You left earlier without saying anything."
Elena's breath caught. "It wasn't important."
"It was to me."
The simple sentence froze her in place.
Her heartbeat stumbled dangerously.
But then Leela appeared again, looping her arm with Adrian's as if she had every right. "Come on," she said brightly. "You're supposed to stand next to me."
The spell broke.
Elena stepped aside, letting the couple pass her.
Flash.
Everyone laughed.
Leela leaned her head toward Adrian's shoulder.
And Elena smiled through all of it—tight, fragile, painfully composed.
When the final photos were taken, the crowd began drifting toward the dining room for dessert. Maya's laughter echoed, Ethan's arm wrapped around her waist, guests complimenting the decorations.
Elena slipped away toward the back hallway, needing a moment to breathe.
But Adrian saw.
His eyes tracked her retreat like a reflex.
Leela tugged his sleeve, dragging his attention back. "Come on, Adrian, help me pick a dessert. You seem like the chocolate type."
He stared at her for a moment—expression unreadable—then his gaze drifted toward the hallway where Elena had disappeared.
His jaw tightened.
"I'm not hungry," he said quietly.
And without another glance at Leela, he walked away.
Straight toward the hallway where Elena stood alone.