The Day I Married My Childhood Sweetheart

Tyler Gilbert and my best friend Isabel Sanchez shared the same zodiac sign.

The two of them always had this natural, effortless understanding.

They were both top students. Their SAT scores landed at exactly the same near-perfect mark.

They went to the same university, too.

While I was at the school next door, and even seeing them once meant messaging ahead to book a time.

Later, after graduation, I said I wanted to catch a midnight movie.

The two of them said, in the same breath, that they'd already seen it.

Then they started picking apart the details of the film, and I couldn't get a single word in.

I sank into that hollow feeling, and Tyler reached over, touched my cheek, and said,

"It's fine. You never really liked movies anyway."

"No point putting yourself through it just to fit in with us."

And then Tyler decided to go abroad, and Isabel just happened to pick the same country.

Watching the two of them lined up to even leave the country together,

I offered to go abroad with Tyler.

He turned me down with a frown.

"Elaine Fox, this part was never in your life. You shouldn't change yourself for my sake."

My eyes went red, and I lost it.

"Then why does Isabel get to?"

"You two are shut in a lab together every single day."

"Eating together every day, laughing together."

"Why not me?"

He let out a soft sigh.

"Because that's the path she was always going to walk."

"But you're not."

"You shouldn't sacrifice so much of yourself just to keep pace with my life. That's not fair to you, and I couldn't carry that either."

He was leaving in three days, and he didn't need me along.

Watching him laugh with my best friend as they went over the details of their trip,

I turned away and dialed someone else.

"I broke up. Didn't you say you wanted to marry me?"

""

On the other end, when Raymond Simmons took the call, he went quiet for a few seconds.

He didn't ask why I'd broken up, and he didn't sound thrilled about marrying me.

Instead, the first thing out of his mouth was,

"Did he did he hurt you?"

"Tell me."

"If that Tyler kid dared to hurt you, I'll fly back right now and settle it with him."

I looked up at the two of them, laughing away in front of me, and my mouth twisted into something bitter.

"No. There are just some things I've only now seen clearly."

"The wrong person is always the wrong person."

I used to think that if I just tried hard enough, I could close the gap between us.

One of them was my boyfriend, after all, and the other my best friend.

They were my closest people.

And even as they moved ahead, they'd be willing to bring me along.

But the truth was always a little worse than what I imagined.

They ran experiments together, with an endless supply of things to talk about.

Every time I bounced up and invited them out for a spicy noodle hot pot,

they'd both pinch their noses, thoroughly put off.

"Elaine, only you would love something that reeks like that."

So they'd leave me alone in the noodle shop.

And go get a barbecue cookout next door instead.

Most of the time when Tyler and I were together,

he'd queue up a show for me and tuck me into the couch to watch it like a good girl,

while he sat beside me, buried in his laptop, writing reports, working.

We weren't like other couples with a bottomless well of things to say.

Yet with Isabel it was somehow different.

Whether it was serious conversation or just goofing around, the two of them could go all day without a break.

Even for going abroad to study,

they'd chosen the same country and bought tickets to leave on the same day.

Every time, so perfectly in sync it was as if they'd planned it.

Thinking back over all of it, I drew a breath and asked Raymond, firm now,

I just want to ask you one thing. Do you still want to marry me?

My voice was thick and nasal when I asked him.

Elaine, are you crying?

Raymond went straight into a panic.

I'm still overseas right now, setting up a project.

Wait for me. Two days at the most, and I'll fly home to you.

I gave a small laugh.

Okay.

After I hung up, I looked up again, just in time to see Isabel tucking a half-folded umbrella into a suitcase.

Leave it, I'll do it.

Tyler walked over on his own, folded it away for her without a second thought, and zipped the suitcase shut.

Don't worry about me, go comfort Elaine.

Isabel noticed me standing there in silence, and did her best to signal him with her eyes.

She couldn't come abroad with you in the first place, she's already upset. She's your girlfriend.

Tyler gave me a cool glance.

It's fine. Elaine handles pressure well, she'll get over it on her own.

Hearing that, I laughed.

I wiped my tears, turned around, hailed a ride, and went home to pack.

I was just hauling my bags, big and small, out the door for shipping when the door was pushed open.

Tyler froze.

Then he came over, frowning, and said to me,

Didn't I already tell you? I'm not letting you come abroad with me.

You've got a good job here at home.

You can't give up everything you have just because I'm your boyfriend. That isn't fair to you.

And it's a lot of pressure on me too.

I stopped packing, straightened up, and looked at Tyler.

I'm not going abroad with you.

He stared at me, thrown.

Then what are you packing for?

I scoffed.

Clearing things out. When something's no longer needed, you throw it out.

I don't buy it.

Tyler frowned, walked over, and picked out the shirt from my suitcase that I wore most often.

This is your favorite. How could you bear to throw it out?

He sighed, at a loss.

Elaine, can you not be like this?

I told you, not letting you come abroad with me is for your own good.

This job of yours pays well, your parents are here at home. Running that far away for me, is it worth it?

Tyler had always been gentle with me before. Even the time I accidentally spilled coffee on his laptop,

he had only smiled, indulgent, and said, Leave it to me, I'll take care of it.

It was only about coming abroad with him.

On that, he pushed back hard.

I looked at Tyler.

Then tell me. Why is Isabel going to the exact same country as you?

Tyler froze for a second, then lifted his eyes to me.

It's just a coincidence.

Sheshe has her own plans, and it just happens to be the same country I chose.

With her major, the schools over there are good, going will really help her.

I laughed.

Her plans just happened to land on the country you're going to?

Just happened to be the same city?

Just happened to book the same flight?

Tyler, do you believe that yourself?

Tyler didn't argue back, he only stared at me quietly, a flicker of impatience passing through his eyes.

Elaine, Isabel and I are just friends.

Besides, weren't you the one who introduced her to me in the first place?

She's your best friend, so I looked out for her a little more, that's all.

We get along, we think alike.

But that doesn't mean anything.

If you insist on fixating on this, there's nothing I can do about it.

I looked down and gave a small laugh, then pulled an old movie ticket out of my pocket.

"So how do you explain this?"

Tyler glanced at it, and his face shifted at once.

"You went through my pockets."

His hand came up on reflex to snatch it back.

But I only stared at him, cold.

"I said I wanted to see that movie. You and Isabel had already seen it."

"I told myself it was a coincidence. That the two of you just happened to have the same idea."

"It never crossed my mind."

"That you were the one who asked her to go with you."

Under what circumstances does a man skip over his own girlfriend to go see a movie alone with his girlfriend's best friend?

I couldn't think of one.

But once he was caught, there was no panic on his face at all. His brows only knit tighter.

"It was just one movie."

"Yes, I asked Isabel to come. So what does that prove?"

"Her advisor had assigned a reaction paper on that exact film."

"A friend had given me a ticket, so we went. It's that simple."

I froze for a moment.

Tyler, always so terse, never bothered with long-winded explanations like this.

Except when it came to Isabel.

For her, he always made an exception.

I had nothing left to say. I turned to leave, and he caught me by the wrist.

"Elaine, can you please stop letting your mind run wild?"

"You're my girlfriend."

"Your best friend and I just share the same sign, that's all, so our personalities and ideas and interests happen to line up."

"At most she's a close friend."

"Or another version of me."

"You're the only one I love. It won't be anyone else."

My steps only paused for a beat, and I walked out anyway, without looking back.

At the door I ran straight into Isabel, her face full of surprise.

"Elaine?"

"It's so late. Where are you off to?"

My eyes dropped to the two cups of coffee in her hands.

Starbucks.

Most of the times I wasn't around, Isabel would bring two, one for her and one for Tyler.

"Isabel, shouldn't I be the one asking you?"

"It's this late. What are you doing at my place?"

I smiled, and took one of the cups from her hand.

"You brought me coffee, right? I'll take it."

"Heythat one isn't for"

Isabel caught the look on Tyler's face and shut her mouth instantly, forcing on a smile.

"Oh, Elaine, it's just a cup of coffee. Look at you, my little glutton, fighting your own boyfriend over it."

"I only figured you usually don't have to stay late running experiments, so I didn't get you any food."

"Since you want it, then this one of mine can go to Tyler."

But she'd clearly already taken a sip from that cup's straw, a faint trace of lipstick still on it.

Tyler, who was always so particular, didn't mind in the least. He took it right from her.

"Thanks."

"Those experiment files you wanted, I'll send them to your email later."

"No rush!"

Isabel waved a hand, then turned and crouched down to pet the cat Tyler kept.

The motions easy, familiar, as though she were back in her own home, stroking her own pet.

"Tyler, why is your cat still so skinny?"

"Didn't you feed it that cat food I bought last time?"

Tyler laughed too.

"Of course I did. It just won't put on weight."

He leaned in toward her without thinking, and the two of them fell into their back-and-forth.

And in an instant, I was air again.

I lowered my head and gave a bitter, self-mocking little smile.

So from the very beginning, I'd been this unnecessary.

"I didn't touch the coffee. You two keep it."

"You go on with your discussion. I won't be in the way."

When they saw me pick up both suitcases and head for the door,

Isabel hurried after me at once.

"Elaine, don't read too much into it."

"Tyler and I really are just friends."

"Are you still upset about the two of us going abroad together?"

"If it bothers you, I can rebook my ticket and switch to a different city."

She said it so understandingly.

But Tyler cut in almost the instant she finished.

"There's no need to rebook."

"That's not what Elaine meant."

Then he turned to look at me.

"Elaine, you know how it is. The city was locked in when we applied. Switching would be a huge hassle."

"And rebooking a flight is even more of a headache. I already told you, this whole thing is just a coincidence."

"You've always been so easygoing. You wouldn't get worked up over something this small, right?"

I looked at the two of them.

One holding the coffee, one deflecting on her behalf.

So in sync it was like they'd rehearsed it a hundred times.

I smiled.

"Tyler."

"You two really do suit each other."

"Same zodiac sign, matching personalities, even the same country to go abroad to."

And more than that, you'd suit each other perfectly as boyfriend and girlfriend, too.

But that last line I kept to myself.

Tyler's face changed.

"Elaine, don't read too much into it."

"We've been together three years. Do you still not understand me?"

"Even if you're angry, you can just say whatever's on your mind."

"There's no reason to drag out a suitcase and stage some big running-away-from-home scene."

I glanced down at the luggage in my hands.

Three years' worth of my things were in this apartment. Too much to move in one trip.

Before Tyler came back, I'd already had a moving van haul out a full load.

These two suitcases were the last of it, headed to my parents' place.

"I'm not reading into anything, and I'm not running away from home."

"I told you, I'm just clearing things out."

"You go handle your business. Don't worry about me."

Tyler still had his brow furrowed, one hand pressed flat on my suitcase.

"Elaine."

"You and Isabel are supposed to be best friends. Why do you have to push things to this point?"

Isabel stood in the living room, holding her coffee, and said softly,

"Tyler, let Elaine cool off first."

"She's angry right now. Nothing anyone says will get through to her."

Tyler glanced at her, then back at me.

In the second his attention slipped, I yanked my hand back hard.

Pulled the door open and walked out.

As the elevator doors slid shut, I saw Tyler standing in the doorway.

He didn't come after me.

Isabel stood behind him and took a sip of her coffee.

"Elaine's always had that little-princess temper."

"I'll smooth things over with her later."

"Anyway, Tyler, you just got back. You probably haven't had dinner yet."

"I heard a really good place opened up on the North Side for a big dinner out. Want to go try it?"

Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Sure. I'd actually planned to take Elaine out for a big dinner tonight."

"She insists on making a scene, so I guess it'll have to be Miss Sanchez keeping me company."

The two of them, line after line,

soon broke the heavy silence again.

Both of them seemed so certain I was only throwing a little tantrum.

That they wouldn't even have to coax me, that in a few days I'd cool off on my own and come scampering right back to their side, trailing after them like always.

That was how the last three years had gone, and the two of them had long since grown used to it.

But not this time.

I, Elaine Fox, was done being anyone's shadow.

After dinner at my parents' place, I went to my room early to lie down.

But I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, and then my phone buzzed.

It was Raymond.

"I rebooked my flight."

"I'll land tonight."

"Where are you right now? I'll come get you."

I shot upright.

Wasn't it supposed to take two days? How was he coming back this fast?

"I'm at my parents' place."

"Then wait for me there. Don't go anywhere."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

I hung up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night air drifted in, cool.

The sycamore leaves along the street rustled.

Sure enough, a few minutes later a black car pulled up.

Raymond stepped out in a sharp suit, tall and straight-backed.

"Come down."

He texted me.

At the same moment, a message from Tyler popped up too.

"Isabel and I got a big dinner out tonight, so I won't be home for supper."

"Don't wait up. Eat without me."

I let out a scoff and didn't answer.

In my slippers, still in my pajamas, I ran downstairs.

"Raymond. I didn't think you'd get here so quickly."

Seeing me in my thin pajamas, Raymond frowned and swiftly shrugged off his suit jacket, draping

it over my shoulders.

"I didn't get to ask on the phone."

"You and Tyler seemed to be doing fine. How does it go from that to breaking up just like that?"

Raymond was my childhood sweetheart, and in my parents' eyes the future son-in-law who checked every box.

But in college I'd been wildly infatuated with Tyler.

It had taken everything I had to win over Tyler, that untouchable prize.

And now I regretted it.

"Whatever the reason, I've broken up with him."

"Raymond, didn't you say it yourself once? If no other man would have me, you'd marry me."

"So I'm asking youright now, will you still marry me?"

Raymond stared straight at me for two seconds, then let out a low laugh and took my hand.

"I will."

"Come on. Get in."

He opened the car door for me himself, and I was completely at a loss.

"Where are we going?"

"Your stomach was growling a second ago. You didn't get enough at dinner, did you?"

Raymond gave a knowing little smile.

"I'm taking you to the food stalls."

I pressed a hand to my stomach. I'd been too busy talking to notice it growling, and he'd caught even that small thing.

Yet after all these years together,

Tyler had never once put this much care into me.

The whole way down the row of stalls, Raymond ate almost ravenously. I looked at him, surprised.

"Have you not eaten all day?"

He nodded.

"I was in a hurry to get back and see who'd upset my fiance this badly."

I was on the verge of laughing when a video from Isabel suddenly popped up on my phone.

"Elaine, look how good your boyfriend is to you. He made you apology pastries with his own hands."

"Seeing how hard he's trying to make it right,"

"just forgive him."

Looking at that message and that voice note come through,

my heart went cold inch by inch, all the way to the bottom.

After years as best friends,

Isabel of all people knew exactly what I liked.

Yet she couldn't even see that those apology pastries were the ones she loved, not me.

I'd eaten them once and run straight to the toilet to throw them up.

I didn't reply. Instead, another memory surfaced.

A long time ago.

Because Isabel was my best friend, Tyler had kept his distance from her.

Isabel felt slighted by it, and once, eyes red, she chased after him and demanded an answer.

"What did I ever do to you? You hate me so much you avoid me at every turn."

Tyler caught her sleeve, carefully.

"I don't hate you."

He pinned her into the corner against the wall.

"I I just wanted to see less of you. Otherwise, I can't control myself."

He reminded himself he had a girlfriend.

But he had fallen for her anyway.

"This time, I'll go abroad with you. I promise."

"Once we're seeing each other less often"

"Elaine won't have so much time to make trouble."

"Wherever you want to travel, I'll take you. All right?"

I leaned back against the corner of the wall and listened, quietly, to all of it. The vows. The confessions poured out to each other.

Tears slid down my face.

I wanted nothing more than to charge over and demand to know

why, when he'd clearly fallen for Isabel,

he still wanted to stay with me.

But this time, let me be the one to end all of it.

Tyler still messaged me every day. Good morning, good afternoon, good night.

I never replied. Not once.

Until the next day.

Isabel messaged first, inviting me to a meal.

"Elaine, you're my best friend. I don't want any misunderstanding between us."

"Tomorrow, Tyler and I are leaving for overseas together."

"We'll be back in two years, but until then it'll be hard to see each other."

"Let it go, okay? Let's go out and eat together."

I told myself some things really did need to be said out loud.

So I agreed to go.

Isabel's delight and excitement spilled out right through the screen.

"That's wonderful. I knew you'd say yes. I'm going to order all your favorite dishes right now!"

But when I got to the private room, I found they'd started long ago.

The table held nothing but a pile of cold, picked-over scraps.

"Didn't we agree you'd wait for me? Why did you start without me?"

Tyler lifted his eyes, glanced at his watch, and said flatly.

"Didn't you say you'd be here in half an hour? You were half an hour late."

"How is that anyone else's fault?"

Isabel played along beside him with a laugh, sliding another plate of pasta toward me.

"It's all Tyler's fault. He acted like a starving man reborn and insisted on eating first."

"I already gave him a good scolding on your behalf."

"I saved this plate specially for you. I know it's your favorite, so nobody touched it."

Looking at that plate of pasta, I lost my appetite in an instant.

It hadn't been touched because Isabel didn't like pasta, that was all.

Maybe she noticed my silence.

Isabel started up a new topic, testing the water with the question.

"Elaine, tomorrow Tyler and I leave from the airport. You'll come see us off, won't you?"

Every other time they went on a trip together, off to some other city to run experiments,

I'd trailed along eagerly behind them to see them off.

Every time, I wished them a safe journey.

And waited for them to come home safe.

But this time, I shook my head.

"I'm not sure I'll be free."

Because that day, as it happened, was my wedding to Raymond.

Tyler let out a cold laugh.

"You help out at your dad's company. You clock in and that's it. You don't even show up for work, and you still get paid."

"How busy could you possibly be? And you're 'not sure' you'll be free?"

"If you don't come, don't come crying to me with regrets later."

As he said it, he and Isabel exchanged a smile.

The look, the expression, as if they were humoring a child.

But Tyler.

I really won't be seeing you off.

Early the next morning.

Tyler and Isabel waited at the airport. It was the fifth time they'd looked up toward the doors.

"What's going on? Elaine's still not here."

"She isn't skipping our send-off today, is she?"

"How could she?"

Tyler shut it down without a shred of doubt.

"She's never once missed seeing us off. She won't miss this trip abroad either."

"Maybe she just hit traffic and got held up."

But right then

Isabel idly opened her social media feed, and the next second her eyes went wide with shock.

"Tyler, quick, looklook!"

"How can today be Elaine's wedding?!"

"Who who is she marrying?"