After Eight Years of Hiding, I Chose Myself

Seeing me standing there picking up my coat, my brother turned to look at me.

"Dee, where are you going?"

"Just the restroom."

Tristan visibly relaxed.

My brother didn't notice a thing. He just waved me off.

"Always stalling at the worst time. Hurry back, we're cutting the cake soon."

The room's attention had already drifted back to Tristan and Tessa, the golden couple. I smiled and slipped out the door.

The moment I locked myself inside the restroom, I couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears spilled down my face.

By the time I'd pulled myself together and made it back to the private room:

"Doreen, how does it take you that long in the bathroom?"

"We were starting to think you fell in."

Myron teased me with a grin and pushed a plate toward me.

"Eat up. Strawberry cake, your favorite. I saved you a piece."

I looked at the slice of cake, and my eyes stung all over again.

Strawberries and cream, arranged in a delicate little pattern.

Every year on my birthday, Tristan would order strawberry cake from the same bakery and deliver it himself to the foot of my building.

Then, when my brother wasn't around, he'd steal a kiss on my forehead.

He used to say, "Once we go public, I'm ordering you the biggest strawberry cake in the whole city."

But today wasn't my birthday.

It was Tristan's.

This cake had been ordered for him.

"Thanks, Myron." I took the plate and settled back into my corner seat.

The girl next to me leaned over, buzzing with gossip.

"Doreen, you missed it. After you left, Tristan and Tessa drank like three more toasts together, arms linked and everything. The way they were looking at each other? Gave me actual chills."

"You think they're really getting back together?"

I bit into the cake. The strawberry was sour.

"Maybe."

"Weren't you always saying you had a crush on Tristan? How are you not jealous right now?"

I froze for a second, unsure how to answer that.

Eight years ago.

Everyone thought I was just a puppy trailing after Tristan wherever he went.

Even though he'd agreed to date me only two months into my pursuit.

But the relationship had stayed hidden from the very start. No one ever knew.

That one comment steered the whole conversation toward me.

Someone spoke up. "Doreen, you're twenty-seven this year, right? That's not exactly young. How come you still don't have a boyfriend?"

"I mean, your brother's gorgeous. You've got the same genes. There's no way you're short on guys lining up."

"Just don't end up like Tristan over here, perfectly good mouth on him and still single as they come, haha..."

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on me.

Including Tessa's. She watched me with a look that was just a little too thoughtful.

I shook my head with a smile. "I'm not single."

Tristan's head snapped up. His brow furrowed, and he shot me a look.

A warning.

Telling me not to say anything stupid.

On my way to the restroom earlier, I had already told my parents yes. I'd agreed to the marriage.

They'd been setting me up on arranged dates for weeks now.

That was why I'd been pressing Tristan so hard lately.

I'd wanted to bring our relationship into the open, but every answer I got was impatient.

"Just wait a little longer. The timing isn't right."

But I didn't want to wait anymore.

If waiting to the very end still wouldn't give me what I wanted, then it didn't matter who I married.

"Oh? You're not single?"

Someone glanced curiously at my brother, then back at me.

"Little Doreen, you're the youngest one here. Don't go pulling our legs now."

"I bet she's bluffing. If she really had a boyfriend, why not bring him along so we can check him out?"