Second Lead in My Own Love Story

At the engagement party for one of our former high school classmates, the bride suggested we play King's Cup. Whoever drew Eight had to do a cross-arm toast with someone of the opposite sex in front of everyone.

My husband, Luke Flandern, had always been a germaphobe. The second he saw the card in his hand, his brow furrowed.

I stood up, ready to help him out.

But then—Sarah Weaver, the girl everyone called the beauty of our class, who was sitting right across from him—asked softly, "Need a hand?"

Luke looked at her, and the frown on his face instantly melted.

"Yeah, sure."

The room erupted. Everyone was laughing and cheering.

"Classic Luke—always generous. No wonder he was valedictorian back in the day."

"Someone get this on camera. The golden couple from high school is finally reconnecting after all these years? That's destiny right there."

Sarah blushed and shyly reached her wine glass toward him.

Luke smiled and didn't pull away.

I just stood off to the side, quietly watching the two of them drink that cross-arm toast together.

And then I remembered how I'd been ready to help him out.

A bitter smile crossed my lips.

Guess I was kidding myself.

After the drink, the party really took off.

The maid of honor was Sarah's best friend from high school, and feeling bold from the alcohol, she went straight for it.

"Hey, Mr. Valedictorian, we've all been classmates for years, so be honest with us—does Sarah still stand a chance? She's waited for you all this time. Just give it to us straight. Is there still room for her in your heart?"

The other former classmates, loving the drama, jumped right in.

"Come on! Back in high school, you and Sarah were the couple everyone rooted for."

"You finally ran into each other again at a classmate's wedding. If you don't speak up now, it'll be too late."

Everyone piled on one after another, relentless in egging them on.

Sarah's face turned even redder. She practically melted into Luke's arms.

"Knock it off," she whispered.

Luke laughed and lightly scolded the group, but he didn't deny anything.

And he didn't push her away, either.

I just sat there quietly, my hands shaking as I watched it all unfold.

Then the bride suddenly turned to me, her tone openly taunting.

"Avery, what about you? Are you cool with Luke and Sarah getting together?"

Suddenly, the room went quiet.

Every pair of eyes turned to me.

Those looks—curious, mocking, hungry for a show—yanked me straight back ten years, to the day Sarah confessed to Luke.

I remembered it like it was yesterday.

It was a sunny afternoon during gym class.

In front of everyone, Sarah laid her heart out to Luke.

At the time, Luke was already my boyfriend.

Too embarrassed to turn her down directly, he shot me a helpless look.

Acting on instinct, I stepped in front of him.

"Sarah, Luke doesn't like you. Please stop putting him on the spot."

Sarah froze. Her eyes went red, and tears immediately started streaming down her face.

Luke's expression shifted too. Without a second thought, he shoved me aside and ran after her.

The people around us immediately started whispering.

"Avery's out of line, don't you think? What does who Luke likes have to do with her? She's such a busybody."

"For real. Who does she think she is? Just because she sits next to Luke, she acts like she owns him. So gross."

I stood there helplessly, trying to explain that I wasn't just his deskmate. I was Luke's girlfriend.

But just then, Luke came back to grab some tissues. He heard what I said and stopped in his tracks.

"She's joking."

He said it to the classmates around us, defining our childhood-sweetheart relationship of a year and eight months with a single sentence.

For that entire gym class, I endured the strange looks from everyone around me until I wished the floor would open up and swallow me.

That night, I hid in my room and cried by myself when Luke knocked on my door.

He apologized, saying he hadn't meant it that day. He just didn't want everyone gossiping about us, so he hadn't admitted we were together.

He also said I shouldn't have been so harsh with Sarah. She had cried for a long time afterward, and he couldn't stand seeing her like that.

In the end, he gave me a braided bracelet and made me a promise that once we graduated, he would officially tell everyone we were a couple.

Ten years later, that braided bracelet was still wrapped around my wrist.

I snapped back to the present. The bride was still defending her best friend.

"Sarah, don't try to stop me. Back in high school, Avery was always causing problems. If she hadn't gotten in the way, you and Luke would've been together ages ago. You never would've had to wait this long."