Jasper had been gone for seven years. It never once crossed my mind that he'd come back.
And now he was living in Christine's house.
It came out of my mouth before I could stop it. "When are you leaving?"
Jasper paused, then said in a joking tone,
"Christine, looks like your boyfriend isn't too happy to have me around."
Christine was furious.
"Ethan, Jasper and I grew up together, we're like family! My home is his home. He can stay as long as he wants!"
I laughed. "I just asked a simple question. Why are you both getting so worked up?"
Only then did Christine's voice soften. She put both hands on my shoulders.
"Ethan, Jasper is like a little brother to me. Don't read into it."
Jasper stepped up in front of me. "I hear you and Christine are getting married. Congratulations."
"I probably won't be able to make it to your wedding, though. The day you two get married just happens to be the day I fly back to France."
I remember quietly congratulating myself back then, thinking Jasper was leaving after all, so Christine would still be mine.
I secretly took Christine's phone and turned on location sharing with me.
That way, even if I couldn't find her in person again, I'd always know exactly where she was.
Over the next few dates, Christine kept showing up very late.
Every time I called to ask where she was, she'd say,
"I'm already here, I've hidden. Hurry up and come find me."
But when I checked her location on the phone, she was still at home.
I knew Jasper was holding her back.
She was lying to me.
But I was willing to play along.
Once Jasper was gone, we could go back to the way things used to be.
What I never imagined was that Christine would abandon me on our wedding day and leave with Jasper.
"Ethan, what are you spacing out for? Call Christine, quick!"
Simon's urging pulled me back to reality.
"She's not coming."
Simon froze for a second, then blew up. "Tell me where she is. I'll drag her here by force if I have to!"
"No. This time, I'm the one who doesn't want her."
Simon stood there stunned for a full minute.
"Then what about the wedding? Are you calling it off?"
"No."
I pulled out my phone and called Yvonne Winfield.
"The Regency Hotel, ten fifty-eight. Marry me. Are you coming?"
Three seconds of silence on the other end. Then two words.
"Wait for me!"
I stood up and headed for the door. "To the hotel."
Simon followed behind me, waving the family and friends toward their cars to head to the hotel.
In the car, Simon couldn't hold it in. "Ethan, who did you just call?"
"Yvonne. If Christine won't marry me, plenty of others will."
Simon got worked up. "Yvonne, isn't she your boss?"
"Mm. She chased me for three years. I turned her down. She said if I ever regretted it, I could come to her anytime, and she'd still marry me."
"God, that lady really carries a torch, huh? You should've dumped Christine ages ago! What a piece of work, ugh."
The car reached the hotel. Yvonne hadn't arrived yet.
Christine's mother, Charlotte Finch, was already waiting at the hotel entrance.
"Ethan, you finally made it. Where's Christine?"
"Your daughter's playing hide-and-seek with me on her own wedding day. She's hidden herself away."
The look on Charlotte's face said she'd known all along.
"Then hurry up and go find her. If you can't find her, there's no wedding, and we can't have all these guests waiting around for nothing."
I gave a cold laugh.
"Don't worry. The bride will be here any minute."
Just then a Porsche pulled up smoothly behind me.
"See? Here she is."
