4: 4
Garry's voice came from behind me without warning.
I hung up the phone, my face blank.
"What? The honeymoon we planned is overseas, isn't it? You'll be leaving the country then anyway."
His brows drew together slightly. He didn't think it through.
"We'll see. Work's been piling up lately. Once the wedding's over I've still got overtime."
Overtime for work, or overtime chasing down an old flame.
I couldn't be bothered to ask anymore.
A day and a half left before I flew out. I wanted to leave us both a little dignity.
The wedding photos had been paid for in advance.
I'd already decided that once they were done, I'd crop his face out. A little keepsake for my wasted youth.
The shoot was set at one of those photo walls around the city that everyone posts.
The gown was custom-made in black, and the photographer said he'd never seen anyone do that.
All because Garry once told me he hated white.
Only now did I understand. It wasn't white he hated.
He just hated white on me.
We'd barely finished the first shot when a familiar figure passed in the distance.
The next second, the spot beside me was empty.
I smiled at the confused photographer.
"Just shoot me alone. Don't worry about him."
He didn't say anything, took the payment and got to work.
But I caught it in the way he looked at me, a thin, pitying sympathy.
Solo portraits go fast.
By the time I finished, Garry was still standing off in the distance, talking with Lucinda.
Animated, glowing, nothing like the man he was in front of me.
I looked around and realized where he stood was the only way back out.
I had no choice but to walk past him.
As if terrified Lucinda might catch on to what we were, he spoke first.
"What are you doing here? I'm just chatting with my friend for a bit, I'll be over in a minute."
I smiled.
"It's fine. I just wanted to tell you the shoot's cancelled. Something came up at my company and I have to go back. You two keep talking."
His expression shifted from panic to confusion.
Like he couldn't understand why I wasn't making a scene today.
But he couldn't say much in front of Lucinda, so he only nodded.
I turned and left.
Rounding the corner, I stopped to hail a cab.
Behind me came his anxious, scrambling excuse.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I only came to do her a favor. Her friend's opening a shop and dragged me in to model for free. I haven't forgotten our promise, the white wedding gown is only for you."
I hadn't lied. Once I was back, I spent the whole day at the office handing off my work.
And he hadn't been idle either, that day.
Lucinda's feed racked up ten new posts.
From the roller coaster at the amusement park to atmosphere shots at some trendy restaurant.
Not one of them showed the face of the person across from her.
But that shooting technique, those angles, I knew them too well.
Those ten thousand videos had been shot the exact same way.
Back home, for once he sat waiting for me at the dining table, chopsticks untouched.
The table was set with a careful spread, the kind that clearly took some effort.
Probably the date had gone so well he couldn't digest the happiness alone, and it spilled over into a little charity tossed my way.
Seeing me come in, he came forward and took my bag.
His tone couldn't hide its bounce.
"Worn out today, huh? Come eat, I got this specially for you, this place is really good."
My face was blank.
"Don't you always refuse to touch pretty food like this? Changed your taste today?"
"Or the person keeping you company changed, so the style changed too."
In my memory, this seemed to be the first time in seven years he'd reached out first to please me, to make me happy.
A pity. A heart already gone cold doesn't warm back up.
Just like that steak. No matter how hard you try, it will never turn back into raw meat.
Seeing me refuse his goodwill, Garry's face darkened a shade.
He set a dessert down in front of me.
"I just happened to run into a friend and chatted, that's all. It's not that I didn't want to take the photos. Do you really have to be like this? Besides, you're the one who walked out because something came up at your company, and did I hold that against you?"
I tugged the corner of my mouth.
"Then thank you for being so generous."
His first time bending, and I'd doused him with cold water twice in a row.
He finally dropped the pleasant face.
Turned on his heel straight into the bedroom and didn't come out again.
Only one night left in this home.
I couldn't be bothered to make the bed or tidy up, so I just made do on the couch for the night.
At two in the morning, the lock turned.
He crept to the entryway, grabbed his coat and opened the door.
Moving so fast he didn't even notice that on the couch behind him, my eyes were wide open the whole time.
I said nothing, just watched his figure disappear through the gap in the door.
The door slammed shut.
I let out a breath.
Then I got up and started packing.
By that point, I was almost grateful to Lucinda.
If she hadn't shown up, I still wouldn't have seen clearly who the man beside me really was.
At six in the morning, I stood at the door and took one last look at the place where I'd lived for seven years.
Less than three hours until the wedding.
No balloons, no confetti, no red carpet.
Not even a single double-happiness sticker.
This wedding no one celebrated, like me, the person no one cared about, didn't matter at all.
I closed the door.
Dragged my suitcase into the car and set off for the airport.
At the airport I finished checking in, then called Garry to talk about the breakup.
It rang once before he cut it off.
Then he sent a few voice messages.
His tone stretched to the very edge of irritation.
"I'll be there any minute, what's the rush? I said we're having the wedding, you think I'm going to run off?"
"Lucinda's place flooded last night, she nearly broke her leg. Can't you show a little sense?"
"Just hold my friends there for me. I've got something to tell you today."
When the last message finished playing, I typed with a blank face and sent him one final message.
"Let's break up. The wedding's all yours."
