Maid of honor

MIA

"I'm engaged."

I paused, my hand hovering over the stack of financial audit folders on my desk. I adjusted my glasses and squinted at my phone screen, where my best friend’s face was pushed way too close to the camera.

"No silly, you're Elena," I said dryly, turning back to my papers.

"Mia! Look!"

Elena angled the phone down, and suddenly, a blinding, emerald-cut diamond ring was taking up the entire screen. It was huge. It was expensive. It was definitely a real engagement ring.

My jaw dropped. I snatched the phone, my heart doing a little happy dance. "Oh my god! Babe, you and John are finally getting married?!" I squealed, genuinely thrilled for her.

Elena let out a dramatic gasp, twisting her face into an expression of pure disgust. "Ewww, no. Please. John and I were just fuck buddies, Mia. Keep up."

I blinked, completely dumbfounded. Right. Silly me. Elena’s love life was a revolving door, and as her resident nerdy, single best friend, I clearly hadn't been keeping track of the rotation.

"Okay, okay," I scrambled, trying to think. "Oh! Is it Othniel? The guy you met at the airport lounge last month?"

Elena rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. "What now? Babeeee, no. Othniel was so two weeks ago."

I groaned, completely confused now. I rubbed my temples, leaning back in my chair. "Okay, I give up. Who on earth managed to lock down the untamable Elena? What is going on?"

Elena leaned into the camera, a massive, triumphant grin spreading across her face. "It's Harry."

I let out a loud snort, a laugh bubbling up before I could stop it. "Harry? What, like Harry Potter? Did you find yourself a wizard?"

Elena laughed too, but there was a weird, sharp edge to it. A look of smug satisfaction flashed in her eyes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Not Harry Potter," Elena said, her voice dropping into a purr. "Harry Grey."

.

Harry Grey. There was only one Harry in our entire social universe. My ex. The guy who had broken my heart, leaving me to bury myself in my books and finance studies while he vanished out of my life.

A dry, hacking cough forced its way out of my throat as my brain violently tried to reject the information. "Babe..." I choked out, staring blankly at the screen. "Is it… my ex?"

Elena didn't even flinch. She just threw her head back and laughed, the sound loud and grating through my phone speaker. "Yes!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, right under my glasses, needing to ensure I hadn't suddenly slipped into a fever dream. "Babe, you’re getting married to my ex?"

"Yes!" Elena beamed, leaning so close to the camera I could see the smug triumph radiating off her. "And guess who's going to be my maid of honor? Youuuu!"

"Wait, what?!" The sip of water I had just taken went entirely down the wrong pipe. I hacked, coughing violently, my eyes watering behind my lenses as I almost choked to death right there at my desk.

Elena completely ignored my near-death experience, waving her hand dismissively on screen. She looked at my oversized sweater and messy room with a pitying, calculating smile. "Look, Mia, you should honestly seize this opportunity. You can use the wedding to finally dress well for once. Who knows? You might actually see a potential, rich suitor among Harry's friends. It’s a win-win!"

A hot, prickly wave of pure humiliation and anger washed over me. A charity case. She wanted me to stand at the altar, holding her bouquet, looking like the pathetic, nerdy best friend who got left in the dust, hoping for Harry’s leftover friends to notice me.

I couldn't let this continue. The spite inside me took the wheel before my common sense could stop it.

"Oh," I said, my voice suddenly dropping into a cool, casual tone as I wiped my mouth. "I didn't tell you? I'm actually in a relationship. He'll be my plus-one to the wedding."

Elena’s face instantly dropped. The smugness vanished, replaced by pure disbelief. "But you didn't tell me anything, Mia! We talk every day, how—"

Before she could finish her sentence, my bedroom door flew open.

"You're in a relationship?!" my aunt yelled, bursting into the room like a hurricane. Her hair was pulled up in a wildly scattered, messy bun, and her eyes were practically popping out of her head with excitement.

My heart dropped straight into my stomach. Oh, no.

"Oh, aunty, you really didn't hear that well," I scrambled, my hands flying up in panic as I tried to backpedal. "I said—"

But it was already too late. My aunt didn't wait for a single word of explanation. She spun on her heel and bolted down the hallway, her voice echoing through the house. "Sister! Sister, come quickly! Mia has a boyfriend! Mia is dating!"

I stared at the closed door, the muffled sounds of my mother squealing in the living room drifting back down the hall. On my desk, Elena was still demanding answers through the phone screen.

I slowly lowered my head into my hands, my

chest tightening as the reality of the situation hit me. What on earth have I just gotten myself into?