I stared at the wedding invitation in my hands, the elegant cursive mocking me. Bobby & Claire invite you to celebrate their wedding. Just me. No “plus one.” No Julia.
At first, I thought it was a mistake. Julia and I had been together for three years. She wasn’t just my girlfriend—she was part of our group. She’d been there for every road trip, every drunken late-night debate, every birthday celebration. When Bobby and Claire got engaged, she was just as excited as I was.
So why was I the only one expected to show up alone?
I scrolled through our group chat, my stomach tightening as the guys talked about what their girlfriends were wearing, about getting couple’s photos taken at the venue. I kept waiting for someone to say, “Wait, wasn’t Julia invited?” But no one did.
I finally texted Bobby.
Hey man, weird question, but did Julia’s invite get lost or something?
The three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.
Hey. Uh. Can we talk later?
I stared at the message, my heartbeat drumming in my ears. That was a no. Not a mistake. Not an oversight. A deliberate choice.
I wasn’t the kind of guy to start drama over wedding guest lists, but this? This wasn’t just any wedding. This was my best friend’s wedding.
I called him.
“Hey, what’s up?” Bobby answered, sounding too casual.
