We did not talk in the morning. Well, we talked, but not about what we should've talked about. He did not even mention Brooke and I'm not sure if I should be relieved that he doesn't consider her important enough to mention her, or should be worried that he's hiding it from me.

Does this even classify as hiding?

I don't know Brooke on a personal level. We have exchanged smiles while crossing each other in the halls or when we bump into each other in coffee shops, but that's it. She's a really sweet person from what I know and I have nothing against her because all this that I'm feeling is not her fault.

In fact, it stems from my insecurities and past relationship traumas, but god, how I wish I could blame it all on her, name her a bitch and call it a day.

But I can't.

I mean, nothing even happened. So, why am I so bothered by a stupid Instagram post?

None of this matters today because today is the wedding and I don't want to create any sort of drama. It's supposed to be a beautiful and calm day and I'll make sure it stays that way.

"Oh, you look stunning, Iris." Eliza tells me, smiling as I walk up to her.

I decided to go for an emerald green one-shoulder dress that goes a little beyond my knees.

"Thank you so much, Eliza." I hug her as I reach her. "So do you."

She looked especially bright today. With her granddaughter in her arms, she was probably smiling the brightest.

"Thank you, honey. Where are Dani and Gray?" She asks, looking around as if expecting them to pop out any second now.

Ethan and Riley left pretty early in the morning to get ready with the rest of the wedding party while Noah and Mason took up the responsibility to overlook everything else while the bride and groom took their sweet time getting ready for their big day.

It left me, Dani, and Gray to get ready as late as we wanted, which, let's be honest, is a bonus.

"Dani left her phone in the car. So, both of them are getting that." I tell her as I smile at Josephine, who looks adorable in her baby-pink outfit.

Moving my eyes away from the little bundle of joy, I look around myself and finally take in the venue. The ceremony is supposed to happen outside in the open, in front of the setting sun, which is probably the most romantic thing ever, and then the party will shift inside for the reception.

Hanna was keen on keeping the wedding simple and small, and I think the decorations reflect that perfectly. Everything feels extremely beautiful and personal.

"There you are." Eliza exclaims, looking behind me. I turn around to see Dani and Gray walking up to us with an elder and mature couple.

"We are so sorry for being late." Gray says, smiling apologetically at Eliza.

"You're here before the bride and I think that's early enough." Eliza jokes before smiling widely at the elder couple.

"Rose. Peter." She greets them and they smile back almost equally wide. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Oh, of course, Liz. Liam is like my son. We wouldn't miss this for the world." The woman, Rose, says before looking over at me with curiosity.

"You must be Iris." She acknowledges me with a smile. "I'm Rosaline Stanford and this is my husband, Peter Stanford."

Stanford. Of course.

Mason's parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Standford," I smile, "It's so great to finally meet you."

"Likewise, dear." She says before engulfing us in a conversation about college.

Amid our conversation, I feel an arm wrap around my waist and the familiar cologne that infiltrates my nostrils lets me know who it is.

"Hello, Rose." Ethan speaks up from behind me. "Peter."

Mrs. Standford almost swoons at Ethan, and I can only imagine him smiling charmingly at her.

"Ethan, my darling." Rose starts with a fond smile on her face. "It's been so long since I last saw you. Come here, give me a hug."

Ethan's chuckle resonates through my body as he unwraps his arm and hugs Rose. Finally, I get to properly look at Ethan in a suit and I don't blame Mrs. Standford for swooning at him. Ethan Knight in a suit is a health hazard. Specifically to my health. 

 Though Rose is a small person physically, I'm shocked to see her squeeze the living daylights out of my boyfriend.

"I've missed you, too." He murmurs as she presses a kiss to his cheek. On his way back to me, he gives a side hug to Peter, who grins widely at his son's best friend.

Coming back to me, he repositions himself behind me, "I see you've already met my girlfriend."

"Yes, we have." Rose smiles at me. "And might I say, she's lovely."

"And way out of your league." Peter coughs with a playful smile on his face, making everyone except Ethan laugh.

"Honestly, I'm not even gonna argue about that." Ethan accepts his defeat and presses a kiss to the top of my head, making me look up at him with a smile.

"Speaking of getting girlfriends out of their league, where is my son?" Mrs. Standford comments, making Dani let out a throaty laugh.

"Oh, I wish you would have said it in front of his face." Dani shakes her head.

"On that note, let's go find the rest of us." Ethans says.

⤎❁⤏

"You may now kiss the bride." As soon as the words are spoken, Liam wraps his arm around Hanna's waist, dips her slightly, and covers her lips with his, making all the guests erupt in cheer.

Even little Josephine looks happy and almost excited. Well, as excited as a few months old baby can look.

Just as I look up from Josephine, my eyes meet Ethan's and I instantly picture ourselves instead of Liam and Hanna. Obviously, not soon, but hopefully, one day.

I'm certainly surprised by myself. I thought about my wedding and didn't freak out.

Good job, Iris.

Ethan winks at me from where he stands as the best man, making me chuckle. Liam and Hanna pull back from each other and hilariously, do a little bow for all of us before walking down the aisle together. On the way, Hanna takes Josephine from me, who looks all too happy to be back in her mom's arms.

Soon, everyone assembles around the happy couple to congratulate them just when they get done with all the photographs with the wedding party.

Over Dani's shoulder, I see Mason and Ethan walking towards the bar, where we are currently standing, each with a glass of wine in our hands.

"Boyfriends incoming." I tell her before taking a sip from my glass. Her eyes widen for a millisecond before a smirk forms on her face.

"So, Iris, what happened to that guy you were talking to?" She asks me out of the blue, and I scrunch up my eyebrows in confusion.

"What guy?"

"Oh, you know, the one you were talking to. The hot guy." She continues and takes a sip of her glass just as Ethan and Mason come to stand beside her.

"Hot guy?" Ethan quirks up his eyebrow, looking at me with amusement on his face. Realizing what's happening, I roll my eyes at Dani's antics.

"Fuck you, Dani." I throw at her, making her laugh as Mason pulls her to the side to meet his parents. Stanford's never got the chance to meet Mason because as soon as we found him, Noah came looking for both, him and Ethan because the ceremony was about to start.

"So, who is this hot guy?" Ethan asks, continuing this charade before taking Dani's place and leaning against the bar in front of me. The sight is enough for me to melt and forget all about this conversation. Is it considered rude to drag the best man away before the reception?

"Oh, you know, this guy I met in my psych class." I tell him in between sips. "A total hot piece." He quirks up his eyebrows at my description and an amused smile forms on his face. Just as he's about to say something, the bartender interrupts.

"Anything for you, sir?"

"A whiskey on the rocks, please." He tells him before turning back to me. "So, when were you going to tell me I have competition?"

A scoff interrupts whatever I'm about to say, "You and competition?" an annoyingly familiar voice comments, rather confidently.

Red heels step into my vision as I see her place her perfectly manicured claws on my boyfriend's shoulder. If the voice wasn't enough for me to recognize her, the red hair and the Australian accent are a dead giveaway.

"Don't be so modest, you have no competition." She tells him as her long as fuck nails clean some imaginary dust from Ethan's shoulder while he looks at her with a bored expression.

"Lily." I call out, loudly.

First Brooke and now, Lily.

What a weekend.

⤎❁⤏

Hey guys! I'm back...again, probably for the hundredth time. Well, I'm not the only one, someone very special is also making an appearance again.

Should I call Lily a reader's favorite? Okay, no, I'm kidding. Anyways, what are we thinking about the redhead who makes everyone's blood boil? Did you like this surprise?

Also, can we please comment more because honestly, even a single comment makes my day. 

Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter. Also, follow me on Wattpad and Instagram (spiicychoco) for more.

QOTD: If you could have three wishes, what would they be?