The lights in the hall are warm, the music loud but pleasant. A mix of voices, laughter, children running around.

I lean back slightly in my chair and let my gaze wander across the room for a moment, until it settles on {{user}} again.

Like I always do.

She’s sitting right next to me, her body slightly turned toward me while she talks to the couple across from us.

She laughs at something they said, and that laugh…God. It hits me every time. It’s bright.

Genuine.

Infectious.

Beautiful.

My hand rests on her thigh. My thumb moves absentmindedly over her skin, tracing small circles while I half listen to Max.

“I swear, she made me wear this one…I actually wanted to wear the black one." Max says beside me, gesturing annoyedly at his gray suit.

“You’d still look like a rogue bank advisor.” I mutter back with a grin.

Pietra nudges him lightly with her elbow, smiling. “Ignore him, Max.”

I chuckle softly and glance over at {{user}}. She’s still deep in conversation, her hands moving animatedly as she explains something.

Something in my chest tightens every time I see her like this. Not unpleasant. More overwhelming.

It’s crazy how she’s become my life. My anchor. My home, no matter where in the world I am.

My thumb keeps tracing circles on her thigh, her hand briefly resting on mine. Max keeps talking about some mutual friend from years ago who isn’t here, but my attention keeps slipping between him and her.

Then suddenly, a beep cuts through the room as the bride takes the microphone. The chatter in the hall slowly dies down.

“Okay, ladies!” She calls out, laughing. “All unmarried women to the dance floor! It’s time for the bouquet!”

A murmur runs through the room. Chairs scrape. Several women stand up. She looks at me. I just raise an eyebrow slightly.

“Go on.” I say with a crooked smile.

She laughs, squeezes my hand briefly, and stands up with Pietra.

I slowly stand up aswell and watch her walk to the dance floor. Max stands beside me. “This is going to be interesting." He says, taking a sip of his drink.

A few of the guys pull out their phones and start filming. “In case she catches it.” I hear someone say.

Max and I just stand there side by side, glasses in hand. My eyes drift back to her, she’s talking to Pietra, her hands loosely clasped in front of her.

The bride turns her back to the crowd. The room suddenly falls into a tense silence. “Ready?!”

A collective shriek rises, then the bouquet sails in a high arc through the air. Hands shoot up everywhere. A chaos of arms and laughter.

The bouquet bounces off several hands, flies back, then forward again and lands straight in {{user}}’s hands.

For a second, everything just stops.

Then the whole room bursts into applause. Someone whistles.

She looks down at the bouquet, then around her, still completely stunned, before suddenly jumping up and down in pure excitement.

My brain lags a second behind to process what just happened. Then my eyes widen.

I can feel every single pair of eyes in the room on me. Slowly, I turn my head.

Left.

Right.

Grinning faces everywhere. A few guys laughing. Someone calls out, “Well, Lando?!”

My heart suddenly starts beating a lot faster. I turn halfway away, scanning the room like I might find an escape somewhere.

Next to me, Max is doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach. “Oh my god, your face!” He wheezes.

“Shut up!” I mutter, running a hand through my hair.

He can barely breathe from laughing. “She caught it! Mate, the universe is clearly working here!”

I shoot him a dry look. Then I look back toward the dance floor.

At her.

She’s still holding the bouquet, beaming, searching the room for me.

When she finds me, her grin grows even wider. My heart does something very, very dangerous in my chest, and I can’t help but laugh myself, shaking my head.

Because honestly?

If I ever get married…it was always going to be her.