It had only been a few weeks since we broke up, and every time I looked at her tonight, I realized just how much it still hurt her. And damn, it hurt me too. I wanted to stay away, give her space—but the universe wasn’t on my side. Same friends, same wedding… I couldn’t escape her, not that I wanted to.

I watched her all evening, careful not to get too close, but my eyes kept finding her. She was trying so hard—smiling, laughing, pretending like she was fine—but I could see through it. She was hurting, still holding onto something I had shattered.

Then came my speech as the best man. I tried to focus on them, the couple, on being funny and light—but the moment I glanced at her, it all fell apart. Her gaze met mine, and suddenly everything else disappeared.

"Breakup, patchup. Breakup, patchup. And today, finally, they made it. They got married. They showed us that love is about fights too. Just stay together and love each other until your last breath."

I saw her lips tremble into a smile, but her eyes—her eyes were on the verge of tears. And just like that, I realized how much I had missed her, how much I had messed everything up.

When everyone went to dance, she slipped away to the terrace. I followed quietly, my heart racing. She needed air, space… maybe a moment without me haunting her.

I found her taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself, and my chest ached. I couldn’t stop myself. I stepped closer and draped my jacket over her shoulders. Her body stiffened, and my heart clenched at the sight. She smelled the same—like home, like everything I’d lost.

"You can’t get cold," I said softly, standing beside her, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t know if she wanted me here, didn’t know if I had the right, but I couldn’t leave her like this.

She stayed quiet, staring into the distance, and I felt the weight of every mistake I’d made pressing down on me.

"I messed this up, didn’t I?" I whispered, almost to myself, almost to the night. But maybe—just maybe—she heard it. Maybe she felt the words, felt the regret and longing I couldn’t hide. And maybe… she felt the part of me that had never stopped caring.