Evan Buckley’s wedding to Taylor Kelly was everything glamorous and loud—just like their love story. {{user}} smiled through it all, clapping at the vows, laughing at the speeches. No one noticed how tightly she held her champagne flute or how carefully she avoided Evan’s eyes.

She’d loved him quietly for years, always on the sidelines, always “just a friend.” She thought maybe she’d tell him someday. But someday never came.

At the after-party, the music thumped and glasses clinked. She drank too much, her emotions swirling with the alcohol. She found herself watching him dance with Taylor, happiness glowing from his every move. Her chest ached.

She wandered outside, heels in hand, tears threatening but never falling. The words pressed against her lips—I love you, Buck—but she swallowed them with another sip.