Page 24 of From Fake Dates to Forever Goals

There’s a knock on the door as I dry my hair, so I wrap it in a towel and answer it.

To my surprise, Sebastian is standing there with a pizza in his hands.

I stand there, feeling utterly embarrassed.

“I—I’ll be right back,” I stammer, realizing my hair is dripping wet and soakingthe oversized shirt I’ve thrown on.

I hurry to my room and change into a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

“I told you, you don’t need any makeup,” Sebastian says as I reenter the room.

He places the pizza box on the coffee table and opens it, revealing a half-pineapple mess.

“Yuck!” I exclaim.

Sebastian bends down and picks up a piece of pizza, placing it in his mouth. “Delicious,” he says in a cocky tone.

Sebastian and I end up watching a 1960s classic,La Dolce Vita. Despite the subtitles, I think he enjoys it more than he’d like to admit. He probably relates to the protagonist.

Halfway through the movie, however, I realize Sebastian has fallen fast asleep. I turn off the TV and cover him with a blanket.

The next morning, I find that Sebastian is already gone, leaving a note that says:

Can’t wait to see you later.

Annie’s wedding is tonight.

When Sebastian comes to pick me up at three in the afternoon, he’s dressed in a blue tuxedo and looks as handsome as ever.

We make it to the chapel just in time.

The chapel is adorned with tulips from beginning to end. I can tell this was exactly what Annie wanted. As I make my way through the crowd of women gathered outside, I can’t believe Annie’s big day has finally arrived.

Annie is in the bride’s room, taking one last look at herself in the mirror before she makes her way to tie the knot with Stewart.

“You look absolutely amazing. Stewart is very lucky,” I say, hugging Annie and brushing her red locks to the side.

She fans her face, trying to hold back her tears.

I feel as if I’m losing my best friend, but I know that Stewart makes her happy, and all I want is for her to be happy.

As I watch Annie and Stewart take their vows, I see the love in their eyes for one another. I know that Annie has chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with. The love in his eyes says it all, forcing my own eyes to dampen with tears.

After the ceremony, we gather at the family table for dinner. Since Stewart is British, a traditional wedding breakfast is being served. As Annie explained, the term “breakfast” is in name only.

After our starters, I head over to grab another glass of champagne. That’s when I bump into someone familiar.

“David?” I say in shock.

“Ava?” he asks, not looking quite as shocked as I am. “I thought that was you up there with the bride.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Jason’s the groom’s—Stewart’s—best friend,” he explains. Jason is David’s brother.

“The best man is your brother?”

David nods.

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