This happened three years ago. I had one best friend, Linda.
One day, Linda sent me a wedding invitation. I was surprised. Although we were close, Linda never mentioned her boyfriend to me. I didn’t even know she was in a relationship. The groom’s name was Lucas. She stated in the invitation that I was expected to wear a blue dress to the wedding. She even sent one for me. But she also mentioned that it was fine if I didn’t like the one she sent, any blue dress would do.
I intended to follow her wish. But with the worst luck, on the wedding day, I spilled my morning coffee on it. And it was just some hours before the wedding. I didn’t have any other blue dress at home, and I didn’t have enough time to go buy one. So I wore a light green one instead, thinking it should be okay.
It was not. When Linda saw me in my green dress at her wedding, she was furious at me. She looked like she was going to cry even though I apologized sincerely. Her groom just stood there watching, his face didn’t show any emotion. Linda walked away and didn’t talk to me at all for the whole day. And I can see that she wasn’t enjoying herself. I didn’t understand how could me not following a dress code be such a big deal for her. And I wasn’t the only one there not in blue. About half of the guests were wearing blue, the other half in various colors.
When I was sitting by myself, ashamed and confused at how my only best friend was treating me, a man approached me. He told me his name was Mark, and he worked at the same place as Lucas. Mark was wearing a blue shirt. We talked throughout the whole wedding, he made me feel not alone, and we exchanged numbers.
When the wedding ended, the bride, Linda, had announced that guests in blue dresses stayed a little longer, while the other guests could leave. I thought maybe she was so mad at half of the guests not following the dress code that she wanted to host a party just for those who followed. I was hurt, but that was my best friend’s special day and I didn’t want to ruin it. I left and planned to apologize to her again later.
But that day never came. I tried to contact Linda but she never responded. I went to her place, she wasn’t there. I even went to her parent’s house and they said they couldn’t contact her either. And we didn’t have any mutual friends I could go to. She was my only friend. I tried reaching out to Mark too, he also never responded. Up until now, I still don’t know any of their whereabouts.
A year ago, while I was out shopping by myself, I ran into Lucas. He was alone too. I asked him about Linda, and he said Linda had a breakdown after the wedding and just ran away in the night. He tried searching for her but couldn’t find any trace either. Mark also stopped coming to work but they weren’t close so he didn’t care much. At first, I questioned him. It didn’t seem to make sense that Linda would just disappear from everyone’s life like that. I talked to Lucas for hours, he told me Linda was depressed even before the wedding, but she kept talking about how special that day would be for her, fantasizing about her wedding day had always been the thing that kept her going since her school years. And that I should know how much she likes the color blue, which I do. I started to think it did make sense. Linda was depressed. That’s why we hadn’t talked much.
That day, I exchanged contacts with Lucas, so we could notify each other if one ever found something about Linda. Turns out until now there’s still nothing about her to be found. But Lucas and I did have things to talk about. It started with asking for small favors, since we both didn’t have any other friends. Then advices. Then casual talks. Then deep talks and meeting up. Then we started having intimate feelings for each other.
Lucas was a wonderful man, still is. Actually, we’re getting married next month.Don’t get me wrong, I did feel bad about it. I realized it was my missing best friend’s partner that I was in love with. I expressed my concern to him, and that was when he told me that he and Linda hadn’t signed any legal documents yet. So, technically, he was single. And finding Linda just seemed more and more hopeless every day. Also, she was the one who ran away. So we decided there was no reason to hang back anymore.
I was over the moon when Lucas asked me to marry him. He was my first lover and my second best friend. Even with Linda, I’ve felt lonely for my whole life, but Lucas came and changed everything. I can’t imagine someone who could be more right for me than him. He’s like my missing piece. My soulmate.
Lucas understands that my wedding is special for me, so he lets me take charge of most of the planning. The only thing he requested is that we need at least fifty guests in our wedding, and we must have one specific dress code for those we aren’t really close with, so we can separate them from our close acquaintances and know how to treat them. Other guests can wear whatever they want. He wants at least half of the guests, which is 25, to be in the same dress code, though. He said it looks pretty when there’s one major color and the other comes in varieties. Like a dish with one main piece of food and some other plate decorations.
He even joked that if I can’t get enough people to come to the wedding in that one color, I’ll have to be counted as the missing one myself.
I found the joke funny. But he keeps saying it every day, even though I’ve already sent out all the invitations and almost all of them are people I barely know, so there’s very little possibility that there won’t be enough people in pink, the color I chose. I love him but it’s starting to get annoying and creepy. How should I get him to stop with the joke?