The Bride Chose Her Best Friend

On my wedding day, I, the groom, rode to the venue in an Uber.

The motorcade had already picked up the bride, and then Lorraine Bishop stopped me before I could get into the wedding car.

"Let Chad Harding ride in this one. I'll call you a separate Uber."

I froze where I stood.

Lorraine went on.

"Chad doesn't believe in marriage. He wants to know what it feels like to get married."

"I already told him yes. He'll be the one doing the grand entrance at the ceremony."

I turned my head. Chad, her guy best friend, had already changed into a suit and was sliding into the lead car.

Seeing my hands curl into fists, Lorraine sighed and tried to reassure me.

"A wedding's just a formality. As long as we've got the marriage license, that's what matters."

"Besides, once Chad's had his turn, you can still walk it again yourself."

And with that, she didn't look back once, leading dozens of wedding cars roaring off into the distance.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

It had been like this since we started planning the wedding.

Because Chad didn't believe in marriage, he'd never have a wedding of his own.

So he had to try the suit first. He had to pick the venue.

And now even the wedding itself, he had to experience first.

The light turned red, the motorcade sped up, and the Uber was left far behind.

Gripping the wheel, the driver called back over his shoulder.

"Hey, kid. Where to now?"

I looked at the wedding cars, already too far ahead to see the end of them, and gave the driver a small smile.

"We're not going. Turn around."

Wedding or wife, I didn't want anything someone else had already broken in.

...

The words landed in the gap while the car's music switched tracks.

The air went quiet for a few seconds.

The driver hesitated, leaned back a little, and his voice climbed a notch.

"Kid, what'd you say? Turn around?"

I rubbed the cuff of my wedding suit.

I opened my phone. On the lock screen, our wedding photo — Lorraine and me, both of us smiling, looking so happy.

Snatches of gossip from people on the street drifted in through the gap in the window.

"Did you see that? That wedding motorcade was insane. Maseratis, Porsches... dozens of luxury cars!"

"The pricier the cars in the bridal procession, the more face the groom has. That couple must be so in love."

My fingers paused, barely.

Someone else marveled.

"Same species, different luck, I'm telling you. I just came from over by the Southbay Hotel and saw a groom taking an Uber to his own wedding."

"No way..."

The screen went dark, and I tore the button off my cuff.

I swallowed down the sting in my throat and said it again.

"Yeah, that's right, driver."

"Take me back to the hotel. I'm not getting married."

The countdown ended, and the red light jumped to green.

Behind us, horns blared, urging us on.

The driver shut the mouth that had been about to say more, spun the wheel fast, and made the U-turn.

Once the car was cruising steadily, I got a message from Lorraine.

【I'm the one who had the motorcade lose you on purpose. Don't chase after us.】

【Tell your driver to slow down. When you get to the hotel, don't run into Chad. He hates it when people steal his thunder.】

【Also, come in through the back door by the hotel kitchen. Chad's sensitive about how things look. If people see you and him walking into the same banquet hall, it'll be hard for him to explain when they start talking.】

It wasn't often Lorraine sent me a message this long.

From appearances down to the fine print, every single word had Chad's interests in mind.

But just a little while ago, when Lorraine pulled me off the wedding car and pushed me toward an Uber in front of everyone,

she never once considered whether people would talk about me, whether I'd lose face.

I opened the chat and typed it out, one word at a time.

【I'm not marrying you. Do whatever you want.】