Engagement Party

“Doesn’t she just look beautiful?” Erin said through the widest grin Edward had seen on her.

​

“Yeah,” he muttered, sipping his drink to cover his emotionless face. Or at least covering an emotion people wouldn’t expect to see at an engagement party. But if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure what emotion he was experiencing. He was happy for her, sure, but beyond that, something else was bubbling, something he definitely didn’t want to share.

“Oh! And his suit!” Erin cooed. Upon seeing the bride-to-be’s eyes wander over to her, Erin jumped from her spot and rushed over to the happy couple. “Annabelle! Annabelle!” she cried as she arrived beside them, immediately inspecting the large ring that sat on Annabelle’s finger. Edward huffed and finished his drink before turning and grabbing another bottle, opening it as he pulled away from the table. For the next few minutes, he watched the couple meander around the room, hand in hand, talking to everyone. As their circle of conversation slowly started to reach him, Edward acted quickly. Without drawing attention to himself, he slipped through the bustling crowd and walked to the door, where he thought the road was. He had to get out before he caused a scene. With no one noticing him, he opened the door and darted out, groaning as the garden appeared before him.

“Really?” he said, exasperated. He had lived in that house for three years and yet he still didn’t know the front door to the back. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. The door behind him was now closed and opening it would draw attention to the fact that he ran outside. No matter the excuse, he would then be known as the guy who ran out and then re-entered the engagement party. He sighed and took a seat on the bench that sat on the patio. Luckily, it was dry. The sounds of the party were now drowned out, barely audible through the walls, leaving him alone and peaceful. As he brought his bottle to his lips, he was surprised to find it empty. Sighing again and frowning at it, as if it was its fault, he placed it beside him and looked out into the night. He was sure that the party had begun during the daytime. While trying to understand the complexity of the passage of time, the door behind him opened and a familiar voice spoke.

“You good out here?” Edward turned to see Louis, a good friend of his. The man was sporting two, freshly chilled bottles of some sort of alcohol, and what kind of a man would Edward be if he didn’t accept them.

“Hi,” Edward said, beckoning the man outside. With a grin, Louis did, carrying the two bottles to the bench and handing one to him. Edward took the bottle, thanked him, and immediately began gulping it down. Louis started to chuckle.

“How long have you been out here?” he asked.

“Days,” Edward said as he took the bottle away from his lips. The two laughed, silence then falling between them. It wasn’t something that they weren’t used to. Often the pair would sit in a local park as teens and drink in silence. Some of Edward’s fondest memories came from those parks, watching the world pass them through gradually blurry vision and drunken comments. But tonight, they were thirty-year-old adults, sitting outside of an engagement party for a dear friend of theirs. Getting blackout drunk was not on the list of party games, not until he was home that night at least.

“You not going back in?” Louis said suddenly. The question threw Edward back into the real world, forcing him to turn his head to him.

“Nah,” he grumbled, starting to peel the label off his bottle. “Not my scene.”

“Which part?” He stopped. A conversation he didn’t want to have was brewing. Slowly, he arched his head back to face Louis, who was smiling at him sympathetically.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s good to get some fresh air into your lungs anyway…”

“Edward,” Louis cut in.

“Don’t Louis,” Edward said sternly. “I'm not talking about it.”

“Then don’t talk, make me understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Why, instead of being in there and supporting a friend you’ve known for the last twenty years, you're out here, drinking alone.”

“Because I choose to!”

“Ed!”

“You know absolutely why!” Silence dropped like a brick. The chatters and murmurs from the party were still going and they hadn't been heard. Edward turned away from him, looking back down at the bottle and peeling off what little remained of the label. Beside him, Louis sighed deeply and sat back against the bench.

“Ed, I really don’t,” he said in a low voice. “The farthest I could think of was that it’s about how you had a crush on her years ago, and then…” Subconsciously, Edward reacted and Louis stopped. Edward could feel Louis’ eyes on him, boring into the back of his head. With no label to scratch, he was left with the glass that he was now slowly clawing away at. “Is that what it was all about?”

“I said leave it,” Edward muttered as he stood, placing his now empty bottle down beside him.

“Ed. C’mon man. Thought you were over her.”

“I was. I mean, I thought I was.” With a deep sigh, Edward turned back to him. “When she started dating Rich, I forced myself to get over her. Didn’t think she’d want a friend being in love with her as she tried to form her first real relationship. So I stayed out of her way for a few months, tried to avoid her. And after three months, it worked. I saw her walking through the park and I didn’t feel the same rush of emotions I had done the previous times I had accidentally met her. Now… I don’t know…” His words trailed away, once again leaving them with silence.

“I'm sorry, Ed,” Louis said lowly.

“Not your fault,” Edward muttered back, holding back the tears he could feel brewing in his eyes. “I just… I just don’t know anymore. I thought I was over her, but I guess not. It’s fine. I’ll work something out.” Louis smiled at him. This time, the silence was comforting. Sighing, Louis stood and walked to the door. As he opened it, the speech Erin was giving wafted out.

“…and we all know that these two are meant for each other. And they are so lucky that they have found their soulmate to spend the rest of their lives together with.” Everyone cheered and drank, the murmurs and chatters starting up again. No one had noticed they had left. Placing her glass down, Erin swivelled around the room until she caught Louis’ eyes at the door. Quickly, she made her way to him.

“Well?” she asked, quiet enough so no one could hear them. “Why did he leave?” Louis opened his mouth to speak and turned. As he did, his eyes landed on an empty garden. He was gone.

“Dunno,” he said softly, ushering Erin back inside as music began to thump. “We’ll ask him another time.”