“I can see that. You two spend more time together than we do.”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to sharing me, Libby.”
Their families spent holidays together, and Carl knew nearly every embarrassing story about my fiancé.
When Marvin proposed, Carl was the first person he called.
“I can see that.
Naturally, he was going to be his best man.
I’d trusted Carl too.
That’s why his sudden attention bothered me.
***
It started with compliments.
“You look really good today, Liberty.”
It started with compliments.
Then came late-night messages asking whether I was awake.
At first, I ignored them.
But one evening, while Marvin stepped outside to take a call, Carl moved closer to me.
“You ever wonder what would’ve happened if you’d met me first?”
“Never.”
I ignored them.
He laughed.
“Come on. Not even once?”
“Carl, you’re Marvin’s best friend. And I’m marrying him.”
He leaned back.
“Come on. Not even once?”
“Can’t blame a guy for asking.”
I didn’t laugh.
After that, I avoided being alone with him.
I considered telling Marvin, but he’d been stressed about work and the wedding.
“Can’t blame a guy for asking.”
Besides, I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining a friendship that had lasted more than twenty years.
Then, two days before Carl arrived with those flowers, I came home early.
I heard voices coming from the garage.
Carl sounded frustrated.
“She keeps shutting me down.”
Carl sounded frustrated.
“Then try harder, Carl!” Marvin insisted.
I stopped walking.
“You seriously want me doing this?”
“I need to know what kind of woman I’m marrying, Carl!”
“Then try harder, Carl!”
My hand tightened around my bag.
They were talking about me.
Marvin had asked Carl to flirt with me.
And Carl had agreed.
They were talking about me.
I backed away before they noticed me.
***
That evening, Marvin kissed my cheek while I was making dinner.
“You seem quiet, Libby.”
“Just tired.”
I backed away.
He reached around me for a glass.
“Everything okay?”
I looked at the man I’d planned to marry.
“Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?”
He frowned.
“Everything okay?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Dinner’s nearly ready.”
I needed time to decide what to do.
***
The following morning, I texted Carl.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
I needed time to decide what to do.
He replied almost instantly.
“Yeah?”
“Come over tomorrow at 4 p.m. Marvin won’t be home until 10. Just us.”
A few seconds passed.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be there ❤️”
I stared at the heart.
Then I called my best friend, Hannah.
***
Now Carl was sitting at my kitchen table.
I called my best friend, Hannah.
He’d placed the flowers beside his coffee.
“So,” he said, “what changed your mind?”
I sat opposite him.
“I’ve been thinking about how much time we’ve spent together.”
He smiled.
“What changed your mind?”
“Me too.”
“Does Marvin know you’re here?”
Carl hesitated.
“No. Why would he?”
I watched him.
“No. Why would he?”
“Because you’re his best friend.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to tell him everything.”
I leaned forward.
“If I kissed you right now, would you tell him?”
“Because you’re his best friend.”
Carl lowered his cup.
“Liberty, what are you asking?”
“It’s a simple question, Carl. All you have to do is answer me.”
He looked toward the hallway.
“I’d have to think about that.”
“Liberty, what are you asking?”
“Really? Because I thought you already knew what you’d do.”
His smile faded.
“What do you mean?”
I repeated the words I’d heard in the garage.
“I need to know what kind of woman I’m marrying.”
His smile faded.
Carl went still.
“Recognize that?”
He looked down.
“How much did you hear?”
Carl went still.
“Enough to know Marvin sent you.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Liberty, listen. He was worried.”
“Then he should’ve talked to me.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“It wasn’t supposed to turn into this.”
“How long have you been doing it?”
Carl hesitated.
“A few weeks.”
I pushed my coffee aside.
“A few weeks.”
“And what were you supposed to tell him?”
“Whether you showed any interest.”
“And did you?”
He looked uncomfortable.
“And did you?”
“I told him you kept rejecting me.”
I stared at him.
“When?”
“Last week.”
“And he asked you to continue?”
“When?”
Carl nodded.
“More than once. He wanted to see how long it would take you to break.”
I stood.
I’d spent weeks trying to protect Marvin from the truth about his best friend.
Carl nodded.
Meanwhile, Marvin already knew I’d been loyal.
“Why wasn’t that enough?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Look at me, Carl. Why did you keep doing it?”
“Why wasn’t that enough?”
“Marvin’s been cheated on before. He’s scared it’ll happen again. And he was worried that it would happen after the wedding.”
“I’ve never cheated on him.”
“I told him you’d never encouraged me. Not once.”
“Then why did he need you to keep trying?”
“I’ve never cheated on him.”
“He said he couldn’t afford to make a mistake.”
I looked at the flowers he’d brought.
“And what about me? Did either of you think about what this would do to me?”
Carl swallowed.
I looked at the flowers
“I thought you’d keep saying no, Liberty.”
“So you thought it was fine to keep bothering me?”
“No. I shouldn’t have agreed to this.”
I picked up his flowers and handed them back.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to this.”
“I want you to tell Marvin you’re done.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“Tell him you tried again and I rejected you. Then tell him you’re not doing this anymore.”
“Why?”
He frowned.
“Because I want to see whether he’ll finally believe his own best friend.”
Carl studied me.
“You’re testing him?”
“I’m asking you to stop helping him lie to me.”
He looked at the flowers.
“You’re testing him?”
Then he nodded.
“I’ll talk to him.”
I opened the front door.
“Good. You can go.”
Then he nodded.
***
Marvin came home shortly after ten.
I was sitting on the couch with the wedding papers spread across my lap.
“Hey, Libby.”
He kissed my forehead.
“Still working on those?”
I was sitting on the couch.
“We need to confirm everything this week.”
He dropped his keys into the bowl beside the door.
“Can we deal with it tomorrow?”
“You said that yesterday.”
He dropped his keys.
“I’ve had a long day, Libby.”
He sat beside me.
Then his phone buzzed.
He checked the screen and turned it over.
“Was that Carl?” I asked.
“I’ve had a long day, Libby.”
“Yeah. He wants to talk.”
“About what?”
“Probably something stupid.”
“Marvin, are you actually looking forward to getting married?”
He glanced at the papers.
“He wants to talk.”
“Of course, Libby.”
“Then why does every wedding decision seem to bother you?”
“I’m just tired of talking about it.”
He reached for the remote.
I closed the folder.
“Of course, Libby.”
For months, I’d blamed his lack of interest on work.
Now I wasn’t so sure.
***
The next morning, I went to Hannah’s house.
She’d been my closest friend for years and was helping me prepare the wedding favors.
I’d told her about the garage conversation when I called after arranging Carl’s visit.
I wasn’t so sure.
But she didn’t know what happened afterward.
When she opened the door, she took one look at me.
“Did he come over?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell me you didn’t actually kiss him.”
“Yes.”
Despite everything, I laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
We sat at her dining table, and I told her what Carl had admitted.
“Marvin knew you’d rejected Carl?”
Despite everything, I laughed.
“And still told him to keep trying.”
Hannah pushed the boxes aside.
“What are you going to do?”
“Carl’s going to tell him the test is over. I want to see how Marvin reacts.”
She reached for my hand.
“I want to see how Marvin reacts.”
“And if he still doesn’t trust you?”
I looked at the boxes we’d spent two weekends preparing.
“Then I don’t know if I can marry him.”
Her expression softened.
I looked at the boxes.
“I wish he’d just talked to me,” I continued. “We could’ve worked through whatever was bothering him.”
“Then he needs to explain why he didn’t.”
***
Carl called that afternoon.
“I spoke to Marvin.”
I stepped into Hannah’s backyard.
“I spoke to Marvin.”
“What happened?”
“I told him you weren’t interested. I said I wasn’t going to keep trying.”
“And?”
“He asked if I was absolutely certain.”
I closed my eyes.
“What happened?”
“What did you tell him?”
“That you’ve never encouraged me.”
Carl paused.
“Then he got upset.”
“What did you tell him?”
“At you?”
“He said I didn’t understand the pressure he was under.”
“What pressure?”
“The wedding. He said everyone’s expecting too much from him.”
I leaned against the fence.
“What pressure?”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I wasn’t going to let him keep doing this to you. Liberty, I’m sorry.”
“You helped him do this, Carl. You could’ve refused.”
“I should have.”
I ended the call.
“I should have.”
Then I went back inside and picked up my wedding folder.
Hannah watched me.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to find out whether Marvin actually wants this wedding or if I’m just wasting my time.”
Hannah watched me.
***
Two days later, Marvin and I went to confirm our reception arrangements.
When we were asked to approve the final number, he turned toward me.
“Could we have another week?”
“We’ve already agreed on the guests,” I reminded him.
Marvin and I went to confirm our reception arrangements.
“I’d rather wait.”
“The deadline’s coming up.”
I confirmed the number we’d chosen together.
***
Outside, Marvin looked annoyed.
“You didn’t have to decide that without me.”
“I’d rather wait.”
“I asked you three times.”
“Things are moving too fast.”
I stopped.
“The wedding’s six weeks away.”
“Exactly. Maybe we should postpone it.”
“I asked you three times.”
I stared at him.
“Is that what you want?”
“I just think we could use more time.”
“More time to plan? Or more time to decide whether you want to marry me?”
I stared at him.
He looked away.
“Libby, don’t make this an argument.”
I took my keys from my bag.
“We’re going home. I need you to answer some questions.”
***
Marvin followed me into the living room.
He looked away.
“What’s going on?”
I placed the wedding folder on the table.
“I know about Carl.”
He frowned.
“What about him?”
“What’s going on?”
“Your loyalty test.”
His face changed.
“Did he tell you?”
“No. I heard you in the garage.”
He sat down.
“Your loyalty test.”
“Libby, I can explain.”
“Then start with why you asked your best friend to flirt with me.”
He rubbed his face.
“I’ve been cheated on before. I needed to be sure.”
“Libby, I can explain.”
“Carl told you I’d rejected him.”
Marvin looked up.
“He told you that?”
“Yes. Why did you ask him to continue?”
He didn’t answer.
“He told you that?”
I sat opposite him.
“I’ve spent four years loving you. What else was I supposed to prove?”
“I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“I was scared.”
“Making a mistake.”
I thought about Carl’s call.
“And postponing the wedding would’ve helped?”
Marvin looked toward the window.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Making a mistake.”
I leaned forward.
“Tell me why.”
He rubbed his hands together.
“I’ve been having doubts.”
“About me?”
“Tell me why.”
“Not really. About getting married. Everyone’s excited,” he continued. “Our families have made plans. You’ve spent months organizing everything.”
“Because I thought you wanted it too.”
“I did. I still do.”
“Not really.”
“Then why are you trying to postpone it?”
He looked down.
“Because I’m not sure I’m ready.”
I swallowed.
“How long have you felt that way?”
He looked down.
“A few weeks.”
“And instead of telling me, you sent Carl after me?”
Marvin shifted in his chair.
“I thought if something happened, we’d have a reason to slow things down.”
I stared at him.
“A few weeks.”
“What do you mean, if something happened?”
“If Carl found something, people would understand why we postponed.”
“You wanted him to catch me cheating?”
“No! I hoped you’d turn him down.”
“If Carl found something…
“But if I hadn’t?”
Marvin looked away.
I stood.
“You would’ve let everyone think I was the reason our wedding fell apart.”
I stood.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
***
For four years, I’d trusted Marvin with everything.
“You could’ve told me you weren’t ready.”
“I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
I’d trusted Marvin.
“But you were willing to lose me rather than tell me.”
His eyes filled.
“I didn’t think it would go that far.”
“You asked Carl to keep trying after he told you I was loyal. How far did you expect this to go, Marvin? Until I had something to apologize for?”
His eyes filled.
Marvin stood.
“I’m sorry. I made a terrible mistake.”
I looked at him.
“I love you. That’s why this hurts.”
He reached for my hand.
“I made a terrible mistake.”
“We can work through it. We can postpone the wedding and figure things out.”
I stepped away.
“Before I decide anything, answer one question.”
“Anything.”
“If Carl had told you I’d kissed him, would you have believed me if I denied it?”
“Anything.”
Marvin hesitated.
“I would’ve been upset.”
“Would you have asked me what happened?”
He stared at the floor.
“Libby…”
Marvin hesitated.
“Please answer.”
“I don’t know.”
I nodded.
For weeks, I’d kept quiet because I didn’t want to damage his friendship with Carl.
But Marvin had been willing to destroy our relationship over something he couldn’t even prove.
“Please answer.”
I looked down at my engagement ring.
Then I slipped it off.
Marvin watched me place it on the table.
“Please don’t do this.”
“I wanted to marry you,” I said. “I was ready to build a life with you.”
I slipped it off.
“We still can.”
I shook my head.
“I can’t marry someone who’s willing to let me take the blame for his own doubts.”
He reached for the ring.
“We still can.”
“Give me another chance, Libby.”
I picked up my bag.
“Four years should’ve been enough for you to trust me.”
His voice broke.
I picked up my bag.
“Libby, what about the wedding?”
I looked at the folder we’d spent months filling together.
Then I looked back at him.
“There isn’t one.”
I walked out, closing the door behind me.
