Carrots With Ketchup

Part 12

The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years. On New Years’ 2019, Melissa called me from her and Niall’s house in London. She had transferred universities so she could move in with Niall. I waited until I finished my program and graduated before taking Harry up on his offer to move in with him in London, even If he lived less than a half hour’s walk away from Louis. Harry was working this New Years’ so I was alone, packing. I was moving in a month, just after Harry’s birthday.

Melissa’s voice was excited as she told me the amazing news. “Niall proposed! We’re getting married!’

I was to be one of her bridesmaids, as were two of our friends from high school and her step-sister, Sam. We all gathered at Melissa’s a few weeks before Mel’s wedding. Our friends, Sara and Natasha, hadn’t seen us in years. We all caught up. Natasha was working on becoming an artist and was doing various pieces for the wedding. She wanted to do paintings of all the couples and while we were working on various wedding affairs one day, she brought up her thoughts.

“You know,” she said, “You always had the biggest crush on Louis in high school. I always thought you’d end up with him.”

“Yeah,” Sara agreed. “What’s the deal with that?”

My face burned. “Yeah, we haven’t spoken in three years. I guess we just had a falling out. We weren’t as compatible as I thought back then.”

Then Tasha excused herself to call Josh, her boyfriend and plus one for the wedding, about flights and Sara left for the washroom. I embraced the opportunity to go splash water on my face from the kitchen sink. No one knew what had happened between Louis and I, and it was going to stay that way. I would put on my acting face and keep my emotions in check.