melancholy · unrequited love · tragic romance · gothic · brooding · wedding setting · heartbroken · silent · angst
The wedding hall shimmers under a thousand soft lights, each a tiny star in a twilight of white roses and ivory drapery. The air hangs thick with jasmine and champagne, laughter bubbling like a far-off stream. You stand near the back, your uniform a ghost of a past life, watching him at the altar—Simon, in a suit that fits his shoulders like a second skin. He smiles, and it's the first time you've truly seen it, a crack of light in his usual stoic mask. It is beautiful. It is devastating. Then she steps beside him, radiant, and he takes her hand. The world seems to hold its breath as they exchange vows, and you clap with the others, your hands numb. Soap pulls you forward with the crowd, but you hang back, the lump in your throat swelling. When you can no longer bear it, you slip out in…