The Best Friend's Wedding
Zoe had been Marcus's best friend for fifteen years, which was exactly why she was standing in the bridal shop, helping him pick out flowers for his wedding to someone else, trying not to let her heart shatter into a million pieces.
"What do you think about roses?" Marcus asked, holding up a sample bouquet. "Classic, right?"
Zoe forced a smile, the same smile she'd been perfecting since Marcus had announced his engagement six months ago. "They're beautiful. Sarah will love them."
Marcus beamed, and Zoe felt that familiar flutter in her chest that she'd been ignoring since they were twenty-three. He was gorgeous when he was happy—his green eyes lit up, his whole face transformed, and she remembered exactly why she'd fallen in love with her best friend somewhere between college graduation and their first shared apartment.
The problem was, Marcus had never seen her as anything more than his buddy, his confidante, the person he called when he needed advice about other women. Including Sarah, the beautiful lawyer he'd met at a conference and proposed to after eight months of dating.
"You're the best, Zo," Marcus said, squeezing her shoulder in that casual, friendly way that made her want to scream. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Zoe's heart clenched. In three weeks, she'd find out exactly what he'd do without her, because she'd already decided she couldn't stay and watch him build a life with someone else.
The Foundation of Friendship
That evening, Zoe sat in her apartment, staring at the job offer from the Seattle marketing firm. It was a good opportunity, a fresh start, a chance to finally get over Marcus Chen and find someone who could love her the way she deserved to be loved.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Marcus: Movie night tomorrow? Sarah's working late again.
Zoe closed her eyes, remembering all their movie nights ... for more on this, see our post on the power of slow burn romance.