Andrew stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his cufflinks, a slow smile spreading across his face as he thought about Jessica. Today was the day—his wedding day. The day he’d been waiting for, to finally make Jessica his wife. He pictured her face, imagining what she would look like in her wedding dress, the way her red hair would frame her face, and the soft smile she’d give him as she walked down the aisle. His heart warmed at the thought, and for a moment, everything seemed perfect.

“Jessica,” he whispered to himself, the smile on his lips widening. He felt content, sure that marrying her was the right decision.

His pleasant daydream was rudely interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. “Hey man,” Evander Kane said, strolling up with a grin plastered on his face.

Andrew's mood instantly soured, his irritation at being pulled away from thoughts of Jessica getting the better of him. “What do you want, Evander?” he snapped, his voice sharper than intended.

Evander, unfazed by Andrew’s tone, laughed and shook his head. “Relax, buddy. I just wanted to say hi. This wedding business is working out for me too, you know.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow, momentarily forgetting his irritation. “What are you talking about?”

Evander’s eyes sparkled mischievously as he leaned in closer. “I found the woman of my dreams, Andrew. Right here at this wedding.”

That caught Andrew off guard. “Wait, who?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Evander beamed. “Jessica’s sister.”

Andrew’s heart skipped a beat, his mind immediately flashing to Eva. The memory of that moment on the balcony hit him like a wave—the accidental kiss, the softness of her lips, her surprised gasp as she’d pulled away, tears in her eyes. His face flushed involuntarily at the memory.

“Eva?” he blurted out, his voice a little too eager.

Evander looked at him strangely, narrowing his eyes. “Whoa, Andrew, are you seriously crushing on your bride’s sister?” There was a note of disgust in his voice, but also genuine surprise. “That’s messed up, man.”

Andrew’s expression darkened as he shot a glare at Evander. “Of course not!” he snapped defensively, though the heat rising in his cheeks told a different story.

Evander chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, calm down. I wasn’t talking about Eva anyway. I’m into Mia.”

Andrew let out a small sigh of relief, though the tightness in his chest didn’t quite disappear. “Mia?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

Evander nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, man. She’s cute, funny, and just...I don’t know. There’s something about her. I can’t stop thinking about her.” He had that dreamy, lovesick look on his face, which only served to irritate Andrew even more.

“She’s too good for you, Evander,” Andrew muttered, rolling his eyes.

“So what? I love her, and that’s all there is to it,” Evander said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Before Andrew could respond, the door to the room swung open, and in walked Irene, Andrew’s younger sister, with Mia following close behind.

Irene gave her brother a teasing smile. “Andrew, do you remember Mia?”

Andrew smirked, knowing how Evander felt about Mia. “Of course, I do,” he said, his eyes darting toward Evander, whose grin widened at the sight of Mia.

Mia smiled shyly, greeting her soon-to-be brother-in-law. “Hi, Andrew,” she said softly, before glancing nervously at Evander, who seemed utterly captivated.

Evander cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to play it cool. “You can call me Evan,” he said, his voice a little too eager.

Mia hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay... Evan,” she said softly, clearly feeling uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

Irene raised an eyebrow, noticing the way Evander was staring at Mia like she was the only woman in the world. “Evander, are you alright?” she asked, giving him a questioning look.

Evander quickly snapped out of his trance, shaking his head and smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He looked like a lovesick puppy, and Andrew couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

Mia, clearly feeling the tension, quickly handed Irene a box of sweets. “I brought these for the guests,” she said, her voice polite but distant. Then she turned to Andrew, looking a little flustered. “I should go check on Eva. She’s still recovering and might need my help.”

Andrew’s eyes flicked up at the mention of Eva. His mind wandered back to the balcony, to the guilt he felt after that accidental kiss.

“Let her go help Eva,” he said to Irene, who had opened her mouth to protest.

Mia flashed a grateful smile and hurried out of the room, leaving behind an awkward silence.

As soon as Mia was gone, Evander sighed dramatically, his eyes following her retreating figure. “Man, I’m in love,”he declared, causing Andrew and Irene to exchange glances.

Irene smirked, shaking her head. “You’re hopeless, Evander. Besides, Mia’s way too good for you.”

Evander crossed his arms defiantly. “I don’t care. I’m in love, and nothing’s going to change that.”

Andrew rolled his eyes, tired of the lovey-dovey talk. “Let’s just focus on the wedding. We’ve got enough drama without you acting like a lovesick fool.”

As the conversation died down, Andrew found his thoughts drifting back to Eva once again. He felt a strange pang of guilt—he shouldn’t be thinking about her like this, not on his wedding day, not when he was supposed to be marrying Jessica. But there was something about Eva that tugged at him, something gentle and vulnerable that made him want to protect her.

Shaking the thoughts away, he tried to focus on Jessica again. She was the one he loved, the one he was marrying today. Nothing was going to change that.

But in the back of his mind, a small voice whispered that things were already starting to change.