Vows We Never Said

As soon as I saw the church spire, I knew I should have stayed away. Nothing had changed in Maplewood. The road still wound its way around the old oak trees in the same way, the air still smelled faintly of pine and freshly cut grass, and the white clapboard church still stood in the middle of town like a silent judge, watching everyone who dared to come back after leaving.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and tried to stop myself from breathing. He told me that three days had passed. There are only three days left. Please be there for Claire. Smile. You are needed for the wedding. Leave.

That was part of the plan. One problem was that Maplewood never let anyone leave without first remembering who they had been. I slowed down as I got closer to the town square. I could see the familiar storefronts of Miller's Bakery, the flower shop where my sister used to work in the summer, and the café where half of the town still met every morning from my window. A few people looked up.

Some people stared for too long.

Yes, they knew who I was. They definitely did. This is Emma Callahan. a young woman who left. The person who didn't come back for special events like holidays, funerals, or family and friend reunions from their home country. The person who disappeared when everyone thought she would be there for her. My stomach was in a knot. I turned into the gravel lot next to the church to start the engine. The sudden silence echoed in my ears. I stayed there for a short time, with my hands on my lap and my heart beating faster than it should have.

Then I let you in. People's voices could be heard echoing through the air at noon, when the church doors were already open. Claire can't be outside with the organizer or the florist. I lifted my chin and brushed down my dress to remind myself why I was there. Because of her. Not at all for the past. The smell of lilies and shiny wood filled the church's inside.

The stained-glass windows let in sunlight, which made the aisle look like a rainbow of colors. It was a beautiful sight. Claire would really love it. I quietly moved toward the side pews so that I wouldn't be disturbed. "I heard she's back." The words stopped me in my tracks. In the middle of a row of seats, I stayed still, and my heels made noise on the stone floor.

That she had the nerve to show her face right now? I could tell who that voice was. I'm Mrs. Harlan. She lived three houses down from my family and me for my whole childhood. Another woman said, "Well," lowering her voice just a little, "it's her sister's wedding." "Well," she said. But I don't know how Liam feels about it. My chest got tighter. It's Liam. It had been years since I had heard someone say his name out loud. If my heart didn't react this way, I would feel differently. What does he think about it? Mrs. Harlan was asking. There was a short break. Next, — "The poor man never got married. He never brought a woman into the house. Everyone knows that. I couldn't breathe.

The second woman then said, "I heard he stayed because of her." "We've missed chances. Make this place his home. All for a girl who chose to leave. My fingers curled into a ball in my palm.

That is not the case. "And now," Mrs. Harlan said with a big smile on her face, "he is standing at the altar again." "As the best man," The world started to lean. The best man? When I stepped back without thinking, the heel of my foot barely touched the pew. The sound's echo was much louder than it should have been.

The women spoke up. I took a deep breath, stood up, and made myself move forward so that my courage wouldn't completely disappear. At that moment, I saw him for the first time.

Liam Hayes stood near the altar with one hand on the back of a bench. The dark suit stood out against the white and gold of the cathedral. He looked older. Wider. It wasn't the kid I remembered; it was clearly the guy I had left behind.

His gaze rose higher. Our eyes met. For one beat of the heart, we were the only people in the world. A second later, he looked as if he knew what was going on. It's shocking. It was something that made me feel awful. Furthermore, there is something stable underneath it all.

Not moving at all. Neither of them smiled. He didn't have a grimace on his face. He didn't do anything but watch me, as if he had known what was going to happen from the start. My heart was on fire. So, this is how things would turn out. It wasn't a calm gathering. Not a comfortable distance. A public accounting that was based on promises we had not kept.

She had no idea that her laughter was echoing from the side room. The wedding planner was holding a clipboard in her hand as she rushed past me. Life went on. But Liam didn't look away. All of a sudden, I realized something. Coming back to Maplewood didn't reopen any old wounds for me. It completely pulled them up.

I didn't move. I stood still in the middle aisle for a long second after our eyes met. The church was suddenly too quiet and bright. The whispering behind me stopped, and the light from the stained glass burned my skin like I was in an unwanted spotlight.

Liam Hayes looked like somebody who had never learned to let go.

He looked taller than I remembered; his shoulders were bigger under the tailored suit, and his dark hair was well-groomed in a way that made it seem like he hadn't put in the effort when we were younger. But his eyes were still the same. Still fresh. Still stable. They maintained a haunting familiarity.

They held on to me without saying sorry.

No smile. There is no rage. Just acknowledgement. And one more thing.

My chest hurt for some reason. I forced myself to breathe and took another step forward, then another, until I couldn't deny that I had seen him. The church coordinator pushed past me, mumbling about practice times and seating cha