"Was it necessary to wake me up so early?" I asked Evelyn, yawning over my cup of tea. 

"Yes, because your best friend can't go to work without knowing about the wedding you've been to with the guy you like."

"I don't like him that much," I replied without looking up.

"Keep saying that and it’ll become true. You know that I know you better than anyone, don't you?"

"Yes. You remind me like, twenty times a day."

Evelyn had me get up at six in the morning to see us at Maisie's and talk about the wedding before she had to go to the office. I was always eager to share news, but I have to say that it had been difficult to get up that morning, considering that we had been home by midnight the night before.

"I know. So, this wedding?" she asked, smiling.

"The wedding itself was beautiful, but the atmosphere was definitely...interesting.” I struggled to find the right word to describe what the ceremony had been like. Between the matter with William's parents and our meeting in the bathroom, it had not been a day without surprises.

"Why, what happened?"

"William was a little down about something that happened in the past with his parents, who weren't at the ceremony, so it was hard to cheer him up."

“Oh. Noelle, I'm sorry."

"But I had a lot of fun, really. I immediately made friends with her sisters, they are really nice girls."

"I'm glad you had a good time. So nothing happened?"

"I already told you yesterday on the phone about what happened in the bathroom."

"Yes, I remember that. But really, in a whole day, at a wedding, didn't something even more interesting happen?"

Evelyn was convinced that some particular event would happen. I had already told her about the story of the dress the night before on the phone, while I was in the car waiting for William to say goodbye to all the guests before leaving, but she was sure I hadn't told her everything yet. In fact, there was one detail that I had left out.

"There's actually a little thing I haven't told you yet..."

"I knew it! Tell me everything," she replied enthusiastically.

"I took the bouquet when Julie threw it," I replied, hiding behind the cup. 

"YOU'RE JOKING?!?" she yelled, earning us the attention of everyone in the bar.

"No.... and anyway it's nothing serious. William didn't even notice."

"Do you really think Julie didn't tell him?"

"You're right," I replied, slumping over the coffee table. Surely by this time the two had already talked about it.

"Don't worry, I don't think he paid any attention to it."

"I hope you're right," I replied. To be honest, William had given me the impression that he was the kind of guy who paid attention to everything he was told. A virtue, but perhaps not in this situation.

"I'm always right. And anyway, the guy seems to be interested, so I don't see why you should worry."

"Interested, let's not exaggerate. We're friends," I repeated for the second time in ten minutes.

"Why do all of our conversation end with this talk?" she asked.

"Because you've convinced yourself of something that doesn't exist."

"What would that be?"

"William's crush on me and my crush on him," I replied, but the mere thought of William reciprocating my feelings for him quickened my heartbeat.

"I repeat, I am always right," my friend concluded.

The conversation didn't go on long because Evelyn had to go to work. When I got home, I got to work too, I had a couple of orders to check and an article to write. Since I had integrated the written part, the work was taking up much more time than I had thought. Fortunately, the money was not long in coming, and I liked to devote myself to writing. I had found that it was a fantastic way to relax and clear my head of all thoughts, and the articles really helped bring new clients to the blog. I worked all morning and all afternoon until William came home from work. He was still a little down, like at the wedding.

"Hi Noelle," he said, sitting on the stool and slumping over the counter, his head in his hands and a dull look.

"Hi William. Is everything all right? I see you're a little sad."

"Today was definitely not a good day," he replied in a tired tone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I replied worriedly. I had never seen him like this.

"I don't want to be a burden, really."

"You're not a burden, in fact, I'm sorry to see you like that." it was strange to see the usual William with that look in his eyes.

"It's about the wedding," he said after a long pause.

"I had imagined, you've been weird since yesterday."

"Remember when you asked me why my parents weren't there? It's about that. So......" he suddenly became silent.

"William, if you don't feel like it, you don't need to talk to me about it. I mean it."

"No, I want to tell you, it wasn't fair to you to invite you to the wedding without saying anything about my family."

"Okay, I'm listening," I replied with a supportive smile.

"When I was about seventeen, my sister Christie revealed something to us that she had been carrying inside for a long time. She told us she had a girlfriend. Julie and I immediately supported her, but my parents had a hard time accepting it. At first they tried to pretend nothing was different, but when Christie started coming home with her, or talked too much about those topics, my parents became rigid, and treated her with indifference. About a year passed like this, at the end of which my sister could no longer feel comfortable with them. She decided to move in with my aunt Melissa, who offered her support right away. After that incident my parents became nervous, cold, Julie and I were not comfortable with them anymore, so we followed Christie, going to live with our aunt, my mother's sister. We owe her everything, she didn't hesitate for a moment to help us. I don't know if you saw her at the wedding, she's a petite and very shy woman and she's been on the sidelines most of the time. Sometimes we still hear from our parents, but even they have understood how much we have suffered, and that it will take more than the usual apology they send us every year to forget what they did," William told me in one breath, tears beginning to make his eyes water.

"I never imagined it, I'm so sorry for what you've been through," I replied. I didn't really know what to say, I felt terrible for him. I was already sorry by what he had told me about the rugby years, and now this. He had indeed faced many difficult times in his life.

"So many years have passed, it doesn't weigh on me as much as it used to."

"But sometimes it comes back," I commented sympathetically. I knew very well what he was referring to. Living in my grandmother's house, I was often seized by waves of sadness that reminded me that she was no longer with us.

"Yes...thank you for listening, I needed to talk to someone about it, especially after yesterday," he concluded, wiping tears from his cheeks.

"Whenever you need me, I'm here, remember that," I replied.

He took my hand to let me know his gratitude, running his fingers lightly over mine. His touch almost stopped my breath.

"I already feel better. One day I'll tell you why, but you're helping me a lot, Noelle," he said, and then went to his room to change, leaving me confused to reflect on his words. I sat there, looking at where his fingers had touched mine. I could almost still feel his touch on me. I stepped out of my thoughts to return to reality and headed to the kitchen to eat.

We had dinner with the leftovers of the quiche I had prepared for lunch, me on the couch watching a movie, him at the computer answering the last emails of the day. I had a big workload managing the whole blog on my own, but his was no different. As soon as he was done, he sat down with me on the couch, eating one of his protein bars. He left crumbs everywhere, but I didn’t say anything. After all, he hadn't had an easy day, and I didn't think I should have pointed it out to him.

"Anyway, speaking of more serene topics. My sister told me you took the bouquet..." he began as soon as he had finished eating. In the meantime, he had sat on the sofa, next to me, and put his arm behind where I was sitting. Was it accidental or had he done it with purpose?

"Caught," I thought to myself. The man really didn't miss anything.

"Yes...therefore? It happened by accident, I wasn't even paying attention to it," I replied vaguely.

"So, you suddenly found yourself holding a bouquet of flowers the size of your head without even realizing it," he said, laughing wryly. He was back to his old self, and the thought of it made me smile.

"That's right. There were so many girls that I could barely see Julie throwing it."

He was silent for a moment, looking at me doubtfully.

"Weird, but I believe you. Sort of."  laughing. 

"What do you mean weird? It happens very often that one is lost in her thoughts, is there at the moment of the throw and falls victim to the bouquet, by pure chance. It hit me right here," I explained quietly, pointing to a random spot on my arm. I don’t think I have to explain that I had taken that bouquet of flowers totally by my own will.

"Understood, thanks for the clarification," he said, returning to his television. 

"Anyway, I don't understand your interest."

"Nothing, I was just saying," he replied with a shrug.

"Saying what, exactly?"

"That maybe that bouquet could bring you luck." he replied moving towards me, bringing his shoulder closer to mine. Or maybe it was just my impression. I had worked a lot and slept little.

"Luck in... love? The bouquet is associated with that, isn't it?" I replied confusedly.

"Yes, love. Maybe it really brings good luck..." he continued, turning his face toward mine. This time he had really moved, it wasn't my imagination. My heart began to beat faster, and the presence of his body so close to mine took the words out of my mouth.

"Maybe yes..." I replied, moving closer in turn. His lips were almost on mine, his hand was reaching up to touch my cheek...

I don't know what would have happened if William's phone hadn't rung, but as soon as he walked away and I heard him respond to his boss, I took a deep breath and shook my head to wake up. It almost really happened. William had almost kissed me.

As soon as he went to the other room, I picked up my phone and wrote about the group I had with Valerié and Sheila.

N: Girls, emergency!!!!

V: Have you run out of hot chocolate?

S: Did your computer break?

N: William almost kissed me...

S: And that's how you tell us?!!?!?

V: Do you want me to have a heart attack?

N: How was I supposed to tell you?

S: I don't know, like... Get ready for a bombshell?

N: I'll take that into account for next time.

V: Ok, but how did it happen?

N: We were talking about how the fact that I took the bouquet at his sister's wedding could bring me luck in love, and he got closer and closer to me until he almost touched my lips.

S: AND THEN?

N: AND THEN HIS BOSS CALLED HIM!

V: Shit timing.

S: I'm completely shocked.

V: I think I want to wipe this boss off the face of the earth.

N: Don't tell me.

V: But would you have really kissed him?

S: French manner?

N: Of course I would have.

N: Shay, you always go there with your thoughts, huh? I was talking about a romantic kiss.

S: Okay, but we need a bit of spicy here.

V: I'm with Noelle, romantic has more value.

N: Thank you!

N: Anyway, there are only a few days left before the end of the three weeks, I don't think anything else will happen.

V: Don't have such prejudices, let things take their course.

S: That's right.

I was about to answer, but I noticed William coming back into the room; I quickly turned off the phone and placed it on the coffee table. The situation was really embarrassing, so I went back to the kitchen with the excuse of having to wash the dishes, leaving William alone on the sofa. We would have had a chance to talk about that near-kiss, but that wasn't the right time.