“And what more can I say about the happy couple? Other than—It’s about damn time!” Luka raised his glass of champagne to congratulate his former roommate on her engagement. 

The other guests cheered and burst into a round of applause as Lana and her fiancée, Elliot, shared a loving kiss at the end of Luka's speech. Everyone was in good spirits. And when Luka finished his drink, he headed straight to the bar for another kind of good spirit. 

“Martini, thanks,” he ordered, giving the handsome bartender a playful wink. “Make it dirty.”

Thin lips curled into a generic customer service smile as the bartender grabbed a bottle of vodka and vermouth. 

“That was a wonderful speech,” came a familiar warm voice from behind Luka. 

When he turned around, Luka’s amethyst eyes settled on the two beautiful brides-to-be. 

“Thanks, Lana.” Luka opened his arms to offer his former roommate a hug.

Although she usually stood a few centimeters shorter, tonight Lana stood just as tall as Luka. She wore strappy green high heels that matched her floor-length dress. Her dyed red hair was styled into an elegant low bun with waterfall braids around the sides. Her makeup complimented her earthy cinnamon skin tone, especially the red and gold eyeshadow that framed her moss-green eyes like fallen autumn leaves. She was the epitome of a forest deity. 

“Hey! Room for one more?” Elliot chirped up, before squeezing her way in to hug the man she regarded as an older brother figure.

If Lana was a forest deity, then Elliot was the sun goddess that shined down on her every day. Her wavy golden-blonde hair, radiant like rays of sunshine, reached down to her lower back, covering the many freckles—akin to a constellation of stars—that her backless dress otherwise would've revealed. Her ruffled cream and orange sleeves hung off her shoulders, connected to an A-line dress that accentuated Elliot’s curvy hips. 

The young woman hugged her friend with so much enthusiasm that Luka wheezed as the air left his lungs.

“Haa—” He patted Elliot on the shoulder when she finally released him from her hold. “Elliot, you’re going to leave me breathless tonight, and not just because of how breathtakingly beautiful you look.”

Both women chuckled. It was precisely because of his silver tongue and charming personality that they asked him to MC their engagement party and wedding. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Luka!” Elliot exclaimed, tapping the back of her manicured hand against his chest.

Luka wore a navy blue waistcoat that drew attention to his slim waist, along with matching pinstripe trousers. Underneath, he wore a sky-blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his naturally tanned forearms. Although the shirt was one he often wore to work, he felt especially fancy tonight with the waistcoat on top. His hair, half pastel blue and half natural brunette, was styled back to not obscure his handsome face, especially his amethyst eyes. 

“Oh, I know,” Luka reassured Elliot. “I always look good.”

Lana rolled her eyes. For as long as she’d known Luka—and that was a really long time—he’d always had the confidence to be true to himself. Some would call it arrogance. Some would call it his ego. But Lana knew that his confidence was second only to his kindness and love for his friends. 

“I can't wait to see what you say during your speech at our wedding.” Lana placed her hands on her hips and gave Luka a daring smile.

“Me neither!” Elliot exclaimed in her chirpy voice. “Are you gonna mention the first time we met?”

“When we first met?” Confused, Luka tilted his head to one side, a strand of pastel blue hair falling out of place as he recalled the memory. His eyes widened. “Oh! You mean when I asked who you were?” 

“Yeah! Do you remember what I said?” Elliot beamed an eager smile. She was practically bouncing up and down. 

Luka's lips curled upwards to match her energy. “Of course! I asked who you were and you said—”

“—Lana’s future wife!” Luka and Elliot exclaimed in unison before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

Lana's cheeks flushed a beautiful pink hue that matched the floral arrangements in the hall. 

“Oh, Elliot. I still can't believe you said that.” Although she acted embarrassed, the faint smile on Lana's lips let everyone know that she didn't actually mind. 

“I see what I want, and I go for it!” Elliot intertwined her pale fingers with Lana's tanned ones, bringing her fiancée's hand up to her lips and planting a gentle kiss. “And from the moment I laid eyes on you, Lana, I knew I wanted you.”

Lana's gaze softened as her smile deepened. “Oh, Elliot.” Her voice welcomed the warmth of Elliot’s words.

Raising both hands, Luka gave the happy couple another round of applause. 

“That was beautiful,” Luka complimented. “You should MC your own wedding, Elliot.”

“Nah.” Elliot shook her head dismissively. “I need you to distract the guests so Lana and I can sneak off to our honeymoon early. If you know what I mean.”

Elliot wrapped an arm around Lana's waist and nuzzled against her fiancée's shoulder, like an affectionate puppy clinging to its owner. 

“I'm at your service.” Luka placed one arm behind his back and the other across his waist, as he performed a slight bow of servitude. 

“Anyway, Luka, I was hoping I could pick up the things I left behind at the apartment next weekend,” Lana said, changing the topic.

“Sure, that shouldn't be a problem,” Luka replied. 

“How's the new roommate search going?” Elliot asked. 

Luka and Lana had been living together since he graduated from university almost six years ago. Although Luka had lived with others before her, they were always short term arrangements since he didn't put effort into cohabiting with people he didn't get along with. Small differences in how chores were done—if they even got done at all—would lead to arguments, and if rent was late Luka wouldn't hesitate to let the landlord know who wasn't paying their fair share. But when he started living with Lana, his good friend—and designated ‘mum friend’ of their friendship group—the two set ground rules and made an effort to live in harmony. And it worked! 

Since they both valued their longstanding friendship, any obstacles that Luka would normally struggle to overcome with previous roommates became minor speed bumps to him and Lana. They shared responsibilities, paid rent on time, even ate meals together and talked about their days. The past six years of living with one of his most cherished friends were great, and Luka was going to miss that. He didn’t know if he would find someone he was as compatible living with as Lana.

Luka shrugged his shoulders before answering Elliot's question. “Meh, the search is not going great but it’s not terrible either. I have someone coming to check out the apartment tomorrow.”

“I'm glad to hear you've got prospects,” Lana said. 

“I hope you haven't been feeling lonely without Lana this past month,” Elliot teased while playfully jabbing Luka’s arm with her finger. 

“Lonely?” Luka repeated with a chuckle. “Yeah, nah. I've been walking around the apartment naked since Lana moved out. It's so freeing.”

“Oooh!” Elliot's eyes widened with her smile. 

“Luka!” Lana crossed her arms over her chest. “You're going to catch a cold like that.”

“Yes, mum,” Luka moaned in a mock annoyed tone. “Honestly, if I could afford it I'd keep living by myself. But if I wanna stay in North Melbourne I'm going to need to find someone to split rent with soon.”

“I'm sure you'll find the perfect roommate,” Elliot reassured. “Not as perfect as Lana, of course.”

“Of course,” Luka agreed. “No one is more perfect than Lana.”

“The man speaks the truth!” Elliot exclaimed with a grand gesture of her arms. The scene got a laugh out of both Luka and Lana. 

Clearing his throat, the bartender grabbed everyone's attention as he slid Luka's drink closer to him. It had been sitting on the counter for a while. 

“Thanks, mate,” Luka said before he grabbed his drink by the stem and turned back to face the happy couple. 

“To the most perfect woman in the world—” Luka raised his glass towards Lana before turning it towards Elliot. “—and her perfect future wife.”

“I'll drink to that!” Elliot cheered.