Being a maid of honor didn't mesh well with the lifestyle of a busy final-year PhD student. Any free time Keeley had was devoted to helping Jennica prepare for her wedding. She was constantly bombarded with texts: opinions on subtly different shades of the same color, which flower was most romantic, and whether bridesmaids should wear nude or brightly colored nail polish to match their dresses.

Keeley was at her wit's end. If she had planned her own wedding, she liked to think it wouldn't have been this chaotic.

Why had her usually laid-back friend become such a bridezilla? Was Lydia, her own maid of honor (who lived across the country), giving her this much grief? Thankfully, she didn't know.

Jennica's wedding colors—after much deliberation that nearly drove Keeley mad—were "tropical jewel tones" from a wedding website: red, orange, and hot pink. It would be bright and colorful, like the bride, but the bridesmaid dresses would likely be awful. Not everyone could pull off hot pink, especially Keeley with her pale skin. She preferred pastels.

Keeley repeatedly reminded herself that Jennica was only getting married once, and it was okay if she was stressed. Unfortunately, absorbing that stress was aging Keeley prematurely.

A large part of the problem was Keeley's mother, who insisted on being involved but disagreed with every decision. Keeley was constantly mediating, and it had only been a month since planning began.

Midterms loomed, and she had to fly to California in a few weeks. The thought of the makeup work made her want to weep.

Her phone dinged: "Keeley! Cake testing! When are you free?"

She sighed, pushing aside her reference materials. Technically, she was never free. Her paper was due in three days; she also had a PowerPoint presentation, two shorter papers, midterms, and at least four hours of lab work daily.

"I can spare a few hours on Sunday," she replied reluctantly. It would cut into her visit with her dad, but he'd probably forgive her.

"Great! You're the best!" Jennica replied, adding at least seven heart emojis. The stress must be getting to her; she never used that many.

Keeley slumped onto her desk. All this wedding planning might kill her.

If she ever got married again (a very long shot), she'd do it herself in a week, without any fuss. Maybe elope to Vegas. That sounded far better than planning anything. She'd make sure to invite her dad, so he wouldn't miss walking his only daughter down the aisle (he'd missed the first time).

Why was she even thinking about marriage again? No man could tempt her back into that kind of commitment.

Keeley hadn't seen Aaron since the engagement party, but she'd been thinking about him a lot. The wedding planning brought back memories of their own marriage. He hadn't even been that romantic about it.

Early in their junior year of college, they were in the Boston Public Garden, feeding ducks. He watched instead of participating, as usual.

"Can you believe we're halfway through college already? It seems like just a couple of months ago," she remarked, tossing bread.

She didn't notice his soft expression as she enthusiastically tore bread to see how far she could throw it.

"We'll be back in New York before we know it."

"I certainly hope so. I get awfully homesick. I miss my dad." Keeley hesitated. "Do you ever miss your family?"

Aaron shook his head. "Why would I? You're right here in Boston with me."

She smiled. That was as affectionate as he got. She threw more bread.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not family. It's different."

"You will be eventually," he said nonchalantly.

The bread slipped from Keeley's fingers. Did he just propose?

"Is that so?" she asked faintly.

He noticed her disbelief, frowning. "I thought it was a given. We're always together. Do you…not want to marry me?"

"No!" Of course she did! She hadn't expected this. "We've just never talked about this. I didn't know where you stood."

His frown returned to neutral. "Oh, I see. We can wait until we're back in New York. We can get engaged closer to graduation."

He'd dropped a bomb casually! She said, "That works," and continued feeding the ducks.

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