The Game Of "Of Course"

1 At the pre-wedding party, we played a drinking game: answer with "Of course" or take a shot. Savannah's best friend Carter cornered her. "I've seen you naked a few times, right?" She laughed. "Of course." She fired back. "You secretly want to sleep with me." Carter grinned. "Of course!" Lost in their world, they volleyed back and forth. I sat in the corner, acid burning my throat. Then Carter turned to me. "Freebie, Savannah. In the next life, you'd still choose Michael." Everyone knew the answer. Savannah went silent. She chugged her beer. Awkward glances swept the room. "Don't get the wrong idea," she forced a smile. "I just wanted a drink. Of course I'll marry Michael." Laughter resumed. Glasses clinked. I sat in the dim corner, eyes stinging. Savannah had lost, so it was Carter's turn to ask me. He smirked, already knowing he'd won. "You're not showing up to the wedding tomorrow, right?" My voice came out too calm. "Of course." I won the game. But in this relationship, I had lost everything. … Carter raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Savannah, your little husband is super competitive." The crowd immediately started teasing. "Savannah, the groom-to-be is speaking his absolute truth right now!" "You better coax him before tomorrow!" Savannah let out a dismissive scoff. "Coax my ass. It is just a stupid game." What a great excuse. Just a game. The two of them used this game as a smokescreen to blatantly flirt, while I, her actual fiancé, sat beside her like a ghost. Carter lifted his chin at me. "Alright, your turn. Keep it going." "You are in love with Savannah, right?" I forced myself to sound composed, but my chest felt completely suffocated. Carter offered a casual, indifferent smile. "Of course." "Groom-to-be, your attacks are way too weak. Let me turn up the heat." He leaned forward. "Last month when you were on your business trip, I helped Savannah relieve some tension. You don't mind, do you?" My breathing completely stopped for a second. My fingers began to tremble. Carter casually threw an arm over Savannah’s shoulder, a bright smile on his face. "This girl was missing you like crazy, and she had nowhere to release it. As her bro, I just did her a solid. Gotta admit, Savannah has the absolute best body I have ever seen." He reached out, pretending to slide his hand down her waist. Savannah intercepted his wrist, pulling him playfully into her chest. "Spill it. Whose else have you seen, huh?" "Please, since when does the kid boss the dad around?" Carter’s lips curled into a smirk. He was clearly waiting for me to break down. "Groom-to-be, if you can't say 'Of course,' you have to drink." I fought with everything I had to control my shaking voice. "Of course." The playful wrestling between the two of them instantly stopped. Last month, I was out of the country for a massive project. I worked day and night, destroying my sleep schedule just to build a solid foundation for Savannah and my future. I never could have imagined that while I was working my life away across the ocean, she and her guy best friend were taking a sledgehammer to that exact future. I stared dead at Carter, pronouncing every word with crystal clarity. "You are just a homewrecker hiding behind the title of 'best bro', right?" The laughter and music in the private room abruptly died. Carter’s smug expression froze. He opened his mouth. Before the word could even leave his lips, Savannah clamped her hand over his mouth. She slammed her beer bottle onto the table and glared at me, her brows pulled into a tight knot. "Are you out of your damn mind?" "It is just a game! Why are you taking this so seriously?" The rest of the room immediately chimed in to back her up. "Yeah, man, don't be so dramatic. They are strictly platonic. It is not as dirty as you are making it out to be." I looked at them in absolute disbelief. "Taking it seriously?" "He brags about helping her relieve her needs, and when I call him a homewrecker, suddenly I am the one taking it too seriously?" Savannah’s tone dripped with suppressed irritation. "What homewrecker? He is my best friend. If anything were to actually happen between us, do you honestly think it would even be your turn?" Best friend. Always the best friend. The boiling resentment I had buried for months finally erupted. "I would rather it never be my turn!" "And just a minute ago, you would rather down an entire bottle of beer than give a fake 'Of course' to appease me. Are you not the one taking this seriously?" She pulled at her collar, looking incredibly annoyed. "I already told you I just wanted a drink." "Besides, look at you acting like a hysterical mess right now. Who would ever want to choose you in the next life?" It felt like a gaping hole had been blasted through my chest, letting the freezing winter wind howl straight into my lungs. I swallowed hard and spoke. "He didn't answer. He has to drink." Carter shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Fair is fair. I will drink. But groom-to-be, once I finish this glass, you can't hold a grudge against me anymore." Savannah snatched the heavy glass right out of his hand. "You know you have a bad stomach. I will drink it." She tipped her head back and drained the liquor in one gulp. She turned to look at me, her eyes hardened. "Michael, since you want to play, I will play to the very end for him." "Listen closely. No matter what you ask me, I will say 'Of course.'" Seven years. I knew this woman far too well. The tight clench of her jaw told me everything. She was waiting for me to do what I always did. Back down, apologize, and hand her a graceful way out. Ever since Carter entered the picture a year ago, everything between us had shattered. But because of the massive sunk cost of our seven year relationship, I kept retreating. Step by step. This time, I refused to take a single step back. This final question, carrying an answer I already knew, was the very last chance I was ever going to give her. I looked straight into her eyes and spoke slowly. "You don't love me anymore, do you?" She froze for a fraction of a second. "Of course." Dead silence swallowed the entire room. A sharp, abrupt laugh ripped out of my throat. She would rather use those three words to win a stupid drinking game than use a single glass of alcohol to save our relationship. I fought down the suffocating ache in my throat and pulled out my phone, sending a text to a specific contact. [I have a wedding fully prepped here. Do you want to get married?] The moment I received an affirmative reply, I turned around and walked straight toward the door. The second the words had left Savannah's mouth, she knew she had messed up. Seeing me get up to leave, panic flashed across her face. She rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "Michael, where are you going?" "To the bridal boutique. To pick up my suit." After all, I had a very different wedding waiting for me tomorrow. Hearing this, the tight knot between Savannah's brows instantly smoothed out. She let out a very obvious sigh of relief. "I will drive you." She paused, assuming I had compromised yet again. "Carter is coming too." "What does he need to go for?" Carter pouted, feigning innocence. "Savannah, look at your man, always drowning in jealousy." "I am obviously going to pick up the bridesmaid dresses for the girls." The second the words left his mouth, he shoved past me, pulled open the passenger door of her car, and slid right in. He looked at me standing outside the window, pretending to just realize his mistake. "Oh damn, I am so used to sitting here." He shook his head and patted Savannah’s hand as she shifted gears. "Your husband is going to call me a homewrecker again. I can't handle the heat." "Never mind, never mind. I will just sit in the back." Savannah turned to look at me, letting out an impatient click of her tongue. She was just about to lecture me when I cut her off. "No need." I walked straight to the back door and got in. Surprised by my sudden cooperation, Savannah glanced at me through the rearview mirror. She opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed whatever she was going to say. I couldn't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but Savannah's passenger seat no longer belonged exclusively to me. Just last week, Carter had a sudden craving for a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Savannah packed a bag and drove him without a second thought. Halfway there, he complained he was bored and didn't want to go anymore. Savannah turned the car around and drove over a thousand miles back home just to appease him. Two days ago, during a massive torrential downpour, I waited for Savannah outside my office building for an entire hour. When I finally called her, I found out she had taken a detour to pick Carter up and completely forgot about me. Years ago, when we first bought this exact car, she hugged me tightly, spinning around in circles with her eyes full of pure adoration. "Michael, this is your exclusive throne. Nobody else is ever allowed to take it!" Yet right now, the car’s GPS navigation was using a custom voice pack recorded by Carter. The two of them were happily chatting away about inside jokes I couldn't even begin to understand. I looked out the window at the streetlights blurring past in the dark. The very last flicker of hope in my heart quietly burned out in the confines of this cramped car. The moment we walked into the bridal boutique, Carter eagerly rushed forward, looking around in awe. "Damn, you guys have so many suit options here." He stopped in front of a pristine tuxedo on a mannequin, letting out a dramatic gasp. "This one is gorgeous!" "Too bad your boy is strictly anti-marriage. I will never get the chance to wear something like this." Savannah raised an eyebrow at him. "Then try it on now. Otherwise, you really will miss your chance." Before I could even process what was happening, Savannah grabbed Carter by the shoulders and shoved him into a fitting room. A long time passed before he finally stepped out, acting coy and clutching the lapels of the suit. "Savannah, your husband's taste is wild. This suit shows way too much chest." "Let me see." Savannah stepped right up to him, forcefully pulling his hands away from his chest. She openly and shamelessly dragged her eyes over his physique. "Who would have thought you were actually hiding some muscle under there?" "Shut up, you just don't know how to wear it properly. Blaming my husband's suit for being revealing." With that, Savannah actually reached out, her hands running over his chest to adjust the fabric for him. Watching them act completely oblivious to my existence, a wave of profound absurdity washed over me. I had literally wasted seven years of my youth on this person. "Savannah, you accompanied me to my suit fittings three separate times. Do you seriously not remember that this is my wedding suit?" She turned around, a deep frown on her face. "Of course." I completely froze. For a second, I couldn't tell if she was still obnoxiously playing the 'Of course' game, or if she genuinely believed that forgetting her own groom's wedding suit was perfectly normal. "You change your mind all the time. You kept swapping between different main suits. How am I supposed to remember?" "As long as you are the one wearing it tomorrow, who cares?" She rubbed her temples, looking thoroughly exhausted by my presence. "Is that right," I said, my voice completely flat. "But he is wearing it right now." "Carter, take it off." I turned to look at the boutique clerk standing nearby. "This gentleman put on my custom wedding suit without permission. Please assist him in taking it off." Savannah stared at me in shock for a moment before stepping aggressively in front of Carter to shield him. "Michael, when are you going to stop throwing these tantrums?" "Forget it, Savannah," Carter rolled his eyes, reaching up to undo the bowtie. "Just listen to your husband. I will take it off." Savannah slammed her hand over his to stop him. When she looked back at me, her eyes were burning with pure fury. She lowered her voice into a dangerous whisper. "Do you want to cancel the wedding tomorrow?!" I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "I think you are the one who doesn't want to get married. Or maybe you want to marry this homewrecker instead?" The air in the room instantly evaporated. The clerk stood completely paralyzed, terrified to make a single sound. The color drained from Savannah's face, replaced by a dark, stormy rage. She forced her words out through gritted teeth. "Say that again." My entire body was shaking. Even my voice couldn't stop trembling. "Did I say something wrong? You two act like a couple but hide behind the word 'besties'. During that stupid game, when he asked if you would choose me in the next life, you would rather chug a bottle of beer than say yes." "Enough!" Savannah violently kicked a heavy wooden stool. It smashed into a floor-to-length mirror, shattering the glass into a million pieces across the floor. Her voice spiked into a hysterical scream. "When the hell are you going to stop targeting him?!" "Next life? I am sick and tired of dealing with you in this life!" I stared at Savannah, completely unable to reconcile this furious monster with the sincere, loving girl I met seven years ago. After graduation, we started a business together. We crammed ourselves into a cheap, tiny studio apartment. During the hardest days, we had to split a single cup of instant ramen for dinner. I gave her every single penny of my savings without a second thought. I even pawned the only relic my deceased father left me, a jade pendant I had worn around my neck since childhood. Back then, I genuinely believed we would be together for the rest of our lives. When Savannah finally made it big, the very first thing she did was buy back that jade pendant and place it around my neck. She looked at me and said, "Michael, one lifetime is not nearly enough with you. Next life, and the life after that, we will always be together." She had long forgotten the promises she made. She didn't even want to spend the rest of this life with me anymore. Hot tears finally spilled over my eyelashes and smashed onto the floor. "Since it has come to this, let's break up." Seeing my face covered in tears, Savannah completely froze. She opened her mouth, seemingly just realizing the weight of the words she had screamed at me moments ago. "Michael..." Savannah panicked, violently slapping herself across the face. "I went too far. I am an absolute bastard." "We are not breaking up. We are getting married tomorrow, okay?" She stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around me, but her clothes were entirely drenched in Carter's cologne. My body stiffened. I shoved her away. Savannah stood there, completely lost on how to fix the damage. She instinctively turned around, hoping to call Carter over to smooth things out, only to find the discarded tuxedo lying in a heap on the floor. Carter was gone. Before she could process anything, her phone rang. It was one of her bridesmaids. Savannah hurriedly answered it. "Savannah, what is wrong with your guy?" "Carter is at the club wearing nothing but a tank top! He is chugging hard liquor, and we can't stop him!" When she turned back to look at me, the brief flash of guilt in her eyes had already been completely swallowed by blame. "Look at what you did, Michael." With that, she slammed the boutique door and rushed out into the night. At that exact moment, my heart turned to solid ice. A long time passed. The clerk finally approached me, her voice soft and hesitant. "Mr. Michael, are you... still going through with the wedding?" "Given the circumstances, our store can process a full refund for you." "I am getting married." Remembering a certain someone's preference, I added quietly. "Change the entire suit. I want it in a light, soft color." The clerk looked shocked. Gathering her courage, she tried to advise me. "Sir, all of us here think... that woman doesn't deserve you at all. Are you absolutely sure you want to marry her?" I offered her a gentle smile, genuinely appreciating her kindness. "The wedding continues. But the bride is changing." When I pushed open the door to my apartment, the overwhelming red wedding decorations hit me like a physical blow, making my eyes sting all over again. I grabbed a duffel bag and started packing my essentials, preparing to leave this place forever. My phone screen lit up. It was a message from Savannah. [Michael, Carter drank too much and was rushed to the hospital. I will be home a bit late.] At the exact same time, a notification popped up on the iPad resting on the sofa. She had forgotten to log out of her messaging app on the tablet. It was her private bridesmaid group chat. Carter had invited me to a group chat once. After a single "Welcome, groom-to-be", the chat had been dead for a year. It turned out they had a completely separate, active group chat behind my back. He had just uploaded a flood of intimate photos and videos with Savannah. [Hey girls, the anti-marriage guy's wedding trial run.] He was wearing my wedding suit. Savannah was wearing a tailored tuxedo. The background was the exact banquet hall booked for tomorrow's wedding. I tapped on a video and watched it loop over and over again. It was a viral wedding dance trend on TikTok. A lot of couples were doing it. Months ago, I had begged Savannah to film it with me, but she flat out refused, claiming it was too embarrassing. Yet in this video, Savannah was looking at Carter with absolute, undeniable adoration, performing the exaggerated dance moves with clumsy, enthusiastic effort. The group chat instantly exploded. [Michael hasn't even walked the red carpet yet, and our boy Carter beat him to it! Hahaha! Michael is going to die of anger!] [Carter looks so good in that suit. Unlike a certain someone who looks like a total stick insect.] [You two are just the perfect match. Savannah, maybe you should just swap grooms tomorrow.] Suddenly, a knock echoed from the front door. "Mr. Michael, a flower delivery for you." It was a massive bouquet of chamomile flowers. Every single time Savannah messed up, she would send me a bouquet to apologize. But Carter was the one who loved chamomile. I was severely allergic to it. I had told her this countless times, but she simply refused to remember. The group chat was still buzzing rapidly. [The hotel rooms are right upstairs from the banquet hall. You two aren't going to...] Savannah finally replied. [Stop it, guys. Two separate rooms. He is drunk.] [Savannah is so devoted to her man. She can resist any temptation.] Staring at the screen, my face was entirely devoid of emotion. I just felt an agonizing pity for my last seven years. Pity for the younger version of me who had fed his youth to the dogs. In the past, I would have silently accepted the flowers, suppressing my severe allergic reactions just to accept her apology. Just as I was about to drop the entire bouquet into the trash can, my phone rang. It was Savannah. "Michael." Her voice carried a hint of desperate pleading. "I bought you some flowers. About what happened today, I am so sorry." She paused. When I didn't respond, she continued. "Michael, Carter is unconscious in the hospital. I have to stay here and watch over him." "I will come pick you up bright and early tomorrow for the hotel, okay?" It was almost laughable. Such a pathetic, amateur lie. "No need. I will get there myself." My voice was calm and steady. The line went completely quiet. Savannah clearly hadn't expected me to answer so decisively. She vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Her tone filled with unease. "Michael, you are still coming to the wedding, right?" I replied with a perfectly flat tone. "Of course." Savannah, you were the one who said we were playing the 'Of course' game to the very end. I hung up the phone and immediately dialed the wedding planner. "Hi. I need to completely change the content displayed on the main screens tomorrow." "And I need you to put a specific slideshow on a constant loop."