He Saved All His Praise for My Best Friend

Aaron never humored anyone.

In high school, while others laughed at a teacher’s joke, he kept his head down doing calculus. At corporate mixers, he sat silent in the corner, running data diagnostics while colleagues flattered executives.

When we dated, he viewed my Instagram dumps without liking them, gave my new hair color a blank glance, and turned away when I asked for a kiss. I thought that was just who he was.

Until my best friend Doris beat me at Spin the Bottle. Half teasing, she asked, “My wedding’s in a week but the groom ran off. Want your boyfriend to stand in?”