He Saved All His Praise for My Best Friend

Aaron never humored anyone.

In high school, while others laughed at a teachers 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 weddings in a week but the groom ran off. Want your boyfriend to stand in?

I opened my mouth to refuse, but Aaron said, Sure.

Doris laughed. Propose first.

Without hesitation, Aaron knelt, pulled a velvet box from his jacket, and opened it to reveal a diamond ring. He looked up at her with a tenderness Id never seen.

She let him slip it on her finger, then leaned down to kiss his cheek.

You say he kills the mood, Audrey, but hes fun, she said.

I watched the flush creep up Aarons neck and stared at the ring on her hand.

That was the exact ring wed chosen together two days earlier.

Aaron wasnt incapable of enthusiasm. He just reserved it for Doris.

Exhaustion crashed over me.

My phone buzzed with a text from Mr. Harrison: Still open to the London expat post? Guaranteed promotion on return.

I replied without hesitation. Ill take it.

I stood outside the bar for half an hour, letting the biting city wind numb my face until my heart finally stopped racing.

When I pushed the heavy door of the VIP room open, Doris was standing in front of the screen, gripping the microphone. Thanks to the tequila, she was completely off-key, missing half the lyrics.

Yet Aaron was sitting on the edge of the leather sofa, absolutely captivated. He had his phone out, recording her.

"Look at the camera, Doris. The lighting right here really matches the vibe of your voice."

Doris playfully rolled her eyes. "Stop making fun of me. Everyone knows I sound like a dying cat."

Aaron's tone turned dead serious. "I mean it. Your voice has this ethereal quality. It is incredibly unique."

Anyone with eyes could see he was shamelessly gassing her up.

It brought back a bitter memory from college. I had entered the campus singing competition and actually won first place. When I got off stage, people swarmed me with congratulations. But the one person I had begged to be there was nowhere to be found.

I searched the whole campus until I finally found Aaron in the quiet section of the library, patiently walking Doris through a chemistry assignment.

When I confronted him, he didn't even look up from the textbook.

"I don't know anything about music. Me being there would have been pointless."

"I am happy you won, but faking enthusiasm and clapping like everyone else just feels incredibly hypocritical to me."

Back then, I convinced myself he was just a pragmatic guy who did not understand romance. Now, the truth was glaringly obvious. He just did not want to waste his energy on me.

It wasn't until Doris finally put the mic down, completely out of breath, that Aaron even noticed I was back in the room.

His brows knitted together. "Where did you go? You disappeared for ages."

"Just the restroom."

He opened his mouth, probably to lecture me, but Doris suddenly shot up from the sofa.

"I am so mad! I am literally shaking!" she yelled, aggressively tapping her phone screen. "My ex just went Instagram official with his new girl. We broke up five seconds ago! He is doing this just to humiliate me."

She marched over to Aaron. "No. We are taking a picture right now. I am firing back."

Before he could respond, she dropped right onto his lap. She pinched his cheek, held her phone up, and snapped a selfie.

Seconds later, it was on her Instagram Stories.

Caption: Always feel so safe when he is around.

But that wasn't enough for her. She turned to Aaron, her eyes wide and pleading.

"You still have him on your followers list, right? You need to post one too. He used to worship you back in college. If he thinks I am with you now, he will completely lose his mind."

Then, as if suddenly remembering I existed, she glanced my way.

"Audrey, you wouldn't just watch your best friend get publicly humiliated by a toxic ex, right? I don't even need you to confront him. Just let your guy pretend we are official on his feed for a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

I looked her dead in the eye. "If I say I mind, are you going to take it down?"

Doris froze. The air in the room went still.

Aaron frowned, his voice dripping with disappointment. "She is in a tough spot, Audrey. Stop being so unreasonable."

"She is your best friend. We have to show up for her."

Without even waiting for my consent, he uploaded the photo of Doris sitting on his lap to his own feed.

We had known each other for over twenty years. We had been dating for five. And not once had he ever claimed me on his social media.

Whenever I brought it up, he would just sigh. "Don't be so immature. A relationship is between two people. We don't need an audience."

Because of that, aside from my family and Doris, no one in our social circle even knew we were together.

The people in the karaoke room started cheering for their "new relationship," and the mutuals online were already flooding his comments with congratulations.

I took a slow, deep breath. I took a screenshot of his post and dropped it directly into the shared iMessage group that contained both my parents and his.

I typed: Congratulations to Aaron on finding his girl. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness.

A flash of genuine panic crossed Aaron's eyes. He stood up abruptly. "I am just helping Doris play a part. Why the hell would you send that to the family chat?"

I shrugged, grabbing my purse. "I am just showing up for you guys. Isn't that what you wanted?"

The moment I unlocked the door to our apartment, my mom called.

"What is the meaning of that screenshot, Audrey? Did you and Aaron break up?"

"You two are supposed to get married by the end of the year! The custom Vera Wang dress is already paid for. What is going on?"

I opened my mouth to tell her the truth, but a hand reached out from behind me and snatched the phone away.

Aaron pressed it to his ear, his voice perfectly calm and polite.

"Hi, Mrs. Davis. No, you misunderstood. Audrey and I are doing great. We haven't broken up."

"That picture? Oh, it was just one of those stupid AI filters. She was trying to prank everyone."

My mom bought it immediately. She let out a massive sigh of relief, scolded us lightly for giving her a heart attack, and hung up.

Aaron tossed the phone onto the kitchen counter. He looked at me, his tone laced with heavy exhaustion.

"I already deleted the post. Can you please stop throwing a tantrum now?"

I looked at him, feeling absolutely nothing. "I am not throwing a tantrum."

"Then why did you send that screenshot to our parents? You haven't said a single word to me the entire Uber ride home."

He reached out, instinctively trying to pinch my cheek.

I took a step back, dodging his hand completely. I turned and walked to the fridge to pour myself a glass of ice water.

Aaron's hand hovered awkwardly in the air. He let out a deep sigh, walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

He started pressing soft, trailing kisses along my jawline and the side of my neck.

This was his go-to move. Whenever he pushed me too far, he would use physical intimacy to blur the lines and shut me up. The smell of his cologne, which used to make me feel safe, now just made me feel suffocated.

Right as his grip tightened, his phone rang.

The interruption made him stiffen. Annoyance radiated off him.

But the second he saw the caller ID, all the tension vanished.

"Aaron, my apartment is literally flooding. A pipe burst in the bathroom and there is water everywhere. Can you please come look at it?"

Doris's voice was frantic and pitiful through the speaker.

Aaron's eyes softened instantly. He looked down at me. "She is in trouble. I have to go check on her."

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "If her pipes burst, she needs to call a plumber, not you. Unless you suddenly got a license I don't know about?"

Aaron froze. His face darkened. "Are you ever going to drop this, Audrey?"

"She is clearly panicking, and she reached out for help. You are supposed to be her best friend, yet you don't care about her safety at all. All you do is make these toxic, sarcastic comments."

It was funny. When the pipes in our bathroom burst a year ago while I was home alone, I called him in a panic.

His exact words were: "Call the building super. I am not a handyman. What do you expect me to do about it?"

Half an hour later, Doris posted a new story.

It was a picture of Aaron sitting on her velvet sofa, wearing her blush-pink silk bathrobe.

Caption: My personal handyman got his clothes soaked fighting the flood! Forced him to wear my robe. So cute.

Aaron was the first person to like the story.

I liked it too.

A minute later, a text from Aaron popped up.

My clothes are in her dryer. It's too late to order anything off Amazon, so she lent me the robe.

Don't overthink it. It's brand new, she never wore it. We are keeping our distance.

I didn't reply. Instead, I opened my chat with Mr. Harrison.

Harrison: "Your visa paperwork is expedited. You fly out to London in exactly seven days. The corporate housing is already set up."

Me: "Perfect. Thank you, Mr. Harrison."

Aaron didn't come home that night.

The next morning, I was kneeling on the bedroom floor, rolling up my winter coats, when the front door finally clicked open.

He walked into the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the open suitcase.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. Just doing a closet purge," I said, my voice completely flat.

Relief washed over his face. He stepped aside, pulling two massive suitcases into our hallway.

"The building management checked Doris's place this morning. The water damaged the electrical wiring. It is going to take a while to fix, and it's dangerous for her to stay there. So she is going to crash in our guest room for a bit."

Doris popped her head out from behind him. She flashed a sickeningly sweet smile and practically threw herself at me for a hug.

"Audrey! It feels like forever since we had a proper sleepover!"

Then she turned to Aaron, putting her hands on her hips in a mock-scolding gesture. "You have hogged my best friend for way too long. The real wife is here now, so you better behave."

Aaron chuckled, actually amused. "Alright, alright. I'll let you have her for a few days."

I didn't say a word. I just went back to packing my bags.

It didn't matter who moved in. I was leaving anyway.

That evening, Doris wandered into the living room holding an iPad, looking incredibly distressed.

"Audrey, there are way too many wedding invitation designs. My indecision is acting up again. Can you just pick one for me?"

I was in the middle of drafting an email for the London transition. I didn't even look up. "I am working. Pick it yourself."

Aaron, who had been reading on the couch, suddenly walked over and slammed my laptop shut. His eyes were icy.

"She respects your taste, which is why she asked. Stop acting like you are above everyone else."

"A wedding is a huge deal. You can't just pick any random card. Help her look."

Just two days ago, I had spread out our own invitation samples on this exact coffee table, asking for his opinion.

"I am a guy, I don't care about paper stock. Just pick whatever."

"It's literally just a piece of cardboard with a time and place. Stop being so neurotic about it. As long as people can read it, it's fine."

Doris chimed in, playing the peacemaker. "Don't fight! If Audrey doesn't want to look at them, it's fine."

"But you at least have to come with me to look at dresses, right? I don't want to wear the one I originally bought. It has bad juju now."

She linked her arm through mine. "You guys are my favorite people in the world. You know exactly what looks good on me. Help me pick something out."

A harsh laugh escaped my throat.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be dragged along to help my boyfriend and my best friend pick out their wedding outfits.

I was about to tell them to go to hell, but I remembered the voicemail from the bridal boutique this morning. My custom dress was ready for pickup.

I changed my mind. If I was burning this life to the ground, I might as well tie up all the loose ends before my flight.

The manager at the boutique recognized me instantly. She carefully brought out the garment bag and unzipped it.

"Miss Davis, your custom gown is ready. Please take a look."

Aaron had actually sketched the original concept for this dress. I had spent a fortune bringing it to life, just so I could walk down the aisle looking exactly the way he envisioned.

Now, none of it mattered.

Just as I opened my mouth to tell the manager to cancel the order, Doris gasped. She lunged forward, grabbing the silk fabric and holding it against her body in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror.

"Oh my god, this is stunning! I am obsessed. Audrey, can I borrow this for the ceremony?"

"Your wedding isn't until December anyway. You have plenty of time to get another one. Right, Aaron?"

Aaron nodded without hesitation. "She makes a fair point. Just let her wear it for the event. You guys are the same size anyway. It will fit her perfectly."

He didn't even seem to realize how messed up it was that he knew my best friend's exact measurements. He just shot me a warning look, silently telling me not to cause a scene.

Even the boutique manager looked deeply uncomfortable. She opened her mouth a few times to defend me but ultimately stayed quiet.

Ten minutes later, Doris stepped out of the fitting room wearing my dress.

A flash of absolute awe crossed Aaron's face. He didn't hold back a single word of praise.

"That dress looks like it was made for you. You look absolutely incredible."

"It brings out this elegance in you. It is exactly what I always pictured a bride should look like."

Doris blushed, doing a little twirl for him, the train sweeping across the carpet. Aaron smiled, clapping slowly, playing the ultimate hype man for her.

I stood there watching this picture-perfect moment, feeling a sharp, physical pain in my chest.

Half a month ago, Aaron and I were standing in this exact spot for my fitting.

I had been wearing the muslin prototype, spinning around, asking him excitedly how it looked.

He had barely glanced up from his phone. "It's fine."

Desperate for just a crumb of validation, I pushed. "Can't you just say one nice thing about it?"

He finally looked at me, his eyes cold. "You know I don't do sweet talk. I hate fake compliments. Grilling me for validation is pointless."

"Wearing a white dress doesn't magically change who you are. As long as it fits, who cares? Do you really need people to worship you to feel secure?"

That was the most humiliating moment of my entire life.

Because he hated humoring people, I had survived for five years on zero emotional support. He even managed to tear down a design he created himself, just to avoid giving me a compliment.

I hadn't been able to stop the tears that day.

Only then did his tone soften. He had sighed, looking exasperated. "You are gorgeous. You look good in anything. You don't need my validation. It's all just superficial nonsense anyway."

Yet here he was, effortlessly throwing the most beautiful compliments at Doris.

Like she was the most precious thing on earth.

Doris was thrilled with the dress. She refused to even look at the other racks.

The manager looked at me, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

I kept my voice deadly calm. "I don't want this dress anymore. Do whatever you want with it. Oh, and the custom tuxedo on my account? Cancel that too."

"Have you lost your mind, Audrey?" Aaron snapped, his face flushing with anger. "You know how much Doris loves this dress, and you are just throwing it out? Are you doing this just to make her miserable?"

I didn't even blink. "If she likes it, she can buy it herself. She is not a charity case, and I am done handing out handouts."

I turned on my heel and walked out the door.

The evening before their fake wedding, Aaron and Doris suddenly showed up at the apartment with half a dozen people in tow.

They were carrying floral arrangements, balloons, and boxes of wedding decor.

I stood in the hallway, crossing my arms. "What is this?"

Aaron ran a hand through his hair, looking stressed. "Doris wanted a larger space for the morning prep and photos. Our place has the best natural light. We are just lending it to her for a few days."

"To make it look authentic, we can't have your stuff lying around. You need to pack up and stay at a hotel for the week."

Doris stood next to him, sipping an iced coffee. "Yeah, make sure you take all your toiletries too, because I am bringing all my bridesmaids' stuff over."

"I already got your bridesmaid dress steamed! Make sure you show up early tomorrow to help me with my hair."

She turned to the crew they brought. "Alright, guys, let's get moving! Everything needs to be perfectly set up by midnight!"

A bitter laugh forced its way out of my mouth.

This apartment? Aaron and I went 50/50 on the down payment. We hadn't even fully settled in, and now I was being kicked out so they could use it as a fake bridal suite.

I stepped directly in front of the crew. "Drop the boxes. This is my property. No one touches a damn thing."

Aaron's patience snapped. "Are you physically incapable of not causing drama? She is just borrowing the space. She will be gone the second the wedding is over."

"You are so damn petty. No wonder you don't have any other friends. Doris is the only one who can tolerate you."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

He had conveniently forgotten our childhood. His parents were high-powered executives who were never home. He was a lonely, anxious kid who cried and begged me not to make other friends because he was terrified of being abandoned. "I just need you," he had said.

I gave in. I kept my circle small just to make him feel secure.

And now, he was using the isolation he created as a weapon against me. He had ripped open my oldest wound and handed the knife to Doris.

I felt the last thread tying me to him snap. When I looked up at him, my eyes were completely dead.

"Wire me my half of the apartment's equity right now, and she can play house all she wants. If you don't, I am calling the cops for trespassing."

Aaron's face turned white, then a furious red. He didn't want to lose face in front of Doris and the crew. He pulled out his phone, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered.

"You are unbelievable, Audrey."

A minute later, the massive wire transfer notification popped up on my screen.

"Take your money," he spat, "and get out."

I didn't say a word. I grabbed my suitcase by the door and walked out.

I was never coming back. And I genuinely hoped he wouldn't live to regret it.