Chapter 1

~Lola~

"He claims that he ditched me because I am dating Dante. It’s not as if he didn’t know I was with Dante, to be honest."

She took a sip of her wine. I didn’t dare look her in the eyes. This is the subject we discuss each week. She is perpetually dumped. I simply do not grasp what she wants. She has a guy who would give his right arm to possess her. In addition, he is my childhood crush as well as my best friend. Yes, they are both my friends, and they both cheat on one another, while I am simply me. There is always someone nearby who is willing to listen to their grievances, and that person has always been me. Yes, I am one call away if something happens. I sipped my wine and sat back without responding to her.

"Lola, you bitch, did you hear what I said?" I let out a sigh.

.

"You’ve been dumped. This week, how many times have you been dumped?" Both of us laughed.

"Sneak a peek at me, will you? Why would a man dare to oppose me? Do you believe I should approach him and beg him? I simply cannot imagine myself fucking one dick right now."

"However, you are marrying tomorrow."

"Wed to whom? I’m sorry. I have no intention of marrying. I need to see that Asian boy."

Believe me, Candice never takes anything seriously, and I know she means it. She sipped her final drink and walked away.

Now I’m all by myself in this place. I knew Dante would call, and as usual, I would have to lie. When it comes to the two of them, I’m not interested in interfering. When I tell a falsehood, I make it appear to be true. I retrieved my car keys and drove home. I need to get a good night’s sleep in order to attend their wedding tomorrow. As I was going to shower, I heard the door open. I was certain it was Dante. He’s the only one who has access to my place, and he has the key. He calls it shabby, but he always returns here to sleep.

I didn’t even bother to look at him; I knew he’d be a mess. He wanted to shower before bed, so I ran to the bathroom.

"Fuck Lola!" I heard him shout.

I simply laughed. I showered and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare noodles. As it happens, Dante is a zillionaire who is extremely wealthy and has a very cold heart, yet he has never been cold toward me. We’ve been pals since I was ten or nine years old. He was, however, a little older. However, he treated me as if I were his younger sister. When I turned 16, I had feelings for him that I couldn’t control but never crossed the line since he continued to see me as his little sister rather than a woman. I no longer have those sentiments for him because I am well aware that he will never see me as a woman but rather as a younger sister. I continued to prepare noodles. He emerged wearing nothing but a towel. This is what led me to believe I felt something for him. He was constantly flexing his muscles in front of me. I’ve become accustomed to it, though I still morph into a tomato when he gets too close.

"Aargh, get dressed!" I screamed. He chuckled. I was certain he would not. We finished our meal and retired to bed. There is, however, another point. Dante and I have always shared a bed. Since I can recall, whenever he visited or I visited him, we always shared a bed but never crossed the line. That is the extent of our proximity. We fell asleep with my head resting on his torso and his hands wrapped around my waist. Yes, I know we sleep like a couple, but we are not.

I woke him up the next day. It’s his wedding day today. Two of my closest friends are getting married tomorrow. Dante is my closest confidant. Candice and I met when I was 23 years old. She arrived at Dante’s firm for an interview, and Dante asked me to conduct the interview. When she learned that I was Dante’s friend, she expressed her desire for him, and we have remained friends ever since. We are both assigned to the same department, though I’m her senior at work. Things progressed, and she and Dante began dating. It was my responsibility to wake Dante so that we could travel to his house so that he could change into his wedding suit.

"Groom, it’s time to get up." He moaned under his breath.

"I implore you to leave me alone."

He drew me, and I collided with his torso. Naturally, I flushed. Who wouldn’t? He rose to his feet, and we jumped into his car and sped off to his house. I was the maid of honor for the wedding. I attended the wedding with his mother. We arrived and awaited Candice’s arrival, but she was nowhere to be seen. We waited for over an hour and saw nothing. Her phone was switched off. Of course, I knew where she went, but I was unable to inform Dante. It would crush him. I noticed his mother approaching him. They began conversing, and I continued to attempt to contact Candice. I sighed and collapsed into a chair. The guests sat and waited. They were simply aware that Dante was marrying; they had no idea who he was marrying. I noticed his mother approaching me.

"Mom, I tried to reach out, but I couldn’t get hold of her," I murmured as I hugged her.

"It’s alright, child. Why don’t you tie the knot with Dante right now? This is going to cause the family a great deal of embarrassment if the wedding does not take place." My pupils dilated.

"No, Mom, I can’t do it."

When I looked at Dante, he gave me a plaintive expression. After all, I’m the only one who can protect his sorry ass from the media now. I motioned for him to follow me.

We entered the chamber where the wedding gown was kept.

"You have transformed me into a phony, Mrs. Monroe."

"You know, Lolita, you’re the only person I can ask this question to." He approached me from behind and hugged me. I yanked my head back and fixed my gaze on him.

"I really have little of a choice in the matter. That’s the price you pay for being buddies with a billionaire, apparently."

"Of course, you get to marry a hottie." Both of us laughed.

"I love you."

"I love you too, my Lolita. Mrs. Monroe, my lady."

We chuckled. He kissed my brows and then walked away. I let out a sigh. I’m not sure how many times I had to save his ass when Candice failed to appear. In fact, she appeared nowhere. The person who comes to the rescue is me. I despise the fact that I am their friend. I examined the wedding gown in front of me. It was an exquisite wedding gown. I slipped into the wedding gown and was dressed to the nines to resemble an actual bride. The music began. My parents were not present, so his father escorted me down the aisle, and we exchanged vows, which were really difficult to concentrate on due to the fact that we were deceiving God. We were not married. As is customary, I was doing this to save his pitiful arse. His girl is constantly abandoning him, and I am always the one who steps in to save the day. I heard the bishop's remark just then.

"You may now kiss the bride."

What!

I screamed in my head. My pupils dilated, giving Dante a suspicious look. I mean, we’ve been sharing a bed for years but have never kissed. I don’t want to share my first kiss with him.

No way!

I yelled at the back of my head once more.

What if the sentiments I had for him resurface?

I can’t risk falling in love with Dante. He is a buddy of mine, and he is also head over heels in love with my best friend. We stood there, all perplexed. I don’t believe any of us considered the kissing aspect. He drew me in and mashed his lips on mine. He was prodding me with his tongue.

Dear God, this feels like heaven.

I moaned as I opened my mouth. He snatched the kiss from my lips and murmured in my ears.

"It’s just a kiss, Lolita,"

I swear, he could have seen how red my ears and cheeks were if it weren’t for the make-up I was wearing. I was a beetroot. We proceeded with the signing of the marriage certificate. And there, I am now my best friend’s wife, not my friend Candice.