Backup Girl No More: Adios to my V-card and My First Love (Brooklyn) novel Chapter 83

Chapter 8 

Chapter 8 

My mother came to meet me at the airport, resplendent in a red dress. She looked as vivacious as ever, though time had left subtle traces I couldn’t ignore. 

She enveloped me in a warm embrace, murmuring that I’d been through enough. Her arms felt like 

home, despite our years apart. 

Though I’d left abruptly years ago, I’d never completely severed ties with her. 

She knew the whole Luke saga, every painful detail. She’d warned me from the start that we were incompatible, that he wasn’t right for me. 

I’d dismissed her concerns then, but now her prescience was undeniable. 

During the drive home, she updated me on all the neighborhood changes. Everything felt simultaneously foreign and familiar. I’d heard most of it during our calls, but I listened anyway, finding comfort in her familiar chatter. 

When I powered up my phone, it exploded with notifications. I silenced it without answering a single one. 

Catching my mother’s questioning glance, I dismissed it as “Just spam calls.” She gave me a knowing look but didn’t press further. 

The impending wedding threw me into a whirlwind of preparations. Suddenly, I found myself being whisked away to bridal fittings – an experience I’d been dreading. 

Staring at my reflection, I felt oddly disconnected, as if watching a stranger. 

My mother’s eyes welled up as she dabbed them with a tissue. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Gavin’s a good man.” 

I nodded absently, feeling oddly invincible after everything I’d endured. 

What I hadn’t anticipated was Gavin’s unexpected appearance. Seeing him in person, rather than just in photos, was jarring. 

“You look beautiful,” he said, his intense gaze softened by a shy smile. 

“Thanks,” I mumbled, fidgeting with the dress hem, feeling like an exhibit. 

64.1% 

Chapter 8. 

The whole scene felt staged, like a forced meet–cute from a mediocre romantic comedy.