He Took Her To The Island We Planned To Marry Chapter 02

He Took Her To The Island We Planned To Marry Chapter 02

Odessa. Gideon. Rowan and me.

The four of us had been inseparable since college.

Northlake Media Group was founded by Gideon and Odessa. In the early days, they struggled hard enough to survive on coffee and four hours of sleep.

Later, when the company finally stabilized, Odessa practically harassed me into joining as VP of Brand Communications.

The work matched my background perfectly, and we got to spend every day together again, just like before.

Not long after, Gideon was invited onstage as one of the founders.

The host grinned and asked about his personal plans for the second half of the year.

Gideon rubbed his chin dramatically and stayed silent into the microphone for several seconds before suddenly breaking into a huge smile.

“I’m getting married,” he announced loudly, “Next month. On Evershore Island!”

The room exploded with cheers.

Then he turned toward our table.

The moment his eyes landed on Odessa, his voice softened completely.

“I just hope my favorite pain in the ass and I can keep driving each other crazy for the rest of our lives without ever letting go.”

The audience burst into laughter and applause.

Odessa’s eyes turned red instantly, though she still cursed under her breath.

“Idiot.”

Then Gideon suddenly shifted his attention toward Rowan.

With genuine excitement, he stretched out a hand and shouted across the ballroom:

“Hey, bro, you in or not?!”

My throat tightened all at once.

It felt like every spotlight in the room had landed on our table.

Every pair of eyes fixed on Rowan.

Several friends already had their hands clasped together, practically waiting to start screaming.

Even the sound tech quietly reached for the music controls.

Maybe the atmosphere was too perfect.

Maybe I was too weak.

Because I turned to Rowan, and somewhere deep inside me, a tiny, fragile hope rose again.

But under everyone’s gaze, Rowan only laughed and waved a hand casually.

“How can marriage come with a group discount?” he joked lightly. “You go test married life first. I’ll join the club later.”

His tone was easy. Relaxed.

Like it was nothing more than a harmless joke.

We were all adults. Gideon didn’t push any further. He only rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before continuing his speech.

And inside me, the tide finally receded completely.

What remained was silence.

Cold, endless, saltwater silence.

Not far away, Brielle turned around slowly.

A faint smile lingered on her lips as her gaze passed over Rowan and settled on me.

There was curiosity in her eyes.

Satisfaction.

And something that almost looked like pity.

I calmly nodded back at her with a distant, polite smile.

For the rest of the day, Odessa refused to speak to Rowan again.

Whenever their eyes accidentally met, she looked at him like she wanted him dead.

In the end, Gideon awkwardly walked all of us out by himself.

Rowan and I had just stepped out of the parking garage when we spotted Brielle standing alone outside the company building.

The night wind pressed her dress against her legs while she hugged her arms tightly and looked around anxiously.

Rowan rolled down the car window.

The second Brielle saw him, her eyes lit up. She hurried over and leaned toward the window pitifully.

“Chief—”

“Why are you still here?” Rowan asked.

“I can’t get a ride.” She pouted softly. “Nobody’s accepting requests this late.”

Rowan glanced toward the back seat, then at me.

“I’ll drop you off.”

Brielle bit her lip.

“I don’t know if that’s appropriate… your girlfriend’s here.”

But she made no move to leave.

“It’s on the way,” Rowan said simply before turning toward me.

“Our place is close anyway. I’ll take you home first, then drive her.”

I nodded.

There wasn’t much left to say.

The entire ride, Brielle chattered nonstop like an excited little bird, talking about hospital gossip and stories from the surgical department.

Listening to all those unfamiliar names, I suddenly felt like an outsider trapped inside someone else’s world.

When we reached my building, Rowan leaned toward the window and called after me gently.

“Go upstairs first. I’ll drop her off and come right back.”

“Okay.”

I turned and walked away.

But when I reached the entrance, my steps slowed without me meaning them to.

Almost instinctively, I looked back.

Under the streetlights, the black car was still idling.

Through the windshield, I saw that Brielle had somehow moved into the front passenger seat.

She leaned toward Rowan excitedly, tugging at his sleeve while pointing animatedly at something ahead of them.

Rowan tilted his head slightly, listening to her.

The soft light and shadows sharpened the lines of his profile, making him look impossibly gentle.

Then, a second later, the car made a turn, and drove off in the opposite direction from home.