Fake Girl’s Girl vs. Real Man Pleaser

1. My fiancé’s childhood friend, Candy, claimed to be a girl’s girl, a total man-hater who only ever wanted to cuddle with pretty women. So at our engagement party, drunk and emotional, she suddenly lunged at me. “My sweet, beautiful Stella,” she cried, her voice syrupy and thick with tears as she clung to me. “How could you let yourself get snatched up by some pig?” She wouldn’t let go. All the guys were laughing, and even Brian, my fiancé, came over to pry her off, a look of weary amusement on his face. “She’s my wife, Candy. Go hug a dyke or something.” But she only squeezed me tighter, tilting her face up to look at me earnestly. “Don’t you worry, beautiful. I’ve already checked out the merchandise for you.” “Brian is… exceptionally gifted. You two will be very ‘compatible’ after the wedding.” … The boisterous private room fell dead silent. Brian was the first to react, grabbing her arm. “Candy, what nonsense are you spouting now?” Though his face had hardened, his voice was as gentle as if he were scolding a child. Candy stumbled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I’m not talking nonsense! At the bachelor party yesterday, we showed each other, didn’t we?” Her eyes were wide with innocence. “I’m doing this for you, Stella! What if he was all talk and no action? You’d be getting a raw deal!” “Candy!” Brian’s composure finally cracked. “Shut your mouth!” He turned to me, forcing a smile. “We were playing truth or dare yesterday, just drunken foolishness!” Candy snorted with laughter, poking him in the chest. “Oh really? And who was it bragging to his old man about his eight inches yesterday? You pigs are so disgusting when you joke around.” The room erupted in laughter. Someone even whistled. I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, the only way I could keep my expression neutral. “That’s enough!” My best friend, Jenny, shot to her feet, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. “Candy, have you no shame, saying things like this in public?” Candy flinched, letting go of Brian and throwing herself back into my arms. “Jenny, why are you yelling at me…? If it wasn’t for Stella’s sake, who would want to look at that disgusting thing?” She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. “Stella, are you mad at me? I was just… I was afraid you wouldn’t be happy…” Seeing my prolonged silence, Brian frowned. “Stella, Candy and I grew up together. I think of her as one of the guys!” “Don’t look so grim. You’re scaring her.” His friends chimed in. “Come on, Stella’s always been so understanding. Why get so hung up on this tonight?” “If there was anything between them, it would have happened ages ago. You know that, Stella.” “What are you guys talking about? Stella loves Brian to death. She wouldn’t get mad over something so small.” Amidst the chorus of casual dismissals, only Aaron, Jenny’s brother, sat quietly in the corner, not smiling. He held his glass, his gaze fixed on me. I took a deep breath and, to everyone’s surprise, smiled and patted Candy’s back. “You silly girl. Why would I be mad at you?” Candy’s body went rigid for a second. I turned to Brian, my eyes filled with a perfectly measured shyness. “The fact that Brian can talk to you so openly about this stuff just proves he sees you as a true friend.” “That being the case, why would I overthink it?” The tension drained from Brian’s face, and his gaze softened. “Stella, I knew you were the most sensible…” Jenny shot me a look of pure, unadulterated fury. She kicked over a bottle of wine on the table and stormed out of the room. The atmosphere turned awkward. I smiled faintly. “Jenny has a short fuse. I’ll go talk to her.” Under the dim light at the end of the hallway, Jenny was wreathed in smoke. The cigarette in her fingers trembled when she heard my footsteps. “Stella, have you simped yourself brainless?” “That was a power play, you idiot! Can’t you see she’s putting you in your place?”

2. Of course I could see it. Not only could I see it, I knew exactly why she was doing it. After all, this same “girl’s girl,” Candy, had been the reason for the demise of Brian’s last five relationships. At first, I thought she genuinely liked girls. But then I started to notice things. She would use the excuse of “sharing a drink with my beautiful Stella” to snatch Brian’s half-drunk bubble tea from the table. She would use the excuse of “needing to cuddle with my beautiful Stella” to shove him away from me countless times. And on every single trip we took, she would insist on sleeping between us. “Stay away, you pig. You’re not allowed to defile my beautiful Stella.” Having grown up in a wealthy family, I was no stranger to these subtle wars of attrition. Jenny was even more incensed. “You know, and you still put up with it? Is it really like they say? Do you love him that much?” I stared out the window into the pitch-black night, silent for a moment. I had been in love with Brian for ten years. The day I found out we were engaged to be married, I was too ecstatic to sleep… But even the most ardent flame can’t withstand being doused with cold water, again and again. “The Gu family needs my family’s shipping routes, and my family needs their real estate channels,” I said quietly. “Even if I break off the engagement, I have to do it in a way that leaves them with nothing to say.” Jenny studied me for a moment, then a slow grin spread across her face. “I knew you weren’t the type to just take it. So, what’s the plan? I’ve got your back, 100 percent.” Just then, Candy peeked her head out of the room. “Stella, why aren’t you back yet? I miss you…” She dragged me back inside, and the drinking resumed. Brian’s eyes were filled with satisfaction at my “sensible” behavior. Candy squeezed in next to me, her hand casually landing on my thigh. “Stella, your skin is so nice. So smooth and soft. What’s your secret?” Before I could react, she flipped my skirt up. A sudden cold draft on my inner thigh was followed by a chorus of catcalls. “Damn, look at those legs!” “Candy, how’s it feel?” I jerked away, pulling my skirt down in a panic. Brian saw it happen and just chuckled. “Candy, stop messing around.” Those few, weightless words were enough to make Jenny start to rise from her seat again. I caught her eye and gave a slight shake of my head. Then I turned, took Candy’s hand, and smiled warmly. “You like it, Candy? It’s all bought and paid for. Thirty thousand a month on treatments.” “If you like, I can get you a membership. Your hands are so rough. How will any boy like them?” A muscle twitched in Candy’s brow. She forced a smile. “I don’t want gross boys hanging around me. I only like you, Stella…” “But I have Brian,” I said, tilting my head with a sweet smile. “I take care of myself so Brian will like what he sees. As for anyone else…” I looked at Brian, my expression turning wounded. “I don’t want anyone else to see…” The words had barely left my mouth when a suit jacket was draped over me. Brian had wrapped me up completely, and for the first time, there was a hint of reproach in his voice. “Candy, that’s going too far.” Buried in Brian’s jacket, I watched with amusement as Candy’s face turned ashen. From the shadows in the corner, I heard a very faint laugh. It was 1 a.m. when the party finally broke up. A drunk Candy was draped all over me, clinging like a limpet. “I don’t want to be separated from my beautiful Stella…” Seeing how drunk she was, Brian sighed, but then naturally slipped an arm around her waist. “Alright, stop making a scene. I’ll take you home first.” Candy, who had been attached to me like an octopus, immediately let go and expertly slid into the passenger seat of his car. The back seat was piled high with sports bags, leaving no room to sit. Brian gently wiped a bit of drool from the corner of Candy’s mouth and started the car. “Wait for me, Stella. I’ll be right back for you after I drop her off.” The engine roared to life, and his taillights vanished into the night. I crouched on the steps of the curb. The night wind blew, chilling my knees. Before the party, he had told everyone in the room, “I’m not drinking tonight. I have to drive Stella home.” But there had never been a place for me in his car. An SUV pulled up behind me. Jenny rolled down the passenger window and waved. “Stella, get in. My brother will give you a ride.” Jenny cursed a blue streak the entire way home, from Candy to Brian to their whole pack of idiot friends. Aaron drove in silence, his eyes occasionally flicking to me in the rearview mirror. Before I got out, I looked at Aaron. “Can you do me a favor? I need you to find some information for me.” Before I went to sleep, Candy posted on her social media. [Taught the pig who’s trying to steal my girl a lesson today! Since he apologized so nicely, I’ll forgive him for now! Ladies, a man needs to be put in his place!] In the photo, she was pinching Brian’s ear, their faces pressed together intimately. They were both wearing hotel bathrobes, necklines gaping open. I liked the post and let the darkness swallow me whole.

3. Brian didn’t contact me all night. It wasn’t until noon the next day that a text came through. “Stella, I’ve booked the wedding dress designer for 3 p.m. Let’s go look at some styles together.” No mention of last night. No mention of Candy. As if nothing had happened. I waited in the bridal shop for forty minutes before a familiar laugh echoed from the entrance. Brian and Candy walked in, playfully shoving each other. A sales associate greeted them with a practiced smile. “You two make such a lovely couple.” Candy giggled, wrapping her arms around Brian’s neck and giving his inner thigh a playful pinch. “Hardly! I’ve got a grudge against him for stealing my wife!” The associate’s smile froze on her face. Only then did Brian look over at me, his hand still resting on Candy’s waist. “Stella, have you been waiting long?” “It’s all this one’s fault. Had to pick a fight with me before we left, complaining that I stole her precious Stella…” Candy playfully punched his chest and ran over to hug me. “Stella! I’m here to help you pick out your dress! I promise you’ll be the most beautiful bride ever!” The designer rolled out a rack of gowns. Heavy lace, vintage satin, ethereal tulle—each one breathtakingly expensive. I tried on the first one, a strapless mermaid gown. The expert tailoring perfectly accentuated my waistline. But Candy circled me, her fingers hovering near my waist. “Oh no, this one makes you look fat. Your waist isn’t thin enough, Stella. It makes you look like a barrel.” The second was a vintage V-neck, elegant and classic. “Your features are too plain, Stella. This one looks like a nun’s habit on you. It’s so drab. No, no.” The third, a dramatic ball gown with a long train, was dazzling. “Pfft, on your tiny frame, it looks like a toilet brush has come to life…” Brian laughed helplessly. “So none of them look good? I suppose they’d only look good on you, right?” Candy’s eyes lit up. “Can I try one?” Without waiting for an answer, she pointed at the mermaid gown I had just taken off. “That one. In my size.” Five minutes later, she emerged in the dress. She was curvier than I was, and the gown strained against her fuller figure, her chest practically bursting out. Brian’s gaze was fixed on her. Candy puffed out her chest, raising an eyebrow. “See? Your old man’s still got it.” Then she turned, grabbed me, and started snapping a flurry of photos with her phone. The flash was so bright I couldn’t see. “Beautiful girls belong with beautiful girls. We can’t let the gross men have all the fun.” After the photoshoot, she suddenly hooked her arm around Brian’s neck, her voice a playful threat. “I want to wear a wedding dress too! I want to get married on stage with you and Stella!” Brian chuckled, pinching her nose affectionately. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Candy shook his arm. “You stole my Stella from me! The least you can do is let me walk down the aisle with her to console your poor old dad, right?” I clutched the hem of my dress, waiting to see what Brian would choose. A part of me already knew the answer, but I stubbornly waited for the axe to fall. Sure enough, Brian turned to me with that look—part question, part plea—expecting me to be “sensible” one more time. “Stella, everyone knows it’s our wedding. The clothes don’t really matter that much, so maybe…” The last bit of warmth in my heart turned to ice. I smiled calmly. “Of course. As long as you’re happy, Brian.” A wedding with two brides. This was going to be a show.