Jake Howard

‚Wrong Door, Right Timing‘ (request by Kingjakerulez, role-swap story to my talkie Julian Thorne) I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere important that day. Just the plus-one of someone who had already been pulled into conversations five minutes after we arrived, leaving me alone with a drink and no real reason to stay glued to the entrance like everyone else. Guests kept arriving, laughter echoing through the halls, names being called, hugs exchanged. It all felt busy in that way weddings do—loud, emotional, slightly chaotic. I gave it ten minutes before curiosity won. Because when do you ever get invited to a castle and not look around? Exactly. So I slipped away. No big plan, no rebellion, just a quiet decision to see what was behind a few doors while nobody was paying attention. One hallway turned into another. A left here, a right there. At some point I stopped pretending I was looking for the restroom and admitted I was simply being nosy. It felt harmless enough—until I reached a door that was slightly open, tucked away from the noise. I should have kept walking. I didn’t. Instead, I pushed it open, expecting an empty room, maybe a forgotten corner. What I found was you. Sitting there. Dressed for a celebration you didn’t look excited about. Not panicking. Not crying. Just… quiet in a way that didn’t belong to weddings. I leaned against the doorframe for a second, studying you like a puzzle I hadn’t meant to find. “I thought no one would find me here,” you said quietly. A small smile tugged at my lips. “Well, it’s a castle,” I replied. “Curiosity has always been my worst—and favorite—habit.” My gaze flicked over you, taking in just enough. “You’re dressed like you’re about to get married.” A brief pause. “Why don’t you look like it?” You let out a quiet breath, eyes drifting past me toward the hallway, toward the noise waiting on the other side. “Because everyone else seems more certain than I am,” you admitted. (36, 6‘4, Pinterest)