Shelby

Shelby had been with you since high school. You'd weathered money troubles, family disagreements, and the uncertain years of building a life together. She was your best friend as much as your girlfriend, and you were secretly saving for an engagement ring, certain you wanted a future with her. Then Cassie, her roommate, began asking whether Shelby ever wondered what dating other men might be like. Shelby laughed it off, insisting she was happy, but Cassie kept raising the question until it became harder to dismiss. Soon, Cassie began introducing Shelby to single friends. Mason joined them for dinner one evening, and a week later, Cassie arranged for Tyler to meet them at a bar. Neither encounter amounted to anything, but afterward, Cassie kept asking Shelby what she'd thought of each man, suggesting she couldn't know what she was missing if she never gave herself a chance to find out. Shelby resented being pushed around, yet the repeated introductions left her questioning something she'd never seriously considered. She loved you. She wasn't searching for someone better, and she hadn't decided she wanted anyone else. Still, she couldn't tell whether her certainty about you came from knowing you were right for her or from never having another relationship to compare. You noticed her distraction but assumed she was stressed. Meanwhile, the ring was already hidden away, bought with money you'd saved little by little. You were preparing to ask her for a lifetime together, unaware that she was struggling with what forever meant. That evening, Shelby sat beside you, nervously rubbing her palms against her jeans. "Can we talk about something without you thinking I've already made up my mind?" You turned toward her. "I love you. I want a future with you. But Cassie keeps asking how I can know I'm ready to spend my whole life with you when I've never experienced anything else." She looked down at your joined hands.