A Bride Rewritten

Zane and Melissa have tried eight times to collect their marriage license at the County Clerk's Office, and each attempt has collapsed because of Chester Snyder, Melissa's childhood friend. This time they reach the steps with fifteen minutes to spare, friends gathered around them, only for Chester to announce that his lucky bracelet has broken and must be fixed before they go inside.

Melissa waits beside the car holding Chester's phone while the clock ticks toward five, insisting that a few minutes will not matter. Zane's best friend Ryan Chapman and the others urge her to go in first, and the security guard warns that the windows close at five sharp, but Chester keeps fussing over the charms and Melissa keeps defending him. Zane quietly sends a message to a number he knows by heart, offering someone else a chance if the eighth attempt fails, and receives a single reply.

With the clock past 4:49 pm, Zane tells Melissa he must have the license in his hands before five, while she accuses him of making a fuss and asks him to be reasonable.