I know that there are a lot of words that can shatter someone's heart. Words like 'I'm sorry to tell you this but…' or 'I hate you' were probably the ones that would kill me. What I never thought, though, was that the words 'I do' would be the worst two words I'd ever hear in my entire life.
As he said those words, my heart broke and I knew it was over. I don't even know why I came to this love-fest. I guess because Demi invited me. I thought that maybe, if he saw me, he'd change his mind last minute. But when he saw me, all he did was smile that 'thanks-for-coming-hope-you-have-a-great-time' smile.
I sat down in the very last row and watched her walk down the aisle, smiling brightly at her soon-to-be husband. He was grinning at her too, maybe not as broadly as expected - not my smile - but he seemed happy. And he said 'I do'. In front of the whole church, he promised to love and cherish this woman forever until death did them apart - through good and bad.
That was about the time I realized that I'd never stand a chance. She was so beautiful while I was not. She was so delicate while I was sometimes even stronger than him. She was so girl-like while I loved yelling at the TV during football games like every guy does - like he does. I was everything he didn't want and she was the exact opposite.
She didn't know him for as long as I did. Maybe that ended up for his benefit. She didn't know about his flaws. She didn't know about him never wearing socks to bed and shoving his ice cold toes under the blankets and burying in your legs making you shiver. She didn't know about him having to eat cereal without milk and only drink it after he finished the cereal. She wasn't his best friend. I was.
Flashback
"Would you please keep your stinking, ice cold feet to yourself? Despite herself, Miley laughed and shoved her feet against his legs to roll him over. He just rolled back and tickled her a little. They may have been twenty, but they were never too old for a sleep-over.
"Well, would you please keep your monster feet to yourself, then?" Miley blushed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hated her feet - they were twice the size than any other girls' according to her. When he realized that she had stopped laughing he did too and looked at her. She was looking rather self-conscious than happy and he sighed.
"I was kidding, I love your feet." Miley smiled a little and shook her head.
"It would sound weird coming out of everyone else's mouth but yours." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. They fell asleep that way.
End of flashback
I sighed at the memory and closed my eyes, trying to keep my tears in. Demi kept on nudging me, telling me that now would be the time the preacher would ask whoever was against this wedding to speak up now or forever shut their mouth - though I was sure he would never say it like that - but I didn't care. I could hear the preacher go on and on about this love and how it would get through everything together.
It would - even me. And in half a year or so, I'll be forgotten and she'll be pregnant and they'll get cute little babies. It's because he said 'I do' to her and not me. I'd loved him for so long. Ever since I was fourteen. I knew him my whole life but in that year, something inside me just snapped and I realized how good we were together. I knew he knew that too but he thought of us as best friends, not more.
I realized that when he came home with his first girlfriend. She wasn't anything serious and when they broke up he wasn't necessarily heartbroken, but she was his first girlfriend. I was none of his firsts. I was just the best friend watching from the sidelines. You'd think I had my fair share of 'firsts' too but no, I didn't. I'd waited for him to realize what was really going on in my head. He never did. He never even asked why he didn't have to beat anyone up for me yet.
And then, I heard the preacher say those words - the words that I could use as my last chance to tell him how I felt; to maybe get my life like I wanted it… with him. But when I looked at him and saw that he was happy and she looked just as happy as they were looking around, I couldn't. He caught my eyes and smiled at me and I sent him a watery smile as I excused myself to Demi and walked out of the church.
I knew he'd seen me walk out but I didn't care. This was the point where my body went numb. I walked to my car and got in. After staring at the church for what seemed like hours I realized he wasn't coming out of there. I started hitting the car wheel, regretting walking out of the building at that moment. I could have at least told him what I felt and then I could have left the country. I wouldn't have to face him and his wife in their happy state again.
Instead, I left the church, showing him how much of a bad best friend I was. He needed my support and I wasn't there. But he said 'I do'. If he would want me to stop this wedding, he wouldn't have said it. He would've hesitated or he would've looked sad. But instead, he'd smiled and said 'I do'. Any other girl would love to hear those words - I hated them that moment.
After I finished hitting the wheel I let my head fall forward and hit it one last time, accidently honking but I didn't care. I cried then, not sobbing, no hysterical movement of the shoulders - I just cried. I cried for the best friend I'd lose and the love I lost. I cried for myself and for all the girls that have ever felt like this. I cried because my heart ached to the point where maybe, you can't even feel anymore.
I didn't realize how long I must have been in my car crying because the next time I looked up I saw that every car had left. Only two or so were still there and I knew it was completely over. I sighed and let my head fall back onto the seat. Defeated, I wanted to drive home and crawl into bed - I wanted to cry like there was no tomorrow which for me, it seemed like there wasn't.
As I finally wanted to reverse out of the parking lot, there was a knock on my car window. I jumped but then sighed and rolled my eyes. Please, let me drown in my sorrows alone. I rolled the window down slowly and then leaned out of the car. I squinted up at the mysterious person that had interrupted my leaving this place. I almost gasped at who it was.
I jerked my head up and hit it on the door of the car, cursing silently and rubbing it as I blinked and looked at him again. Was this some kind of dream? Was I in a coma? I mean, it had to be possible to get into a coma because you cried too much, right? Or because of heartbreak? Or was I imagining things? But when I heard that chuckle, I knew he was real.
"I thought you'd left already but when I saw your car and you in it… well, I knew you hadn't." I nodded, kind of amazed at the mere sight of him. What was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be at the after-wedding-party or something? I watched him walk around my car and get into it. He was still wearing his suit but the tie was loosely hanging around his head. He started playing with it as I looked at him questioningly. I knew he knew what I was asking, so I was just waiting for his answer.
"I didn't do it." Okay, I was more confused by then. What was he talking about?
"Do what?" I winced at how hoarse my voice sounded. I could see he did too. Clearing my throat a few times, I watched him scoot around in his seat before he looked at me, his eyes showing me something I hadn't seen in a long time, actually. He was truly happy - he felt relieved and alive. He was glad about something… I just didn't know what.
"I couldn't. I saw you sitting in the church, Mi. I saw you getting up and walking out and I saw you wipe your eyes. And then I looked at her and she was smiling at me but it wasn't the smile I wanted to see. I didn't know what to do so I dropped her hands and it was like at that moment, the little spell that was created with the scene broke and she read me like a book.
And then she looked at me with big and sad but also understanding eyes and said 'Go get 'em tiger'. I swear, that's what she said. And then she kissed my cheek and walked away and I realized in that moment that my eyes said more than my brain. I didn't know how it happened but… I couldn't marry her and that's what my eyes told her."
I had to swallow all that. Wow… they weren't married. She'd left him. He wanted her to without even really knowing it. It was… because of me? Oh wow… I blinked a few times and finally looked at him. He was staring at me and I realized I had never seen him look at me this way. Twenty-five years of friendship, but this was the first time he looked at me like… like he loved me.
My only reaction to all this was the only one my body would allow. I leaned over and kissed him, putting a hand on his cheek. It was short and sweet yet passionate and I knew I'd gotten the message across. When I pulled back, he looked at me and smiled. So he wasn't mad of me for kissing him. Cool…
"God, I so wanted to do that." I looked at him surprised. He did?
"You did?" My voice sounded squeaky but I didn't really care. He smiled and nodded.
"For some time now. Subconsciously, you could say. Everyone had been telling me how good we would be together. And then I proposed to Selena and they stopped. That's when I started realizing how good we really are together. But I knew I loved Selena - well, I thought I did anyway. And… whatever, the point is, I've been wanting to kiss you for longer than you know." I chuckled and shook my head.
"You're ridiculous, Nicholas… that rhymed…" He laughed and leaned over, kissing me again. I smiled, not really getting what was getting on here but I kissed him back either way. Even though we were in a car and it was uncomfortable, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. This was surreal but I might as well enjoy it now, right?
After he pulled back, he put his forehead on mine and pecked my lips on more time, softly this time. I sighed happily and looked into his eyes. A question was lingering on the tips of my tongue and before I knew it, I just let it out, waiting for his answer.
"Do you love me?" It was a weird question, I know. It didn't even make sense; I could be ruining the moment. I could destroy everything too. But I just had to ask. Maybe he even did - that's something we didn't know yet, right? Honestly, I thought he was going to say no and that he just wanted the adventure - that I was something that would be fun to have around or something.
I watched him, his face showing surprise as he considered his answer. Waiting for his answer right now was almost killing me as much as hearing him say those two words back in the church. It's funny though, that he just changed my opinion on those words. I thought he'd say he didn't…
"I do." But he said 'I do'…
Uhm, hello... wow, this was kinda cute, wasn't it? Anyway, just a little treat and a little thank you for reviewing and reading my stories :D It might be random - I know it is - but it just popped in my head like a few minutes ago. Which brings me to the next thing. This was written in like, twenty minutes or so and it's way late so if there are any spelling mistakes, I'm sorry, the late hour does that to me XP THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING ANY OF MY STORIES AND I HOPE YOU LIKED IT AND... maybe you'll leave a review? ;)
