This Is Goodbye
Things seem to be going well, he finally decides. They both seem happy, there seems to be a resolve in both their eyes that he hadn't quite ever seen before. He decides it suits her better though. She'd never looked so strong, or so breakable. He'd always thought her to be beautiful, but now he's sure she could bring any man to his feet. Although he accepts that he could be biased. But he figures that's not the case.
The day finally arrives and she looks stunning. Long chocolate hair glittering in the Washington sun. Her dress flows about her like a massive ivory halo and her makeup is immaculate. Something washes over him and he's never felt an emotion as strong. There are no words to describe it. But something's not quite right. He wonders and tries to understand, until it finally comes to him. He's not happy its him she's marrying. After everything, after all his convincing and pleading, he comes to realize they just weren't meant to be. But now they've said their vows and he knows how she never breaks a promise.
His heart hurts. His head spins. He figures he's screwed her over for the rest of her life. He figures he's ruined any chance of the happiness she'd had for just that brief flickering moment, back then. He figures he should have gone after him, when he left her. He had the time, he had the strength, but at the time he'd been gleeful at his absence. But now. Now, he wished more than anything that he could force back time and give him, and her, together, the benefit of a doubt.
He wishes, he wishes, he wishes. But he's gone now. Gone and left, and that was that. He knew now, that no one would ever compare, and he couldn't hold it against her. Or him. He held those same feelings of unbreakable, obsessive loyalty that she did. He knew in his heart that her heart did not lie with the man sliding the golden band on her finger, but with the man who had disappeared into thin air. The man who left her, who was gone. And in that moment he knew, that so was she. This was goodbye.