(AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was originally written as a one-shot songfic to Matt Nathanson's "Wedding Dress" for AO3. The lyrics have been removed for posting here. I recommend listening to the song as you read to capture the emotion. Thanks for reading!)
Oliver Wood swallowed as he straightened his tie in the mirror.
His hotel room was quiet and dimly lit. Drawing back the curtains to admit the afternoon sunshine felt like too daunting of a task at the moment. Somewhere outside, he could hear loud voices carrying on, laughing and celebrating the joyous occasion ahead.
He'd known this day was coming. The engagement had been announced a year ago. A save-the-date followed and an official invitation arrived soon after. Oliver had recognized the delivery owl the moment it perched outside the window of his townhouse; a tiny, Eurasian Pygmy owl named Snitch.
Oliver gently rubbed Snitch on the head as he retrieved the fancy envelope from its beak. He'd received countless letters via Snitch over the years. Some were simple "Hellos" while others contained pages and pages of personal thoughts, musings and inside jokes.
Snitch waited outside Oliver's window, an indication that an immediate response was expected. Oliver gently peeled the envelope seal and unfolded the crisp invitation. The parchment had been dyed a pale shade of champagne and the letters were a deep shade of navy. If one tilted the invitation in the proper direction, the letters seemed to shine.
Together, with their families Katharine Elizabeth Bell and Maxwell Edward Hunt request the honor of your presence at their wedding.
Saturday, June 9 at 6 p.m.
If the invitation hadn't felt like a death sentence, Oliver might have smiled at its aesthetics. They were so very Katie-like; classy and refined, yet cheerful.
Oliver sighed. He'd been wondering when his invitation would arrive and though he knew it was coming, he still wasn't prepared for this feeling.
She was getting married. She was getting married and he would have to sit and watch it all happen. He'd smile and offer his congratulations while she became someone else's, and then he'd return home, tasked with moving on without her.
A knock on the door of his hotel room jerked Oliver from his thoughts.
"Come in," he called out.
A familiar redhead popped his head in the doorway and grinned at Oliver.
"All set, mate?" he asked.
"I suppose." Oliver sighed in defeat as he realized his tie knot wasn't going to look any better than its current, lopsided state.
George Weasley slipped into the room, letting the door fall shut with a sharp click.
"You know, mate," George said, reaching out to straighten Oliver's tie. "It could still be you."
Oliver shot a sharp, narrow-eyed glance at George. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
George sighed dramatically and threw himself backward onto the bed, kicking his feet up in a relaxed pose.
"Don't put your shoes on the bed!" Oliver complained.
George ignored Oliver's demand and rested his hands behind his head.
"I'm talking about you and Katie," George continued. "We all know it should be you meeting her at the end of that aisle today."
"I don't know what you're going on about," Oliver said, returning to the mirror to fix his tie, which George had somehow made worse.
"Wood, you're good at a lot of things… quidditch, attracting the ladies, boring people with your quidditch rants, but lying is not one of them," George said.
"I'm not ly-"
George ignored him again and sat up, this time to look at Oliver with a serious expression.
"She's getting married, mate," George said with uncharacteristic gravity. "She's about to be gone forever."
"You think I don't know that?" Oliver sighed in defeat. There was no denying it now; not to George, who had known Oliver since he was 14. He had witnessed Katie and Oliver's friendship grow from friendly neighbors to young adults too proud and stubborn to admit their feelings for one another.
"I know you know that," George said as he watched Oliver determinedly fiddle with his tie. "What I want to know is what you're going to do about it."
"There's nothing I can do," Oliver said firmly, his gaze still fixated on his reflection. "She's getting married. Today. I had my chance and never took it. I have to live with that. It's over."
"That doesn't sound like the brave and inspired Gryffindor team captain I know."'
"I haven't been the Gryffindor captain for seven years," Oliver pointed out.
"Well, it doesn't sound like a man who wants to win over the woman he's been madly in love with for years."
"What do you want me to say, George?" Oliver spun to face his friend with exasperation splayed across his face. "Do you want me to say I'm going to run down there and spill everything to her? Am I supposed to tell her how I feel and sweep her off her feet so we can run away together?"
"You read too many romance novels," George quipped. Oliver shot him a look and George grinned sheepishly. "I just thought-"
"You thought what, George?" Oliver interrupted, his frustration starting to bubble over its threshold. "What did you expect was going to happen today?"
George knew he'd hit a nerve. Typically, he'd put up more of a fight, but he knew his friend was struggling, today of all days. George wasn't there to push his buttons, but he also didn't want two of his closest friends to make a mistake before it was too late.
"I'm just saying," George started quietly. "That if it were you… if you were the one getting married today, wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you want to know if your best friend was in love with you? Wouldn't you want her to tell you?"
"It doesn't matter," Oliver answered. "If I'd had any sort of chance, it would have happened by now."
"Bullocks," George replied. "You know that's bullocks. You know she's just as crazy about you as you've always been for her."
"She's never mentioned it."
"Neither have you."
Oliver shook his head. There was no reasoning with George. He didn't understand the complexities of unrequited love. He had the person he wanted to be with.
Another knock on the door halted the conversation and Oliver was relieved for the interruption.
"Come in," he called out.
"Hello, boys."
Angelina Johnson-Weasley slipped into the room with Alicia Spinnet in tow. The pair wore matching navy blue gowns, a clear sign of their bridesmaid statuses.
"How's it going in here?" Alicia asked.
Oliver turned to glare at his friends. "Are you all in on this?" he demanded.
"Not well, I see," Angelina muttered.
"Listen," Oliver said sternly in an attempt at sounding firm. His tone echoed that of his old pregame speeches as a quidditch captain. "I appreciate you all wanting to look out for me, but there's really nothing to be done here. What's done is done. She's getting married and it's not to me. End of story."
"But it's not the end!" Alicia insisted. "This isn't what anyone wants!"
"How do you know that?" Oliver asked. "Did she tell you that?"
Alicia bit her lip as she fell quiet. The heaviness in the room seemed to swell and Oliver suddenly felt hot.
"Alicia," George said in a reasoning tone. "Did Katie say something?"
"It was during her bachelorette party," Alicia blurted out. She rubbed her temples for a moment as she mulled over the right explanation. "She mentioned that she'll always wonder what it might've been like to be with you, Oliver. She said that the love she has for you, as your best friend, isn't like any other love she's ever had. She said it's always been different with you, and that she'll never care about someone the way she does you."
"Whatever revelation Katie's made when she's piss drunk at a bachelorette party makes no difference," Oliver said, waving a dismissive hand. "Of course, it's always been different with me. I've been her best friend since we were toddlers."
"You can't lie to us," Angelina said. "You can't lie and say it makes no difference. It means everything to you. She means everything to you. Don't lie and act any differently."
"You didn't even bring a date," George pointed out. "You – the bloke who could've brought any woman you wanted to this wedding – chose to come here alone. Don't say it's because you couldn't find a date. It's because you're still holding out hope she'll come around."
"That's not the case at all," Oliver insisted. "I just didn't want to create any distractions. It's Katie's day. If I brought a date, the press would be all over that. That wouldn't be fair to Katie."
"You really can't stand there and tell us you don't have an ounce of remaining hope," Alicia begged.
"If it were supposed to be me, it would be," Oliver said firmly.
Before anyone could protest, a quiet knock at the door stole their attention.
"Come in," Oliver sighed as he wondered why his room had become the gathering spot.
"Hey, everyone."
Oliver did a double-take as another familiar face peeked through the cracked door.
"Katie? What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for my bridesmaids," Katie replied as she slipped into the room, pulling the train of her gown behind herself.
"Katie!" Angelina hissed. "You're going to get your dress dirty!" She sprung to action, lifting up the hem of the layers of satin and tulle that embraced Katie.
"Well maybe if you two hadn't ditched me," Katie shot as she stood in the middle of the room leering at her friends. "I thought you said you were getting me some water."
"We were," Alicia said, her expression apologetic. "We got sidetracked when we found Wood here."
Katie's stern expression softened as she turned to smile at Oliver. As much as she needed her best girlfriends by her side that day, Oliver was the one she needed to see the most. She needed her best friend.
"Ol," she breathed, moving to pull him into a hug. Oliver swallowed as she released him, resting one hand on the small of her back.
"You look…" Oliver really didn't have the right words for her. Stunning, gorgeous and beautiful didn't seem to do her justice.
Katie flashed him a grin as she waited for him to finish.
"You look exquisite," Oliver finally managed.
The rest of the room had fallen to a hush as their friends watched such a touching moment. Angelina bit her lip in guilt, as if she were imposing on a private scene not meant for their eyes.
Katie seemed to notice that every pair of eyes remained fixated on her, because she suddenly turned to gaze at her friends, an annoyed expression radiating from her brown eyes.
"Give us a minute, will you?" Katie asked.
The friends couldn't have left any quicker, nodding in understanding as three pairs of feet scurried from the crowded hotel room.
All the while, Oliver's eyes remained on Katie.
"Hey," she said softly once the door snapped shut, offering him a smile that almost seemed shy. But Katie Bell was not a shy kind of woman, especially around Oliver. He knew the most intimate details of her life, even the things she preferred no one knew.
"Hey," was all Oliver could manage. The way she looked combined with the emotional conversation he'd just had with their friends left him feeling vulnerable and uneasy. His chest felt tight as he gazed at her. It suddenly dawned on him that this would be the last moment in which he'd be the most important man in her life.
"How are you doing?" Oliver finally asked. He hoped it wasn't a stupid question, but he genuinely didn't know how women felt on their wedding day. He assumed she'd be giddy and bubbling with excitement, but this version of Katie seemed stoic and calm.
"I'm OK," Katie said. She fell quiet for a moment before she heaved a sigh and let herself fall back onto the bed amid a sea of tulle.
Oliver couldn't help but laugh. Even on her wedding day, Katie somehow managed to maintain her youthful, carefree spirit.
"Kate, I don't think you're supposed to be climbing into another man's bed hours before your wedding," Oliver pointed out.
"Oh, sod off." Katie rolled her eyes as she kicked her feet back and forth over the edge of the bed. "These heels are already killing me."
Oliver glanced at Katie's feet, which were enclosed by several white straps. He frowned as he tried to comprehend how women managed to get their feet into such pointy, uncomfortable-looking shoes.
"Now sit and talk with me," Katie ordered, motioning to the spot next to her on the bed. "I haven't seen you in three weeks."
"I think you've had a busier three weeks than I have," Oliver said as he sat with his back against the headboard. He stretched his legs out, taking care to keep his shoes away from Katie's ivory dress.
"Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I can't keep up with my best friend," Katie insisted. She grunted as she shifted positions to rest her head on the pillow next to Oliver, peering up at him with a grin. "So tell me, who's that bird you were with in the paper?"
"No one," Oliver said as he shook his head. "I took her to dinner once and The Prophet had their photographer following us all night. I don't plan on seeing her again."
"Shame," Katie said. "She was pretty."
Oliver's eyes roamed the figure lying next to him and his friends' words began to ring in his ears. Everyone wanted them to be together, but this wasn't the way to go about it. Not when she was all set to become someone else's.
"So how was your bachelorette party?" Oliver finally asked. He hoped the question was innocent enough. He honestly didn't expect a truthful answer. Hell, he wasn't even sure he believed what Alicia had told him. His pessimistic side had him wondering if she'd embellished some of the details.
Katie remained quiet and Oliver peered down at her to catch her gaze. Katie averted her eyes for a moment before she finally offered a shrug.
"It was fun," she said. "I don't remember a whole lot, actually."
"That's usually the sign of a good time," Oliver commented and Katie grinned.
"I must admit, I can't drink quite like I used to," she said.
"You couldn't drink to begin with," Oliver noted. "You've never been one to hold your liquor. Remember your sixteenth birthday?"
Katie giggled. "All I remember about that night is you punching Roger Davies," she recalled.
"And let's not forget your last birthday," Oliver continued.
"How could I forget that night?" Katie said. "That was the night I met Max."
Katie's smile shifted to a frown once she realized she'd dampened their playful conversation. She hadn't meant to bring up her fiancé. She didn't want to talk about him. She wanted to enjoy a moment with her best friend.
Oliver remained quiet at the mention of Max. He'd met Katie's fiancé numerous times and felt mostly indifferent toward the man. He certainly couldn't say he liked him, but he also knew his biases were rooted in jealousy. It wasn't fair to hate Max simply because he'd won Katie over.
Determined to avoid any more silence, Katie heaved a sigh.
"Can you believe I'm getting married?" she asked quietly.
"No," was all Oliver replied.
"I feel so grown up," Katie remarked. "It's scary."
"Scary?"
"Scary," Katie repeated with a nod. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready for it."
"But you are ready to marry Max, right?"
Oliver hadn't meant to dampen the mood. He was genuinely curious. He knew Katie loved Max, but the two seemed to be rushing into marriage at such a young age. Katie had a free spirit, but she'd never made a decision this rash.
"I love Max and I'm ready to marry him," Katie declared. Oliver couldn't help but notice her words and tone sounded a bit rehearsed, but he knew better than to point that out.
"I just hope I don't miss out on life," Katie continued.
"How so?"
"I know that marriage is a sacrifice," Katie explained. "It means Max is my number one priority. I just don't want that to mean I'll have to miss out on the other things I've wanted to try in life."
Oliver frowned. "What do you mean 'other things?'" he asked. "How is marrying Max forcing you to miss out on anything?"
Katie made a humming noise as she eyed the ceiling. Oliver recognized the sound as Katie's nervous tick. She hummed when she suddenly felt anxious or uncomfortable.
"Kate?"
"I don't know," Katie sighed, though she did know. Marrying Max meant she'd never get to explore the possibility of a relationship with Oliver.
Of course, Katie had long ago come to terms with the fact that Oliver merely saw her as a younger sister. They knew each other too well. There'd be little mystery in a relationship between them, though Katie still couldn't help but wonder if they would have been good together. Everyone else seemed to think so.
"Ol?" Katie suddenly asked.
"Yeah?" Oliver turned to gaze down at her. He'd been staring at the wall as he tried to decide if his feelings were worth mentioning when time had already run out on him.
"I just want you to know," Katie started. She paused to choose her words carefully.
'Typical Katie,' thought Oliver. 'Always determined to say the right things.'
"I just want you to know that I'll never be able to replace you," Katie finally said in one breath. "And I don't ever want to replace you. I always want you to be my favorite person."
"Kate, I'm not going anywhere as long as you don't want me to," Oliver replied. He was afraid to say anything more, and he wasn't sure he needed to say much else. Maybe this was Katie's way of saying thanks for everything.
"Can I ask you something, Ol?" Katie continued.
"Of course."
"Do you think it's possible to live happily ever after without your soulmate? Romantically, I mean."
"Er-"
"You're my soulmate, Ol," Katie said firmly. "I'm sure of it. I'll never love anyone the way I love you. But it's clear that we aren't the kind of soulmates who are meant to be together. Otherwise, we would be, right?"
Oliver's mouth felt like cotton. He had no idea how to answer Katie's musings, nor did he have any idea why she was bringing any of this up.
"I guess," Oliver said lamely. "I mean, we never really gave it a shot – us, I mean. We never gave us a shot, so it's hard to say if we're meant to be together. I mean, I guess we aren't, considering the circumstances."
"Do you think we should've given 'us' a try?" Katie asked, sitting up slightly to rest on her elbows. Her wide eyes were looking at Oliver intently, as if her life depended on his answer.
"I'm not sure that it really matters at this point," Oliver said, echoing the same thing he'd told George earlier. "Kate, you're getting married."
"But let's say I wasn't getting married," Katie pressed. "Let's just pretend I was sitting here, single, no romantic involvements with anyone, and I asked you to give 'us' a shot. What would you say?"
"Katie, why does any of this matt-"
"Just answer me, Ol. Please? And be honest?"
"Yes," Oliver sighed, his eyes returning to a particular spot on the wall. "I would say yes, we should give 'us' a shot."
Katie mulled over his words quietly, but Oliver decided there was no need to speak. He was OK with silence, especially in Katie's company. It'd grown to become a sense of comfort to him, as Katie's presence was usually enough.
"Why didn't we?" Katie finally asked. "Why didn't we ever try?"
Oliver decided if there were ever a time to be honest, it was now.
"Because I never thought you wanted to," he admitted.
"Did you want to?"
"Of course, I did," Oliver answered quietly. He knew Katie's gaze was burning into him, but he wasn't ready to see her expression yet.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Katie pushed.
"Because, like I said, I didn't think it would have mattered," Oliver answered.
The hush returned to the room. Outside, guests could be heard milling around and Oliver realized their time together was running out. She'd have to go soon, and the moment she walked out that door, he'd become her past. It was now or never.
"Katie," Oliver continued. "I've always loved you. I've always wanted 'us' to be a thing. If I'd ever thought there was the slightest chance you felt the same, I wouldn't have hesitated to make it happen."
Katie was staring at him. When he finally glanced downward to meet her gaze, he was surprised by her expression. He'd expected her to be taken aback, but instead she looked hurt.
"But you never said anything," she finally said in a quiet, blank tone.
"I know. I've been a coward."
"Why didn't you just say something?"
"Katie, do you know how difficult it is? I've loved you as long as I've known you. I c-"
"I know," Katie interjected, her voice still quiet. "I know how difficult it is."
"So then you see my point," Oliver continued. "I couldn't just mention it in passing. It's not something one simply brings up in everyday conversation."
"You aren't seeing my point," Katie said. Oliver blinked, confused by the conversation's direction. "Oliver, I know how difficult it is because I had the same dilemma. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Oliver understood, but he couldn't fully wrap his head around her words. He should have been thrilled to finally hear her admit her feelings for him, but instead, his stomach dropped as the reality of their situation reared its ugly head.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Oliver whispered.
"Same reason you didn't," Katie replied softly. Oliver peered down at her and realized her eyes were shining with tears.
"Katie, don't cry," he said, though he knew his words were useless. "You've got all that makeup on. You can't cry."
"I don't care about the makeup," Katie whispered as Oliver tried to brush away a tear. "Oliver, this isn't how things are supposed to be."
"I know."
"Why didn't you just tell me?"
Oliver cringed at Katie's hurt expression.
"I told you, I'm a coward," he repeated. "I was too afraid, and I didn't think you saw me like that."
"How could I not, Oliver?" Katie asked, her tone sharpening. "Oliver, look at you. Girls stop me all the time to ask about you. They ask me to give you their fanmail, to introduce you. Sometimes they even say terrible, nasty things to me simply for knowing you. Of course, I see you like that. Half the time I look at you, I just want to grab you and-"
"Why don't you?"
"What?"
"Why don't you then?"
"Oliver, come on. That's not fair," Katie sighed. "You're the hot quidditch star here. I'm just the plain old friend who-"
"You know that's not true," Oliver interjected. "Katie, look at you. You have to know how bloody gorgeous you are. My teammates ask me about you all the time. Anyone with two eyes can see that you're beautiful."
"All I've ever wanted was for you to tell me that," Katie whispered. "Just not on my wedding day… or at least the wedding day where I'm supposed to marry someone else."
"I'm sorry," was all Oliver could manage.
He'd always assumed the worst-case scenario when he revealed his feelings to Katie would be rejection. He thought maybe she'd roll her eyes at him and tell him to piss off, that it wasn't worth jeopardizing their friendship.
Somehow, this was worse. All along, he could have had her, if he'd only had the courage to say something.
Instead, all he got was the consolation prize of holding her while she cried two hours before she was to walk down the aisle to someone else.
"Ol," Katie whispered, sitting up so that she could face him better. "I don't want to go on without knowing."
"Knowing what?"
Oliver reached to wipe away another tear. He hated seeing her cry, especially when he was the reason.
"Knowing what it's like to be with you."
"Katie, there's not much we can do about it. You're-"
Katie suddenly stood, the layers of silk and tulle falling from the edge of the bed in a swishing sound as she moved. She peered down at Oliver, who remained seated on the bed, confused.
"Ol," she said, extending a hand toward him. Oliver obliged in silence, rising to his feet to stand face-to-face with her.
"Unzip my dress," Katie ordered.
"Wh-what?"
"I want you to unzip my dress," Katie repeated.
Oliver was bewildered. This wasn't what he'd envisioned. Sure, it was what he wanted, but not now.
"Katie, we can't," he protested weakly.
"Oliver," Katie said, her eyes as serious as her tone, "This is what I want. If you want it too, then do it for me. I know it's an unimaginable request but… I just want to know what it's like to be yours, just this once."
Oliver had run out of resistance. He had no fight left and at this point, he didn't care.
"Katie, are you sure?" he asked. "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't want to create any problems, and I sure as hell don't want you to do something you'll regret."
Katie shook her head at him. "No," she said firmly. "I'm not going to second-guess this. Because if I don't, I'm always going to wonder, and I can't move forward with my life without knowing. I want to know how it feels to be yours, if only just this once. Now unzip this dress."
Without another word, Oliver obliged.
Katie shifted to rest her head in Oliver's lap while he gently played with her hair, being careful not to loosen the delicate curls Alicia had spent so much time perfecting. That was when Oliver realized that, despite their sudden revelations to one another, this was the last moment of any sort of tenderness he'd share with Katie.
They fell quiet again, listening to the sounds of wedding guests scuffling up and down the hallways. Oliver glanced at the clock and knew they'd come looking for her soon.
"What do we do now?" Katie asked, sitting up against the headboard.
Oliver knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to leave, to take Katie with him and forget the wedding, its 300 guests and all of the flowers, food and fanfare. He just wanted her to himself for longer than a moment.
"Katie, you know what you have to do," he said, fighting to maintain a steady voice. "You have to marry Max. You love him and he loves you. I've seen you with him. He makes you happy and that's all I really want. I just want you to be happy."
Another tear slipped down Katie's cheek as she realized she agreed with him.
"I love you, Ol," she whispered.
Despite the gutting, agonizing feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach, Oliver smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you too, Kate."
Five years later
Oliver froze at the sound of a knock on his front door. He stood in his silent kitchen, waiting to be sure he'd heard correctly. When a second knock echoed throughout his townhouse, he crossed swiftly through the living room to open the door.
"Katie?"
There she stood, as radiant as ever with her hair tucked carefully behind her ears.
"Hey, Ol."
She didn't need to say much more; Oliver could sense something wasn't right.
"Come in," he said, moving aside to admit her.
"Are you sure? Is this a bad time? I know it's early-"
"It's fine," Oliver replied. "Melissa's still sleeping in the bedroom."
Katie froze. How foolish of her, to assume she could simply walk into Oliver's home as if she owned the place. She hadn't even visited more than a handful of times over the past few years.
She couldn't visit him. Life had changed so surely and dramatically since her wedding day, where she walked from Oliver's hotel room straight down the aisle to her husband.
She and Oliver never spoke of that day again. There wasn't much to be said. Katie dove head-first into her marriage and Oliver was left to pick up his own pieces. Soon, he moved forward and returned to his life among the Wizarding World's elites; dates with models, singers and fellow quidditch players. As Oliver made himself busy with his own life, Katie did the same, and the two struggled to maintain the close friendship they'd always known. Eventually weekly visits dwindled to monthly meet-ups and even then, some months passed forgotten.
"It's been a while," Oliver commented as he shut the door behind Katie. "Probably two months I'd say?"
Katie replied with a quiet nod as she gazed around Oliver's townhouse. She was quick to notice the change in décor since the last time she'd visited.
"Did Melissa move in?" she asked, hoping her tone didn't sound judgmental or harsh.
"Nah," Oliver chuckled. "She seems to think she has, but she hasn't. She just leaves her stuff behind a lot. I suspect she's trying to leave her mark, make sure no one else infringes on her territory."
Katie couldn't help but smile. She'd met Melissa on several occasions over the six months she'd been dating Oliver and, though Melissa acted courteous and polite, Katie had sensed Melissa wasn't fond of her friendship with Oliver.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come back later?" Katie asked. She wasn't sure she wanted Melissa to find her standing in Oliver's living room at 7:00 in the morning.
"Nonsense," Oliver replied. "Come, let's sit out on the balcony."
Katie followed Oliver outside, where they sat, perched four stories above the street. Katie chose a seat on a bench while Oliver carefully chose to sit at the patio table. Though nothing intimate had happened between them since Katie's wedding day, Oliver knew better than to create any opportunities to slip up.
"What brings you here, Kate?" Oliver asked, anxious for an answer. Katie had never come by unannounced, especially early on a Saturday morning.
Katie sat quietly, her eyes gazing over London below them. The world felt so vast, yet she felt suffocated.
"It's over," she finally mumbled, carefully averting her eyes from Oliver. "Max and I… we're over."
Where there should have been celebration and triumph, Oliver could only feel sadness and concern. As much as he wanted to maintain hope for a relationship with Katie, he had never been rooting for her marriage to fail.
"Katie," he said, moving quickly to sit with her. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"
"It all just sort of fell apart," Katie said with glossy eyes. "We were fine and then… we just weren't."
"Did something happen in particular?"
Katie fell quiet, her eyes fixated on the buildings that lined the other side of the street.
"Max was seeing someone else," she finally admitted.
Oliver's stomach fell. He was fully aware that he and Katie hadn't taken the moral high ground the afternoon of her wedding, but she didn't deserve this.
"Katie," he breathed. "I'm so sorry. He's a bastard."
"I mean, I guess I got what I deserved," Katie said dryly. "I slept with someone else on our wedding day, so it was only a matter of time for karma to come through."
Oliver frowned. "Did Max know? About us?"
"No," Katie replied as she shook her head. "He never found out. This is just the universe's way of punishing me."
"You don't deserve this, Kate."
"The funny thing is," Katie continued. "I'm not even that sad. I think I'm more relieved than anything." She turned slightly to face Oliver, who was unsure of what to say. "I'm a real slag for the ages, aren't I?"
"You're not a slag," Oliver told her.
"I cheated on my husband on our wedding day," Katie continued. "And now that that's over, I'm here with you while your girlfriend sleeps in the next room-"
"Katie, you know you're always welcome here," Oliver said quietly.
"How did I manage to mess up my life so bad, Ol?"
"You haven't messed your life up. Kate, you're only 28. You've got years to create the life you want."
"What if it's too late for the life I want?" Katie whispered.
"It's not," Oliver replied. "It's never too late."
"It's not?"
Oliver realized what Katie was asking, but he wasn't sure how to provide an answer.
Of course, he wanted to pursue what they'd started in his hotel room five years ago. But he'd made a deal with himself the moment Katie told Max "I do" that he'd move on from that afternoon and build a life of his own; he wanted an identity that didn't involve his past with Katie.
"Katie, you know I've never stopped loving you," Oliver finally admitted.
Somewhere below them, a car honked its horn, indicating that the rest of the world had started to emerge from its slumber.
"So, what do we do now?" Katie asked.
Oliver couldn't help but smile to himself; it was an ironic smile more than one of pleasure as he recalled how she'd said those same words to him five years ago. He couldn't believe he was in this position again; only this time, he was the one with someone waiting for him.
"I don't know, Kate," Oliver said. "I mean, you know I'd drop everything in a second to be with you… but only if you're sure. You have to be sure about me, about the life you'd have with me, about the future you want with me."
"Ol, all I've ever wanted was a future with you," Katie answered. "You're my past and present. It's only right that you're my future… that is, if you want me as your future."
"You know I do," Oliver sighed. "But Katie, things will be different if you and I pursue the concept of 'us.' It'll be different from the friendship we've always known."
"Doesn't that excite you?" Katie asked. "We've been friends for nearly all our lives. Isn't it exciting to think there's unexplored territory, that there's still something new for us after all this time?"
Oliver smiled. She was right. The idea of venturing into something unknown with her would certainly change his life. Even after all these years, she was still finding ways to make an impact on him.
Oliver pressed a kiss to Katie's temple and heaved another sigh. "Now I have to break up with Melissa," he said.
"Should I go?" Katie asked.
Oliver shrugged. "She'll probably sleep for another or so. We were out late last night with the team. She doesn't think I know she's been hooking up with one of my teammates. We were out late because she was flirting with him at the bar half the night."
"What?!" Katie exclaimed with wide eyes.
"I guess we both got what we deserved," Oliver mused.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Katie asked, still horrified.
"Nah," Oliver answered. "She's not the first woman to do me dirty. I think it comes with the territory of being a pro athlete."
"You don't deserve that," Katie said, realizing that she was echoing Oliver's same words.
Oliver pulled her closer and offered her a smirk in hopes of lightening the mood. As far as he was concerned, Melissa was already out the door.
"I guess we both got what we deserved – each other."