An old friend

She looked at him while he looked almost straight past her. Tears stung painfully at the back of her eyes even though she didn’t know why, she had been expecting this since the day they started dating. He refused to look at her while he spoke, “We’re not right for each other. You should find someone who actually… someone who can take care of you,”1

“What you had meant to say was someone who actually cares, or someone who actually loves me,” anger and pain filled her shaking voice.2

“I never said that! You know I care about you,”3

She shook her head hoping something would start to make some since, hoping something would start to seem real, “Don’t you get it? I love you! I don’t want anyone else,”4

He turned away from her and looked into the empty street, “Whatever,” anger laced his voice. “It’s over… O-V-E-R! We’re friends that’s it,”5

A single crystal tear slid down her face, “If that’s what you want,” she took a deep breath. “If that’s what you want then fine,”6

With those words she turned and ran into her house. The next few months passed quickly and painfully. They still talked and things were almost back to normal. The only problem was from the day they broke up he never once heard the shattering and cracking of her broken heart. Soon enough she found someone new, he put her jig-saw heart back together the best he could since a few pieces were missing. 7

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*8

Five years later her old love received a wedding invitation along with a short letter written by her hand:9

I’m giving my heart to someone new. I was just a kid those so many years ago, but a very small piece of my heart still belongs to you. You don’t know what it means to me if you would come to my wedding10

Signed an old friend,11

He sighed, this time he had actually lost her… 12

A month later he sat in the large Victorian church. Most of her family knew him and were happy to see the he had come to share her special day. He watched as the flower girls walked down the aisle throwing rose petals, and her bride’s maids that looked like princesses, but then everyone got quiet. She looked almost like an angel, more beautiful than he had ever remembered. When she reached the pew he was sitting in she slowed and looked at him. She mouthed a silent thank you and resumed walking. Those words seemed to almost rip his heart out, but why? This is what he wanted… right?13

After the ceremony, he walked up to her husband, “She’s a good girl,”14

“The best… I’m happy I found her… and I pity the guy who lost her,”15

Her old love sighed, “The poor soul probably didn’t know what he lost,”16

Her husband looked at her old love, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name…”17

Her old love looked over at her, “All you need to know is I’m an old friend,” with a nod towards the girl they both loved. “Take care of her, she needs someone who loves her and can take care of her,”18

Before another word could be spoken the stranger walked away. 19

She watched as her old love walked away, a single tear was the only flaw in her other wise happy features. She walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him, “Who was that, dear?”20

He turned to her and kissed her, “Just an old friend. I love you, baby girl,”21

“I love you, too. More than you could ever know,”22