As I stand here, I know I shouldn't be here. This is supposed to be a happy day, but all I can think about is the person who's life is going to be gone after today.
All I can think about is the mistake that they are making today. How I wish this never happened. How I wish I could take her out of this place and make her realize the mistake she was about to make. But I can't. I couldn't do that. It's not me.
"You ready?" He whispered to me, smiling.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I whispered back to him.
"Yeah I guess so." He laughed. Just then the music began.
I once heard the worst place to be is sitting a church pew, watching the girl you are in love with marry another guy. But they are wrong. The worst place is standing at the alter watching her walk towards you, all dressed in white. She has a smile as big as the world on her face and looks so beautiful it hurts. But knowing, as she walks towards you with that smile, she's marring the guy next to you. And that you're just the best man.
As she walks towards me, or really him, I suddenly get the feeling to run up to her and scoop her up in my arms and run far away from here. But I can't do that to her.
She really does look beautiful. Her olive colored skin complements her satin, strapless white dress. Her long black hair is pulled into a fancy side pony tail. Her lovely hunter green eyes shine so beautifully. You can still see her tattoo on her shoulder, the one I got with her. Life is a song, only the lyrics are messed up is what it said and true it was.
I was in love with my best friend's fiancé, soon to be wife. But don't think of me badly. I'm not the bad guy in this story, he is.
"She looks so beautiful." He whispered to me again. I looked over towards him. It wasn't hard to believe she fell in love with him. His 6'3" towards my 6'0". He has straight blonde hair with crystal blue eyes. He always did get the girl. Still does.
I wasn't even worth comparing to him. My brown hair and brown eyes were bland and normal. She would always tell me that she loved my chocolate eyes. I would always disagree and just smile at her.
"She always does." I whispered to myself. I turned and looked at her again. She was closer now. Closer to the priest, closer to him, closer to me. Her father was walking her down the aisle. He was a nice, gentle man. A great basketball coach too. I've known him and his daughter ever since my freshman year in high school. He was my basketball coach for my whole high school career. He was like another father to me.
They came to a stop in front of the alter. He flipped up the veil and kissed his only daughter. She kissed him back on his cheek as the priest began to speak.
"Who gives this woman away to this man?" He stated.
Her father looked at her and she slightly nodded. Then his eyes shot to mine, almost asking me. He knew exactly how I felt about her. I just looked down at my feet. It wasn't my place to say.
"I do." His low baritone voice answered. I looked up at him and caught her eyes. She gave me a small, sad smile as she walked up to stand next to him.
The priest began the ceremony. I stood there and looked at her. I didn't care if anyone noticed either. All the memories of our past came flooding back.
I went back to the first day we met. It was the same day I first tried out for basketball in 9th grade. I had stayed after the try outs to help the coach put the equipment away, since all the other guys flooded out when he dismissed them, leaving him to do it by himself. I was collecting all the balls when she walked in. She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. He introduced us to each other. That was the day we became friends.
I went back to our senior prom. We were seniors and still best friends. Her boyfriend, at the time, was a complete douche bag and broke up with her two days before prom. She decided not to go, but I made her come with me since I didn't have a date. We ended up having a blast at the dance. That was the night I finally realized I was in love with her.
I went back to college. We had ended up going to the same college. We had some classes together, so we would study together. One night we ended up going to a party and got completely drunk. We somehow ended up in my room later in the night and did all the things I had imagine doing with her. In the morning when we woke up she asked if we could just be friends and I had agreed, because I didn't want to lose her. That was the day my heart broke.
I went back to that college basketball game. I had tried out for the team and made it. I worked my hardest to be great and I had made some friends. Then at one game she came to support me. We ended up winning. After the game she came down to the court to meet up with me. It was there that she met him. He was one of the first guys that I became friends with. He ended up asking her out there and she said yes. That was the day my heart broke even more.
I went back to the day she knocked on my door at 2 in the morning. I had just moved into my apartment and had my girlfriend, at the time, sleeping over with me. I woke up that morning to a knock on my door and saw her broken and beaten. She told me she saw him with another girl and she confronted him later that night. He screamed and yelled at her and then he hit her. Again and again and again. She finally left and came to my place. She ended up staying the night after my girlfriend freaked out when I told her she was staying. My girlfriend broke up with me and left that night. The next morning I brought her back to his place, ready to flip out on him and maybe even kill him, who knows. But he apologized and she believed him. The next day she called me telling me they were engaged. That was the day I realized I still had to be friends with him for her sake.
I went back to the day me and her went wedding shopping. We had such a great time together just the two of us again. It was filled with laughter and tears of joy. I had missed it so much. At the end of the day we went back to my apartment. I had asked her why she accepted him apology and she told me she loved him. I just looked at her and did the one thing I shouldn't have done. I told her I loved her and I kissed her again. She kissed me back then told me that she loved me too. But she didn't want to hurt him. She still wanted to go through with the wedding. But she still told me she loves me. That was the day hope began to bloom in my heart.
I went back to last weekend at the bachelors' party. One filled with alcohol, strippers, and adultery. He got drunk and slept with one of the strippers. When I found them in bed, I went to her house to tell her. She needed to know. When I told her, she said she knew he's been sleeping around ever since that day she found him and him beat her. But she loved him too much. She cried to me saying she wished she had to guts to break it up and be with me because she loved me so much, but she just couldn't do it. That was the night I knew I had to make sure this wedding didn't go through.
I was then thrust back into reality. I was in love with her and she was in love with me. My best friend was a cheater and an abuser. If I didn't do anything now they will get married to each other and it would be a terrible mistake. But is it really what she wanted? Or was it just my own desire? And even if she did want me to, did I have to guts to stop it?
"Does anyone object to these two people getting married? Say something now or forever hold your peace." The priest said. This was my moment. The moment that will change the life of three people forever. But what do I choose?
Just then I looked up at her. She was looking directly in my eyes. And I got my answer.
