The Love that Never Was

Everything Has Changed

Ellie
Every summer had it's own character. *I remember the sweet bone-deep feeling of having a best friend. The sense that we would do anything for each other, anything, for the rest of their lives. We had been connected by a golden thread that could never be broken. His force would reach out to me from wherever he is and when his fingers touched my skin, I felt the fire in my heart and bones.
I couldn't have imagined us ever ending. I counted on us like clockwork. The sound track of our friendship:wind in the branches in the weeping willow tree overhead as we stared at the stars. I had nurtured husband love of the sky, and he had encouraged me to follow my dream. All the music was gone now*.
No promises had ever been made but somehow, deep down, I had always imagined that we would be together. Weren't there promises without words? Those were the strongest kind*. We had a golden thread. We hadn't needed words.
Promises made with tentative touches, clicking from childhood friendship to being in love had been a tough transition*. Our connection probably could have survived anything, forever-except falling in love with someone else. I am now where it started, the weeping willow tree. Old memories seemed to gather and grow more solid.*
Another electric jolt, more memories.*
It began on the best summer of my life, a summer just like this. I am once more underneath the weeping willow tree with my best friend Matthew Edwards. We had been best friends since we were children. Lately, though, I have been wanting more. Feeling courage, I blurted out:"What do you think of best friends being in a relationship?"
His answer broke my heart. It was:"When you start out as really close friends, it's sometimes to hard to take the leap and anyway once the relationships is over so is the friendship." It seemed that our deep friendship was as far as we could go. I didn't want to so anything that would jeopardize our wonderful working friendship. The more you try to think of something the more impossible it was.
"I have a plan, " he suddenly brought me back to reality with that statement. "What is that? " I asked him. "I plan to make a song that will make Anne fall for me, " he answered. Anne is the woman he loves but can never have. "What do you want me to do?" I asked him.
"I want you help me make the song, will you help me?" he asked. "Why should I? " I asked back. "You're my best friend*," he answered me seriously. "Of course I will help you, " I answered him. "Why?" he asked me.
"We're dear friends going through life together*," I answered. He smiled at him and I smiled back. When I got home, though, the tears that threatened to fall finally fell. The next day came too fast. I had willed it to come slow.
Unfortunately, fate did not agree with me. "Does anyone want to anything? " asked Andrew, the leader and manager of our band and the sister of Anne. Yes, we are in a band. It's name is:Jealous Fate. I am the lyricist,Andrew,as I mentioned earlier, the leader and manager, Anne and Matthew inconveniently and unfortunately the lead singers and three more for bass and lead guitar and piano.
I said nothing but Matthew stated:"Ellie and I plan to make a new song. " "Do you, Miss James?" the leader turned to me. "Yes, Mr. Mckenzie, " I answered him. He is the only one in the band that I called by his last name. This is not only because he is the leader but also because I could sense that he wanted something more. "Be ready with it by the end of the month, "he ordered me.
"Yes, sir, "I answered. Quite thankfully, the bell rang for the end of our meeting. I left with Matthew. We immediately went underneath the weeping willow tree. "I think we should start now, "he answered.
I have an excuse at least, to be happy,if only for a while. Perhaps, as we work, I may be able to tell him what I feel. A lot of weeks passed by with me being happy with my best friend. I always tried to tell him but we always were too busy with the song for him to take notice. A month soon passed by with a lot of things left unsaid.
The concert was here. As usual lot of people attended. A lot of songs were sung until they came to Everything Has Changed, the song we had written together. "Before we start with this song, I would like to say that this is dedicated to my lovely partner, Anne, " Matthew stated on the microphone. A lot of people shouted.
"You made this for me? " she asked. "Yes, " he answered. She kissed him and the crowd went wild. After that was finished, the song began. I could feel tears starting to slip off my face.
"I think it's pretty plain that you're better suited as friends than lovers*, " Mr. McKenzie stated from beside me. We always watch from the side as they perform. Instead of shouting at him, though, I cried into his arms. That was when I felt that he deserved me to call him Andrew. "Thanks, Andrew, "I stated.
"Well, you're welcome, Ellie, " he stated. Needless to say, the whole summe, the two were courting and dating. Those times, Andrew was always with me. He learned a lot about me and I learned a lot about him but it will never be the same as Matthew and I. That autumn, they became engaged, announcing it to the whole world in another concert.
I hardly talk to him those times and he hardly talk to me. Came winter, though, it was their wedding day. I cannot take it anymore. I went to the church only to see him. "What are you doing here? " Matthew asked in a surprised tone when he saw me.
"I am here to tell you that I loved you ever since I had gotten closer to you, "I answered him. It felt like a weight was off my chest. "I am sorry but I cannot return, please, I don't want to see you ever again, " he stated. My heart, whose weight was gone,had another added weight, heavier than the last. I walked away from the church as the snow began to fall.
I suddenly slipped and could have fallen were it not for someone who caught me. I cried onto his jacket. "We are really getting into these situations often," commented Andrew. "How did you know I was here?"I asked him. "I assumed it, " he answered.
He knew about my feelings for Matthew, long before I told him. "We'd better get out of the cold, not unless you are invited to the wedding, " I finally stated. "I am invited but let us forget that," he answered. I laughed. The whole wedding, I was in Andrew's house, talking to him.
That was the last I ever saw of Matthew. I had lost all contact with him. Andrew and I started a romantic relationship that went on until we were married The following year. The band, needless to say, broke up. After another year, I had my first child with Andrew, whose name is Eldrew, a combination of our names.
This summer, two and a half years later, I am where it all started. "The good old days, " a familiar voice stated from beside me. I turned around, silently praying I was wrong. I was not. It is Matthew.
Matthew
I remembered our friendship had been deep and long, and we were standing in the place it had been born. The memory made me miss it all the more. My heart is racing so fast, I wondered wheter she could feel the air moving two feet away. I didn't dare hope she'd actually be my friend again, much less love me again, but I wanted, somehow, time make things okay. What did she use to say?
They were connected by a magical thread. It ran straight from her heart to mine. All I ever had to do was grab on, feel my way time her. I thought if how often I'd done that. I remembered touching her heart.
I'd learned what it was to fall in love with my best friend. Yes, I fell in love with her. I only realized it after I married Anne. I was stuck in a loveless marriage. Marriage partners had to be best friends too*.
Now that Anne is dead, I have hope that we would have another chance. "What do you want from me? " she asked after a moment*. "You should know, *"I answered. "What?*" she asked. "To be your friend again*," I answered.
"That's impossible now, "she said.* "And you should know it. *" "We grew up together, " he said*. "We know all each other's old secrets*." "There are new ones. The old ones don't matter anymore, " she answered.*
"You're wrong,*" I said quietly. "The old ones matter more than anything. *" "If that were true, " she said, struggling to keep her voice steady, "you had a funny way of showing it. "* "I was young and stupid, " he said. * "I made a huge mistake, *" I answered.
"No, you didn't, *" she answered back. "You did what you wanted to, *" ahead added, "and it ripped us apart. You and I were the least of it.*" "We weren't the least of it, not by a long shot*," I answered. "What do you mean? "she asked.
"I loved you and only realized it after I married Anne, we were in a loveless marriage and she died unhappy, " I answered her. "Mama! "came another voice. "Eldrew! " she greeted the boy happily. "There you are, " another voice said. It was Andrew, our former band leader.
"Andrew is now my husband and Eldrew is my son," she answered my unasked query. "All I know is we said hello, so dust off your highest hopes, all I know is a simple name, and everything has changed, :-)" she quoted which were lyrics from Everything has Changed. She then put her arm round her husband's and son's shoulders. Without looking back, she walked away.* Had she meant to sound scathing?*
The tightness is so constricting, squeezing my heart. I wanted to break free, get rid of the pain, stop feeling this way. I realized that I cannot though. I never will be able to. It is impossible.
A/N
*-These sayings are by Luanne Rice. These are also from the book True Blue.
:-)-This song, in part is Everything has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.
The End