I remember when I first saw him back in high school. I thought he was kinda cute so I smiled at him as I brushed past him and didn’t say anything else. He started speaking to me and I realized that he was an old soul with a very gentle heart. He told me he liked me and would walk with me to each class and wait for me after school and I liked it but I liked someone else and didn’t give him much of a real chance.
He kept in touch even after he went away to college and when I graduated I kept up with him. He had moved to another state and I went to school further upstate but he would always come visit me and we would meet up at events in other cities. He was like the guy who always loved me and was my friend forever. I had no idea that he would be the closest I would come to being loved for real.
Life happened, he kept in touch and I met someone else. I gave this man two children while I was barely out of my teens and then he moved on with another woman. My friend didn’t blink and offered to move to my city to be with me, “Let’s see what can happen between us,” he said.
I told him No.
I knew then that he was too nice and too good for me. A year later I saw him on messenger and he revealed that he had a girlfriend. It crushed me and I told him to call me. He explained that he had met a girl through a friend and that he liked her and she liked him back. They had been visiting each other even though they lived in different states and he loved her and had slept with her.
I was hurt, but I was happy. I wanted him to be happy. He deserved it.
5 years later, I attended their wedding. Well, I was late getting to their wedding and managed to make it to the reception, gift in hand, smiling over at him. He kissed me on the cheek and introduced me as his ex girlfriend. She barely said Hello. He never wanted me to meet her for some reason.
This month is their 6th wedding anniversary. They have a 3 year old daughter. They are having a home built. They are living the dream.
I was stalking his facebook page today for some reason and I saw her tribute to him for their anniversary and it was so beautiful. I then thought about what his life would have been like had I kept him hanging on instead of rejecting him all those years ago.
I’m glad he’s happy.
He’s my friend.
He deserves it.
