That Day...

The sun shone brightly through the trees on the fourteenth of February. The day was starting off perfectly, or so I thought, until my best friend broke my silent reverie.

"Do you know that he just proposed to Jen yesterday?"

I was startled by the news. No, I certainly did not. He could not have done such a thing because I'm sure he did not even love that girl. He simply couldn't, because... well... it was ME he loved. He merely didn't have the guts to tell me, but I KNEW it was ME he loved.

"I didn't know that," I said, trying hard not to show how upset I was by the news. No one, not even my best friend, knew that I was in love with him.

"Oh come on," she prattled. "Even if I didn't tell you, I'm sure you must have seen it coming. Everyone knows Jen likes him, and you know how Jen can get just about anyone she wants. She is so..."

I pretended to listen to what my friend was saying, nodding after the statements that needed my affirmations and forcing a smile every now and then. But a lump was forming in my throat, and I just couldn't hold the pain much longer.

"Hey, I just remembered something I have to do," I said. "I'll just see you later, okay?"

I turned and walked away as fast as I could, not knowing where exactly I was going. I was in a daze the moment I left my friend who was staring at me in confusion. I continued to analyze what I just heard, breaking the statement down to little pieces. It just wasn't possible.

The first time I saw him, I simply knew I loved him. The moment he smiled and looked into my eyes, I simply knew he loved me. It was one of those inexplicable feelings, when time froze and the only people in the world were he and I. So I knew that sooner or later, destiny would take its course and lead him to me. Not to Jen.

My best friend was right, though. Jen could just about get whoever she wants. It's a mystery how she does it. I didn't know she would actually use her charm on the person I desperately loved.

I looked up and realized where my feet lead me. I was standing on the soft green grass of the empty park. I turned to my left where a sturdy bench shaded by the large branches of a big tree was placed and instinctively walked towards it.

As I sat down the old bench, memories began to flood my mind. I once sat here with him. This was the place where our eyes first met and everything else seemed to melt away leaving only him and me. This was where we talked for hours, two complete strangers who laughed together as if we had known each other forever. I felt the cracks of wooden bench with my hands tried to feel the place where he sat. With ME.

I was staring at the soft blades of grass trying to console my broken heart when a familiar shadow fell on the ground. My heart was beating fast because I knew who I would see when I looked up. I knew it. It was him.

"Hi," he said. "I thought I would find you here."

I stared at him for a moment without saying anything, taking pleasure in knowing the details of his lovely face, his soulful eyes, his upturned nose, his gorgeous smile.

"May I sit with you?" he asked a bit hesitant as he gestured towards the space on the bench.

I smiled a bit, then nodded a yes.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes, neither of us saying a word as if we were just enjoying the pleasure of being with each other at that very instance.

He broke his silence.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

"This is it," I thought to myself. "He's going to tell me about Jen." I wondered why he seemed nervous and a bit unsure of what he was about to say.

"We've known each other for a long time," he continued. "We've shared a lot of memories, both good and bad, and I consider you as one of my best friends."

He took a deep breath. I prepared myself for the worst.

"I was just wondering...do you think we could be MORE than friends?" He said this and looked me straight in the eyes.

I stared at him in surprise. I didn't know what to say, how to react. My face broke into a grin that turned into laughter. I laughed in utter happiness.

He looked at me in confusion and embarrassment. "Hey, look, I know I must have sounded stupid for you to start laughing like that but..."

"No, its not that," I said, shaking my head with a big grin. "Don't you get it? I'm laughing because I'm really glad you finally told me how you felt."

He sighed in utter relief.

Abruptly, my laughter stopped. "But what about Jen?"

"What about her?" he asked.

"Someone told me you just proposed to her..."

"Oh that!" It was his turn to laugh. "There's nothing to it. I was just relaying a message from a friend who liked her."

Silence.

"I've loved you since the first day I saw you," he said suddenly, his eyes turned towards the setting sun.

"I know." I said. "I know."

He turned to me and took my hand. "I promise to love you forever."

The silence took over once more as we watched the evening sky fall.

Ten years after that fateful day on the fourteenth of February, we sat on the same wooden bench under the big tree, my hand clasped in his. He kept his promise. He sealed it on the ring he placed on my finger that same day.

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