“You know I wish it was you.”

Her best friend, Mark Hansond, was standing staring at her. Katie Gigian was wearing her wedding dress, on her wedding day. She was staring at the man she truly loved, and about to walk down the aisle to a man who she only loved as a brother. She would never love her husband the way she loved Mark. But she knew things had to be this way.

2 years ago, Katie had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Mark what he thought about marriage and having a family. He said he never wanted anything to do with that. Her fallen expression was hard to hide, and he looked at her and said, you want that don’t you. She could only nod, and his face fell as well. They laid there thinking about it for a long while. Eventually, he told her she had to go find someone who would love her and give her those things. So after years and years together, she wakled out that door and walked into her fiancee Jason. She had never even liked him, but had learned to love him. Jason gave her everything she had ever wanted. Everything except the love she had shared with Mark.

She was weeping over the lose of a love like that. She had wished Mark would have changed his mind, but he wouldn’t budge. He wanted to be alone til death. No do us part. So she hugged Mark, and kissed him. And walked out the door to her soon t be husband, whom she knew she could never tell the truth about Mark. It was one secret she couldn’t share. She would always love Mark, and she knew it.

3 years later, Katie was being rolled out of a hospital with a beautiful daughter in her arms. She had asked Jason to go back and get the bag she forgot on purpose because she wished to talk to Mark.

“She beautiful’ he said. She just looked at him and tried to understand. “I wish she was your daughter Mark.” He looked Katie full in the eye.” I thought you said you wanted a marriage and a family.” “Yeah Mark, I did. With you, But now I have all those things, and I hate my life. Im in a loveless marriage, in love with the one man I cant have, and have a husband who loves me and who I’ve kept a secret from for 5 years!.. I never wanted any of this. I wanted a love like we have. And you refused to give it too me. So ehre I am. A new mother, and as sad as ever. I wish I was in your bed at night, and you woke me up with a good morning I love you. Not Jason. I wish he was the best friend running back to get my bag. I wish you two could switch, but that my feelings wouldn’t. I wanted to marry you, I wanted to have children with you, with you Mark. And you never opened your eyes enough to see that.”

Jason now came running down the sidewalk, and Katie put on a face of pure joy, and masked the tears that she only let fall in the shower. She kissed him, and another piece of Mark died. He wished he hadn’t been so stupid all those years ago. He wanted this now. But he didn’t want it with anyone but Katie.

He watched their car pull away and sat on the curb. And he finally let the tears fall.