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It’s not something you hid; not intentionally, at least. The small, golden diamond on your left ankle was something easily covered by pants - something you wore on a daily basis - or the boots you wore while riding horseback on the ranch. But they never hid it: that small, golden diamond on their left ankle.
They loved wearing shorts with flip flops. They felt constricted in jeans and over heated if they wore boots. You’ve known this about them your whole life because their parents were best friends with yours, but the two of you were never close.
Your parents used to joke about the two of you fighting like an old married couple when you two were younger. You both would simply roll your eyes because it got tiring having the same argument over and over again. The worst of it was when your parents discovered the matching marks and you were absolutely terrified they would tell their friends and then ‘they’ would find out. But nothing happened.
In high school, you met your best friend; the other piece of your heart that had been missing. They understood you on a different level than anyone else. In a sense, they were your soulmate. You two did everything together. And the best part: you both loved horses. It was more than you ever thought you wanted. But things didn’t stay that way.
In college, your best friend and your real soulmate started dating. You never expected it to last as long as it did. And then the engagement happened. And then the wedding planning took place. And, now, you were forced to watch as your best friend - the one you wanted to be your soulmate - and your soulmate tie the knot.
That dreaded question came and went; the one where the officiant states: “If anyone can
show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” Legally, as the true soulmate to one of the participants, you had every right to object to the wedding. But you didn’t want 'them’.
You wanted her.
You wanted the one who knew what you were going to say before you even thought it. The one who called every morning and night when they were away just because they hated being so far away from you. You wanted the one who felt comfortable enough around you to sit in silence for hours (those were your favorite moments). You wanted the one who made sure that you ate and slept when you were sick with the flu and who took care of your horse when you had to go to a family gathering across country for a week.
She was everything to you.
But you didn’t use the legality clause to stop the wedding because you didn’t want the girl who never understood you. You didn’t want 'them’.
No; you let the ceremony take place without a hitch because the girl you are in love with was in love with someone else. And, when all was said and done, you knew you had made the right choice.
“She looks so happy,” you thought as the two brides danced their first dance together.
That had always been what you wanted: her happiness.