Rafe sees the post by accident—your hand, adorned with a ring that glints too perfectly in the sunlight, a smile shining even brighter. And the caption: Forever. He studies your fiancé. He’s tall, his head is covered in perfectly brushed waves, each strand catching the light in a way that highlights the effortless charm he exudes. Freckles dot his cheeks, giving him a boyish charm that complements his sophisticated demeanor. But it’s his eyes that draw the most attention—bright green and filled with warmth, they seem to sparkle with genuine affection every time he looks at you, making it easy to see why you chose him, makes it harder to hate him when he realizes why you seem so utterly happy standing by his side.
You’ve let yourself fall fully in love again, and it shows. Your Instagram paints a picture of quiet joy, shots of you laughing with the guy who looks at you as if you were his entire life—your head leaning on his shoulder, his lips pressing a kiss on your forehead. Every photo radiates a contentment that is undeniable, telling him that you have finally found a place to rest your heart.
It hits Rafe like cold water, his chest tight, as if he could feel the pull from miles away. He stares at your photos longer than he should, letting his mind wander back to the days when you once looked at him that way. He thought he’d left you behind, made peace with it, but now all those careful walls he built come tumbling down. He misses you. Desperately, even in that bittersweet way that’s tinged with regret and love that never quite faded. But he can’t reach out. He shouldn’t. You’ve moved on, just as he thought he had.
He breathes out, quiet. You are happy. And that has to be enough.
The light is golden, spilling through the stained glass like a benediction, casting a soft glow over the congregation as you stand at the altar, heart racing. Nicholas’ hand is steady in yours, his grip warm and grounding. Your eyes glance at the familiar faces of your loved ones gathered in the pews. Each smile reflects the joy of this moment, and you can see your family beaming with pride, their eyes glistening with tears of happiness. Your closest friends, Sarah and Topper, who have supported you through every twist and turn, sit together, their smiles bubbling over as they exchange knowing glances. You smile, realizing just how right this feels.
As you stand at the altar, you find yourself captivated by the depth of Nicholas' eyes, a mesmerizing green that seems to hold the promise of your future, and for some reason you find yourself searching for a hint of blue on them. They sparkle with a mix of joy and determination, radiating warmth that grounds you in this sacred moment. Every sound around you fades into a soft blur, leaving only the rhythm of your heartbeat and the gentle whispers of your vows. Face to face, your fingers intertwined, as you finally hear the words you have been waiting your whole life for.
“I do”. He says, pulling you back to reality, and you can hear the love in his voice, his commitment echoing through the intimate space.
“Y/N, do you take Nicholas to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love and cherish him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you both shall live?”. The words of the officiant echo in the church as they wait for your response, and your soon-to-be husband squeezes your hands nervously.
“I do”. You say, feeling the ring slip on your finger and a wide smile spreads on Nicholas’ face as he steps forward urgently to kiss you, both of you closing your eyes to seal the promise to build a happy life together as the crowd bursts into happy cheers and applause. This is it, maybe this is how it's meant to be you think, maybe it's time to stop searching for a glimpse of Rafe in other people and focus on your new life, you say to yourself as you get lost in Nicholas’ lips.
Rafe leans against a tree outside the churchyard, half-hidden among the leaves and shadows as the bells ring their triumphant chorus. He knows he shouldn’t be here. He’d convinced himself he’d moved on. But when Sarah had mentioned where the wedding would take place, he couldn’t shake the curiosity—or maybe the aching need—to see you, just this once, stepping into the future you’d once talked about, now with someone else.
Through the open doors of the church, he can see glimpses: the sweep of your white dress, your smile so wide it lights up the space around you. His heart clenches. You look every bit as beautiful as he remembered, even more so, with a happiness that radiates from you in a way he’s never seen before. You don't look back, don't glance toward the doors, and that hits him harder than he’d expected, the bells mock him as he thinks for a moment to burst into the church and tell you how much he loved you and loves you, he thinks about how he would tell you to run away from there together, and how he wishes you would say yes; and still with that urge he does nothing, too mesmerized to move a finger.
Rafe feels the pang of all you might have been. But he’d missed his chance, let you slip through his fingers, and you’d moved on, carving out your own path without looking back. His chest tightens as he realizes that maybe this was what you were always meant for—a love that wasn’t stained with regrets or almosts, with someone who could be everything for you, and you can be everything to that someone.
But still, he stays, watching as you take Nicholas' hand. He knows his name now, thanks to Whezzie, both smiles bright, so full of love and peace. This is what you need, he thinks. You are where you belong, finding a happiness that could sustain you—a happiness he knows, deep down, he could never have offered. His heart aches, but he wants this for you. He wants you to have this piece of forever, even if it means you’d have it with someone else. He swallows hard, feeling that familiar ache, that longing he’s carried for so long, but as Nicholas slips the ring on your hand, he finally feels a sense of closure. He allows himself one last look, whispers a silent goodbye that tastes like bittersweet relief, then turns and walks away as you kiss your now husband.
The world has turned, seasons became years, and now, in this sunlit beach, they find themselves on opposite sides, each surrounded by children’s laughter and the warmth of families reunited on a perfect Sunday. Y/N sits on a blanket watching her husband playing with their child and Rafe walks behind his daughter, watching her as his wife is buying ice cream.
Fate is whimsical, so it makes their eyes meet across the distance. For a moment, the world seems to stop. They freeze there, both hearts racing and time held in a shared silence that speaks volumes. She hasn’t seen him in years, yet he looks much the same—a little older, perhaps, his features softened by time and life, and in that brief exchange, they both see the echoes of everything they had once shared, the moments that had shaped them, even if they now feel like a different lifetime.
Time has softened the edges. There’s a quiet acknowledgement, a knowing smile, as though each of them holds the memory of what they once were like a folded letter in the corner of their heart. They were each other’s first, that kind of raw, intense love that once felt like it could swallow the world whole. Now, it’s a memory laced with nostalgia and a gentle, lingering ache, Rafe wonders if she ever thinks about him as he does sometimes, and Y/N wonders what would have happened if she ever answered his phone calls.
For a moment, they want to reach out, to speak, to ask how they have been. But they don’t. There’s no need. Their lives have become exactly what they were meant to be, or that's what they convince themselves. But in this silent moment, there’s a glance that speaks of all that was and all that still lingers, retracting their happiness for a second, feeling after years a glimpse of love for each other.
Heaven knows that it is enough for the two of them to have a closure, and so it sends her children calling her name, and his daughter tugging his hand, drawing them back to the lives they had chosen. They turned away with a last smile, just like that, back to their families. They move forward, each wrapped in a quiet acceptance that they had found joy, a different joy, in different places. And this is how it ends: a love lost but kept in that corner of the heart where they keep the things that were once their dreams.
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