John sat for a long time, staring at his phone. He’d been putting this off for ages. Finally, taking a deep breath, he tapped the call button. One ring, then another… *No, I can’t do this.* He cursed himself for his cowardice and almost hung up—until Mike’s voice crackled through the line.
“Hey, you old rogue! Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Hi. Just… busy with things.”
“Everything alright? Need help?” Mike replied instantly.
“No, all good. How’s life your end?”
“Can’t complain. Though Emma’s been a handful. Fallen head over heels, believe it or not. One minute she’s sobbing, the next she’s dancing. Won’t leave the house, then stays out till all hours. And the worst part? Clam tight as a clam. Still single yourself?”
John swallowed hard, as if standing on the edge of a ten-meter diving board. Here it was—the slippery question.
“No. But I’m about to be,” he said, his voice suddenly hoarse.
“What, finally found the one who tamed the bachelor? About time, mate. Don’t you dare skip inviting us. I’ll never forgive you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Wouldn’t be right without you.”
“Not planning to visit, then?”
John had been dreading this. No turning back now.
“Well… I’m actually here. Already.”
“*What?* And you’re only telling me now? Staying in a hotel? Sarah will murder you. When are you coming over?”
“Hold up, slow down—I can’t answer all that at once,” John laughed. “I’ll drop by sometime.”
Truth was, he’d been back for six months. But Mike didn’t need to know that. There’d been the flat to buy, furniture to sort, sorting his job, and his dad falling ill. And, most of all, Emma was the reason he hadn’t shown his face sooner.
“‘Sometime’ my foot. I know you. Come now,” Mike insisted.
“Too late tonight. Tomorrow,” John promised.
“Better not bail. Sarah will be chuffed.”
There. First step taken. If only Mike knew the bombshell he’d dropped on him and Sarah, he wouldn’t be so cheerful. Emma would be proud of him. Meanwhile, he was acting like some cowardly teen scared to meet his girlfriend’s parents. *”But Emma’s kept her cool. Blows my mind—I held her as a newborn, and now I want to marry her.”*
But let’s start from the beginning…
***
They’d been mates since uni—Mike, John, and Sarah. Both boys had fallen for the clever, striking girl. Plenty fancied her, but none stood a chance against Mike and John. They’d quarreled over her, neither willing to back down. If Sarah guessed at the storm raging in their hearts, she never let on, treating them both the same, never playing favorites.
Things nearly came to blows. Eventually, they struck a deal: if she picked one of them—or someone else entirely—the other would step aside. Still, each fought to win her attention. But Sarah stayed neutral. All they could do was wait.
Then, in their third year, Sarah suddenly warmed to John. He swelled with pride. Mike, crushed by love and disappointment, stuck to their pact. He withdrew so completely he stopped attending lectures just to avoid seeing them together.
John bought a bottle of Scotch and went to Mike’s. They drank and talked all evening. By the end, John realized he didn’t love Sarah the way Mike did. His mate truly couldn’t live without her.
His solution was simple: he pretended to fall for another girl. Sarah, of course, was furious—accusing him of betrayal, sobbing, shouting. Just as John had hoped, she found solace with Mike.
And Mike loved her so completely that soon Sarah’s feelings became just as real. John *did* ache with jealousy—love doesn’t vanish overnight—but he knew Sarah would be happier with Mike. He never regretted it. Neither Mike nor Sarah ever guessed the part he’d played in their happiness.
They married right after graduation. John was best man. Nine months later, Sarah had a daughter. Both friends arrived at the hospital, grinning, flowers in hand. The midwife hesitated—who was the father?—until Mike stepped forward, cradled his daughter, then handed her to John.
“Here, take her. I’m shaking too much,” he whispered.
John peered into the bundle. Among the lace lay a tiny miracle—rosebud lips, a button nose, velvety cheeks. His heart clenched with such warmth that tears pricked his eyes. *”She could’ve been mine.”*
Days later, John vanished—first to Bristol, then up north. He visited on leave. Emma grew into Sarah’s mirror image, a slender, striking girl. He envied his friends their happiness. As for him? He never found *the one*. There were women, but none led to marriage.
***
Emma had always been special to him. Maybe because of that moment in the hospital, his heart swelling at the sight of her. Returning this time, he was stunned—she was a woman now, so like the Sarah he’d once loved. She didn’t rush to hug him as before. Her shyness, he assumed, was just part of growing up.
The holiday ended too soon. With his parents aging, John considered moving back for good. They said goodbye at home—he had an early train to London, then a flight to Edinburgh.
The carriage was near empty. John settled by the window, eyes shut, hoping to doze. Then he felt someone sit opposite. A gaze prickled his skin. He opened his eyes—and there was Emma. Sleep fled in an instant.
“What are you doing here?”
“Seeing you off.” Her voice was steady. “I know you don’t take me seriously, but I need to say it… I love you.” Just like that.
“I love you too. From the moment I saw you. As my daughter. My friends’ child,” he said carefully. “Your parents don’t know you’re here, do they? I can’t take you back—I’ll miss my flight. Get off at the next stop.”
“I knew you’d say that.” She wasn’t upset. Before him sat not a girl, but a woman who knew exactly what she was doing. She spoke of her love so fiercely he couldn’t brush her off.
“I’ve known your parents forever. I loved your mum. You know that. I’m thirty-seven. What happens if I say yes? By the time you’re my age, I’ll be an old man. You’ll resent me. People will pity you. Men will flock to you. And one day, you’ll take a younger lover—”
“You’re overthinking,” she cut in, switching to *you*. “What if I don’t live to see you old? Life’s unpredictable. Either way, I’ll break your heart. Why not be happy until then?”
Damn, she’d done her homework. John floundered.
“We could just talk. Call, message. I’ve got school, then uni. Don’t expect me to fall for some silly boy and forget you.”
“What if *I* meet someone and marry?”
“Unlikely. You just said you love me.” The train slowed. She kissed him—properly.
Then she was gone. John pressed to the window, but the platform was empty. Had he dreamed her? Yet his lips still tingled.
He wished she’d screamed or cried. Was this love or a grand provocation? Did he have the right to ruin her life? But time would fix it. She’d see he was right, fall for someone her age, and all would be well.
She called as he queued to board. Chattered sweet nonsense. And suddenly, he knew: no woman had ever touched him like this.
She rang almost daily. If she didn’t, he fretted, missing her voice. She wrote gorgeous emails. He replied carefully—her parents might read them.
Sometimes they Skyped. Twirling before the screen before prom, asking his opinion on her dress. So young. So breathtaking.
He begged her to forget him, lied about meeting someone. She went silent. Relief warred with longing. Then she called again—said she hadn’t believed him—and it all spiraled once more.
His father fell ill. John moved home for good, took him to London for heart surgery, bought a flat near his parents’. He didn’t tell Mike or Sarah he was back. Because of Emma.
He avoided places she might be—until they collided by chance. Then he knew: he’d missed her desperately. They met, chastely—though it nearly killed him. He made her promise he’d tell her parents himself.
Now the moment had come. John bought expensive wine, roses for Sarah, violets for Emma—her favorite. The reunion was warm. Mike had thickened, grown a paunch, lost some hair. Sarah remarked how young John still looked.
They reminisced, shared news. Emma sat quietly, stealing soft glances atAnd as John watched Emma cradle their newborn son, surrounded by the family he’d once sacrificed his own happiness for, he knew—sometimes love arrives not when we plan it, but exactly when we’re meant to live it, binding their lives together in a way no one could have foreseen.
