Say I do

She looked into his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. She just had this one moment left to tell him how she really felt before they would all go their separate ways. "Ben, there is something I need to tell you." Lia told her best friend before he could disappear into the crowd of teenagers having the last night of their lives as high school seniors. He looked down at her with those hazel eyes of his in his six foot tall stature and smiled. "Yeah?" He asked glancing back at the group crowding on his family's backyard dance floor. It was obvious that he wanted so bad to get back to the party. She glanced around him and then back at him. It had been almost a decade that she had been harboring feelings for him. Lia bit her lips and breathed heavily, if she did not tell him something soon, the next chance that she would have would be next to never. "Hey Ben!" A voice shouted over to them. They both glanced over to find a mutual friend grabbing Ben with her towards the homemade dance floor. "Let's dance!" She told him as she was already grabbing him away from Lia. He looked at her and she waved him away, "Go! Go dance, I can tell you later." She told him as he smiled apologetically at her. She smiled back at him and watched him walk away with a sigh. The love of her life and some faceless friend were dancing on the dance floor as she was watching them. Eventually, hopefully, one day that would be her and Ben dancing, on the dance floor, perhaps in her wedding dress, her as the bride. "Sooo...why do you look like someone ran over your puppy?" A voice boomed from behind Lia. She rolled her eyes and then turned around to face the person who owned the aggravating voice. "What do you want?" She asked the even taller giant. Standing at six foot four making her decent height of five foot four look like she was on the shorter side. For some weird reason unknown, she just could not seem to stand the way that he looked, even if every girl seemed to throw themselves at him where ever he went, which she had to think had everything to do with his height and the fact that the gym agreed with him too much. He already had a beer in hand and then took a sip out of the long neck of the bottle. "Wondering why you have that sad depressing look on your face." He smirked at her then pointed the bottom of his beer towards the dance floor. "Did you miss the chance to tell my brother how much that you are in love with him?" He asked. Lia made a face at him. "Would you mind your own business you inconsiderate-mad-hunky-dirt-I do not like you, you know that?" She told him. He raised an eyebrow at her and then put his empty bottle of beer on the table that was next to them. "Just shut up and dance with me." He said to her as he was already grabbing her arm towards the floor. Lia tried her best to pull away from him but the giant was way too strong for her and twice the size. He literally dragged her to the floor and she had no choice but to just go along with him. They danced to some song that she could not even register as Ben looked to them and smiled. They danced without touching and Lia was all too fine with that. She did not need to touch her best friend's brother. All she wanted was to have the night over and be able to confess her feelings to Ben before they all separated. Suddenly the music slowed down and a few people left the dance floor. Those who were dancing with friends left while those who were dancing as a couple stayed behind. Lia looked to who the DJ was and saw that it was another one of their mutual friends. He threw his hands up towards them and winked. "God." She whispered to him and felt him grab her closer in for a more intimate dance position. They danced slowly and she refused to look at him, instead looking for Ben in the small groups of couples dancing to the slow song. "So what is next?" She heard him ask. "We are all heading to separate schools, there's really nothing else to do. We can not be together anymore." She told him feeling the sadness creep into her heart. Ben and her had been bestfriends since elementary when her family had moved in down the street from the Kellars. Being the new girl, she had befriended the brothers, more like Ben, when she had a hard time making friends. He was an outgoing, happy-go-lucky guy who you could befriend almost naturally. There was not many that disliked Ben. There was many that did like him, especially Lia. She could say that she loved him. Unlike his brother, Jonny was the one that she could barely stand. He always had something to say to her and he was well liked as well but in a different light than his younger brother. He was known to be more of a ladies guy, had decent enough grades that he barely passed class. There was many times that Lia had tutored him even though she was three years younger than he was.  He was more into sports and social functions where as Ben was more indoors and excelled in video games or knowledge, but he was not as bright as Lia was. Maybe that was why she had the big crush on Ben. He was more down to earth and attainable. Jonny was way out of her league and he was the black sheep of the family. "Let me go." She whispered into his chest as they stood inches apart. She could smell his deodorant and the slight hint of beer on his breath when he spoked to her. He did not reply to her but she knew that he heard her. They danced until the music stopped playing and the night was almost over. In a few more hours, they would all leave and the last hours of their highschool careers would come to an end. Lia watched as the night became twelve and she was helping the Kellars clean, knowing that her chance to tell Ben about her feelings had passed. She missed her chance at telling him how she really felt. "Bye Ben." She whispered as she stared into the moon as she picked up a piece of trash and put it into the trash bag that was in her hand. Six Years Later Lia looked at the letter that was addressed to her and then let it drop to the floor as she froze in shock after reading the contents. No. Ben was getting married. He was getting married in three weeks and he had invited her to their wedding. She looked at the photo that came with the inivitation of the couple. It really was Ben in a loving embrace with a girl that she did not believe he would marry. Why was it that she was only learning of them getting married now when she had last spoke to Ben a month ago. Before she could gather her thoughts and let the idea register in her head, her cell started to ring. Ben was getting hitched. What the Freak! Without looking at the caller ID, she answered with a weak, Hello? "Lia did you get the invitation?!" Lia heard her mother literally scream into the headset. She had to pull the phone away from her ear and winced at her mother's screeching tone. "Yes mom." She answered automatically. Her mother did a little screech once again before she could calm herself down. "Benny is getting married, can you believe it?" She started to go off once again then hushed down. "Who is the girl?" Her mother asked her as she looked at the photo. Lia had to look long and hard at the photo before answering her mom. "I honestly do not know, but if it is the same girl I am thinking about, I met her once a few months ago when I had lunch with Ben. Is he really getting married?" She asked feeling her throat tighten and stomach clench at the thought. Her feelings for Ben never really went away and she felt that she still and will have a crush on him. "Of course, Mrs. Kellar is having a blast talking about her baby boy getting married. She is going crazy having to plan everything last minute before she asked me to help her. Have you called Benny yet?" She asked Lia. Lia only shook her head and answered with a, "No." An hour later, finally letting go of her mom, she decided it was best to call Ben and asked him the questions. On the fourth ring, he answered. "Hey Ben, so when were you going to tell your bestfriend that you were engaged let alone getting married soon?" Lia feigned hurt in her voice but could not hide the real hurt that was brewing in her feelings. He laughed over the line, a deep rumble in his tone as he spoke to her. No longer was there a trace of the young teenager that Lia had known and remembered. What took place was a handsome man that was now eventually getting married. "Lia, I was about to call you. Yeah, I am getting married to Felicity. It was a kind of the spur of the moment. You remember her right, that one time?" He asked. Lia nodded as if he could see her but then answered. "Yeah, but I did not think you would get married so soon or to her. I mean, how long have you both been dating?" He told her that it did not matter, they were in love. "Hey Lia, so I would be honored if you were to be one of the bridesmaid. Will you please, I cannot have a wedding and have my bestfriend missing out on the action." He pleaded with her. After begging relentlessly from her, Lia could not say no. She finally agreed to help out with the wedding. She then went online to book a flight for home in the next week. She also sent her good friend and roommate a text that she was leaving town for Ben's wedding. No sooner did she send the message when Tiffany called her back. "Is this the Ben that you are so in love with getting married here?" She asked her friend. Lia sighed, not sure if she regretted telling Tiffany a while back, in a drunken stupor that she was still totally in love with her childhood crush. "Yes, that same Ben." There was a silence on the other line and she was not sure if her friend was going to answer but then she said, "So...how do you feel?" She had to think about her feelings and she wasn't sure that she had an answer to the question. It was true that she felt like utter poop and her heart was abanging inside its cage. There was nothing that she could do, the extra weight that she had lost in highschool, the magazines that she literally studied to make her more pretty, and her going to college to better her background so that some day she could muster up the courage to tell Ben that she loved him ever since they were children. It felt that all was for naught. "He asked me to be one of the bridesmaids." Lia told Tiffany who laughed so hard that it did not help her case. "Oh my gosh, and did you accept?" She asked her laughter still in her tone. TIffany was not exactly very empathetic towards people and that may be why they were friends. She did not have to wonder if she had some ulterior motive because Tiff told you exactly what she thought even if it might offend that person. Maybe that was why the two girl's social circle was tight and small. "If I were in your shoes, to help myself move on, I would tell him. If this marriage was going to work then your confession would not affect their relationship, but if it was not going to last, at least then you broke them up before they tied the knot. Saving them from a lot of heartbreak and wasted time. Plus, I'm slightly annoyed that you are hung up on him. It has been over a decade, either tell him or move on. You're not getting any younger and sweetheart, your girl parts are not getting any more perky." Tiff told her flat out. Lia could almost say that her feelings were hurt but it was the truth in some ways. "Would you come with me? My mom surprisingly misses you." She asked her friend. In all honesty she wanted someone there to comfort her when she either got rejected or got the best news in her life. There was a silent tone again before Tiff answered, "Get hammered, possibly laid, and crash your best friend's wedding. Count me in." She replied before she could hear from the background as she spoke to her manager. Hey, I am leaving the state soon. I will let you know when I get back. Deuces. Lia cringed into the phone wondering how her friend has not been fired yet but smiled. Leave it to her narcissistic emotionless friend to accompany her back home. She was just afraid that she was going to have the heartbreak of her life as she added another ticket to her flight. Ben Kellar and Felicity's wedding here they come.