Solemn

She had been in his life as long as he could remember. She had lived next door since she was born. He couldn't remember this as he was in diapers, but his mother always said he looked thunderstruck from the moment he had lain eyes on her.
Even as a child, he knew she was important to his life. He played with her every day. He endured the tea parties, and dress up, because it was what she wanted to do. Luckily for him, she liked exploring and sports as well.
He remembered standing up for her in the play ground when the mean girls picked on her. She was so mad at him that she ignored him for a month. He could still remember that month. That horrible feeling of not being around her.
As they grew older, they went to different schools. She went to an all-girls school, while he "enjoyed" the public school system. But every day after school, they would spend hours talking and laughing.
The last fight they had was what ended all of it. She was dating this really bad guy, but she couldn't see it. One night, he happened to be outside when the guy dropped her off. Being the jerk he was, the jerk started getting too fresh with her. He stayed out of it until he heard her cry out in pain. He didn't remember anything else until the police showed up. He had put the jerk in a coma, and was going to jail. The look of hurt and betrayal tore his heart out. In protecting her, he hurt her more.
The charges were dropped, the jerk awoke and refused to press them, he was never sure why. But it was off to military school for him. Two years he struggled there, achieving high marks and rank advancement. But he never forgot the pain he had caused. No good grade could make up for the hurt he caused.
Right before he graduated, his mother sent him a letter saying her family was moving, and they didn't want him to know where. Crushed, with no reason to go home, he joined the military. He went for special ops, the most dangerous missions. He felt no need to live.
Two tours he served, fighting in the heaviest of battles, earning medal upon medal. He knew that this was his destiny, and then his father passed away.
The funeral was small and quiet, the way his father wanted. He stood at the grave site, after everyone had left, to say his final goodbyes. He heard a throat clear and turned to find an older version, a more mature beautiful version, of her standing there.
She paid her respects, conveyed her condolences, all the while he stood there mute. She started talking about herself, apologizing for that night. She talked about missing him, soul-searching for a way to write a letter to him explaining her feelings for him. But she never could find the fight words. Then her parents, fearing that she was becoming obsessed, moved. She had no choice but to go.
He was utterly amazed. Here was this beautiful woman telling him that she had feelings for him and had missed him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was dumbstruck.
As he opened his mouth to tell her all of these feelings he had inside, she dropped the bomb shell on him. She was getting married.
He went cold inside, shocked. In one brief moment, his wishes had been granted only to leave his dreams destroyed.

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