He couldn’t wait until it was over. The morning light drilled into his skull as he thought about the night before. How could Mason do this to Lily?

Even though the sun demolished his hung over senses, Peter got out of bed and headed out the door to get Lily her wedding morning coffee. As Peter drove, he thought of the past. Lily grew up on the same street as him- two houses down. As kids, they would play in the dirt together and walk with one another to the bus stop. As teens, Lily depended on Peter to be her guardian. He stood by as Lily got her heart broken again and again only to comfort her with a shoulder to cry on (and the occasional “message” to the boy of choice). In college, his heart broke over and over, watching Lily fall in and out of love at an alarming rate, never giving Peter a glance as anything more than a best friend. Of course Peter had his rounds with plenty of pretty girls as he grew up. First there was Savannah, who let him get to second base in the 7th grade. Then the string of pretty gals just continued: Julia, Melanie, Ruby, Linda. Each were fantastic, but none compared to Lily.

Then she met Mason. Lily’s whole world seemed to be turning upside down. She was going rock climbing, hiking, skydiving, and all sorts of other adventurous things. One day, Lily came up to Peter and asked him to meet Mason. She said, “Oh, c’mon Pete! I think he could be the one!” How could he say no?

After they met, Peter and Mason became quite close. It was no longer Mason and Lily. Now it was Peter, Mason, and Lily. Peter then flashed forward to the day that Mason told him that he was going to propose. Peter was so pleased with how excited Mason was, he exclaimed “Man! That’s so exciting!” In all honesty, Peter thought it was a terrible idea.

Peter smacked back into reality as the burly woman at the window told him to pull forward for the fifth time. He continued on his way to the church. Peter admitted that being the Man-of-Honor was not nomal under any circumstances, but he’d do anything for Lily. Once again, the images of a drunken Mason and his words flashed into his mind. He absolutely had to tell Lily, but how?

When he entered the church, Peter ran into a frantic mumbling wedding planner talking about missing centerpieces. He ignored her and continued on the way down the hall. When he saw Lily, she was glowing. Lily was sitting in a grand red chair with her legs sprawled over the side as her stomach grumbled loudly. Peter handed the coffee to her with a gracious smile. “Oh thank God! You’re here! I was worried that you decided being ‘Man-of-Honor’ was stupid!”

He laughed a jolly laugh and shook his head. Should he tell Lily now? Was it too soon? No, there are too many people around. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass Lily. He was already going to break her heart. He didn’t really want to, but it was a necessity.

As the day progressed, Peter couldn’t get the chance to pull Lily aside. The wedding plans were going on full force ahead. Flowers were being arranged in the ceremony room and updates were coming from people with cake and dresses and all sorts of other things. There was just no way to get Lily alone. Instead, he just watched as her face transformed. Slowly, her eyes got brighter and her facial features got more defined. Maybe it was the magical makeup a stranger was applying, or maybe it was just Lily’s inner happiness radiating out. Either way, she looked absolutely beautiful.

About 20 minutes later, he was stuffing himself into the tux that he feels was just a little too small for his taste. He lined up behind all the other girls in teal dresses and held on to Lily’s boquet as a group of less formal men practically carried her to the entrance of the chapel. The white dress made her skin look even more porcelain and gentle. She needed to be handled with care, and Mason was not the man to do that for her.

Peter’s need to tell someone his secret was growing stronger. He couldn’t understand why he let this ceremony go any further. He also couldn’t bear to see the pain on Lily’s face. The music began to play and he walked forward. Peter didn’t mind walking alone. It was a lot less awkward than walking with another man. What he did mind was the evil schematic look on Mason’s face at the end of the aisle. He knew Peter could never tell Lily what he heard last night and that Mason had the upper hand. Then Peter reached his marker at the end of the aisle and turned to watch Lily.

Lily was already crying. Beautiful tears were streaking down her face. The audience stood and Lily’s bright mood seemed to fill the room. Every single person began to smile, except for Mason. He wasn’t even looking at Lily. He seemed to be looking at something else, beyond her.

The first part of the ceremony went without a flaw, and Lily planned a wedding so long that Peter totally spaced out, thinking about how much their life will change. Suddenly, Peter zoned back in as the pastor said “Anybody have any problems with this holy matrimony?” Then someone spoke up. “Yes.”

Peter didn’t realize that it was his own voice. Everyone turned and stared. “Why, son?”

“Lily, I have something to tell you,” confessed Peter.

“Yes, Peter?” stated Lily, not even trying to hide the annoyance in her voice at the pause in the proceedings.

“Mason has been unfaithful. Last night he told me that he has been sleeping with Johanna for the past two months. He called it ‘trying out the field.’ I couldn’t sit by and watch you marry a man who didn’t even feel the same for you. Mason didn’t even care. He thought it was funny,” spouted out Peter.

“You’re lying,” said Lily, but Peter could tell by the look on her face that she believed him just a little. As she turned to Mason, she could tell it was the truth.

Peter just couldn’t control himself any longer. He turned to the other side of Lily and got down on one knee. “Lily, I know you’ve never seen me as anything more than a best friend, but I love you. You are beautiful. When you wake up in the morning and your hair is a mess and you’re wearing an oversized t-shirt. You’re beautiful when you just got done working out and you’re covered in sweat and you swear that you ‘stink’ but you really smell like roses. You’re intelligent. I’ve loved you every moment that you’ve helped me with math homework when we were young. You’re the light of my life. Lily, will you marry me?”

The audience stood up and clapped. As Peter stood up, he noticed that Mason was no longer in the church. Lily had tears rolling down her face. Suddenly, Peter felt the urge to turn around and leave. As he was walking back down the aisle, he heard a soft “yes.” Then he turned around to look at his beautiful bride.