**One Love Forever**
“Hey. What are you up to? Fancy meeting? Where? At our café… Brilliant, Im already here, waiting.” Anthony slipped his phone into his pocket, still smiling.
He and Natasha had gone to school together. She was beautiful, gracefulthe girl of his dreams. He, on the other hand, was nothing specialjust a man hopelessly in love. He knew he wasnt tall or striking, but wasnt love about more than looks? If only shed give him a chance, shed see everything else he had to offer.
He followed her like a shadow. Natasha accepted his attention graciously but never returned his feelings. He watched her with one boyfriend, then another, burning with jealousy. He dated other women out of spite, but his heart never strayed from her.
“Hi!” Natasha slid into the seat across from him.
Anthony had been so lost in thought he hadnt noticed her approach.
“Hi,” he said, unable to hide the desperate joy in his voice, his eyes glued to her.
“Earth to Anthony!” Natasha laughed, bright and clear.
He looked away, his chest aching with the urge to hold her. At the next table, a man stared shamelessly at Natasha. Anthony clenched his fists, barely stopping himself from snarling, *Shes mine!* Except she never had been.
“Could you grab us some coffee?” Mischief danced in Natashas eyes.
Anthony hurried to the counter and returned with two cups and Natashas favourite cake. He stirred sugar into his coffee, focused on the swirling liquid.
“Something wrong?” Natasha studied himthe mischief gone.
“Just wanted to see you. Thats all.” He slid a fridge magnet toward her.
“Cheers!” She turned it over in her hands.
Theyd met here for yearstheir café, steeped in the scent of coffee. A decade ago, in this very spot, hed confessed his love. Natasha had called him kind but said theyd only ever be friends.
“Look aroundplenty of girls here. You could make any of them happy.”
“But not you?” Anthony asked.
“Sorry.”
Hed been so furious they nearly argued. Natasha warned him thenif he pushed, shed cut him off. Fear stopped him. Even if this was all they had, at least he could see her. Maybe one day
After that, he never spoke of his feelings again. He tried to forget herdated others, even married, thinking it would kill his love for Natasha.
Shed liked his wedding photos online, genuinely happy for him. He didnt reply. Later, he posted honeymoon shots from tropical islands, waiting for her reaction. Days passed before she liked them, commenting how lovely he and his wife lookedhow shed love to visit.
*You couldve been there with me*, hed thought bitterly.
He called, suggesting the café. Their texts resumedbirthday flowers, souvenirs from holidays abroad. She liked his posts; he mistook her enthusiasm for hope. Natasha accepted his gifts, listened to his stories, admired his tanbut whenever he tried to speak his heart, shed tuck the keepsake away, thank him, and leave.
Years slipped by. He divorcedhis wife couldnt bear children, and he longed for a family. But Natasha had her own life, no room for him. Then she married.
Agony. Jealousy. Anger. He dated recklessly, trying to erase her. Nothing worked.
One day, her social media showed a tiny handa hospital bracelet with her name, her newborn sons. He congratulated her, screaming inside. *That shouldve been my child.*
He married again. When his wife, Jess, gave him a daughterAnniehe almost believed happiness without Natasha was possible. He posted about his girls, his joy. He avoided Natashas profile.
Then, one day, he forgot his phone. Jess found old messages with Natasha. Nothing damning, but the mere existence She scrolled his comments under Natashas photos.
Jess exploded when he came home. Why save those messages? Why comment on another mans wife? *Just an old friend*, he insisted. She accused him of cheating, threatened Natashaacid, poison.
“You wont.”
“Try me.” The fury in her eyes terrified him. He promised to never contact Natasha again.
They reconciledcoldly. Even Annies laughter couldnt warm the house.
Then Natasha called.
He flew to the café. Shed changedstill beautiful, but dimmed. Her husband was cheating; she wanted a divorce. Tears glistened in her eyes.
“Your husbands a fool. What can I do? Want me to talk to him? Punch his lights out?”
She refused. Asked about him instead.
“Fine. Made another mistakeruined my life and Jesss. Nearly divorced.”
“But youve got Annie!”
“Your husband had a sondidnt stop him.” He sighed. “So many women, none got pregnant. Thought it was megot tested. Then Jess did. But I still cant forget you. Sometimes it hits me like a tidal wave. Madness.”
“What? Youre insane. I thought youd moved on. Decades, and youre still hung up? Were friends.”
“You decided that. Not me.”
“Anthony…” She covered his hand. “I shouldnt have called. Im selfish. I didnt realise I was leading you on. I should go.”
“Wait.” He gripped her hand. “You *are* selfish. You offered friendship, and I took itjust to see you. You never cared how I felt. You call when *youre* hurting. I married to spite you. Youre my obsession. Like in *Twilight*imprinted, or whatever. I know Im no Hollywood hunk. How long will you torture me?”
She stared, stunned. He stood, tossed cash on the table, and left.
He drove for hours, cursing himself, her, the world. He wanted to scream, slam the acceleratorend the ache in his chest.
*Whats so special about her? Beautiful and cold. One day, shell fadeno one left, remembering me too late. Enough.*
He ignored her posts. If she crossed his mind, he didnt engage. Eventually, he saw shed divorced.
Months later, they bumped into each other at a shop. She was with her son. Still lovelysofter, happier.
“Hi. Long time. Whereve you been?”
“Nowhere. Still at the same place. You? Not remarried?”
“God, no. Never again. Its just us nowright, love?”
“Right,” her boy chirped.
Anthony bit back the words*I still love you.* But the childs eyes silenced him.
“Need a lift?”
“Ive got my car.”
“Let me walk you, then.”
At her car, the boy clambered in. Natasha smiled. “Good seeing you.”
“You too.”
She waved, drove off.
Anthony memorised her number plate, followed at a distance. He beeped, flashed his lightschildish games until she turned into her estate. He drove on.
“Whereve you been? Shopping at the other end of town?” Jess demanded when he got home.
Hed forgotten the groceriesforgotten everything at the sight of Natasha.
“Met *her* again, didnt you? Shes free now. Want a divorce? Fine. Youre obsessed!”
It was ugly. Jess threatened to keep Annie from him. He gave her the flat, bargained for brief weekly visits. His mother piled on guilt.
One cold day, he took Annie to an indoor play centre. Natasha was there with her son.
The children played. *We look like a family. If only.* Pain crushed his chestdarkness swallowed him.
“Anthony!” Natashas voice, frantic. “Someone call an ambulance!”
*Whos hurt?* he wondered, before blacking out.
He woke on a stretcher, struggling to breathe.
“Dont worryIll take Annie home,” Natasha said. Her face blurred above him.
“Step back,” a medic ordered. The doors shut.
Natasha visited the next day.
“You scared me. Thought it was a heart attack. Thank God it wasnt.”
“Ill godont want to run into your wife. She said horrible things when I brought Annie home…”
“She wont come. Natasha… Will you visit tomorrow?”
Released a week later, they sat in the café again.
“Should you be drinking coffee?”
“One wont kill me.”
“When you collapsed… I was terrified. I remembered school, your souvenirs, our meetings… Thought I might lose you. Weve known each other so longits like a marriage without the passion. Gone, but theres… affection. Maybe thats stronger than some fleeting spark. We could try…”
“Natasha…” His voice cracked.
All those years, and it took a near-death scare for her *yes.*
The next day, he convinced her to register their marriage.
“You just divorced. Maybe we shouldnt rush?”
“No. What if you change your mind?”
The wedding was quietjust the café. The honeymoon waited. Natasha longed to see the ocean, but refused the places hed been with ex-wives. He suggested the Canarieseternal spring, black volcanic sand, exotic birds. Sometimes, yellow haze rolled insand from Africa.
When her son slept, they lay tangled, listening to the waves.
“Natasha… Im so happy.”
“Me too. All that wasted time.”
“Well make up for it. Weve got forever.”
