He managed to get his hands on that journal of hers, the one she gave to him for safe keeping when she thought her parents would find it.

She forgot to ask for it back before the accident happened. And now it was too late and she was gone.

The tears trickled down his cheeks as he read each and every page of her diary. He could hear her voice read aloud the words inscribed on each page.

She had mentioned him all the time. She would call him her best friend, and would write about the random adventures they went on, from the walks around the park to the day they ditched class and went on a road trip.

His fingers came upon the last page she wrote. Instead of it being a typical diary entry it was a letter… a letter to him.

He imagined the ink tracing her face and figure as he spoke the words into existence, “Dear Aaron,

I don’t expect you to read this anytime soon. Especially after you told me that you had feelings for Isabel, and I wouldn’t want to ruin what we already have for the sake of pursuing something that will never be.

Remember when we tried those pumpkin spice lattes as we walked around the park days before Halloween? And we laughed about nonsense, moments from our past, and the jokes in between? I can recall looking up at you, feeling the words form from my lips, and I said ‘I love you.’ Do you remember that? Well you took it as an expression of platonic love, but really, that’s not what I meant.

I wish I could’ve told you sooner, before everything, before you met her, those words… ‘I love you.’

I love you more than a friend. More than a brother. I love you more than you will ever know, not just platonically, but romantically.

But I know you don’t feel the same way.

So I brush these feelings aside and hope that someday, you will love me too.”

He stopped and realized how he had lied to her about liking Isabel out of fear that his love for his best friend was unrequited.