Olivia and Victor had been courting for a year and a half when Victor finally slipped a ring onto her finger.
Without a flicker of doubt Olivia said yes, and the whirlwind of wedding plans began.
My best mate from school, Pete, will stand with me, Victor declared, confidence dripping from his voice, and who will you ask to be your maid of honour? Something prettier, at leastPete cant stand a plainJane.
Olivias humor, dry as a winters night, met his teasing headon: What if I asked Jeremy to be my maid of honour?
Victor choked on his tea and stared at her, eyebrows raised. Youve gone mad, havent you? A bloke as a maid of honour?
Jeremys my oldest friend; I dont need any girlfriends, she shot back, defiant.
For Victor, Jeremy was a red rag to a bull. He cant even find a female friend. Hes glued to that Jeremyshopping together, studying together, everywhere.
Jeremy and Olivia really did chat often. Theyd met on their first day of university, but Olivia had never seen any romantic spark in Jeremy. He always told her plainly that she was just a friend.
Still, the whole circle kept joking, Olivia and Jeremy are the best of friends.
And the moment Olivia introduced Jeremy to Victor, Victors dislike for the boy sparked instantly. Jeremy always behaved courteously toward Victor, never showing hostility, whereas Victor could be blunt and bitter. Olivia often had to pull Victor back from the brink of rudeness, yet she loved him immeasurably and forgave every outburst.
During the wedding preparations Jeremy was a constant shadow beside Olivia. He helped pick her bouquet, rode to the dressmaker for fittings.
Why cant the groom see the dress early? He should be allowed to, she laughed later with her girlfriends.
In the end Olivia chose Anne, a fellow freshman, to be her maid of honour. Anne, however, was caring for a sick mother and could not lend a hand with the planning. The two girls would sit for hours, gossiping about everything, but Anne never found the time to accompany Olivia.
With only a week left, a stormwinded Victor announced to Olivia that he had found a new love and the wedding was off.
Olivia tried to reason with him, pleading, Everythings already arranged, the invitations have gone out.
How will I face my family now? she sobbed. Victor, unmoved, wished her happiness and blocked her number.
All day Olivia wept on Jeremys shoulder. How could he do this? What am I to do now? she choked out. Jeremy stroked her hair, held her close, and whispered, I have an idea.
Ill be your groom, he said, smiling. Olivia, startled, stopped crying and stared at him. You? she asked, disbelief lining her voice. But were just friends.
Exactly. Im your heartfriend; Ill never hurt you. With me youll have a wall of stone around you, Jeremy promised, adding, And when Victor hears, his jealousy will kill him.
What about the registry? The ceremony is in five days, Olivia queried.
Dont worry, Ill sort it. My mothers friend works at the registry office, Jeremy replied.
The wedding unfolded perfectly, just as Olivia had imagined. The only oddity was guests repeatedly calling Jeremy Victor, to which he laughed kindly and corrected them. The first night together never materialised; Jeremy was gentle, and Olivia could not even imagine intimacy between them.
Ill manage, he thought, cradling his sleeping wife.
Twenty years later Jeremy sat on the back porch of their cottage, sipping tea at sunrise, watching the garden. In one corner the peonies Olivia had planted burst in colour. In another, the apple tree Jeremy had grafted years ago bore fresh blossoms, while distant birds sang under a warm summer sun.
Inside, the house stirred. Olivia was doing yoga in the bedroom to a soft melody. Their fifteenyearold daughter Lily turned the radio back on, humming along in the bathroom. Their nineteenyearold son Charlie stepped onto the porch and joined his father for breakfast.
You look gloomy, dad. You never get up before eleven on a weekend, Charlie teased.
Just a bit sleepless, son, Jeremy replied. Ive got a problem. Theres a girl in my class Im smitten with, but she says we can only be friends. What do I do? Is it true that nothing will ever work out?
Its not true, lad. Theres another way. Let me tell you about my secret methodits called the heartfriend. Once, back at university, I was hopelessly in love with a girl
