Dear Jerome (Merome) (Dear Mitch)

8th November 2027

Dear Jerome,

Vikk and Hailey had their wedding yesterday, and I saw you there.

Vikk had his Sidemen as his best men, so that meant we were in the crowd. I was in the back, invisible to most, and especially you. You were within my sight though, and it kinda poked needles into my heart to watch you there, sitting with Louise as she rested her head on your shoulder.

Once upon a time, I did that as well.

Once upon a time, we were next to each other at the weddings, the soft, proud smiles firmly placed as our friends got married.

Once upon a time, I thought there may just be a chance of it being us up there.

How the times change.

He looked stunning in his white suit, and Hailey in her pale cream dress. She had Ashley as a bridesmaid - who knew they even talked to each other? - as well as a few others.

The whole Pack was there, and after the ceremony, Preston and I went up to Lachlan and joked that Vikklan was truly over now. Lachlan replied by saying a ring doesn't mean that love can't still exist.

So relevant to me.

I don't know exactly where you went, though. I caught glimpses of you at times, but they faded as quick as they came, and I was left wondering if I had simply imagined it.

Since I was sharing a hotel room with Preston, I stayed until he left, a slightly less bouncy ball of energy. He spent a solid amount of time congratulating the happy couple, but when he came to me after two am, all he had in his eyes for me was sadness.

I didn't even hear it from you. I had to hear from him. Hear that yet again, my heart and dreams were shattered as another pregnancy was added to what had happened in your life.

Before your marriage, I hated feeling like some sidelined, unimportant factor in your life, and it has never gone away. I get that you want to distance yourself because of our - no, my mistake, but please, could you not have the decency to at least tell me there's another child with your DNA on the way?

Or don't, that works too.

As you can hopefully tell, I'm feeling saltier than the Dead Sea.

It's eight am, I'm kinda hungover and really tired, what else can I say?

There's a moment there though, where I'm pretty sure your eyes met mine. They flickered in something, but you turned and disappeared before I could really tell.

Something that turned into a reoccuring pattern throughout the night.

You appear, then disappear almost immediately. It's like dealing with a ghost or something just as stupid, to be honest. You'll haunt my dreams and turn them to nightmares, but I never actually see you.

On a completely different note, I'm pretty sure that Preston has a girlfriend. He won't say anything, but he spends all his time holed up in his room, and just kinda spends time hunched over his phone.

Then again, it could just be Rob-a-Dob-Flob. Who knows?

Not me, that's for certain.

It's a strange feeling knowing that they could've all moved on their lives, and I'm still here, seven years later but still pining for you. You, meanwhile, stayed with Louise and added another being to your family.

If Louise had never existed, would you have willingly reciprocated my feelings?

That's the heavy, hard-hitting question, and the answer always seems so straightforward.

Yes.

But then I think longer, and it changes.

You may have found someone else who could keep your heart as theirs. I may have found someone else. The universe can all change with the slightest shift in circumstance, but we never know just how much that shift stretches.

God, I'm a mess when I'm hungover, and even more so when I'm missing you.

Love you long time,
Mitch.