💖💫She Loved Him First... But I Married Him💫💖

Tola and Bisola were inseparable. From their very first day in nursery school, they clung to each other like they were born sisters. They walked to school together, shared lunch, copied homework, and even wore matching ribbons. Everyone called them the "twins who shared no blood."

They were more than best friends — they were a lifetime bond.

But the one thing they never thought they’d have to share… was a man.

It all started in SS2.

Bisola developed a quiet crush on Jide — the soft-spoken boy who played keyboard in church. He wasn't the loud, popular type. He didn’t play football like the others. But when he touched the keys, his fingers whispered melodies that made hearts dance.

Bisola never told him. She’d just sit on the front row in church, smiling shyly, clutching her hymnbook like a secret. She would pray about him, daydream during prep, and write his name in the margins of her notebooks.

Tola knew. She could see it in the way Bisola’s eyes lit up when Jide walked into church. How she blushed when he passed by.

“Talk to him,” Tola teased. “At least say hi. He won’t bite.”

Bisola would shake her head. “I want to keep my heart safe. Besides, boys like him don’t notice girls like me.”

Tola didn’t push. She respected Bisola’s quiet nature.

Then came university. Life, as it often does, scattered them like dandelions in the wind.

Tola went to a private university in Lagos. Bisola secured admission at ABU Zaria. Jide? He disappeared — no one really knew where he ended up after secondary school. The group chats went quiet. Calls turned into occasional texts. And life kept moving.

Years passed.

One sunny afternoon, Tola was helping a friend arrange chairs at a wedding reception in Lekki. She had just balanced a tray of cocktails when she heard someone behind her.

“Tola? Is that you?”

She turned, and the tray nearly slipped from her hands.

It was Jide.

Taller. Broader. Bearded. Handsome. With the same soft smile and the same calm eyes.

“Wow! Look at you!” Tola laughed, wiping her hands. “Jide? You vanished!”

They caught up quickly. He had gone to study sound engineering in Port Harcourt and now worked in Lagos as a music producer. They exchanged numbers and promised to meet for coffee.

One call became ten. One coffee turned into weekly brunches, then walks in the park. Jide was everything Tola didn’t know she needed — kind, respectful, supportive. He never mentioned Bisola, and Tola... well, she told herself it had been years. Bisola never dated him. It was just a crush. Right?

Right?

Two years later, Jide proposed in a quiet garden surrounded by twinkling lights. Tola said yes with tears in her eyes.

But deep inside, something tugged at her.

She hadn’t spoken to Bisola in almost two years. Their friendship had fractured over a petty loan argument — Bisola borrowed ₦20,000 and couldn’t repay on time. They argued, exchanged bitter texts, and stopped talking.

But maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was years of buried jealousy, secrets, and silence.

Still, Tola didn’t invite her to the wedding.

She didn’t think Bisola would care.

Until the reception day.

As she walked into the beautifully decorated hall in her white gown, arm-in-arm with Jide, smiling for photos — someone stepped in front of her.

It was Bisola.

Wearing a deep wine-colored gown. Makeup flawless. Eyes red.

She hugged Tola tightly.

And whispered in her ear:

“You married the only man I ever loved.”

Tola’s heart dropped.

Everything around her blurred — the music, the camera flashes, the laughter. She pulled away slowly, face frozen in a smile for the waiting guests.

But her stomach twisted in knots.

That night, while Jide slept peacefully beside her in their hotel room, Tola stared at the ceiling in silence.

She thought of Bisola. Of their long childhood. Their promises. Their secrets.

Had she just shattered her best friend’s heart?

---

Months passed.

Tola couldn’t shake the guilt. Every time Jide made her laugh, she’d wonder if that laugh was meant for someone else. Every kiss felt stolen. Every “I love you” felt heavier than it should.

Finally, one morning, she called Bisola.

The phone rang three times before it was picked.

“Tola?” Bisola’s voice was quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Tola said immediately, tears forming. “I didn’t know. You never told me you were still in love with him.”

“I never stopped loving him,” Bisola replied. “But I never told him either. I kept praying, hoping. But I never made a move.”

Tola’s voice broke. “Then... did I steal him?”

Bisola sighed. “No. You didn’t steal him. He chose you. But I chose silence. And silence never wins love.”

There was a long pause.

“I miss you,” Tola whispered.

“I miss you too,” Bisola said. “But we’re not those girls anymore.”

The call ended.

Nothing was truly resolved.

---

Years later, Tola gave birth to a baby girl. Jide named her Adebayo. They built a good life — on the surface, everything was perfect.

But sometimes, when Tola rocked her daughter to sleep, she would think about Bisola.

About what it meant to love someone silently.

About the cruelty of fate.

She once saw Bisola in a mall, holding hands with someone new — a man with dreadlocks and a shy smile. Tola didn’t approach. She stood and watched from a distance.

Bisola looked happy. Genuinely.

Tola smiled to herself.

Maybe life had found a way to make things right.

Maybe not all broken friendships stay broken.

Maybe, just maybe, both of them had found their own kind of love.

---

~ The End ~