Unspoken love..

It is a story of an apparent love triangle where a gurl was stuck between two friends. Neither if them had confessed their love to her but she was already falling for one of them.

She was standing alone amidst the crowd that had come to celebrate and bless the couple. It was the 25th wedding anniversary of Jake's parents, she had never met them before this and was quite nervous herself, especially after the events she had gone through in the last few days..
"You will feel a little better if you come out and meet people. Sophie, I want you there" Jake was concerned about her, it would have been tough gathering the remaining pieces of her life if he wasn't around. She did not want to go to any social meet given that the loss of her father was a fresh incident and it was socially not right to look happy when you lose someone that close.
"You have been strong all along for your mother, take a break, you deserve it" he added. Finally,Sophie reached the destination looking stunning in the purple colored dress accessorized with only small bird shaped earrings and black wedges to go with.
There were about two thousand of them present at the party, after all Jake's family were one of the wealthy and influential ones of the city. She walked a little ahead searching for Jake, it was difficult as most of the men were wearing black tuxedos.
She waited for over 10 minutes and thought of leaving if she did not find him. When she was just about to turn and leave, she saw a familiar voice call out her name.
"How are you?"
He hugged her and flashed a huge smile, she took a few seconds to regain conscious on what was happening. It was Ian, Jake's college friend. Though she had met him only occasionally, the informal and warm greeting made her calm down a little.
"I am good, how have you been"
"Oh, am good. Jake had told me you were coming. Come, I will take you to him"
He hold her hands and started walking towards the stage. He had his hands firmly held on hers, warm and sturdy. There was a moment when their hands got separated, Ian turned behind and smiled at her.
"Hold my hands, I know you will not get lost,but I also know you need a hand"
Sophie did not reply but again took his hands, he was right, she did need it. On the podium, Jake's parents were more than welcoming to her. She congratulated them, thinking thus February her parents would have completed 22 years of their marriage, if the accident would not have happened. She stood in between Jake and Ian, while Jake was busy talking about the event nobody noticed that Ian was still holding her hands, which helped her keep away those tears she had been struggling from shedding in front of her mother for over two weeks now.
While she was lost in thoughts, Ian came close to her and whispered in her ears, "The smile you wear is one of the most beautiful ones I have seen. I am not doing this to support you, I just feel the urge to look out for you" He hugged he tight, right there at the stage. None of them had idea of who was looking at them, all that Ian wanted was to make the evening a good one for the pretty girl.
She smiled, a genuine one which made its way on her lips after a long time. She had not thought Ian would be so caring towards her. It was not sympathy for her loss, it was care and concern that was visible through his actions. She felt strong again and only looked at Ian - his eyes were dark brown that shone bright in the yellow focus lights. For the first time she looked at him closely, he looked fit in the black tux and the little stubble gave him a rough look. The rest of the evening, Ian took utmost care that Sophie had some company, she smiled all the time and danced with Jake's father.
When back home, Sophie sent a mail to Ian. She was moved by his gesture today, not only because Ian was quite caring towards her but also because she had always been attracted to him. 'There was something about him that I always wanted to know, he is like a mystery. Was it sympathy today? Or did he genuinely care for me?' She was talking to herself.
He read it only two days later when he logged in to his account.
"Sometimes in life you meet people at the right time, they arrive to make you feel good of yourself and strong to face situations. I did not know you well before this, but I still feel good when I think of you standing next to me at the very moment when I was scarred of being alone. Not all connections stay for life time, but some moments can re lived through memories all life. Yours, Sophie"
How he wished he could tell her that he wanted to be standing next to her all life, listen to her talk, calm her when she was weak and love every bit of her. He wanted to be with her every moment since he heard of her family tragedy, but seeing her come out strong of it and supporting her mother, he knew she was not the ones who needed sympathy, she wanted encouragement. If only, Jake had not shared the same feelings for her. 'Sophie did not know that but Ian would tell her soon'. He did not reply but got back to his chores. 'Not all connections stay for life time, but some moments can re lived through memories all life.' He thought to himself.