Matteo Montalbo

There I was, seeing my childhood best friend hug the love of his life.

Ever since we were tiny little toddlers, he was always Mama’s boy. I remember the first day of kindergarten. I was sitting quietly in the corner of the classroom, trying to remember bit by bit the advice my parents gave me in order to have a great first day. All of a sudden, my eyes shift to the door, still full with parents bidding their farewells to their children for the day.

There he was. Crying so hard in his Mama’s arms that practically everyone could remember the sound even by the end of the day. When he finally stopped, his mother brought him to the farth corner of the room, which was where I was sitting. I precisely remember his mother telling him to calm down and to stop crying. That’s not the only thing I precisely remember, though. He finally calmed down and, to my surprise, his mother asked him to befriend me. I, taken aback, remembered that this was one of the tips my parents reminded me to do. Surprisingly, he agreed and talked to me. The only two things I could remember from that day were his sweet, loving smile and the name of my teacher.

Who would’ve thought that would be the start of a special friendship that would last for an eternity?

My flashback to my first memory of him was abruptly interrupted by the ringing of the church’s bell. It was time.

There he was, walking up the aisle and hugging the love of his life as he reached the end of the carpet— his mother.

After that, everyone was quickly asked to stand up as the bride was about to make her entrance.

There she was, my sister, who is practically my twin at this point, dressed in all white with a lovely veil on top of her. Her bouquet was made of roses, the bride and groom’s favorite flowers.

As the ceremony came to a close, I could not have been happier for my sister and my best friend. I was the best man, after all. But when I saw the both of them so happy with each other, all of these flashbacks about me and him came rushing at me.

That’s when I realized I’d loved my best friend for the longest time, the husband of my sister, and I would just have to live the rest of my life hiding this affection. I have loved him ever since he befriended me in kindergarten. I was in love with the person I used to play in the dirt with, the person who has been with me through every heartbreak, the person I’d always share my secrets with, the person who knew every single thing about me at the top of his head, and the person I’ve spent almost my whole life with. I was in love with my best friend.

Frankly, there I was again, but this time 20 years older. There I was, seeing my childhood best friend hug the love of his life.

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Born in 2010, Matteo Montalbo was always a cheerful and easy-going kid. Now, as a preteen, Matteo has explored more hobbies. He especially likes listening to K-pop and studying. He even finished this school year with flying colors at the top of his class.