Tonight
my parents drove
into the city
to watch the moment
our closest family friend
got engaged.

I wish I was there to see it—
she's like an older sister to me.

Counting down the days
until the wedding
is going to take forever,
but what I'm most excited for
isn't seeing the dress, or the cake.

I can't wait to see
the smile on the Maid of Honor's face.

It'll be the exact same smile
that her Maid of Honor will wear, too—
the one that knows
exactly how long the bride waited
until this day,
the one that saw
all the heartache leading up
to meeting him,
the one that heard
all the late-night stories
about finding the perfect boy,
and the one that felt
all the breathless joy, too,
when he finally worked up the courage
to make her his.

Tonight,
it's a long long time
until either of our weddings.
And on that day,
I'm going to be giving you
that exact same smile.

For now, though,
you'll be getting it for different reasons:
//
when he first kisses you.
I promise it's going to be
worth the wait.
//
when you tell him you love him.
I promise you, darling,
he's fallen just as hard.
//
And for all of the time
between now and your vows to him,
whoever he is,
know that this is my own vow to you:
best friends, forever and ever,
until the very end, and then long after that.