This story begins with a boy and his good friend from childhood. The boy and his friend spent lots of time playing together on the friend's farm out in the country. They shot off fireworks, went to basketball camp, slept outside near the lake, and even pooled their money to purchase a go-kart together. Times were simple and fun.
The friends got older and attended different colleges. They would visit each other on occasion and still have good times.
After graduation, the boy moved into the city for a new job. The friend moved back to the home town to work at his family's company business. The two friends did not speak as often, and saw each other much less.
Until... the boy decided to buy a house in his home town and commute into the city for work. The boy and his friend reconnected and things were back the way they had been when they were children... almost.
The friend now had a girlfriend. She was fun and quirky, and the three of them were inseparable - closing down bars virtually every night, drinking, joking, laughing.
Eventually, the girl took a job that was also in the city. The boy and the girl began riding the hour-long train into the city together every weekday for work. Over time, the boy had started having deeper feelings for the girl, but he suppressed the feelings and continued on with life.
A couple years had passed and the friend and his girlfriend were having difficulties in their relationship. One drunken night, the friend asked the boy for his advice. The friend wanted to ask for the girl's hand in marriage, but because the two had been having testy interactions recently, he was unsure of what to do.
Despite his own feelings for the girl, the boy offered some advice that he'd have followed himself: "If you love her, treat her with love. When you find yourself becoming irritable, recognize that feeling before you take action, and remind yourself of all the things you love about her. Focus on making her happy instead of 'winning' an argument. Do this, and the relationship can be mended. Then, you can ask for her hand."
Months later, the three friends met at a bar. The friend and the girl broke the news to the boy that they were getting married, and they wanted the boy to be the best man. The boy was happy for them, but at the same time, he could foresee what this meant for his own heart.
The boy planned the combined bachelor/bachelorette party for his two friends - a long weekend at a lakehouse cabin, a boat, swag bags, and plenty of celebratory drinking. The boy did his best to enjoy the party, but it was apparent to the girl that he was not the same. The boy had a temporary lapse of judgement and exposed his heart to her.
The first workday after the outing, the girl sat in their regular seat on the normal train to the city, but as it left the station, there was no sign of the boy. Ashamed to see her, he had not boarded the train that day.
I heard my name
Called out from a passing train
Like a summons for
All the foolish blood in my veins
~
And a choice was made
But would you wait
Would you wait
Would you wait
I ran down to the railway
But I was late
~
Why couldn't you wait
Why couldn't you wait
You only move when I give chase
And when I catch you
You dissipate
For the next several weeks, the boy slowly distanced himself from his friends. He fulfilled the duties of the best man at the wedding with a smile on his face, but as time went on, he met with the friends on fewer and fewer occasions.
The boy sold his house in town and moved back to the city. The girl continued to arrange for the three of them to meet at times, but the boy determined that he could no longer bare to be the third wheel. The boy soon moved away from the city, never to see the girl again.
The end. (Sorry, I should have warned you at the start that it was not a happy story, but I didn't want to ruin the ending.)