Follow yr heart ...
  -------------------

      
   I'd had a crush on my best male friend for as long as
   I'd known him. As time went on and we got to know each 
   other better, found myself falling in love with him, 
   but much to my frustration our relationship never 
   developed beyond friendship.
   
       Unwilling risk losing such a good friend, I refused 
   to do anything to change that. A couple of weeks before 
   Valentine's Day, he came to me with a dilemma.
   
       "I really, really like this girl," he said. "A lot. 
   Do you think I should send her a Valentine's Day card?"  
   My heart sank, but I tried not to show it.  I was stunned. 
   I'd never heard him mention another girl, especially one 
   he liked so much. "Do you think she likes you?" I asked
   him, trying to act nonchalant and involved in the problem. 

       "I'm not sure," he replied. "I think so. Maybe"  
   "Does she have a boyfriend?" was my next question. Secretly, 
   I was thinking, 'Please, please let her have a boyfriend'.  
   "No."  "Oh." So much for that idea. "In that case, go for it. 
   It sounds pretty promising, and it's a good way to find out 
   if she likes you. Besides, what girl could resist you?" 
   I said it as a joke, but the fact of the matter is, 
   I really did believe that  He blushed bright red, 
   and it was so cute. I tried to press him for more 
   information about his mystery woman, but he was very evasive 
   and basically refused to tell me anything. He's really 
   good at avoiding things. So I left, none the wiser and 
   nursing a brokenheart.
           
        In the ensuing weeks, I tried to find out anything 
   I could about this girl he liked. I questioned all our
   mutual friends, but they knew nothing. Meanwhile, he came 
   to me several times for advice.
    "Should I get her  flowers?"
    "Yes, I don't know any girl who doesn't like to get flowers."
    "What kind should I get?"
    "That depends."
    "On what?"
    "On what kind of flowers she likes and how much money 
     you're willing to spend."
    "I'm not worried about the money." This was very unusual. 
   He was usually so tight with money that he was the kind of 
   person who would be willing to re-use foil, and not for 
   environmental reasons. 'He must really like her,' I thought, 
   and my heart sank even further. "Well, in that case, 
   roses are always good. Especially with white
   baby's breath. "He looked confused.
   " Ask the florist, she'll know what I mean."
   "Will the florist deliver them?"
   "Inter-flora will."
   "When should I send the card so it gets there on Valentine's Day?"
   "Why don't you just show up at her doorstep with the card and the
   flowers on Valentine's Day?"
   "No, no, no, I can't."
   "Why not?"
   "In case she doesn't like me."
   "Then have the card attached to the flowers and get it delivered
   with them."   And on and on and on it went.
   
      By the time Valentine's Day rolled around, I was severely 
   jealous and very depressed. I was moping around the house, 
   feeling sorry for myself, when the doorbell rang. When I opened 
   the door, there was a delivery person from Inter-flora, 
   holding a huge bunch of red roses with white baby's breath, 
   with a large card attached. When I opened the card, the first 
   thing I did was look to see who it was from. It was from
   him! I couldn't believe it.
    
        The card read:  "I've always been attracted to you 
   (what guy wouldn't be?), but as we became better friends,
   I found you were beautiful on the inside as well as the outside.   
   My feelings for you have deepened far beyond friendship, 
   but I've always been too afraid to say anything. I value our 
   friendship more than anything, but I just had to let you 
   know how I feel (it's been driving me crazy!). If you don't 
   feel the same way, I completely understand, and we can go on
   being the best of friends - I'll never bring this up again, 
   and hopefully we can forget this ever happened. Please call me 
   and let me know what you think."
        
       Of course, I called him straight away, and we've been together
   ever since.  What girl could possibly resist a card like that?
    
       So here's a word of advice to everyone out there:
   "life is short, too short to waste wondering how someone
   feels about you. If you find yourself in such a situation, 
   don't be afraid to say something and find out where you stand.  
   It's possible that the two of you could have something wonderful
   together, so why deny yourself that? I'll always be grateful 
   that he had the courage to go out on a limb for me, and that 
   in doing so he brought our relationship a step forward. I guess 
   it also shows how deep his feelings were for me - he was 
   willing to risk our friendship, which he valued so much, 
   for them.  So please, whether it's telling someone you like them,
   or considering travelling by yourself, or trying to get that
   dream job, bite the bullet and go for it.
      
    It's so much better than wondering what might have been, 
   and the end result just might bring more joy into your life. !!!!!