one-shot ii

/.bliss

It had been years. She had finally decided that she was over him. She finally convinced herself she didn't need him. She moved on. She went to college. She graduated. She got a job at a local firm and was undoubtedly successful. She was everything everyone else wanted to be. She made partner. She was earning more than she needed. It was everything she ever imagined. She was so content in her life. She was socially active; she even had time to hang out with her friends on weekends. She thought her life was perfect.

One day she got an invitation in the mail. An invitation to a wedding for one of her friends from high school. She and her friend had kept in touch with each other over the years. She knew she had to attend this wedding. Her friend had also asked her to be her maid of honor. She was so flattered at this motion. A little note was included in her invitation. It was handwritten by her friend. It said, 'Bring a date with you!' she scoffed. She wasn't the kind of person that dated. In fact, she had never dated in her life. How would she find a date for the wedding within the next month?

Luckily, when she told one of her co-workers (who was one of her best friends) about this, the co-worker kindly said that he'd pose as her date. Ecstatic, she responded to her friend and told her she would be able to make it to the wedding.

She and her co-worker flew to where the wedding would be held. She was so excited to be able to finally see her friend well off with her loved one. Plus, it was the first wedding she had been invited to in years. She was looking forward to having a good time at this wedding.

For the next few days, before the wedding, she helped her friend prepare for the wedding. On the day of, her co-worker was happily sitting in one of the seats and she stood at the altar, beaming as her friend walked down the aisle. When finally they both said I do, she beamed with happiness. She had gotten to know the groom over the last couple days and he seemed like a great guy. He loved her a lot and she was glad that her friend was committing herself to such a good man.

After eating during the reception, the bride and groom came out to dance. It was incredibly sweet. The bride and her father danced as well. She and her co-worker danced as well, but of course as friends.

She had gotten up to go outside for a breath of fresh air. Her co-worker offered to come and she said alright. They were walking around in the garden behind where the reception was held. The lights were lit up beautifully and there was even a fountain. She was amazed at how wonderfully perfect the entire wedding was.

On her way back, her co-worker said he was going to use the restroom and asked her to go back without him. She said okay. She walked into the doorway and was completely floored.

Someone was sitting on her seat, talking to one of the bridesmaids. She hadn't seen him there before. How could she have missed him? However, he did change a lot. In a good way. There was no doubt about it, it definitely was him. The boy she crushed on in elementary school. In middle school. In high school. She told herself she had gotten over him when he went to a different college. She hadn't seen him in years. It had been so many years. Yet, at the sight of him, all the little feelings came back - the fluttery feeling in her heart, the flopping over of her stomach, the sudden breathing difficulty. 'It’s just nerves,' she thought to herself. 'You just haven't seen him in a long time.'

She walked towards the table and he turned around and saw her. She wasn't sure what to think of his expression. But he broke into a grin. God, he had changed so much.

'Been a while, huh?' he said casually.

'Yeah,' she whispered, careful with her words. 'It has.'

'Come on, sit down,' he urged, pulling out the chair next to him. She sat down gently, unable to look him in the eye. She silently berated herself for her behavior. 'So, how's everything going for you? What are you doing now?'

She could at least carry a conversation with him. She beamed at him and replied, 'Things are going well. I’m working at a law firm over in downtown where I live.'

He grinned back at her, that same grin that captured her heart years ago. Something she promised herself she would never tell him. She had promised in high school that she would never tell him how much he meant to her. How she didn't think she'd ever get over him. How right she was. With all these feelings resurfacing, she was sure she didn't completely get over him.

'That’s great,' he said sincerely.

'Hey,' her co-worker said, standing next to her.

'Hey,' she responded. She introduced the two of them to each other.

'Boyfriend?' he asked.

'Oh, no,' she replied. 'No, we're just friends.'

'Oh' was his response. She couldn't detect disappointment or happiness. All she could detect was indifference; what helps was that? Did she still hope that someday... someday he would feel the same way about her? If only.

'I can't believe you're here,' she whispered to herself a little too loudly.

'What do you mean?' he asked.

She glanced up quickly. 'Oh...I just...it's been a long time is all,' she mumbled.

'Hey,' he started. 'You okay?'

'I’m fine,' she whispered.

'Hey!!' her friend cried as she threw her arms around him. 'I’m so glad you could make it!!' Her groom stood behind her and beamed.

'So am I,' he responded, returning the hug. 'Congratulations.'

Did she hear disappointment in his voice?

'Thanks,' the bride said, unable to wipe the grin off her face. 'You three' - she pointed at the three of them - 'are invited to my after-party at my place tonight!'

'Unfortunately, my flight is leaving in the morning tomorrow,' her co-worker said. 'I’m sorry I won't be able to make it.'

'Aw,' the bride went on. 'Don’t worry about it. But you're coming, right? You did say you were staying a few days after...'

She did say that and now wished she hadn't. Now she'd have to face... him...

'Yeah, I’ll be there, that okay with you?' she asked her co-worker.

'Yes, of course,' he said, smiling at her. 'I’ll let the manager know.'

'Thanks so much...' she responded by hugging him.

When she got to the after-party, she tried to think... why exactly did she say yes? Now that her best friend had gone home to sleep so that he could make the flight the next morning, she had no one to talk to. Everyone was hanging out with someone else. She sat by herself on a bar stool next to the bar counter at the bride's house.

she took a gentle sip of her wine and thought, 'This is going to be a long night...' At least she had the car so she could just leave... but her friend had told her that she HAD to stay for the whole thing... It was the happiest night of her friend's life. It had to be perfect. Their honeymoon wouldn't start until the next week.

'What are you doing here, all by yourself?' the dreaded voice said from behind her. She spun around in her chair and stared at him. Her heart raced...

'Just thinking,' she said, forcing a small smile.

'Is everything okay?' he asked carefully, sitting down next to her.

'I’m fine,' she repeated. 'Why do you keep asking me that?'

'You just seem... sad,' he said.

She wondered mildly why he was talking to her. They had never been friends. They just knew each other. It wasn't really a friendship. She was convinced that he never really wanted to be friends with her anyway. That he didn't even care about her that much. So why was he asking her all these questions now?

Was she sad though? She supposed she was... just sad that she was unable to get over him. Would she tell him now? Surely he wouldn't have a fit like she thought he would back in high school. he had cared too much about his reputation at school... she was scared about what her family would think, what her friends would think, what he would think. Would it be appropriate now to tell him?

She sucked in her breath and, before she could take it back, she blurted, 'I like you.'\

---

She fiddled with the CD changer in her car, unable to decide on just one song. She pressed down the random button and held it until she heard a beep. The entire CD changer would be on random.

'Why did I do that...’ she muttered to herself. 'Why...why...’ She faintly attempted to convince herself that she had been temporarily possessed.

Someone rapped on her car window. Startled, she jumped and let out a tiny squeak. When she saw who it was, she ignored her and continued to sulk.

'Can I talk to you?' the bride mouthed.

The least she could do was be nice and make sure she didn't ruin her friend's wedding night. The happiest night of her life. She reluctantly turned off the audio player, took the keys out of her car and got out.

The walk back to the house was silent. It was enough that her friend was there with her. Why was she with her? She should be having the time of her life inside, celebrating with her new husband. She silently berated herself for causing such mayhem.

'He told me,' the bride said quietly when they reached the main entrance.

'That’s nice,' she said back, just as quietly.

'I...didn't know you still did,' the bride went on. 'It’s kind of weird to think about... But you two would be cute together.'

She stopped walking and turned to face her friend. She stared at her in the eyes and said, steadily, 'That was a fluke. I didn't mean to say that. I meant to say that I used to like him. When I was in high school. When we were kids.'

Her friend looked confused, and frowned. 'You can try to pretend all you want, but I know you. I know you're lying to me. You know how I feel about people lying to me.'

'It’s... it's complicated,' she said, looking away. 'I didn't expect to see him again.'

'You thought you were over him, didn't you?' she had told her friend in high school that she did like him. It seemed so silly back then. Why would she do that? But she did it anyway, because she felt that she could trust her friend. And her friend never told him, tempting as it was.

'Am I that transparent?' she replied.

'No, I just know you too well,' her friend replied. 'He wants to talk to you. He’s waiting for you where you left.'

'I don't want to talk to him,' she said stubbornly. 'I don't even want to see him...'

'He’s waiting,' her friend said, giving her a small push towards the bar stools.

It seemed so weird. He was just someone she knew. Not someone that would wait for her. She had once told herself she'd wait forever before she told him how she felt. How she still felt. God, how she still felt about him... was almost just as strong as how she had felt about him years ago. It was years ago.

She pushed herself up to sit on the stool and slipped. On instinct, he reached out to help her, but she brushed his hand away and helped herself up the seat. She didn't dare look in his eyes, but glanced anyway. He looked almost... hurt.

She just sat there dumbly, unable to speak. What was she supposed to say?

'I didn't know,' he said suddenly. 'I didn't know that you...you know.'

'I didn't mean for it to come out like that,' she said to him. 'I think.'

'Oh,' he replied, avoiding her gaze. For a second she thought he had looked hopeful. hopeful that she would still like him. But she dismissed the thought - why in the world would he be hopeful?

'I’m willing to... make amends,' she said. 'I didn't mean to be so... callous. So rude to you, all those years...'

He smiled a little and said, 'Sure.' like he cared. Like he was giving her a chance to be friends with him. What changed? What happened to him? Years ago, he would have just laughed and joked about it. What changed?

'The band is here!' somebody shouted. The two of them turned around. 'He’s inviting a guest to sing with him tonight!'

She was confused. What happened to the DJ? Suddenly the bride ran over to her and grabbed her arm. She said a quick sorry to the man sitting beside her before running off with the bride.

'You have to meet him,' the bride said eagerly. 'You’re going to thank me. Sorry.' The bride directed the last comment to him.

'What--' she started, but the bride had already pushed her toward the band that was setting up and left her there. She grumbled to herself before quietly approaching the man standing at the stage.

Then she realized who he was. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her favorite rocker was standing right in front of her, tuning his guitar. She couldn't believe it. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, extending her hand.

'Hi,' she said bravely. She didn't know where this confidence came from. Where did it come from? Why was she suddenly such a brave person - confessing love, introducing herself to strangers? She said her name and the man beamed, introduced himself, and shook her hand. Then she added, 'I’m one of your biggest fans...’

'Really?' he asked, genuinely surprised. She was taken aback. Why would he be surprised at something like this? 'Don’t have many of those,' the man added to her surprised look.

'Why? Your music... it's amazing,' she said. 'I’ve been following your work since the breakup.'

'Oh, yeah, the breakup,' he said quietly. 'I’m singing some of those songs from that band tonight with a former member of one of the most famous bands of all time.' He told her who it was and she gaped.

'My other favorite!' she exclaimed. 'Wow.'

He beamed at her and said, 'How good are you at singing?'

She laughed and replied, 'Not very good.'

'Do you want to sing with us?' he asked, looking at her in the eye.

Surprised, she grinned. 'Are you kidding?'

'Not kidding.'

'I’ll ruin your whole song...'

'I’m sure you'll be great,' he said, smiling. She couldn't resist his smile. It was just absolutely... perfect.

'Okay,' she gave in. minutes later, the guest singer came and within ten minutes, she was belting out the lyrics to her favorite rock songs. Meanwhile, the man she had just confessed her love to was watching her from the crowd. He was amazed at how carefree she looked, how beautiful she was. He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw her at the wedding. He couldn't believe how much she'd changed. He couldn't believe that underneath that shell of lawyer and poise, she was still the same girl - silly at times, and outgoing. He was even more amazed when she said she liked him. That she likes him. She had always been a bit shy, but once she opened up to you, she was really outgoing. He never would have thought in a million years that she would ever confess something like that. But she did. And he was floored. And suddenly, everything came into perspective.

Those times when she attempted to talk to him, to try to make conversation, and he'd just insult her. The hurt that flashed through her expression as quickly as it appeared, so fast that he almost missed it. She’d always laugh it off though, like it was a little joke between them. He tried to defend himself - he was after all just getting revenge. She had been mean to him a couple years earlier. But after high school started, she began to be nice to him, and it was awkward. He wanted to argue with her again, like they used to. It was more fun, and he loved seeing her agitated. He was fascinated by how involved she was in an argument, how intense her eyes looked, how eager she was to come out in victory. He wondered how long she had liked him, and what made her say what she said.

The music ended and they were tuning again. There was a short intermission while everyone went to get some drinks. She was talking animatedly to the man that had first appeared, not the guest singer. The guest singer, however, was listening in as he stood next to her. Suddenly the guest singer turned and met the man's eye. He looked back steadily. The guest singer's eyes flashed with understanding and walked over to him.

'What’s up,' he said to the guest singer.

'You like her, don't you?' the guest singer asked bluntly.

'I... no,' he said in response. 'I don't.'

The guest speaker looked at him strangely. 'That’s not what your gaze is telling me.'

'It’s complicated,' he said vaguely.

The girl suddenly pulled the guitar player with her towards him. His heart started to race.

She exclaimed to him, 'Can you believe it? My two favorite rock stars!'

He beamed at her, making her stomach flutter in happiness. 'It’s great.'

'And their singing is so good..! I can't believe it. I got a chance to sing with them!' she exclaimed. She couldn't believe it, alright. The three best guys in the whole world were hanging out with her.

'Yeah,' he said, noticing how her hand was still clutching the man's wrist. The man then slid his arm so that he was instead holding her hand. He felt something deep within his chest and willed it to go away. He saw her squeeze his hand back and it just made it worse.

She couldn't stop grinning. 'Thank you so much for this opportunity,' she said to the two singers. She hugged both of them while he stood off to the side awkwardly. As he watched her, he couldn't believe that she could change so suddenly from that closed up girl to this outgoing woman in just minutes. He thought he brought out the worst in her.

'I’ll be watching!' she exclaimed as the two guys returned to the stage and started out the next song - this time, a slower one. She turned to him and said, 'This is so exciting!'

He smiled weakly and nodded. She looked at him weirdly. 'What?' she asked.

'Would you like to dance?' he heard himself say. He silently berated himself. What in the world was he doing? He meant to say, 'Nothing.'

She seemed startled. And then her eyes grew wide and she backed one step. 'I don't dance,' she said, the excitement gone. She had closed up her shell.

He wanted to say, 'That's okay. Nevermind.' But he heard himself say, 'I'll show you.'

She looked unsure; she didn't trust him. He wouldn't have trusted himself either. He held out his hand and surprisingly, she took it. He didn't understand why.

She did, however. She thought she'd give this a chance. She had always wished for this chance. When he'd ask her to dance. There was a happy bubbly feeling within her, something she didn't want to lose. She hadn't felt this happy in ages. Her favorite songs, her favorite guy... all in the same night.

He pulled her into his arms and she automatically put her arms around his neck. He pulled her even closer as they swayed to the music.

She whispered to him the name of the song. Her voice brought shivers down his spine. 'My favorite song of all time...' Then she began to sing the lyrics.

He heard her voice break slightly and she stopped singing. 'Sorry,' she apologized.

'It’s okay,' he replied. 'Keep singing...'

He wondered if she was singing about him.

The song suddenly ended and they pulled apart. She stood there awkwardly.

'I want to show you something,' he said to her. She smiled shyly and glanced over at the bride, who nodded eagerly at her.

'Okay,' she replied. As she walked towards the porch that stood over the lake, she gasped. The view before her was absolutely stunning. She could hardly believe her eyes.

The glow from the sunset glittered in the water, emitting shades of burgundy and periwinkle. With every wave, a new sparkle shined through the water. The sky that hung above the water was dotted with little white clouds over a blend of orange and pink. She couldn't believe how moved she was by it. She stood at the railing and leaned against it as she watched the sunset.

'Wow,' she breathed.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' he replied. She tried not to think too much about how close he was, standing behind her. She could smell his familiar scent - that fresh, just out of the shower scent. She wondered how he pulled it off. She wondered why he still smelled the same.

He lightly touched the back of her neck, causing her to jump slightly and turn around suddenly. She crashed into him; he was standing too close. He reached out with his arm to steady her and pulled her body close to his. She gasped as she looked up, innocence filling her eyes. He looked down at her with an expression she couldn't identify. But he didn't let go. His arm remained around her waist. His other hand reached up slowly and cupped her face in his hand. She was scared. She didn't want this... it was too fast for her. How could he possibly think he could just barge in, years after they parted ways?

But before she could say anything he lowered his lips to hers. She could feel his breath, hot, over her mouth. Her heart raced and thudded against her chest loudly. Her knees were weak; she felt slightly dizzy - dizzy with emotion. She looked into his eyes and he returned the gaze. She wanted to tell him to let her go, but before she could, his lips brushed slightly against hers, causing shivers to go up and down her spine. On instinct, she reached up and slid her arms around his neck. He took the opportunity to lean in and kiss her gently upon the lips.

And it was bliss. Bliss beyond words.

A/N: What do you think? I was thinking about giving these characters some names, but it was a lot easier to write without the names – and I had originally written it when I wasn’t feeling too good. Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is extremely helpful to me. And one question especially needs to be answered (I’m still deciding) – should I give the characters names? (This also goes with the question – is the story confusing because the characters don’t have names? Or even better – is this story confusing at all? It’s just a short piece.)

Another random note: this was based off of a dream I had.

Thanks for your help!

shadowgirl618