Final chapter

Alice

Eight months later and here I am. In my New York University! My life… completely changed; no more odd jobs now but only full time studying. If we had time, Luke and I went out for dinner or for a drink, telling each other our campus lives but nothing more. We weren't a couple and… he finally moved on. Luke found someone else, his 'love of his life' girl. Knowing Luke this long, I laugh now in his weird relationship ways. A girl once a year, last year I was it, and was the only one that didn't return his love. But this year, his new girl, who oddly enough reminds me of the girl I met at the market, Sid, felt like she really, really was the one for Luke. But then again, I don't judge people anymore, so I don't know if she is the one or not!

After all these months I feel it. Not the love, but regret.

Yes, I regret going to university.

Why?

We all know why… I left him.

Question after question always formed in my head. What if I stayed? What would have happen if we were together now? Where was he now? What is he doing? Who is he with? How is he doing? Is he back with Lia? All these useless questions just cloud around me. But after months of it, I had some control over it. I forced myself to concentrate on my studies, that took a while, but after I got a hold of it. But when it came to strong reminders such as, hotels, limos, or especially breakfast, my mind wander free about him/

It took me a while to understand that I might never get to se Jay again. That, I regret deeply. But I wasn't all lost. I met many new friends, learned many new things, and had time to finally sort the person inside me. I wasn't a child anymore, but I can't claim I'm a fully adult either. Luke tells me sometimes, I still do weird things, but what can I do? Who we are, we are. Even if you act completely different when you're in love, that's who you are… But sometimes… I feel it was a mistake meeting him.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as my phone started to ring.

"Yes Luk-a-shay???" I answered.

"Alice my deary! I had the best idea!" Luke replied with excitement.

"What?"

"Let's have breakfast tomorrow since we can't meet up later!"

Breakfast. The biggest memory playback. I quickly shook my head and forced myself to concentrate.

"Sounds like a plan! Why don't you bring Emma too!" I said as I recalled that they were living together now.

"Sure! Then I'll see you at the corner Denny's, say at… nine?"

"Nine sounds too early for me…" I whined.

"You don't have classes till eleven!" said Luke

"I know, but still…"

Luke laughed, "Too bad!"

Then he hung up! I grumbled but shrugged it off. This month, it was a little grey on my side… Just studied and slept. In university most people are too busy to just hang out. And I was one of them. It's what I always wanted… It just, I lost so much ambition. I lost something greater, and I could never have it back. What will university give me something equally great? Nothing, because there was no such thing.

----

I was a bit late, but I'm sure Luke could forgive me.

When I ran inside Denny's I was surprised it was so empty… Maybe nine o'clock was their slowest hour or something…

"ALICE! Why are you so late?!" came Luke's voice.

I whipped around and spotted him at a booth.

"Sorry!" I apologized as I sat down. "But I told you nine was too early! And look! It's empty here! Who eats at nine?!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Well I already ordered everything."

"What!?" I glanced around for a waiter to get me a menu.

"That's what you get for being so late!" he teased.

I rolled my eyes. "It better have been twenty pancakes! I'm starving!"

As soon as I said that a waiter came and started to put down plates of food. The weird thing was, the food had writing on them written with cream.

The first plate: 'Alice'

The next: 'will'

'you'

'marry'

'me?'

WHAT THE HELL, was the first thing in my mind. This was so surreal… but wait… why would Luke say this to me?!

"Stop joking around!" I said as I looked up but to my surprise Luke was gone.

I looked around then turned around, and there was something, someone I never expected to meet again.

Right in front of me was Jay.

"Jay?" I asked as if I was in a dream.

Jay grinned. "Alice."

"Is this real?"

"Yes." he nodded, grin still in place.

"You're not Luke are you?" I eyed suspiciously, but I found that I was about to cry!

He scrunched his face. "Why would I be Luke?"

"How can you just appear?!"

He laughed. "You're so stupid Alice."

A rude comment… Coming out from his mouth! This really was Jay!

"What are you doing here?!?!" I jumped out of my booth/

"You just got that registered now?! I shouldn't be that surprised… seeing as you were always so slow…" Jay smirked.

I went up and punched him in the arm. My eyes got a bit drier, no tears yet. "I'm not slow!"

It was as if we never parted, as if we just saw each other yesterday. I truly wished that was true.

Then suddenly Jay kneeled.

"What are you doing?" I squeaked.

He coughed. "Alice, as you know, it's been eight months since I've last seen you."

"Yes I know but what-" he didn't let me finish.

"Please, just hear out what I have to say?"

I only nodded.

"Eight months. Eight long months. And in those eight months I tried everything. I tried to forget you, I tried to get another girl, I tried to work, I tried to get back to normal, and I tried to move on."

His words were like pins to my heart. Did I want to hear this? But I couldn't stop myself.

"Everything I tried, but failed in some way. So I took off. I led myself anywhere I wanted to go, and I thought I would come here straight away. But I went up and down the states but no where near New York. The trip cleared a lot of things in my head... I felt like I was free. And you know what set me free?"

I was really scared of the answer. I didn't reply to his question.

"You." Jay answered with a smile. "I thought the problem was you, but the answer is you. I can't do anything because you're in my head, all the time. Just questions of what could have happened."

This time I couldn't stop my watery eyes. I started to cry. He felt the same way!

"Alice, I never want to lose you again. I know, I KNOW you are the one for me. I've been with a lot of girls in my life, so I know what I'm feeling from you, is the one. But… you've never been with anyone in your life! So I'm worried if you think I'm not the one for you!"

He took a deep breath.

"But I won't wait, until you know. I can't do it. I need you, and I have to catch you up quick. So, so will you please marry me Alice?"

He gently grabbed my hand as I started to wipe my tears with my other. I couldn't think see straight, I couldn't think straight… What was my answer?

"Please…" he held my hand tighter.

"I…" I started to answer. "I can't."

He quickly got up and took both my hands. "No! You can! You will!" he started to get teary eyes now.

"I'm not ready!" I bawled. Marriage?! How can he ask this from me?! He was moving too fast! We didn't even have a real relationship. And that's what I told him.

"We were never fake!" he tried to reason with me. "There's no such thing as fake relationships, or fake kisses! Everything was real!"

"It was a play we put on!"

"At first! But towards the end it wasn't. It wasn't…"

I sniffed. I had nothing to say.

"Alice…" he slowly pulled me into a hug. "Eight months I waited… Did you wait for me?"

I didn't reply.

Jay gently stroked my hair. "You did. I know you did."

I confirmed with a nod.

"Then marry me."

I pushed him away.

"You should know me by now!" he cried.

"You should know me!" I said back.

What was I so afraid of? Didn't I really like Jay? But didn't you have to love someone to marry? Did I love Jay?

"What's holding you back?" he asked as if he read my mind. "I know you don't love Luke. He told me months ago."

I wasn't surprised.

"But I love you."

That was a surprise.

"You do?" I asked smiling a little.

He nodded fiercely. "I do."

That was all I needed. I knew then, how my heart soared, I loved him too, only was too afraid to admit it.

"I love you too!" I started to cry again, only with joy this time. Jay's face instantly was lit and he embraced me strongly.

"Now will you marry me?" he asked, but still a bit afraid to be rejected.

I laughed. "Yes, I want to marry you!"

We put our foreheads together and stared intensely into each other eyes. Then slowly we went into a kiss. It wasn't for first kiss or even a first real kiss because as Jay said, none of it from the past were fakes, but it was a first kiss we shared as true lovers.

"Don't ever let me go okay?" I said when we broke off our kiss.

He shook his head. "Never."

I smiled.

It was never a mistake to meet him as I thought before. Never. Love hurts sometimes, and I know we will have some difficult problems ahead… But we'll get through it, we're together now and we will make our lives better than before… We just need to put more lumps of sugar in it.

End.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING!!!