15
Justin stopped at
Anna's again. How could he get to Elizabeth's if he didn't know the address?
He just prayed Anna wouldn't slam the door in his face again, at least until
he explained.
Unfortunately, she did slam the door in his face, but Justin kept knocking and knocking until Anna finally opened it.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” she demanded, opening the door, her hair all a mess. She saw the tears in his eyes, but didn’t feel like feeling sorry for him.
“I need to know where she is.” He paused. “But before you object, I think you should know something.”
Anna moved aside so Justin could get inside. He stepped inside and Anna closed the door. JC entered the room and saw Justin.
“What are you doing here? Where's your girlfriend?” JC asked, obviously still angry.
“I dumped her,” Justin told him.
“Took you long enough,” JC mumbled. “What made you realize the truth?”
Justin didn't say anything, he walked into the living room and sat on the couch. “I'm not in love with Meg, I'm in love with someone else.”
“Not someone else!” Anna exclaimed, sitting next to Justin and took her hand in his. “What about Elizabeth? Don't you care about her at all? She told me that she's in love with you.”
Justin was happy to hear that.
“Why are you smiling?” Anna demanded.
He smiled more. “Did she actually say that?”
“Yeah when she was packing,” Anna replied. “Why?”
“You know the girl I was talking about being in love with?” Justin said, waiting for Anna's reaction. He didn’t think he needed to say more.
“Oh really?” Anna smiled brightly, hugging him tightly. “Oh JC can you believe it? Our plan worked!”
“Plan?” Justin asked, looking at JC, then at Anna. “What plan?”
“We sort of..…” JC looked at Anna, then back at Justin. “We wanted you with someone....different, so we had a plan to hook you guys up, and it seems to have worked better then we thought. I hope you're not mad at us.”
“Of course not. I should have known from the beginning how right you were about Meg. I'm sorry,” Justin said, getting up from the couch. He wanted to get to Elizabeth's as fast as he could, he needed to see her. “Can I have her address?” Justin turned to Anna, who was already writing it down on a piece of paper.
She handed him the paper, then pulled it back before he could snatch it away. “Don't mess up with her again. You two are so perfect for each other,” she said.
He took the piece of paper. “I know we are.”
JC grinned at Anna as they watched from the living room window as Justin pulled out of the driveway.
“Looks like our plan worked out just the way we hoped it would.”
----4 Hours Later----
Justin pulled up into the driveway of the address on the paper. He let out a breath before getting out of his car.
He took the bouquet of red roses that he had gotten at a local flower shop, out of the back seat.
When he got up to the front door, he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was. He rang the doorbell after giving himself a little pep talk.
Elizabeth was inside, just finishing up the dishes.
Who could that be this late at night?
She was so glad she was able to get her apartment back, it still had everything there, the smell and the memories. She opened the door, but couldn't see who it was cause it was so dark.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It's Justin,” he said, praying she wouldn't slam the door in his face. “Before you scream and yell, I'd like to talk to you about something first.”
“I don't want to talk to you,” Elizabeth snapped, about to close the door, but Justin was too strong, and held the door open, and let himself inside.
She knew the quicker he talked, the quicker he'd leave, so she followed him to the couch, but she sat on the chair away from him.
“Why are you here?” she asked calmly.
Justin placed the flowers on the coffee table, then looked at his hands, which were shaking. “I realized something, and I know it's probably too late, but I owe it a try,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“I'm sorry,” Justin began, as the tears started to fall. “I thought I loved her still, but I realized in the past few months that you're the one I love, you're the one I want to be with.”
“"You want to be with me?” she asked, her eyebrows raising a bit. “What made you come to that conclusion?”
Justin got up, and started to pace the living room. “One night it just happened. I wanted to go to a game and she refused. I spent that night walking around thinking of how much I missed you, how much I needed you, then it donned on me. You cared about me, my feelings, everything about me, and I just threw you away, and it was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“No one understand me like you do,” he finished.
Elizabeth got off the chair and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from pacing. “Just say it, I want to hear you say it,” she said.
He waited a heartbeat, then looked into her eyes. “I love you,” he said.
She was finally hearing those three little words that she only heard from him in her dreams. But this wasn’t a dream; this was real.
“I love you, too,” she said, “but I’m still mad at you. I don’t know what to do about this.”
He went over to the table and picked up the flowers. He walked back over to her and handed them to her. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, not wanting her to ever leave. “I'm so sorry…” He didn’t know what else to say to convince her that he was telling the truth.
She interrupted him with a kiss. “Thank you, that's all I wanted to hear.”
Justin wiped his eyes. This was going a lot better than he expected. He pressed his lips to her forehead.
Elizabeth pulled away. “What is happening?” She needed to be sure he wanted what she wanted.
“Between us? I was hoping you would give me another chance,” Justin said, looking into her eyes. “At least I hope that’s what you’re trying to tell me.”
“Well, what happened to Meg?” she asked.
“I dumped her. How could I stay with her when I'm in love with someone else?” His fingers made a journey tracing her face.
“Why don't you tell me?”
He laughed quietly. “I love you.”
It was nice to hear him say that, she thought. “I love you, too.”
She couldn't believe this was happening, all those feelings for him were back again. She was hopelessly in love. Only this time, she knew he was in love with her, too. She believed him with all her heart, he had come out all this way, and it was a risk he took being shot down.
What else could she do? She kissed him, softly, then passionately, knowing they would have time for plenty of talking in their lifetime together.
Unfortunately, she did slam the door in his face, but Justin kept knocking and knocking until Anna finally opened it.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” she demanded, opening the door, her hair all a mess. She saw the tears in his eyes, but didn’t feel like feeling sorry for him.
“I need to know where she is.” He paused. “But before you object, I think you should know something.”
Anna moved aside so Justin could get inside. He stepped inside and Anna closed the door. JC entered the room and saw Justin.
“What are you doing here? Where's your girlfriend?” JC asked, obviously still angry.
“I dumped her,” Justin told him.
“Took you long enough,” JC mumbled. “What made you realize the truth?”
Justin didn't say anything, he walked into the living room and sat on the couch. “I'm not in love with Meg, I'm in love with someone else.”
“Not someone else!” Anna exclaimed, sitting next to Justin and took her hand in his. “What about Elizabeth? Don't you care about her at all? She told me that she's in love with you.”
Justin was happy to hear that.
“Why are you smiling?” Anna demanded.
He smiled more. “Did she actually say that?”
“Yeah when she was packing,” Anna replied. “Why?”
“You know the girl I was talking about being in love with?” Justin said, waiting for Anna's reaction. He didn’t think he needed to say more.
“Oh really?” Anna smiled brightly, hugging him tightly. “Oh JC can you believe it? Our plan worked!”
“Plan?” Justin asked, looking at JC, then at Anna. “What plan?”
“We sort of..…” JC looked at Anna, then back at Justin. “We wanted you with someone....different, so we had a plan to hook you guys up, and it seems to have worked better then we thought. I hope you're not mad at us.”
“Of course not. I should have known from the beginning how right you were about Meg. I'm sorry,” Justin said, getting up from the couch. He wanted to get to Elizabeth's as fast as he could, he needed to see her. “Can I have her address?” Justin turned to Anna, who was already writing it down on a piece of paper.
She handed him the paper, then pulled it back before he could snatch it away. “Don't mess up with her again. You two are so perfect for each other,” she said.
He took the piece of paper. “I know we are.”
JC grinned at Anna as they watched from the living room window as Justin pulled out of the driveway.
“Looks like our plan worked out just the way we hoped it would.”
----4 Hours Later----
Justin pulled up into the driveway of the address on the paper. He let out a breath before getting out of his car.
He took the bouquet of red roses that he had gotten at a local flower shop, out of the back seat.
When he got up to the front door, he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was. He rang the doorbell after giving himself a little pep talk.
Elizabeth was inside, just finishing up the dishes.
Who could that be this late at night?
She was so glad she was able to get her apartment back, it still had everything there, the smell and the memories. She opened the door, but couldn't see who it was cause it was so dark.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It's Justin,” he said, praying she wouldn't slam the door in his face. “Before you scream and yell, I'd like to talk to you about something first.”
“I don't want to talk to you,” Elizabeth snapped, about to close the door, but Justin was too strong, and held the door open, and let himself inside.
She knew the quicker he talked, the quicker he'd leave, so she followed him to the couch, but she sat on the chair away from him.
“Why are you here?” she asked calmly.
Justin placed the flowers on the coffee table, then looked at his hands, which were shaking. “I realized something, and I know it's probably too late, but I owe it a try,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“I'm sorry,” Justin began, as the tears started to fall. “I thought I loved her still, but I realized in the past few months that you're the one I love, you're the one I want to be with.”
“"You want to be with me?” she asked, her eyebrows raising a bit. “What made you come to that conclusion?”
Justin got up, and started to pace the living room. “One night it just happened. I wanted to go to a game and she refused. I spent that night walking around thinking of how much I missed you, how much I needed you, then it donned on me. You cared about me, my feelings, everything about me, and I just threw you away, and it was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“No one understand me like you do,” he finished.
Elizabeth got off the chair and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from pacing. “Just say it, I want to hear you say it,” she said.
He waited a heartbeat, then looked into her eyes. “I love you,” he said.
She was finally hearing those three little words that she only heard from him in her dreams. But this wasn’t a dream; this was real.
“I love you, too,” she said, “but I’m still mad at you. I don’t know what to do about this.”
He went over to the table and picked up the flowers. He walked back over to her and handed them to her. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, not wanting her to ever leave. “I'm so sorry…” He didn’t know what else to say to convince her that he was telling the truth.
She interrupted him with a kiss. “Thank you, that's all I wanted to hear.”
Justin wiped his eyes. This was going a lot better than he expected. He pressed his lips to her forehead.
Elizabeth pulled away. “What is happening?” She needed to be sure he wanted what she wanted.
“Between us? I was hoping you would give me another chance,” Justin said, looking into her eyes. “At least I hope that’s what you’re trying to tell me.”
“Well, what happened to Meg?” she asked.
“I dumped her. How could I stay with her when I'm in love with someone else?” His fingers made a journey tracing her face.
“Why don't you tell me?”
He laughed quietly. “I love you.”
It was nice to hear him say that, she thought. “I love you, too.”
She couldn't believe this was happening, all those feelings for him were back again. She was hopelessly in love. Only this time, she knew he was in love with her, too. She believed him with all her heart, he had come out all this way, and it was a risk he took being shot down.
What else could she do? She kissed him, softly, then passionately, knowing they would have time for plenty of talking in their lifetime together.