Vignette; Part 3 of 3
So...

As members of the Princeton graduating class of 2007 proudly made their way across the stage, resplendent in their caps and gowns, Kelly O�Shaughnessy sat in her seat between Brendan O�Shanahan and Molly O�Shea and tried her best not to feel like a St. Patrick�s Day joke. They had done it. She had done it. From the first days of freshman year to the ecstasy of finishing her senior honors thesis, it had been a wild ride. And now, June 2007, Kelly watched her peers stride across the platform and contemplated where she would go next. Though she was nowhere near valedictorian status, she had managed to squeak out a few lowly honors along with her degree in the Classics. What that meant for her future she had no idea. She felt conversant in Greek, full of trivia about the Peloponnesian wars, and pretty knowledgeable about Zeus and his extensive list of consorts, and yet her own life remained a complete mystery.

In fact, the last few months�the last semester, really�had moved in such a blur that Kelly had spent almost no time taking stock of her state. Celia had graduated a semester early, so January had been filled with a frantic search to find a new roommate and rent-splitter. Throwing caution to the wind, she had chosen a moderately attractive lacrosse player named Ben, but thankfully it turned out to be more of a Will & Grace-type relationship than anything potentially more complicated. February had brought a conference in New York on the Fall of the Roman Empire and New York had, in turn, brought Jeff Welley, a fledgling investment banker and member of the Princeton class of 2005. Again, against her best judgment, Kelly began the second serious long-distance relationship of her life, and this one seemed moderately more successful than the last, though this time there was only a train ride�not an ocean�between the pair. The Ides of March had passed with the frantic, hectic, erratic completion of her senior thesis and then came a lovely spring break trip to the Bahamas with Jeff. April involved many half-hearted job inquiries at museums around the world and indeed more eager trips to Jeff�s New York loft. May� Well, Kelly was pretty sure she had just skipped May, because she certainly had not remembered any of it.

So then June came, and with it the flurry of graduation activities. As Kelly and the rest of the Irish Brigade stood to process toward the stage, her thoughts returned again to Jeff. Apart from the distance issue, that relationship was probably the healthiest she�d ever had. Jeff was nice but definitely not afraid to show his temper. He was without doubt intelligent, but could quote Happy Gilmore with the best of them. And, though she wasn�t seriously considering marrying him�at least not yet�if she were to marry him she would fantastically become �Kelly Welley.� She laughed every time this thought crossed her mind. Kelly Welley. At times she wanted to marry him just for the last name.

But unfortunately, despite the happy potential of a rhyme-filled life, Kelly knew deep down that Jeff was not the one. How could he be? How could any of the handful of boyfriends or multitudes of blind dates be �The One� when the real one was still out there?

Of course Kelly tripped right before her line ascended the stage, and as she regained her balance she caught Kate�s eye from the audience. Kate whispered something to Jeff and Patrick and then gave Kelly a little wave that was echoed by Jeff, Patrick and Mr. & Mrs. O�Shaughnessy. Kelly felt the rouge of embarrassment exit her cheeks and she was filled with such a feeling of elation that the butterflies in her stomach dissipated for the briefest of moments. As Kelly looked out at her best friend, her boyfriend, her family, her friends, her classmates, and the vast sea of anonymous well-wishers, she could not help but feel content. But as she walked slowly across the stage, grabbing and almost dropping her diploma, smiling way too widely for her picture, and then tripping again down the stairs, the tiny little nagging feeling she had come to know and love crept up in the back of her mind. The Pact. The One. Orlando. Their two years of silence had passed just like that�in silence. And technically it had been more than two years. The Cracked Pact, as she had taken to calling it, had been made in mid-April 2005, and it was now mid-June 2007. Not that it really mattered�after all, the gist of the Vow of Silence was that it would end after Kelly graduated, but it was just phenomenal to think that she and Orlando had actually succeeded.

At times Kelly had been so close to calling him. She thought back a little more than a year ago, when the Us Weekly article had been published. There was no need to rehash what she had felt at the time�she remembered that crazy mix of emotions quite well. How she had crawled in the bathtub after reading the piece in the hopes of settling down. How she had crossed her fingers and toes as she checked her phone for messages as soon as her skin was sufficiently pruny. How she had forced herself to suppress a few tears when the only message she received was from Celia reminding her to take out the trash because it was starting to smell. How she had gone through her list of missed calls twice only to find Celia�s call, a call from Patrick, and an unidentified number that surely was her friend Eric using call block. Orlando always called from his cell phone, and his number was not showing up on hers. So she threw out the magazine along with the rest of the trash. And though she still kept the notion of soul mates alive in her heart, her head was more prudently occupied.

But she hadn�t forgotten him. She wouldn�t forget him. She was planning to call him as soon as the graduation festivities were over, in fact, unless he called first. And though she had absolutely no idea what would happen when that fateful, long-delayed phone call transpired, she was giddy with anticipation.

Sometimes she felt guilty that she was with Jeff. She felt like maybe Orlando had just kept single, waiting for their reunion. But no� Surely he was involved with someone. Kelly knew he had been dating quite a bit (thanks to Us Weekly, of course), and he was almost certainly seriously involved with one of those impossibly good-looking women, right? After all, he had passed his thirtieth birthday in January�wasn�t that when the instinct to settle down kicked in? Kelly had been repeating this conversation to herself with increased frequency in the past few weeks. Though she knew she had nothing to be guilty about, she still had this ominous feeling that the shit was about to hit the fan�

But with no fans currently in sight, Kelly walked back to her row and sat down. And by the time Peter Zubrowski walked across the stage and the Dean stood to make his closing remarks, Kelly felt the guilty feeling completely ebb away. After tossing her own cap and subsequently being beaned in the head by about twenty of her peers�, she made her way toward the audience and her beaming contingent. And after her mother had successfully cried her way through an entire packet of pocket tissues, Kelly realized that the whole Orlando issue could wait. Would wait.

As Jeff chatted up her grandparents and Patrick and Paul tried to comfort her mother, Kelly pulled Kate aside. She felt herself getting a little choked up as she saw the tears threatening to fall from Kate�s mismatched eyes. The friends embraced, effectively finishing another chapter of their friendship. There was nothing to say, really. Kate had been kept abreast of Kelly�s inner Orlando drama, but she also knew this was neither the time nor the place to discuss such matters. �Hey Kel,� she said as she pulled out of the hug, �I am so freaking proud of you. You are going to be the best damn museum curator in the history of museum curation. Even if that�s not a word.�

Kelly laughed and wiped her eyes. �Thanks, Kate. And thanks for being there with me every step of the way. I mean, I know I sound like a Hallmark card, but seriously we�ve been through so much, and I just� I don�t know. I�umm, crap. This is why I wasn�t an English major!� Kelly gave an exasperated chuckle, but Kate just smiled.

�I know what you mean. And you�re welcome. And thanks to you also� OK, clearly I�m not going to be an English major either. And though I hate to ruin this superbly eloquent display of word choice, I really have to pee. Is there any chance I could run to your apartment real quick? It�s so close and all, and I think your mom has about three more things of Kleenex to go through, so you might be here a while.�

Kelly laughed and reached in her pocket for the keys to her place. �Here you go. Take your time. Judging by Patrick�s expression, the tears of joy are unlikely to abate any time soon��

Kate grabbed the keys and ran off as Kelly rejoined the clan. She got another peck on the cheek from Jeff along with a �Congratulations, Goober.� He had heard many times of her distaste for pet names, and so he had chosen to call her the slightly less endearing Goober, a choice that still drew confused looks from the rest of the family. Her roommate Ben came over and promptly enveloped her in a giant hug. Only when she demonstrated her proximity to asphyxiation did he let her go. Checking his watch he asked, �About ready to head to the restaurant? I think our reservation�s in about half an hour.� There were murmurs of approval from everyone, and Kelly checked her own watch.

�Yeah, I think I�m about ready. I want to just pop home for a second and freshen up. I should have followed Mom�s advice and worn waterproof mascara, but of course I didn�t. You wouldn�t want to go to dinner with a raccoon like me, would you?� Ben made a face that elicited laughs from the crowd, and Kelly continued: �See what I mean? Besides, Kate is at the apartment now, so I should go grab her because I�m pretty sure she doesn�t know where the restaurant is. Can we meet you all back here in fifteen? Oh, and Ben I need to borrow your key, if you don�t mind.�

Before his head stopped nodding Kelly was off. Their apartment was conveniently only a stone�s throw from the auditorium, so she reached the familiar stone steps in no time flat. However, there was something not-so familiar attached to her door. It was a single pink rose, and it looked like it had been hurriedly taped there. Aw, Kate gave me a flower! Kelly thought as she pried the tape from the door, taking a bit of paint along with it. As she bent her face to smell the rose, she noticed a piece of paper curled up in a tiny scroll nestled in between the petals. She grinned, admiring Kate�s creativity. A tiny note in a beautiful rose.

But as she unfurled the scroll and read the note, her grin morphed into a confused frown. Instead of a congratulatory message as she had expected, there was just one cryptic line: Twenty-six: one for every month

That was it. Not even a period�just a dangling fragment. Maybe it was some sort of riddle? Would there be more roses?

She felt the key click in the lock as she pushed open the door. Sure enough, taped to the small table right next to the door was another rose and another note. She picked the scroll from the petals, setting down both roses, and read: of togetherness,

Definitely cryptic. This time, though, she noticed a small number two on the scroll. And pulling the other out of her purse, she saw the small number one. So she began her search for number three. As she lifted her head to view the room, she saw there were pink roses everywhere�about two dozen of them, and the first line made a bit more sense. She wound her way from wall to wall down the hallway toward her bedroom and collected the scrolls. After number twenty-six, she paused and unrolled them all in order on a table.

Twenty-six: one for every month

of togetherness,

though we were apart.

Twenty-six: one for every way that I love you

though I can�t list all the ways

without running the risk of being too �cheesy�

as you would say.

She paused. It became stunningly, startlingly clear the roses were not from Kate. And Kelly knew who they were from, and this thought filled her with an intense fear, and she had the strangest urge to stop. Her breath became short and the edges of the scrolls curled up upon touching her clammy palms. But she kept reading�

One to hold in your mouth

as we tango,

One representing the South:

the Caribbean, a mango.

One for putting up with such insanely stupid rhyming attempts

One because I�m a silly bugger

with the heart of a hopeless romantic

though romantic comedies only make you sarcastic

and that�s just fine with me

because they are quite stupid, aren�t they?

Kelly�s heart was racing. Her fingers shook so much it was hard to properly unroll the notes. She was beyond any emotion but nervousness at this point.

One for the freckles on your knees

One for your �misshapen eyes� as you say

though I think you�re perfectly daft.

One because it was actually cheaper to buy two dozen than one, stupid florists.

And two more because it�s been twenty-six months, not twenty-four.

One to apologize for that unintentional rhyme (I�m getting quite good, no?)

One because I just think roses are pretty.

One out of appreciation for your silly pact.

One because I�m so fucking glad it�s over.

And just like that, there were no more roses, no more notes. Kelly stood, somewhere between laughter and tears, and completely overwhelmed by confusion. He was nowhere in sight. Neither was Kate. As far as Kelly could tell, she was standing completely alone in her apartment, surrounded by two dozen (and two!) roses, and not a clue as to what to do next.

But then she thought she heard the slightest of rustles come from her bedroom. She slowly made her way down the hall, half anticipating, half dreading what was to come as she pushed open the door. It creaked open, and through her haze of emotions, Kelly reminded herself to spray it with WD-40�anything to keep her head level at this strange juncture.

And there he was. Standing silently in her room. Standing amidst the half-hidden *NSYNC CDs and dozens of silly trinkets. Standing quite still though the room resembled the �After� shots of a disaster site. Standing so quietly that she was sure he could hear her heart beat, because it was absolutely pounding.

Orlando.

Orlando holding one last rose, not pink this time, but red. A brilliant shade of red, and Kelly could see that it too contained a scroll. But he did not offer her the rose. At her continued silence, he turned around to set the rose on her bureau, then took a step in her direction. She remained gripping the doorknob, unable to process anything.

�Hi, Kel,� he said with a grin, as if he was just running into her at the supermarket.

Kelly thought she managed to choke out something that constituted a reply, but she wasn�t quite sure. It must have suited him, though, because he just moved closer and reached for her hand. Not really knowing what else to do, she offered it freely to him. He pulled her closer and her grip on the doorknob tightened.

And then, it was as if something clicked. Kelly forgot the roses, forgot the restaurant, forgot her family, her friends, Jeff� Kelly was transported back to the very beginning, back to the Orlando who had spent hours in her bedroom discussing the Beatles. Back to the Orlando who had disguised himself as Eurotrash to go dancing with her. Back to the Orlando before any complications, any silence, any twists. And the only thing Kelly wanted to do at that particular moment was to hug Orlando�hold on to him and try her hardest never to let go. And this is precisely what she did.

And as one hand sunk into the familiar curls at the nape of his neck and the other pressed hard against his back, it was all Kelly could do to stop herself from crying. Every tension, every care, every woe dropped away and a great wave of relief swept over her. Relief, comfort, home. This was right. Just being with him, holding him.

She finally opened her eyes, not caring if she could hold back the tears anymore. From her head�s resting place on his shoulder, she could see the rose on the bureau. She smiled and said, �Thanks for the roses, Orlando. They were� well, they were something.�

Much to her disappointment, he pulled out of the embrace and held her at arm�s length. �Did you like them?� he said, his voice raspy with emotion.

�Yeah. I really did. Although when I took some of them off the wall, paint came with them, so I�ll be billing you for damages, of course.�

He just grinned, so she continued, �And I appreciated that they were all pink, of course.�

�Well, I know you hate red roses,� he said with a smile.

�Then how do you explain that red one right there?� She pointed to the solitary flower on the bureau.

�Well, my dear, you may hate red roses, but I happen to absolutely adore them. And let�s just say that this particular rose is particularly special, and thus by necessity must be a red rose.� With a sly grin he spoke again. �Would you like to know more?�

Kelly felt a few mites of nervousness return as she glanced at the rose. If roses had eyes, she was sure this one would be glaring ominously at her. But somehow she knew that whatever Orlando had to say would be OK. She remembered how right the embrace had felt� What harm could one more scroll do? So she nodded her head and stuck out her hand like a kid on Christmas. He graciously placed the rose in her outstretched hand, careful to keep the stem upright so the scroll would not fall out.

She squealed with glee. �I forgot to mention how much I loved the notes. Though you�re a freaking dunce when it comes to rhyming. A mango?? What was that all about?�

�Hey!� he said with mock admonishment. �You try rhyming with tango! Even better, try rhyming with Toneva�remember her?�

�That beast? How could I forget! �The tango is vertical sex�� Good times.�

�For sure. Now find the scroll, silly girl!�

Kelly realized that some part of her had been reluctant to reach inside the petals to retrieve the scroll and had instead been using conversation to stall. But at the eager look on his face; his eyebrows raised in anticipation, the corners of his mouth angled up in a slight smile, Kelly knew she couldn�t put it off any longer. She grabbed at the end of the scroll and pulled.

A long stream of paper unfurled from the petals, but when she looked, she saw there was no writing on it. Confused, she turned to Orlando who just grinned even wider and said, �Dig deeper.�

She peered again at the flower. Was there another scroll? She gently peeled apart the petals. And in that little fortress of red was the thing she had both awaited and dreaded. A ring. A beautiful silver ring.

She looked once more at Orlando, and saw that his expression had changed completely. He no longer looked giddy or eager or excited. He looked�she didn�t have words to describe it. He looked like a man possessed. A man so deeply in love that Kelly was genuinely scared. But after a brief second, his expression softened. There seemed to be a soft glow coming from his beautiful brown eyes, and when he broke into a wide smile, and gestured toward the ring, Kelly felt herself smile too. She removed the ring from its delicate natural jewelry box and held it in the palm of her hand. Seeing it took her breath away. It was gorgeous. One large diamond�not ostentatious, but still big�set in a platinum band and bordered by two square-cut emeralds.

�Orlando, I�� the words faltered.

He smiled again. �It�s OK, Kel. It doesn�t have to be an engagement ring, if that�s what you�re thinking. It can be a promise ring, or an engaged-to-be-engaged ring, or, if I completely fuck this up, just a nice piece of jewelry that�ll look amazing with your eyes.� He spoke fast, and Kelly got the impression that this speech was rehearsed. Even if she had anything to say, she wouldn�t have been able to speak. He continued. �Kelly, I know that we haven�t spoken in two years. I know that before that, we were only together for four months. And I know that before that I dated your best friend and there were many complications. But I also know that I have had the amazing pleasure of knowing you for four years. And in those four years, since the very first day I met you, I have counted you among my best friends. I don�t know why, I honestly don�t. We barely even talked for the first year. Come to think of it, there have been many periods of silence in this relationship�� He trailed off for emphasis, then continued with a wink. �But Kelly, as I sat in London and Hollywood, and various glamorous locales these past two years; as I bitched and moaned to fucking US Weekly; as I dated beautiful women with little or nothing to contribute to the world, I realized that not only were you among my best friends, you were my best friend. And I know I�ve told you that before. It just comes with more responsibilities this time. Because, Kel, I can�t live without you. In fact, it�s more than that: I won�t live without you. And I guess it is very presumptuous of me to barge in here with my cheesy roses and assume you don�t have a boyfriend or even�God forbid�a fianc�e, but I guess I�m just hoping against hopes that you�re desperately alone and just waiting for me, like I�ve been for you. And that�s that. That�s my story. And I completely understand if you are otherwise involved, but I implore you to please consider my offer. Consider how much I need you, how much I love you.�

And with that he finished. And Kelly considered. She considered everything he had said. She considered the past four years�had it really been that long? She considered the glamorous locales and the beautiful women. And she considered her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who was in quite the right way to become�God forbid�her fianc�e. And this thought sent a thousand shock waves straight to the pit of her stomach, but she pushed them aside. Because all she wanted to do was slip that ring on her finger and kiss the man who stood expectantly before her. So she did. She kissed him right there, still in her graduation robes, still utterly confused. And she realized as they pulled apart, that it was so right. But it was so wrong! Jeff!

She loved Jeff. She loved being with Jeff, she could see herself marrying Jeff. And the man in front of her definitely was not Jeff. And as she looked up into Orlando�s eyes and contemplated her twisted state, it seemed that time stopped.

But unfortunately, though it stopped for Kelly, time marched right on in the world around her. And as she stood, fingers still entwined in her favorite of his curls, the sensation of his kiss still lingering on her lips, she heard banging on the door to the apartment. She heard it creak open and a series of footsteps fell in the entryway. Three sets of footsteps, to be precise, and she soon heard the voices of their owners.

�Kelly? Where are you? What the hell happened in here?� Ben shouted down the hallway.

�Who taped flowers on the wall?� came Patrick�s voice.

�Yeah, Goober, you�ve sure done some interesting redecorating since the last time I was here!� Jeff�s voice came with a chuckle.

Kelly cringed, and was pretty sure her heart stopped for about the six-hundredth time that hour. There was no way out of this. No way to conceal the six-foot movie star that stood breathing heavily in front of her. No way to just sneak out of the room and join her people for dinner. So she cast a helpless look at Orlando, who just squeezed her hand encouragingly, and then she called out to Ben, brother, and boyfriend who promptly barged into the bedroom.

The scene was truly like something out of a movie. Everyone�s eyes darted from one person to the next, no one fully understanding what was going on or having a clue as to what would come next. Kelly had dropped Orlando�s hands and slipped the ring in her pocket�best not to display it openly. She cleared her throat, unsure how one was to commence with the introductions in such a situation.

Thankfully, Patrick took care of that for her. He stuck out his hand genially and said, �Hey. I�m Patrick�the brother.�

Orlando smiled and shook it. Ben followed suit and said, with considerably more ebullience, �Ben, the roommate!� Kelly saw the excitement in his face as Orlando shook his hand as well.

Jeff was slightly more recalcitrant. With a wary eye, he extended his hand. �And I�m Jeff, the boyfriend.� The word dripped out of his mouth, powerful and pronounced. Orlando shot the briefest glance at Kelly, then took Jeff�s hand and shook it hard.

�And I�m Orlando Bloom,� he said, staring directly at Jeff.

�Hell yeah you are!� exclaimed Ben, who quickly clapped his hand over his mouth.

Jeff glanced at Kelly, then back at Orlando. �What exactly is going on here?�

Kelly looked around the room. Ben still had his hand over his mouth and was practically fluttering with excitement. Orlando and Jeff seemed locked in a stare-down death match, and Patrick was peering at her intently, trying to figure out what was going on. She knew he was a bright guy, and she had kept him updated, so it didn�t take him long to appraise the situation. But he could offer no verbal advice right now, so he just sent her an encouraging look.

Kelly cleared her throat, not quite sure how to begin. Oh, hey guys. Yeah, I�m just here in my room with Orlando Bloom, a red rose, and runny mascara. I�m hiding a potential engagement ring because I don�t know if I have accepted his proposal yet, or even if it was a proposal, and one of you happens to be my current boyfriend, so that quite complicates matters. On top of all this, I�m famished, so my synapses aren�t firing correctly, so could we perhaps freeze this moment and head to the restaurant? Great�

Somehow, she didn�t think that would work. Instead, she said, �Hey guys. Umm, this is obviously Orlando Bloom. The question is,� she laughed nervously, �what exactly is he doing in my bedroom and why am I crying? Well I suppose those are two questions, but you know. Well, here�s the answer. Orlando is a dear old friend of mine�not to make us sound like a pair of geezers or anything�and we haven�t talked in� well, in a long time,� she shot a glance at Patrick who winked, �so I�m bawling because he showed up here and surprised me, and it�s just wonderful!�

There was a silence as everyone digested her words. Jeff broke it. �And the roses?�

Shit. �Oh, Orlando and Kate decided to surprise me with roses. Pink ones, even!�

�But you hate pink roses�you like red,� Jeff added, briefly turning his eyes away from Orlando and toward Kelly.

�Well, that�s not exactly true. But whatever, it doesn�t matter.� If she had looked at Orlando, she would have seen his eyebrows rise in curiosity, but looking at Orlando was the last thing Kelly wanted to do at this very moment in time. �So, chaps, I�m feeling a bit peckish, so shall we go eat?� she continued in a very bad British accent in an attempt to lighten the mood. Ben and Patrick chuckled and Orlando smiled, but Jeff remained unmoved, still glaring at the real Brit in their midst.

And no one answered.

Finally Orlando spoke. �Well, I�d better get going, if you all are off to dinner. Kelly, it�s been great. I�ll be in town for a few days, so just call me and we can talk about� the thing, OK? Ben, Patrick, Jeff, it�s been a pleasure.� And he moved toward the door.

But Ben stopped him. �Um, aren�t you going to come to dinner with us?�

Kelly grimaced, feeling that this was perhaps not the best move. But Orlando merely smiled and shot a challenging look at Jeff. �If I�m invited, how could I turn it down?� he said in an icy tone, his face still looking pointedly at Jeff who had now moved to grab Kelly�s hand.

Ben realized that perhaps he did not understand the depth of the matter at hand. In fact, he had probably not even scratched the surface. But his eagerness to dine with Orlando Bloom far outweighed any sense of propriety, so with an apologetic glance at Kelly, he invited the megastar to dinner. The megastar accepted graciously.

Another silence followed.

This time Patrick broke it. �Well, Kel, you probably still need to freshen up a bit. And Orlando, you�ve got to retrieve your stuff, I assume, from somewhere in this hellhole my sister calls a room, so the three of us will just go wait for you out in front of the apartment, alright? Come on now, Ben, Jeff�� And he shepherded the two out of the room�both reluctant to go, but for entirely different reasons. Kelly shot Patrick one last appreciative glance before he shut the door and she was again left alone with Orlando.

But before he could speak, she put a finger to his lips. �Can we not talk about this whole thing right now? I just� I just want to� I just need to think about a lot of things, and all I really want to do is eat, so could we just not��

Orlando didn�t need any more convincing. He moved her finger to her own mouth, and pulled her into another giant bear hug, which swiftly turned into a kiss.

And as she sank deeper into the embrace, Kelly had never felt more torn in her life.

***

Eating was generally one of Kelly�s favorite pastimes. Any meal, any time. And yet, the hour and a half she spent in her favorite steakhouse in Princeton, New Jersey that night was the most agonizing and excruciating time of her life.

Kelly, Orlando, Ben, Jeff, and Patrick had left the apartment in total silence�not even Ben could get a conversation started. By the time they reunited with the confused families and an apologetic Kate, the tension was suffocating. Thankfully, Mr. and Mrs. O�Shaughnessy diffused some of it by graciously meeting Orlando and keeping him occupied for most of the walk to the restaurant. Kate gripped Kelly�s left hand tightly and sent her little questioning looks. Jeff had a death grip on Kelly�s right hand, and he just looked straight ahead. Ben walked directly behind Orlando, and it was pretty clear where his eyes were�

Seating at the restaurant was another issue. As if seeing two major movie stars waltz into their little restaurant wasn�t enough, the hostesses had to deal with another debacle as it took the whole party a good five minutes to take their seats. Jeff was steadfast by Kelly�s side, but Orlando kept trying to sidle up next to her. After she sent him several pleading stares, he winked and took the seat opposite her, next to Kate. Jeff practically yanked Kelly into the chair next to his own, and hardly released her arm throughout the meal.

Naturally the commotion drew attention, and slowly but surely small hordes of autograph seekers approached the table. Most flocked directly to Orlando and ignored Kate�which made Kate and Kelly grin�and he graciously accepted and signed everything placed in front of him�including a steak knife from the restaurant. Kelly wasn�t quite sure, but she thought that after each autograph she saw Orlando send a snarky glance at Jeff, who just tightened his grip on Kelly�s arm.

When she felt the melodrama was at its most ridiculous, Kelly pulled a �girls go to the bathroom in packs� and grabbed Kate. Mrs. O�Shaughnessy jovially rose to join them, but was cautioned against it by both her son and husband. Not that Kelly would have minded a little motherly advice�

***

�Alright kid, what the hell is going on?� asked Kate as she pulled Kelly into the mercifully deserted ladies� room.

Kelly just started laughing with her head bowed. She massaged her temples, hoping that somehow the gesture would make everything click into place and be normal. It didn�t. Abandoning the technique, Kelly looked up, directly at Kate. A brief second passed before Kate�s face lit up. �Ohmygod!� she squealed. �He proposed, didn�t he?� She actually began hopping up and down, and in the process activated some of the automatic hand dryers.

Kelly nodded and smiled along with her ebullient friend and waited until the din died down. But she was confused� �Didn�t you know? I mean, all the roses and everything?�

�Well I helped him with the roses, yeah, but I had no idea he was going to propose! My God! You haven�t talked in two years!�

�I know!� Kelly exclaimed, glad that someone else saw the biggest flaw in the whole endeavor. �I know! Two years without a word. Not a single word between us. And only four months of actual dating before that. What� I just� AH! I just don�t even know what to say! I�m so fucking confused!�

Kate said nothing, but just hopped up onto the counter and bade Kelly follow. �Now, dear Kelly, I may not be a Princeton graduate like you, in fact, I may have dropped out of that precise university, but when I was there, you might recall that I studied some psychology. It is time, I believe, for me to analyze you. Step into my office,� she said and gestured toward the bathroom. Kelly grinned and hoisted herself up to sit by Kate, who continued in her most psychoanalytic voice: �How do you feel, Ms. O�Shaughnessy?�

�Hmm. Well, doctor, shall I give you a little recap of my story? I have a wonderful, wonderful boyfriend, who�despite the fact that he doesn�t know I hate red roses�is otherwise perfect. Said boyfriend, however, knows nothing of my past dalliances, shall we say, with the aforementioned Mr. Bloom. And said psychiatric patient�that�d be me�has not spoken to Mr. Bloom for two whole years and then he just proposes. Out of the blue. And thus, Ms. O�Shaughnessy would like to request a transfer to a shrink in Siberia, preferably, although he�s probably going to film a movie there eventually, so I guess I can�t run away forever�� Kelly trailed off.

Kate looked appraisingly at her friend. �Why do you want to run away? How do you actually feel about being engaged to Orlando?�

�Well that�s the thing. First of all, he said it didn�t even have to be an engagement ring. He said it could be �engaged to be engaged� or some shit like that. And then there�s Jeff, who��

Kate cut her off. �Forget Jeff. Forget �engaged to be engaged.� Hypothetically, it�s a rock. The date is set. You�re marrying the one and only Orlando Bloom. How do you feel?�

Kelly opened her mouth, but paused. �Honestly?� she asked, turning to Kate, �I feel wonderful. I feel beautiful. I feel miraculous. I feel so lucky��

�Well then there�s your answer! Clear as day!�

��And I feel petrified. So scared, Kate. I couldn�t even make it work for four stinking months, and now he wants us to spend the rest of our lives together? I don�t think I can do that!�

Kate remained silent as Kelly continued her rant. �And then there�s Jeff. Because I can�t just forget about him. I mean, after Orlando gave me the ring�whatever it is�I stood there, in his arms, and I was thinking about Jeff. About whether or not I wanted to give him up! Am I that stupid? I mean, I have the most sought-after man in the world asking me to be with him, and I think about Jeff? Does that mean I love Jeff more? WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!� she bellowed, tossing up her arms in despair.

Kate just patted her shoulder. �Well, Kel, it might mean that. You might actually love Jeff more. But it might also be that little voice, that little, tiny voice of rationality that we all know and love coming up to the surface and saying, �Jeff�s the better fit, dumbass!� And only you can make that choice, because only you can know what�s right, and what�s in your heart. And I like Jeff, I really do. I think he�s great, and you�re great together. But I love Orlando, and I love what you two share. It�s just breathtaking sometimes how you seem to be made out of the same mold. So that�s just my two cents, I guess.�

Kelly was about to speak, but an elderly woman walked into the bathroom. She cast a disapproving look at the two twentysomethings perched by the sinks and then went about her business. Kelly caught a glint of gold on her ring finger. Did this woman have to choose between two men? Did she make the right decision? Did she ever have any regrets? Kelly stared idly at her own ring finger, still not bearing Orlando�s gift. How many times had she fantasized about a ring right there? How many times had she dreamed of her wedding? How many times had she imagined Jeff to be the groom at her side? And how many times had she instead pictured Orlando?

Her heart was yelling at her, screaming at her. Orlando. Orlando all the way. Orlando doesn�t make you feel hollow, feel empty. Orlando fills that hole that you feel with Jeff. Orlando is the one you should be with.

But of course her head chimed in: Jeff. Jeff has a steady, solid, career in one place�no flying from set to set. Jeff has an education, a good set of morals, and he wants kids�just like you. Does Orlando want any of this? Do you even know what he wants? Or are you completely and totally blinded by his celebrity?

Pros and cons were flickering angrily across the plane of her mind, and she just had to yell. So she bellowed again, with no discernable message. Just screaming. The elderly woman just shook her head slowly and left the bathroom. And Kelly buried her head in her hands.

Kate reached over to stroke her friend�s back. �What�s the story, Morning Glory?� she asked quietly.

�Oh, just another hopeless battle between my head and my heart. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Excuse me while I comfort my soul in its death throes�� She let out a snide chuckle.

Kate returned the laugh and then spoke, calmly, with restraint. �Um, Kel? If you don�t mind, I�m going to give you my real opinion. The God�s honest truth, straight from me to you. But it may hurt, alright?� Kelly imperceptibly moved her head up and down, so Kate continued. �Well, girl, you�ve got a problem. And I don�t mean this whole boy situation. I mean you�ve got a problem. In your head. I feel like there are two Kellys, and they�re always fighting. There�s practical Kelly, and then there�s real Kelly. And I think Real Kelly is the one who should win, but then damn Practical Kelly always comes and makes you change your mind. This is classic Kelly. You don�t give in to your impulses or your passions very often, and if you do, you usually rethink your actions right after you�ve given in, and then you decide to go the rational path instead. And that makes sense, I guess, although in the end, maybe you shouldn�t always follow your head, you know? The heart can be right sometimes too.� She ended the little speech and nudged Kelly gently in the ribs.

Kelly turned her head to smile up at Kate. �Yeah, I know what you mean. I don�t know why Practical Kelly always wins. I like the other one better. But��

�Nope,� Kate interjected. �No buts. Look, we shouldn�t discuss this any more. We�ve been in here way too long�your boys have probably massacred each other by now, so we should head back to the table. But just think about it, OK? Think about what feels right, not just what is right, yeah?�

Kelly nodded and the two headed back to the table to finish the rest of their exceedingly awkward dinner.

***

That night, after having successfully navigated ten or twenty graduation parties, Kelly crawled into bed exhausted. The lights were out, but she could still see the dim outline of Orlando�s red rose on her bureau. She got up and stuck it in a drawer�best to hide it before Jeff came in. As she was returning to bed he entered, and scooted under the covers next to her.

They were so close, barely touching, but so connected, lying in bed with nothing but the moonlight to illuminate their forms. He reached over to push a strand of hair behind her ear. �Goober,� he said, his voice barely above a whisper, �what�s going on? Do we need to talk?�

Kelly had the distinct feeling that faking sleep would not get her through this one. She opened her eyes and stared at his face, ethereally bathed in moonlight, but so caring nonetheless. She grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze. �Yeah, I think we do. But I don�t know what to say.�

�Well how �bout I start, then?� he said, placing a little kiss on her nose. �You dated that guy, didn�t you?� She nodded mutely. �Yeah, I figured there was more there than met the eye.� You have no idea, she thought. �Well, Kel, you guys broke up, right? I mean, you�re not two-timing me or anything?�

Kelly vigorously shook her head and instinctively moved closer to Jeff. �Then I don�t understand all the awkwardness and the little stares and the running off to the bathroom for fifteen minutes with Kate and coming back all teary-eyed. Is something going on that I need to know about? Because you can tell me. Just be honest.�

Kelly just kept staring at him. Oh, Jeff, she thought. This is going to hurt. She nodded again, and he prompted her to go on. �Jeff� Orlando, well, shit. I don�t really know how to say this� Orlando proposed to me,� she finally spat out, much quicker than she had intended to.

For a second she thought that maybe Jeff hadn�t heard her. But then his face transformed into a twisted, angry mess, and he turned his head and swore loudly. �That fucking son of a bitch. He proposed even though he knew we were together?�

Kelly grimaced and brought her hand to her face. �Well, that�s the thing,� she said meekly. �He didn�t exactly know that we were together.� She peered out from behind her hand, just in time to see Jeff sit fully upright and glare at her.

�You didn�t tell him? What the hell does that say about us, Kelly?�

�Well it�s more complicated than that!� she said, sitting upright herself to meet his eye.

�It doesn�t sound more complicated, sweetheart,� he said sarcastically.

She felt the same familiar tears begin to gather. But she held them back. �Well it is,� she shot back. �I hadn�t spoken to him in two years, so he didn�t know anything about me or what was going on in my life.�

�You can say that again!� Jeff retorted. �Two fucking years? And he expects you to drop everything? Thank God you said no!�

Kelly surmised that even Ben in the next room could feel the tension that emanated when she didn�t respond. The silence stretched for an eternity until finally Jeff turned to Kelly. �I said, Thank God you said no, right? You did say no, didn�t you?�

She fiddled with the sheets and stared down at the bed. �No,� she whispered, barely audible.

�What?� It was Temper Time.

�No!� she said more defiantly, jerking her head up to look him in the eyes.

�Well why the hell not?� he said, his voice gradually growing louder.

�Because I didn�t know if I wanted to say no! I still don�t know! I didn�t give him any answer, and I�d sure appreciate it if you could respect me just a little bit more right now, alright? This is hard for me!� Kelly clenched the sheets angrily, and Jeff just sputtered for a little while.

�Wow, you want me to respect you? Gosh, Kelly, I don�t know. You see, I�m not the one who accepted a marriage proposal from an ex tonight!�

�I didn�t accept it!� she bellowed, jumping up to stand on the bed so as to better yell at him. �I didn�t accept it!� she repeated, not exactly knowing what else to say.

�Well you didn�t turn it down, either!� he replied, drawing himself up to his full height opposite her. �So what exactly am I supposed to do now? Just wait around like a sad little puppy until you�ve made your decision? Gee, I can�t imagine how this one�s going to end!� his voice was rising to a fever pitch. �Why don�t you just end it right now? Just cut me loose. Put me out of my misery. Because honestly? How the fuck am I supposed to compete against Orlando Fucking Bloom? That�s just cruel.�

�No, Jeff. It�s not like that. It�s not a competition, it�s�� Once again she couldn�t finish her sentence.

�What is it then, Kelly? What? What am I supposed to do?� And after the briefest pause, Kelly heard the words she was expecting finally leave his lips: �I know. I�ll just end it. Is that what you want? Will that make it easier for you?�

She shook her head violently, causing tears to run in rivulets down her cheeks. �No, Jeff, that�s not what I want!� She grabbed him by the arms and pulled him closer.

�Well it�s not what I want either, but will it make it easier for you? Will that solve your problem?� He grabbed her back and looked into her eyes, and Kelly thought that she could see compassion flit across his face just for a second, but then his eyes turned hollow again, cold.

�No, it won�t! I mean, yes, it would solve the problem, but that�s not how I want it! That�s now how it should be, Jeff! Do you understand?� Kelly was grasping at straws. She had no idea how this would end.

But apparently Jeff did. �Kelly, I think the problem is that I understand. I think I understand better than you understand, in fact. So I�m just going to go, and you can accept his proposal and that�s just what�s best. That�s just what has to happen.� He turned his hollow eyes away from her face and made to step down from the bed, but Kelly grabbed him and pulled him even closer.

�But I love you,� she breathed into his shoulder, not even sure that he could hear.

�And I love you, too, that�s what makes this so hard, Kel,� he said, stroking her back calmly. �I love you enough to know that this is what�s best for you and for me. Don�t deny that you agree, Goober. You�ve always felt something was lacking from our relationship. I�ve always noticed that about you. And I guess I just didn�t think I would ever discover what that giant hole was, but I know now. It�s him. You belong with him. So I�m going to go.�

He stepped down from the bed and moved toward the door. Kelly became acutely aware of how foolish she looked standing in her pajamas on the bed, but she made no move to change her position, she just watched Jeff walk toward the door. �Jeff,� she called quietly, �don�t leave. It�s four in the morning; you should just stay here tonight and we can talk about this tomorrow morning!�

�No, Kelly, I�m leaving.� And without another word, he opened the door and passed through it. She heard his footsteps move past the kitchen, into the entryway, and out the door. She heard it swing shut and click with a finality that resonated throughout the apartment.

Kelly was still standing on the bed when Ben peeked his head through her door. She smiled, though the smile was filled with sadness, and hopped down into his outstretched arms. He gave her another one of his signature bear hugs. �Kel, babe, darling, how ya feelin�?�

�I�m sorry we woke you up, Ben,� she said into his shoulder.

�Don�t be sorry! It was scintillating! Better than the soaps! I mean, not like I was listening or anything�� He pulled her to arm�s length and winked. �So what now? Need a snuggle buddy for tonight?�

She smiled again, warmly this time, and kissed him on the cheek. �Yes, but it�s not you, Ben. Sorry.� She began frantically rummaging around her room for something decent to wear, but decided that she might as well go in her pajamas. If he really wants to marry me, he�ll deal. Ben must have sensed the urgency of her quest because he started rummaging for shoes. As soon as they had found matching flip-flops she headed for the door. Ben stopped her though, with a little yelp.

�Kelly! Wait!� She turned to face him and raised her eyebrow. �Before you go�because you probably won�t ever be coming back, sniff sniff�let me see the rock!�

Kelly smiled, then gasped because she wasn�t exactly sure where the ring was� Thankfully she remembered, dug it out of the heaping pile of clothes, and proffered it to Ben.

He inhaled sharply. �Damn, girl, that�s one fine ring. I approve. Now go get your man!� And with another wink and a quick kiss he scooted her out the door.

***

Orlando wasn�t sleeping either, though for different reasons. He tossed and turned, and no matter how long he closed his eyes, they inevitably shot back open as soon as Kelly crossed his mind. He smiled as he ruminated on the events of the day. Perhaps everything hadn�t gone exactly according to plan, but wasn�t that how it always was with the two of them? The most important thing was that the ball was in her court now, and she could decide to accept the ring or not.

He so desperately wanted her to accept his proposal, there was no doubt about that. From the very first time he met her� Well, there was no need to contemplate his feelings again. He�d done that quite enough throughout the past two�no, four years.

But at the same time, it was clear that she had changed in the span of the Pact. They both had changed, of course. It wasn�t like he had been completely celibate himself, but he had always felt something missing, something gnawing at little unreachable corners of his mind. It was only after ending his fifth or sixth perfectly healthy relationship that he realized that something, that gnawing was Kelly. And as soon as he had made this discovery he had never looked back.

Kelly, on the other hand, had clearly moved on. He tried not to think about Jeff, but when it came down to it, Jeff seemed like a pretty good guy for her, despite the fact that he didn�t know Kelly hated red roses. But that was a minor point. While Orlando had had quite a good time that day casting snide and haughty glances at Jeff, the fact remained that he, not Orlando, was with Kelly. And she clearly loved him; otherwise she would have accepted his proposal immediately.

But she hadn�t rejected his proposal either. So, when everything boiled down to it, Orlando had no idea what to do. This was why he wasn�t sleeping�

***

Kelly knocked on the hotel door. Thankfully he had given her his room number before dinner ended; otherwise she would have undoubtedly wandered around the whole of New Jersey before thinking to call him. She stood on her tiptoes and peered into the peephole, though she had to remind herself that she couldn�t actually see into it. So she took a step back from the door and waited, chewing her nails absentmindedly. She barely even heard the door creak open until he spoke: �That�s a nasty habit, you know. Makes your nails all stubby and the like.� He grinned that wonderful, cheeky grin, and Kelly felt relief wash over her.

�Oh, I�m the one with bad habits?� she retorted. �Which one of us used to puff those cancer sticks, sir?� Eyebrow raised playfully, she crossed the threshold into his room.

They both stood in the entryway for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Kelly was distinctly reminded of the last time she had been on the verge of confessing her feelings to Orlando, back in his home in London, so many months ago. They both remained dangling over that awkward precipice again, neither knowing exactly how to begin. If only this could be settled with a simple handshake over coffee, but no, there were emotions involved.

�So, I don�t get many visitors at four thirty in the morning,� he began, a slight lilt in his voice, �and if I do, I usually have to pay for them. So what�s your going rate?�

She punched him on the shoulder. �You know, for a man trying to get me to marry him, you�re not making a very good case for yourself.�

He grinned and cocked his head jauntily to the side. �Oh, that�s right! I did ask you to marry me, didn�t I? How�s that working out for you?�

�Well, I hate to quibble over semantics, but I don�t think I ever heard the phrase �Will you marry me;� it was more like �I don�t really know what I�m doing here but I have this pretty ring.� So forgive me if I�ve taken some time to weigh my options.� She winked.

It was such a relief to Kelly that this banter could exist between the two of them, despite everything that she had been through that night. But eventually it would have to get serious� Well, no time like the present, right? she thought.

�Seriously, though, thank you, Orlando. I know that seems like a crappy thing to say when all you�re really looking for is a yes or a no�� He nodded and smiled. �But I really appreciate that you�ve given me time to consider everything.�

He reached out to stroke her arm. �Kel, we both agreed that we would move on, see other people, et cetera et cetera during the Pact. It ended and I happened to be single and you involved. I never meant to complicate things too much for you, and I understand if you need all the time in the world to consider what I said. I�d also understand if you told me to shove the ring up my arse, but I�d be slightly more disappointed if that was the case. But if Jeff treats you right, and you�d rather be with him, well, that�s just that, isn�t it?�

His generosity was amazingly sexy, though she could tell that perhaps he wasn�t being one hundred percent truthful about �understanding� if she turned him down.

So she decided, right then and there, to assuage his fears. �Well, he did treat me right. He most certainly did. Right up to the point when he left me.�

Kelly saw the grin break out on Orlando�s face. It started with his eyes and then moved slowly over every perfect inch of his features until his whole face was lit up. �He left you? Huzzah! I mean, that bastard!� He moved closer to Kelly.

She grinned, though it was shot through with pain at the memory of Jeff. But Kelly remembered Kate�s words: The heart can be right sometimes too� And though the only thing she was positive her heart was doing was beating a thousand miles a minute, Kelly knew that she had made the right decision. And she took a step toward Orlando.

He followed suit until they were barely an inch apart. She raised her eyes ever-so-slightly to look straight into the depths of his, and his gaze sent shivers down her spine. His lips were so perfect, right there, just waiting for her to say the magic word. His curls were so ready to just be tugged, right there, just waiting for her to end the torture. And his eyes� Those eyes, worshipped around the world, were gazing at her, waiting expectantly for her to say �yes.�

So she did. �Orlando Bloom, if you�ll have me, I accept,� she whispered. And he just grabbed her tightly, pressed his lips upon hers, and there they stayed, together.

And it felt so right.

* * *

THE END

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