Almost an hour after Brian’s arrival, Lila still hadn’t awoken. Brian waited patiently, staring pensively at her face. Since he’d arrived, his gaze hadn’t once strayed from her. Visions of the two of them together danced throughout his mind. He remembered clearly their first kiss, first “I love you’s” and the first time they’d slept together. It was all so vivid in his mind, as if it were just yesterday.
He closed his eyes, as he savoured the memories the two of them had shared together. Suddenly, without forewarning, a new image entered his mind. It was the horrible image of Lila’s listless body as it lay on the cold, hard pavement. His eyes flew open immediately and the image faded from his mind.
The image of her pale, helpless body as it lay on the ground, was one he knew he would never forget. One that sadly would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life.
Lila began to stir just then, interrupting Brian’s thoughts. She stretched her sore limbs sleepily, unaware of Brian’s presence. Brian watched as she slowly began rubbing her temples in slow rhythmic circles. Lila sighed heavily before finally opening her eyes.
Lila’s vision cleared quickly and she noticed him almost immediately. She blinked repeatedly several times before concluding that she wasn’t dreaming. Brian was really there. Her heart began to race as she stared at him in wonderment. “Brian?” What are you doing here?” she asked in astonishment, her voice still thick with sleep.
“I came to see you,” he said with a soft smile.
Silence ensued as the pair was unsure of what to say. Lila’s eyes fell upon the velvet box, which Brian clutched tightly in his hands. She felt guilt stab at her heart as Brian’s proposal resonated throughout her mind.
They opened their mouths simultaneously and ended up speaking in unison. “I’m so sorry Brian.”
“ Why didn’t you tell me Lila?”
Another bout of awkward silence followed. “Why Lila?” Brian asked again, breaking the silence as he gazed at her imploringly. It was a question that had plagued him consistently since the accident and he was sure would continue to unless he got some answers.
Lila’s eyes began to brim with fresh tears. “I wanted to tell you Brian. I really did, but I just couldn’t.”
“Why not?” he asked quietly.
“Because I was scared,” she whispered hoarsely. “I was so scared of losing you.”
“Losing me? Lila, you know I’d never leave you. Together forever, didn’t I promise you that?”
“I know Brian, I just… I … Can you ever forgive me?” she asked her tone pleading. As she awaited his response anxiously, she lowered her head. She began fiddling nervously with her hands in her lap.
Brian remained silent for almost a full minute, contemplating his answer carefully. Slowly, he reached towards Lila. Gently he placed his hand beneath her chin and slowly lifted her face upwards. He carefully wiped they tears from her cheeks. “This isn’t about forgiveness Lila. This is about two people who love each other,” he said gently. “I love you Lila, more than anything in this world,” he said.
Lila smiled softly back at him through her tears. “I love you too Brian.”
“Love is one of the most powerful things in this world. It can overcome all. Even this,” he whispered, his eyes shinning. “ I can’t promise you that I forgive you Lila, but I can promise you that I’ll always love you. It’s inevitable that both of us will get hurt as love runs its course, but it’s worth it. Anything is to be with you.” Slowly, Brian eased the velvet box open and held it slightly in the air. “Will you marry me?”
Lila stared at the ring, her mind reeling. She knew they still had so much to work through, so many issues left unresolved. After hearing Brian’s words though, she knew they could get through anything the world threw at them, because they loved each other.
Her eyes bright, Lila looked up at him lovingly. “Yes. I’ll marry you.” Never had those four words been pronounced with more feeling or emotion as Lila had just said them with.
After saying the words, Lila never knew who made the first move. They were in each other’s arms quickly, holing each other tightly. Brian kissed Lila slowly at first, his desire and intensity mounting quickly.
Together forever Brian. That’s how we’ll be, Lila thought happily as Brian made a trail of delicate kisses down her neck.
When AJ arrived at Mya’s house, he was surprised to find her in a mood. She was distracted and reserved, hardly paying any attention at all to anything AJ said. He could tell from the far-away look in her eyes, that she was preoccupied. She appeared distressed to him, as she sat worriedly twirling a lock of her jet-black hair.
“Mya? What’s wrong?” AJ asked concerned.
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.”
“Like what?” AJ asked dropping a light kiss upon her cheek. He tangled a hand in her hair and began smoothing it gently.
“Actually, I was thinking about Elizabeth,” Mya said softly as she looked up at AJ.
“Is that still bothering you? I thought we had that all worked out,” AJ said with a frown.
“We did. She came to visit me today though.”
“She did what?!” AJ questioned his voice rising.
“Don’t worry,” Mya said with a small smile, “she came to apologize and to thank me.”
AJ stared back at her speechless for a few seconds. Elizabeth was the proudest person he knew. For her to swallow her pride and come apologize couldn’t have been easy in the least bit. “Thank you for what?” he asked suspiciously.
“Well,” Mya said with a shy smile.” According to her, I make you happy,” she said stepping closer to him.
“Is that so?” AJ asked with mock sarcasm. He encircled his arms around Mya’s waist and held her tightly as he pulled her closer to him. Mya smiled seductively as AJ lowered his head towards hers and their lips met in a fury of passion.
As Mya kissed AJ back, she couldn’t ignore the tiny nagging voice in the back of her head. Elizabeth’s apology had seemed truly genuine. She had apologized for her wrongdoings, and in Mya’s opinion, that was more than enough to warrant a second chance.
“AJ,” Mya whispered breathlessly in between kisses. AJ stopped kissing her and with a smile rubbed his raw lips. “Elizabeth seemed really sincere when she came here.” AJ’s face clouded over slightly at the mention of her name. “I know you guys have something special AJ. You two really understand each other. She was one of your best friends AJ. Are you just going to turn your back on your friendship together?” Mya questioned him imploringly.
“Let’s not talk about it right now,” AJ said uncomfortably, steering away from the subject. In his heart of hearts though, he knew just how right Mya was. He and Elizabeth did share something special. She was always able to understand him, often at times when no else could or even cared to. She was the only one who’d been able to put up with his ludicrous antics. Mya was right, he couldn’t just turn his back on their friendship as angry as he was with her.
As dusk began to descend, Mya and AJ walked hand and hand down the beach. Mya smiled blissfully as she clutched AJ’s hand tighter. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so happy, so complete. They strolled quietly, enjoying the serenity of the beach and just being together. The cool water lapped at their bare feet as they walked along the shore.
Still holding her hand, AJ gently pulled her to the left. “Follow me. I want to take you somewhere.” Mya obliged easily.
“Where are you taking me?”
“There’s a bench not too far away. The view from there is beautiful. I used to go there a lot.”
“Used to?” Mya questioned as they walked.
“ Yeah. All my troubles would just seem to fade away when I was there. Elizabeth and I used to…” his voice trailed as they approached the bench. He stopped abruptly in his tracks.
Mya looked up in confusion and noticed, a slim figure already seated upon the bench. Her shoulder-length hair whipped in the wind as she sat gazing distractedly out at the water before her. It was as if she was lost in her own world, totally oblivious to all else around her. The figure belonged to Elizabeth.
Mya turned quickly to AJ and watched as a forlorn look crossed his face. “Go to her,” Mya whispered in his ear. AJ stared back gratefully at Mya. He kissed her firmly on the mouth, before letting go of her hand. He walked slowly towards Elizabeth, determination evident upon his face. Mya stood, watching him go silently.
He approached the bench unnoticed, clearing his throat to announce his presence. “Is this seat taken?” he asked with a small smile.
Elizabeth looked up startled, “No,” she whispered finding her voice. She slid over, making room on the bench for AJ next to her. They sat next to each other silently, both feeling a little uncomfortable with the sudden closeness of their bodies.
AJ finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “ Mya told me that you came to apologize to her today.”
“I said some pretty harsh things ,” Elizabeth said keeping her eyes on the sand. “She deserved an apology, and I truly meant every word of it,” Elizabeth said looking up at him earnestly.
“I know you did,” AJ said quietly. More silence. “I guess now it’s my turn to apologize huh?” AJ asked with an uncomfortable laugh. His smile faded and his tone quickly became serious as he spoke. “For as long as I could remember Liz, you were my best friend. You understood me when no one else ever did. At times you understood me better than I understood myself.” Elizabeth listened intently, a small smile playing upon her lips. She knew exactly what AJ was talking about.
“I’ll admit, these past few weeks without you to talk to was really hard for me. I missed you,” he whispered softly. Elizabeth looked back at AJ, tears engulfing her eyes. She missed him too, but in a different way than he missed her. “I’m really sorry for all the things I said to you Liz. It was just a heat of the moment thing. I was pretty mad at you though,” he admitted.
“I know,” Elizabeth said nodding her head. “You had every right to be mad. I’m really sorry for what I did. Jealously is a horrible thing you know,” she smiled awkwardly.
Slowly, AJ reached for her hand. “Friends?” he asked squeezing it tightly.
“Friends,” she whispered back. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around AJ hugging him tightly. Her arms lingered around AJ’s body knowing full well that despite their pledges to one another, things would never quite be the same between them. They would never be as close as they once had been.
Lifting her eyes from the sand, for the first time Elizabeth noticed Mya standing alone near the shore. She stood awkwardly, but nevertheless, a huge smile was spread across her face as she watched them. Elizabeth pulled back quickly from AJ with a smile. “Someone’s waiting for you,” she whispered softly with a slight nod of her head in Mya’s direction.
AJ looked in Mya’s direction a happy smile spreading across his face. “Go,” Elizabeth told him quietly.
“Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.
“I’ll be fine,” she said quickly, praying AJ wouldn’t detect the sadness in her voice.
AJ rose slowly, and leaned forwards, dropping a small kiss on her forehead. Elizabeth pressed her eyes shut tightly, as she felt his lips against her skin. She gripped the edges of the bench, desperately fighting the tears which stung relentlessly at her eyes.
AJ backed away from her and slowly began walking towards Mya. As she watched the happy couple meet in a warm embrace, she could no longer control the tears. The poured down her cheeks and she made no move to stop them. She watched sadly as he walked away from her, each step one closer to Mya.
“Goodbye AJ,” Elizabeth whispered aloud at his retreating figure. “Goodbye.”
Nick and Jessica lay huddled in the quiet darkness of Jessica’s room. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, as if to protect her from harms way. The pair had stayed up until the wee hours of the night talking. They discussed their hopes, dreams and even fears for the future. A future that the two of them planned to make together.
It was approaching 4 AM now, as Jessica lay quietly in Nick’s arms watching him sleep. She never thought it was possible to feel as peaceful as she felt right now. At this very moment life was good. Better than good, it was amazing. She wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
She watched Nick in fascination, enchanted by his fluttering eyelashes and half-opened mouth. Everything about him was fascinating. There wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t intrigue her, didn’t interest her. More and more she found herself aching to learn everything she possibly could about him.
She snuggled closer to him, burying herself in the warmth of his tight embrace. As she pressed her ear against his chest, she could hear the slow, steady beating of his heart. She closed her eyes blissfully, not wanting anything to interrupt this moment of perfection for her.
She was however, interrupted as Nick stirred lazily in his sleep. Her eyes immediately opened, and when Nick opened his own eyes, he found himself staring into hers. They held each other’s gaze steadily as if there were some incredible compelling force between the two of them. The electricity between the two of them was almost palpable as it sent shivers up Jessica’s spine.
“I love you Nick,” Jessica whispered quietly in Nick’s ear. Her voice was full of passion and sincerity as she spoke. She leaned forwards and kissed Nick’s soft, full mouth gently, as the world around her slipped away.
Nick kissed her back, his intensity gradually increasing. The day had finally come. The day when Jessica was able to kiss him back without any fear or inhibition whatsoever. Nick ravished Jessica with his lips, his kisses whipping her into a frenzy. She reached up, and raked her fingers through his thick blonde hair. Slowly and carefully, Nick’s arms encircled Jessica’s waist, easing her back against the pillows. He felt her body relax beneath his touch as she made no move to stop him.
As Nick made a trail of warm kisses down her neck and across her collarbone, Jessica sighed happily. His touch was so gentle, so loving and most of all so right. With her free hand, she reached up and pulled the covers up around them.
Nick was the one. He was her soulmate. She knew it now and had since the first day he’d arrived in LA. She knew it because she saw heaven.... in his eyes.