Realizations

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Author: Aria


Rated: PG13


Rating :



She sat on the veranda and looked down at her best friend and his latest girlfriend. The sight of them in such a tight, intimate embrace had her stomach twisting into a thousand knots. Maybe waiting up for him hadn't been such a fantastic idea.

They'd been friends for as long as she could remember. Since they were kids it was always ‘They're like two peas in a pod'. They were inseparable. They went to the same college, had the same set of friends. Even enjoyed doing the same sorts of things. It wasn't so unlikely when they moved in together in their first years of college to help each other out with rent.

But never ever not even once did she even thing that her feelings for him would escalate from warm, fuzzy, let's hang out, platonic friendship to a passionate, heady response every time she saw him or heard his voice.

It never bothered her before to see his dates smile at him, watching his every move. Or eye at her almost scornfully as if to say ‘Ha! I've got him! Poor little girl couldn't snag him if she was in her wildest dream!'

But slowly over time, it did. It really started to bother her. His dates. The endless stream of blondes, brunettes and redheads. They always looking so beautiful, he always so handsome.

And then one day, like the morning sun rising evaporating the dewy idiocy from her mind, it dawned on her. She was in love.

There were no bells, no fireworks. Just a gentle, slow appreciation of the fact. Love had her in its velvety fist, and the object of her affection was he, her best friend.

And bit-by-bit she became accustomed to the reality of being in love with her confidant. The person she'd told everything to no matter how horrible or humiliating. How she tripped on the stairs once as she was going to meet her date, how she went to a job interview in mismatched shoes because she was so nervous. The guy who was curled up on the couch watching with her when she cried at all those movies. The guy who gave her a hug whenever she needed one and attempted to cook on her birthdays.

The man who had been with her through every humiliation, heartache and joyous occasion in her life.

The one perfect man.

Pushing her sun-spun hair out of her eyes, she turned away as they kissed. But wait! Her misty eyes turned back to the tortuous sight. Was that disinterest she saw in his eyes? Was that a cold and emotionless hug he gave her? Hope had her heart soaring and put wings on her feet, easily wiping away the green veil of jealousy from her eyes.

Quickly she hid behind the sheer curtains and watched as he walked her to her car, opened the door, helped her in, shut it and walk into the house. Not even pausing a moment to wave or to watch her slowly cruise away down the darkened street.

Afraid to let hope get the better of her, She quickly ducked back into the room and stuffed herself under the bed covers. Moments later, the tall broad shouldered silhouette she knew so well opened the creaky door and tip toed into the room as if he had done it so many times before.

She could feel his gaze glide over her and could almost hear his chuckle. She knew he would find it amusing to see her in bed so early. But she was wrong.

In an instant he was kneeling be her side, breath slightly accelerated. Gently he put his fingers to her forehead and then to his own.

She could hardly believe it. He was checking her temperature. The gesture was so sweet it almost had her confessing her feelings to him right then and there. But she bit her tongue. All of her earlier courage had fled some time ago leaving her as meek as a newborn kitten. So she lay there forcing her breathing to stay calm and even and fighting to keep a smile from her lips.

Then what he did next shocked the breath from her lungs.

She felt his fingers skim her cheek and his warm breath hovering so close to her ear. Were those his lips that touched her temple?

No matter how hard her heart fought to free itself of her, she lay there quiet and still when he spoke. The deep soulful voice thrilling her to the core of her being.

"I don't know why it took me so long to realize. I guess I'm so stupid I didn't realize what was staring me in the face all these years."

The tension emanating from him was almost tangible as she heard him draw in a ragged breath. Struggling for a breath herself she listened on.

"We belong together. We've been together for as long as I can remember and I want us to be together for a lot longer. I just wish there was a way to tell you without looking like a complete fool."

She felt his fingers in her hair now, running the silken strands nervously when she heard him start to say the words she'd longed to hear from him.

"I l..."

She was up and a breath from his face before he could finish. She stared into eyes that rivalled the steely midnight blue of the sky. In the dim sheen on the moon she looked at his beautiful face. At how his hair was so infuriatingly boyish and in his eyes as usual, how is expression was calm even though she could hear his heart beating and those luscious lips. How she wanted to feel them against hers.

Taking things into her own hands. She shyly slid her hands up his strong arms and wound them around his neck, twining them in his hair. And slowly she moved in closer. The instant their lips met, she thought she'd scream in delight. Her heart was singing so loudly surely he heard it.

It was light at first, soft and fleeting. Then gradually the serenity grew into a tempest that raged through them both. She didn't know who stoked the flames first but she knew the resulting inferno was what she wanted. What she needed.

Unsteadily, they both moved back and she looked at him, unsure of what his reaction would be.

Trembling she watched as his mouth languidly turned up at the corners then morphed into an enormous grin.

The moment their eyes met, when blue met blue once again, she knew.

She knew they'd be together forever.

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