...Comes From Some Other Beginnings End (Chris Evans A/U)

.1.

Opal POV

    "Motown Philly's back again. Doing a little East Coast swing. Boys II Men, going off, not too hard, not too soft."

  I sing along to the radio as it flips from Boyz II Men's 'Motown Philly' to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.' And that's exactly what I do. I let myself enjoy the music, rapping along with him as I coast down the highway, maybe going a bit faster than the speed limit.

  "Lose yourself in the music, the moment, you want it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime !"

 A groan escapes my lips, loudly, as I notice the flashing lights in my rearview mirror. Trying to make quick work of a good excuse, I pull off onto the side of the highway and wait. My heart races, wondering how bad this ticket is going to be considering I know I was going at least ten over the speed limit. 

  "License and registration," I hear a familiar voice approaching the car window. A quick glance has me taken aback as I recognize the face of Cooper.

  "Hi, Coop," I reply tentatively with a small wave of my fingers as my hands still clutch the steering wheel. 

  His brow quirks and he lowers his sunglasses. "Opal?"  I just smile in response. "What are you doing here?" his eyes move from me back to his car.

  "Long story," I admit. "Really long story." I grab my purse from the passenger seat and pull out my wallet. I pass him my license before informing him the car is a rental and I have no idea about a rental's registration. 

  He takes the card between his fingers, hitting it against the palm of his left hand. With a push at the nose of his glasses he tells me he'll be back after he runs my information. I watch him for just a second through my side mirror before I toss my head back against the seat letting a handful of whiny words flow out of my mouth. "Of course something had to go wrong because breaking my heel wasn't enough."

  I hear the sound of boots on the pavement once again so I sit up straighter, putting my hands back on the wheel in plain sight, keeping my gaze forward.

  "Hi, gorgeous."

  I swear it feels like my heart has both stopped and accelerated simultaneously, at the sound of his voice.  I turn my head, immediately taking in the thicker growth on his face, his bright blue eyes shining down on me. But it's that blasted smug smirk that brings me crashing back to a feeling of home.

   "Ah!" I cry out, my right hand going over my mouth while my left fumbles for the handle. Chris takes a step back, careful of the passing traffic he walks to the front of my car.

  I jump out as fast as I can and charge him. I don't even think about the fact that there's been an insurmountable distance between the two  of us since Pop's passing. I don't stop to think that maybe he really has moved on or if he doesn't want anything to do with me. 

  My heart is telling my brain to screw itself.

  And I have to agree.

  I follow my heart for the first time in my life, consequences be damned, as I jump into his arms. 

  A sigh of relief washes over me as his arms grip me tightly against him.

  "Gah, I've missed you, gorgeous!" he exclaims loudly, swinging me around in a circle. I feel the bristles of his beard against my neck as he buries his face in the crook just under my jaw like he always loved. 

  I can't fight back the tears or the squeals as they burst forth. He sets me down carefully, pulling back only far enough to cup my face in his palms. His thumbs immediately move softly against my cheeks, wiping away the moisture. "You're crying," he says quietly.