One-Shots

New Beginnings

---

"Well, I think we've done it!" I exclaims, holding up a prototype for the iMplant. "Look at this! Isn't it so beautiful?"
"It is," Bridget agrees, gently taking the iMplant from me. She cups it in her hand, saying, "I'll take this to the finalisation team, to work out any last flaws in the design. But yes, it is magnificent."
While Bridget is showing our prototype to the finalisation team, we exit the lab and change into our own clothes to go out for lunch. I slip my jet black iPhone X into my purse before recycling my work materials from today.
"So, what's going on between you and Bridget?" Hayden asks, smiling slyly at me. "You can't lie to us, Sheila, we've known you for years."
"Nothing is going on between Bridget and me, Hayden. Although..." I trail off, smiling to myself.
"Although?!" Hayden yells. "Tell us!" He and all the others start cheering me on.
"Alright, I'll tell you! But only if you shut up," I demand, immediately silencing them. "I may like her, just a little bit..."
"I KNEW IT!" Hayden exclaims, jumping up and down and grabbing my shoulders in excitement.
"Jeez, no need to get so excited, Hayden," I grumble, knowing already that telling them was a mistake.
"Sorry, it's just that we all kind of saw it coming," Hayden exclaims.
"Whatever, let's just get ready to go so that we're ready when Bridget comes back," I sling my purse over my shoulder and sit on one of the benches in the locker room, waiting, somewhat impatiently, for Bridget to come back.

---

Two Months Later...
"Sorry I took so long, guys, I just wanted to finalise some small details with the team," I say, sitting down at the table with the rest of my team.
"It's fine, Bridget," Ms Piper says, "We understand. We all want the final product to be perfect."
"Thanks for understanding, guys. I just feel so bad for making you all wait for me," I apologise, again.
"Shut up, Bridget," Ms Piper demands. She reaches for my hand, taking it gently and holding it within her own.
"Aww," Mr Clark whispers, nudging Ms Piper's shoulder.
"What was that for, Mr Clark?" I inquire, looking between the two of them curiously.
"Nothing," Mr Clark responds. "And how many times have we told you to call us by our first names?" he whisper-shouts in front of Ms Piper--Sheila.
"Sorry, Mr Clark. Hayden, I mean," I correct myself.
"Now, what are we going to order?" Mr Westbrooks--Levi, I mean, asks. "Do we all want to split a salad bowl and a couple of pizzas?"
"Sure, that sounds good," Jakki--not Ms Thatcher--agrees.
We all agree that we should split one cheese pizza and one pepperoni pizza and a salad bowl, so Hayden places our order. We all sit around the table, surrounded by a light atmosphere as we joke and laugh and talk with each other while we wait for our food to come. When our food is delivered, we all grab for it at the same time, somehow managing to each grab two slices of pizza and some salad.
"Mmmm, diss so goo!" Sheila exclaims, not yet letting go of my hand. I guess it's good that I'm a leftie, because she is holding my right hand, preventing its use in any form.
After we all finish eating, small crumbs of the delicious pizza the only things remaining on the table, we decide to split the bill and tip evenly. When we finish paying, which actually took way longer than it needed to, we decide to go to Sheila's apartment to hang out for a while.

---

Bridget is sitting to my left, Levi to my right, with Jakki and Hayden in between them, forming a circle of the five of us. Even though we are adults, and yes we do have some alcohol saved for later, we like to play some of the games we used to play when we were teenagers.
"Sheila, truth or dare?" Hayden asks me.
"Hmm, why don't we go with dare this time," I say, staring him straight in the face, as if challenging him to give me a dare that won't bother me.
"Alright," Hayden agrees, taking on the dare. He looks around a little bit before resting his eyes on Bridget. She tenses up next to me, concerned for what my dare is. "I dare you to kiss Bridget here. She obviously needs some TLC from the cityfolk, seeing as how she still has that small-town vibe around her.
"Deal," I reply. Turning towards Bridget, I whisper, "I'll make it quick, okay? We can talk about it later."
She nods, closing her eyes. It is clear that this is not her first kiss from the way she moves in towards me. I close my eyes and kiss her lightly on the lips before pulling away. Her face is slightly blushed as she opens her striking green eyes and stares at me, slightly in shock from what just happened.
"We'll talk later," she whispers, a small smile creeping across her face.
"Alright, so it's my turn," I say, acting as if nothing just happened between Bridget and me. "Jakki, truth or dare?"
"Truth," Jakki replies hesitantly.
"Hmm, what to ask about..." I pretend to contemplate, scratching my chin. "Jakki, is there anyone who peaks your interest recently in terms of romantic attraction, and, if there is, who?" I question.
"Uhh, I haven't really thought about it recently, but now that you mention it, yea, there's been someone that I've noticed more than anyone else. Y'all can't get excited, ok?" We all nod in anticipation. "I've kind of noticed a slight attraction to, umm, Hayden, as of late," she whispers, almost inaudibly.
"Aww, that's sweet," Levi says, smiling kindly at Jakki.
"Actually, there's something I have to tell you guys," Hayden admits, his face turning beet red as he looks at us. "Ugh, I hate talking," he mutters before continuing, "I...umm, well, Jakki and I have been dating for a while now, for almost two months. We started dating shortly before Bridget joined our team."
"Aww, that's so adorable!" Bridget exclaims. She leans across our little circle and hugs them in congratulations of their relationship.
"Wow, I did not expect that from you guys, to be honest," I remark.
"That's why we kept it a secret for as long as we have," Jakki whispers, resting her head on Hayden's shoulder. He intertwines his fingers with hers and rests their hands on her thigh. "We didn't want to tell you because you would always be asking about our relationship."
"I get it," Levi agrees, looking with envy at Jakki's hand resting in Hayden's. "Well, I have to go now, so I'll see you all tomorrow at work."
"We have to go, too, so we'll see you tomorrow," Hayden says, standing up with Jakki's hand still in his. The three of them exit the apartment, leaving Bridget and I alone.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Bridget asks.
"Yea, so, about that..." I trail off.
"I loved the kiss, can we do that again?" she interrupts. I nod, but her eyes are already closed and she is leaning towards me. I meet her halfway, pressing my lips on hers. She kisses back very passionately, like this is the last kiss she'll ever have. Quickly, without thinking, I open my eyes and look at her face. Her skin is so smooth, so blemish-free, and very soft. I move my hand up and stroke the side of her face, heating up the kiss. Suddenly, Bridget pulls away.
"What does this mean? I feel this odd sensation; I don't know how describe it other than butterflies. But what does it mean?" Bridget asks, in somewhat of a panic
"It means, Bridget, that you are feeling an attraction towards me. It's ok, I feel it too. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"How can I do that? We're both girls..." Bridget trails off when I put one of my hands on her thigh and the other on her shoulder.
"That doesn't matter, Bridget. Have you ever heard of different sexualities other than heterosexual?"
"Umm, I think so, why?"
"I am homosexual, or gay. I only feel attraction towards other girls," I explain.
"I think I get it," Bridget says.
"But you don't have to know your sexuality to date someone. If you feel attraction towards them, then you can date them. It doesn't matter, just as long as they like you back."
"Alright," Bridget agrees, still deep in thought.
I bring her back to reality by saying, "But back to my question, will you be my girlfriend?"
"I'll give it a try," she whispers, leaning in to kiss me.
I pull away before she gets the chance to kiss me, only allowing her to kiss my cheek. "Don't you think that maybe this is too much kissing for our first night as a couple? Anyways, I need some sleep before work tomorrow," I say, standing up. I walk Bridget to the door before twirling her around to face me one last time.
"Goodnight, darling," I whisper, pressing my lips to her forehead. She walks out of my apartment, flustered.
"Goodnight, Sheila," she calls over her shoulder, blowing me a kiss as I close the door behind her.

---

Two months later...
"Want to meet at my apartment later tonight?" Sheila asks, then adds, "I have something important to tell you."
"Alright, sounds good. How about we meet at your place in thirty minutes?"
"That works," she agrees.
I head home to my apartment to spruce up and put on more casual clothes before catching a taxi to Sheila's house.
I walk into the apartment without knocking. "I'm here, Sheila!"
"Cool! Well, I have something important to tell you," Sheila says, repeating what she said at work. "Why don't we go up to the roof?"
After sitting and chatting on the roof for a while, she decides to bring up the topic she wanted to discuss.
"So remember when you first came here, when your job was transferred from Ohio?" Sheila asks.
"Of course I remember, why do you ask?" I reply.
She stares off into the distance, past the city skyline, past me, as she contemplates what to say next.
I look at her, concerned. "What is it, Sheila?"
"My job was transferred to Fairview, Indiana. I'll be working at the Apple facility there," Sheila whispers, looking away from me.
"Oh," I sigh. "When do you leave?"
"Monday," Sheila says, once more turning her gaze to meet mine.
"Why? You were so amazing as a part of our team!"
"I know," Sheila replies, "But I've been here for two years, Bridget. You've been here for only four months, which is nothing compared to the rest of us. You'll be here for a few more years until you're transferred again."
"So what does this mean for our relationship?" I ask.
"It means, we have two options. One, we could stay together and try to make a long distance relationship work, or two, we could break up and just stay friends." She smiles sadly. "I think there's only one way for us to go, though. I've seen many of my other friends from years past try to keep relationships long distance and they never worked out. I'm sorry, Bridget, but I think we have to break up."
I burst into silent tears. "Why do we have to do this? I can quit my job here and come with you, Sheila. I love you," I whisper, my voice getting softer and softer as I talk.
"You can't quit your job, not now, not when you've just begun your success. You have to stay here and make a name for yourself, Bridget. It's the only way that you can be happy. If you quit your job and come with me, I'd feel terrible," Sheila reasons. "And, by the way, I love you too, beautiful."
"I...I have to go," I lie, standing up suddenly. But Sheila stops me before I can go back downstairs.
"Stop lying to yourself. Just because we're breaking up, doesn't mean I don't still love you. I will always love you, and I will miss you more than anything," Sheila admits. "I don't want to end things with you, but it's the only way to ensure that both of us will live our lives to the fullest."
"I know," I sob, "I just need to let this soak in for a bit, on my own. I'm sorry." I pull from her grasp and run down the stairs to the ground level fly out the door. I hail a taxi and tell the driver, the same drunk from my first day going to work here in New York City, my address.
When he drops me off, I run into my apartment, fresh tears forming in my eyes. Flopping onto my bed, I let them fall. I cry for my old life in Ohio; I cry for everything that was just broken between me and Sheila; I cry for Sheila's departure; I cry for the change in the work dynamic that will take place after Sheila leaves. I cry for hours, crying for everything that has gone wrong in my life. When all of my tears are dried up, I slip into a fitful sleep, dreaming about Sheila: the way she talks, kisses, smiles, concentrates on her work. I dream about how life will be different when she's gone. She has been such a huge part of my life these last four months, and I had no idea how much of an impact she left on me and my life. I had no idea how much I love her. But now that she's gone, I realize that I shouldn't have taken her, or anything about her, for granted. Now that she's gone, everything will be different. Nothing will ever be the same again. I guess it's time for new beginnings, again.

---

A/N: Alright, so I know I was supposed to be working on "Finding Myself", but I had a narrative to write for English class. So I decided that once I finished my narrative, I'd publish it on here. That narrative is this one-shot. I will be publishing other one-shots on here eventually, but I have no update schedule for this book. It's more than likely that the pieces I publish in this book will be mostly school projects. I do have one more piece that I wrote last year, and I will be modifying it for Wattpad before putting it in this book. But thanks for reading, guys! Don't forget to read my other books as well, and comment, vote, and promote my work! Love you all!
~ Leigh