Andrew
How are there no flights out of this town until tomorrow? I sit on the edge of my bed and rest my head in my hands. It looks like Sophie caught the last plane out of here and now all I can do is wait around until the flights resume tomorrow. My bags are packed and my ticket is purchased. This time if she is fleeing this town, I'm going with her. I will not make the same mistake I did four years ago when I let her board a plane and fly out of my life.
Maybe this is not the best thought out plan, but I can't take a chance that she is going to try to push me out of her life with out even letting me explain. I had no idea that Evan cheated on her with Rachel. My secret I was keeping from her was that he had been cheating on Rachel. I didn't think it was in her best interest to know that if she had to stand up there with Rachel. I guess now that I was very wrong. Asking her to trust me only lead her to believe that I knew about Evan and Rachel.
I pace my room watching the numbers on the clock slowly change, mocking my need to get face-to-face with her so she can see in my eyes that I'm not lying. I would have never allowed her to go through with this week if I had known earlier. Evan was my best friend, but I'm not a heartless dick like he is. What he and Rachel did to Sophie is unforgivable and I would have never kept that from her.
Evan's texts start blowing up my phone an hour before I'm about to leave for the airport. He is apologizing for our fight and asking me to help him fix things with Rachel. I don't answer any of them. I also don't answer the door when he knocks on it ten minutes later. My exit from his life is going to be swift. There's no need to drag out this dying friendship any longer.
The taxi pulls to the edge of the parking lot and I climb inside. The worker that's changing the marque in front of the hotel waves as we drive by. So far the new message proudly says, "Congratulations Evan and Rachel." As we wait for the light to change, he adds, "On your pregnancy." I feel my brows furrow together and then the realization hits me that Sophie might have something to do with the hilarious new message. Good for her.
As we make our way through the traffic of the now busy airport, I begin to receive a second wave of frantic texts from Evan and then eventually Rachel. Evan is freaking out because apparently his face is swollen and no amount of ice is making it better. Also, apparently his grandparents would like to know why they were not told about the baby and will not believe that Evan has no idea what they're talking about.
Rachel's texts are a little more insistent. She wants to know if I have seen Sophie. She would also like to know if I've seen her wedding gown. I don't feel sorry for her for even a second after what she did and I hope that if Sophie had anything to do with all the strange things happening today, she's going to one day be able to see all the chaos beautifully documented on Facebook.
My thoughts have not left her all night and all morning. I pray that I didn't destroy what we were building and that she'll allow me to do what ever it takes to make this better. It just doesn't seem fair that after all of these years of loving her from afar, I only got a few days with her and one unforgettable night. My stomach knots and I feel the ache in my heart grow as the time away from her ticks by.
Having her leave has shifted my world. I felt the loss of her from my life again and I know that it's not something I'm willing to live with. I've put a call into my assistant, Anna, at the office and let her know I will be in California for a while and to set up a meeting with the partners on Monday. I should know by then if Sophie will have me, and if she says yes, then I'm not going to ever let distance separate us again. I'm going to offer to head up the firm in California like they have been grooming me for this last year.
I should probably have a plan for if she tells me to leave, but thinking about that road only causes a panic to race through me and I just can't face that possibility right now. I move through the security line with only my small carryon and check my phone one last time before shutting it down. The picture that Evan just sent me of his swollen face is very amusing, but I still move my fingers quickly, blocking his future calls and texts.
As I step onto the plane, I over hear a few of the flight attendants talking about a woman who had left her wedding dress on the plane last night. They had tried to run after her, but she only smiled and told them to keep it. Word travels fast through the attendants apparently and I feel a small smile curve my lips as I picture a strong Sophie taking with her Rachel's most important accessory for today. I had never figured her for a vengeful woman, but I'm starting to love that about her. Knowing she didn't just roll over and take it any longer makes me very proud of her.
As the plane takes off, I realize that there's no other way this story could possibly end. Sophie and I are meant to be together and if it takes me the rest of my life to prove that to her, then let today be the first day of the rest of our lives. I reach down, pressing my hand to my pocket to make sure I remembered the keys to my condo in LA. While the plane closes the distance between Sophie and I, Anna is working hard to find her address for me. I guess it helps to have a few friends in the right places.
I grow increasingly more impatient as I wait for the people ahead of me to leave the plane. I feel like I'm losing ground the longer it takes to get to her. She could have convinced herself by now that I'm as big of an ass as Evan. Maybe her friends are even telling her to stay away from me. I wouldn't blame them one bit. Finally I emerge from the plane and quickly make my way to baggage claim, firing up my phone to talk to Anna.
"Anna, did you get it?" I sound desperate and that's because I am. She laughs softly into the phone as I hold my breath waiting for her answer.
"You owe me big for doing this on my day off. I talked to your friend at the station. He came up with the address from her driver's license. Of course I had to promise him we would never say where we got the info from, but he was happy to pay back the favor he owed you for getting him out of that legal mess a year ago." I can hear a paper crinkling as she pauses to give me the information.
"Thanks Anna. I owe you. Can you text me the address?"
"Of course." I'm about to hang up when she says, "Oh, hey Andrew?"
"Yes?"
"This girl must be pretty special." It's a statement, but I can still hear the underlying question within the words.
"Yes, I think I've loved her since the day I first saw her. Now I just have to convince her to give me a shot." I feel my heart beat rapidly in my chest as I watch the bags begin to make their first circle around the track.
"I have my fingers crossed for you. Let me know how it goes." I thank her and we hang up as my bag finally makes its way to me. My phone chimes with Sophie's address, and I pull the bag from the belt and make my way out into the crisp Californian air. Jumping into the back of a taxi, I rattle off her address and hope that he gets there quickly.
We pull onto her street and I practically rip the handle off the door when the taxi stops right in front of her cute little apartment building. I pull my bag from the trunk and sling my carryon over my shoulder. I probably should ask the driver to wait here for me, but then that would require me admitting to myself that she might not want to hear what I have to say. Instead I ask for his card and hand him a wad of cash, eager to make my way up to her door.
Of course she is on the second floor and there is no elevator in sight in the old building. I'm a little out of breath by the time I make it to her doorstep, but then again that might be more from my speeding pulse and anxiety about seeing her than luging my bags up the stairs. I take a minute to calm down and then lift my hand and knock on her door. I find it ironic that I'm supposed to be standing at the end of an aisle with my best friend on the most important day of his life, and instead I am standing alone in front of a door that might just make this the best day of mine instead. Please, Sophie. Give us one more chance.
Chapter 21
Sophie
I'm halfway through my second pint of ice cream when there is a knock at the front door. Reluctantly I set down my pint and make my way over. My roommates sat up with me until the wee hours of the morning, but I finally released them from their duty and allowed them to leave me so they could join the land of the living. I had no plans to do that today, still having another of my favorite flavors waiting its turn in the freezer.
It didn't take long for my roommates to make me realize that I'd fallen for Andrew. With all the anger and disappointment I'd felt putting the pieces together that he had known about the two of them and not told me, I'd taken very little time to realize that my heart still wanted to be with him. I'm starting to think that Florida should be permanently removed from my travel itinerary as I'm always leaving my heart there when I return to California.
It had felt good to finally move on from Evan and open my heart up to love again, but now I'm stashed away in my dark apartment feeling right back where I started a week ago. Only now, my heart hurts all over again. Getting over Evan had been rough. He was my first and only love so I had no idea how to crawl out of the hole he left me in. Getting over Andrew is going to be just as painful, but for a different reason. Where I'd loved Evan deeply because he was my first, I love Andrew because he is the other half to my soul. If he hadn't kept something so big from me, I'd have run to him the second I found out the truth for his comfort.
Maybe that's why I fell deeper in the whole of heartache than ever before. I had faith in Andrew and hope that I wasn't completely inept at relationships. I lost that faith and hope in one sentence from the mouth of the horrible monster I used to call my best friend. I swallow down the lump that's in my throat again, a little angry that the numbing cold of the ice cream isn't doing better keeping it at bay. Shaking my head and swiping another tear, I reach for the door knob and hope it isn't someone wanting to offer me salvation, because I just don't think I have a nice bone left in my body right now.
My hair is pulled up in a very messy bun, and not the kind that you do on purpose, more like the knotted mess that happens when you hop a redeye home and immediately fall onto your couch in a puddle of tears and melted chocolate ice cream. I had managed to wash my face about an hour ago, but my eyes are swollen and still feel like I've put a handful of sand in each one. My favorite heartbreak outfit has made a return appearance and I tug a little at the old t-shirt and yoga pants before pulling the door open.
I don't expect to see Andrew on my doorstep, so his image steals my breath. He looks as handsome as always, but his hair is disheveled and clearly has been abused by nervous hands and a few hours of flying. His chin has some stubble and I can see in his eyes that the night has not been easy on him. When he takes in my appearance, his lips fall into a pained expression and I immediately look away because I feel tears threaten to fall again.
Andrew's strong hand reaches out and he wipes a small smudge of ice cream from the corner of my mouth before I can move. Having him so close to me again is making it hard to think and I'm trying to figure out if I want to throw myself in his arms so he can comfort me, or claw his eyes out and push him down the flight of stairs. Don't judge. It's been a rough week and I'm now functioning solely on sugar.
"What are you doing here?" My voice clearly sounding as frustrated as I feel.
"Whatever it takes to make you forgive me." He pulls the bag from his shoulder and lets it fall at his feel. "I didn't know Sophie. I swear on everything. I didn't know." I feel the breath escape my lungs again and this time a strangled sob escapes as well. My hand covers my mouth just a second before his strong arms are around me.
I can smell his familiar scent again as he holds me tightly to his chest. At first I don't move, but as he presses a kiss to the top of my head, I relax and wrap my arms around him. Maybe I should doubt him, be a little more cautious believing what he says, but I saw the truth in his eyes. No one would fly across the country and show up on my doorstep when he was supposed to be the best man in his childhood friend's wedding as we speak. And maybe, if I'm honest, I need to believe him because the thought of moving on without him is almost too much to bear.
"You said I needed to trust you." If he wasn't talking about Evan and Rachel then why did I need to trust him? His hand brushes up and down my back and I want so badly to have his words be enough. For the first time in a very long time, my instinct is to trust him and I'm praying his answer will but my head at ease and in agreement with my heart.
"Evan has been cheating on Rachel. He told me before he met up with you on the beach. I know I should have told you, but I thought you had already been through so much. I didn't want you to have to hold that secret or to be the one responsible for the wedding not happening. I just couldn't do that to you." He lightly grips my arms and pulls me back so he can look into my eyes. "I wanted you to trust me to protect you and make decisions that won't put you in a position where you will get hurt. I had no idea they were sleeping together in high school."
His eyes are focused on mine and I can see his desperation for me to believe him expressed in them. I shake my head a little and take a small step back. "You were best friends. How could you not know?" I just can't reconcile that in my head. They did everything together. He takes a deep breath and then slides his hands down my arms.
"I could say the same about you and Rachel." I feel a sharp stab of pain in my heart, but he's making perfect sense. She was my best friend and Evan was my boyfriend. I should have known. "They didn't want to get caught Sophie. They were doing something unforgivable and while they are both the biggest idiots I've ever met, they were smart enough to know that they would lose you." He tugs me a little closer and when our faces are just a few inches from each other he smiles. It's both warm and innocent and I feel my heart leap in my chest with his words. "Take it from me, Sophie. No one can bear the thought of losing you once you've been in their life."
He rests his forehead against my own and then in a voice that seems to be seeking out my soul he says, "I let you walk out of my life once because you had never belonged to me, but this time it's different. This time I've had a taste of what we could be like together and it's unbelievable. You just don't let that kind of thing go. I'm here because you deserve a man that's willing to wait for you, fight for you and fly across the country for a chance to stand on your doorstep and ask you for another chance with your heart." His face pulls away so that he's looking into my eyes again.
I feel the warm tears streaking down my face. I swallow down the emotion that's making it impossible to answer him. I know already that I'm going to give him a chance, but when I don't answer he kisses me softly before saying, "And you don't let the best woman to ever come into your life get revenge on the two people who so greatly deserve it without you." His hand drops from my arm and I watch as he reaches into his pocket.
Right now if they went through with it, Rachel and Evan are getting married. They're standing in front of their family and friends vowing to be faithful and to love each other forever. I've never been so grateful to not be a part of something in my life. As I look up into Andrew's eyes I realize that they're doing that without us because we're a team, and being here on my doorstep is more important to Andrew than being at what might be the most important day in Evan's life.
I'm not expecting what happens next, so when a small grin curls his lips I feel my stomach twist as he pulls a small black box out of his pocket. When he opens it, I can see that it contains a large gold band. He pulls the ring from the slit and tosses it in the air between us. "This, sweetheart, is the final phase of wedding day revenge." I can't help the smile that spreads across my face with the recognition that he has in his possession Evan's wedding band. He rubs his chin as if deep in thought. "So what are you thinking? Off the overpass onto the 405 freeway? Maybe watch sink into the dark water off of the pier?"
I throw my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine. His arms circle around my waist and I finally feel at peace when his body is pressed against mine. When I finally come up for air I whisper, "You stole his ring for me?" I hear him laugh as he tucks his head into my neck and kisses a trail down to my shoulder.
"I would do anything for you."
I take a minute to feel his lips on my skin before pulling away again to look into his eyes. I put my hands on the side of his face and kiss him tenderly. "All I need is for you to love me." My heart pounds in my chest in the moment between my words and his.
His smile melts my insides as he sneaks in one last kiss, "Sophie, I already do."
The End