What a trip this has been in my first half of a year in New York. It's been crazy to say the least. But today is the winter ball and a nice time to celebrate the holidays with my friends here.
Today is also the day of Connor's wedding. I spoke with him a couple of times since our meeting at Central Park a few weeks ago and he was still unsure about the whole thing, but he was going along with it. I haven't heard from him today yet, but I'm sure he's busy getting ready.
I am too. My dress came in earlier this week and it fits perfectly. I absolutely love it! It is a fitted light lavender strapless dress. The bodice is crisscrossed and lined in sequence and there is a sheer tulle overlay from the waist down. I pin my hair back in a simple low bun and keep jewelry to a minimum because the dress is so beautiful on its own. I make sure to wear my mom's necklace, but that's all. I find my favorite jeweled peep toe pumps and slide them on my freshly painted toes.
Lauren is dressed in a very plain halter dress, but it is neon pink, so it kind of makes up for the lack of design. She straightens her hair for the first time in a while and slips on some black pumps to match her clutch.
We help each other with hair and makeup and try to look all pretty. Most of our work is null when we stop by the Hardees' drive through on our way to Rockefeller Plaza. There will be hors d'oeuvers at the ball, but we are hungry now, so we are stopping to get the cheesy fries. We are careful not to spill any on our dresses, but eating while driving probably isn't the smartest idea we've ever had.
We laugh and joke all the way to the plaza and it's times like this when I am reminded of how lucky I am to have her. She doesn't even realize how much she means to me, but I like it that way.
It is a cold December day a few days before Christmas, but it's a beautiful night other wise. The plaza is blocked off for our party only and all of the bare trees are cloaked in white lights. The annual giant Christmas tree is lit up beautifully on the lawn and the whole area is crowded with people in fancy dresses and suits.
We find a parking spot a couple of blocks away and have to walk to the plaza. We do one of those run/walk jigs because it's so cold out here and don't have jackets. The plaza will be heated with body heat and lots of tall heaters so we didn't think about bringing something for our walks.
We finally make it to the venue and stand at the stop of the steps, looking down on the party. There are people in suits with white gloves walking around serving appetizers and drinks. There is soft music playing from a band and the whole place looks very regal.
"Ready?" Lauren asks me.
"Ready." I nod and we carefully pick up the skirts of our dresses to start our descent to the party.
As soon as we step foot on the floor, a server is at our side to offer us drinks. We each take a glass of champagne and thank the waiter before we start to explore. We pick up some snacks along the way and be careful to not drop it on ourselves. I can already see it happening that one or both of us will ruin our gorgeous dresses before the night is over.
A lot of the hors d'oeurves are fancy like bruschetta, cheese, lamb, and clearly not suited to my pallet. I take some of the chocolate dipped strawberries and I eat the bread after I scrape off the bruschetta. I knew I should have gotten more of those cheesy fries at Hardees earlier.
"Well look who the night brought in." Randy greets us while we are admiring one of the ice sculptures.
"Hey, Randy!" we both chirp at the same time and give him a hug.
"You two look absolutely stunning" he holds one of each of our hands and has a spin around for him.
"Who is this by?" Randy points to my dress as he inspects it closer.
"Uhh me..." I brush my bangs back shyly.
"No!" there is clear surprise in his voice and it makes my cheeks flush.
"Yes!" Lauren mimics him. " I watched her create it a few months ago. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Very. And yours too Laur. Did Meredith make that one too?"
"No, this is Jovani." Lauren scoffs playfully.
"Oh excuse me!" Randy takes a step back. "Regardless, you both look gorgeous."
"Thank you." We both do a small curtsey.
"Have you ladies danced yet tonight?" he asks us.
We both shake our heads. "No, we just got here a little bit ago. We were having a look around first."
"Well then may I?" he holds his hand out to me.
"Umm" I fumble and look to Lauren as I twirl the stem of my drink between my fingers.
"Go on!" she takes my drink from me and nudges me towards Randy.
Randy leads me to the dance floor where there are a bunch of other couples already dancing. He spins me once before pulling me close to him and resting one hand on my lower back. The light music in the background is calming and melodic; very enjoyable.
"So how are you?" he starts casually.
"Doing well. Definitely ready for a little break." Our dance falls into sync with the other guests. I've never been to this formal of a dance before. I almost hope they will lighten the mood as the night goes on. This is very... mature.
"And a well deserved one too." He smiles. "You going home for the holidays?"
"... Uhh... no." I shake my head slowly and look away.
"So they're coming here?" he asks cautiously.
I shake my head again. "No, it's just me. I'll have the apartment to myself and probably just watch reruns of Friends and eat my weight in food." I laugh at the end to try to lighten the mood.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about your home. That was really inconsiderate of me. You just always looks to happy, people would never know. There's no need to be alone! You are welcomed to come to my place for Christmas dinner. We'd love to have you." He is very sincere and I love that. We're not as close as Sam and I were back in L.A. but I am confident that with a little bit of time, we will be even closer than Sam and I.
Randy is totally like a grown up figure in my life and he always checks up on me randomly. He's very sweet and easy to work with. He's also very enthusiastic about his work. Very. Enthusiastic. Just the thought makes me giggle. He's always the bubbly one and excited about what the day is going to bring. I'm just along for the ride.
"Thank you very much, but I don't want to intrude."
"It's not intruding if you're invited." He smiles.
I smile to. "Thanks, but I'll be okay. It'll be nice to have some quiet time to myself anyways."
"Suit yourself, love. Just know my door is always open."
"Thanks, Randy."
"Okay, moving on. Your dress is really lovely! How did you come up with the design?" he changes the subject swiftly so that we don't dwell on the impending loneliness any longer.
We make small talk through the rest of the song, than I thank him for the dance and he takes Lauren for the next song. They laugh together and it looks like they're having so much fun. It's really nice to watch.
After their song is over, Lauren joins me again and Randy promises to come check on us again later. Lauren and I get another glass to drink and we go out onto the dance floor together. Thankfully, the music is starting to lighten up and we start dancing a lot more and having fun.
We pull all the strangest dance moves and it leaves us belly laughing the whole time. We spin each other and dip back and forth; we tango and waltz through the middle of the floor together. Basically, we're probably some of the most annoying guests. But that's okay because we are having fun together and that's what it's all about.
We take a break from dancing for a bit and wait by one of the ice sculpture stands. People watching is fun, especially with friends. We point out all the gorgeous dresses... and the not so gorgeous ones. And we rant about the co-workers we can't stand and those we love.
Soon, one of Lauren's friends comes up to talk to us. "What are you two beautiful ladies doing over here by yourselves?"
"Taking a break from that wild party over there." Lauren jokes and hugs her friend. He almost looks like that Hayden kid we met a while ago. I think it might be; if not, they're identical twins.
"Okay, well when you're ready, would you like to dance with me?" he asks Lauren.
She turns to me, squeaking with a huge grin on her face. "Go ahead." I take her drink from her hand.
"Thank you! You're the best. I love you! I'll be back soon." She skips away with her friend and again I'm left alone.
I chuckle and shake my head. She's a trip. After waiting for a while and she's clearly not coming back anytime soon, I finish off her drink and set our empty glasses down on a table to be picked up.
I walk around by myself a little bit and admire all the ice statues that I hadn't noticed before. There's an angel with a bow and arrow, there's a swan and some other birds. Finally, I lean my back against the rail and watch the party before me. I am so consumed with people watching that I don't even notice somebody standing next to me. "Pretty isn't it?"
I nod and look to the voice, then back to the crowd. I do a double take a jerk away from the wall. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?! I thought you were supposed to be getting married today?"
What the hell.
"I was supposed to, you're right." He takes a step closer to me and places one hand on my hip and the other on my shoulder. "But I couldn't finish the vows. I was thinking about what you said and I can't do that to her, or to me. I realized that I can't marry Paige... when I love you." He searches my eyes for any sign of emotion and I feel like my eyes are three times the size of my head.
My expression changes from surprise, to confusion, to awe in a matter of a few words.
"...But..." I try to protest, but he silences me by crashing his lips to mine. My hand fumbles up to his that is holding my cheek and I give in to the kiss. My whole body ignites and a swirl of butterflies fills my stomach. I haven't felt this way in a looong time.
When he finally pulls away, I drop my head to his chest so that he can't see my cheeks flush the brightest shade of red they've been in a long time.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" I ask, still not wanting to look up at him.
He ignores my clear attempts to avoid eye contact by pulling my chin up by the curl of his finger. "Lucky guess." His smile is so contagious and in an instant, I am smiling the brightest I have in a while too.
"How is she?" I ask hesitantly.
"She'll be okay. I know it's for the best."
I give him a sympathetic smile. "In the mean time, can I have this dance?" he holds his hand out to me and I take it without hesitation. He leads the way to the dance floor and spins me around just like Randy did before pulling me close to him. "You look beautiful tonight."
"Thanks. I designed it myself." I ruffle the side of my skirt.
"You did?!"
I nod. "I made it just the way I wanted it."
"You're very talented Miss Jewel." He smiles. We dance some more, but he's not very good at this and he keeps stepping on my feet so we decide it's time to take a break for a little bit. We get more to drink and eat and we find a bench to sit down on.
He tells me about his work and family and I tell about my double job. Most of the night is spent simply laughing and getting to know each other some more while having fun. We take a walk around the upper part of the plaza and try to look at the stars, but we're in the middle of a major city, so it was actually a pretty dumb idea. We just walk hand-in-hand, enjoying each other's company just as we have the times before.
When I can't walk much more, we take a break and lean over the rail overlooking the plaza below. We both rest our elbows on the rail and press one hip to the side. Connor fumbles in his jacket pocket until he pulls out his pack of cigarettes. "Have you had your one yet today?"
I think for a second, "Actually, no." He offers me one and I take it. He lights it up and we both start puffing our smoke. He does some funny smoke tricks, but when I try to copy him, I end up choking. I'm definitely not the most graceful person in the world.
After our butts burn out, we head back down to the dance floor to try dancing again. In the middle of dancing, my phone rings. I had stuffed it in my bra because I didn't carry an extra bag with me and the vibrations feel really weird. "Oh gosh, sorry! Excuse me one second." I turn around and pull my phone out of my chest.
I don't look at who's calling before I answer. "Hello?" I try plugging one ear so that I can hear better because it's really loud in here.
"Meredith?"
"I'm sorry, who is this?"
"This is Mrs. Todd. Blake's mom." Her voice doesn't sound right.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't look at the caller ID. Is everything okay?" It's weird for her to be calling me at this time of night... or at all really. I haven't talked to her in a while.
"Uhh actually, no. Blake has had a bad accident at work. I know you're not close, but he keeps asking for you in his mid stage of consciousness. You're really his only friend left. Is there anyway you can come?"
Panic consumes me that Blake is hurt and I feel like I want to throw up. How could I be so inconsiderate to just cut him off like that? What was I thinking? Even if he just got a paper cut, I would feel awful that I couldn't be there with him and take away his pain like I used to.
I want to speak, but no words seem to be coming out of my mouth. My eyes flicker all around the room searching desperately for something or someone that can help me. It doesn't take long to realize I'm still alone.
"Meredith, please." She begs over the phone. It sounds like she's been crying and the absolute worst scenarios flash through my mind. Is he missing a limb? Are his lungs filled with smoke? Is he suffocating? Is he burned?
I look over my shoulder to Connor who is waiting with a quizzical look on his face. "I'm on my way." I finally find the words to say and I hang up my phone and stuff it back in my dress.
"I have to go. I'm sorry." I rush to Connor and start to back away.
"Wait, where are you going? Is everything all right?" he is clearly worried and I wish I could give him more explanation, but I just can't right now.
"Home. Blake is hurt. I'm really sorry."
"What? You can't leave me. I left my wedding for you!" he shouts after me.
I stop and turn back to him. "No, you left your wedding for you. now I have to do what's right for me." What a trip this has been in my first half of a year in New York. It's been crazy to say the least. But today is the winter ball and a nice time to celebrate the holidays with my friends here.
Today is also the day of Connor's wedding. I spoke with him a couple of times since our meeting at Central Park a few weeks ago and he was still unsure about the whole thing, but he was going along with it. I haven't heard from him today yet, but I'm sure he's busy getting ready.
I am too. My dress came in earlier this week and it fits perfectly. I absolutely love it! It is a fitted light lavender strapless dress. The bodice is crisscrossed and lined in sequence and there is a sheer tulle overlay from the waist down. I pin my hair back in a simple low bun and keep jewelry to a minimum because the dress is so beautiful on its own. I make sure to wear my mom's necklace, but that's all. I find my favorite jeweled peep toe pumps and slide them on my freshly painted toes.
Lauren is dressed in a very plain halter dress, but it is neon pink, so it kind of makes up for the lack of design. She straightens her hair for the first time in a while and slips on some black pumps to match her clutch.
We help each other with hair and makeup and try to look all pretty. Most of our work is null when we stop by the Hardees' drive through on our way to Rockefeller Plaza. There will be hors d'oeuvers at the ball, but we are hungry now, so we are stopping to get the cheesy fries. We are careful not to spill any on our dresses, but eating while driving probably isn't the smartest idea we've ever had.
We laugh and joke all the way to the plaza and it's times like this when I am reminded of how lucky I am to have her. She doesn't even realize how much she means to me, but I like it that way.
It is a cold December day a few days before Christmas, but it's a beautiful night other wise. The plaza is blocked off for our party only and all of the bare trees are cloaked in white lights. The annual giant Christmas tree is lit up beautifully on the lawn and the whole area is crowded with people in fancy dresses and suits.
We find a parking spot a couple of blocks away and have to walk to the plaza. We do one of those run/walk jigs because it's so cold out here and don't have jackets. The plaza will be heated with body heat and lots of tall heaters so we didn't think about bringing something for our walks.
We finally make it to the venue and stand at the stop of the steps, looking down on the party. There are people in suits with white gloves walking around serving appetizers and drinks. There is soft music playing from a band and the whole place looks very regal.
"Ready?" Lauren asks me.
"Ready." I nod and we carefully pick up the skirts of our dresses to start our descent to the party.
As soon as we step foot on the floor, a server is at our side to offer us drinks. We each take a glass of champagne and thank the waiter before we start to explore. We pick up some snacks along the way and be careful to not drop it on ourselves. I can already see it happening that one or both of us will ruin our gorgeous dresses before the night is over.
A lot of the hors h'oeurves are fancy like bruschetta, cheese, lamb, and clearly not suited to my pallet. I take some of the chocolate dipped strawberries and I eat the bread after I scrape off the bruschetta. I knew I should have gotten more of those cheesy fries at Hardees earlier.
"Well look who the night brought in." Randy greets us while we are admiring one of the ice sculptures.
"Hey, Randy!" we both chirp at the same time and give him a hug.
"You two look absolutely stunning" he holds one of each of our hands and has a spin around for him.
"Who is this by?" Randy points to my dress as he inspects it closer.
"Uhh me..." I brush my bangs back shyly.
"No!" there is clear surprise in his voice and it makes my cheeks flush.
"Yes!" Lauren mimics him. " I watched her create it a few months ago. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Very. And yours too Laur. Did Meredith make that one too?"
"No, this is Jovani." Lauren scoffs playfully.
"Oh excuse me!" Randy takes a step back. "Regardless, you both look gorgeous."
"Thank you." We both do a small curtsey.
"Have you ladies danced yet tonight?" he asks us.
We both shake our heads. "No, we just got here a little bit ago. We were having a look around first."
"Well then may I?" he holds his hand out to me.
"Umm" I fumble and look to Lauren as I twirl the stem of my drink between my fingers.
"Go on!" she takes my drink from me and nudges me towards Randy.
Randy leads me to the dance floor where there are a bunch of other couples already dancing. He spins me once before pulling me close to him and resting one hand on my lower back. The light music in the background is calming and melodic; very enjoyable.
"So how are you?" he starts casually.
"Doing well. Definitely ready for a little break." Our dance falls into sync with the other guests. I've never been to this formal of a dance before. I almost hope they will lighten the mood as the night goes on. This is very... mature.
"And a well deserved one too." He smiles. "You going home for the holidays?"
"... Uhh... no." I shake my head slowly and look away.
"So they're coming here?" he asks cautiously.
I shake my head again. "No, it's just me. I'll have the apartment to myself and probably just watch reruns of Friends and eat my weight in food." I laugh at the end to try to lighten the mood.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about your home. That was really inconsiderate of me. You just always looks to happy, people would never know. There's no need to be alone! You are welcomed to come to my place for Christmas dinner. We'd love to have you." He is very sincere and I love that. We're not as close as Sam and I were back in L.A. but I am confident that with a little bit of time, we will be even closer than Sam and I.
Randy is totally like a grown up figure in my life and he always checks up on me randomly. He's very sweet and easy to work with. He's also very enthusiastic about his work. Very. Enthusiastic. Just the thought makes me giggle. He's always the bubbly one and excited about what the day is going to bring. I'm just along for the ride.
"Thank you very much, but I don't want to intrude."
"It's not intruding if you're invited." He smiles.
I smile to. "Thanks, but I'll be okay. It'll be nice to have some quiet time to myself anyways."
"Suit yourself, love. Just know my door is always open."
"Thanks, Randy."
"Okay, moving on. Your dress is really lovely! How did you come up with the design?" he changes the subject swiftly so that we don't dwell on the impending loneliness any longer.
We make small talk through the rest of the song, than I thank him for the dance and he takes Lauren for the next song. They laugh together and it looks like they're having so much fun. It's really nice to watch.
After their song is over, Lauren joins me again and Randy promises to come check on us again later. Lauren and I get another glass to drink and we go out onto the dance floor together. Thankfully, the music is starting to lighten up and we start dancing a lot more and having fun.
We pull all the strangest dance moves and it leaves us belly laughing the whole time. We spin each other and dip back and forth; we tango and waltz through the middle of the floor together. Basically, we're probably some of the most annoying guests. But that's okay because we are having fun together and that's what it's all about.
We take a break from dancing for a bit and wait by one of the ice sculpture stands. People watching is fun, especially with friends. We point out all the gorgeous dresses... and the not so gorgeous ones. And we rant about the co-workers we can't stand and those we love.
Soon, one of Lauren's friends comes up to talk to us. "What are you two beautiful ladies doing over here by yourselves?"
"Taking a break from that wild party over there." Lauren jokes and hugs her friend. He almost looks like that Hayden kid we met a while ago. I think it might be; if not, they're identical twins.
"Okay, well when you're ready, would you like to dance with me?" he asks Lauren.
She turns to me, squeaking with a huge grin on her face. "Go ahead." I take her drink from her hand.
"Thank you! You're the best. I love you! I'll be back soon." She skips away with her friend and again I'm left alone.
I chuckle and shake my head. She's a trip. After waiting for a while and she's clearly not coming back anytime soon, I finish off her drink and set our empty glasses down on a table to be picked up.
I walk around by myself a little bit and admire all the ice statues that I hadn't noticed before. There's an angel with a bow and arrow, there's a swan and some other birds. Finally, I lean my back against the rail and watch the party before me. I am so consumed with people watching that I don't even notice somebody standing next to me. "Pretty isn't it?"
I nod and look to the voice, then back to the crowd. I do a double take a jerk away from the wall. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?! I thought you were supposed to be getting married today?"
What the hell.
"I was supposed to, you're right." He takes a step closer to me and places one hand on my hip and the other on my shoulder. "But I couldn't finish the vows. I was thinking about what you said and I can't do that to her, or to me. I realized that I can't marry Paige... when I love you."
My expression changes from surprise, to confusion, to awe in a matter of a few words.
"...But..." I try to protest, but he silences me by crashing his lips to mine. My hand fumbles up to his that is holding my cheek and I give in to the kiss. My whole body ignites and a swirl of butterflies fills my stomach. I haven't felt this way in a looong time.
When he finally pulls away, I drop my head to his chest so that he can't see my cheeks flush the brightest shade of red they've been in a long time.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" I ask, still not wanting to look up at him.
He ignores my clear attempts to avoid eye contact by pulling my chin up by the curl of his finger. "Lucky guess." His smile is so contagious and in an instant, I am smiling the brightest I have in a while too.
"How is she?" I ask hesitantly.
"She'll be okay. I know it's for the best."
I give him a sympathetic smile. "In the mean time, can I have this dance?" he holds his hand out to me and I take it without hesitation. He leads the way to the dance floor and spins me around just like Randy did before pulling me close to him. "You look beautiful tonight."
"Thanks. I designed it myself." I ruffle the side of my skirt.
"You did?!"
I nod. "I made it just the way I wanted it."
"You're very talented Miss Jewel." He smiles. We dance some more, but he's not very good at this and he keeps stepping on my feet so we decide it's time to take a break for a little bit. We get more to drink and eat and we find a bench to sit down on.
He tells me about his work and family and I tell about my double job. Most of the night is spent simply laughing and getting to know each other some more while having fun. We take a walk around the upper part of the plaza and try to look at the stars, but we're in the middle of a major city, so it was actually a pretty dumb idea. We just walk hand-in-hand, enjoying each other's company just as we have the times before.
When I can't walk much more, we take a break and lean over the rail overlooking the plaza below. We both rest our elbows on the rail and press one hip to the side. Connor fumbles in his jacket pocket until he pulls out his pack of cigarettes. "Have you had your one yet today?"
I think for a second, "Actually, no." He offers me one and I take it. He lights it up and we both start puffing our smoke. He does some funny smoke tricks, but when I try to copy him, I end up choking. I'm definitely not the most graceful person in the world.
After our butts burn out, we head back down to the dance floor to try dancing again. In the middle of dancing, my phone rings. I had stuffed it in my bra because I didn't carry an extra bag with me and the vibrations feel really weird. "Oh gosh, sorry! Excuse me one second." I turn around and pull my phone out of my chest.
I don't look at who's calling before I answer. "Hello?" I try plugging one ear so that I can hear better because it's really loud in here.
"Meredith?"
"I'm sorry, who is this?"
"This is Mrs. Todd. Blake's mom." Her voice doesn't sound right.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't look at the caller ID. Is everything okay?" It's weird for her to be calling me at this time of night... or at all really. I haven't talked to her in a while.
"Uhh actually, no. Blake has had a bad accident at work. I know you're not close, but he keeps asking for you in his mid stage of consciousness. You're really his only friend left. Is there anyway you can come?"
Panic consumes me that Blake is hurt and I feel like I want to throw up. How could I be so inconsiderate to just cut him off like that? What was I thinking? Even if he just got a paper cut, I would feel awful that I couldn't be there with him and take away his pain like I used to.
I want to speak, but no words seem to be coming out of my mouth. My eyes flicker all around the room searching desperately for something or someone that can help me. It doesn't take long to realize I'm still alone.
"Meredith, please." She begs over the phone. It sounds like she's been crying and the absolute worst scenarios flash through my mind. Is he missing a limb? Are his lungs filled with smoke? Is he suffocating? Is he burned?
I look over my shoulder to Connor who is waiting with a quizzical look on his face. "I'm on my way." I finally find the words to say and I hang up my phone and stuff it back in my dress.
"I have to go. I'm sorry." I rush to Connor and start to back away.
"Wait, where are you going? Is everything all right?" he is clearly worried and I wish I could give him more explanation, but I just can't right now.
"Home. Blake is hurt. I'm really sorry."
"What? You can't leave me. I left my wedding for you!" he shouts after me.
I stop and turn back to him. "No, you left your wedding for you. Now I have to follow my heart and be with Blake. It's been him all along, and I feel awful that it had to take something happening to him to realize it. You'll be fine without me." I caress his cheek.
"But I-" The big clock tower strikes the 12 and the bells ring through the night air.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." I pick up my dress and start to run through the crowd.
"Meredith, wait!" he tries chasing me, but I don't stop. So many steps back up to the main level. I don't look behind me as I hike up my dress more and start up the steps. The back of my dress gets caught on something and it jerks me back for a second. It's the tulle part. It already teared off the back so I pop the stitch on the front and drop the material so that I can keep running upstairs.
I hail the first cab I see and jump inside ordering the driver to bring me to the nearest airport. I try to ignore the odd looks the driver gives me, but I can tell he is judging me for running away in a fancy dress.
"What?" I spit, harsher than I intended.
"Running away isn't usually the best answer, Cinderella."
I scoff and look out the window. "What if I'm running to my prince charming?"
The driver gets flustered, rightfully so and I wish he hasn't so rude.
I don't know if I'll be able to make a flight tonight or what I'm actually going to find once I get back to Oregon, but one thing I know for sure is that nothing will matter anymore as long as I am by his side. Connor will be okay without me. Sure he left Paige at the altar thinking he loved me, but soon he'll find another diner girl to make him milk shakes and go for walks in Central Park and share cigarettes with.
As for me, I have finally found my Jewel.
. Now I have to follow my heart and be with Blake. It's been him all along, and I feel awful that it had to take something happening to him to realize it. You'll be fine without me." I caress his cheek.
"But I-" The big clock tower strikes the 12 and the bells ring through the night air.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." I pick up my dress and start to run through the crowd.
"Meredith, wait!" he tries chasing me, but I don't stop. So many steps back up to the main level. I don't look behind me as I hike up my dress more and start up the steps. The back of my dress gets caught on something and it jerks me back for a second. It's the tulle part. It already teared off the back so I pop the stitch on the front and drop the material so that I can keep running upstairs.
I hail the first cab I see and jump inside ordering the driver to bring me to the nearest airport. I try to ignore the odd looks the driver gives me, but I can tell he is judging me for running away in a fancy dress.
"What?" I spit, harsher than I intended.
"Running away isn't usually the best answer, Cinderella."
I scoff and look out the window. "What if I'm running to my prince charming?"
The driver gets flustered, rightfully so and I wish he hasn't so rude.
I don't know if I'll be able to make a flight tonight or what I'm actually going to find once I get back to Oregon, but one thing I know for sure is that nothing will matter anymore as long as I am by his side. Connor will be okay without me. Sure he left Paige at the altar thinking he loved me, but soon he'll find another diner girl to make him milk shakes and go for walks in Central Park and share cigarettes with.
As for me, I have finally found my Jewel.
A/N:
AHHH THIS IS IT! This is the last chapter of Jewel! I cannot believe it! I have enjoyed writing this story so much and hope you all have enjoyed reading it too. I really appreciate all the support and feedback I have received on this story. I have achieved my goal of finishing to publish before second semester (thanks to me being sick the last week of break). But that means I now have some time to start my next story!
It's called Mr. All American and it is a totally original idea. I still have the epilogue of this story to publish, then I will try to get the first couple chapters of my new story up before I go back... I hope. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I will talk to you all soon.
All the love,
Bri xx