Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls

Tuomas

As he walked through the airport, Tuomas's emotions ranged from excitement to terror when he thought of what would occur in the next hour. Their last meeting had taken place all the way back on October 15th, 2005, the day he handed her a letter firing her from Nightwish. That very day, it felt as if a part of him had been ripped apart, yet it was by his own doing. Since the moment he handed Tarja the letter, he hated himself. Anguish tore him apart every day when he heard no reply from her. Truly believing he had lost everything, Tuomas entered a state of desolation. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. For days on end, Tuo exiled himself from the rest of the world, staying locked up in his apartment. Occasionally one of the guys would call to check up on him, and make sure he was still alive. Each time they offered support and advice, but kept their distance, realizing that the young writer needed time on his own. He would sit around with a bottle of vodka in hand, sadistically reminding himself of her through any chance he got. Replaying Ever Dream for a tenth time, he took a swig from his bottle, how could he have crushed her like that? How could a human being be so terrible? It wasn't until a week later when Marco staged an intervention. On that bright day, Marco barged into his apartment and whipped the blinds open, the light hitting Tuomas's face, making him recoil from the brightness.

"Leave me alone Marco," He had slurred.

"I'm not going to let you sit here and waste your life away! Yes, we fucked up. And no, there's no going back. I understand you made your decision because you love her, but Tuo, you need to pull yourself together! You must move on, now. It's the only thing left to do!" Yelled Marco, as he started boiling some water to make coffee. Tuomas slumped onto his couch, letting the empty bottle roll onto the floor.

''Stop talking, I don't need this right now," he replied, rubbing his temples. Everything he did now, seemed absolutely worthless.
"No Tuomas! I refuse to sit here and watch you wither away," Marco said, attempting to hold back his frustration. He stormed out of the kitchen, fists clenched as he barged towards the couch, where Tuomas lay. Marco had never seen such a disappointing sight. The thriving young writer he used to know was now an empty carcass, lacking a soul. Grabbing Tuomas's shoulders, he spoke slowly.
"Tuo, please. We can't stand to see you like this! You're not doing anything good for yourself, and I'm sure Tarja wouldn't want you to waste away like this." At the sound of her name, Tuomas squeezed his eyes shut just as he started to tear up.
"Don't you dare bring her up! She surely hates me now."
"I believe that if she knew why you did what you did, she would forgive you. Tuomas I think you should try talking to her. Apologize, tell her what's going on."
"I can't," he grimaced, "she's with that son of a bitch, Marcelo." Marco could see how much Tarja's relationship with Marcelo crushed him, but he knew something Tuomas didn't.
"Listen Tuo. A while back I spoke with Tarja. I wasn't sure if I could trust what she said, since she was clearly drunk when she called, but anyways. She admitted to me that she was doubting her relationship with Marcelo, and she was considering leaving him." Tuo pulled himself up into a sitting position, his eyes suddenly filling with new found hope.
"How is this possible Marco!? You've seen how she is around him, they're absolutely inseparable. And even if you're telling the truth, why the hell didn't you mention this before I made the biggest mistake of my life!"
"I swear I'm telling the truth. I didn't say anything because the day after, I saw Tarja at rehearsal, and she pulled me aside to tell me she didn't mean a thing she said the night before. But honestly Tuo, I think she's lying to herself. The things she told me seemed pretty relevant and true. I think deep down inside, she knows Marcelo isn't right for her. If you were to tell her how you feel, you many both change for the better." Tuomas sunk back into the couch. What did this mean for him? Would he actually find the strength to tell her how he felt after everything he did?
"I can't Marco, she will never forgive me." Marco sighed and got up off the floor. Walking towards the door he said,
"Well I've got to go pick up the kids from school, but Tuomas, think about it please. You both deserve happiness."

Tuomas spent the rest of that day wallowing in pity, and questioning what should be done. Marco's words repeated in his mind through the night, leaving him sleepless. Wrestling with his emotions throughout the night kept him up, not being able to settle into a gentle slumber. Had he known about Tarja's fleeting relationship with Marcelo, perhaps he could have acted differently. In a less drastic way. Time passed as he lay motionless on the couch weighing his options. At some point he must have dozed off, since he awoke to the vibrating of his phone. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the name that appeared on the screen. Tarja.
Fumbling to grab the cell phone, he answered the call,
"Tarja." There was silent from the other end of the line until,
"Tuo, I'm sorry." What on earth could Tarja be sorry about? Tuomas dumbfounded replied with,
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who should be apologizing."
"You were right, everything you said in the letter," he started to here sniffles," I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to, everything just got too much and Marcelo kept pushing me and I was just so blinded I didn't-" Tuomas cut her off immediately.
"No Tarja, none of this is your fault. I'm the one who should be apologizing, I overreacted when you started to act differently and hanging around Marcelo. Understand it was too much for us to bear."
"I'm sorry, I won't stop saying that. I realize that Marcelo has influenced me too much, changing me, I recognize my diva actions, and I need to get back in touch with who I am. But... I'm afraid that I can't do it without my best friend. I hope you can forgive me for being so rude to you, and cancelling concerts and skipping practices. I lost track of what I was doing, but I want to get back to it again. I don't expect you to let me back in the band. In fact I think it would be better to keep our friendship out of the public eye, that way it won't be disturbed by crazy fans. That is... If we still have a chance at our friendship." Tuomas nearly jumped off his seat, as he exclaimed.
"Of course Tari. I'm sorry I overreacted, I realized as soon as I handed the letter that it was a mistake. Give me another chance. I need you in my life."
"Oh Tuo. I really didn't even think you would want to hear my voice after how horribly I treated you guys." At this point Tuomas could not believe what he was hearing.
"Tarja I promise, from now on, I will be better. I don't care if we are working together anymore or not, I just want my best friend back in my life too."
With that, Tuomas and Tarja reunited secretly, keeping away from the public eye, worried of what rumours and drama the public might stir up. They mostly skyped and texted, since Tarja had moved to Buenos Aires. Sure, she would come to Finland periodically, but they decided it would be best not to meet up and form new rumours. What the public didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Tuomas approached the area where he had decided to meet Tarja at. Worries slowly faded away as he saw her walk through the gate, little Naomi holding her hand. Well, she wasn't exactly little anymore. Tuomas couldn't believe how much she captured her mothers beauty. Once Tarja spotted him, a smile spread across her face. She then said something to her daughter as they approached him. Naomi looked in his direction and started waving excitedly, Tuomas had never seen a cuter sight. His nerves seemed to fade away, and suddenly his first love stood a few feet away. She looked tired from the flight, no makeup on, and her hair back in a bun, but he couldn't take his eyes off her beauty.
"Tarja," he said quietly, as he made eye contact with her. Her smile immediately deepened as she stepped closer to him and came in for a hug. Wrapping her arms around him she breathed in his familiar scent. At least that was one thing that hadn't changed in 11 years. She clung to him, arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Nearly shedding tears, and slightly shaking, he placed his arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of finally being able to see her in person.