Fate

I Have Always Loved You

"I have something important to tell you," Brice whispered in my ear the next morning.

We had fallen asleep on the couch, wrapped up in each others embrace. Even if I had just remembered who he was yesterday, I'm so glad he was mine. And I knew that no matter what, he always would be. The thought made me smile.

"I haven't even told you yet!" he laughed. The idiot. "I wasn't smiling about that, dummy," I replied, hitting his chest. He looked confused, but shook it off and wrapped his arms around me. I totally forgot his important announcement and became wrapped up in my memories. I remembered every time he held me, every time he kissed me, every time he told me he loved me, and every time he saved my sorry butt from getting killed by Klide and his gang. I remembered when I used to hate his guts, only that didn't last very long. From the moment I met him, I was drawn to him. Love is a stupid, twisted thing.

Suddenly remembering he was about to tell me something, I pulled myself up so I was sitting on his chest and demanded to know what he was going to say. He shoved me off, sat up, then took my hand and pulled me to the balcony.

"You know who I say I'll always love you and always have?" he asked. Was this a trick question? Was he asking me this because I had just lost my memory and he was making sure I had gotten it all back? I decided to see what was going on and answered his question with a confused, "Yes..."

"I meant that literally. The whole, always have thing," he clarified.

This made no sense. I haven't known Brice all that long, so he couldn't always loved me. I mean he could love me from the time he met me, but beyond that he couldn't have because he didn't know me. Or did he? "What do you mean?" I wanted to make sure I understood this fully.

He took a deep breath and began explaining things. I listened the entire time and was amazed by what I heard. It took all I had not to ask questions until the end.

"Okay, here goes," he began, "I used to go to your middle school. I got teased and bullied and people used to steal my glasses and break them. One day it got so bad, my parents decided to move me to a new school. In the short time I was at that school, I met you. Well, sort of. You were popular and I was a nerd so we didn't really mix much. So anyways, one day you bumped into me in the hallway, and even though you knocked all my books over and broke my glasses, you still looked perfect. That could have been the result of my concussion or the fact that you had broken my glasses, but it didn't matter to me. It was sixth grade and all love is delusional then.

I tried to work up the courage to talk to you over the next couple months, but I could never bring myself to do it. Then when my parent decided to transfer me to some fancy private school, I realized my window had closed. I thought that being away from you might help me move on, but to more I was away from you, the more I wanted to see you. So everyday when my school let out, I would catch a cab and wait by the swings at your school, hoping one day you might notice me. But you never did.

Then high school came around and I begged my parents to let me back into the public school system, but they wouldn't let me. They said I was still a target, even though I no longer needed glasses and dressed more like a cool kid. I was crushed. I knew that if I couldn't get you in high school, I wouldn't get you at all. Until we met at Cottonwood.

You know how I said I saved people from the gangs? Well the only reason I did that was because I heard you had quite the reputation of finding danger wherever you go. I had a feeling you might come down that street one day, and I was right."

I was speechless. I had no idea what to say to that. I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging wide open. Brice started to panic, thinking he had scared me off. He ran his hand threw his hair and started muttering things to himself like, "Why did I do that? I knew this would happen!" So to make him stop worrying, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back, smashing my lips against his. He jerked back in surprise.

"Y-you're not mad?" he asked.

I stepped closer to him, so that our bodies were almost touching. I took his hands in mine and brought them up to my chest. "Of course not silly! I'm just a little surprised. I mean, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Brice blushed and took his hands away. He walked over to the railing and looked down at the road below. His was gripping the sides so tight, he knuckles were turning white. "I was scared you wouldn't like me once I found out who I was," I murmured.  

I sighed. I guessed as much. I took the space beside him and rested my head on his shoulder. I pried his fingers away from the railing and replaced it with my hand. "The past doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that your here with me in this moment, and I promise I will always like you. If not love you," I teased.

I heard him laugh a little bit. He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me. I looked up into his eyes and smiled. We both leaned in, and our lips were centimeters apart when my mom decided to make an appearance.

"Do you kids want some breakfast?" she asked, clearly not noticing what position we were in. I rolled my eyes and Brice and pulled back.

"Sure, mom!" I chirped.

I took Brice's hand and lead him into the kitchen. When my mom pasted by me she whispered in my hear, "I knew exactly what state you were in. That's why I said it. By the way, you should be careful what you say out loud."

Oh well that's just great. What else do I say out loud that I don't know about? I think I need to get that checked out. Do they have doctors that help people who say everything they're thinking out loud?

Everyone was looking at me weird. I mentally slapped myself. "I said that out loud didn't I?" I asked, even though the answer was obvious.

Both of them nodded, but that wasn't what they were so freaked out about. Their jaws dropped nearly to the floor and there eyes were glazed over in fear. Brice pointed to something behind me, but I was to scared to look.

I was to scared to even move once I felt someone's hot breath on my neck. I felt hands fasten around my waist, and a blindfold being tied over my eyes. I just didn't have the will to fight anymore. I was just going to  accept the fact that these weirdo's were never going to leave me alone and I was going to be running from them for the rest of my life.

Why did I make the stupid mistake of going to Cottonwood on Halloween?