Flashette(Book Two)

Extra 92: Long Lost Love

This is based off of a short story I wrote that I modified. Thank you for 24K! Enjoy!
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     I looked out into the sunset of the beach. I took in the crashing of the waves and the way the Rockwall was perfectly formed along the border. This was the place where I would clear my head and get my mind off of things. This is also the place where I reflected on my past.
       I was reminded of when I could see the sunset reflect off his perfectly green eyes......the way the beach breeze moved through his short brown hair....the way his smile made the sunset seem dull....He was the kind of guy you would want to be with every second of every day.....The guy who was a total gentleman for any girl, even if she were a stranger.
     But I haven't seen him in over 3 years. He had to move away, and I haven't heard from him ever since.
His name was Barry. We met at the beach, just as the sun was going down. I was stretched out on my blanket, staring out in the sunset. He came up to me and and hit me with one of those: "Hey Angel, did it hurt when you fell out of the sky?" pick up lines. It was his humor and shyness that drew me towards him. We started talking immediately after that and it wasn't for a short while that I realized I had feelings for him. We dated for 4 years. We started texting each other, and eventually we were hanging out every day. We would meet early morning and I would be home late at night. When we went out, we were inseparable. We did everything together and I wanted it to last. I thought we were going to be together forever. I remember him telling me he had to leave and when he moved away, it broke my heart.
     I always think of him and wonder if he will be the same Barry I met on the beach. I don't believe in that "True Love" bologna, but I believe that we had something close.
     That was three years ago. He moved away, but he is still in my heart. It was hard to move on, but I managed. He comes up in my thoughts every once in a while.
      I met Shane last year. We met at the same place as Barry and I, but it took a little longer to develop the connection.
        And i've made it my mission not to tell Shane about Barry. I didn't want to tell him because I didn't want Shane to disappear like Barry did. Shane was different. He had silky blonde hair with highlights and those brown eyes that you get lost in instantly. He also had a smile that can light up the darkest room. I get this funny feeling just thinking about him.
      "Chloe!," called Shane. I looked at my watch. "5:00, I'm late" I said to myself. I ran across the hot sand with my sandals in hand.
       As I got to my driveway I could see my beach house surrounded by the white picket fence, the sunset reflecting off the glass windows.
        I approached my rocky driveway and slipped on my sandals. Ready to apologize about not being on time,
I walked into the house and was astonished by what I saw. Flower petals on the floor leading to that brown eyed dream....Shane. He was dressed up in a black tuxedo with a button down shirt underneath. He had his fluffy blonde hair parted over to complete the look.
He wasn't one to do these types of things, and the biting of his lip told me so. I was speechless and couldn't look up. My eyes started to glass over. I kept opening and closing my eyes, hoping it was a dream. But when I realized it wasn't, I found myself making the hardest choice of my life.
      "Chloe...ever since that day on the beach, I knew I loved you....Will you--- .....Uh....... Marry me?"
My heart was torn. I loved Shane and I wanted to marry him, but part of my heart belonged to Barry. What if he came back? He's still out there somewhere. But I had to go with my gut and do what was was best for me.
       "Yes," I told Shane before a wide grin appeared on his face. He picked me up and spun me around, just like those fairy tales my mom read to me when I was a kid. I always dreamed about having a life like that, and this was the first step. He put the ring on my finger and trust me, I haven't felt this way in a long time.
      When I went to bed that night, I was starting to have a good dream. It was of my wedding. Everything was going well, but when I walked down the aisle, the groom changed from Shane to Barry. I suddenly woke up and many thoughts ran through my head: was this a sign? Was this the right move? I couldn't convince myself to get over him. After arguing with myself, I convinced myself that I made the right choice and went back to sleep.
     The next day, I called everyone I knew and told them the news. Some even sent flowers and little cards. But through all the gifts and flowers, one stood out among the others. It had no signature on the inside, but it read:      
       "Chloe, congratulations on your engagement. I'm so happy for you! It's good that you've found "the one." This left me curious and puzzled. The writing looked familiar, but without the signature I couldn't figure it out. Giving up, I put the card on the table with the others and moved on.
      I noticed that the mysterious card came with flowers. They were Lilly's, my favorite. "Either this is a coincidence, or they really know me" I thought to myself. To clear my head, I took my favorite blanket and went to my usual spot on the beach.
       I stared at the golden sunset as the memories flooded back. I pictured Barry walking along the waterline. I missed seeing his surprised face when the cold water splashed up to his knees. That was the Barry I missed......the Barry I loved......the Barry I needed......
I came out of my haze and looked around me. There was someone walking towards me. I noticed he was a man and had a very skinny figure. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a sleeveless tank top shirt with converse. He was muscular and had short brown hair.
      As he got closer I could see his facial features clearer. My initial reaction was shock. He had perfectly shaped lips and green eyes.........And it took me a second to realize what was going on, but I recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes I met on the beach 7 years ago. I couldn't believe my eyes....... It was Barry.
       I was overjoyed to see Barry. My heart started racing, and the familiar feeling of butterflies came back as he approached my blanket. I couldn't speak for the first time.
      "Hi."
      "H-Hi"
       "How are you?"
     "Good....How have you been?" I asked.
      "Great! I'm back now, and planning to stay for a while.....uh....Did you get my flowers?"
      "Those were your flowers?"
     "Yeah....I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement. I'm happy for you."
       "I didn't think....you'd do that for me. After all we've been through......I thought you'd be upset."
     "Why would I be? I truly loved you, so I had to let you go. I wouldn't put you through a long distance relationship. All I want is for you to be happy, and you're happy with Shane."
I then found myself confused. I was at a crossroads with my feelings. Two amazing guys, and I didn't want to break the other's heart. I wanted to be with Barry, but I wanted to be with Shane at the same time.
     He's no good for you.....I thought to myself. I made the executive decision that Shane was the way to go. Barry and I said our goodbyes and I went home to my soon to be husband.
        The wedding day came. I had gotten up early and got changed. I had stylists do my hair and I made sure everything was ready to go.
       I invited Barry to come, but I didn't see him come in. I wanted him to be here, but it was too late. It was time. The doors opened and everyone stood up. Everyone was staring at me, and one seat was empty: Barry's. I kept thinking about him, but I stopped when I saw Shane.
We exchanged glances. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. When I met him at the altar, we joined hands and faced each other.
     I looked out of the corner of my eye during the middle of the ceremony and saw a familiar face in the crowd.
      "Do you Shane, take Chloe to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
        "I-do"
         "And Chloe, do you take Shane to be your lawfully wedded husband?" I looked around. All I had to do was say those two words and I would be happy. I would be with the one I loved. But if I didn't, I could still be happy.
After making this split decision, I knew what I really wanted and ran to it. It was Barry.
        "I-I-Don't, I'm sorry. But my heart truly belongs to someone else......I'm sorry...." I said running to Barry. He stood up.
        "What are you doing?" He asked me.
        "Going after what I want," I said before pulling him in for a passionate kiss. He kissed back and we held it for a few seconds before he grabbed my hand. Our fingers intertwined and we ran away from the scene to the only place we've ever known.
      The sun was coming down, just like when we met. He looked at me with his one of a kind smile and I couldn't help but smile back. We walked along the waterline, hand in hand.
     "I thought it would be easy to move on, but it was hard. You're the one I'm meant to be with and it sucks that it took me thinking to realize. I could tell from the way our eyes met.....The way we glanced at each other when our hands touched......The way we could get lost in each others eyes, no matter what is going on around us. I've never felt that with anyone else and that's when I knew it was you. I was so worried about finding "Mr Right" that I didn't see he was here the whole time. No matter how far we were apart, we were still so close," I said before he closed the gap between us and kissed me. He wrapped his arms  around my waist and pulled me closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. With no space left between us, we kissed in the sunset and didn't care who was watching.
     Barry and I ended up moving to Central City, and from there it went downhill. We began working at CCPD, and were in coma's, due to a lightning bolt of a dark matter storm. We gained powers from this storm and became heroes of our city. Though the history of Barry and I is so hectic, I wouldn't have it any other way.
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      Hello!! I hope you enjoyed. This is a short story I wrote a while ago for something else. I modified it a little bit. Sorry if it is repetitive or doesn't make sense or anything like that. But I thought the idea of portrayed as cute, so I shared it. I'll talk to you in the next short and more are coming! -Flashette1