You & I

Chapter 21: Clarity

Ellen's POV:

I opened the trailer door and was greeted by a dapper looking Patrick Dempsey. He had on a dark blue button-up with a pair of black slacks and a black blazer.  He stood there, roses in hand, with a look of awe on his face. "You look..you look fantastic El," He said smiling into my eyes. "You look rather dashing yourself Dempsey," I replied blushing. "We should get going," I said stepping down the trailer steps. "We should," He replied taking my hand into his. We walked over to his Porsche and went on our way.

"Patrick, this isn't the direction of the restaurant," I said looking over at him. "I know," He said smiling at me. "Our reservations are for 8, it's already 7:50," I said with a look of confusion spread across my face. "That means we have 10 minutes, go with it," he replied. "Patrick, you know I hate secrets and surprises. Please tell me where we're going," I asked begging in the most convincing tone I could use. "El, trust me, then after this point, there will be no more secrets." He said smirking, he placed his hand on top of mine. I had the urge to pull my hand away but I resisted. Something about his soft, warm, touch was so comforting. He could make me feel calm during the apocalypse. "But what about surprises?!," I asked in a pouty voice. "There is no way I can promise not to surprise you, life of full of surprises. Involuntary or not they are still bound to happen, it's all part of our destiny," He said. "You know what?" I asked with a goofy grin on my face. "What?," He asked. "If all fails, you know acting and stuff, you could become a poet," I said giggling and slapping his arm. "Oh shut up, I'm more likely to be killing by a vending machine." He said giggling. "You shut up, ya' know ya' love me," I said loosely, a little bit of my accent even slipped. Oh shit. I thought to myself. There it was, the l word. "You're right, I do love you. That's why we're here," He said as he parked in a familiar driveway. He stepped out of his door and walked over to mine, opening it for me. "Pat-" He cut me off. "Trust me, you can always trust me. I promise," He said taking my hand and walking us to the door. It was our house...his house.

I walked in and a delightful aroma filled the air, it was dimly lit, candles were spread around the foyer and in other parts of the house, and bossa nova music echoed around us. "I thought we were having dinner..," I said in astonishment. "We are, that's exactly what we are doing," He said, taking my jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. He walked me into the kitchen. The table had two plates of spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread on the side accompanied by two glasses of red wine. "Take your seat madam," He said smiling as he pulled out my chair. "Thank you, Paddy. You have completely outdone yourself, all I wanted was dinner," I said smiling. "We are having dinner, I just spiced it up a little," He said as he took a sip of his wine. "A little," I scoffed. "That's the understatement of the year," I said taking a bite of my spaghetti. "Okay, Ms. Smartass." He said giggling, also taking a bite of his food. "Hey, at least it's smart and cute," I said as I dabbed some of the tomato sauce off of my face. "At least it is," He said, our eyes locked for a moment and a familiar feeling crashed down on me like a tsunami of overwhelming feeling and emotion. A sparkle reignited in our eyes. I had gone through so much and yet he was still there for me, he stood by me and helped me through the whole thing. Because he loved me..he loved me so much that he would do anything in his power to protect and help me. He was my soulmate, he was my knight in shining armor, he was the love of my life.

"I'm sorry, Paddy," I said as I sat down the napkin that was now accompanied with spaghetti sauce. "Sorry for what, El?" he asked. "For being a bitch, I should have believed you," I replied. "El, it isn't-" I cut him off. "It is my fault, I need to learn how not to be so stubborn. I know that you would never do anything to hurt me. I'm so sorry, Paddy." I said tearing up, I hated for Patrick to see me like this. I had the emotional control of a hormonal teenage girl. "Ellie, it's okay. It's not your fault. I love you," He said reaching across the table to wipe a fallen tear off of my cheek. I smiled at him, the word almost seemed too real. Like if I said it there was no turning back, he returned my smile and we continued to finish our dinner.

Patrick's POV:

"Would you like to go to the beach?," I asked as we finished our meal. Ellen was taking her last sip of wine and we had both already finished our spaghetti. "That sounds like a fantastic idea," She replied smiling as she took her plate to the sink. I took mine as well and rinsed it off. 

The two of us finished rinsing up and went outside to the beach. The nice thing about having an ocean front house is that I can go whenever I want. We walked down the sandy beach until we hit the shoreline. "Pat-" I cut her off. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for breaking up with you, I'm sorry about what happened to you, I'm sorry that you're staying in the trailer, I'm sorry for everything," I said looking at the ground when I finished. "Don't apologize, there is no reason to. Patrick, I've realized that everything that you have done has been to protect me. I'm just too stubborn to believe it most of the time, but I know now. Patrick, I know that you love me. I know you love me and none of the rest matters because I love you too. And I-" I cut her off by crashing my lips down against hers. The wind hugged our body as our tongues glided across one another, she wrapped her arms around my neck and I rested my hands around her waist. I never wanted to pull away, everything was clear when we were together. It's like I could see how the rest of my life was going to play out, a house, a dog, engagement, marriage, she was the woman I wanted to dedicate the rest of life too. She was my clarity.