Worth the Wait

Part 5 - Friends Will Have To Do

Part 5 - Friends Will Have To Do

Rose’s POV

        “Rose?” he asked quietly. I stared up at him for a minute, just marveling at the man he had become. The cab driver was getting impatient, and started yelling through his open window. Steven pulled me slightly away from the cab, and waved the guy off, never once tearing his gaze away from mine.  

        He left his hand on my arm after the cabbie had sped off, obviously angry for losing a fare. But that was Chicago for you.

        I didn’t trust my voice, so I only nodded at him. I knew from his expression that he didn’t need the confirmation, but I still had to do it. I needed him to stop staring at me so I could compose my thoughts. My mind was racing like the Indy 500. Questions running through faster and faster. Was he upset with me? Why wasn’t he talking? Was there someone else? What now?

        He cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. “I- We-,” he stuttered. “You look well,” he finally managed to get out.  

        “Thank you. You too,” I whispered, still not able to muster up my voice.

        A few minutes of awkward silence passed between us. Neither one of us knowing what to say. I mean, what do you say to the guy you have loved since you were young? I racked my brain, trying to come up with an intelligent conversation starter that would hopefully stop the uncomfortable tension growing between us. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Steven suddenly asked, “What are you doing here?”

        I gulped. “Well, you get right to the point, huh? Glad to see some things don’t change,” I mostly whispered. I saw him blink as he waited for my answer. “In regards to your question, I’m back in Chicago because of Christine. She convinced me that it was time for a visit back home,” I said, praying that my vague answer would suffice.

        “Hmm,” was all he responded. I stood there not knowing what to do, or what to say even. He looked deep in thought. His brows all furrowed and his eyes looking out into space but not seeing anything. He was as handsome as ever, and a fresh wave of disappointment passed through me. I waited five years for him, and he never came. It just added insult to injury to see him like this. Alive, healthy, thriving. At that moment, I felt like yesterday’s old news. I felt out of place, and I wanted to go home.

        “You know, I never should’ve come back,” I started. “I can’t believe I let Christine talk me into this. It was nice seeing you Steven, but I’ve gotta go.” I turned to leave, when my hand was suddenly enveloped in a larger, warm one. I turned around slowly, not knowing what to do in this situation. I looked up into his warm, brown eyes and felt my heart take a tumble as I waited for him to speak.

        “Wait a second, please Rose?” he asked softly.

        I hesitated a moment before nodding my head. I took a deep breath. He still held my hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull it away. His touch felt so natural and comfortable.

        “Let’s put the past behind us Rose. We’re both different people now; more mature than we were back then. We used to be pretty good friends when we were kids, and I’d like to try to be at least that again,” he said quietly, trying to gauge my reaction.

        Even though I knew deep down that he would say something like that, it still felt like a fresh wound to the heart. I took another deep breath to steady myself and replied, “Okay, Steven. Let’s try to be friends.”

        A small smile appeared on his face. “Great.” He looked around before turning back to me. “Wanna grab a bite to eat?” I smiled. I guess friends would have to be enough. It’d be nice to move on, finally.  

        He led me back to the bar where his friends were still sitting. We settled into comfortable conversation once the introductions were made. I couldn’t help but think how nice this was. I guess I’ll have to thank Christine after all.

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Steven’s POV

        After introducing Rose to the guys, we all settled in for some grub. Trevor asked her about North Carolina and she wound up getting talked into giving her life story. Not that I minded. It saved me the trouble of asking her all about it later. She gave brief recollections of our childhood, causing the guys to laugh a bit. I could tell she already had them wrapped around her finger.

        When she got to the part when she left for North Carolina, she all-together skipped the whole letter part. I guess I was relieved to not have to hear about it, but another part of me was sad. Did that mean she moved on?

        She continued to tell about her job as a designer. I couldn’t help the proud feeling that filled me. She seemed happy, and that was enough for me. When she started telling stories about her friends, I listened intently. I couldn’t understand why I wanted to know so badly. It was like some part of me was being possessive. Especially when Billy asked if there was a man in her life. My whole body tensed up as I waited for her answer, and I hoped to God that she wouldn’t notice. And then when she shook her head ‘no’, I felt a sense of relief. Trevor noticed my posture, and exchanged a knowing look with me across the table.

        When our food arrived, conversation died down as the boys dug into their food. I mentally winced at their lack of manners, but Rose didn’t seem to notice and focused on her sandwich. My mind started to wander back to five years ago, when I opened the letter that changed my life. I remember Christine hounding me to go after her, but  couldn’t. I had nothing to offer. I was just a nobody working as a mechanic in a garage. She deserved so much better than me. But things change; I’ve changed. I just hope that it’s not too late now.

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Beth’s POV

        I hung up the phone with Christine just as Justin walked in. I couldn’t believe that I had snagged such a great guy. September couldn’t come fast enough. I wanted to marry him already. He smiled at me before coming to give me a kiss.

        “Who was on the phone babe?” he asked, pulling me into his arms.

        “Rose’s friend Christine in Chicago,” I replied, burying my face into his shoulder. We started to sway to non-existent music and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

        “Is everything okay?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.

        I smiled at his question. He loved Rose like a sister, and took the role of overprotective big brother to heart. I couldn’t be happier that my best friend and fiancé got along so well. “Yeah, everything’s great actually,” I sighed. “Operation Rose and Steven is progressing very smoothly.”

        He stopped swaying for a minute and pulled back to look at me, a frown on his face. “Are you sure you should be messing with Rose’s life?” he asked seriously.

        “It sounds bad when you put it that way, but we are really helping her in the long run,” I pleaded. “She may not realize it, but she never got over Steven. And talking with Christine, Steven’s sister, he never got over her too. So--”

        “--it’s only natural to bring them back together.” Justin finished for me. I smiled, and nodded. “Well, not that I approve of meddling in other people’s business, but this is Rose we’re talking about. She deserves some happiness in her life too.”

        Love filled me up to the point where I felt like I was going to burst. “How did I manage to get such a fantastic guy?”

        “It was my irresistible charm and amazingly good looks,” he replied with a smirk on his face.  

        I laughed, we always bantered back and forth like this. “Irresistible, huh?” I asked, pushing him away. “We’ll just see who’s irresistible.” I saw the glint in his eye and moved towards the kitchen. Justin seemed to move like lightning. One minute I was reaching for the towel on the counter, and the next minute, I found myself hanging upside down on his shoulder.  

        “Put me down!” I half-yelled, half-laughed.  

        When we made it to the bedroom door, he pulled me down into his arms bridal style and kissed me hard. “No, I don’t think I will.”