When We Collided

The Revelation

He took me to The Amethyst Cove Siren, a restaurant by the river and got seats outside. There was a single table beside the ornate metal fence that separated the restaurant from the dark river. The table was surrounded by leafy trees that concealed it from the patrons having dinner inside. It was as secluded and private as we could get.

A giggling couple momentarily broke the stillness as they stumbled into view. A tall, attractive red-haired man had his arms wrapped around a beautiful woman with cropped blonde hair and ear piercings.

"Oh! Sorry," the woman said when she realized they weren't alone. She blushed when she saw our table.

She looked up at me and her eyes widened. "Shana Que? You're so pretty in person."

"Thank you." I laughed.

"Liam?" Onyx said to her companion.

Liam was Onyx's neighbor who was a doctor. The beautiful blonde was Helena, his girlfriend. After the introductions were made they waved goodbye.

We stood at the railing, side by side, letting the cool air refresh us. Watching the flowing water calmed me a bit until I felt I was ready to hear Onyx out. As if reading my mind, he began talking.

"What I said to you before, about only showing my feelings for you when we're filming... It's true. I'm ashamed to admit it but I've been very hypocritical lately. I pretend that I don't care about you when we're off-cam. But when we're filming it's like it's the only opportunity I have to stop pretending. It's like flipping the finger at everyone and everything that's keeping us apart. Screw you for not letting me do what my heart is telling me. I'm doing it anyway right under your noses and you don't even know it!" His long tirade left him breathless.

I was not doing so well myself. I felt my heart pounding under its cage. My mouth was cotton-dry. My mind reeled from all this new information.

He must have sensed my internal turmoil because he pulled me by the hand. "Let's dance," he urged me.

It was then that I noticed soft music coming from speakers hidden from view. I could make out the beginning notes of Jason Reeve's heart-tugger, "Entwined".

We slow-danced to the song, our bodies as entwined as our lives seemed to be at that moment.

"What did you mean when you said, 'what my heart is telling me?'" I asked in a raspy voice.

His gaze softened. He took my hand and kissed the back of it.

"I love you, Shana."

I melted in an emotional puddle. 'He loved me too!' my heart sang out. But wait, there was one more thing. "Jessica?"

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them they were misty. "I loved her, and I think a part of me always will. At the beginning I harbored a hope that we would end up together because we were destined for each other and so I was willing to wait." He shook his head and laughed. "I was such a fool, trying to put my life on hold that I was already pushing away the only person who made my life worth living. I won't make the same mistake now. I'm not letting you go, Shana."

Happiness enveloped me in its warm embrace as his words sinked in. He loved me! He won't let me go! I looked up at him. He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

"I love you too, Onyx." There. I finally said it.

This time, our kiss wasn't forced, nor was it desperate. It was full of happiness and hope. We took our time, not wanting to end this moment.

Because we both knew that there was still a lot to talk about and sort out. Like the risks this posed on our careers. Like the people who always kept their eyes on us. Like the difficulties we had to endure to make this work.

But I was pretty sure it would all be worth it.

A year later...

"Happy anniversary, Wifey." His soft whisper awakened me from a beautiful dream. A dream about him and me.

I smiled, keeping my eyes closed. Something soft caressed my face. His lips? His fingers? No. When it passed my cheek a fragrant scent wafted up my nose.

"Violets!" I exclaimed, opening my eyes.

I heard his laughter even before I saw his face. It appeared ethereal because of the white sunlight filtering through my bedroom window behind him.

He was lying beside me, one hand wrapped around my waist, another holding a beautiful blue bouquet of my favorite flowers.

"Happy anniversary, my love," I said before kissing him.

It had been a remarkable year. Our onscreen pairing sent our careers to new heights; three movies, two TV series, and numerous ads, endorsements, TV guestings, and magazine features. Our fanbase was wonderful and ever-growing. It was partly because of them that we achieved so much in such a short time.

Our off-screen romance, though, was still under wraps. It was very hard, but we tried our best to keep it to ourselves. The people around us had their suspicions, and those close to us asked us regularly if our loveteam had turned from reel to real. We just shrugged the questions off. What we had was too precious to risk getting out into the world.

We were still our usual selves in public. After all, aside from being lovers, we were best friends. But we reserved the romance for times like these, when we were hidden from the eyes of the public.

"I can't wait though, when you're finally my wife. On paper," he clarified.

"Onyx!" I gasped. "You can't be serious! You are all of twenty-two years old."

"Age is just a number, Wifey." His endearment, which was taken from a film we did together, set my insides aflutter. "I know what I want, and I want you with me for the rest of my life."

Well, lucky for him, that was exactly what I wanted too.

THE END

Photo credits: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/007/6/5/chibi_love_by_princesstutu444-d4lleje.png