Destined

Forty

It's May. Graduation ceremonies is in a week, Lia and Evelyn went out to buy dresses and, Evelyn's actually been quite excited for school to be over. Diploma on hand, not forced to be stuck around people who have ruined high school within it's many years but the sad thing is now she won't be able to see her friends every single day. They'll make the best of this summer before everyone goes their own way for university, for sure, but her heart years for them and it'll suck when they all have to separate from each other.
Within the school year, Evelyn continued therapy on an every other week schedule to keep up and make sure she wouldn't slip. She hung out with her friends as often as she could, rarely saying no which of course made Lia happy when it involved her reckless behavior. She was content and finally felt back to normal minus all the breakdowns.
This very minute, Evelyn and Gwaine stand across from each other, opposite ends of the table. He threatens to move around closer to her but she moves in the same way he does, "Gwaine, don't you dare, you stay right where you are!" An amused grin spreads over his lips, teeth and tongue revealing themselves.
"Or what E, what are you going to do?"
"I'll run," she says in the most obvious way.
"So then nothing new for the game." He jolts to his left, Evelyn doing the same.
"You're cruel," Evelyn exclaims, running out of the kitchen. Gwaine catches up to her at the foot of the stairs, arms wrapping around her waist as he lifts her up and spins in circles. She lets out a laugh, her legs bending to try to come to her chest but only achieve a sitting position. Her feet touch the floor, "you're terrible Gwaine," she jokes, laughing at him picking her up. "I can't believe you took me off the floor."
"Did you think I'd do anything different?" His smile at her is soft as she shakes her head, his shoulders falling. She raises her hand to fix his shirt but he grabs it instead, holding it against his chest. His feet shuffle closer to hers. "I'd like to kiss you."
"Is that so?"
"Maybe I'm way off base here. I know you're not exactly over that guy you told me about but I like you and it feels like I make you happy."
"You do," she assures him.
"It's okay if you don't want to be with me just yet, or ever, but I'd really like to kiss you at least once if that's all right." Evelyn's free hand reaches to Gwaine's arm, running up to his shoulder. Her fingertips rest on the crook of his neck. His eyes don't leave her face as she creates butterflies in his stomach by the graze of his skin. His open hand touches the small of her back, pulling her as close to him as he can get her. Her eyes move in a similar manner as her fingers did moments prior, following the grooves in his throat until running over his Adam's apple then to his jaw. Her tongue wets her lips quickly when her eyes end on his full bowed lips. She raises on her tippy toes, closing her eyes as he does the same and she connects their lips; his immediately react, pushing back into hers lightly. He sighs in relaxation through his nose, his butterflies leave him filling him with thrill; her hand slips from his to touch his jaw with her fingertips, allowing her other hand to comb into the bottom of his hair above his nape. Their lips like two fluffy pillows against each other, no fighting and only of comfort continue to find their way to hardly disconnect if only for a split second, the hand that held hers now rests on the side of her neck. She removes her lips from his, pecking him once more. Her eyes open when her ears hear the doorbell ring. Gwaine's eyes watch her, hands releasing her from his grasp but he drapes his one arm around her shoulder. Evelyn grabs the doorknob, feeling a sense of déjà vu rush through her but she shakes it off when opening the door.
"Oh my God." The words fall from her mouth before she can stop them. She didn't think she'd see him again this soon, let alone at all and now he's here standing, suitcase in hand, in front of her and the boy she just made out with. Something about the way Alex stood staring at Gwaine and not her told her he knew what had just occurred mere seconds ago. He looked just as shocked as Evelyn did. "What are you doing here?" Alex's eyes found Gwaine's arm around Evelyn, lighting a fire inside him. He didn't want anyone touching her unless it was him. He knew it was selfish to think that considering how long he's been gone but he didn't want to leave in the first place. Alex looks Evelyn in the eyes, disheartened but cold.
"I was invited."
Gwaine puts his lips by Evelyn's ear, "I'm going to go. I'll see you soon," he plants a kiss against her head and squeezes past Alex who shoots daggers at him all the while he tries to leave.
"Are you going to let me in?" She nods, moving out of the way for him to enter.
"I'm assuming you're staying by the luggage you've got with you so you can just put that in the spare room when you're ready." Evelyn closes the door as he says nothing and heads up to that exact space. "Or now, now is cool too."
It didn't take long before the two were on their own side of the upstairs and not doing much conversing with one another. Evelyn stood by her window, arm holding her torso while the other sat against her chin, she didn't know what to do or how to react, she was absolutely speechless and that freaked her out to no extent. What was she going to do with herself without making it obvious that she didn't think this far ahead. When he told her she would be back she thought he meant years into the future, if at all, not just shy of a year from then. She wondered if her parents knew Alex had reappeared and why but the answer was probably something along the lines of, Andrew knew by the change in the winds and Jolene just went along with it, and clearly that means not telling Evelyn.
"You moved on quite quickly." Alex tells Evelyn, opening her bedroom door, catching her attention.
She turns to look at him, standing straight like a cardboard cutout. "Moved on?" She questions, riddled in confusion.
"That kid from earlier, he was all over you." He points out, seeing if anything in her room had changed since he last set foot in the house - it hadn't.
"You're not serious," she says with a scoff, drawing his eyes to her.
"Evelyn, I know what I saw. He kissed you, arm around you, you've moved on and I have to accept that, it was foolish of me to think you'd wait." His words affect her features, eyebrows coming together, arms crossing her chest.
"Why'd you come back?" He gives his head a shake, not believing she'd ask such a ludicrous thing.
"You know why I came back here, please don't pretend like you don't. I just wanted it to go differently when you opened that door."
"Alex..." Her voice trails for no more than five seconds before Alex cuts in.
"Alexander. It's Alexander for you," he corrects her. Oh, how he missed hearing her voice and the sound of her saying his name as it rolls off her tongue and she hasn't even granted him that.
"You're an idiot, you've been the only thing on my mind ever since the day you showed up in the first place. It's surprising to think you believe I could give you up so easily."
"Then that kid-"
"He's just my friend, nothing more." Evelyn promises.
"So you're saying you're not spoken for?" He moves closer to Evelyn in a hopeful manner.
"You'd be wrong. I am spoken for." She tells him.
"Oh..." His eyes dart over to the photos covering the wall.
"By you." Evelyn says. He looks at her, a shy smile appears on his lips as he makes the remaining space between them disappear. His left hand reaches up to move her hair, leaving his hand resting against the side of her face. His right hand following suit to the other side of her face, going to move locks but wraps his fingers in and lightly pushes his hand in her hair, placing it there. She grins at him as his blue orbs take in every feature in front of him until he moves closer, lids closing. She shuts hers but just as they're about to make contact there's a knock on her door, breaking their moment in pieces. Alex drops his hands from her face to one hand on her shoulder blade and the other to his side.
"You just got here and you're already kissing my daughter." Andrew says. Alex turns to face him with a funny little smirk riding his lips.
"To be fair, we didn't make it that far just yet." She presses her fingers into his back causing him to look to the side at her and smile down to her.
"Alex," he's warned.
"We'll be done in a minute or two, privacy please Andy." They hear the door close and his hands go back to their prior placement on her. "This is how it was supposed to go," he informs her. His smile is warm, eyes comforting, and heart open to her. Their lips connect and she had never felt more content with him in this position than she does right now - sure there's been moments that've come close but this is different because he came back for her and he had hopes and he's doing what he has to to show her what he wanted for them. They don't feel like two people connected by hands and lips, they melt into one another with their likes and dislikes and every little detail they have about themselves that make them who they are. That love binds them and it will never let go.

Fin