(A/N): This took me forever to perfect. Probably because I love, love, love, love, love this song and I didn't want to write a sucky fic for it. Soooo, I'm actually quite proud of this. If you hate, that's okay. If you think it's okay, that's cool, I'll take what I can get. If you love it, then you are officially a super amazing awesome person with the power of awesomeness!
Disclaimer: I don't own either the amazing, wonderfully, beautiful song, The Only Exception by the amazing, wonderfully, awesome, talented band, Paramore or Sonny With a Chance. But I wish I owned both :(
When I was younger I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind
He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it
I remember watching my dad sitting in the grass in the backyard under his favorite tree. That was the only time in my life I had ever seen my father cry. Being only seven, the thought of my dad crying was simply unheard of to me. Never before had I ever seen my father, a grown man, so small, so broken.
"Dad," I said, sitting down next to him under his tree, "are you okay?"
Dad lifted his head out of his hands and wiped his nose. He looked down at me and placed an arm around my shoulders before saying, "No, Chad, I'm not. Your mother and I just aren't the same anymore." He paused before continuing, "I just want you to know that no matter what happens between your mom and me, we both still love you."
"I love you too, Dad," I said and wrapped my small arms around his tall frame.
We sat there under his tree wrapped in each other's arms like that the rest of the day. The memory of that day will remain with me until the day I die. I would never forget seeing my father so broken. I promised myself I wouldn't end up like him: heart broken and lonely.
And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist
A few years later, when I was eleven, my mother was cooking dinner for me when I asked her, "Mom, did you ever love Dad?"
She abruptly stopped chopping carrots and stared past me at a picture on the wall of our happy family before the divorce. She hesitated before answering, "Yes. At one time in my life, I was madly in love with him. But over the years, we just…grew apart, I suppose."
"Do you think you two will ever fall back in love?" I asked, hopeful that maybe, just maybe, my family could be normal again.
"No. I don't think so, Chad." All the hope I had of having a normal family was shattered with that statement. She went back to cutting up that poor carrot before saying, "I won't forget my relationship with your father." This time in a much softer voice, "And I won't forget our failure."
That was the day that I made up my mind about love. The ridiculous idea of love was nonexistent in my eyes. Love was a dead end dream for me.
And then I met Sonny.
But darling you are the only exception
Sonny changed my whole thoughts about life.
When the bright Wisconsin ball of sunshine showed up in my life, something inside of me changed. I suddenly found myself slowly believing again. Every time she smiled, laughed, or even looked at me, I could feel myself slipping back into the silly dream of love.
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
I walked into Condor Studios with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses. It was the day I was going to ask Sonny to go out with me.
As I began walking to Sonny's dressing room, I started getting nervous and even thought about backing out (Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, Chad Dylan Cooper does get nervous). All too soon I was outside her door. Shuffling the bouquet of roses to the arm with chocolates, I knocked on the door.
Sonny opened the door, looking as beautiful as ever. "Chad? What are you doing here with…chocolates and flowers?"
"Uh…well, Sonny." I scratched the back of my neck nervously with my free hand.
She leaned against the door frame, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "Yes, Chad?"
"Well, I've known you for a while now and…" Come on, Chad! Man up! You're Chad Dylan Cooper! "Ever since you arrived here at Condor Studious you've changed me, Munroe. You've changed me in ways you can't even imagine." I gave her the chocolates and flowers. "You are beautiful, smart, funny, and perfect in every way. Will you, Sonny Munroe, go out with me, Chad Dylan Cooper?"
She stood stunned for a moment, with her mouth half open. After she didn't say anything for a few moments, I began to worry she was going to turn me down. "Uh, Sonny? It'd be nice if you could give me an answer now."
As if someone snapped their fingers in front of her face, she bounced back into reality. Dropping the flowers and heart-shaped box, she flung her arms around my neck. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. That was the sweetest thing anyone as ever said to me. Yes, I will go out with you."
Chad Dylan Cooper had just landed a date with Sonny Munroe. Insert smiley face here.
Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, keep a straight face
On some occasions, I would have an off day. I would sit alone in my dressing room for hours and ponder over the mystery that is love; whether I was truly in love with Sonny, or just faking myself out.
Sometimes these off days would happen to fall on a date night with Sonny.
One night I had been so caught up in my sorrows that Sonny noticed, "Chad, are you okay? You've been kind of distant all night."
Jolting back to the real world, I said, "What? Oh, I'm fine. Just doing some thinking."
"Oh, okay. Do you want to just go back to my house and watch a movie instead?" She let out a little squeal of delight, "We could watch The Notebook, or A Walk to Remember, or even Dear John!"
I threw my head back and moaned. "Do we have to watch a chick-flick?" I whined.
"Yes we do. Come on, Chad. Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the fancy restaurant.
Putting on a fake smile, I drove her home, let her choose the movie (Dear John…bleh), and gladly allowed her to fall asleep in my arms. Eventually I passed out too, my last thoughts about the lingering question that always seemed to find its way back to my mind: Does love really exist?
And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance
And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
A few years later Sonny and I had the worst fight we ever had.
"I don't get it, Chad! Why do you push everyone you love away?" Sonny shouted at me from across our bedroom. We had just recently moved in together and I was having one of my I-don't-believe-in-love episodes.
I turned my back to her like a five year old kid does when they're in trouble. "I don't know," I mumbled, knowing good and well the reason behind my years of pushing people away.
"What do you mean you don't know? I'm your girlfriend and yet you're still distant with me!" She yelled, clearly infuriated by my stupidity. "Why, Chad?"
"Because that's all I've ever known!" I shouted back. "I keep my distance from people so I never have to get hurt. Eventually I send them off and go back to being lonely." I immediately wished I could take back what I had just said.
Sonny's expression changed from one of anger to one of pure sadness. "So that's it then. You're just going to have a few years of happiness and then be done with me?" She turned her back to me so I wouldn't see her cry.
My heart ached. I had made my bright ball of sunshine cry.
I tried to pull her in for a hug, but she pulled away. "Sonny, that's not what I meant. I-I just don't know if-" She cut me off by placing her finger to my lips.
"Save it, Cooper. I'm staying the night at Tawni's." And she got in her car and drove away, leaving me feeling like the biggest jerk in the world.
I held my head in my hands and thought to myself, Nice, Chad. How are you going to get yourself out of this one?
Well, you are the only exception
I parked my car in the driveway of Tawni Hart's house, an apology speech prepared for Sonny. Walking casually up to the door, I repeated what I was planning on saying to get her back over and over again in my head.
Mustering up all my CDC courage, I knocked on the door. The fancy-shmancy door opened to reveal the blonde owner of the house who always seemed to be something and pretty.
"Is Sonny here?" I asked her.
Tawni crossed her arms, a frown distorting her features, "Yes."
"Can I please talk to her?"
She made a 'hmph' sound. "I'm not sure I want to let you talk to her."
"Please, Tawni? This is really important. I need to talk to her." I begged with her.
She looked me up and down as if she were studying me. "Fine. But if you hurt her or make her cry, then I'm going to be mad…and pretty!" Even when her best friend was heartbroken and upset, she still managed to think about herself.
Blondie lead me inside her giant house (which consumed of lots of mirrors and pink) and up her grand staircase. We walked down a long hallway and finally stopped in front of a plain white door (probably the only thing that was pink), "Alright, she's in here. Remember what I said." She lightly tapped on the door and cracked it open a sliver. In the softest voice I had ever heard her use she said, "Sonny, Chad is here to see you."
I hesitantly walked into the room to find Sonny lying on a huge bed with her face buried in a pillow. Gingerly, I sat down on the bed next to her.
"Sonny," I started, "I'm sorry for what I said." I lifted my hand up to stroke her beautiful brunette locks. "I didn't mean what I said."
She shot straight up. "Then what did you mean, Chad?"
In all honesty, Sonny looked terrible. Her eyes were red and puffy (most likely from crying I caused, making me feel even more guilty), and her hair was disheveled. She was wearing the same clothes from last night and she hadn't bothered to wash off her makeup, causing it to smear all down her cheeks.
"Ever since my parents split, I established an unofficial rule for myself: I would never fall in love." I paused to see her reaction before continuing, "I didn't want to build up a relationship with someone only to be hurt in the long run. That's the reason I've always pushed people away from me."
"But what-" I clamped my hand over her mouth.
"Let me finish." She glared at me, obviously not enjoying my hand over her mouth. "For so many years I had pushed everyone away from me. And then you came into my life. You changed me. It was like I started to believe in love all over again." I released my hand from her mouth to see what she had to say.
"Then why do you continue to push me away?" She asked, her bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly.
"Because that's all I've ever known. But now, now I know for sure that-as cheesy as this may sound-I love you, Sonny Munroe. I have fallen head-over-heels in love with you. And you, Sonny, are the only exception to my rule." I finished, rather proud of my love speech. Just call me Romeo.
Tears of (what I presumed was) joy streamed freely down her cheeks. She wrapped me in a tight embrace. "I love you too, Chad Dylan Cooper."
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
Sonny was beautiful when she slept. As creepy as the following may sound, I enjoyed watching her sleep. She looked so serene and angelic.
I looked at the clock. 7:08.
She needed to wake up. I was going to propose (Sorry ladies. Chadster is going to be off the market.) to her when she awakened. The ring (trust me I spent a pretty penny on that shiny rock) I had bought two weeks prior was resting safely in the drawer beside our bed.
While I anxiously waited for Sonny to wake up, I gently ran my thumb along her jawline. Brushing aside some stray hairs from her face, I planted a kiss on her forehead. This caused her to stir.
Her eyelids fluttered open. "Really, Chad? Watching me sleep? A little stalkerish don't you think?"
"It's not stalking if it's the woman you love," I explained to her, rubbing noses with her.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, "I love you, Chad Dylan." She planted a sweet kiss on my lips.
Just as I was starting to get into it she pulled away. "We'll continue this after I use the bathroom." She hopped out of bed and sprinted down the hall to the bathroom.
Checking to make sure the door was closed, I grabbed the small box out of the drawer and hid it behind my back. Suddenly Sonny came skipping back into the room. She came and sat on my lap, "Now where were we?"
"Actually, I have something I want to ask you first." Okay, here it goes, I thought to myself. "Sonny Munroe, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. You're kind-hearted, intelligent, funny, and beautiful. I love you more than life itself. Heck, I love you more than I love myself. You mean the world to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I pulled out the box from behind my back and popped it open. "Sonny Munroe, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"
Sonny was covering her mouth with her hands and had tears streaming down her face. She bobbed her head up and down fervently. "Yes! Yes, I will marry you!"
I slipped the ring on her finger and caught her in an embrace. She ran her fingers through my hair and slowly made her way down my back.
And at that moment, I couldn't be happier.
I've got a tight grip on reality but I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream
Whoa
2:00.
That's what the bright red numbers of the alarm clock read. It was two in the morning and I hadn't been able to sleep at all. My mind was clouded with thoughts of our upcoming wedding and the love we felt for each other.
I glanced down at Sonny, who was sleeping soundly wrapped in my arms. She would be leaving in just a few hours to fly to New York to film a romantic comedy.
Carefully unraveling myself from around Sonny, I padded out of our bedroom and into the kitchen. I grabbed a pen, piece of paper, and sat down at our kitchen table. Three simple words. That's all I put on the paper.
I walked back into our bedroom and faded into a deep sleep.
When I woke up a few hours later, bright sunlight streamed in through the blinds. And Sonny had already left. Sighing, I dragged my body out of bed and groggily walked into the kitchen to eat some cereal.
I noticed a small purple sticky note stuck to the door of the refrigerator. A small smile grew on my face.
"I love you too, Chad.
~Sonny."
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
I anxiously tapped my foot as I waited outside the gate for my fiancée's plane to land. It had been two and a half months since I'd seen her. Sure, we talked on the phone, but a phone call couldn't measure up to actually seeing her.
Her plane had just landed and the passengers were unloading. Being a celebrity and all, you think she would fly first-class. Nope. Not Sonny. She chose to buy the much cheaper tickets in the back. That's my Sonshine.
Finally, the last of the passengers were beginning to file out and there she was, looking as beautiful as the day she left.
"Sonny!" I waved my arms around like an idiot to get her attention.
"Chad!" I held my arms out wide for her. She ran to me and jumped into my arms (Kind of like in Dear John. I have got to stop letting her pick the movies.). I kissed her for the first time in two months (and what a nice kiss it was) and trailed my hand up and down her back. When we broke free (after we remembered we were in public) we were both panting heavily.
"I missed you," she said, looking up at me.
"I missed you too," I answered, leaning my forehead against hers.
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
It had finally arrived.
The day of my wedding to Sonny Munroe.
I was both ecstatic and scared out of my mind. Today was the day that I declared my love for Sonny and became bound to her for life. Both our family and friends would be out there ready to watch us tie the knot.
So many thoughts ran through my mind. What if she changes her mind? What if I chicken out? What if someone objects? Okay if the last one happens, there is definitely going to be some ass kicking. CDC style.
Just then there was a knock at my door. It was my best man, and cousin, Mark. "Hey, Chad. They're ready for you out here."
"Y-yeah." Remember how to breathe, Chad. In, out, in, out. "God, I am so freakin' nervous!"
Mark placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be. You love her, right?"
"Yeah. More than anything."
"And she loves you, right?"
"Yeah."
He gave me a slap on the back. "Then what's there to be nervous about? Now get your butt out there before I drag you out there by your ankles."
Not wanting to be humiliated by being dragged out to the alter, I obliged and followed my best man.
I stood next to the priest and watched groomsmen and bridesmaids waltz down the aisle. Then the adorable flower girls (Sonny's cousins) made their way towards us, flinging flower petals as they went. And then the bridal march began to play.
And in walked Sonny.
And I'm on my way to believing
She smiled at me from behind her veil, and I smiled what probably was the goofiest smile back. Finally, she took her place next to me.
"You look beautiful," I whispered to her.
"Thank you. You aren't so bad yourself, Chad Dylan," she whispered back.
After the priest had say the prayer we exchanged vows.
The priest looked at me, "Do you, Chad Dylan Cooper, take Sonny Munroe to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
I looked at Sonny. She looked at me.
"I do."
The priest repeated what he asked to Sonny.
"I do."
"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
I wrapped my arms around my wife, and kissed her with all the love and passion I felt for her.
When we broke the kiss she said, "I love you, my husband."
I gave her another peck on the lips. "And I love you, Mrs. Cooper."
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing
Yes, I, Chad Dylan Cooper, was on my way to believing.
(A/N): Soooo? Did you likey? If not, that's okay. Opinions are greatly appreciated :)
Thank you so much for reading. And thank you to all you peoples who reviewed my last fic. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much :)
