Happy Valentine's Day (or Singles Awareness Day) to everyone! I hope y'all have a great day and enjoy the story!
Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors. I wrote this today ;)
Valentine's Day had always been horrible for Rebecca.
She had just been dumped (again) and, lucky her, had gotten the night shift for V-Day. Maybe her boss had thought it would help her get over her now broken relationship of five years, but seeing all of these other depressed dumpees was not helping in the slightest.
All she wanted on this god awful market holiday was to go home and sit in the bubble bath with a good book. It wasn't much to ask for and she hoped that her boss would let her off early tonight.
She glanced up just in time to see an influx of people come in and sighed. She wasn't cut out for a job that required so much interaction with people anymore, especially the depressed ones.
For a minute, she wondered what would happen if she just walked out this moment. She wondered if she would be able to find another job or if she would just lose her apartment and start living on the streets.
She was snapped out of her idling when somebody asked for a drink and that was that.
Wesker was exhausted, not to mention he had no patience for anything on the TV or radio referencing Valentine's Day. Damn people don't even know who he was actually was.
Don't even get him started on the cupids.
It was one of the nights where he decided that he would drive around for a while and if something caught his eye he would stop.
It was nearing 10 o'clock when he saw a little-practically a hole-in-the-wall-bar. Few decorations were on the windows and he figured he had nothing to lose.
He parked across the street and prepared himself for interaction with other people. He didn't know why he put himself through it, but he did, and here he was.
The minute he walked in something changed.
Rebecca had just placed an appletini in front of a girl only a few years older than her when she looked towards the door.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and blond. Not the fake, too blond blond, but the real, practically kissed by the sun blond.
She did a double take. It was easy to assume that he was probably twice her age, probably married and just had a fight with his wife, or, knowing her luck, his husband. In any case, he probably wouldn't want anything to do with her, a scrawny twenty-one year old drop out.
He came over to the bar and took the last open stool. She swallowed down her nervousness and remembered to act professional.
He looked up at her, and there eyes met. She didn't want to do or say anything, she just wanted to be with him-but that sounds weird. She closed her eyes; it was weird, no mistake. It was embarrassing.
Maybe some other bartender would get him. Maybe this feeling would go away. Maybe she could pretend that this never happened.
She glanced over at him and saw that he was staring at her. His mouth was parted, as if there was something he wanted to say, but she didn't let him-she turned her back on him.
The minute he saw her, he knew that she was the one. That feeling that he'd heard his coworkers talk about, even his best friend William Birkin, he felt it. It was a sudden rush of knowing that this person-this girl-right in front of him… She was the one.
She acted like she wasn't feeling anything though, turning her back on him. Their eyes had met; surely she felt it too?
Wesker sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe all of the time at the lab was finally getting to him-he was finally snapping. There was nothing there, it was just a trick of the imagination, the hope that maybe there would be a good Valentine's Day, for once.
She glanced over at him, a look of curiosity on his face. He saw her name tag-Rebecca, her name's Rebecca-before she did something for another customer.
She finally came closer to him, not meeting his eyes. His heart hammered, and at this point he at least knew it wasn't intoxication.
"Rebecca." He was testing the name on his tongue, getting a feel for it, seeing what it was like to say her name, her beautiful name.
She dropped the glass that she was holding. When she looked up, her eyes were wide. "Just stop! I-I don't know you!"
He flinched from her words. "I don't know you, either."
She started shaking. "I didn't ask for this, not tonight."
Another man, maybe her boss, came out from the back. The people sitting at the bar had fallen quiet, actually watching as it happened to someone.
For all of his genius, Wesker didn't know what he should do-if anything. She was supposed to be his soulmate, she was supposed to love him like he had so suddenly and rapidly loving her, but she acted as if she hated him.
"How can I help?" he asked. Wasn't it the least he could do, considering it appeared that her distress was because of him?
The man sighed, looking from Rebecca to Wesker. "Becky, why don't you go home? I got this."
She looked at Wesker before brushing past him. He watched her, noticing how badly she was shaking.
He went after her, hoping she would let him take her home, let him do something to help her. He was supposed to help her-he was supposed to love and care for her.
"Rebecca," he said as he reached out for her. They were on the sidewalk now, the brisk February air chilling them.
"What?"
"I-" want to get to know you, want to help you, want to hold you, want to read you stupid poetry, "I'll drive you home, if you want me to."
"If it beats public transportation, sure." She tried to seem as indifferent as possible towards him. She didn't want to lower her guard-why was she expected to believe in all of the stupid soulmate everybody preached about?
He smiled at her.
On his side, he was trying his best to play it easy-he didn't want to freak her out by coming on too strong, but maybe this is just what happens on Valentine's Day when you meet your soulmate. You get mushy and try to be romantic, though how much more romantic could you be then falling in love on first sight?
On her side, she was melting. She tried not to blush when he held the door open for her. She (successfully) fought the urge to check her makeup in the visor mirror. She tried not to think about how great it would be to ride in this plush, leather chair everyday on her way to work.
They had fallen in love.
Afraid of the silence, Rebecca flipped on the radio, pleased to hear that she knew and loved the music crooning out of the speakers.
"You have a beautiful smile," he told her.
She blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, um, you smell nice."
He chuckled-it was nice and deep; pleasing to the ear.
"What do you do for a living?" she asked him as she finally started to relax.
"I work for a pharmaceutical company."
"Let me guess, you're working on a cure for cancer?" she asked him, teasing.
"Actually, yes."
Rebecca laughed. She knew that he was being serious, but it was still funny. "I bet that you're fantastic at your job."
He parked in the garage of her apparent apartment complex. "I try."
She hesitated before opening her door to the cold outside air. "Do you want to come in with me? To get to know each other, that is."
Wesker smiled. "It'd be my pleasure."
Rebecca woke up to the smell of eggs. She closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the beams of sunlight coming into her room.
She stretched after a moment, realizing falling asleep again was futile. She put off getting up for a few minutes by go over what happened last night.
She and Wesker-which was actually his last name, go figure-had stayed up for hours last night, just talking. There'd been only a single goodnight kiss, and then he said he would sleep on the couch.
She smiled before slowly getting up, grabbing a robe in the process.
He turned around when he heard the bedroom door creak open. Her short brown hair was messed up a little bit, but the bed head look suited her. Who was he kidding himself-anything and everything would suit Rebecca Chambers.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said to her as he set two plates of eggs and toast on the table.
"Good morning, Al."
He cupped her face for a moment before leaning in to kiss her. "I love you."
For the first time, he said the words truthfully. For the first time, she believed them.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too."
