"Love may have the longest arms, but it can still fall short of an embrace." - Megan McCafferty
The vivid sun beamed directly on Duncan's eyes. He tossed and turned but felt a weight upon his arm that was restricting him from smashing a pillow over his face. Glancing over at the pale, small figure beside him, Duncan buried his face into the woman's hair, praying the shades of teal and blue would combat the blaring rays coming from his window.
Duncan was never a morning person. He dreaded being woken up from a young age, thinking back to all the times he was late for school growing up because he smashed his alarm, even to all the times he overslept in juvie. He did, however, enjoy the presence of his fiancé, as he pushed her closer to him.
Gwen was a heavy-sleeper and was practically gone to the world the moment her head hit a pillow. That was one thing he admired about her; their connection when it came to sleep. Suddenly, Duncan felt Gwen shift as she turned to face him, still very much asleep. Duncan took a moment to take in his lover's features: her soft, creamy skin was a major contrast to her dark fashion choices.
Gwen was Duncan's complete package: edgy, mysterious and wild. As he stroked her hair, he thought about the course of their relationship; from the trips they took to alleged haunted buildings, to the art exhibits Gwen drug Duncan to, to the nights they spent fucking passionately against Duncan's Harley Davidson, their relationship was anything but boring. He then thought about their first kiss, which was captured on live television and how wild and spontaneous it was. Duncan pictured the makeshift confessional. He felt the warmth of Gwen's chapped lips against his. Suddenly, a vision of chestnut brown hair flashed through his memory along with red, puffy eyes and the sound of an undeniable high-pitched voice belonging to the self-proclaimed CIT.
Although it had been ten years since the events of the Total Drama series, Duncan felt himself thinking about Courtney, more so the guilt he felt regarding their relationship. He never truly made amends with her and found himself wondering how a reunion between the two would transpire. He figured that Courtney was probably a lawyer by now with an equally successful husband and family and doubted that she would even care about anyone from the show, let alone him.
"You're up early, everything okay?" Said the goth, groggily.
"Yeah babe, just fine." He said, planting a kiss upon her lips.
Duncan had so much to be proud of; he owned the most popular bar in Vancouver called Dare, his fiancé sold countless paintings and was due to start teaching an Art History course at the University of British Columbia, he owned a fancy penthouse and lived life like a rockstar, yet he found himself feeling so empty at times.
He often drowned out his feelings the best way he knew possible.
"What do you say to a little morning pick me up?" said Duncan, as he shifted himself above Gwen, lowering himself beneath the sheets and between her legs.
Gwen let out a breathy laugh as she felt their lips meet. If engaged life provided any glimpse as to what married life would be like, she could get used to this.
Pants left Courtney's mouth as her feet hit the pavement one after the other.
She always started her days at 5 AM with a run, followed by a nice shower and a light breakfast. She preferred to start her mornings off being productive, she felt that it made her mind sharper.
Jogging around her gated community, she took in the glow of the street lights that donned upon each road she passed. Coming upon her house, Courtney paused her iPod, blasting music from artists she hardly knew.
Walking into her house, she felt at ease when she felt the soothing smell of peppermint flood her nose. She loved making her house feel as cozy and peaceful as possible. With all the drama that surrounds the life of a lawyer, she needed a nice getaway.
Making her way up the curved stairwell, Courtney admired the details of her home. Designed with neutral colors as the focus, her home was a mixture of clean, organized and expensive, just like its owner. At the ripe age of 27, Courtney lived the life of someone twice her age. Success followed her like a lost puppy. Graduating from college at 21, earning her J.D at 24 and becoming a partner at her law firm by 26, the young woman had everything going for her. Well, almost.
Walking into her bathroom, Courtney stopped in front of her full body mirror and gazed at herself. She was drastically different than the young girl competing for 100,000 dollars on a reality TV show.
Taking a closer look, she acknowledged everything that changed about her, from her now back length honey-brown hair to her even more curvaceous figure, Courtney was far from the young, preppy teenager that graced television ten years ago. Sighing, she stepped into the shower and embraced the hot gust of water and steam.
Closing her eyes and taking in the moment, Courtney couldn't help but feel a ping of pain when she thought about the one thing she wanted but didn't possess: love. Sure, she had boyfriends and equally successful guys she slept with here and there, but they could never satisfy the burning desire she craved in a relationship. None of the men were daring or dangerous. They didn't live life on the edge. They weren't like Dun-
Her eyes popped open like a can of biscuits. She hadn't thought about him in years and was borderline disgusted with herself for even thinking that she would want a man like Duncan. He was her first everything: first kiss, first serious relationship, first love, first sexual partner and first heartbreak. She realized that he was never in love with her, merely seeing her as another notch on his bedpost. She couldn't help but still feel hurt over how he left her. Gazing at the small heart shaped scar on her arm from tattoo removal, Courtney felt her eyes well up with tears.
She shook her head and turned the water off. She had a new life for herself and was too great to let a man put her down.
Settling on a form-fitting pencil skirt, silk button up and nude pumps, Courtney got ready to take on her day. She was considered one of the most beautiful women in her office and loved playing up her outfits.
Reciting her morning mantra and grabbing a cup black coffee, Courtney headed out into the world feeling unstoppable.
Finishing up his morning routine of sex and coffee with Gwen, Duncan showered and hit the gym. His favorite thing to do in the morning, besides have sex, was work out. He found it to be a huge stress relief and escape. Considering all that he had going on in his life, between sending out wedding announcements to their closest friends, to ensuring that his bar was remaining a hot topic, Duncan found it hard to make time for himself.
Running on the treadmill, Duncan took off his shirt, which was becoming saturated in sweat. Revealing his defined chest and abs to the ladies of the gym, Duncan knew he was a looker. He often found himself thriving off of the compliments and mouth-gaping stares he would receive.
His arms were covered in tattoos, some ranging from quotes, roses and skulls, to dragons, fire and a small heart he didn't have the guts to cover up completely. He often wondered why Gwen never questioned him about the tattoo but was appreciative that his fiancé wasn't the jealous type.
Stepping off the machinery, Duncan wiped his face on his sweaty shirt and flashed a slight flirty gaze to one of the trainers in the facility. Although he wasn't cheating, Duncan loved to tease women. It was his guilty pleasure.
Showering at the gym and driving over to Dare, Duncan found himself daydreaming about his future. He shocked himself when we began to think that a tough guy like him would be engaged to marry soon. A million thoughts crossed his mind at once. He remembered the moment he proposed to her in front of the largest cemetery in British Columbia on Halloween.
The engagement ring consisted of onyx and sapphire, Gwen's favorite gems. He thought about the tears the flooded her cheeks when he presented the ring to her and his nervousness compared to that. His hand shook terribly when he held out the box to her while kneeling.
The possibility of having kids then crossed his mind, although Gwen said she never wanted children. He panicked about the idea of having to reform his life to be child friendly. He also thought about what kind of dad he would be. Would he be strict and uptight like his own father, or laidback and nurturing like his mother? What if he had a daughter? Would she look like Gwen or have his striking blue eyes?
All of these thoughts engulfed Duncan as he arrived at Dare.
He liked to show up to the bar early to double check that the facility was equipped for the night. He was proud of himself for being able to open and establish the company on his own, using money he saved up from working with a mechanic for three years.
Checking on his wait staff to assure that they were prepared, Duncan turned on the club music and grabbed a drink. He had a feeling that this night would be interesting.
Courtney cursed herself for staying so late in the office. She forgot that she had a date with Devan, her seemingly perfect new neighbor and was rushing to get home to get ready.
Throwing off her work clothes and digging through her closet, Courtney settled on a pale pink tank dress and beige thigh boots, declaring the outfit equally sassy and sexy.
Retouching her make-up and giving herself a beach wave hairstyle complete with a top knot, Courtney glanced at herself one last time in the mirror when the bell rang. She waited a few seconds to answer, not wanting to seem desperate.
When she answered the door, she instantly felt the disappointment crash down. Devan was already seemingly drunk, his eyes glossed over and his hair disheveled. He had a cab waiting for them outside.
"At least he's responsible" thought Courtney, as she followed the stumbling man to the vehicle. She looked on the bright side and figured she could enjoy a couple of drinks on Devan as she got into the car.
Two hours later and five shots in, Courtney had no clue where her date was and didn't care. She was enjoying sitting by herself at the bar and was reaping the benefits of running up Devan's tab. The bartender came around to check on her often, but she reassured him she was fine with being alone.
Duncan was in full host mode. He found that a large amount of his success came from his ability to connect to his customers. Clubs were home to the crying boyfriends/ girlfriends, the loners, the single ladies and the guys trying to take a girl home and Duncan was there for every last one of them, offering them their drink of the night or having the DJ play a song just for them.
Walking around, he glanced over at the bar and saw mocha skin. The lady was dressed in a sexy get-up and had beautiful flowing hair. Even though she was sitting, Duncan could tell she was the total package. There was no reason for her to be alone.
"Excuse me miss, but I don't allow pretty ladies such as yourself to be alone at my club."
"Is that so? Then why am I okay with being- "she stopped dead in her sentence when she caught a glance of who approached her.
The classic green mohawk was replaced with a quaffed haircut that was now all black. He had a full beard in lieu of a soul patch and rid himself of a uni brow and facial piercings. After all these years, he still had a charm about him, but at this moment his piercing blue eyes were widened with terror and shock.
"Courtney?"
Motioning to the bartender, Courtney exclaimed "I'm going to need another drink."
