So, who else has been dying for some fluff for awhile? (raises hand)
I guess, TCGeek comes to save the day? With fluff, that is...
Based on some recent events in my own life, the fact that I'm trucking through my list of requests (this is for someone on deviantart again), and that I have had a conversation that inspired me lately, this extremely marshmallowy fic was born. This may be to date, the fluffiest thing I've ever written - should you wish to dispute this, feel free to note me :D
If this doesn't tell you what a hopeless romantic I am, I don't know what to tell you. This should take the cake - it'll be hard for even ME to outdo this, IMO.
Oh well, enough talking. Enjoy.
"To See You Smile"
If there's anything that every person in life shares about relationships, its knowing the feeling of wanting someone you can seemingly never have.
It's a common parable in the lives of those growing and learning about love, and though it passes quickly for some, it's a grueling and arduous process for others… especially when they have to spend all their time with that unattainable love by their side. Staring at the smile and hearing the laugh you fell in love with every day makes falling out of that same love nearly impossible, leading to a heartbreak that most were fortunate enough to escape.
Yet a worse pain is seeing the person you care for most hurt again and again by those that didn't even deserve them in the first place.
And that, was a pain Derek Stiles knew all too well.
Anytime he would see anything but a smile on Angie Thompson's sweet face he became instantly sad, trying to offer anything he could to lift her spirits.
But if there were tears in her eyes…
If so much as one tear escaped the green eyes he had fallen in love with… he became ready and willing to travel to the ends of the Earth to destroy whatever it was that had caused her any sort of pain…
…Especially if that "something", was another man.
Fists clenched at his side, Derek stood in the doorway to his office with a heartbroken look on his face, having spotted Angie crying on the couch with her head in her hands, sobs soft, yet they pierced his eardrums and his heart the second he heard them. Instantly he knew it had to do with the man she had been seeing as of late, as Leslie was rubbing her back and reassuring that whoever he was, he was nothing more than a "slimy bastard".
Seeing as neither of them had seen him he quickly exited walked away and instead waited upstairs in Leslie's office, seeing her get off the elevator a short time later, determination set in his eyes as she approached him with a sad smile on her face.
"Is, she okay…?" he asked quietly, still reeling from the sad sight now burned into his brain.
"She will be…" Leslie replied softly, inviting Derek into her office where they both sat down, her sad stare turning into a slight upward smirk. "But… why are you asking me? It would really help Angie right now to know that someone cares about her…"
Derek froze suddenly, his fists relaxing slightly as he stared down. "I don't want to upset her more right now – I just want to make sure she's okay… It seems like this keeps happening to her, and I don't know why…"
Leslie sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I know, and I agree… I don't get what she sees in all these guys she keeps going out with… but, I'm not her, so I don't know. It's this latest one that seems to be giving her a lot of trouble – yet after tonight, I think it's over for good."
Derek slightly perked up at that, though a pain still pulled his heart down. "Why? What happened?"
Leslie got up and closed the door, leaning against it as she turned back to Derek.
"Promise not to say anything?" she asked him, seeing him nod with vigor.
She sighed again, a sad giggle escaping her.
"Well, they're been seeing each other for about two months now…"
"Right." Derek replied knowingly.
"And she just found out today after getting an extremely angry phone call; that he's been with someone else the whole time – they even have a child together."
And with that news he winced, feeling his heart all but shatter in his chest thinking of how that could possibly happen to someone as amazing as her... and how someone could possibly bear to hurt her.
Derek immediately leapt to his feet, his hands curling together again. "WHAT?!" he roared, motioned immediately by Leslie to keep quiet.
"Shhh!" she ordered, seeing him quiet down, yet the fire remained blazing in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed in a hush.
Leslie sighed and dropped her shoulders sadly. "Yeah… turns out he two-timed her. Angie was the "other woman" the whole time, and she never knew. That is, until his fiancée called her just now and absolutely ripped her apart…"
Derek was steaming now, pacing back and forth slowly to try to keep himself from losing his cool, until he was pulled out of it by a soft voice.
"Derek… are you okay?"
He dropped his hands to his sides again and sighed softly, turning to Leslie with a heartbroken stare as he chortled once.
"N-No…" he admitted, seeing her gaze at him questioningly. "No, I'm not…"
Derek sighed, plopping back into his seat as Leslie did the same.
"I… I can't, understand how she ends up with these assholes!" he exclaimed. "E-Especially when…"
He stopped.
"Nevermind."
"Derek…" Leslie started. "Isn't it about time you came clean, here?"
He shook his head slowly. "She's been through enough – I can't put something like that on her right now… Besides that, I'm not really interested in being a rebound…"
Leslie nodded, still unconvinced.
"It's just that… she deserves so much more than what she ends up with. She deserves to be loved unconditionally, for the only tears she cries to be because she's happy – not because she lets guy after guy walk into her life and absolutely shatter her."
He looked down sadly, paying no mind to the fact that Leslie was smiling out of control, hands clasped over her mouth loosely – it was adorable, and she couldn't help it.
"I just hate to see how someone so absolutely amazing has no self-esteem left… that all she does is beat up on herself because she doesn't think that she's worth anything… that, she thinks she deserves to stay with these miserable jerks that have no idea who she is. That, she doesn't let someone who actually loves her show her how wonderful she really is, and that she doesn't understand that really, she… deserves the world, Leslie. Because she does…" he admitted, looking up at her.
"And if I could just make her see…" he muttered, dropping his head down.
"That…" Leslie started, wiping a tear from her eye. "…has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life, Derek. And you're absolutely right – she deserves the world…"
He nodded in agreement, looking up at her as she continued.
"…So go give it to her." she said with a smile.
"Leslie, I can't…"
"You've loved Angie forever, Derek… And time after time you've come to me devastated when she gets hurt, but refusing to do anything about it. So, here's your chance: step in and show her that she's worth the love she's been looking for, Derek. She deserves it, and you deserve her."
Derek let a small smile grace his face, exciting Leslie further as she grinned broadly, waiting for his response. He chuckled once and rubbed the back of his head slowly, sighing as his smile grew.
"Okay… I'll do it. And either she feels the same way, or she doesn't…"
Leslie's giant smile turned quickly into a frown. "I'm sure it'll work out for you, Derek…"
He just shrugged in response to that, rising to his feet.
"It doesn't matter… because even if she doesn't, she deserves to know how special she is. I don't care if I get hurt as long as she knows not to sell herself short anymore."
"Aww, Derek…" Leslie whispered, standing up to hug him.
"Thanks…" he said, returning the hug. "But, how do I do this?"
"Well, I'm glad you asked!" she exclaimed. "Because there's a secret that nobody in this hospital besides me and the records people know about Angie…"
Derek's eyes lit up. "You mean…?"
"That's right…" Leslie said with a smile. "Her birthday."
Derek took a step back and smiled, happy to finally know the elusive date that Angie refused to acknowledge. She hated people gathering around and being the center of attention, having to smile and be happy and have people fuss over her. "Truth is…" she always said "…it's just another day. Not a big deal."
"When is it?" he asked her. "And are you sure she's not going to just get mad at me for doing something for her?"
"It's actually on Friday." Leslie said with a smile, Derek returning it as they both acknowledged that they had the day off. "And I don't think she'll be mad, so long as you do something with just the two of you and don't drag a whole bunch of people into it…"
Derek nodded. "Okay… but still. She hates her birthday…"
"And why do you think that is, Derek?" Leslie questioned. "I mean think about it – why would she think her birthday is nothing more than an ordinary day if nobody's ever done something special for her on it?"
He stopped in his tracks and smiled, knowing at that exact moment what he was going to do.
"Thank you, so much Leslie…" he said, stepping forward and hugging the nurse again. "I'm sorry you've had to listen to me whine about this for so long… Just, don't tell anyone about it yet, okay?"
She smiled, hugging him back before pulling away. "I won't… and I don't mind at all – I'm just glad you're going to finally do something. Angie deserves someone better, and you're him. Go get her, Derek…"
He grinned and thanked her once more before exiting the room and walking slowly back down to his office, slight skip in his step and a brain full of ideas.
It would be exhausting to put his plan into effect but it was more than worth every last second of his time – for one fact, and one fact alone.
It was her.
And for her, he would do anything.
--
Thursday came and Derek was already nervous, making calls like crazy the whole day to try to set up what he needed to do, all the while trying to keep it a secret from Angie, who with her own troubles didn't seem to care about anything anymore.
He took this time to steal a glance at her as he thought about that, seeing her fake smirk once and remove herself from the room, his heart surreptitiously dropping straight into his stomach. It had been days since he had seen her smile at all, and even longer since he remembered seeing her genuinely happy about anything. The faint spark in her eyes was a sad replacement for the inferno that used to burn, and it showed every time he locked eyes with her, even if only for a fleeting moment. The thought pained him as he despondently stared out the door after she had left, and Derek silently wondered to himself if he would ever see her smile again; that smile that made his heart soar, the one that cemented in his mind that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever had the privilege to know.
The determination to see her happy again fueled him to snap out of his depression and keep going on his list of things he had yet to do, but before he could he heard a familiar three beeps, coming from the intercom of the phone on his desk.
"Hello?" he asked, turning towards his computer as he waited for a response.
"Hi Dr. Stiles...!" the voice on the other end said, billowing out of his speaker and resonating in the empty room. "Can you pick up please?"
Asking someone to pick up was basically saying that they needed to talk to you about something important, so Derek quickly turned around in his chair and lifted the phone from the cradle, holding it between his shoulder and his cheek as he continued searching for something important on the internet.
"What's up?" he asked.
"It's Anne from the front desk, Dr. Stiles... and I can't seem to reach Angie anywhere. Do you happen to know where she is?"
"I don't actually…" he said, transferring the phone to the other side of his head where he opted to hold it with his hand instead. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes of course – she just has a visitor but I can't seem to find her."
"Do you know who it is?" he asked casually, writing down a phone number off his computer screen.
"Yes – someone named 'James'."
The pen in Derek's hand dropped instantly onto his desk with a clatter as he heard the all-too-familiar name, his fists instantly clenching just like every time they did when he heard the bastard's name; James was the man Angie had been seeing – the man that had broken her heart.
"I'll go find her and send her down, Anne. Tell him to hang on just a little bit."
"Okay Dr. Stiles, thanks!"
He hung up the phone and took a deep breath in, standing up from his desk and beginning to walk away in a blind rage…
…bashing into Angie as he left the room.
"Whoa… where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked him, looking up at him inquisitively when he didn't answer.
"I just came to tell you…" he started, stopping himself as he looked into her eyes, remembering that the man downstairs was the reason for the sadness in them.
"…I'm going on a little walk." he finished, wondering if he had just made a mistake, but quickly digressed – he wasn't going to let that happen to her again.
"Okay." she simply replied, walking into their office and sitting in her chair without another word. Derek turned back and looked at her sadly as emotionlessly she went on with her day, before he began to walk downstairs.
Walking into Caduceus's busy lobby Derek's brown eyes scanned the crowd before he found who he was looking for, his eyes narrowing as he walked forward. Dressed in a black graphic t-shirt and jeans James stood pacing back and forth in front of the wall just next to the front doors to the building, never seeing an angry surgeon approaching him until his back was shoved firmly against that same wall with a loud bang.
"Hey man, what the he—"
"I'm going to say this once, so listen, and listen good…" Derek hissed under his breath, trying not to attract a scene, though he had already failed miserably. "She doesn't want to see you… ever, again." he snapped.
"Why don't you let her tell me that herself? Because I don't think that's the case…" James replied, glaring at Derek angrily.
"Don't shoot the messenger, James…" Derek sneered. "Just know this… you broke the heart of someone very special to me – she doesn't deserve that, and she doesn't deserve you…"
He closed in against James, stepping closer to him until his back hit the wall, Derek's face just inches from his.
"And so help me God if I ever see you near Angie again, I'll personally break every last bone in your body – and that, is a promise."
With that Derek walked away with one last glare to the man as he retreated from the building, before Derek turned around and walked back towards his office, the stares of those who had witnessed the awkward moment following him as he walked.
It didn't matter, though. At that moment, his smile couldn't have been bigger.
--
Friday morning, Angie awoke to a loud buzzing sound, to which she reached out from under her massive comforter and smacked around until she hit her alarm clock with a loud 'bang'. Pulling her hand back and using it to pull the comforter over her head, Angie was frustrated when yet another loud buzzing was heard, forcing her to realize that it was the front door – not her alarm clock.
With a groan she rolled out of bed and walked as briskly as she could to the door, swinging it open to find her smiling doorman with a box in his hands.
"Miss Thompson…?" he asked with a smile, quickly noticing that she seemed very tired and in no mood to converse with him, as shown by her quick nod and raised eyebrow.
"This came for you this morning. Enjoy." he said, placing the box into Angie's hands. She half smiled and thanked him as she shut the door and peered angrily at the box.
Someone had remembered her birthday. And that person, was about to pay.
She sat down on her couch with the white box and unwrapped the giant hot pink bow around it to find a folded up piece of white paper on top of the box marked "read first".
Angie thought about crumpling up the note right then and there but decided against it, opting instead to humor said person for a brief moment before she learned their identity and was able to beat them into the ground.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy.
Happy 22nd Birthday, Angela Thompson –
To be completely honest, I'll be surprised if you are even reading this – knowing you dictates that if not being read, this note has most likely been crumpled up and now resides in the trash. I'll take my chances, though.
Angie chuckled once, simply amazed at how much the sender apparently knew her.
Even though I know you hate it, this day is a joyous occasion – for today, twenty-two years ago, the most important woman ever to grace my life was brought into this world. One with the strongest determination, moral sense, and kindest heart I've ever known, as well as beauty that literally takes my breath away every time I'm lucky enough to be near her.
Angie, I've always admired you for your unbreakable spirit and that's why I can't stand to see you so heartbroken. I know that things have been hard lately, but I need to make sure you know what you're worth, and that's infinitely more than the guys you've been with have made you feel. You deserve the world – I pray you know that.
One promise I can make to you today is that it will involve nobody but you and I, and I don't even have to be a part of it if you don't want me to... just wanted to assure you that this isn't leading to a surprise party, or a party, or anything of the sort. I'd rather not be dismembered upon finally seeing you. :D
With that said, I hope you'll follow the instructions you'll be receiving through the day, because there is one point to today, and one point only.
To put the smile I fell in love with back on your face, where it belongs.
Take good care of this gift for the day – you'll be needing it later.
If you choose to let this all take place, which I beg you to do, I'll be seeing you tonight.
And hopefully you'll be wearing this, and that smile.
xoxo
Had the author of that note been there at the exact moment he would've seen a small smile on Angie's face, though it was one of surprise rather than happiness. Biting her lower lip gently she removed the top of the box and gasped, pulling out a beautiful black full-length sequined halter dress in exactly her size. Shocked she stood up and examined it, unable to squelch a smile of complete awe as it spread onto her face – it was gorgeous.
Her mind rushed a mile a minute, trying to figure out who could possibly be doing something so extravagant for her, but everything she came up with seemed impossible. It couldn't have been any of the guys she had dated thus far, because they would've been talking badly about themselves in the note… Truthfully there was only one person she would've wanted it to be, but she had never told him her birthday for just this reason, and their relationship was strictly professional, though she still hoped for more…
So… who was it?
She was interrupted by a chime next to her bed, belonging to her cell phone, to which she quickly rushed to and picked up.
From: Private
Message: Check your email.
Angie felt her heart beat nervously as she clutched her phone in her palm and walked over to her computer, clicking a few times and signing into her email account, where she saw a new email from an address she didn't recognize. It was all numbers that seemingly had no pattern, "12418", and looked like it had been created for the sole purpose of this day. She quickly opened it and began to read, her heart seemingly beating faster with each word.
Morning, birthday girl!
If you're reading this I'm going to count myself as very lucky, because that means you're either being killed by curiosity of who I am or what is going to happen, and don't worry – I promise you'll find out both soon enough. In addition, the number in my address is also special, and if you can remember, ask me later and I'll tell you what it means. Until then, just trust me, and enjoy what I have planned.
Second to saving lives, I wouldn't be surprised if shoes came next on your list of the loves in your life. And rightly so, as I know you always say, "What good is a cute outfit without cute shoes?". Don't ask me why I remember that, I just do, haha.
That's why downtown at what you've proclaimed as your favorite shoe store – The Boutique Angelique – is a store credit waiting in your name to pick out something to match that pretty dress. I know the first thing you'll do is ask the limit but don't bother, because they won't tell you – and I guarantee it's high enough to withstand any damage you could do it. So have fun, and don't forget to show the cashier your ID, because I told her you would.
Also, I don't know if you're smiling yet, but if you are – make sure to save some for later tonight, when I actually get to see it.
More instructions later –
xoxo
Angie sat back in her chair, her fingertips coming to rest gently on her lips as she read on, a smile creeping onto her face though she tried to fight it – being spoiled on her birthday was something she had always hated, and today was no exception…
…though shoes may have been enough for her to let it slide, just this once.
--
"Are you sure?"
The woman at the counter nodded her head vigorously, refusing to accept Angie's credit card. "It's already been taken care of, ma'am."
She took a look at the screen and bit her lip with a giggle. "And from what it looks like, you've still got a ways to go until you hit that limit…"
Angie gasped, her eyes growing wide. "What do you mean I'm not close to the limit – I just spent 150 dollars!"
The woman nodded again, her blue eyes scanning the screen. "Yeah, you've got a long way to go… would you like to keep shopping?"
"Oh, heavens no… I'm done. Thank you, though." Angie replied, wondering just how high the limit was posted to.
"I was told you would say that…" she said with another giggle, reaching underneath the counter and pulling out an already bagged pair of shoes. "So I've been instructed to send these home with you as well… oh, and this too."
She handed the bag to Angie and then a small envelope, which must've contained her next set of instructions.
"Thank you, very much…" Angie said with a quick smile as she hauled her purse and the bags out of the store, all but running to her car in anticipation of the next note. She slid into the driver's seat and opened up the mystery box first, gasping when she saw a pair of adorable black Pumas in just her size – the same ones she had wanted forever. Gently tracing the fabric with her fingers she quickly snapped out of it, realizing that a note still waited in her lap. With a near-savage ferocity she tore it open, reading it as fast as her brain would allow.
Why do I have this feeling that you didn't even scrape the limit I set for you?
Scratch that – I KNOW you didn't...
...so that's why you are the proud owner of new running shoes. I hope that you love them, as well as whatever else you picked out. I'm sure you'll look beautiful tonight, as you always do.
It's getting kind of late now, as you might have noticed, and being inexperienced with this sort of thing I have absolutely no clue how long it takes girls to get ready to go out, so I'm going to leave that to your discretion. However, with that said, I need you to be ready by 8 p.m. sharp, please – it's important that you're on time.
You'll find another email between 7:45 and 8:00, so be sure to look out for it.
I know they're not your favorite, but I really hope you're not completely hating your birthday so far... I know what's happening isn't much, but if it's any consolation, you won't be in the dark too much longer.
Well, actually... you'll be completely in the dark for the next step, but in a different way. This is where I have to hope that you trust me – don't worry, I'd never let anything happen to you... you're too special to me.
I absolutely cannot wait to see you, Angie. Because I know just like every other day, you're going to completely blow me away.
And I'm still praying that when you're standing in front of me, I'll get to see you smile – it'll make my world to see you happy again.
Until then, beautiful...
xoxo
Hands with a slight tremble in them Angie leaned back in her chair, clasping her right hand over her mouth as she giggled, a warmth creeping into her heart as she finished, resting the note gently in her lap. She felt absolutely giddy – just like the first time she had fallen in love… when there were no complications, just… love. It was a strange feeling, not knowing the identity of the man in the letter, but for some reason he made her feel completely safe and she valued that – especially after suffering a broken heart one too many times.
Turning the key in the ignition she moved all of her belongings into the passenger's seat and glanced at the clock, shrieking slightly; it was already 5:30, and it took her a painstakingly long amount of time to ready herself for anything special, especially when one had as much hair as she did.
Pulling on her seatbelt she stepped on the gas, speeding as fast as she could home.
And she did so, with a small smirk on her face. Because just like he had wanted her to, Angie was saving the smile she wanted to bare for when it really counted…
…right in front of him.
--
"Okay, open."
Angie blinked her green eyes open twice, seeing Leslie come into view. A little bit behind after having to run a few last-minute errands, she had invited her friend over to help her with her makeup, to which she had happily obliged – under the condition that all details be spilled to her. She barely stopped shrieking in disbelief the whole time, which Angie was surprised didn't end in her having mascara all over her face.
But as she stood up and saw the beautiful job Leslie did on making smoky, shimmery, dark rimmed eyes to match her black dress, Angie smiled and hugged her friend, rushing into her bedroom to get dressed quickly so she could see.
"I still can't believe he bought you SHOES! AND a dress!" Leslie sighed dreamily. "That must be some guy you've got coming after you…" she said, grinning, as she knew full-well who he was. And although she knew and had help set this up, even she was surprised at what he had managed to pull off – though she knew even more than before that Derek really meant it when he said Angie meant everything to him.
"I know…! I'm nervous to find out who it is though…" Angie said from behind the door, brushing her curly hair out of her way as she slid the dress on, smiling as she caught a glimpse in the mirror – it really was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, and it fit like a glove. She twirled around once, feeling like a princess until catching another glimpse of the clock – 7:45.
Hurriedly she pulled on the black heels she had picked out earlier, noting that they really did make the outfit – just like shoes always did. She swung open the door and Leslie nearly screamed as she began to giggle, aww-ing in between breaths.
"Angie, you look absolutely gorgeous…!" she exclaimed, giving her a hug.
"Are you sure…?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, this dress is beyond beautiful – but I feel like this whole thing is missing something…"
She and Leslie examined herself in the mirror. A necklace hung loosely around her neck and long earrings dangled from her ears, but it still seemed as though something was missing.
"OH!" Leslie gasped, rushing off into the bathroom and back with a glittered clip.
"That's perfect!" Angie exclaimed, reaching back behind her head and pulling her hair half back, pinning it with the clip so that two curled strands remained out and the rest of the curls billowed behind her, framing her face and drawing attention to her glittering jewelry.
"Perfect." Leslie said with a smile, hearing a beep in the other room. Both her and Angie gasped as they walked out into the living room and opened the email from the peculiar address, seeing a short and sweet message.
Sorry this isn't as long as the others, but if I don't leave pronto, you're going to beat me to your next destination.
Correction: OUR next destination.
A driver will be waiting for you downstairs in a matter of minutes with a very interesting surprise. Just go along with it, alright? :)
I'll see you very soon. And I hope you're as nervous as I am, haha.
Until then...
xoxo
Both Angie and Leslie became overcome by a fit of giggles, and when the teal-haired nurse looked over at her friend's genuine smile she donned one of her own, realizing that Derek had done what he set out to accomplish.
"Are you ready to go?" Leslie asked.
"Um, almost…" Angie said, grabbing her purse. "I've just got to stay and clean up all this stuff or it'll drive me nuts all night…"
"Are you kidding?!" Leslie shrieked. "I'll get it, Ang! Go!"
"But…!" she interjected.
"GO!" Leslie exclaimed with a laugh, pulling the blonde in for another hug. "And for God's sake, have fun! This is a fairytale – so go meet your Prince Charming…"
And in response, Angie just smiled.
--
Purse held in both hands in front of her, Angie let her sparkling dress trail slightly behind her as she walked slowly off of the elevator at her apartment complex, noticing a sleek black car waiting for her outside, a driver standing in front of it dressed to the T. She smirked cautiously as she walked outside, thinking of the two hints she had been given: it was an "interesting" surprise, and she was going to be completely in the dark, whatever that meant…
When the man saw her coming her reached forward and opened the door for her with a smile.
"You must be Angie…" he said. "My name is John, and I'll be your driver for the evening… might I also wish you a very happy birthday…"
Instead of being angry like she usually would, Angie returned his smile and thanked him, following him to the car.
"Oh, wait…" he said, fumbling in his pockets. "Before I forget, it was requested that you put this on…"
Angie's eyes widened as he pulled a long, black handkerchief out of his pocket, pausing until he got her OK to put it on. He assisted her into the backseat and climbed into the front as they took off and to the last location. Butterflies started to flutter in her stomach as she felt the car turn at various locations, trying to follow the sequence of directions but inevitably giving up instead, as it was making her slightly nauseous.
"Excuse me…?" she asked softly.
"Yes, Miss Thompson…?" he asked, turning down the radio slightly.
Angie grinned mischievously, her fingers tracing over the fabric of her wallet.
"I'll give you a very generous tip tonight if you tell me the name of who sent you… that, or where we're going, dealer's choice."
She heard him chuckle slightly. "I'm sorry, Miss Thompson… no can do. I can guarantee you that whatever you would be willing to offer, I've already been paid double NOT to tell you."
"What?!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "That's absolutely nuts – he didn't want me to find out THAT bad?"
"I guess so…" John replied with another laugh, rolling the car to a stop. "But it doesn't matter anyway, because we've arrived at our destination. Leave the blindfold on please… I'll be around to get you in just a second."
"Alright…" she said quietly, sitting back against the seat as her heart began to race out of control. She ran through another quick mental check of all the men that knew her well-enough to put something like this together but again came up with nothing, sighing softly when she realized that it most likely wasn't who she had wanted it to be the whole time.
"Ah, yes… ha, almost said your name there, haha. Glad I caught myself…"
Angie heard John speaking and quickly realized he was on the phone so she leaned forward, trying her best to listen into the other voice, but to no avail.
"Yes, I am with Miss Thompson downstairs – I was just calling to see if you're ready for her. …Okay, great! I'll bring her right up."
"Up?" Angie asked nearly inaudibly, wondering again where she could possibly be.
"Okay, watch your head…" John instructed, helping Angie out of the car slowly. He closed the door behind her and linked her arm with his, walking her in the front doors of a very tall building, though she had no idea at the time.
In what seemed like an eternity's worth of time she had boarded an elevator and rode it up to a very high floor, growing even more confused when she was guided off of it and felt the night breeze sweep over her.
"Okay, Ms. Thompson…" John said. "Enjoy."
And with that he pulled the blindfold off of her and stepped back onto the elevator, riding it down as she stood in awe, surveying her surroundings with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, as someone watched her from just next to the elevator; out of the way enough so that he could not be easily spotted but close enough that he could still see her and the expression on her face, which made his heart skip a few beats in succession.
Lit by a full moon, a sparkling star-filled sky, and dozens of tiny tea-light candles, the roof of whatever building she stood on was transformed into an incredibly romantic setting, complete with a small table set for two, a vase of two dozen pink roses in the middle of it with a huge bow tied around them. Angie walked forward a few steps and looked it over slowly, taking in every inch of it she possibly could with an amazed face, too stunned to even smile – which made the man standing by the entrance grow a bit nervous.
But as she looked up at the stars and turned around slowly with tears in her eyes Angie brought her head down gradually until she saw just who had been waiting for her all that time, propped up against the wall with the smile she had grown to love on his face.
Blinking once to clear the tears she watched in shock as a very nicely dressed Derek stepped towards her with his hands in his pockets, a nervous but happy smile on his face as he watched her hands fly instantly up to her mouth, a giggle coming from behind them as the tears continued to flow.
"Hey… hey…" he cooed softly, removing her hands from her mouth and wiping her cheeks dry. "This is exactly what I didn't want to see happen…"
Angie sniffled and giggled once just as the tears ceased their flow and she could finally see him clearly, his forehead furrowed and face concerned as he looked at her, his hands holding both of hers tightly into his chest.
"They're not sad tears, Derek…" she said, glancing around her again. "They're not sad tears in the least… I'm so happy to see you…"
He smirked once, yet the sad expression still stayed on his face. "Then, why aren't you smiling? You did save one for me, right?"
"Wait… you seriously worked this hard just to see me smile?"
"Of course I did, Angie. That's what I told you from the start… that I would be happy as long as I got to see you genuinely happy again… so, are you?"
She nodded with a small smirk and looked at their clasped hands. "Of course – I'm just, absolutely shocked, that's all…" she trailed off, looking up at him. "Derek, this is by far the sweetest, most thoughtful, meaningful thing that anyone has ever bothered to do for me… and I just can't… I don't even know what to say."
"Say that you're happy." he replied, without skipping a beat, yet all the while giving her hands a gentle squeeze as he stared down at her. "I don't care if you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you, but please just tell me that you're happy. That, you finally see that none of those assholes ever deserved you – that you see exactly how special you are, and that you hold the ability to leave guys like me literally speechless when you walk into a room looking more beautiful than I ever remember. I just need you to tell me that you see what I see in you, Angie… and that you believe me when I tell you that you deserve the world."
She stared back at him with a small smirk, still holding the smile he was waiting for hostage, if only for a short time more…
"I watched you get hurt for the last time…" he continued. "I can't bear to see you anything but happy, Ang. I just need to see you smile again… I need you to know that no matter if we're together or not, you always know you have someone out there that loves you more than you know."
And with those words Angie couldn't fight it anymore, the smile that had remained missing from her lips for so long finally making its way back to where it belonged, by someone who had fought tooth and nail to put it there. She giggled once from behind her grin as she looked on at him, seeing him return her smile with one of his own as he squeezed her hands gently, staring back at her warmly.
"And that…" he said softly. "…just made it all worthwhile."
"Derek…" she whispered, stepping forward and resting against him just slightly, to which he dropped one of her hands and slid his arm around her back. "Derek, I can't tell you how much everything you did today meant to me – I'll… never forget it. I can't thank you enough for proving to me that real romance still exists in the world…"
He smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way… That's exactly what I hoped you'd say."
"But…" she continued, still smiling. "I'm not happy because of the shoes, or this place you made for us, or the driver, or the beautiful dress…"
"Then why?" he asked.
"I'm happy…" she replied with a smile. "…because it's you standing in front of me… And nothing could put a smile this big on my face like hearing that you love me as much as I love you, Derek. For the majority of the time I spent racking my brain trying to figure things out today, you were the one person I sincerely hoped would be waiting for me here, yet the last person I expected. You, are why I'm smiling… and as long as you stay by my side, I won't ever stop."
The smile on Angie's lips remained put until they met Derek's, as the nurse had grown impatient and all but jumped into his arms to kiss him as he held her tightly – signifying to the both of them that no matter what happened, he wasn't ever going to let her go. The kisses deepened and became more and more passionate as the two shared their long-awaited moment, only breaking away from each other when a fit of poorly-contained giggles interrupted them from the overwhelming happiness that had been abating Angie for quite some time.
A grin on his face a mile wide, Derek wrapped his arms around Angie tightly and lifted her further into his arms, hugging her and refusing to let go.
"Happy birthday, Angie…" he said softly in her ear. "And thank you, for trusting me today…"
"You're welcome…" she replied, snuggled into his shoulder. "Thank you so much for everything you did for me today – thank you for making me happier than I've ever been, and thank you for something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Derek set her down and planted another quick kiss on her lips as he grabbed her hands and stared down at her, admiring the smile that was now plastered on her lips.
"You know how I know that smile is real?" he asked, seeing her shake her head. "…It's because the sparkle in your eyes is back too… the one you get when you're truly happy about something."
"I guess you got me…" Angie said, wrapping her arms around his waist as they kissed once more.
"Oh!" she interjected, rearing her head back a little, her arms still holding him tightly. "What is 12418?" she asked. "It's been bugging me all day…"
Derek smiled. "12418 is January 24th, 2018… the day we met."
Angie giggled once and kissed him passionately again, unable to stop herself now that she had started.
"Oh, and where are we?" she asked again, looking around.
"This is the roof of my apartment building – I knew I had pointed it out to you before, so I couldn't risk you recognizing it, I--"
"Excuse me, Dr. Stiles…?"
Both Angie and Derek turned around to see a waiter addressing the two of them. "Are you two ready for dinner?"
Derek turned back to Angie who nodded vigorously. "I haven't eaten a thing all day."
"That makes two of us…" he replied with a laugh. "Yes, we're ready…" he said back to the waiter, who disappeared back into the building.
"Shall we?" he asked her, seeing her giggle and link her arm with his outstretched one as he led the two of them over to the table waiting for them amidst the tiny flames.
"I'm sorry this was so much work…" she said, leaning into his arm with a smile as he kissed the top of her head, pulling out her chair for her as he seated himself and then scooted closer to her. He locked her in a soft kiss before pulling back and gently brushing her cheek, a loving smile on her face.
"I told you, Angie…" he said gently. "I'd go to the end of the earth, just to see you smile…"
Locking her eyes with the deep brown ones she had fallen in love with, Angie smiled broadly with a giggle as he kissed her again, before she felt a painful pang in her chest. The fairytale romance her heart had been seeking had remained elusive for so long, and although she had dreamed of it since she was a little girl, the reality of the world had caused her to lose hope in the fact that she would ever find what she was looking for: someone who would love her the way she loved them.
However, with the help of the man now at her side, the man that had fought to show her differently, Angie realized that maybe… just maybe, she had been a bit too presumptuous in her assumption.
Fairytales did exist, because at that exact moment, sharing a smile with the one she had been in love with for so long…
…she was living one.
Giant, epic, eye-watering sigh.
I absolutely loved writing this story - I can only hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
See you next time :)