What's Meant To Be Will Always Find A Way

by Unwrittenmusings

According to the constant slew of posts on Rosaline's Instagram feed, and confirmed directly from the source via group chat, Rosaline Capulet's cousin Juliet is now in a very serious relationship with Benvolio Montague's cousin Romeo. Juliet really deserves some kind of national medal for how fast it takes her to fall madly in love at any given time. It's barely been a month and the two are already planning for their families to spend Christmas together. This new development in her young cousins blossoming romance means that Rosaline and Benvolio are bound to cross paths during the holidays. It just so happens the same day Rosaline comes to that startling realization is the same day she stumbles across a last minute hotel and flight deal for a 7 day 6 night trip to Mantua Beach.

It's just what I need is the explanation Rosaline gives when she breaks the news to the two youngest Capulet girls, her sister and cousin, that she won't be home for Christmas as planned in their group chat. Work has been extremely stressful and Rosaline reasons a beach get-a-way would be the perfect way to unwind and relax. As a matter of fact, if Rosaline is to be really honest, she was never one for the Capulet family Christmas to begin with and having to play nice with relatives she never liked in the first place. Not to mention Verona City in the winter is bitterly cold and if she hears another version of This Christmas she is going to go to jail for murder. With four solid reasons to support her last minute decision to skip this years festivities, Rosaline drops a couple hundred dollars on a trip 1,500 miles away from Verona City to treat herself to some much needed personal time. This spur of the moment decision has nothing to do with wanting to avoid seeing her ex during the holidays. Absolutely nothing. Because Rosaline Capulet doesn't do immature things like that after a break-up. She handles herself like an adult because she is a grown woman.

Attention passengers. All flights departing from Genoa Valley Airport have been canceled until further notice due to the winter storm. We'll have more information in the morning. Again, all flights have been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If the airport announcement wasn't enough to ruin things after spending 30 minutes tryig to book a reservation she comes to the conclusion that every hotel in the city was at maximum capacity. If only she'd have kept her original departure flight ticket. If so, she'd already be relaxing at the beach on Christmas Eve instead of stuck at this damn airport for God knows how long. Pushing her trip back one day was a horrible idea. In retrospect she very well could have submitted everything for her article while basking in the sun and working on her tan but she convinced her self that getting it all done before going on vacation would give her boss no reason to bother her during it. That and every weather reports said the winter storm advisory warnings wouldn't affect her route. Apparently the meteorologists from every news station underestimated the winter weather forecast.

Rosaline is in the middle of sending a vacation status update message to her group chat when she hears her name. "Benvolio!?" She says with a little too much excitement and a very forced smile to hide the fact that her panic level is rising at an alarming rate because she'd bought a $200 ticket to take her 1,500 miles in the opposite direction of Verona to relax (and to make sure this exact moment wouldn't happen. How in the f-)

"Hey, fancy running into you here." Benvolio says with a gesture. "I thought that was you at the customer counter earlier but I couldn't tell so I waited it out a while to be sure."

Rosaline opens her mouth to speak but closes it and forces out another smile instead.

"It's good to see you," Benvolio says into the silence between them.

"Its good to see you too."

Rosaline is becoming quite the pro at lying to herself apparently. One thing that she can't lie about however is the fact that Benvolio looks even hotter with facial hair. Amidst her body's ever growing internal turmoil Rosaline almost forgets Benvolio is still talking so she makes a point to nod casually like she'd been paying attention the whole time.

"I spent the weekend visiting a friend from college. This is where I was supposed to catch my connecting flight back to Verona for the holidays." He says gesturing to departure gate behind him. "How about you?"

"My connecting flight ended up taking a detour to land here instead of Mantua International Air-"

Benvolio's phone vibrates loudly "Sorry, one sec." he says quickly before patting his back jean pocket and pulling out his phone to check it. He opens his notification to see an email from the hotel he booked a reservation at immediately after the announcement about the canceled flight.

Dear Ben,

We have become aware of an error made on our part. Your reservation 102984102 for arrival date Monday, December 24th was inadvertently double booked. In an effort to maintain fair business dealings your reservation 102984102 has been canceled as it was made after our hotel reached maximum capacity. Your card ending in 4529 will not be charged. We have placed your name on a waiting list should a vacancy become available.

Questions? Call 531-549-7650

Sincerely,

Valleyview Hotel and Suites

"Well, it looks like I'll be stuck here for a while" Benvolio says flatly after exiting out of his email app. "That was my hotel reservation. They overbooked rooms apparently and my reservation was canceled because it came in after all the rooms were full. Did you get a place to stay?"

Rosaline shakes her head. "Every hotel in the city is booked."

"The magic of Christmas" he says like he's in a movie, "It brings people together" and Rosaline does her best to ignore the stupidly cute half grin on his face.

"Looks like I'll have some company for the next few hours." Rosaline shoots him an unimpressed look and Benvolio either doesn't notice or he ignores it altogether. "Let's just make the most of the situation, yeah? I passed a nice looking restaurant a couple of gates down.?" And before Rosaline can process this whole situation so that her flight response can kick in, she is in a restaurant on Christmas Eve seated across from her ex boyfriend while jazz renditions of Christmas songs play in the background. Rosaline immediately grabs the wine list.

"So, are you seeing anybody?" Why Rosaline decides on that out of all the questions she could have asked is something she'll never know. Runing into Benvolio like this has really rattled her better judgment apparently. When Benvolio looks over to her to answer she reaches for her glass and shoots him her friendliest smile before taking long sip of wine

"Not since you." Benvolio says matter-of-factly and before Rosaline's brain can process and decode the look he gives her as he makes this admission the waiter arrives with their food, setting it in front of then, and offers Rosaline a much needed refill of wine.

The interruption from the waiter was just the reset the situation needed and truthfully dinner with Benvolio wasn't as awkward as Rosaline imagined it it be. Conversation flowed pretty well with the few breaks in conversation filled with the hum of jazzy Christmas songs that Rosaline hated to admit she was kind of enjoying. The food was also better than she expected and for a moment Rosaline completely forgets about being upset or anxious about running into her ex-boyfriend unexpectedly. She even forgets she is snowed in at an airport as Benvolio's hearty laugh fills the space between them when she nails the punch-line of a joke that she heard from one of the girls in her office.

After winning the debate weather to split the check or let Benvolio pay the whole thing like he wanted to they get up to leave the restaurant. Benvolio reaches for her carry-on bag and drapes it over his shoulder assuring her he'd carry it for her then leading Rosaline by the hand across the hallway to the bookstore before she can debate him on it. The bookstore has quite the selection and they spend about almost two hours looking at all the over-priced books and magazines and chatting along the way. Rosaline finds a book that had gotten mixed reviews but she decides to buy it and its actually a decent price. Benvolio walks down a few stalls while she waits in the checkout line and comes back with two coffee cups and a bag of pastries to snack on later.

Every seat in their departure gate is taken when they get back. Benvolio mentions seeing a number of open seats at the boarding gate right before theirs they can go to but Rosaline argues against going there because if any announcements are made about her flight she wont hear them at the other gate. After looking around for another moment Rosaline points to a spot tucked away by the back wall beside the large display window. Benvolio agrees once he spots the outlet by the baseboard and head over to set their things down for the night.

Rosaline finds out very quickly why the book she bought was priced lower than the others in the store. It was awful but but she needed something to do to pass the time and it was only 7 PM. After shifting for what seems like the fifth time in 10 minutes because she just cant seem to get comfortable Benvolio bumps his shoulder into hers. "Hey, do you want to watch this with mes? "He asks turning his phone in Rosaline's direction when she looks over at it. His Netflix account is pulled up with the cast of The Office on the screen. "It's the Christmas Party Episode" he says offering Rosaline the left side of his ear buds. "Sure." She scoots closer to him before securing the ear bud in her left ear, happy to end the torture she was putting herself through reading the book she bought. She'll have to check with the bookstore tomorrow about their return policy. Benvolio is tapping along to the theme song on his thigh once the opening scene ends and the opening credits begin. Rosaline catches his eye and scrunches her face at him playfully when he glances over at her because he's incredibly cheesy at the moment. Benvolio matches her expression before pressing the skip intro button on his phone screen to resume the episode. The next few hours are spent marathoning episode after episode and covering their mouths to muffle their laughter so they don't disturb anyone nearby. Ben looks over and notice she has fallen asleep and positions himself so that her head can rest on his shoulder. Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th episode of Season 3 Benvolio cuddles up to Rosaline and falls asleep too.

Benvolio wakes up with to pain in his neck. He glances down to see Rosaline no longer laying her head on his should but her whole body is now tucked into his side while she sleeps. He stretches as much as he can without waking her and uses his free hand to massage the back of his neck while he looks around the airport. He looks around him but there isn't any indicators of the time of day or night and his his phone is completely dead thanks to Netflix so he reaches across Rosaline to check her phone for the time. He winces at how bright the screen is when he presses the power button with his thumb but smiles and nudges her awake with his shoulder once his eyes adjust and he sees the time stamp on her screen.

"Hey"

"What"

"It's Christmas"

"I'm going to kill you."

Benvolio jerks his shoulder away from under her and Rosaline whines at the sudden movement. "If you're gonna be mean you can sit here by yourself" He teases and turns to plug his phone into the charger.

Rosaline shakes her head in protest and scoots closer to him again. "Self preservation, " She mumbles sleepily into his side "Its literally freezing in here and your body is insanely warm. What time is it anyway?"

.

Benvolio shines the phone screen display in her face "3 AM."

Rosaline snaps her eyes shut and groans. Benvolio lets out a low chuckle and a moment later she's quiet again. There's a lot that Benvolio wants to say to Rosaline about the last 24 hours but she isn't awake to hear it. "Merry Christmas Rosaline." Is what he softly says instead and wraps his free arm around her before kissing her on the forehead and he settling back to sleep.

By the time Benvolio wakes up for the second time he can tell it's morning. The airport looks and sounds more lively. He stands up and looks over to the customer counter to check for Rosaline. When he doesn't see her he gets his phone but before he can send Rosaline a text asking where she went his phone lights up.

Went to get breakfast back in 15

A few minutes later his phone lights up again.

Make it 20 this line is long

Rosaline returns closer to 30 minutes later with a white paper bag along with two cups of coffee and two water bottles secured in a cardboard drink holder. Benvolio takes the drink holder and settles back to their seats on the floor and passes Rosaline her coffee before grabbing his and takes a sip.

" Ugh, everything at the airport is so expensive!"

"Then why did you get so much?"

"Because they smelled good and I'm starving."

Benvolio opens the paper bag sitting in Rosaline's lap and looks inside to see two bagel sandwiches

"These look like two heart attacks. I be they taste amazing."

Benvolio tells Rosaline about his new job and she vents about her micromanaging boss over breakfast then they settle into a comfortable silence while Rosaline looks at a magazine she picked up on her way back from the breakfast stall and Benvolio checks hotels for vacancies.

All Passengers that have a final destination to Mantua Beach please come to the Customer Counter immediately.

Rosaline immediately perks up and goes to the counter and is second in line.

"Name please"

"Rosaline Capulet"

"Thank you, Miss Capulet"

Rosaline looks over her shoulder in Benvolio's direction and puts his fist in the air with his thumb down to let her know that there still arent any hotel vacancies. Rosaline scrunches her face in reply.

"Miss Capulet, great news. Youll be in Mantua Beach by this evening."

"Thank you." Rosaline smiles and takes the boarding pass from the airline clerk.

"But its first come first serve so if you want a place on the plane you need to go to Gate 28B now and check in with the clerk there to secure a spot and so they can get your luggage. "

Rosaline looks down at the time stamp on her boarding pass...11:15a.m. It was already a little after 9:00a.m and the plane was scheduled to board passengers until 10:40 a.m according to her pass.

"Thank you."

Rosaline stands up once the boarding announcement is made. Benvolio does the same.

"Guess I'm beach bound." she says, holding her ticket up in the air.

"Looks like it." Benvolio smiles back.

Just like the first time they went their separate ways there's a lot unsaid between them. She can tell Benvolio wants to address it but its like he's waiting for something. What, Rosaline doesn't know and she's not sure she's ready to ask for yet. He hesitates for a moment then pulls her in for a hug and maybe Rosaline leans into him a little too much and may and he's holding her to him a little too tight and they both let the hug linger for a little too long. When they finally pull apart Benvolio doesn't let go, his arms are still holding onto her waist. He doesn't say anything for a moment but just looks at her like he's searching for something. A determined spark flashes in his eyes but just as quickly as it flashes it just goes away. The air between them is so heavy with all the unsaid words floating between them but the only thing Rosaline is ready to unpack right now clothes not her emotions. Not when it comes to him.

So, I'll see you around?" Benvolio says finally, moving his hands from Rosaline's waist and placing them in his jean pockets.

"Yeah." Rosaline says smiling and she hopes her smile doesn't look as weak as it feels.

"Thanks for spending Christmas with me but the next time we run into each other can it be under less chaotic circumstances?" They both laugh` and Benvolio waves his goodbye. "Have a safe flight."

"Thanks."

As soon as Rosaline is on the plane and in her seat she pulls out her phone, plugs in her ear buds, and presses play on her Beach Vibes play list because that's the only thing she wants on her mind for the moment.

Rosaline shows up the the party ridiculously late but in her defense she's a bit jet lagged she just got back that morning and literally slept the entire day. But she promised Helena she'd make it to her New Years party so here she is in Doge City after a red bull and a 3 hour drive. She has to admit that even though she doesn't know half of the people here every one she meets is friendly. When she finally finds Helena in the crown of people she is immediately pulled into a bear hug.

"Ros. I've been looking for you all night! You look gorgeous and your skin, glowing!"

"Thanks." Rosaline is smiling when they pull back from the hug.

Helena grabs her by the hand and spins her around. "Your legs look amazing in that dress."

"You look good too. I never thought you'd cut your hair. I know Isabella loves it, she's been begging you to make the change for months now."

"Yeah I finally did it!" Helena runs her fingers through her fringe. "I surprised Isabella with it on her birthday last month. She said it made me look so bad ass and the thought of having a bad ass girlfriend was such a turn on which turned me on and then we-"

Rosaline holds her hand up. "Nope. No more details. I'm good" Helena smiles an innocent smile but Rosaline knows she is far from it then they both laugh.

"Speaking of Isabella, where is she anyway?"

Helena motions in front of her. "She's at the champagne table." Following the motion, Rosaline turns to look over her shoulder and that's when she spots him.

"Hey Ben!" Helena smiles.

"You know him?"

"I invited him." Helena clarifies. "We go to the same gym and just hit if off. He's an amazing artist I've been the model for a few of his drawings. recently He's a really sweet guy actually you should-"

"I know. I used to date him." Helena raises her eyebrow and Rosaline just ignores her. "Would you excuse me for a moment? I'll catch you in a bit, ok."

"Alright babe, the countdown is gonna start in ten."

As Rosaline makes her way across the room to Benvolio she thinks that despite her best efforts maybe the universe isn't done with them yet. In fact, she's sure of it now actually. So, why continue to fight it?

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Seems like we keep running into each other lately"

"Seems like it."

"So, how was your trip?"

"It was great. Exactly what I needed actually. I had a lot of time to think. To sort some things out."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Rosaline nods stepping closer to him until she is so close she can reach out to touch his face. She and reaches up to drape her harms around Benvolio's neck instead and Benvolio's arms settle at her waste. Behind them at the party the countdown to the new year begins.

"So, what conclusions did you come to?"

"That I'm a dumb ass."

Benvolio just shakes his head and pulls her closer and reaches one hand up to caress the curve of her jaw. "You're not a dumb ass Rosaline. You're my dumb ass."

Rosaline knows she is far gone for Benvolio Montague because she thinks that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to her.

"Would it ruin the moment if I told you I'm gonna marry you someday Rosaline Capulet."

5

Ok, no scratch that. This is the most romantic thing that anyone has ever said to her but the first one is still on the list of top 3.

4

"Would it ruin the excitement if I tell you now I'd say yes." She can feel him smile against her lips.

3

He leans in to kiss her but she pulls back. There's one more thing she needs to say.

2

"Merry Christmas. I never said it back to back at the airport." She leans into him until her forehead rests against his and the corner of Benvolio's lips curve up into a smile. She's not one for Christmas miracles but this moment sure as hell feels like one.

1

"Happy New Year." He says against her lips before finally kissing her and for now it says all that they need to say to each other. The actual words can come later.