7 Things
Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek. Trust me, Dasey would be much more than a hope if I were in charge.
A/N: Well, this is the third thing I've tried writing for Life With Derek. It's the first I'm posting though. This is the result of a challenge from somerdaye over at Dasey Nation. She drew songs and pairings out of a hat. My song was 7 Things by Miley Cyrus. Honestly, I think I really went away from the song when writing this, but I was inspired by the spirit of the song more than anything else. To me, it was a song about having doubts about breaking up with someone. Because of that inspiration and interpretation, I mostly ignored the actual, literal words of the song.
Ten years. It had been almost ten years since he had seen her last. Of course, he knew what had happened in her life after she left for college. It was, after all, one of the biggest scandals that had come from their high school. Although, it seemed that it wasn't viewed by most as something to be ashamed of or swept under the carper. Most people seemed genuinely happy for her, for them.
Sometimes he wondered what if. What if he had stayed in touch that last summer before college? What if he hadn't cheated on her, again, before they officially broke up? He had spent his time at college partying and enjoying the girls he met. By the end of his fifth semester, he had grown board with college girls, college classes, and college life. At home that summer after his sixth semester, he had started working next door to a dance studio. Though they taught classes, the studio was open to the public when it wasn't class time, as long as the person had a membership.
That was how he met his current wife. She had been on her way out after what, judging by her appearance, was a brutal workout, when they had literally bumped into each other. It was hot out, and she appeared to be walking home, so he had offered her a ride in apology for knocking her down. She had accepted, and they had talked for the entire twenty minute ride to her house.
The only awkward moment had come when, without thinking about it, he had driven down a familiar street that he at one time had stopped on quite often. She was running around the yard, laughing and smiling, as she was chased by a young girl of about nine. He had grimaced when she ran right into the arms of the boy who had snuck into her path. He turned off the street, so he hadn't seen what happened next, but he could guess. They had kissed, and the young girl would complain, but she would really be happy that two of her favorite people had finally found happiness.
The girl in the seat next to him had seen his grimace. She asked him about it, so he explained that he had dated the girl once, a few years ago. That it had ended badly, mostly because of his lack of care, and that he sometimes found himself feeling sorry about that summer. He was shocked when she said they looked familiar, and asked their names. He told her, trying, and failing, to mask the bitterness of his voice. Her shocked look told him before she did. She knew them both as well, though he found out a few seconds later that it wasn't nearly as well as he had.
It was a dance competition, she had said. I was sure I would win. I had asked him to be my partner, until I realized he couldn't dance. So I took her partner. I was a bit nervous that she might actually beat me. I wasn't used to real competition. I figured that she would drop out without a partner. But she didn't. She made him be her partner. And they won. I was angry. I was embarrassed. But it happened, and I never saw them again. But I remember their reaction to my words. I think that they only wanted to beat me more when I called them a sibling act. I think even then they didn't want to be considered related, even if they didn't realize it or understand why.
After hearing her story, I changed the subject. We talked and laughed. I asked her if she'd have dinner with me on Saturday night. She agreed. We spent the summer going on dates and growing closer. We went back to our separate colleges in the fall, but we kept in touch. We moved to Toronto together after graduating, and I proposed to her almost two years to the day that we met. We have been married for four years, having gotten married a year after I gave her the ring. It's been a happy four years, and we have a baby daughter waiting for us at home when this night of reminiscing is over. I'm happier than I've ever been, and really, I owe it all to a girl whose heart I almost broke one summer almost ten years ago.
"Truman, what are you doing over here? You seem lost in thought." His wife's warm hand slipped onto the crook of his arm, gently pulling until he was facing her.
"I'm just thinking. Thinking of the past, and how things might have been different had I not made the choice to be cruel and selfish one summer. I was standing here, watching them dance and laugh, surrounded by friends and strangers, and I was feeling bad about how I treated her. I was playing what if. But then I realized that she wouldn't have been any happier with me than I would have with her. Me treating her the way I did was necessary for her to find her way to him. And it was necessary for me to find my way to you. And Sadia, I just don't know what I'd do if I hadn't knocked you to the ground almost seven years ago," he said as he helped her into her coat and led her to the car. 'Yes,' he thought. 'Playing what if is never good. Things always wind up as they should, even if, when I see her smile for him, I'll always remember why I was with her.'
So…What did you think? I was given Truman and Sadia, which was very difficult for me. Especially since I've never had people I don't like as my main characters for a story.