Title: In The Sun
Rating: PG/K+
Length: 1000 words
Genre: Drama/Romance
Warnings: N/A
Pairing: Mitchie/Mikayla
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the parts of the song "In The Sun" used here.
Summary: Mitchie finds Mikayla on the beach…
Progress: Complete


I picture you in the sun, wondering what went wrong.
And falling down on your knees, asking for sympathy.
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen.
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in.

May God's love be with you…
Always.
May God's love be with you.

I see her sitting on the beach, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms holding them there. I could be wrong, -- it could be some stranger -- but I take the chance and shout: "MIKAYLA!" A dark head looks up, eyes covered in dark sunglasses, but I know that it's my Mikayla. I can feel her eyes on me. I bend over, pull off my flip-flops and take off running to her spot in the sand.

I've been searching for her for two hours, and it didn't occur to me to look for on the beach until about twenty minutes ago, of course. She loves the beach! That should have been the first place I looked. But it doesn't matter now. All that matters is I've found her.

I fall onto the sand beside her. "Mickey," I whisper, "talk to me. Tell me what happened with you and Nate."

That's how the search began, after all. Mikayla had come over to my house, upset to tears over something that had happened with Nate. I brought her up to my bedroom and tried to coax what had happened out of her, but she didn't want to talk. So I just held her in my arms and let her cry though I tried my hardest to soothe her.

"Mickey, please…talk to me," I whisper, gently rubbing her back. I hate seeing her hurting; it kills me. Mikayla shakes her head. "Mickey…"

"I… Nate… He broke up with me, Mitchie," Mikayla says, her voice rough from all the crying she's been doing. "And he had every right to, after what I told him…"

Now my curiousity is definitely piqued. What could Mikayla say that would make Nate break up with her? I mean, I don't really like her being with him, but that's just because… Well, she's mine. But he's a sweet enough guy, and they seem to have a fairly healthy relationship

"What did you say?" I ask softly. "What made him break up with you?"

She sniffles. "I said… I told him that…that I didn't love him. That I couldn't…be with him because I…" she breaks off and bursts into tears again. I draw my beautiful best friend into my arms, burying my nose in her soft hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo. I close my eyes and just hold her, letting myself feel her body completely pressed up against mine.

I know I would apologize if I could see your eyes.
Cuz when you showed me myself, you know, I became someone else.
But I was caught in between all you wish for and all you need.
I picture you fast asleep, a nightmare comes, you can't keep awake.

After a few minutes, Mikayla seems to calm down, and now she's just resting in my arms. I kiss the top of her head. "Can you talk to me now, sweetheart? I just wanna make you feel better." That's not completely true, but I've learned to keep what I really want from her to myself. Our friendship is the most important thing in the world, and I don't want to ruin that.

"Dem…I don't know if I should," Mikayla whispers.

"I can take it. Don't worry," I say softly. "Talk to me."

Mikayla takes a deep breath. She turns in my arms. "I'll tell you, but…you have to promise me you won't freak out." I barely have time to breathe out an "I promise" before she grabs the collar of my shirt, leans forward and kisses me right on the lips.

I'm so surprised by this, that it takes me a minute to start kissing her back. But when I do… God! No words can describe what it feels like to be kissing my best friend, sitting on the beach in the sun.

"Mickey," I whisper against her lips, "I love you." The moment I say this, I hear and feel her stifling another sob. I wrap my arms around her and say again, firmly, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispers back. "And that's what I told Nate. But I didn't think…"

I giggle against her lips, causing her to pull away and rest her forehead against mine. Now I realize why she ran from me earlier. She didn't think I felt the same way. "I do. I have. Nate's a nice guy, Mickey, but we're supposed to be together. I feel it… Here." I take her hand and place it carefully over my heart. "Do you?"

"I do," she admits, blushing a little. "I never thought I would feel this way about someone, Mitchie. Least of all you. I mean, you're my best friend--"

"I still am," I interrupt.

Mikayla smiles. "Good. That's so good. And I hope we're as good at being more-than-friends as we are at being best friends. Cuz I think we really went over the bar there." I nod and pull her body slowly into mine. My head finds it place on her shoulder, and she starts gently stroking my hair.

"You know this means you have to take me shopping, right? And carry all my bags?"

Mikayla laughs. "And that's different from now how?" I swat her arm. "I just want this to be right. I want us to fit together as a couple as easily as we fit together as friends."

"We will," I say. "Promise." She laughs and dips her head down, starting to kiss me again. And I'm glad this keeps her occupied because I want it to happen as often as possible.

May God's love be with you…
Always.
May God's love be with you.

--End--