She had been nothing more to him than a colleague (or so he thought), a fellow scientist associated with the GEAR Project. He had never been a people-person as one would say, nor had he been a lady's man. She, however . . . she was the light in the darkness, the star that guided him out of night's misery. She was his, and he was hers. Had this been planned out since the beginning time, only God could know. He had never, ever, spoken a word with the other girls that loomed about his childhood. Let us not speak of how the boy became a man, and how the girl became a woman. This is the story of how two star-crossed lovers became the very incarnation of Romeo and Juliet. Of all the women that he had known throughout his life, only one question can be asked of him: What made her so different? The answer to this is simple: She was his, and he was hers.

Part One: Sonata

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Frederick had taken a sip from his fifth cup of coffee. The simple cup of porcelain pressed against his chapped lips as the searing coffee poured down his throat. His mind was firmly planted upon the ulterior motive of his current career that he did not take notice of the heat that emanated from the coffee and burned his throat nearly deteriorating the walls of his esophagus. The completion of a successful GEAR was well underway, however, the tedious progression of trial and error pursued. Frederick moved his eyes away from the glowing computer screen as he sat back in his desk chair. The extensive time he spent staring at the computer screen blurred his vision as a migraine was about to hatch out of its egg. The window was left open to air out the stuffiness in the room.

"Frederick?" called out a voice from his fellow colleague, Aria. Her short hair flailed against her neck, and her crimson bangs swept across her pale forehead as a breeze blew into the room. "Frederick, you're such a mess!"

"Hn?" was all that Frederick could utter at the moment. His tired eyes looked up at the young lady in front of him. His hands clutched a pile of papers, all documents concerning the progress of the GEAR Project.

"I said 'You're such a mess!'" she giggled. Aria walked over to Frederick's side peering at his computer screen. "Don't you wanna take a break?"

"There's no time to. If we all want to develop of prototype of this GEAR, then shouldn't we be wasting our lives on this research?" he replied handing Aria the stack of papers from his hand.

"Well, we're the first scientists to ever come up with this project. What good is research?" Aria scanned through the lines barely visible on the papers.

"Research is what can prevent trial and error. I don't want to deal with all that once we're about to come up with a prototype. You know how much that would suck?"

"Oh, Freddy!! You always look ahead!" Aria smiled. Her angelic expression made his day so much better as the dainty smile sprung from her beautiful face. "Let's go out for a bit hm? We won't be able to tomorrow since it might rain." As Frederick stared at her determined face, he found it quite difficult to say "no" to such an endearing face.

"Okay, we'll go."

--

The streetlights had just turned on marking the time of twilight. Several cars honked along the bustling street as otiose traffic lights flickered from green to yellow then to red. Tiring walks around the city avenues were not always the best places to find relaxation, but as long as Aria and Frederick were together location did not matter, not at all.

"Isn't the fresh air so much better?" Aria smiled stretching her arms out above her.

"Fresh air? You mean the smell of gasoline and stalls?" Frederick replied sarcastically. "I guess that's refreshing." Aria giggled. Her naivety was one attribute that Frederick enjoyed. Aria's childlike playfulness made Frederick forget all his worries and troubles in the laboratory.

"Don't you feel much better though?" Aria asked.

"Sure. I feel better going on a date with you," Frederick answered returning to her with a smile. "It makes me forget all the crap that goes on in the lab."

"Date? I never said we were going on a date!! And what happened to you being serious about work?" Aria pouted as a tint of red appeared on her cheeks. Frederick laughed as he placed his weary arm around Aria's shoulder.

"Aria, you look so cute when you're so serious like that," he held her tightly as his eyes stared down the sidewalk.

"Freddy, you're teasing me again," Aria closed her eyes and leaned her head against Frederick's shoulder. "This wasn't supposed to be a date."

"It wasn't supposed to, but it's turned into one," Frederick looked down at the red-head next to him. Aria in a state of serenity sent him into a swirl of lust and tranquility. He wanted her. His body ached for her as well.

"Freddy . . ." Aria lifted her head from his shoulder and stared straight into his eyes as her emerald orbs fixed her gaze upon him. "I've . . . been thinking . . ."

"About what" Frederick stared right into her eyes as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. What could be so important as to throw Aria into this "seriousness of an adult" state?

"If I said that . . . that I loved you . . . what . . . I mean . . ." Aria madly blushed as she broke the tension that consumed her mind.

"That's funny Aria . . . I was going to ask you the same thing," Frederick pulled Aria close to him as he placed a silver ring upon her hand. Aria was dumbfounded by Frederick's unexpected proposal.

"Frederick - I!!!" Aria was cut off as Frederick placed his lips upon hers locking themselves in a deep kiss.

"I'm sorry . . . It was a stupid way to propose . . ." Frederick pressed his forehead upon Aria's.

"No!! No it's not!!" Aria felt tears start to blur her vision. "I just didn't think that you felt the same way!"

"I was going to do it on Valentine's Day . . . I just couldn't wait."

"Frederick," Aria clutched his arms as the embraced.

"Aria, I am yours and you are mine . . ."

I hope you all enjoyed this!! This is only a three part story, so I'm sorry that it's short