Zoe's P.O.V.

My hands shook as I swiped the piece of paper off the floor of the Gazebo. My eyes darted to the flowers that were set up inside, and the lights that were gleaming from the bushes. There were tears in my eyes, but they fell on the paper that was now shaking in my hands.

THE ZOE

Step #1: Admit to yourself that you still have feelings for this girl.

My mind raced back to four months ago, when I was breaking up with Joel.

"Zoe you just have to do it! You don't love him!" Wade chuckled as he said it. I rolled my eyes.

"It's not that easy Wade! He's a nice guy, I don't want to crush him."

"I hate to say it Big Z, but Wade's right. You need to dump Joel. You're just stringing him along at this point. He deserves better and so do you." Lavon threw in his two cents while eating his cereal.

"I'll do it alright! I just need to do it the right way." I said, frustrated. They had been pestering me about breaking up with Joel ever since I admitted that I was getting annoyed with him.

"Do it today, you need to do it as soon as possible." Wade instructed, pulling my phone out of my purse.

Joel, meet me at Butterstick at noon? Need to talk.

He typed, but I didn't stop him. I was dreading breaking his heart, but I wasn't happy. I missed being single and I needed to focus on my life right now.

"Gee thanks, now I have until noon to figure out how to tell him that he should pack up and go back to New York." I rolled my eyes again and picked my purse up from the counter and left. I made my way to the practice and busied myself with work until it was 11:45. I sighed before making my way to the Butterstick. I grabbed a table and waited for him to arrive. Things with Joel and I hadn't been very serious, but he was my first boyfriend since Wade. He was more of a placeholder to keep myself from going back to Wade. But I had eventually fallen out of love with Wade, and Joel was no longer needed. He walked through the door and saw me immediately.

"Hey babe." He kissed me quickly before taking the seat across from me.

"Hey." I trailed off.

"So what was so important?" He asked, picking up a menu.

"Oh, that, um. Well we have plenty of time to talk about that later. I just, well, how was your day?"

"Pretty boring I guess. I tried to write, but I gotta tell you, I can't write well down here."

"Oh, well maybe it just takes some time to get used to?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"So what's on your mind?" He asked me when Wade burst threw the door.

"Wade, what're you doing?" I asked him as he stormed over to our table.

"I love you Zoe." He deadpanned as he leaned cross the table. I stood up to reprimand him.

"Look, he doesn't love me, he's just trying-" I tried to explain to Joel before Wade interrupted me.

"I love everything about her. And I am not a guy who says that lightly. I am a guy who has faked love his entire life. I thought love was just something idiots thought they felt, but this woman has a hold on my heart that I couldn't break if I wanted to. And there have been times that I've wanted to. But I could not stop loving her anymore than I could stop breathing. It has been overwhelming, but humbling and painful at times, I am hopelessly, irretrievably in love with her. More than she knows." He shouted and everyone in the restaurant heard him. Joel was a bit taken aback by his expression since he and Wade were friends.

"Wow, um, Zoe, what is he talking about?"

"It's not her fault, she didn't know. I just had to let you both know before you went any farther in your relationship. I needed her to know that."

"Zoe, I hate to say it, but it seems like Wade really loves you. And I want you to be with a guy that can make you happy and that loves you that much, and I don't think that guy is me." Relief washed over me when he said that.

"I understand." I said slowly as he kissed me softly and then left the Butterstick. I reluctantly grabbed my purse and made my way to the Rammer Jammer. I spotted Wade immediately.

"What the hell was that?" I hissed through my teeth.

"Relax Doc, you weren't going to put the poor guy out of his misery, so I just sped up the process." He poured me a glass of wine and I took a seat on a barstool.

"I guess you're right."

"You know, a thank you would be nice."

"Thank you Wade Kinsella for professing your fake love to me to convince my boyfriend to move back to New York. I really owe you one." I gave him a sarcastic smile before downing my wine and heading home for the day. I chuckled slightly, shaking my head as I walked home. It was good to have the old Wade back again.