Waiting
Author: Katleap
Pairings: 1x2
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Waiting
When I received the invitation in the mail, I think a part of me died. I had been hoping that you would come back, return of your own will with apologies in your eyes and promises of forever on your lips. Instead a thick cream colored envelope filled with heavy fancy scripted words adorned with broad black loops and elegant swirls arrived at my door.
I spent most of the day staring at it, sitting innocently on the corner of my desk. Finally the office was silent and I carefully opened the letter with steady fingers. I didn't want to go. Perhaps the only reason I didn't chuck it in the trash was the delicate hand written script on the bottom.
Please come.
So I did.
Arriving the day before the wedding, I avoided you. You knew I was there and every time you looked for me I had made myself scarce. But I watched you, the whole time. Saw every move of your lips in her ear, every touch, every look. I was your shadow that you never saw.
Today I let you see me. But there was no time to speak, with you dressed in black tails and giving orders so the event would be perfect. Nothing less than perfection, aye. I sat in the back during the ceremony, seeing the two of you together. Her white knuckle grip on you, your reassuring squeezes, the smiles, the tears, the kisses. The tight embrace you shared at the end and the way your eyes followed her.
I envied the looks more than the brush of lips. The long concerning looks you gave her as she circulated through the guests, how your eyes rarely left her, following like a dotting lover.
She came to me, eventually gliding through the crowd like a queen of old. Dress sweeping the floor, elegance in every line. She embraced me, fingers on my shoulders, her elbows pulled tight to her side. One of those hugs when you mean it but aren't sure where you stand with the other person. My reciprocation was just as brief and tactile as hers. She pulled back but didn't let go. "I'm so glad you came."
"Anything for you Princess."
She just looked at me, stared straight into my eyes as though she could read my soul. For a very long moment she stared, then smiled, half sad half wistful. It made her look even more beautiful. "Don't give up yet."
And she was moving on to the next guest.
The party lasted until ten, when the happy couple departed under white confetti, hugs, kisses and farewells. I watched from the doorway.
In the wee hours of the morning I couldn't stand it anymore. Everyone else would have retreated to bed. You were waiting in the shadows next to the stairs. Almost as if you were waiting to stop me from leaving if I tried. I moved past you. My name was low on your lips. But nothing stopped me until you grabbed my arm to stop me from touching the floor of the entrance hall.
"Let go."
You said nothing, but your grip tightened.
A step above the polished floor, I stood on the stairs and could not bring myself to turn around. My breath trembled as I breathed in and out with deliberate purpose. "I can't wait anymore."
Your fingers loosened and only the faint depression of your hand told me you still touched my jacket.
"I can't wait with you here. I told you I would wait and I keep my promises, but not where you are. I need to go."
I pulled from your slack grip, moving toward the exit. I made it all the way to the door and put my hand on the knob but I just couldn't make the piece of metal rotate. Leaning my forehead against the door, I could feel the bag at my side shift against my thigh.
The silence stretched.
"What do you want?" It was always me that cracked. I never could withstand that emptiness when it stood between us. "I'm tired and I need something from you, if this waiting is going to continue. Either I leave now or you…" the words petered out.
The minutes seemed like hours and there was no reply. No movement. So that's the way it is. The knob shifted under my hand.
My name left your lips like a promise, small with only the offer of hope.
I waited.
Your hands on my shoulders pulling me into the foyer. Your hands pulling the bag off my shoulder and the jacket from my body. Your hands clasped around my waist. Your warmth pressed against my back. Your breath against my neck.
Morning would find us curled on the couch, locked in a sleeping embrace. Your suit badly wrinkled, your tie, the only piece removed draped over the edge of the chair, on top of my jacket. My feet unhappy about being left in shoes all night and goose bumps on my arms from sleeping without covers.
We'd retreat to the privacy of your office and talk for hours. I will forgive you for making me wait. I will give you anything you ask for.
But for now all I wanted was to sink into your embrace. It was all I wanted. The only thing worth waiting for, your love.
Owari
AN: I've had some mixed reactions so just to clear up any ideas Relena didn't marry Heero. She married someone else and is very happy with him. Heero is working as her chief of security. I didn't want to actually come out and say that, its not the point and there are hints. But it might not have been clear enough. Hope this helps.