She watched the train pull away from the station, her heart numb with pain. He was gone. Her Michael was gone. Brushing away tears, she turned and waded her way through the sea of passengers, wishing that Michael hadn't gotten on the train. Just as she was about to completely dissolve into a puddle of despair, she saw him. He was sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. He looked absolutely heartbroken. And she was to blame for it.
Taking a few steps across the marble floor, she stopped just feet from where he sat and then slid quietly into the space beside him. Her heart pounded as she wrung her hands in her lap. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so nervous. Then again, she couldn't remember the last time that she'd hurt her best friend so badly. She felt him beside her, but she couldn't breathe, couldn't even look at him. Her heart rate increased to that of a freight train.
"I have a confession to make." She began. "Another… confession." She felt his eyes on her, but still she could not look at him. "Besides the fact that I… love you…. this one is even worse."
For a split second, she considered not confessing at all. But she'd come all this way and she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't. There was no going back. He deserved to know the truth.
"Jules, what is it?"
She swallowed hard. "The email that Walter sent to your boss? I wrote that." When she finally dared to look at him, he looked angrier than she'd ever seen him.
"What?"
"I'm the bad guy."
He shot to his feet. "Jules, are you crazy?" He shouted. "Are you completely insane? How could you do that?"
He was yelling, attracting the attention of nearly everyone in the station; a sight that both frightened and embarrassed her. Michael O'Neal wasn't the type of person who angered easily, which spoke volumes. And she knew deep down that she fully deserved the unwanted attention and bitterness.
"It wasn't supposed to be sent." She explained, knowing how lame it sounded. "I swear it, Michael. You were the only one who was supposed to see it. Only you."
"WHY?" He shouted, his angry voice echoing off of the marble interior.
"I-I just… I wanted you to get mad at Kimmy so that you'd-."
"So that I'd what, Jules? So that I'd break up with her?"
His handsome face blurred before her eyes and tears spilled onto her cheeks.
"Yes." She said the word barely a whisper.
"Well I hope you're happy because that's exactly what happened."
"Wait, what?"
"Yes, Jules. We're through!"
"But-how can you know that? I mean-."
"It doesn't matter how I know it. And even though I haven't broken up with her face to face, it's pretty much a done deal, isn't it? Jules, she saw us kissing! What would you do in that situation?"
"I-I don't know! Probably the same thing."
"You're damn right you would have done the same thing! Kimmy may not be that bright, but she's not stupid."
"Michael, I never thought… Can't you just go back there and explain? Or I'll do it. We'll do it together. I-."
He shook his head. "No."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't very well go back there and show my face anymore. I've been humiliated enough. Just tell me one thing, Jules."
"Okay."
"Why?"
"Because I-I love you, Michael."
"Jules…"
She knelt down in front of him and took his hands. One look into his eyes and she began to sob. "I'm so sorry, Michael. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I swear! It's just that when you called, I-."
"You what?"
"I thought-."
"What did you think?"
There was a long silence before she was able to continue. "I thought you were going to ask me to marry you."
When their eyes met he was staring at her in disbelief. "What? Jules, why would you think-."
"The pact. Don't you remember?"
"What pact? What in the heck are you talking about?"
"The one we made when we were in college. We said that if neither of us was married by the time we were thirty that we'd marry each other."
He buried his face in his hands; a gesture that made her cry even harder. "Oh my God…"
"I'm so sorry, Michael. I didn't mean to fall in love with you. I just…"
To her surprise, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, making her shiver. How had she forgotten how wonderful his touch felt? She closed her eyes and kissed his palm.
"Jules…"
"Do you love me, Michael? Just… tell me the truth. If you don't love me, I'll understand. I just need to know, all right?"
He said nothing, just continued to stare into her eyes. But nothing could have prepared her for when he spoke again.
"You really love me that much that you went to all of that trouble? Sending the email, chasing me all the way here? I-how did you get here anyway?"
She blushed. "Bread truck."
His eyes widened. "You stole a bread truck?"
"Yes, but it was only-."
She expected him to start shouting again, but he surprised her by laughing out loud.
"What's so funny?"
"You! Oh my God Jules, I can't believe you did that! Reminds me of the crazy stuff we used to do in college! Man, I miss those days, don't you?"
"Yes. I think about them all the time."
"So do I. Along with that-."
"… One hot night…" They said together. The coincidence made them laugh and she fell against his shoulder.
"Oh God, Michael I ruined everything, didn't I?" When he didn't answer right away she sat up and looked at him.
"Actually, no."
"I-."
He moved toward her and pressed his lips to hers, making her heart flutter. "Thank you, Jules."
"How can you possibly be thanking me?"
"Because if it hadn't been for your antics, I never would have realized."
"Realized what?"
"That I'm not ready for this."
"For what?"
"This. Marriage, family, any of it. And Kimmy… we're complete opposites."
"But you proposed to her, so you must have felt something for her!"
"I did… I guess. I do love her but the thought of spending the rest of my life with her… or anyone..."
"So...what should we do?"
"Well, for starters, this…"
They kissed again, longer this time and she wrapped her arms around him. "Michael, are you sure about this?"
He smiled and nodded. "Absolutely."
"What about Kimmy?"
"I really need to go over there and face the music; tell her that the weddings off I guess. But not now."
"So what do we do?"
"Well, we're not too far from the river cruise. What do you say we take another one?"
She smiled and took his hand. "That sounds perfect. But on one condition."
His eyebrows rose. "What condition is that?"
"Dance with me and sing Someday?"
He kissed her again. "That was my plan."
THE END