The Ways Around It

The Ways Around It

Wanda looked on at the retreating form of Cosmo. It was one of those times where everyone was patting her on the back in some way and nodding their heads in agreement. Yet there was something empty about it. It didn't happen like she thought it would. Wanda felt the surge of guilt washing through her once again. That feeling you get when you are sure that you have done something terribly wrong, but you can't pinpoint exactly why… She felt it all the time.

He hung his head low, feeling this strange emotion. It was far more complex than anything he had ever felt before. Sad… yes… this was definite… but there was something else… Respect… well, yes, but also, no. He thought long and hard as he steadily floated away, but couldn't make out the word. Tears started rolling down his face, as he thought with all of his strength. This feeling…. did it begin with a 'g'?

Little did they know that as they hung their heads in direct defining of this word, that the other at that very moment was doing the same, but there was no way around it.

At that very moment, they wiped the tears glistening like mica in their eyes and thought solemnly to themselves, "…It had to be done."

Present Day…

Wanda smiled as she read the back cover of the novel she held in her hand. It was these kinds of days in spring where the petals fell gracefully from her favorite cherry blossom tree outside her favorite romantic bookstore. They made her think of her favorite love songs and remember her most cherished childhood memories. A warm inner feeling deep within her flew through her entire body. She would give anything to relive this time of year whenever she needed an extra day of calm relaxation.

As Wanda paid for an old, Victorian romance novel, she walked out to the cherry blossom tree wondering what she would bring this time to her picnic-for-one. Wanda closed her eyes and took in the glorious sounds and floral scents around her, melding in a dancing medley that left her stripped of all words. It was a calm and peaceful day where every fairy seemed to be in balance with nature and everything around them. Fairies, after all, were very in tune with the phenomenon of harmony and balance. They controlled half of all that occurs on earth, though fairy godparents were told never to reveal this to their godchildren.

She smiled to herself. How wonderful would that be? To have a godchild to make happy and live their amazing fantasies. In the future, she told herself, … someday. Wanda pulled out her wand and maneuvered it through her fingers, weaving them around it with a practiced skill. Ah… yes… she knew what she wanted to eat today. With the simple glowing of her wand, a perfectly placed picnic cloth appeared below the falling petals of the tree in front of her. Following were the sweet aromas of a plate of stacked assorted sandwiches, a bowel of her most loved fresh fruits, and a berry pie with fresh sugar cream on the side.

--

Cosmo watched her from the distance of a nearby coffee shop. No, he never really went there to drink coffee… not only did it cause him to become unnaturally hyper, but then he knew that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on watching her. Ever since what had happened between them a good few years ago, which wasn't very long considering that they were fairies with unending lives, he had always committed to staying close enough to make sure that she would always be safe. He couldn't stand the thought of her being disturbed on one of her favorite times of year. That would be just awful…

He knew that he probably shouldn't though. If she knew that he always came to see her when she came here… she would never come back. He would never be able to gaze at her and remember the times before the incident. The only way he ever remembered was by looking at her while she lay there, watching the clear, periwinkle sky. She held the same expression as when they were together those days… but only when she was here, gazing so lovingly at the sky.

Cosmo breathed a quiet sigh for maybe the hundredth time. He held a small, thick romance novel close to his heart. Cosmo looked down at it. Its pages were beginning to change color with age. The cover was a bit tattered and wrinkled, and he had never been the one that was supposed to read it. Well, he couldn't read it anyway, but it was meant to be read by… someone else… and it was also a part of the most dramatic event to ever happen in his life… one that he could remember.

It was back when they were convinced that their perfect match had discovered them… the day he remembered most of all. He felt this feeling only once in his lifetime, every time he stood near Wanda, held her hand, or complemented her when she was feeling hurt or depressed. Especially when he had first noticed her crying by herself in no other than her favorite place, over the breakup and heartache from her ex-boyfriend. He had sat there and comforted her.

After a while, though, their friendship grew into a silent relationship far beyond that, though it didn't appear that way to anyone else, which was exactly what they had intended. They didn't have to be pressured by anyone. They could be comfortable around each other, no problem. They could share their most personal moments together without suspicion. However, one day, Cosmo felt this undying need to tell her something… something that he wasn't sure was even true, but he needed to. Something inside him was yelling for the world to hear… and it wouldn't be silenced until he did. He would tell her tonight, where people would, hopefully, understand. Then his restless mind could focus on what he truly cared about more than anything else in the world.

That night, Cosmo met with Wanda at the annual Moonlight Dance, where the fairies of the world came together under a starlit sky, a full moon looming overhead, pouring down it's soft, radiant light. Wanda's head was resting aside Cosmo as they laid on the cool grass with the unusually warm night air drifting about them. Cosmo realized that he had better tell her soon… before he would never have another chance so easily show itself to him.

"Um… Wanda?"

"Yes?" she replied, smiling up at him.

"I… need to talk to you about something," Wanda frowned and lifted her head up, taken slightly aback. She averted her gaze momentarily. Wanda had never heard him start a sentence that way before, let alone directed to her.

Cosmo looked away slightly before continuing, Wanda looking on, "Well, you see, I have a problem," he started casually and innocently, "and I think it has something to do with you."

Wanda was worried now. What was he getting at? What ever it was, she couldn't stand to hear another word… at least not while looking directly at him.

"…But I have been meaning to tell you for a while," his pace quickened, "and I don't know if you could help me…"

Her face softened a bit now, confused and sympathetic at the same time. "Really? Well… what is it Cosmo?"

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I… I think I'm in love…"

She gaped at him, surprised.

"…With you!" He added quickly under his breath.

She didn't know what to say. Suddenly, though, he could actually see her eyes become a bit… fearful. She looked away once again, her mouth still partially open. Love. What a strong word. It defined everything that would happen to someone in his or her life. Everything that a person did or hoped to do someday, love changed it all. And she was young. He was young… and he was Cosmo. She wasn't sure that he knew, or would ever know if he were truly in love. Wanda, on the other hand… she read so many books. She saw so many movies and other people falling in love. Did he really know much about her? Did he pay attention to her? Sometimes… but he was Cosmo. And more importantly she knew… she was young. It had to be done…

Cosmo took Wanda's silence as an immediate response. Cosmo may have been clueless sometimes, but one thing he wasn't was insensitive. Wanda tried to make him understand.

"Cosmo… I'm sorry… I…" but at that moment, he slowly got up and began to float away, holding his gift for her, a book that she had had her eye on for ages at the bookstore near her favorite cherry blossom tree, in his cold, numb hands. From behind him, he could hear people nearby comforting Wanda, some sympathizing and agreeing with her decision. But he also heard her voice… and somehow, there seemed to be some sort of heart telling just how much it had hurt her to say so. No matter what though, he knew that he had to tell her. It had to be done…

She was asleep now, and Cosmo sat in the coffee shop reminiscing on that unforgettable memory. After then, they had run into each other now and again… at first being a bit awkward. After a while though, if they did meet, they would laugh and talk, and sometimes even reminisce together. That became more frequent than ever as time went by, and sometimes they would even meet together to do just that. This time though, as their relationship rekindled itself, he gave her all of the space she needed, when he could sense when she needed it.

Cosmo looked back down at the book. After all these years… he was finally going to give it to her, now that they understood each other more than ever before… More than they ever thought they could. He felt this undying need to tell her something… something that now he knew to be true. Something inside him was yelling for the world to hear… and it wouldn't be silenced until he did. He would tell her tonight, at the annual dance… and give her the book. Only this time… it had an engraved ring within the pages.

"Wanda"