Haha I've just been writing up a storm this week! :P
Disclaimer: You know the drill...
~L~
Catalyst – a substance that affects the rate of a reaction but is
not changed in the reaction
The strong wind that blew messed up Ian's hair, but he didn't notice. All he could think about was the beautiful girl standing near him. Her side was facing him, her hair blowing behind her in the soft gale. Her arms were crossed over the stone railing in front of her. She looked out onto the sparkling water in the sunset.
He stepped closer to her and enveloped her hand in his. She glanced at him but gave no reaction other than that.
"That water's beautiful, is it not?" he asked, trying to spark a conversation. She nodded, then sighed.
"Why did you bring me here, Ian?" She was looking at him now.
He smiled. "I have something I need to ask you."
Fear sparked behind Amy's eyes. "What's that?"
He got down on one knee in front of her and took her right hand in both of his. "Will you marry me?"
She didn't seem startled by this at all. She seemed almost... sad. She didn't say anything for a long time.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Have I done something to upset you?"
She knelt in front of him and pulled him into a hug. He readily wrapped his arms around her body and held her close to him. When she finally answered, her voice was tremulous and breathy.
"I can't," she whispered. He stiffened in her embrace, and his arms around her loosened.
"Why not?" he asked after a long pause. He put her away from him at arms' length. "What have I done? Is it something I said?" A horrifying though came to him. "Is there someone else?"
A small stream of tears flowed from Amy's jade green eyes. "I'm sorry."
He looked at her with the most pitiful expression that Amy had ever seen. His jaw trembled some, but he clenched it. He got up from his kneeling position and helped Amy up. She looked remorsefully at him. He returned with a solemn expression. Without another word, he turned around and walked away.
With every step he took, it felt like someone was stabbing his heart over and over and over. The world around him seemed fuzzy and warped as if his senses had suddenly been dulled.
"I'm so sorry!" she called after him. He smiled bitterly to himself. Oh, sure. She'd be sorry for a little while, but soon enough, she'd get over it and have a good relationship with the other man whom she loved more than him. She may move on, but he would always love her.
~L~
*sigh* Such a sad little one-shot. :'( I don't usually write things like this because they're always too sad for my taste, but I got this awesome idea in life science when my teacher was explaining to us what a catalyst is. Hence the name. :) If you don't get why it's called Catalyst, it's because his love is a catalyst. It affected how fast she made her decision, but it wasn't affected by her ultimate decision. R&R ! :)
~Sugar