After a ridiculously long time of not writing this, I have decided to finish this. Thank you everyone for sticking with this for so long and for encouraging me to finish it. This chapter is for you!
Chapter 10: Happily Ever After
"Dean, wait!" Louise called, hurrying after him as his tall figure disappeared into the crowd.
She lost sight of him, stopped, and stood still, tears prickling the back of her eyes. She had blown it. He had come to an event specifically to make up with her and then he had seen her kissing another man. Way to go Louise.
"Louise?" James touched her arm tentatively.
She took his hand off her gently and sighed. "James, I'm sorry but…I, uh, I've got to go."
She turned and fled into the centre of the ballroom but Dean had got lost amongst the crowd.
"Damnit," she breathed, nearly in tears.
"Louise, what's going on? Is something wrong?" James appeared behind her, a concerned look on his face.
"I'm not feeling very well, could you possibly take me home?" she sniffed.
"Sure," he agreed, "I'll just get the coats and call the car. We can leave in five minutes"
"Thanks James," she smiled, "you're a good friend."
She scanned the ballroom again as he disappeared off but there was no sign of Dean.
She was silent all the way home, shifting away from James' inquisitive touch. As soon as the car stopped outside her apartment she jumped out quickly, not even saying goodbye. Once at home she put on her flannel pyjamas and curled up under a blanket on the sofa, sipping a mug of hot chocolate. The tv droned on in the background – some romantic comedy – but she paid no attention to it. She just stared ahead numbly, all traces of tears gone. There was a loud, sudden knock at the door. She glanced up, startled, then slowly made her way over to the door, blanket still wrapped around her. She opened it, expecting the pizza guy, or maybe James. It was neither. Dean stood there looking harried, tuxedo crumpled, bow-tie hanging off.
"You're not the pizza guy" she whispered.
He didn't smile. "No. I'm not. Can I come in?"
She nodded, and opened the door a little more. He gazed down at her, seemingly not noticing her slobby appearance.
"That guy – James, he was just a friend, an old friend" she started to babble.
He shook his head. "I'm not here to talk about that guy. It's none of my business. What I did want to talk about is you. And me."
"Yeah?" she croaked.
"It just seems that every time we try and be together, something gets in the way. And I can't deal with that."
Tear started to prickle the back of her eyes. She had been here before, she knew what was going to come next.
"Which is why I'm going to fight for you" he continued.
She looked up at him in astonishment. "Huh?"
"I don't want to be the guy that walks away. I've always been that guy. This time I'm going to see it through because you and me – well, we're good together. We are better than good, we're great and we deserve a chance to be great. So screw that guy, screw Rory, screw everyone. It's you and it's me and I'm not taking no for an answer"
She stood, frozen, unable to utter a word. Just her eyes on his, the only two people in the world. After a while he cleared his throat.
"So, what do you think?"
She laughed, as tears began to stream down her face. "I think that I love you Dean Forester!"
He also began to laugh and then his lips crushed hers into the sweetest, most perfect kiss Louise had ever had.
"I love you Louise Grant. And nothing is going to change that."
They kissed, and kissed and kissed. Nothing more. Just lips on lips, fingers intertwined. A knocking at the door finally broke them apart, breathless and laughing. Louise paid the blushing pizza boy with a wide smile.
"What were you watching?" Dean asked, motioning to the tv as Louise dumped the pizza down onto the coffee table.
"Huh? Oh, I don't know. Something stupid. Nothing as good as real life."
"We could watch something, if you want?"
"A movie? Really? I thought we could…catch up"
"Oh, they'll be plenty of time for catching up," he winked.
She giggled. "Ok, what do you want to watch?"
"Whatever you want to watch"
"I want to watch what you want to watch"
"Oh God, we're acting like teenagers." With a grin he pulled her down onto the couch and began tickling her until she shrieked for mercy.
"Fine! We're watching The Notebook"
"Again?" he groaned.
"I thought that you wanted to watch what I wanted?"
"Well yeah, but, not that"
"Oh, I see how it is!" She pulled him down for another long kiss. "Compromise. When Harry Met Sally."
"Perfect," he grinned.
As they put on the movie and tucked into the pizza, Louise draped her legs across his lap contentedly and he absently stroked her hair. This was romance, Louise mused. Life wasn't castles and magic and glass slippers. It was pizza and teasing and movies. She didn't need a fairytale life. What she had was far better.