Subject to Change

Context: In the show, when Jamie and Amy are having a conversation, he brings up the fact that he's had a string of failed relationships. The longest was with a girl named Mel, whom he dated for eleven months; she broke it off when she caught him stealing money for drugs from her purse.

Prompt: Imagine your OTP going for a walk and suddenly Person A's ex/special friend strikes a conversation with them. Person B is jealous and stays quiet most of the time. Person A notices this and kindly tells ex/special friend they have to go. Person A then kisses Person B lovingly and tell them that they're the best thing that happened [to them] (or something like that).

soul mate (n.) - simply put; your one and only, the one you're destined to be with, the love of your life, the one you can't live without, your other half

~ thehostof, Ian O'Shea and Wanderer graphic

Melanie Richards had panicked when she'd found out her boyfriend had been filching money from her purse to pay off his drug boss. She knew she'd made the right decision ending things when she had; she didn't need to put up with dishonesty or unclean substances. And so eleven months into her semi-serious relationship with Jamie Bradley, she broke it off with him, giving him a slap in the face and a few choice words before speeding away in her car.

Jamie tried to hide his broken heart by acting relatively unfazed. He refused to let himself sulk or cry, especially since he'd been busted for drugs shortly after. He'd pushed the experience out of his mind and suppressed any shred of emotion that remained.

From time to time he'd remember her, paralyzing himself momentarily with thoughts of their time together. He would quickly distract his mind with other things, but she would linger there, unwanted, in the darkest corners of his memory. He wondered sometimes if she would ever truly leave him, if he really could leave her behind.

He'd had the engagement ring for a couple of weeks when she walked by the park bench.

"Didn't know you liked quiet places, Jamie," she said.

He glanced up, swallowing the yelp that threatened to escape him. "Well, you know me. I can be unpredictable."

"Of course." She cracked a smile. "So how've you been? 's been ages since I last saw you."

"Oh, you know. My life's been plastered over every newspaper this side of Leeds, as well as the rest of the country."

She rolled her eyes. "Guess I shouldn't have asked, then."

"Just assuming you're like everyone else."

"You'd be right. I kept up with your story…more than I would have liked, but I'll admit that I did. Congrats, by the way. 4 million is quite a lot."

"Yeah, well, most of it went to hospital bills and collateral, though Bob was pretty lenient, all things considered." He blew air out of his mouth. "Surprised I still have as much as I do."

"Probably for the best, right?"

"Probably." He glanced at her briefly. "What have you been up to, then?"

"Nothing near as exciting as you. Finished school, got my graduate in primary education, got myself a suitable flat. You know…normal stuff."

"Doesn't sound normal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound like it was easy."

She was silent for a moment. "It…it wasn't. It just seems mundane compared to what you've been doing."

"And you'd rather be in my place?"

She didn't answer that. Silence passed over them before she spoke again.

"Are you…still buying, Jamie?"

He shook his head. "Not for a couple years now. Feels good. Didn't know what I was missing out on." He bit his lip. "I, uh…sorry about stealing that twenty from your purse. I was…desperate."

"I suppose I can forgive you. You've learned your lesson, I'm guessing."

"Oh, did I ever."

"Well, then. I see no reason to hold a grudge."

"So you didn't…you didn't mean to call me worthless, then?"

"I was…angry, yeah? I think we both said things we didn't mean."

It went beyond that. It went beyond their last moments as a couple, beyond his hurt feelings. There was always one question that came to mind on the occasion that she'd cross it, and now was his chance to ask.

"Mel? Did…did you ever -"

"Hi, Jamie." Cathy shyly wound a strand of hair around her finger. "Sorry I'm late, Emma kept me for a bit and…" She trailed off, her gaze shifting from her boyfriend to the woman next to him.

Jamie was on his feet in an instant. "Er…Cathy, this is Mel. Mel, this is my girlfriend, Cathy."

Cathy felt all the color drain from her face as she realized what was going on. She shakily offered her hand, shaking Mel's. "Nice to finally meet you. I've…heard plenty."

"Wish I could say the same. You work with Jamie or something?"

"Sort of. I'm his former boss's niece."

"So did he ask you out in the frozen foods or something?"

Cathy's eyes widened. "Listen, I…I can see you two have some catching up to do, so…"

"Cathy, it's alright, you can…"

"No…I just…I can just go for a walk, you know." She turned on her heel and walked briskly down the path, leaving the other two bewildered for a moment.

"Did I…?" Mel frowned.

"I sort of told her everything."

"And she's…"

"I guess so." Jamie heavily sat down again. "Even after almost a year together." He stared down the path, catching her form before she disappeared around the corner. "Mel…I wanted to ask you…do you think things would have…you know…worked out…with you and me?"

Mel opened and closed her mouth several times, coming up short. "I…I honestly don't know, Jamie. You know, I…it's just…things turned out so differently than I thought they would. I mean…it's not that I didn't think about it, since we dated for so long. But I think part of me always knew that you weren't investing everything into our relationship."

He nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the corner. "I just always sort of wondered."

"Even if I wanted to pick things up, I wouldn't even try anything. You love her."

"Hmm…"

"She doesn't want to lose you."

"Mmm-hmm."

"You're going to propose, aren't you?"

Jamie jerked, blinking. "How did you…?"

"You're thick, you know?" She laughed, shaking her head. "The second she walked up, your entire expression changed. You looked so sad when she said she had to leave. The two of you have this sort of…glow about you. You'd be crazy not to do something about it."

Jamie stared at her for a moment. "She was with me when no one else was. She visited me every week when I was in prison. She's so strong and she doesn't even realize it." He felt a smile spreading across his face. "She's beautiful and…you're right. I love her."

"This is why we didn't work out, Jamie. You're obviously crazy for her and you're not afraid to express that." She gave him a hug. "You really should go after her. She needs you. Can't very well have her thinking otherwise."

"Right." He stood. "Good to see you, Mel. Take care, yeah?"

"Take care, Jamie."

He found her sitting on the shore of the only lake in town, hugging her knees to her chest and a few stray tears in her eyes. He didn't say anything, just tugged her to her feet and into his arms. They stood for a moment before Jamie pulled away slightly, taking her face in his hands and giving her one of his warmest smiles.

"Remember when I said that winning the lottery was the best thing that had ever happened to me?" He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I wasn't really thinking. You have to realize that it's you. You, Catherine Lorina Davies, are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He didn't know if she was going to answer or not; either way he didn't let her. He brought her lips to his, kissing her with increasing fervor and passion. He felt her melting into him, draping her arms around his neck and bringing him closer.

Jamie almost proposed to her that day, but ultimately decided not to. He still needed time to process all that had happened, and didn't want her to think it was solely for her sake and to mend any hurt feelings. No, it was better that he wait to ask her.

It was easy to mourn what could have been with Mel, to imagine the life he could have had. There were plenty of things he could have done differently that would have taken his life in countless different directions, and he found it took almost no effort to ponder a life with his ex-girlfriend.

After a moment, he realized that that wasn't what he wanted to do. Things had happened the way they had for a reason, and he couldn't go back to how they were. He found that he didn't want to; there were things he wasn't proud of, but every time he glanced at Cathy, he knew that the way his life was turning out was exactly how he wanted it to. A life with Cathy was something Jamie wouldn't change for anything.