a/n and this is chapter 44, the second last. I should be in bed, but I wanted to update. Thanks to Showni13, LaReinaMia, RatedrKjErIcHo, LitaQueenOfXtreme, tvrox12, Neurotic-Idealist, XODaniiOX, Julzi and hOtlilmofo for being so kind as to review! I like nine reviews! =D lol Enjoy!
"I want to know why... Why you stood me up."
"Oh..." he gritted his teeth, "Abou' tha'."
"Look, just tell moi and we will be grand."
"Ted told me tha' yeh liked Mike." My jaw dropped just before my upper lip scowled, "He said tha' it di'n't look like yeh was gettin' over him anytime soon." I looked at him and he looked apologetic. I ran a hand over my face and sighed.
"Of course he did." I mumbled, "You couldn't tell me? Maybe save me the embarrassment?" I asked coldly, still in disbelief that I had been stood up, even if I had been given a reason.
"Ah'll admi' tha' was a bad decision on ma part. Ah'm sorry, Claire. I shoulda told yeh sooner."
"I guess it was all Teddy's fault." I shrugged and smiled as warmly as I could, "Je vais parler à Teddy." I'll go talk to Teddy. That wasn't as easy as it sounded, though. He had disappeared with Brett and Ted Senior to get ready for their speeches.
I decided to leave it alone for the time being and find my seat.
"Where'd you disappear to?" Mike asked when I sat down next to him. I smiled at him and straightened out my dress, waiting for the ceremony to start, "Claire? Where'd you go?"
"Oh, yeah, I just needed to speak to someone. Oh, look! It's starting!" I said excitedly.
Once the ceremony was finished, the superstars and inductees sat down for a lovely three course meal. In between the entree and the main course, everyone was relaxing.
I couldn't help but smile. Mike's arm was over the back of my chair and he was talking to John Hennigan who sat next to him. Filling out the rest of the table were Melina, Matt Korklan, his girlfriend, Lauren, Cody and Gwen.
"You're eyes," Melina said as she stared across the table, "Are exactly the same colour as Gwen's dress."
"Mine?" I asked with a laugh, looking down at the blue dress when Melina nodded. "Mike? Are my eyes as blue as her dress?" he laughed before he even looked up. I smiled at him, making my eyes as wide as I could without looking ridiculous and moved closer to Gwen.
"I think your eyes are bluer." The table burst out in laughter and felt my face go red.
I excused myself when I saw Ted walking outside to get some fresh air; I was going to talk to him about the Stephen situation. I needed everything to be sorted so I could take April and May off without too much weighing on my shoulders.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm in trouble?" he asked when I stood beside him. I shook my head and breathed in the fresh air. "Randy wants to know if you're still mad at him."
"I forgot about that," I spoke to myself, thinking back to the hospital, "I suppose I should go talk to him, too. Not that it matters, we'll have another fight in a couple of weeks."
"What'd you want to talk to me about?" he asked and I looked at the ground.
"I spoke to Stephen and he said you had something to do with him standing me up."
"In all fairness, I told him about Mike... I didn't tell him to stand you up." He told me and I half heartedly smiled.
"What would have happened if this all never happened?" I asked, referring to Mike and I being together, "What if Stephen was my chance at being happy?" I had gone quiet, having just thought of that.
"I've been pulling for you and Mike since you told me. It was getting to the stage where I was going to make it happen." He couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"You're lucky that something happened," I said slowly, "Or I would've had to kill you."
Silence consumed us, only the cars passing on the main street around the corner.
I jumped when my phone started to ring and I shook my head at the caller ID.
"I think I have to take this..."
"Yeah, I should be heading back inside anyway. Don't be too long."
I answered the phone and listened to the person on the other line speak. None of it really made sense when she was speaking, but I felt myself begin to cry. I mumbled slow answers and tried to take it all in.
It sunk in. It just didn't seem real. She ended the conversation and I hung up. I chose to sit on the ground and think about what had just happened.
How do you really begin to comprehend what you've just heard when you really don't want to? That moment when you try and think back to how you've told yourself you'd react, only to have it gone and unreachable.
I didn't even try to hide that I'd been crying when the door opened. I barely even recognised that someone has sat beside me. When they wrapped their arms around me, however, I knew who it was. It could only be one person. I continued to cry and listened as he told me it'd be okay.
"Randy," I said quietly, finally finding my voice, "Do you believe in heaven?" I asked him and he squeezed me tighter.
"Of course I do, Claire." He whispered against the top of my head, "You do, too." He told me and I wanted to nod. I did. I always had.
