Author: Dazzling
Email: glitter_and_glam@hotmail.com
Disclaimers: Nope, not mine at all, unfortunately. I do, however, own the roommates, if that counts.
Notes: My first YA attempt. Please be kind!
Summary: After three years of separate lives, the Rawley gang is united. J/H!!!
Rating: Oh, PG. Just to be safe.
Distribution: Yeah, go for it. Just put my name on it and tell me where it's going.
Reviews and Feedback: Please, please, please? I'm addicted to it!
REMINISCE ABOUT THE FUTURE
Jake Pratt stormed through the door of her dorm room at Columbia University and flopped back onto her bed with a long, drawn-out sigh. Her roommate, Maria Sears, looked over from the desk where she was sitting and grinned.
"Rough day at the office? Or, rather, the English Lit. class?" Maria asked with mock concern.
"God, you have NO idea!" Jake replied, pulling herself up onto her elbows. "I think this essay may actually kill me. How tragic, dying at the age of twenty."
"And of English overkill, no less." Maria swivelled around in her chair. "C'mon, Jake, it's not that bad."
Jake sat up properly and gave her an evil look. "Yeah, this from Miss I-Got-Straight-A's-In-High-School-And-Am-Now-Acing-My-Creative-Writing-Major. Easy for you to say."
Maria grinned at her again, then reached behind her and grabbed something, tossing it at Jake. "This envelope came for you today. Postmark's Rawley Academy. Now, what could they want with you, MR Pratt?"
Jake smiled faintly as she grabbed the envelope. During a late night bonding session, she had shared with Maria the story of her cross-dressing high school days. Jake ripped the envelope open and extracted the card inside, reading it silently.
"What is it?" Maria asked her. "An invite to the cross-dressers ball? An impromptu meeting of the she-men?"
Jake tossed a pillow at Maria's head. "A formal notice informing me of the 'Reunion and Regatta' weekend coming up at Rawley. They request my presence." She said this last part in a snobbish voice with her nose raised in the air, sending Maria into a fit of giggles.
"So, are you gonna go?" she asked once she'd recovered.
"I dunno," Jake said uncertainly. It could be fun, she supposed, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to see some of the old students that badly.
"Oh, go on!" Maria goaded her. "There's free food, a chance to scope out the younger boys, and you never know, maybe a chance to see...Hamilton!"
Jake groaned, feeling the old pang in her heart, the one that came whenever his name was mentioned. "I should have never told you about him. Fine, I'll go. Relive the old life." She fingered her shoulder-length brown hair thoughtfully.
Maria shook her head. "Nah, go as a girl. Confuse them all!"
Jake smiled at that and heaved herself off her bed, nodding. She'd do just that.
***
Across the country, Hamilton Flemming was woken up by a loud, insistent knocking on his door. He grunted, rolled out of bed, and opened it.
"Mail delivery for Mr. Hamilton!" his friend and roomie Justin Crowe joked as he entered the room. "Here're your daily bills, man."
Hamilton flicked through them, not the slightest bit interested until he came across one bearing the Rawley Academy crest.
"What do we have here?" he mused aloud, as he ripped it open. Justin grabbed a Coke from the fridge and plonked himself down next to Hamilton. He grabbed the card and envelope from Hamilton's hands.
"Ah, an invite from the old Alma Mata? Rawley Academy invites the graduates from both the Boy and Girl's schools to join us for a regatta weekend. Great fun, man. You going?"
Hamilton got up and walked to the fridge. "Nah. I left that behind when I graduated. No need to stir up old memories."
Justin eyed him knowingly. "You may have left the school behind dude, but fifty bucks is willing to say that a certain girl remains embedded in your mind."
Hamilton was quiet for a moment. "Yes, she does," he said softly. "And she always will. But we're over, as is the chapter of my life that Rawley Academy comprised. There's no point in going back."
"But your olds are there, man. So are all your friends, and that cool teacher you told me about, and a huge part of your life. And, I'm betting, so is the love of your life. All I'm saying is, think about it."
Justin rose and sat at his desk, pulling put a notepad. "Anyway, dude, I gotta do an assignment, so get out of here." He laughed. "Give the regatta thing a thought. It could be fun."
Hamilton slapped him five as he gathered his things and walked out the door. Somehow, he knew he'd end up going. Going back to the place where the only girl he'd ever loved had stolen his heart, and then he'd broken hers. Going back to Jake.
***
Stopping at his mailbox on the way to the dining hall for dinner, Scout Calhoun pulled out a bunch of flyers advertising pep rallies, a letter from the bank and a cream envelope. Curious, he opened it first.
"Rawley Academy invites you..." he recited softly. His eyes were scanning the rest of the card when it was whipped out of his hands.
"Well well well, what's all this?" his friend Dave Jenkins asked as he circled in front of Scout and returned the card.
"Hey, buddy," Scout greeted him, his attention going back to the card in his hand.
"What does our little Boy Scout have there?" Dave teased.
Scout grinned at the nickname, used by now to Dave's sense of humour. "Some invite to a regatta and reunion think. You know, come back to us, so we can see what bad choices you've made since you left sort of thing."
"Sounds, well, honestly not that exciting. Thinking of taking up the challenge?"
Scout smiled. 'Yeah, I guess. I mean I haven't seen Will for three years, or Ham, and it'd be cool to catch up."
"Will and Ham being...?"
"Oh, two old buddies," Scout explained. "Haven't seen 'em since we graduated."
Dave nodded in understanding. They reached the food hall and grabbed a table. As they sat down, Dave took the card for a closer inspection.
"Rawley? As in New Rawley? Man, that's quite a drive from Boston."
"Yeah, I know," Scout agreed. "But it'd be worth it. Plus, Bella's there. I think."
Dave looked at him and smiled slyly. "An old girlfriend?"
"Sort of. She's the girl I thought was my half sister, but actually wasn't. It's very complicated."
"Sounds it." Dave took a bite of a bread roll. "So, where'd these buddies of yours end up, while you graced us all with your presence here at Boston Uni?"
Scout thought about it. 'Well, Will got a scholarship to Harvard - he's excellent at English - and Hamilton went to Berkley, I think."
"Wow. An all-American crowd. Have fun, dude."
Scout smiled. "Yeah. I will."
***
Cooped up in his dorm room at Harvard desperately trying to finish a poetry assignment, Will Krudski was grateful for the interruption when there was a knock at the door.
'Come in!" he called, and his girlfriend Anna Langmaid walked in, holding a sheath of papers in her hands.
"Working hard again?" she asked him, leaning down for a kiss. HE gave her one, and then looked up at her.
"Too hard," he said, smiling. Will pulled her down onto his lap. "What've you got there?"
"Oh! I was picking up my mail, and I got yours too. Some card from Rawley."
She handed it to him, and he took it, glancing at it with curiosity.
"The old school. Wonder what they want?" he mused as he tore open the envelope and read the card inside, eyebrows raising as he looked it over.
"What is it?" Anna asked him.
"They want me to come back for a reunion. God only knows why, because it's been three years."
"Maybe they miss you," Anna teased, thumping herself down onto Will's double bed.
"Doubtful. However, I think I may put in an appearance. For old times sake, if nothing else. You wanna come?"
"I'd love to..." Anna began.
"Great!" Will said, jumping off the chair.
"...but I have a million things to do next weekend and no time to do them."
Will looked sad for a moment, and then shook it off. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to brag about you to everyone I meet."
Anna grinned. "I like the sound of that! Now, I better get gone. I'll see you later, but in advance, have a great time!"
As she exited, Will smiled. He would.
***
THE NEXT WEEKEND
As she slipped off her bike helmet, Jake looked around. Nothing had changed in the three years since she'd left New Rawley. Especially not the girl who came out to refill her gas.
"Ok, how can I help...Jake?" the blonde asked.
"Oh my god, Bella?" Jake jumped off the motorbike and threw her arms around her old friend.
"Welcome back," Bella said, laughing at Jake's enthusiasm. Jake stepped back and took a good look at the girl she hadn't seen for years.
"Good to see you! Are you in town for the Rawley thing? And, oh my god, your hair! I love it!" The words tumbled out of Bella's mouth.
Jake smiled at her. "You too, yes, and thankyou, in that order. Speaking of the little soiree, are you coming?"
Bella looked down, then back up at Jake. "Uh, probably not. I'm hardly Rawley material."
"Well, then, you can be my escort," Jake said with a grin. She motioned for Bella to get on the back of the bike. As she did, Jake turned around.
"Heard from Scout?" she asked.
Bella stumbled, then re-composed herself and climbed on. "No. I think he'll come, though. He's not really the type to miss this kind of thing, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do," Jake agreed. "Well, gorgeous, let's go rock Rawley!"
With shared grins, they sped away to the campus that Jake had tried so hard to forget.
The same campus that Hamilton was wandering about. Spotting his mom, he walked over for a hug. She held him at arms length, and looked him over.
"How are you, Munchie?"
Hamilton winced at the nickname, then smiled at her. "Good, mom. I'm doing great. Berkley's terrific."
"That's nice, hon. Now, I have to go. You mingle." With that, she was gone.
Hamilton poured himself a drink and was about to re-visit the lake when he heard a familiar voice shouting out to him.
"Hey, Flemming!"
Grinning, Hamilton turned around to look at Scout. They hugged, and slapped each other on the back.
"Man, when did you get in?" Hamilton asked, glad that at least one of his old friends was there.
"A couple hours ago, actually. So, how are you? How's Berkley?"
Hamilton was about to answer when he felt a hand clapping him on the shoulder.
'And here we thought the dean's son was trying to escape..."
Hamilton spun and shook the newcomers hand before enveloping him in a hug.
"Hey, welcome back, Krudski."
"You too, man," Will replied. "Hey, Scout, it's been a while."
"Yeah, it has," Scout agreed, giving Will one of his charming grins. As they hugged, Hamilton looked around the campus he had left behind. His gaze settled on an attractive brunette with shoulder length hair, who looked strangely familiar.
"Oh my God," he thought, emotions flying through him. "It's Jake."
He watched her, laughing and talking with a blonde girl he recognised as Bella, Scouts not-half-sister. She was beautiful, her brown hair waving in the breeze, her slim figure perfectly shown off by the skirt and tank top she wore.
At that moment, she looked over at him, and they locked eyes. They spoke volumes, until a student walked in front of Hamilton, and when he had passed, she was gone.
Disappointed, and overwhelmed at the feelings he had experienced when he looked at her, he swivelled back around to face the others. Bella had suddenly materialised.
He greeted her, hugging her, and then said tentatively, "Hey, have, ah, have you seen Jake by any chance?"
Bella looked stunned for a minute, and then confuse, as if not sure what to say. Finally, she spoke. "Yeah, actually, I have. She gave me a lift here."
"Oh." Hamilton spoke sadly, his eyes cast downwards.
"And before you ask, Hamilton, no she did not ask about you but yes, I can tell that she misses you and wants you back."
"Bella, that's..." Hamilton began, but he was cut off by a smile and a knowing tone from Scout.
"Dude, if there's one thing I know, it's not to let love slip away. Go after her, tell her how you feel. I know you two broke up, but it doesn't have to stay that way."
Scout nudged him away. Hamilton broke into a slow run, glancing back to smile at his old group of friends.
He ran around the entire campus, looking for her. As he was about to give up, he saw her sitting under a tree next to the lake. She looked so beautiful, bathed in the dappled sunlight. Cautiously, he went and sat down next to her.
"Excuse me, but I'd rather be alone...oh. Uh, hi."
"Hi," he said softly. She looked at him, not quite sure of what to say.
"So...how's Berkley?" she asked finally. "Getting along so much better now that all traces of that embarrassing cross-dressing weirdo are out of your life?" She spoke angrily, her eyes filling with tears.
"Jake, you know that wasn't the reason," he tried to tell her. She stood up suddenly and glared at him.
"Then what the hell WAS the reason, Hamilton? You were the love of my life, and I thought you of all people would be the least judgemental about my situation. But let's face it. When it really mattered, all you cared about was your rep."
She turned, and started to stride away.
"I loved you too, Jake!" he called after her. She stopped, her body tense, but didn't turn around.
"And I always did, and I always will," he continued. "I know I didn't always act like it, but I was, and still am, truly in love with you."
Jake wheeled slowly around, her face streaked with tears. "Then why did you end it, Hamilton? Why'd you leave me?"
He stood up and ran over to her, needing more than ever to make it right. "Because I was scared, ok?" he yelled. "I was scared to love someone as much as I loved you!"
Hamilton reached out for her, and Jake collapsed sobbing into his arms. HE stroked her hair, and wiped the tears from her cheek.
"And...and I didn't think I could stand it. I was so afraid...of what could happen. So I broke up with you. And I have been regretting it ever since, every day for three years. Believe me, I never ever wanted to hurt you. I'm...I'm so sorry." The words tumbled out of Hamilton's mouth.
Jake looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. She leaned up and kissed him slowly. It was the only forgiveness he needed. After a long minute, he broke away. Upon Jake's confused look, he said, "I've been wanting to do this for about four years."
Hamilton reached into his back pocket, extracting a box. Bending down on one knee, he took an astonished Jake's hand in his own.
"Jake, Jaqueline, honey. I know we've been through lots, but I want you to think of this as a promise for the future, not a reminder of the past. Will you honour me by becoming my wife?"
Jake burst into a fresh bout of tears, throwing herself into Hamilton's arms. She nodded, unable to speak, then kissed him again, sealing the promise of their future together.
FIN
An: Smut city! Oh, well, it's how I get my YA therapy. Please, take the time to sign the little box just down there. It would be totally appreciated. Thanks! =)
Email: glitter_and_glam@hotmail.com
Disclaimers: Nope, not mine at all, unfortunately. I do, however, own the roommates, if that counts.
Notes: My first YA attempt. Please be kind!
Summary: After three years of separate lives, the Rawley gang is united. J/H!!!
Rating: Oh, PG. Just to be safe.
Distribution: Yeah, go for it. Just put my name on it and tell me where it's going.
Reviews and Feedback: Please, please, please? I'm addicted to it!
REMINISCE ABOUT THE FUTURE
Jake Pratt stormed through the door of her dorm room at Columbia University and flopped back onto her bed with a long, drawn-out sigh. Her roommate, Maria Sears, looked over from the desk where she was sitting and grinned.
"Rough day at the office? Or, rather, the English Lit. class?" Maria asked with mock concern.
"God, you have NO idea!" Jake replied, pulling herself up onto her elbows. "I think this essay may actually kill me. How tragic, dying at the age of twenty."
"And of English overkill, no less." Maria swivelled around in her chair. "C'mon, Jake, it's not that bad."
Jake sat up properly and gave her an evil look. "Yeah, this from Miss I-Got-Straight-A's-In-High-School-And-Am-Now-Acing-My-Creative-Writing-Major. Easy for you to say."
Maria grinned at her again, then reached behind her and grabbed something, tossing it at Jake. "This envelope came for you today. Postmark's Rawley Academy. Now, what could they want with you, MR Pratt?"
Jake smiled faintly as she grabbed the envelope. During a late night bonding session, she had shared with Maria the story of her cross-dressing high school days. Jake ripped the envelope open and extracted the card inside, reading it silently.
"What is it?" Maria asked her. "An invite to the cross-dressers ball? An impromptu meeting of the she-men?"
Jake tossed a pillow at Maria's head. "A formal notice informing me of the 'Reunion and Regatta' weekend coming up at Rawley. They request my presence." She said this last part in a snobbish voice with her nose raised in the air, sending Maria into a fit of giggles.
"So, are you gonna go?" she asked once she'd recovered.
"I dunno," Jake said uncertainly. It could be fun, she supposed, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to see some of the old students that badly.
"Oh, go on!" Maria goaded her. "There's free food, a chance to scope out the younger boys, and you never know, maybe a chance to see...Hamilton!"
Jake groaned, feeling the old pang in her heart, the one that came whenever his name was mentioned. "I should have never told you about him. Fine, I'll go. Relive the old life." She fingered her shoulder-length brown hair thoughtfully.
Maria shook her head. "Nah, go as a girl. Confuse them all!"
Jake smiled at that and heaved herself off her bed, nodding. She'd do just that.
***
Across the country, Hamilton Flemming was woken up by a loud, insistent knocking on his door. He grunted, rolled out of bed, and opened it.
"Mail delivery for Mr. Hamilton!" his friend and roomie Justin Crowe joked as he entered the room. "Here're your daily bills, man."
Hamilton flicked through them, not the slightest bit interested until he came across one bearing the Rawley Academy crest.
"What do we have here?" he mused aloud, as he ripped it open. Justin grabbed a Coke from the fridge and plonked himself down next to Hamilton. He grabbed the card and envelope from Hamilton's hands.
"Ah, an invite from the old Alma Mata? Rawley Academy invites the graduates from both the Boy and Girl's schools to join us for a regatta weekend. Great fun, man. You going?"
Hamilton got up and walked to the fridge. "Nah. I left that behind when I graduated. No need to stir up old memories."
Justin eyed him knowingly. "You may have left the school behind dude, but fifty bucks is willing to say that a certain girl remains embedded in your mind."
Hamilton was quiet for a moment. "Yes, she does," he said softly. "And she always will. But we're over, as is the chapter of my life that Rawley Academy comprised. There's no point in going back."
"But your olds are there, man. So are all your friends, and that cool teacher you told me about, and a huge part of your life. And, I'm betting, so is the love of your life. All I'm saying is, think about it."
Justin rose and sat at his desk, pulling put a notepad. "Anyway, dude, I gotta do an assignment, so get out of here." He laughed. "Give the regatta thing a thought. It could be fun."
Hamilton slapped him five as he gathered his things and walked out the door. Somehow, he knew he'd end up going. Going back to the place where the only girl he'd ever loved had stolen his heart, and then he'd broken hers. Going back to Jake.
***
Stopping at his mailbox on the way to the dining hall for dinner, Scout Calhoun pulled out a bunch of flyers advertising pep rallies, a letter from the bank and a cream envelope. Curious, he opened it first.
"Rawley Academy invites you..." he recited softly. His eyes were scanning the rest of the card when it was whipped out of his hands.
"Well well well, what's all this?" his friend Dave Jenkins asked as he circled in front of Scout and returned the card.
"Hey, buddy," Scout greeted him, his attention going back to the card in his hand.
"What does our little Boy Scout have there?" Dave teased.
Scout grinned at the nickname, used by now to Dave's sense of humour. "Some invite to a regatta and reunion think. You know, come back to us, so we can see what bad choices you've made since you left sort of thing."
"Sounds, well, honestly not that exciting. Thinking of taking up the challenge?"
Scout smiled. 'Yeah, I guess. I mean I haven't seen Will for three years, or Ham, and it'd be cool to catch up."
"Will and Ham being...?"
"Oh, two old buddies," Scout explained. "Haven't seen 'em since we graduated."
Dave nodded in understanding. They reached the food hall and grabbed a table. As they sat down, Dave took the card for a closer inspection.
"Rawley? As in New Rawley? Man, that's quite a drive from Boston."
"Yeah, I know," Scout agreed. "But it'd be worth it. Plus, Bella's there. I think."
Dave looked at him and smiled slyly. "An old girlfriend?"
"Sort of. She's the girl I thought was my half sister, but actually wasn't. It's very complicated."
"Sounds it." Dave took a bite of a bread roll. "So, where'd these buddies of yours end up, while you graced us all with your presence here at Boston Uni?"
Scout thought about it. 'Well, Will got a scholarship to Harvard - he's excellent at English - and Hamilton went to Berkley, I think."
"Wow. An all-American crowd. Have fun, dude."
Scout smiled. "Yeah. I will."
***
Cooped up in his dorm room at Harvard desperately trying to finish a poetry assignment, Will Krudski was grateful for the interruption when there was a knock at the door.
'Come in!" he called, and his girlfriend Anna Langmaid walked in, holding a sheath of papers in her hands.
"Working hard again?" she asked him, leaning down for a kiss. HE gave her one, and then looked up at her.
"Too hard," he said, smiling. Will pulled her down onto his lap. "What've you got there?"
"Oh! I was picking up my mail, and I got yours too. Some card from Rawley."
She handed it to him, and he took it, glancing at it with curiosity.
"The old school. Wonder what they want?" he mused as he tore open the envelope and read the card inside, eyebrows raising as he looked it over.
"What is it?" Anna asked him.
"They want me to come back for a reunion. God only knows why, because it's been three years."
"Maybe they miss you," Anna teased, thumping herself down onto Will's double bed.
"Doubtful. However, I think I may put in an appearance. For old times sake, if nothing else. You wanna come?"
"I'd love to..." Anna began.
"Great!" Will said, jumping off the chair.
"...but I have a million things to do next weekend and no time to do them."
Will looked sad for a moment, and then shook it off. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to brag about you to everyone I meet."
Anna grinned. "I like the sound of that! Now, I better get gone. I'll see you later, but in advance, have a great time!"
As she exited, Will smiled. He would.
***
THE NEXT WEEKEND
As she slipped off her bike helmet, Jake looked around. Nothing had changed in the three years since she'd left New Rawley. Especially not the girl who came out to refill her gas.
"Ok, how can I help...Jake?" the blonde asked.
"Oh my god, Bella?" Jake jumped off the motorbike and threw her arms around her old friend.
"Welcome back," Bella said, laughing at Jake's enthusiasm. Jake stepped back and took a good look at the girl she hadn't seen for years.
"Good to see you! Are you in town for the Rawley thing? And, oh my god, your hair! I love it!" The words tumbled out of Bella's mouth.
Jake smiled at her. "You too, yes, and thankyou, in that order. Speaking of the little soiree, are you coming?"
Bella looked down, then back up at Jake. "Uh, probably not. I'm hardly Rawley material."
"Well, then, you can be my escort," Jake said with a grin. She motioned for Bella to get on the back of the bike. As she did, Jake turned around.
"Heard from Scout?" she asked.
Bella stumbled, then re-composed herself and climbed on. "No. I think he'll come, though. He's not really the type to miss this kind of thing, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do," Jake agreed. "Well, gorgeous, let's go rock Rawley!"
With shared grins, they sped away to the campus that Jake had tried so hard to forget.
The same campus that Hamilton was wandering about. Spotting his mom, he walked over for a hug. She held him at arms length, and looked him over.
"How are you, Munchie?"
Hamilton winced at the nickname, then smiled at her. "Good, mom. I'm doing great. Berkley's terrific."
"That's nice, hon. Now, I have to go. You mingle." With that, she was gone.
Hamilton poured himself a drink and was about to re-visit the lake when he heard a familiar voice shouting out to him.
"Hey, Flemming!"
Grinning, Hamilton turned around to look at Scout. They hugged, and slapped each other on the back.
"Man, when did you get in?" Hamilton asked, glad that at least one of his old friends was there.
"A couple hours ago, actually. So, how are you? How's Berkley?"
Hamilton was about to answer when he felt a hand clapping him on the shoulder.
'And here we thought the dean's son was trying to escape..."
Hamilton spun and shook the newcomers hand before enveloping him in a hug.
"Hey, welcome back, Krudski."
"You too, man," Will replied. "Hey, Scout, it's been a while."
"Yeah, it has," Scout agreed, giving Will one of his charming grins. As they hugged, Hamilton looked around the campus he had left behind. His gaze settled on an attractive brunette with shoulder length hair, who looked strangely familiar.
"Oh my God," he thought, emotions flying through him. "It's Jake."
He watched her, laughing and talking with a blonde girl he recognised as Bella, Scouts not-half-sister. She was beautiful, her brown hair waving in the breeze, her slim figure perfectly shown off by the skirt and tank top she wore.
At that moment, she looked over at him, and they locked eyes. They spoke volumes, until a student walked in front of Hamilton, and when he had passed, she was gone.
Disappointed, and overwhelmed at the feelings he had experienced when he looked at her, he swivelled back around to face the others. Bella had suddenly materialised.
He greeted her, hugging her, and then said tentatively, "Hey, have, ah, have you seen Jake by any chance?"
Bella looked stunned for a minute, and then confuse, as if not sure what to say. Finally, she spoke. "Yeah, actually, I have. She gave me a lift here."
"Oh." Hamilton spoke sadly, his eyes cast downwards.
"And before you ask, Hamilton, no she did not ask about you but yes, I can tell that she misses you and wants you back."
"Bella, that's..." Hamilton began, but he was cut off by a smile and a knowing tone from Scout.
"Dude, if there's one thing I know, it's not to let love slip away. Go after her, tell her how you feel. I know you two broke up, but it doesn't have to stay that way."
Scout nudged him away. Hamilton broke into a slow run, glancing back to smile at his old group of friends.
He ran around the entire campus, looking for her. As he was about to give up, he saw her sitting under a tree next to the lake. She looked so beautiful, bathed in the dappled sunlight. Cautiously, he went and sat down next to her.
"Excuse me, but I'd rather be alone...oh. Uh, hi."
"Hi," he said softly. She looked at him, not quite sure of what to say.
"So...how's Berkley?" she asked finally. "Getting along so much better now that all traces of that embarrassing cross-dressing weirdo are out of your life?" She spoke angrily, her eyes filling with tears.
"Jake, you know that wasn't the reason," he tried to tell her. She stood up suddenly and glared at him.
"Then what the hell WAS the reason, Hamilton? You were the love of my life, and I thought you of all people would be the least judgemental about my situation. But let's face it. When it really mattered, all you cared about was your rep."
She turned, and started to stride away.
"I loved you too, Jake!" he called after her. She stopped, her body tense, but didn't turn around.
"And I always did, and I always will," he continued. "I know I didn't always act like it, but I was, and still am, truly in love with you."
Jake wheeled slowly around, her face streaked with tears. "Then why did you end it, Hamilton? Why'd you leave me?"
He stood up and ran over to her, needing more than ever to make it right. "Because I was scared, ok?" he yelled. "I was scared to love someone as much as I loved you!"
Hamilton reached out for her, and Jake collapsed sobbing into his arms. HE stroked her hair, and wiped the tears from her cheek.
"And...and I didn't think I could stand it. I was so afraid...of what could happen. So I broke up with you. And I have been regretting it ever since, every day for three years. Believe me, I never ever wanted to hurt you. I'm...I'm so sorry." The words tumbled out of Hamilton's mouth.
Jake looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. She leaned up and kissed him slowly. It was the only forgiveness he needed. After a long minute, he broke away. Upon Jake's confused look, he said, "I've been wanting to do this for about four years."
Hamilton reached into his back pocket, extracting a box. Bending down on one knee, he took an astonished Jake's hand in his own.
"Jake, Jaqueline, honey. I know we've been through lots, but I want you to think of this as a promise for the future, not a reminder of the past. Will you honour me by becoming my wife?"
Jake burst into a fresh bout of tears, throwing herself into Hamilton's arms. She nodded, unable to speak, then kissed him again, sealing the promise of their future together.
FIN
An: Smut city! Oh, well, it's how I get my YA therapy. Please, take the time to sign the little box just down there. It would be totally appreciated. Thanks! =)