"E - Eric," Cory's voice trembled uneasily as he attempted to calm his brother down. "B - Blow out the match, Eric, just blow out the match."
Eric grinned relentlessly, finally submitting to the reality that fire in the apartment was not a good idea. He dunked the glowing match into his glass of water and turned to face Cory.
"Yeah, you're right, little bro. I'd hate to miss pin the tail on the donkey because of a fire," he said.
Exasperated by his brother's insane logic, Cory could only allow himself to feel relieved that the party would go on without any interference from the fire department. "Hey, Eric, why don't you, uh, go say hello to some of your guests. This is your party; you just let Topanga and I handle the activities," Cory advised as he pulled a new match out of the box and lit it carefully.
Eric's eyes reluctantly shifted from the dancing flame to the roomful of chattering guests. His attention was caught by a woman of about 40 whose makeup and clothing style most closely resembled Mimi's from "The Drew Carey Show".
"Oooh," Eric began, obviously fascinated, "we got a clown! We got a clown!" He clapped his hands excitedly and hurried off to catch up with the woman.
"No, Eric," Cory began to call after him. "That's not a clown, that's the receptionist from Topanga's office..." It was no use, and Cory quickly gave up. He waved one hand in frustration and went back to lighting the candles.
Meanwhile, Shawn was entranced by the adoring shine in Angela's eyes as they stood together talking. Would she be looking at him like that later that night when he proposed? Would she be able to answer him with words, or would the expression on her face say everything that her voice could not? What if, despite the precious quality of their life together, she turned him down?
Shawn abruptly decided that he couldn't let such worries stand in the way of his heart's only desire. Every breath he took seemed to last an eternity, and he could not wait to return to the intimacy of their apartment, secure their fate as a couple, and enjoy a quiet, blissful celebration of their own. It was going to be a wonderful night.
"Hey Shawn, what's going on, man?" a heavyset, dark-complected young man asked as he approached Shawn and Angela from behind.
Shawn turned and extended his hand for a casual handshake. "Oh, hey Rob." He smiled. "I want you to meet my girlfriend, Angela.
"Angela, this is my buddy Rob. He and I were in the same math class last semester," Shawn explained.
"Ah, so this is the famous Angela," Rob said with a clever smirk. "I've heard a lot about you."
Angela only smiled politely and reached out to shake his hand.
"So Shawn," Rob began in his rough, masculine voice. "Haven't seen ya down at Woody's lately. The girls all miss ya. Where ya been hidin'?"
Shawn's eyes glazed over and the muscles in his face suddenly tensed up. He couldn't believe his friend would be stupid enough to ask him a question like that in front of the girl he was hoping would agree to stand beside him forever.
Woody's was a bar where Shawn, Rob, and a few of the guys from their class hung out several nights a week. Although his actions at the bar were completely innocent, Shawn knew that it would be hard for Angela to be understanding, especially since Rob showed no signs of shutting up.
"Yeah," Rob started to chuckle. "The other night when Paul and I were there, Brittany reminded us of the time when you and her ended up staying in the..." Rob was unable to finish his sentence, as his laughter had taken complete control.
Shawn fidgeted nervously, chewing on his bottom lip and praying that Rob's babbling wouldn't destroy his relationship. He knew that the situation Rob had begun to describe sounded terrible, but he never even entertained the thought of having a fling with Brittany the bimbo barmaid.
Shawn's eyes shifted to meet Angela's as he rehashed the events of the night Rob described. His discomfort reached a new peak when he beheld the look in his girlfriend's eyes.
Angela, normally bold, strong, and independent, was nothing more than a fearful, uncertain young girl at that moment. Her eyes were heavy with sadness, suddenly so full of doubt like she had never experienced before.
Shawn felt his heart breaking as he saw how a stupid, uncontrollable incident had torn Angela's soul through and through. He never had any intention of cheating on her and even less intent to hurt her.
He wanted to punch Rob for ruining a night that he had planned down to its tiniest detail. He had repeated the words in his head over and over again, trying to find the perfect way to ask Angela for her hand in marriage. At this point, it looked as though some long talks and some major healing stood in the way of that silver ring ever appearing on Angela's finger.
"Remember that, Shawn? Wasn't that hilarious how Brittany was all over you?" Rob broke into Shawn's train of thought.
Shawn glared at his immature classmate. "No, man, actually it was quite repulsive and rather annoying," he said quietly, trying to hold back his anger.
Angela's eyes raced back and forth from Shawn to Rob, as if searching for some kind of reassurance that everything would be okay. She found nothing but blank, confused stares and could only stand quietly in fear.
Angela herself was a little surprised at how insecure Rob's words had made her. She had never once doubted Shawn's faithfulness during her stay in Europe. She knew that he loved her, but maybe her belief in conquering time and distance with love was only childish naivete.
"Excuse us, Rob," Shawn said with false confidence. "My girlfriend and I were having an important discussion."
Rob saw the stern look on his friend's face and nodded quickly before disappearing back into the crowd. Shawn and Angela stood together alone, with no consciousness of the happiness and laughter that surrounded them.
Angela finally broke the ice, breathing deeply and avoiding all eye contact with the man who stood before her. "So, Shawn, is there anything you want to tell me?" Her lips trembled as she spoke.
He looked down, trying to find the perfect combination of words that would make everything okay. Before even a single sentence came to mind, Shawn realized that, once again, words might not be enough to relieve Angela's pain.
His hands slowly made their way to Angela's, and although she resisted slightly, she could not refuse his silent offering of affection. Her hands lay limp, lifeless in his.
"Angela, it isn't...it isn't as bad as it sounds," he said, still looking at the ground. "Nothing ever happened between Brittany and I. I could never betray your trust like that."
He lifted his head to examine the expression on Angela's face. She did not appear angry -- only confused, sad, and afraid.
Angela nodded, continuing to avoid Shawn's gaze. "It's okay, Shawn. I believe you. I just...I think we should talk about this at home."
"Then let's go," he said, pulling her hand without a moment's hesitation. "Let's go home and get this settled. I can't stand to see you hurt for one more minute than you have to."
Unable to organize the feelings that flooded her heart, Angela complied, walking with Shawn through the crowded room toward the door, in absolute silence. Angela and Shawn left behind the joyous, excited atmosphere of the party and stepped into the somber, damp city, darkened by a pitch-black sky. Storm clouds loomed overhead, and Shawn prayed for hope as tiny drops of rain began to beat against his skin.
There would be no heartfelt proposal that night, nor would there be any celebration of love. The sadness and gloom that hung over their heads that night promised only hurt, sorrow, and one more major obstacle in the way of Shawn's most important dream.
Eric grinned relentlessly, finally submitting to the reality that fire in the apartment was not a good idea. He dunked the glowing match into his glass of water and turned to face Cory.
"Yeah, you're right, little bro. I'd hate to miss pin the tail on the donkey because of a fire," he said.
Exasperated by his brother's insane logic, Cory could only allow himself to feel relieved that the party would go on without any interference from the fire department. "Hey, Eric, why don't you, uh, go say hello to some of your guests. This is your party; you just let Topanga and I handle the activities," Cory advised as he pulled a new match out of the box and lit it carefully.
Eric's eyes reluctantly shifted from the dancing flame to the roomful of chattering guests. His attention was caught by a woman of about 40 whose makeup and clothing style most closely resembled Mimi's from "The Drew Carey Show".
"Oooh," Eric began, obviously fascinated, "we got a clown! We got a clown!" He clapped his hands excitedly and hurried off to catch up with the woman.
"No, Eric," Cory began to call after him. "That's not a clown, that's the receptionist from Topanga's office..." It was no use, and Cory quickly gave up. He waved one hand in frustration and went back to lighting the candles.
Meanwhile, Shawn was entranced by the adoring shine in Angela's eyes as they stood together talking. Would she be looking at him like that later that night when he proposed? Would she be able to answer him with words, or would the expression on her face say everything that her voice could not? What if, despite the precious quality of their life together, she turned him down?
Shawn abruptly decided that he couldn't let such worries stand in the way of his heart's only desire. Every breath he took seemed to last an eternity, and he could not wait to return to the intimacy of their apartment, secure their fate as a couple, and enjoy a quiet, blissful celebration of their own. It was going to be a wonderful night.
"Hey Shawn, what's going on, man?" a heavyset, dark-complected young man asked as he approached Shawn and Angela from behind.
Shawn turned and extended his hand for a casual handshake. "Oh, hey Rob." He smiled. "I want you to meet my girlfriend, Angela.
"Angela, this is my buddy Rob. He and I were in the same math class last semester," Shawn explained.
"Ah, so this is the famous Angela," Rob said with a clever smirk. "I've heard a lot about you."
Angela only smiled politely and reached out to shake his hand.
"So Shawn," Rob began in his rough, masculine voice. "Haven't seen ya down at Woody's lately. The girls all miss ya. Where ya been hidin'?"
Shawn's eyes glazed over and the muscles in his face suddenly tensed up. He couldn't believe his friend would be stupid enough to ask him a question like that in front of the girl he was hoping would agree to stand beside him forever.
Woody's was a bar where Shawn, Rob, and a few of the guys from their class hung out several nights a week. Although his actions at the bar were completely innocent, Shawn knew that it would be hard for Angela to be understanding, especially since Rob showed no signs of shutting up.
"Yeah," Rob started to chuckle. "The other night when Paul and I were there, Brittany reminded us of the time when you and her ended up staying in the..." Rob was unable to finish his sentence, as his laughter had taken complete control.
Shawn fidgeted nervously, chewing on his bottom lip and praying that Rob's babbling wouldn't destroy his relationship. He knew that the situation Rob had begun to describe sounded terrible, but he never even entertained the thought of having a fling with Brittany the bimbo barmaid.
Shawn's eyes shifted to meet Angela's as he rehashed the events of the night Rob described. His discomfort reached a new peak when he beheld the look in his girlfriend's eyes.
Angela, normally bold, strong, and independent, was nothing more than a fearful, uncertain young girl at that moment. Her eyes were heavy with sadness, suddenly so full of doubt like she had never experienced before.
Shawn felt his heart breaking as he saw how a stupid, uncontrollable incident had torn Angela's soul through and through. He never had any intention of cheating on her and even less intent to hurt her.
He wanted to punch Rob for ruining a night that he had planned down to its tiniest detail. He had repeated the words in his head over and over again, trying to find the perfect way to ask Angela for her hand in marriage. At this point, it looked as though some long talks and some major healing stood in the way of that silver ring ever appearing on Angela's finger.
"Remember that, Shawn? Wasn't that hilarious how Brittany was all over you?" Rob broke into Shawn's train of thought.
Shawn glared at his immature classmate. "No, man, actually it was quite repulsive and rather annoying," he said quietly, trying to hold back his anger.
Angela's eyes raced back and forth from Shawn to Rob, as if searching for some kind of reassurance that everything would be okay. She found nothing but blank, confused stares and could only stand quietly in fear.
Angela herself was a little surprised at how insecure Rob's words had made her. She had never once doubted Shawn's faithfulness during her stay in Europe. She knew that he loved her, but maybe her belief in conquering time and distance with love was only childish naivete.
"Excuse us, Rob," Shawn said with false confidence. "My girlfriend and I were having an important discussion."
Rob saw the stern look on his friend's face and nodded quickly before disappearing back into the crowd. Shawn and Angela stood together alone, with no consciousness of the happiness and laughter that surrounded them.
Angela finally broke the ice, breathing deeply and avoiding all eye contact with the man who stood before her. "So, Shawn, is there anything you want to tell me?" Her lips trembled as she spoke.
He looked down, trying to find the perfect combination of words that would make everything okay. Before even a single sentence came to mind, Shawn realized that, once again, words might not be enough to relieve Angela's pain.
His hands slowly made their way to Angela's, and although she resisted slightly, she could not refuse his silent offering of affection. Her hands lay limp, lifeless in his.
"Angela, it isn't...it isn't as bad as it sounds," he said, still looking at the ground. "Nothing ever happened between Brittany and I. I could never betray your trust like that."
He lifted his head to examine the expression on Angela's face. She did not appear angry -- only confused, sad, and afraid.
Angela nodded, continuing to avoid Shawn's gaze. "It's okay, Shawn. I believe you. I just...I think we should talk about this at home."
"Then let's go," he said, pulling her hand without a moment's hesitation. "Let's go home and get this settled. I can't stand to see you hurt for one more minute than you have to."
Unable to organize the feelings that flooded her heart, Angela complied, walking with Shawn through the crowded room toward the door, in absolute silence. Angela and Shawn left behind the joyous, excited atmosphere of the party and stepped into the somber, damp city, darkened by a pitch-black sky. Storm clouds loomed overhead, and Shawn prayed for hope as tiny drops of rain began to beat against his skin.
There would be no heartfelt proposal that night, nor would there be any celebration of love. The sadness and gloom that hung over their heads that night promised only hurt, sorrow, and one more major obstacle in the way of Shawn's most important dream.