*Chapter Two*
The First Link: Luis and Sheridan
Sheridan just stood still, the love letter that could hold the path to the destiny with the man she loves held in hand, unable to move. She was filled with all of these mixed emotions, like love, fear, hope, and doubt. She couldn't bear it if he never sent the letter back to her. 'What am I waiting for? This is the opportunity to show Luis how you really feel about him, and thankfully in a subtle way, too. Well, since I'm not going to be sending it right away, I should at least read it before I give it to him, just to be sure.' she thought to herself as she walked slowly to her desk to open and read the letter. Inside the envelope were violet petals that still held its lovely scent and a single sheet of aged baby blue dyed paper, and printed on it in lavender ink was the most beautiful letter Sheridan had ever read in her entire life. This is how it went:
My dearest love, One cannot express with mere words the everlasting love I've felt for you. With just one look, I slip into a dream I never wish to wake from. With just one smell, my breath is taken away, and I'd never want it to come back. With just one sound of your magnificent voice, I'm listening to the melody of heaven, which I'd never want to stop. With just one taste of your sweet lips, I drown in an enchanting spell that I'd never want to be released from. With just one moment I share with you, I fall in love all over again. If the day would ever come in which I won your heart, I'd promise I'd never take your love for granted the moment you give it to me. I'd give anything to be the one in your dreams as you are in mine. I'd risk the chance of my own heart breaking, if I had the chance to be with you. I want you to send this to the one you love within three days, the one who your heart belongs to, even if it's not me. If you send it back to me, I will confess in person how I feel for you that it was I who sent you the letter. Each person who receives this letter is half a link, and if a connection is made, then those two half links bond and become one whole link. After all, that's what love is all about, since all people equal only one half until they find another who is their true love, and then they become whole. If a connection is not made within three days, I'd know that I'm not the one you love. But I will continue to love you, no matter what happens, no matter if you don't feel the same way. I will always wait for you, because I strongly believe that this is genuine love. Always and forever, The one who truly loves you
After she finished reading the letter, she brought her hand to her mouth, touched by its eloquent words. She knew once she read it, it was exactly how she wanted to reveal her love for Luis. She put the contents back in the envelope, put that envelope in a manila envelope marked with Luis's name and address, got in her car, and drove to the Lopez-Fitzgerald home as fast as she could (below the speed limit of course, since she wouldn't want to be pulled over again, unless it was Luis.). When she arrived, she slowly went up to the doorstep, lifted the mailbox's lid, put the letter in, and shut the mailbox as quietly as she could. Unfortunately, Luis had just pulled up into the driveway, got out, and walked over to Sheridan, standing so close to her that she became breathless. "What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay as far away from me as possible, since your hours are finally over," he said in a sarcastic voice. When she finally got the strength to speak, she said, "Well, yes, I did, but you see. I just. I just. wanted to see Pilar." "Oh, well, I guess she's on her way home. Didn't you see her while she was at work?" he asked. "Well, umm.yes, I did, but you see, I wanted to." she said before Luis cut her off. "Oh, you were going to give her a letter?" he asked. "Why would you think that?" she said in a nervous tone. "Because you just put something in our mailbox," he said. "Oh, well, that wasn't for her." she said before she could stop herself. "Oh really? Who was it for then? Is it for me by any chance? A letter to apologize, a letter to piss me off, or maybe, perhaps, a letter to show your undying love?" he mockingly queried. "Umm. well. you're so full of yourself, you know that?" she said as frostily as she could, trying to hide the fact that she was actually quite flustered. Luis smiled and said, "Tell me something I don't know. So, do you mind if I see what you just put in there?"
Sheridan's eyes widened and she said, "Of course I do! Who said it was for you?" Luis said, "I'll just look at the address then." He reached into the mailbox before she could stop him and unluckily, the manila envelope was the only thing in there, and so he took it out and his eyebrows rose at the address. "Well, Miss Sheridan Crane, it is for me, now isn't it?" he asked. She couldn't look into his eyes and tried to go away. "No, wait! I want you to see my reaction to this letter before you leave. I'm sure I'd rather let you see if I'm pissed or flattered, so come inside," he said while dragging her into the house, and try as she might, she couldn't get away. She plopped down into the couch while he opened the manila envelope and the letter. Her heart was beating as fast as a jackhammer, and she tried to look for an escape route to the back kitchen door, but he was blocking her. He read the letter out loud, and his tone changed as he got through it, but he never stopped. Sheridan wondered if he was mean enough to laugh and make fun of her. When he uttered the last word, he just stood still, looked up at Sheridan, and gaped.
She stood up and tried to go to the front door, but he got in her way. She tried to run to the back kitchen door, but he blocked her there, too. She bowed her head down as he came up to her, held his hand under her chin, and lifted it up. As she looked up, her eyes met his, and she felt tears waiting to spill from the brims. "Is this a joke, or is this real?" he asked softly. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore, and the tears escaped. She tried to look away, but he held her head in his hands firmly. He used his thumbs to wipe her tears away, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw concern, honesty, and most of all. love. Her confusion was washed away as he tilted her head towards his. They leaned in so slowly and when their lips finally met for the very first time, it had a gentle, loving touch. When they parted, they looked into each other's eyes, smiled joyously, and embraced. "Luis, I love you so much. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't find the way to tell you until now, and I didn't know if you could ever love me back," she whispered. "I've felt this way for you for so long, but I didn't know if you felt the same way," he whispered back. They pulled back and kissed again, never wanting to let each other go.
After that, they couldn't stop smiling the whole day, or the next day, or the day after that. When people saw them together like that, they didn't even have to ask since their feelings for each other were totally obvious to them since the day Luis put Sheridan in jail. They just smiled, waved back, and congratulated them for finally getting together. In honor of the day they finally admitted their feelings for each other, Luis and Sheridan went to the Lobster Shack for a candlelit dinner for two, where they couldn't really concentrate on eating because they were too busy not taking their eyes off of each other and whispering words of love to each other. "I love you, Sheridan," Luis softly said. Sheridan smiled and said in a hush, "I love you, too, Luis, and I always will." They held hands under the table and just sat there like that, smiling at each other and looking deeply into each other's eyes, thinking about how lucky they were to have found each other.
Sheridan just stood still, the love letter that could hold the path to the destiny with the man she loves held in hand, unable to move. She was filled with all of these mixed emotions, like love, fear, hope, and doubt. She couldn't bear it if he never sent the letter back to her. 'What am I waiting for? This is the opportunity to show Luis how you really feel about him, and thankfully in a subtle way, too. Well, since I'm not going to be sending it right away, I should at least read it before I give it to him, just to be sure.' she thought to herself as she walked slowly to her desk to open and read the letter. Inside the envelope were violet petals that still held its lovely scent and a single sheet of aged baby blue dyed paper, and printed on it in lavender ink was the most beautiful letter Sheridan had ever read in her entire life. This is how it went:
My dearest love, One cannot express with mere words the everlasting love I've felt for you. With just one look, I slip into a dream I never wish to wake from. With just one smell, my breath is taken away, and I'd never want it to come back. With just one sound of your magnificent voice, I'm listening to the melody of heaven, which I'd never want to stop. With just one taste of your sweet lips, I drown in an enchanting spell that I'd never want to be released from. With just one moment I share with you, I fall in love all over again. If the day would ever come in which I won your heart, I'd promise I'd never take your love for granted the moment you give it to me. I'd give anything to be the one in your dreams as you are in mine. I'd risk the chance of my own heart breaking, if I had the chance to be with you. I want you to send this to the one you love within three days, the one who your heart belongs to, even if it's not me. If you send it back to me, I will confess in person how I feel for you that it was I who sent you the letter. Each person who receives this letter is half a link, and if a connection is made, then those two half links bond and become one whole link. After all, that's what love is all about, since all people equal only one half until they find another who is their true love, and then they become whole. If a connection is not made within three days, I'd know that I'm not the one you love. But I will continue to love you, no matter what happens, no matter if you don't feel the same way. I will always wait for you, because I strongly believe that this is genuine love. Always and forever, The one who truly loves you
After she finished reading the letter, she brought her hand to her mouth, touched by its eloquent words. She knew once she read it, it was exactly how she wanted to reveal her love for Luis. She put the contents back in the envelope, put that envelope in a manila envelope marked with Luis's name and address, got in her car, and drove to the Lopez-Fitzgerald home as fast as she could (below the speed limit of course, since she wouldn't want to be pulled over again, unless it was Luis.). When she arrived, she slowly went up to the doorstep, lifted the mailbox's lid, put the letter in, and shut the mailbox as quietly as she could. Unfortunately, Luis had just pulled up into the driveway, got out, and walked over to Sheridan, standing so close to her that she became breathless. "What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay as far away from me as possible, since your hours are finally over," he said in a sarcastic voice. When she finally got the strength to speak, she said, "Well, yes, I did, but you see. I just. I just. wanted to see Pilar." "Oh, well, I guess she's on her way home. Didn't you see her while she was at work?" he asked. "Well, umm.yes, I did, but you see, I wanted to." she said before Luis cut her off. "Oh, you were going to give her a letter?" he asked. "Why would you think that?" she said in a nervous tone. "Because you just put something in our mailbox," he said. "Oh, well, that wasn't for her." she said before she could stop herself. "Oh really? Who was it for then? Is it for me by any chance? A letter to apologize, a letter to piss me off, or maybe, perhaps, a letter to show your undying love?" he mockingly queried. "Umm. well. you're so full of yourself, you know that?" she said as frostily as she could, trying to hide the fact that she was actually quite flustered. Luis smiled and said, "Tell me something I don't know. So, do you mind if I see what you just put in there?"
Sheridan's eyes widened and she said, "Of course I do! Who said it was for you?" Luis said, "I'll just look at the address then." He reached into the mailbox before she could stop him and unluckily, the manila envelope was the only thing in there, and so he took it out and his eyebrows rose at the address. "Well, Miss Sheridan Crane, it is for me, now isn't it?" he asked. She couldn't look into his eyes and tried to go away. "No, wait! I want you to see my reaction to this letter before you leave. I'm sure I'd rather let you see if I'm pissed or flattered, so come inside," he said while dragging her into the house, and try as she might, she couldn't get away. She plopped down into the couch while he opened the manila envelope and the letter. Her heart was beating as fast as a jackhammer, and she tried to look for an escape route to the back kitchen door, but he was blocking her. He read the letter out loud, and his tone changed as he got through it, but he never stopped. Sheridan wondered if he was mean enough to laugh and make fun of her. When he uttered the last word, he just stood still, looked up at Sheridan, and gaped.
She stood up and tried to go to the front door, but he got in her way. She tried to run to the back kitchen door, but he blocked her there, too. She bowed her head down as he came up to her, held his hand under her chin, and lifted it up. As she looked up, her eyes met his, and she felt tears waiting to spill from the brims. "Is this a joke, or is this real?" he asked softly. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore, and the tears escaped. She tried to look away, but he held her head in his hands firmly. He used his thumbs to wipe her tears away, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw concern, honesty, and most of all. love. Her confusion was washed away as he tilted her head towards his. They leaned in so slowly and when their lips finally met for the very first time, it had a gentle, loving touch. When they parted, they looked into each other's eyes, smiled joyously, and embraced. "Luis, I love you so much. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't find the way to tell you until now, and I didn't know if you could ever love me back," she whispered. "I've felt this way for you for so long, but I didn't know if you felt the same way," he whispered back. They pulled back and kissed again, never wanting to let each other go.
After that, they couldn't stop smiling the whole day, or the next day, or the day after that. When people saw them together like that, they didn't even have to ask since their feelings for each other were totally obvious to them since the day Luis put Sheridan in jail. They just smiled, waved back, and congratulated them for finally getting together. In honor of the day they finally admitted their feelings for each other, Luis and Sheridan went to the Lobster Shack for a candlelit dinner for two, where they couldn't really concentrate on eating because they were too busy not taking their eyes off of each other and whispering words of love to each other. "I love you, Sheridan," Luis softly said. Sheridan smiled and said in a hush, "I love you, too, Luis, and I always will." They held hands under the table and just sat there like that, smiling at each other and looking deeply into each other's eyes, thinking about how lucky they were to have found each other.