Yaaayyy! It's the last chapter! Ok, so... I'm a bit hyper. Yeah. Yuh-huh. Prepare yourselves for a huge A/N.
Well, ok, first... I need to thank everyone who read and reviewed. I got so many cool reviews for the last chapter that I could just smother everyone in huge, crushing hugs, but seeing as I'm sitting in front of a computer probably on the complete other side of the world to most of you I don't think that would be possible. But, the important thing is, I would if I could.
And, uh... I'd like to express my dire grief because this fabulous fanfiction is drawing to a close. I'm glad it went down so well, and, as I said before, I've started another modern fanfiction. I don't know when I'll post the first chapter but it will be soon (next fortnightish). You guys are so nice, and I'm kind of sad this is the end. I totally loved writing this fanfiction, especially this chapter, so much so that I might actually write a sequel. If I'm bored. But now I'm just rambling on which is bad as I have an 800 word media studies essay to complete tonight, and I need to get used to not talking rubbish so I won't break the word limit. But I didn't even need to tell you that, and I'm still rambling on.
Hmm, ok - so here's the chapter. The last chapter. -sniff- Well, it's different. And I didn't like the way I wrote the ending. It's a bit clichéd. But oh well. I did my best. And it's kind of cute, in a weird way. And it's different to the rest.
And I'm still rambling on and on and on. So, basically, just to give me loads and loads of confidence and yet more hyperness, please review! CC is welcome, as I know my writing isn't perfect (I'd like it to be, but that's not quite possible, even though I think my style has improved massively through using this site) and I'd like some pointers on improvements. So, yes, thank you all massively for being such cool people! Hope you love it, and I'll see you guys around!
The next day dawned foggy and wet; rain lashed viciously against windows and roofs while the faint mist blocked the sight of all. It was Valentine's Day, yet the atrocious weather could have deceived many into thinking it was just another day. Valentine's Day: The day when supposedly romance blossomed, sweet, sugary smells filled the air and each and every human being would be bombarded with the traditional romantic connotations of Valentine's Day: Flowers, hearts, Cupid, deep passionate reds and candyfloss pinks. But on the dreary streets of just another town, only the occasional bouquet of flowers in a shop window or a small heart-shaped balloon pierced the monotonous greys and dull blues of the ugly concrete and bricks and the murky depths of the puddles that mottled the street.
In the very midst of the gloom, a figure emerged from just another block of apartments and, with a slightly hunched body to keep as much as possible dry, it began to jog down the road in a focused attempt to reach the nearby coffee shop. The exceptionally small crowd who had been hoping to meet the love of their life on the day of romance parted to let the figure through.
Kel squinted into the misty gloom. She was leaning casually against the coffee shop wall, having found the canopy above an acceptable shelter from the insistent drizzle that pounded upon the streets. A leather lead hung loosely from her hand, linked to the blood-red collar of her whining dog, who pressed itself as close to the wall as possible, as to be nearer to the drier ground. The figure stepped into Kel's line of sight, and rushed over to her as soon as recognition hit him.
"Sorry I kept you waiting," Neal apologised, leaning against the wall beside her. "Horrific weather."
"Uh huh." Somehow, words did not seem appropriate for the occasion. Each syllable spoken lingered in the damp air, unwilling to meet the ears of those it was intended for.
Silence mingled between the two, gladly consuming any chatty atmosphere that Neal had once held, and masking the air with a reluctant-to-talk kind of tension. They observed the sodden pedestrians strolling along the street until time appeared to slow and the plump raindrops plummeting from the clouds took their time in passing the figures by the coffee shop, each raindrop appearing somehow enchanting and eerily beautiful to onlookers.
"I got you something," Neal stated to the air in front of him. Kel turned to him and frowned.
"... Why?" The puzzlement and confusion on her face was clear. She waited for his answer, wondering why he'd buy something for her for no reason whatsoever. It didn't ever cross her mind that it might be linked to the "special day", the day that was turning out to be, well, not very special.
Neal just smiled, a mysterious smile, a smile that somehow held soft sorrow but also unexplainable delight, and then he reached a hand inside his jacket and drew out a solitary rose, offering it to her.
Kel looked up to him with a blank expression, then down to the flawless red rose in his hands. Her fingers flexed slowly as she reached out to take the proffered flower.
She took her time examining the flower as an artist might examine a work of art, letting her eyes follow the smooth curve of each petal and the teasing thorns that protruded from the rich, grass-green stem. Her fingers ran over the cellophane, a gentle touch, stroking the silky smooth plastic while she stared into oblivion for several moments as though seeing something no one else's eyes could pick up. After several tense moments as Neal watched her with a growing sense of unease, Kel turned to him and ventured an incredibly tiny smile, but one that held so much.
"Thank you," she murmured quietly, her eyes unreadable in the dim gloom.
"Shall we walk?"
"I'd like that," Kel said, so quiet that only he could hear.
As they trekked off down the suddenly less dull street, Kel holding the striking rose to her body, Neal reached out and let his fingers mingle with hers. From within the gloom, Kel smiled to him before gazing out across the street in her usual dreamy manner.