Yes, I'm back! First of all, thank you all for your feedback on the last chapter of Expressions of the Heart. It was heartwarming to see all those positive messages. I hope this story will be just as great. So for those of you that are dying to know what happens next or didn't like the way things ended, here we go!


Let's face it - today was rough. She was exhausted and not in the mood for anything unexpected. Which was why she thought this was a dream. That she had fallen asleep and if she could get herself to snap out of it, he wouldn't be here, in front of her, with spilled coffee on his shirt.

It was December 8th. Finals were right around the corner...so was winter break. Parties were being held and she'd been invited to a fraternity down the street. Even now, she wasn't the type to cut loose, but every so often she found herself looking forward to it.

This day was disastrous from the start. She had used body wash for conditioner and she had nearly poked her eyes out with the tip of her mascara brush. To top things off, she burnt her bread, poured cream in her cereal, and she was eight minutes late to class.

She had just just wrapped up a modeling gig and was walking to the restaurant she did part time at to fill in for a friend. She happened to be in the mood for a hot coffee and told herself if the line wasn't too long, she'd treat herself to one.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bump-"

"You need to watch where you're fucking going." She didn't recognize his voice in that moment. She was more astounded by the tone this man had used. It was not as if she had bumped into him on purpose.

"Okay, if that's how it's-" That's when she heard it. Her name, and not just her name. The nickname to her nickname he'd given her.

It was taking every ounce of strength he had to take his eyes off her. The girl he knew in high school years ago has blossomed into the beautiful woman standing in front of him today. "You look amazing," he said, smiling.

Still shocked, Pepper doesn't respond.

Tony has never looked better and it is all she can think about.

But somehow she managed to get a few words out. "I'll pay-"

"No, it's alright." He looked at his brown stained shirt and shrugged. "Don't make a big deal out of it."

You could cut the silence with a knife and thank God the barista had called her name. "Excuse me," she softly said and he moved out of her way and watched as she got her drink. Heading to an empty table, he grabs some napkins and pats down his shirt, a sigh escaping his lips. She was the last person he expected to see and the sense of unfamiliarity between them broke his heart. It was funny, he had trouble remembering the easiest of things, but when it came down to that day, three years ago, he could remember it like he could wire a circuit with his eyes closed.

"Um, I'm in a rush, but it was good to see you."

"Pepper..."

She didn't bother letting him finish and hurried towards the door. She had to get out of here before she said something she'd regret.

"This is how it's going to be?" If that was an attempt to get her to stop in her tacks, it worked. Her eyes close and she is fully in control of her emotions as she turns around to face Tony. "I thought the whole point of us breaking up was so it wasn't gonna be like this."

"Don't do this. Bringing up the past...it's been three years."

"And I'm stuck in it," he concluded.

"I meant it when I said it was good to see you," she responded with a kind smile. And deep down she really did mean those words because when she thought about their relationship, she didn't feel mad, sad, or anything else for that matter. She was grateful for the opportunity and she didn't regret it. "I didn't mean to act like I just had and I apologize, but Tony, part of moving on is letting go and I have with you. And, yeah, the process was painful, but I learned a lot about myself from it. It's hard at that age. You blame everyone and everything for your failures and a lot of that stems from immaturity." She shrugged. "You realize there's no point in blaming and you start to think of all the good you once shared and that is what I choose to remember when I think about us. We were kids, going through high school. Fun was the only thing we cared about, and at that point in our lives, nothing could have prepared us for what happened in that span of time we were together. Our bond wasn't strong and we weren't capable enough to get pass that trauma. You know it. I know it. It's something I accept. Because no matter how good our intentions would have been toward each other, it still wouldn't had been enough, and I believe it with my heart. So, yes, to answer your question. You are. You have to be in order for life to move on."

She was doing better than she thought. She refused to let her emotions break through the surface, so if he would let this go, she could walk away with her control intact.

Even as Pepper was talking, he could sense an underlying sadness in her voice. Sure, she moved on...they both have, but their relationship never ran its natural course and that left unanswered questions.

"I guess that's a good thing, right?"

"Right," she softly replies. "You're in New York again."

"Only for the weekend. There's a couple of meetings."

Was she relieved to hear that? A part of her was. But another isn't.

He wanted to tell her he missed her, but held his tongue instead. He didn't have the right to say something like that, not when he had chosen this path for them.

"Maybe we can catch up one day." Why did she just say that?

"It's okay, Pepper," he replied in earnest. "I mean, it's already weird as is, we don't need to agree on a day to celebrate it." His comment made her laugh and he marked that up as a small victory. "You should go. I don't want you to be late to whatever it is you need to be at."

"Yeah, I should get going. I'll be late." she said, checking the time.

"Bye, Pep." He smiled. For a split second she thought he was coming toward her, but she's surprised when he brushes past her and keeps on walking.


So there's definitely unresolved feelings and I'm sure you guys are excited about that. Please let me know what you think; it makes all the difference! I hoped you guys liked the first chapter, the next one should be out in about two weeks :)