PART II

CB found her rather quickly.

She stood with her back to him, leaning against the railing of the reception hall's terrace overlooking a small lake. The sun was setting over the water, casting brilliant shades of coral and violet around the silhouette of her body. The spring wind lightly tossed her blond curls, and the sight of her nearly took his breath away.

CB cautiously sauntered toward her and joined her against the metal railing. They were both quiet, looking out toward the horizon at the setting star. Lainey sniffed and wiped away the tears from under her eyes, and it panged CB's heart to see her so upset.

"How long have you been in love with me?" Lainey finally broke the silence, not taking her eyes off the sunset. She absentmindedly played with the heart-shaped charm that hung from a chain around her neck.

CB's heart sank inside his chest at her words. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She'd seen straight through his words in those days leading up to Valentine's Day, when he'd confessed that he "kind of maybe" had a crush on her. He'd only been kidding himself to think she wouldn't find out his feelings ran much, much deeper.

"Ah… where on Earth did you hear that?" he asked nonchalantly, scoffing. He tried to play it cool.

"Let's just say William Penn's little rendition of Singled Out made me realize a lot of things," she answered, turning to face him. "It made me think about my future and who I wanted to spend it with."

Lainey reached out and placed her right hand in his, entwining their fingers together. His bones nearly leapt out of his skin at her touch. He inhaled deeply, trying desperately not to let her see the utter elation he now felt.

"Oh?" CB said, shifting his gaze to their hands now laced together. "And who might that be?"

"Well, I thought about the door theory…"

"The door theory?" His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

"The door theory, yes... "

"What the hell is that?" He laughed, trying not to sound too much like a jerk.

"Just shut up, CB, and listen, okay?" Lainey rolled her eyes and then continued, "You know how in Titanic there was plenty of room left on the door, but Rose didn't move over and let Jack get on?"

"Yes, it's science, remember? But you've lost me. What does this have to do with-?"

"Barry…" she interrupted him. "I don't think Barry would've left room for me on the door."

"Okay," CB mused, nodding in affirmation. "I totally agree with you there, but..."

"And then I thought about you… my best friend, my CB. I just knew you would've left room for me. You would've left room for everyone. You would've made sure everyone else was on, putting others first before yourself. You wouldn't have cared if you drowned or froze to death if everyone else was safe."

"That's so sweet of you to say." He blushed, the smile blooming on his lips. "I totally would've, though."

"I know." She paused for a few fleeting seconds, placing her free hand on his right cheek. The warmth of her hand was exhilarating. "You're such a good and kind-hearted person… you've done so many amazing things for me over these past two years at William Penn. You've helped me grow into the person and the teacher I thought I could never be."

CB's eyes began to brim with tears; his heartbeat pounded in his ears. He let out a forced breath, fighting to control his emotions.

"What are you saying, Lainey?"

"I'm saying that… I love you, Charlie Brown," Lainey answered, gazing resolutely into his blue eyes. "I want to be with you… if you'll have me."

CB closed his eyes, savoring the moment. He fought the urge to pinch himself; he could scarcely believe it was all real. Lainey had confessed her love for him, and it made his heart sing with everlasting joy. He couldn't fight the smile that etched across his lips nor the tears that now streamed down his cheeks.

"I would like that very much," he managed to answer her despite the overwhelming emotions now surging their way throughout his being.

Without any further delay, Lainey sweetly wiped away his tears and leaned into him, crushing her lips to his. He responded with vigor and pulled her to him, encasing her with his arms, never wanting to let her go.

But then, a thought plagued him, and he couldn't in good conscience continue kissing her. Technically, Lainey was still dating Barry, and he'd become somewhat of a friend to CB since Christmas and the whole Beanie Baby fiasco.

"Wait a sec," CB lamented, breaking free of her lips. "But what about Barry, though? Does he know about this?"

"Oh, God, no," she admitted, looking up at him through her lashes. "But I've already broken it off with him."

"What? When?" CB's mouth hung open in shock.

"About a month ago… maybe." Lainey shyly bit her lip. "It was just getting too hard being so far away and not getting to see each other but once a month or so. Besides, I was starting to have feelings for you and I couldn't even look at him - or you for that matter - without feeling guilty."

"Oh, crap… how did he take it?" CB began to panic, not sure what Barry would do when he found out CB was the one who had stolen her away from him. The three letters JTP briefly came to mind.

"Not well, but you know Barry…" She tightened her arms around his neck. "I'm sure he'll try everything in his power to win me back."

"Oh, I don't doubt it for one second. I'm actually waiting for him to jump out from behind the bushes any second now." He chuckled, glancing around warily. "But seriously, why didn't you tell me you two broke up? I'm your best friend, remember?"

"Not anymore… I mean, I don't want to be just your friend." Lainey flashed him an impish grin. She rose up on her toes, bringing her lips mere breaths from his. "Unless… you don't want to-"

CB answered her by grabbing the sides of her face and bearing down on her lips, pouring all his love and care for her into the kiss.

"I guess, that's a yes." She giggled against his mouth and then returned his kiss, hugging him fiercely.

"You're damn straight it is," he said with a smile, his lips swollen from the pressure of their kiss.

CB had never been happier in his life. Lainey Lewis was finally his. He then lifted her off the ground, spinning her around, the spectacular sunset providing the perfect backdrop for their newfound love.

After a few lingering moments of liplock, the couple rejoined the party, hand in hand, just in time for the new Mrs. Mellor to toss her bouquet. Lainey stood out in front, her arms opened wide, ready to push her fellow single ladies aside in order to claim the bouquet as her own. As the spray of roses flew into the air, she gave CB a flirty wink and enthusiastically took a dive, emerging victorious with her prize firmly in hand.

~.~

I'm not crying, you're crying. Btw, I took the "door theory" from a January interview between AJ and Brett. It fit so perfectly here. Please let me know what you thought. Thank you as always for reading! And btw, I have another CB/Lainey fic coming this weekend. I'm going to split it into 3 parts because it's pretty long. I hope you'll check it out! ~ Dazzy xxoo