Rachel looked around and wondered what to do for the best. She couldn't go back into the party tonight; she couldn't face being in the same room as Eddie any longer. She knew he was right, they were going to have to talk this over at some point, but she was still convinced that now was definitely not the time. Spying a comfortable looking armchair in a secluded corner of the lobby, she sank down there gratefully to collect her thoughts. Completely fed up of her emotions being in such turmoil, Rachel desperately wanted to get her head clear and sort the whole mess out. Realising that she was getting nowhere fast, she decided to head outside to the car park for a short walk before going to bed.
Eddie meanwhile stared after her as she bolted from the room. He could understand how Rachel was feeling, but after having made his own decision earlier on in the afternoon, he really needed to discuss it with her and ease her fears. Glancing over to the bar and realising that Melissa was going to be absorbed in her drinking competition for some time yet, he decided to go and look for Rachel. After searching the lobby and the bar area with no luck, he began to wonder whether she had already headed upstairs, but as he made his way to the lifts near the entrance, he caught sight of a familiar auburn head in the corner of the car park.
Rachel had her back to him and was sitting on a low wall looking out over the grounds of the hotel as Eddie approached. The gardens looked beautiful, with small lights hidden in the flower beds, giving an overall ethereal glow to the place. A light breeze ruffled Rachel's hair and blew it away from her face, giving Eddie a glimpse of the tears glistening on her cheeks. Eddie sat down next to her on the wall, facing the opposite way, and Rachel jumped slightly, having been too lost in her thoughts to notice his approach.
"Hey Rach," he began softly, longing to reach out and brush away her tears, "Please don't cry, I really don't want you to feel upset about this. Look, it's all my fault, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've made a decision. But I would like to discuss it with you first and foremost, before anyone else. Will you hear me out?"
"Eddie, it shouldn't be me that you say these things to, why don't you seem able to understand that today?" Rachel responded sadly, "It's Melissa you're marrying, it's her who you should discuss important decisions with, not me!"
"You know you couldn't be further from the truth there Rach. Ever since we broke up from school you've been constantly on my mind. Since the end of term do, that moment in the club, I know you felt it too. I just feel so drawn to you, and it's been going on much longer than that if I'm truthful. And whilst I've suspected for a while now that you may feel the same way, I couldn't be sure. Not until this afternoon. I'm sorry Rachel, but there is no way you could have kissed me back in that hot tub the way you did this afternoon if you weren't feeling the same way."
The tears were now pouring freely down Rachel's face as she listened to Eddie's sincere words. She knew she had felt exactly the same way this afternoon, had been having the exact same thoughts about him all summer as he had about her. She wanted so much to reach out to him and let him envelope her in his strong arms, take away all the turmoil for her, but of course there was still one issue, her sister.
"Ok Eddie, so what if I said that you are exactly right, you've got it spot on. All I have been able to think about for the whole of the holidays so far is you. You're all I've thought about for most of the year, since I stupidly turned you down on my very first day back. But there is still the small matter of you being my future brother in law. I can hardly expect you to drop everything, dump your fiancée and run away with her sister now can I?"
"Yes... Yes you can Rach. That is exactly what you can expect from me. That's what I'm trying to say. The thing with Mel, the whole relationship, I thought we could be happy together. We get on really well, we make each other laugh, share some interests, you know? I thought I had completely missed my chance with you, and that I could be happy with her for the rest of my life. Things moved a little quickly I'll admit, with the engagement and everything. But with you Rach, it's just completely different. We aren't even together, and you still manage to consume my every waking thought. I know it's wrong, but lately I've been comparing everything Mel does, everything she and I do together, with what it would be like with you. It's so different with you Rach, I mean I love Melissa, I have enjoyed being with her in the past, Phil too. But I'm not in love with her. I can't be in love with her when I am in love with someone else. You stole that part of my heart a long time ago, and without that I can never give myself fully to Melissa. It's you I am in love with Rach, completely and utterly. It's you I want; no make that need, to spend the rest of my life with. I just don't know how I'll cope otherwise."
"I can't let you do this Eddie. I can't let you do that to my sister. It will break her heart. She thinks the world of you, I know she does. It would kill her if you left her. And if you left her for me, well, that would be worse still, she wouldn't have anyone left."
Eddie turned Rachel slowly to face him and took her hands in his.
"I knew you would feel like this Rach, you're far too selfless for your own good. But please just think of yourself for a moment, think how happy we could be together if we allowed ourselves. I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of forever showing you just how much. And nothing you can say can change my mind on this now. There's no way I could stay with Melissa knowing that I feel this way about you. Allow yourself some happiness for once Rach, please let me make you as happy as I know you will make me."