Central City,
October 25, 2015
Wally's sitting around at the restaurant, waiting for his girlfriend and his best friend with his to come. He sighs deeply, looking at his watch. They were supposed to be here about 10 minutes ago, but there he is, waiting for them to arrive. He takes the last sip from his beer and starts watching some TV. The 20-year-old redhead jumps slightly when he feels lips pressing softly onto his neck. He turns around and is faced by his girlfriend. He smiles at her and she sits down across from him.
"Where are Dick and Zatanna? I thought this was supposed to be a double-date?" she asks.
"It is supposed to be, but they're late. Maybe they got caught in traffic or something" he responds, taking his cell phone out of his pocket to check if his best friend hadn't tried to call. He sighs when he sees he has no missed calls and stuffs it into his pocket once again.
"Yeah… caught up in traffic… right…" Jacqueline says, smirking a little. Wally raises an eyebrow at her and smiles a little, shaking his head. The waitress comes up to their table and asks Jacqueline if she'd like to order something to drink.
"Anyways, I need to go to the library, would you mind coming with me after lunch?" she asks, after ordering an orange juice. He thinks about it for a second, but just shrugs and replies with a "Yeah, sure"
"Great, we could go eat an ice cream after that, or maybe go see a movie in my house" she says the last part looking up at him through her eyelashes, blushing a little.
"Jacqueline, we're practically in November, why would we eat an ice cream if it's this cold" he says, laughing a little. He ignores the last part she suggested, he does not want to sleep with her. Of course he is not a virgin anymore, but with Jacqueline… I mean, they only have been together for six months and she is a virgin. She says she wants to give herself to someone special, he just doesn't understand why she thinks it's him... at least, lately she's been thinking that. Since…. Never mind.
"Yeah, but we always have the other option… watching a movie at my place could be fun" she says, pressing on the subject.
"Yeah, why not? We could go to the cinema, there is a movie I've been dying to see" he says.
"Actually, I said for us to watch the movie in my-" she's stopped by Wally standing up abruptly. She raises a delicate eyebrow in his direction "Wally, what's-"
She's interrupted once again when he runs out of the restaurant, leaving her standing there confused and hurt. She shakes those feelings off and stands up quickly, following after him. When she gets out of the restaurant, she sees Wally running after a blonde.
"Artemis!" he calls after her. He catches up with her and grabs her arm, making her turn around. Green eyes are met with blue ones and his eyes widen.
"I-I'm so sorry. I just thought… I thought you were another person" he apologizes quickly, letting go of the girl's arm. She waves it off and keeps going. He goes back to Jacqueline and grabs her hand, starting to walk back into the restaurant when her voice stops him.
"I'm going home" she says quietly.
"What?" he asks, turning around and facing her.
"I'm going home, Wally" she says, louder this time "I'm tired… I'm so, so tired" she lets go of his hand, tears in her eyes.
"Jacqueline, what are you talking about?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and laughing nervously. He knows exactly what she means.
"I'm so damn tired Wally!" she shouts at him. He looks at the people on the street from the corner of his eye and can see some of them looking at them.
"Jacqueline, let's go inside and talk about this"
" There's no 'talk about this' this time Wally. This was the last time you made a fool out of me" she says, turning around to leave but he grabs her hand.
"Let go of me" she says, wiping her tears quickly before turning around and facing him once again.
"Look, Jackie, I'm so, so sorry. I-"
"Don't even try to apologize for it! It's the fifth time this happens since we're together. The last time happened not too long ago! I tried to forget it, I tried to make you love me as much as I love you, but I guess you'll never forget that Artemis girl"
"Jackie, I-"
"Don't Wally… just don't. I'm just so tired of this. I can't be happy with you if you keep running after a ghost that may never appear again in your life-"
"I promise it won't-"
"Happen again? You promised that all four times this happened before. You don't deserve me, Wally, not at least until you forget about the past and move on to the future" she turns around and leaves for good. Wally just stands there, digesting Jacqueline's words. Maybe she's right. Maybe he does need to forget Artemis. She never looked for him these past years, why should he be the one to look after her?
"Hum… what happened here?" comes Dick's voice from behind him. He turns around and finds Dick and Zatanna holding hands. He sighs. His best friend is just so damn lucky to have his girl… the girl he wants next to him.
"You two eat your lunch and have a nice time. I'm just… I'm not hungry" he says, his mouth running faster than his thoughts. He just wants to slap himself. He knows Dick won't have a nice time knowing he is not right. And thanks to him, he might as well be sure of that because… since when Wally's not hungry?
"What I meant was that I have something to do and I can't talk till late at night so, don't call me, okay?" he says, leaving them no time to answer his question since he starts walking away from them quickly.
Dick and Zatanna share a knowing look. They know exactly why their friend is just like this and they mouth to each other.
"Again. He lost her once again"
-xxx-
Central City,
February 28, 2019
"So, I was thinking we could go on some vacation" Linda states.
Wally just nods as he stirs his cappuccino with the spoon.
"We haven't been on vacation since… since forever!" she says, throwing her arms in the air "Don't you think?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend.
"Uh… what?" he asks, feeling his cheeks warm up from being caught. Linda sighs "Babe, you've been like this for weeks! What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, Linda. Really" he tries to reassure her. He gets up and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair "I've got to go, okay? I'll see you tomorrow" he hesitates a moment before pressing his lips against hers. Before she can deepen the kiss, he separates their lips and walks out of the café. He puts his jacket on and stuffs his hands in his jean's pockets. He starts walking down the street, his mind wavering to what he was thinking just moments ago, before Linda interrupted his train of thought. Artemis is back on the city. Yup, she showed up about a month ago and they barely talked since then. He hates this feeling between them so he asked Zatanna for her number (since they're really close now) and called her and… they kind of… well, they're going to meet in his house to talk…
He looks up at his apartment and sighs. He climbs the stairs and quickly opens the door to his apartment, getting in.
He looks at the kitchen clock for the fourth time in about five minutes. He's so nervous. She was about to arrive at any moment. He said for her to come at eight p.m. so that they could have dinner at his house and talk more properly about what happened throughout these years. It was like she appeared and disappeared and-
Ding Dong
He jumped slightly at the sound of the bell ringing. He tried to calm his erratic heart as he walked into the living room and looked himself in the mirror Easy West, you're just longtime friends who haven't talked or spoke in almost two decades he thinks to himself. He places his trembling hand in the door handle but immediately takes it off as if it was burning. What if she runs away again? What if she just doesn't recognize him anymore? Even worse, what if he doesn't recognize her anymore?
He shakes these thoughts out of his mind and places his hand on the door handle once again, opening the door before he could back away again. And there she stands, in all her magnificent glory. Her blonde hair is falling in waves over her shoulders making it look like she has a halo shining in the moonlight. She's dressed in a pair of white jeans and a green shirt with a black coat hanging on her right arm. She looks up at him and tries to smile a little. He just keeps there, staring at the beautiful woman she's become since they were kids. He finally snaps out of it and clears his throat "Uh, hum, come in" he says, moving away from the door to give her space to go in. She lets out a quiet 'thanks' and passes by him, entering his modest house. He closes the door behind him and turns around to face her. He clears his throat once again and cleans his sweaty hands on the back of his jeans. Since when did it become so hot?
"Uh… do you want to… hang your coat?" he asks, extending his arms out to take it from her.
"Yeah… that'd be nice" she says back, nodding and handing him over the coat.
The night just goes by like this, both of them awkwardly trying to come up with a subject, they even talked about the weather. Wally tries to find the guts to ask her all he has wanted to ask all this years, but he just can't.
Finally, 10 p.m. arrives and she stands up from his kitchen chair.
"Well, uh, this has been a great night, but I should head back to the hotel" she says, walking to the living room. He gets up and runs after her "Wait, I'll get you to the door" he says.
She picks up her coat from the hanger and heads to the door. Wally opens it for her, standing by it.
"Yeah… well, I guess this is goodbye… for now, at least" she says, looking awkwardly to the ground.
"Yeah, I guess" he says too, looking at her. She looks up at him in the eyes and they smile at each other. Before he can stop himself, his hand flies to her face and tucks a piece of hair that had gotten out of place behind her ear. But instead of taking his hand away from her face, he places it softly there, drawing lazy circles with his thumb on her cheek. She leans her face into his touch and they both lean in slowly, without even realizing it until their lips touch softly at first, but the hunger and desire grow at each moment that passes with their lips joined in a passionate kiss. Wally hadn't realized how much he's been needing this over the years, needing her touch, needing her lips, needing her fully and completely. He pulls her inside again and closes the door with his foot. They crumble against the wall, their lips never leaving each other's. He runs his hands through her body, groaning softly when he feels her moan lightly into their kiss. He places his hands on her thighs and picks her up. She wraps her legs around his waist and he carries her into his bedroom. He doesn't think of anything that moment. He just cares about him and Artemis right now, together.
"We shouldn't do this" Artemis whispers, grabbing hold of the hem of his shirt and pulling it out, showing her his perfectly muscled torso. She runs her hands in his chest lustfully and he captures her lips with his once again.
"Let's just live the moment right now. Please. Let us worry about the consequences later" he whispers against her lips and he feels her nodding. And that's all he needed.
The slight dim of light comes through the window of his bedroom and Wally yawns loudly. He slowly opens his eyes and adjusts them to the light, blinking them a couple of times until they fully adjust. That's when he notices the nude body laying a couple of inches away from his. His eyes widen instantly as he recalls the events from last night. He actually slept with Artemis. This hasn't been just a dream, it really happened and she was there, next to him. He watches her sleeping form, taking in every detail from her. How her face has such a peaceful expression while she sleeps, her messy blonde hair spread through the white pillow. A small smile plays at the corners of his lips when she finally starts stirring. He sees her eyes flutter open and he rests his chin on her bare back.
"Good morning beautiful" he says through light kisses that start from her shoulder until the nape of her neck. She sighs softly.
"Good morning" she responds while turning around, covering herself with the blankets and looking him in the eye. They keep there, staring at each other before he pecks her lips softly. He sits up and looks around the room for his boxers quickly. He finds them in the corner of the room and he quickly runs up to them and puts them on.
"I'm going to take a shower okay? Stay right there" he says, slowly walking backwards into the bathroom. She chuckles lowly and nods her head.
He quickly turns on the water and undresses his undergarment before stepping in. The warm water feels amazing against his skin and he takes his time there.
Once he finishes, he dries himself and walks into the room, finding it empty. He feels his heart drop in his chest as he gets out of the room quickly, walking into the kitchen just to find Artemis on the oven, already dressed and cooking something that smells delicious. He releases a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and gets out of there quickly. He puts on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and walks into the kitchen once again.
Artemis moved from the oven to the kitchen table, placing two plates there, both full with a couple of bacon slices, an omelet and three toasts each. His mouth starts watering and he walks up to her.
"This smells delicious" he comments, making her aware of his presence. She turns around holding two cups with orange juice and blushes slightly.
"Thank you" she says. They sit on the table and eat silently, neither feeling prepared to actually talk about what happened. But Artemis has always thought 'rather sooner than later' so she decided to be the first one to speak.
"Wally…. We need to talk" she says, after finishing eating. He stops cleaning his mouth with the napkin and puts it down. He nods slowly and she takes it as a sign to continue.
"Last night… last night shouldn't have happened" she says, going straight to the point. He feels like someone stabbed his heart and twisted the knife, making it hurt even more.
"Did you…. Did you regret it?" he asks.
"I… I… it just shouldn't have happened, okay? You have a girlfriend-" she says but he cuts her off.
"Who told you that?" he asks.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you betrayed your girlfriend and if she finds out, she's going to be heartbroken. We shouldn't have done this… it was, it is, wrong"
"Oh, but it wasn't wrong for you to leave me without any explanation during nineteen years? To make me run after every blonde girl with tanned skin that I saw on the street thinking it might be you? To leave me…. abandon me on the park that day when I was sixteen? Give me hope everyday that I might find you, that you may be looking for me as I was looking for you? Because, if you really were trying to find me, you could have done that a long time ago" he says, looking her dead in the eye.
"I…" she gets up from the table and picks up both their plates and walks over to the sink, turning on the water and starting to wash the dishes "It's… it's not what you think. You're wrong. You think that you know the reason why I left, the reason that made me not look for you as you were looking for me… but you don't. No one does"
"Then tell me the reasons before I can make a conclusion myself!" he shouts at her. She opens her mouth to respond but closes it almost instantly. He keeps staring at her, waiting for her to respond, but she doesn't. He sighs "Artemis" he says softly. When she doesn't respond once again he walks over to her "Artemis"
He looks over at her hands, one clutching the plate tightly making her knuckles turn white and the other holding the sponge and rubbing the dirt off the plate with a little too much force. He turns the water off and takes the plate from her hands carefully, right before the sponge. He picks up a cloth and cleans her hands. He picks them up and kisses her knuckles, brushing his nose lightly against them.
"Artemis… please talk to me" he whispers softly. She sighs and takes her hands away from him.
"I shouldn't be here" she says, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. She picks up her things from the hanger but Wally is quickly by her side, taking them away from her.
"Why do you keep running away from me?" he asks.
"I'm not running away from you" she whispers hoarsely, looking at the ground.
"You aren't? Because, these past few years it's exactly what it looks like! I'm pretty sure you came to the city a thousand times since you left when you were nine, but you didn't look for me any of those times! And, unlucky you, I saw you at the park in 2011. And guess what? When I ran over to talk to you, you ran away!"
"You can't be sure that was me-" she starts saying but he cuts her off.
"Don't try to make me a fool, Artemis! I know exactly it was you! You left your book behind, 'Alice in Wonderland'. I started doubting if it was really you, but then a picture fell out of the book" he goes over to some drawers and opens the last one. He takes something out of it and marches to her, stuffing the book in her hands. She opens it and indeed, the picture is there. She sighs.
"Okay, it was me. But I had a good reason to run away-"
"Oh yeah? Then what was it?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I can't tell you!" she shouts out "I can't, okay? I just can't and I won't" she says with finality, walking over to where he put her things but he grabs her arm.
"This conversation is not over Artemis. Don't pretend as if you don't feel nothing for me. You proved differently last night" he says.
"Let's just forget about last night and go on with our lives" she says, sighing a little.
"I won't forget about last night. It was the best night of my life, how do you expect me to just forget it? Don't try to deny your feelings, Arty. That won't work" he says, using his pet name for her when they were kids. It feels weird saying it again; it has been so long since he called her that.
"I'm not denying anything-"
"You love me and I love you! What's so complicated about that?" he asks.
"I don't-"
"Don't deny it Artemis! I've loved you since the moment I saw you sitting there all alone 20 years ago. I've loved you then and I still love you now. I've loved you all my life and I was so hopeful you'd come back for me one day, and here you are. I'm not going to let you get away again, Artemis. Not again" he says firmly.
"Wally… I… it's better if you live as far away from me as you can… I don't deserve you"
"Don't even try, Artemis. I'm the one who evaluates if someone deserves me or not, and you're at the top of the first list. You deserve me as much as I deserve you"
"You don't understand, Wally. A lot of shit has happened since we were nine… a lot of thing has changed. I've changed… to worse" she whispers the last part and he walks over to her, lifting her chin up to make her look up at him in the eyes.
"I don't believe that for a second. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me back. That you didn't enjoy last night as much as I did and I swear I'll let you go and you won't hear from me ever again" he says, brushing his nose softly against hers.
"I… that's not the point-"
"Tell me"
"I… I…" she sighs, defeated "Last night was amazing. The best night of my life, actually" he grins at her and leans in to press his lips to hers, but she pushes him away "But as I was saying, that's not the point!"
He's about to respond when she grabs her things and walks up to the door, opening it "I've got to go" she looks at him once again before closing the door behind her.
He stands there paralyzed for a second right before grabbing his jacket from the hanger and running out of the house after her.
Just like sand, she's always slipping through his fingers. But not again. Artemis Crock will not get away from him that easily this time, he'll make sure of it.
A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for your support in this story, thank you for the followers, favorites and reviews, they really mean the world to me.
I bet you weren't expecting me to finish like this, but hey, think on the bright side! You can decide what you want to happen next in your mind :p
Please, don't kill me for finishing like this, I really love you all :D
If you want a sequel to this story, just tell me and I swear I'll think about it (and by think about it, I mean 'Duh, of course I'll do it!') ;p
Also, I recommend you to listen "Something I need" by OneRepublic, it was a great inspiration for this chapter.
Well, hope you liked this :D
I love you all :)