"You're gonna have to pick one of them," Faith said as Destiny tried to make her decision, torn between the two dresses draped across the bed.
"I know," she sighed. "I'm just so nervous I can't think straight. And I only have three more hours to get it all together."
"You mean four hours?"
"No, it's three. He told me to be there at 7:00."
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "Howie told me 8:00. Oh well, he probably just wants some time alone with you before everyone gets there."
Destiny suddenly became silent, a panicked look on her face, staring blankly across the room.
"What's wrong?" Faith asked.
"I don't think I can do this," she stammered.
"Oh, sweetie, that's just nerves," she tried reassure her.
"No," she shook her head. "It's more than that. I just feel like this isn't right somehow.... like this isn't the path I'm meant to take."
"Honey, listen to me," Faith started, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. "I know it's a big step. It's natural to be nervous. But, it is the right one. You love Nick, and he loves you. That's the important thing to remember. And just think," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "We will get to plan our weddings together."
Destiny smiled slightly, but still didn't seem to be completely sold on the idea.
"Ummm.... Is there something you aren't telling me?" Faith asked.
"Well, umm.... kinda," Destiny stuttered. "I do care about Nick....,"
"But??"
"But.... I'm not in love with him."
"I thought you two were doing well. Did something happen?"
"Actually, it's more like someONE happened," she admitted. "I mean, I WAS happy with Nick at one time. But, you, yourself, have seen how many times he has disappeared and left me alone. He hasn't exactly been there for me when I've needed him. But, this other man has never failed me. He has been there when Nick hasn't, providing support, encouragement, and unwavering friendship. Through all the time he and I have spent together, we've grown very close, and before we realized it, those feelings of friendship turned to much more. When we are around each other, there is so much raw desire, passion, pure electricity. And love," she added with a dreamy smile.
Faith didn't need to hear anything else. "It's AJ, isn't it?"
Turning to look at her, totally shocked by her words, Destiny simply smiled and nodded.
"I knew it," Faith said. "There have been many times I thought I saw sparks between you two. And you're so close.... TOO close to be just friends. "
"Kevin said he saw it, too. I didn't realize it was that obvious."
"Does he know how you feel?" she asked. "AJ, I mean."
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean.... not exactly?"
Destiny took a long, deep breath, preparing to tell her friend about the passionate night she'd almost shared with AJ.
"Well, see.... the night he took me home from Brian and Graycie's anniversary party, a few things happened," she started.
"A few things? Like what? Oh.... did you....?"
"NO!" she said. "He kissed me, and well, things kinda progressed from there. And we DID end up in the bedroom, clothing on the floor, but I stopped him."
"Well???" Faith asked, extending her hands, clearly waiting for more of the story.
"Well what?" Destiny laughed.
"Well, tell me about it. You can't put that out there and just leave me hanging."
Smiling again, her expression showing she was clearly drifting off into some sort of dreamland again, Destiny tried her best to explain it.
"There really are no words to adequately describe it. Words simply don't do it justice."
"Well, try!" Faith said, growing impatient, wanting to know the juicy details.
"Amazing.... heavenly.... breathtaking...."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. It just felt so natural, so right. The way we reacted to each other's touch, each other's kiss. The way my body reacted to him, as if with a will of it's own. The way it felt to have his arms around me, to feel his lips against my skin. It was almost scary. I'd never felt anything quite like it. It was extremely powerful and totally overwhelming."
"That's love, girl," Faith nodded. "So, what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know, Faith. I really don't want to hurt Nick. And AJ isn't exactly single."
"Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that relationship is a joke."
"I know. But, still, what about Nick?"
"Nick is a fairly understanding guy. If you just tell him how you feel, that while you do care about him, you just aren't in love with him. I think he will be okay. But, you have to remember that your happiness must come first. You can not make a committment to him if you're just gonna be miserable. It's not fair to you OR him."
"You're right," she agreed with a heavy sigh. "You wanna tell him for me?"
"Yeah, right," she laughed. "Come on. Let's get you ready. And, I'm not trying to add more stress or anything, but there seems to be one little detail you've forgotten."
"And what's that?"
"When and how do you plan to tell AJ how you feel?"
"Oh, that'll be the easy part," she smiled, dreaming of the look she hoped would be on his gorgeous face when she finally revealed her feelings to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AJ slowly reread the last few lines of the poem he'd written. He had only a little while left to finish memorizing it before he had to leave. He'd been up nearly all night writing and rewriting, perfecting the ode. He was fairly certain he had it down, but not as certain as he wanted to be. He didn't want to make a complete fool out of himself. This was a huge chance he was taking, and he wanted it to go smoothly. He knew he was jeopardizing his friendship with Nick, and even the friendship with Destiny, to take this chance. But, the possible rewards far outweighed the risks.
"I'd rather regret the chances I did take, than the ones I didn't," he said quietly to himself.
Laying the paper on the bed, he walked away from it and pulled his shirt off. Glancing at the clock, he realized he didn't have much time to get ready. It was after 6:00 already. He had less than an hour. As he slowly made his way to the shower, he felt the butterflies in his stomach intensify. He had never been one for taking chances, but this was one he couldn't allow to pass by without at least trying. This was the key to his happiness. He was tired of settling for second best. Why should I? he asked himself. Why shouldn't I go for the dream? Risk it all for the one who makes my knees weak, my palms sweaty, my heart race? Convincing himself he was doing the right thing, he turned on the hot water and stepped inside the steaming chamber. As the water ran down his body, images of her ran through his mind. That night, seeming like so long ago, with her in his arms, her lips on his, her body responding to his touch. Nothing could've brought him down that night. There was no other feeling in the world like it. At that moment, he had it all. He wanted that moment back. He had lived the 'almost perfect' life.... now he was prepared to gamble everything he knew to get the fairy tale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destiny stood in front of the mirror, displeased with her appearance.
"Something is just not right," she said as Faith stood back, looking her over. "I think it's my hair."
"You want me to try putting it up for you?"
"Yeah. Would you, please?"
"Sure, sweetie. I'll try. Can't promise anything, though," she laughed.
"I'm sure you'll do fine."
Faith brushed her long hair back, as she sat in the chair in front of the mirror, putting the final touches on her makeup. Allowing a few tendrils, falling in curls against her neck and along her jawline, to remain down, she slowly pulled the rest of her hair back and up off her neck. Twisting it and wrapping it tightly, she worked with it until it looked gorgeous, securing it with a beautiful black barrette.
"How's that?" she asked.
"That is great," Destiny smiled, admiring the handy work of her friend.
"Really? You like it?"
"I love it. Thank you."
"You're quite welcome. Anything else I can do?"
"Yeah. You can go in my place," she said, a playful look on her face.
"Oh, girl. You'll do great. Like I said, just be honest. Tell Nick how you feel. That's all you can do."
"I know it is. But, what if he reacts badly? What if he gets upset, or angry?"
"Answer this," Faith started. "Would you rather have to deal with one night of him being upset with you, or a lifetime of unhappiness?"
Thinking for a brief moment, she realized her friend was right. If she didn't tell him tonight, she'd just be putting off the inevitible. Nick did make her happy.... to a certain extent. But, from everything she'd always heard about true love, and finding 'the one', she knew he wasn't it. He wasn't her knight in shining armor. He wasn't the one who made her complete. He wasn't her missing link, her perfect fit. That title was reserved for one man, alone. AJ.
"OK," she said, mustering all her courage. "Now, which shoes? The conservative pumps or the strappy heels?"
"OOh, with that dress, I'd have to say the strappy heels."
Destiny had finally chosen the long, black, form fitting dress, with the split up the side clear up to her thigh, revealing her long slender leg. The top part was very low cut, exposing the cleavage she was quite proud of. Strapless and silky, she felt sure it would cause the reaction she was looking for.
"Yeah. Again, you're right," she said as she fastened them.
Once securing them around her ankles, she stood, asking, "What do you think?"
"I think you're gonna knock his socks off," Faith smiled. "Now, I need to go get ready so I don't miss too much of the fireworks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His hands and insides shaking so badly, he could barely control it, AJ slowly pulled into Nick's driveway. Getting out, he went over the poem in his head for about the hundredth time. It had to be perfect if it was going to work. Swallowing hard, he made his way to the door.
But, when he got there, there were two notes taped to it. One was an envelope marked with Destiny's name. He wanted to read it so badly, to see what Nick had to say, but he didn't touch it. He already felt bad enough for what he planned to do to one of his best friends. He would at least allow him this last love note. The other note said: "Party out back. Come on around. Nick"
Leaving the note in place for the other guests to see when they arrived, AJ slowly walked around the house, his heart pounding wildly, his hands shaking even more than before. He had never been so nervous in his life. He had no idea what to expect when he got around there. He hadn't seen any other cars out front, but surely Nick was there. Knowing what he had planned, he almost wished someone else were there, to lighten the tension that would obviously be there. But, what he found when he finally made his way around to the back patio and pool area was the last thing he would've ever expected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destiny nearly backed out of Nick's driveway after pulling in, her nerves taking over once again. I can't do this, she told herself. I can not go in there and hurt him like that. Battling herself over her emotions, she sat in the car on the verge of tears. She went over the pro and con list again in her head. And it all came down to what Faith had said. Her happiness had to come first. As much as she cared about Nick and AJ both, she had to follow her heart. She had to take the path it was leading her down, no matter what.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her car, prepared to make her decision. Reaching the door, she read the note instructing her to go around to the back. Then she pulled the envelope from the door, sat in the rocking chair, opened it and began reading.
Dear Destiny,
First, I want you to know that the past several months with you have been wonderful. You have been like a much needed breath of fresh air in my life. You have taught me that life is too precious and too short to waste being lonely and miserable, that you have to grab your opportunities where you can find them. You've helped me to grow and become a better man. What I'm planning to do may come as a shock to you, knowing how immature I can be at times. I hope you can see in my actions tonight that I have grown enough to do the right thing, to do what it takes to make you happy. As I said, your happiness is most important to me.I'm sorry I haven't been the best boyfriend in the world. Though we don't exactly fit together like destined lovers should, I'm hoping that tonight, you will realize that maybe we were meant to find each other after all.
Love Always,
Nick
A tear dropped down Destiny's cheek as she read his words. She started feeling guilty about what she was about to do after reading the note. It was obvious from that note that he cared a great deal for her, that he wanted to make her happy. And how was she repaying him? By dumping him for his best friend. What kind of person am I? she wondered. She began to question her intentions again. Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe I should just go with my first instinct and try to find some kind of happiness with Nick. It won't be all that bad. No, she thought, not THAT bad. Just miserable, that's all. She knew, as much as she hated to admit it, that she could never marry Nick, while her feelings for AJ were so strong. She just hated to break his heart.
Standing up, regaining her composure, she prepared herself to do what was necessary. Slowly making her way around the house, she could hear soft music playing as she came closer to the patio area. Once the pool came into her view, she saw the decorations, and realized the trouble he'd went to for her. Floating on the water, covering nearly all of the surface of the water were heart shaped floating candles and rose petals. There were red streamers draped over the fence, red and white balloons tied to the railing. She stopped just short of the corner of the house, taking in the sights. He had obviously taken quite some time getting things ready. She felt worse than ever about what she had to do. Taking yet another deep breath, she continued her journey around the house and readied herself to face him.... only he wasn't there. When she came up on the back patio, she saw only one person, across the way, his back turned to her. She hadn't seen his face, but she hadn't needed to. It clearly wasn't Nick. It was AJ.
When he turned to face her, she stopped in her tracks, the tears in his eyes clear to her. He said nothing, simply looked up. That's when she saw it, when it all became clear. Above his head hung a sign. Everything suddenly made sense. At that moment, it was perfectly clear to her just how wrong she'd been about Nick's intentions. The sign read:
Still no words exchanged, AJ took the first steps to close the distance between them. Feeling her every dream come to life, she stepped to meet him, her destiny. And the words in Nick's letter now made sense. They HAD been meant to find each other. Though Nick wasn't 'the one' for her, he was sent to her to help her find her 'one'. And, now that man stood before her, close enough to touch. Her fairy tale come true.
Without a sound, he reached and gently placed his hands on either side of her face, lowering his lips on hers, softly kissing her. As her body melted into his, he intensified the kiss, letting his emotions take over. This is it, he thought. He knew this was the moment he'd waited for all of his life.
Pulling away, he said, "Um...., I had prepared a little something for you, thinking I was going to have to try to win you over. But, it looks like our pal Nickolas has taken care of that part for me. So, if you'll bear with me, I have something I'd like to say to you."
Unable to speak, her hand still in his, Destiny shook her head, tears already building in her blue eyes.
"Destiny, the moment that I met you, something stirred in my soul. Something I'd never felt before. You've reached places in me that no one has ever come close to, and over the past few months, I've come to realize that you are indeed MY destiny, MY angel. I truly believe you were sent from heaven, a gift from God, to show me the way. That being said, I've composed a little something for you.
*God woke me this morning, and let me live this day,
brought me from my slumber and showed me the way.
'Something will happen, you will know when it is time.
Your heart skips a beat; no words will rhyme.
The sun may be out, but you'll still see the light.
And it may be anytime: morning, noon, or night.
Your breath will be gone, you'll be unable to stand.
Your throat will be dry, your food will be bland.
She'll come on a wave, and sweep you away.
It's all you can do, just to hold on and pray.
Because after all is said, you are only a man.
And moments like these, you do not always plan.
For what is to come, you must not be scared.
I will be behind you, though you will not be prepared.
The love of your life, she will soon be.
Forsaking all others, you will soon see.
Don't worry, my son, you they will forgive.
There will be only one, one chance to live.
Great things you'll accomplish with her at your side.
You have waited so long, not many have tried.'
God woke me this morning, and let me live this day.
I truly believe it was because I did pray.
'The nightmares will end', the voice said from above.
'She will look like an angel, and you'll fall in love.'*"
After speaking the last line, AJ waited for her reaction, praying she'd like it, that she wouldn't be scared off by it.
Destiny couldn't speak. She was totally shocked by all of it. Still reeling from realizing what Nick had done, she was totally floored by AJ's outpouring of emotion in that beautiful poem. Could this be real? she asked herself. Could my dreams finally be coming true?
She reached out instinctively to touch his face, as if to see if he were really there. Feeling her soft touch, he closed his eyes, allowing her to run her hand along his jaw, and down his neck. Once again, the emotion between the two of them was electrifying, the passion and desire beaming from them as Kevin had said. When he opened his eyes, Destiny saw that look again. The same look she'd seen the night they'd shared the steamy love scene. This time, it didn't scare her, for she knew exactly what it was. Pure, true love. The once in a lifetime kind of love. The love most people only dream about. It was hers for the taking. All she had to do was say yes.
Pulling her close to him once again, he tilted her chin with his thumb to look in her eyes.
"You see it, don't you?" he whispered.
"I do," she answered with a smile. "It's been there all along, hasn't it?"
"It has," he said. "And this time, it's real. It's true; truer than anything I've ever known. Undeniable, unstoppable, unbreakable."
Both of them realizing just how powerful the emotion was, neither spoke for a very long moment. They both simply stood there, staring into each other's eyes, allowing the feelings to totally take over. Then, as if they both knew what the other was thinking, they spoke at the same time.
"I love you."
As their lips met again in a steamy kiss, the thunder of applause came from behind them. A little shocked, they turned to face their friends, all of them able to 'feel' the love between the two.
AJ's arm still around her, Destiny felt she had finally made it to where she was supposed to be. In the arms of the man of her dreams, in the middle of their approving friends, she felt that life couldn't get any better. What she didn't realize was that it could definitely get worse.