“V, I’m so sorry.” JC bent over to help her to her feet, and she plastered a warm smile on her thin
lips.
“That’s okay JC, it was my fault anyway, I wasn’t paying any attention to what I was doing.”
Veronica held onto his hand tightly, not wanting to let it go.
A small cough sounded right behind Veronica, and she quickly let go to JC’s hand, and afraid to
turn around spoke quietly. “He was just helping me up Sugar.”
“Ya know Veronica, you’ve caused enough problems, don’t even be thinking about starting up
some new ones.” Sugar’s eyes bore into the back of Veronica’s head.
“Umm, I was just leaving.” Veronica still afraid to turn around, ran past JC and up the isle as fast
as she could. Sugar’s strong laughter could be heard drifting up beside her, but instead of adding
to the fear, it added to the fire.
“She was telling the truth ya know.” JC reached for Sugar’s hand, and pulled her closer to his
warm body.
“Oh I know, but I just have to keep the fear in her, or else she’ll step all over me.” Sugar allowed
herself to be wrapped up in his strong arms.
“You are oh so good at installing fear in people. I’m afraid that if I don’t kiss you now, I’ll be in
trouble.” JC leaned in closer to her ready and waiting lips.
“You know it, but I think that if you do kiss me, I’ll let ya slide for all the bad things you do
later.” Sugar’s eyes closed as JC’s lips touched hers.
He held onto her tightly, kissing her with all he had in him. Sugar was amazed, yet very
impressed. Since the two had been together, he had never kissed her liked this, but she wasn’t
complaining, she just leaned in, and deepened the kiss.
Skeeto rested her head on Justin’s shoulder. It had been so long since he had held her like this,
she hadn’t realized how much she had needed him, and his comfort. She tighted her arms around
his neck, needing him to be closer to her. He breathed her scent in, and gently ran his fingers
through her hair.
“I’ve been waiting for so long to hold you like this again.” Justin begin to sway gently.
“I’ve just been waiting to have you back.” Skeeto mumbled into his shoulder. She listened to his
steady breathing, and the thumping of his heart.
“Why were you trying so hard to keep me out of your life?” Justin asked the one question that
had been on his mind since that fateful day months ago.
Skeeto took a deep breath, thinking about how to explain her reasons to him. “I’m not sure,
other then the fact that I was scared.” It wasn’t exactly what she had wanted to say, but it was
the truth, and right now that’s all that mattered.
“Why were you so scared?” Justin wanted to pull away to look into her eyes, but he knew that she
would start to shy away again, so he just pulled her closer.
“I was scared of being hurt, and of being loved.” Skeeto had finally found the words she had
longed to say. “I didn’t want to fall in love, I didn’t want to fall for you, and I didn’t want you so
much a part of my life, that I needed to depend on you. You forced your way into my life, and
slowly but surly I watched myself fall for you. I liked it, but yet I didn’t want it, and when it
happened, I was so confused, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I ran away.”
“I was here for you though, I would have understood, if you would have just talked to me.” Justin
felt her pull from him, and he loosed his grip. She stared into his eyes, and he searched hers, for
some understanding, some comfort.
“Justin, I was so scared of being in love with you, that I wanted nothing but to run from you. I
couldn’t come and talk to you, not when you were the one that held my heart. Not when you
were the one I longed to be so close to, yet so far away from. I had to find the courage inside of
myself, before I could once again let myself be in your arms.” Skeeto’s eyes begin to water, and
she covered them with her hands. Justin pulled on them gently, forcing her to look at him
again.
“I understand now how afraid you were, but you came back to me. Why?” Justin held his breath,
waiting for an answer.
Skeeto shifted her weight, not quite knowing how to answer his question, but knowing it was one
she had asked herself in the short time they had held each other. The answer formed slowly at
first, but it begin to call to her louder. ‘You love him.’ Her mind and her heart were
screaming to her now, and she knew why she had come back. “I came back to you,
because...because, I love you Justin.”
Justin let the breath out slowly, tears building in his own eyes. All the praying, the waiting, the
wanting and the hoping had paid off, she had said the words he had longed to hear, and now he
was holding her close to him, stroking her soft hair with his fingers. He whispered the words
softly, but they were loud enough for her ears to hear. “I love you too Sara, with all my heart and
soul.”
Chris watched the two hug, he watched them kiss. He saw the sparkle of happiness pass between
them, and his heart swelled with love, and with joy. His friends were back together, back where
they were happy, loved, and peaceful. He realized that all along they had the power with in
themselves to set things straight, they just needed time, time for the walls to break down, so their
souls could go free.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Skittles soft voice sounded in his ear. He turned around, embracing
her in his arms.
“I just can’t get over the fact that they are back together. After all the pain, the struggling, they
are back where they need to be.” Chris turned again towards the now happy couple.
Skittles saw the emotion in her boyfriends eyes, and heard the depth of his words. “We
underestimated them, we didn’t give them enough time, or enough trust. We jumped in too soon
to help, only to discover they didn’t need our help.”
“I know, and all that planning, all the booking, all the time spent. What should we do with that
Hawaiian vacation now?” Chris eyes twinkled as he thought of Skittles in a bathing suit, lounging
on the white beaches of a tropical Hawaiian island.
“We’ll get them to go, just as we had planned. It will be more of a romantic holiday now that
they are together. Besides that, with us there, it will be more like the family is back together.”
Skittles leaned her head against Chris’ shoulder, watching Skeeto and Justin embrace.
“What are you two looking at?” Misty and Lance walked up behind them, looking over their
shoulders at Skeeto and Justin. “Well, looks like they put all their differences behind them.”
Lance smiled, placing an arm around Misty’s waist.
“It’s about time, this whole game they’ve been playing with each other was getting old.” Misty
placed her hand on Lance’s.
“You can say that again.” Mellie spoke causing the growing crowd to jump slightly. “I’m just
glad that she’s happy, and that she can finally relax, and breath without worry.”
“Are we still going to Hawaii?” The ever clueless Joey asked from Mellie’s side.
The group laughed, but all nodded their heads. The watched on in wonderment, and a growing
peace settled over them. They sighed as the picture in front of them became more lovely and
delightful.
Off away from the group, but watching the same couple stood Sugar and JC. Arms around each
other, gladly knowing that their best friends were fortunate to have one another again. “We
couldn’t have asked for it to turn out any better, and we couldn’t have done any better ourselves.”
Sugar’s arms tightened around JC’s waist, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
“Well, true love has a way of working its self out, in the most wondrous of ways.” JC arms
encircled her waist, as he pulled her closer to him. “I knew they’d get together, I just didn’t
realize it would work out so well.”
“I don’t think any of us did, and we were all too willing to lend a helping hand. I think what we
needed to do most, was just to give them their space. After we backed off, they found each
other.” Sugar breathed in deeply, watching the love bud in front of her. “It couldn’t be more
perfect.”
