by Mya O'Malley
“Read it!” shouted the groom.
Shane glanced down and read the message. It was forwarded from that night so long ago with a message asking for Shane to read it.
Shane, When I first met you, I knew it was different, I knew it was meant to be. I felt it right from the start. The way we kept bumping into each other, the way we kissed in the bathroom. We laughed together, we had fun together. Do you remember how Tiny stared at us when we argued and then kissed at the vet? I’m a jerk. Nothing else can be said. I should have believed you about that nasty woman whose name I won’t even speak aloud. In my heart, I did believe you. I’m just way too stubborn for my own good. I’ve been hurt before, and I swore I’d never let anyone hurt me again. My guard was up, you see, but it was up too high and I’m sorry that it took this to make me realize it. Aaron is a friend, we’ve never been together, he’s just a friend. You see, I think you have trust issues, too. I know you’ve been hurt and I’ve waited for you to trust me enough to share what happened to you. I’m still waiting. My heart belongs to you. Trust me, I’ll never hurt you. I miss you already. Annie.
Brushing a tear aside, Shane couldn’t stand it. He had hurt this woman, hurt himself in the name of pride. Aaron was right, he had made a huge mistake and now it was too late. Why didn’t he figure all of this out before?
Feeling eyes on him, he faced the happy couple. “What did she say?” the bride asked, eyes wide.
“Here, read it yourself.” He handed the phone to the woman as she read it aloud. Upon finishing it, the bride wiped tears from her face.
“Oh my…you have to go get her, Shane! Go!”
He spun around, as he was strapped in his seat, the plane circling the runway.
“Go, man. Go to Annie, it’s now or never!” The groom nudged him.
“I can’t just…”
An elderly woman about eighty years of age, who apparently had been listening to the entire story of Shane and Annie, spun around to face Shane from her seat in front of him.
“Go get her, Shane! Get your Annie!”
Shane unlatched his seatbelt and stood, unsure of what to do. A stewardess quickly unhooked her own seatbelt and came rushing over to him. “Sir! You must sit down, we’re preparing to take off!”
Shaking his head, Shane faced the woman. “I have to get off this flight!” He walked toward the front of the plane, the stewardess close behind, yelling at him.
“Let him off, it’s an emergency!” yelled the bride and groom.
“He needs to find his Annie!” The elderly woman yelled at the stewardess as well.
Radioing in to the pilot, the stewardess caught up to Shane, who was right near the pilot’s door. “Sir, you must sit down.”
“Ma’am, with all due respect, please get out of my way.” Standing his ground, Shane remained close to the door.
Another stewardess, obviously more understanding, quickly rushed to assess the situation. “Sir, what is the emergency?”
“Have you ever been in love, ma’am? I mean, true love?”
Looking shocked, she shook her head. “Well, yes, but.…”
“I’ll lose her if I don’t get off this plane, please.”
Speaking into her walky-talky, the woman informed the pilot that there was an emergency, that a man needed to get off the plane this minute.
Allowing Shane to step out the door back into the airport terminal, he took one last look back into the plane, scanning for the happy couple. Making eye contact, he gave them a thumbs-up signal. The couple cheered.
Shane knew his luggage was on that plane. He would worry about that later. Right now he sprinted out of the terminal and into the parking area. He glanced around for a cab, flagged it down and instructed the driver to head towards home.
He wanted to surprise Annie, so he didn’t text her. Hoping she was home, he gave the cab driver directions as they got closer to her apartment complex.
“Stop! Here!” Seeing that Annie’s car was in her parking spot, Shane threw a wad of cash at the driver.
“Whoa, man. This is a lot of cash! Should I wait for you?”
“No, keep the change.”
Running up the pathway he had walked up that night so long ago, he stopped and hesitated at Annie’s door. His heart beating wildly, he suddenly became nervous.
“Let’s do this. You’ve come this far. Go get her.” He spoke to himself, his hand lingering right in front of the doorbell.
Chapter Thirty- Two
She sent the text over an hour ago, and still no response. Annie was kidding herself if she thought she could change that man’s mind. The only thing she had succeeded in doing was making a fool out of herself. Aaron was probably right, he had probably seen the text and just wanted to save face. Knowing that Shane was leaving today, she figured she was too late anyway. She could picture him flying high above the clouds, on his was out of here, on his way to a new life in Costa Rica. Going about her business was probably the best idea for Annie right now. She went into her bedroom to grab a book she had been reading earlier and settled herself on the couch. Every other line was lost on her. Closing the book, she powered on the television with the remote. After flipping through the channels, she decided that nothing decent was on.
Getting up to make a cup of tea for herself, Annie opened the cabinet in search of the tea bags. The sound of her doorbell ringing startled her. The box of pasta she had been holding while searching through the cabinet fell to the floor.
Picking up the box and muttering to herself, Annie placed it back onto the shelf and headed for the door. Who could this be? Padding across the living room, she reached the door. Accustomed to looking through the peephole before opening the door, she peeked through the hole and gasped.
Opening the door, she saw Shane standing there, looking at her. It was difficult to read his expression, so she held back. Was he angry? He stood as if he were in a trance, it was Annie who broke the silence.
“Shane.” Looking at him, she wanted to reach out and touch him, see if he was real.
“Annie.”
Waiting for him to say more, she remained silent. Finally, he reached out to touch her face. He fingered her cheeks, her eyebrows. When he could stand it no more, he leaned closer and they melted into each other for a kiss. This kiss was nothing like the sad kiss from the last time they saw each other. This kiss was different; it held promises of more to come.
“Annie. I can’t believe I’m here, looking at you.” He held her face, not wanting to let go.
“Shane. I’m glad you’re here. You got my text.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Yes. Today I got it. I haven’t seen it before. Please, believe me.”
“Shane.” Doubt crept into her eyes as she dropped her gaze from him.
“Do you remember that night?”
“How could I forget?” Annie’s eyes clouded over, remembering the series of events that had led the two of them to where they stood now.
“I went out, I was upset when you called. I threw my phone and it broke. I didn’t have a phone for a few days, that’s why I never got the message.”
Thinking back to the middle of the night phone call that she had placed, she realized now why he hadn’t picked up.
“But, when I went over to speak with you, you didn’t want to hear anything.”
“I wasn’t ready to hear anything. I’m ready now.”
Grabbing her hand, he walked into the apartment, taking in the couch that Aaron and Annie had been lying on. “Annie. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about not believing you about Aaron. I’m sorry about Lori, about everything.”
“Shane. I’m sorry. I should have believed you when you told me about Lori, I shouldn’t have let her come between us.”
“Sit down. Annie. I want to tell you about something. I’m ready.”
Shane opened up about his past, about his mistrust of women, of relationships. Annie listened, putting together the pieces of the puzzle that was Shane’s life.<
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“Now it all makes sense, of course you couldn’t understand that Aaron and I were just friends because of what you had been through. I’m so sorry, Shane. I had no idea.” Reaching over to touch his face, he leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Annie. There are some things that you haven’t exactly offered up, either.”
Annie nodded and started telling Shane about her life with Greg and all of the betrayal. It made Annie feel bad to rehash the past and all of the hurt, but she knew it was necessary if they were going to move forward. When she finally finished speaking, it felt like a weight had been lifted.
“So we’ve both been stubborn fools, I suppose.” Shane gazed directly into Annie’s eyes, appearing sad for the lost time.
“Are you going to Costa Rica today?” Annie held her breath.
Letting out a small chuckle, he told Annie about the trip to the airport, complete with the happy couple and elderly woman. Annie felt herself begin to relax.
“I can’t believe that you got off of that plane!”
“Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I’m surprised security didn’t come after me.” He chuckled to himself, thinking about the reaction of the uptight stewardess.
“I would have loved to have met the married couple, they sound wonderful.” Annie was always a romantic at heart; Shane’s story reminded her of one of those romantic movies. This was her story now, she realized, feeling a slight chill run up and down her spine. But why did Shane suddenly appear so sad?
“What is it, Shane? What’s wrong?”
“I have to go.” Upon hearing his words, Annie’s brows scrunched in confusion.
“What do you mean? You just got here.” She reached for his hand and pulled it close.
“I mean, I have to go to Costa Rica. It’s only for a year, but…”
Dropping Shane’s hands, Annie stood and paced. “But, you’re not going. You just told me that you got off the plane, I don’t understand.” She could hear the pitch of her voice rising, but she was unable to stop.
“Shane! You can’t go!”
“I have to. I made a commitment, this is something I need to do. Please try to understand. I’ll be back in a year.” He rose, reaching out for her.
“A year? Shane, do you know how long a year is?” Calming down a bit, Annie realized that she shouldn’t try to stop him; she couldn’t stop him. He was right, this was something that he wanted, and he would always regret it if she stopped him.
“I know how long a year is, Annie.” Shaking his head, he sat back down on the couch. “I can’t ask you to wait for me, can I?”
“Of course I’ll wait, Shane. What are you saying?”
“It would be selfish of me, you need to get on with your life. If the two of us still feel the same a year from now, then we’ll see.“
“A lot can happen in a year.” Annie stated sadly. “I’ll wait for you, like it or not.”
“I wanted to come here to tell you something, Annie. For what it’s worth, I love you. You need to know that.”
Annie couldn’t take the sadness anymore. Why did he even bother coming, getting off that plane? Why did he come back just to break her heart all over again?
She couldn’t speak. Shane stood to leave and stared at Annie silently. She remained planted in one spot, looking down at the floor. “When are you leaving?” Annie’s voice quivered.
“I’m going to try to catch the next available flight. I have to call the airport to see.”
“Could you maybe leave tomorrow? We could have one more day together, one more night?” Her eyes pleaded with him.
“Annie, you and I both know that it would be that much harder. I’ll stay in touch, here, give me a pen.” Annie bowed her head so he wouldn’t see her pain.
“Annie, come here.” He approached her, his arms extended to reach for her.
“This hurts me more than you’ll know.” He placed his head on Annie’s head, leaving it there to rest for a moment.
Walking into the kitchen to grab a pen, Shane asked for Annie’s e-mail address and Shane gave her his. He also gave Annie the physical address of his cottage in Costa Rica. Annie wrote down her address, handing him the piece of paper. Picking up his cell, he called for a cab to pick him up, reciting Annie’s address off the slip of paper she had just handed him. Annie was helpless to do anything but watch him go.
* * * *
How could he leave this woman for a year? Where would she be at that time? Would she have outgrown their relationship? Shane wasn’t a man to believe in fairy tales, he wasn’t a man to believe in fate, destiny, love at first sight…until Annie. His Annie had shown him that true love really did exist. He knew that a love like this would only come around once in a lifetime. He wondered if she would possibly come with him.
“Annie. Sit down, I want to ask you something.” His heart was doing flip-flops as he spoke. Annie took a seat beside him on the couch.
“You wouldn’t…I mean…” Shane was having a hard time getting this one out. Sweat poured from his forehead.
“What, Shane?” Annie’s eyes were wide.
“Annie? Would you ever consider coming with me?” He waited, his heart pounding in his chest.
Annie’s jaw opened but no words came out. It was like a blow to the chest. He had truly not seen this coming.
“Forget it, it was just a thought. It’s ridiculous, I know.” Red heat crept up Shane’s cheeks. He was making a fool of himself. Looking uncomfortable in his skin, he fumbled with his hands, playing with his fingers.
“I… Shane. I would love to, but…”
The sound of a cab honking outside silenced Annie.
“It’s okay, it’s fine.” He needed to get out of there. He stood and walked to the door, Annie close behind.
“Shane, don’t go. Not like this.”
Kissing her gently on the lips, this kiss definitely held the feeling of good-bye, there was no questioning it. Annie sobbed openly as Shane bit back his own tears. Shane wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he held back, not wanting to make this any harder than it needed to be. He gently released Annie and headed for the cab.
* * * *
Realizing she had never actually told Shane that she loved him , she knew that now was not the time. It was just too sad. I love you, Annie mouthed, watching the love of her life get into a cab and drive away. This man had told her he loved her, invited her to come live with him for a year. How could she just let him go?
What could she have done differently? Picturing leaving everything behind, she just didn’t know. How could she just up and leave, give up her life here? The day gave way to night. She was half expecting to receive a message from Shane, but she was sorely disappointed. Every time her cell phone sounded, she ran to it, hoping it was news from Shane. He would probably be arriving soon, his plane touching down. She wondered what his cottage would look like. Would it be a shack or would it be cozy and romantic? A horrible thought struck Annie; what if he met someone and fell in love? She just couldn’t stand the thought. Clearing her head of the image, she imagined the fun Shane would have teaching his students, going to the beach.
Annie’s heart leaped as she heard her cell ring; maybe this time it was Shane. Rushing to pick it up, she saw Aaron’s name on her screen. She had been trying to call him for hours, but to no avail. He had probably been out with Melanie. Picking up the phone in disappointment, Annie answered. “Hey.”
“Don’t sound so happy to hear from me,” Aaron chided, recognizing the disappointment in her voice.
“Oh, don’t take it personally, I’ve just been through a lot today, that’s all.” Annie pouted into the phone.
“I’ve been trying to reach you all day.” Hearing the pouting tone in her own voice, she knew she was being a brat.
“Sorry, Annie. Melanie and I were out. What’s the matter?”
Telling Aaron everything, she waited to hear him agree that the situation was impossible.
“Annie
. Are you feeling okay? Are you of sound mind?”
“Of course, why?” Where was he going with this?
“You have to go! What do you have here that can’t be put on hold?” Was he kidding? Like he would ever just up and leave in the name of love. As romantic as that notion sounded, Annie knew it wasn’t realistic.
“Everything, Aaron, everything.”
“Okay, let’s break this down. Your friends and family will understand and be happy for you.”
“Okay, but…” She hesitated.
“No, listen to me. You could talk to Dr. Peters and see if you could take a sabbatical of sorts, tell him that you’d like to get some experience working with animals in Costa Rica. I’m sure you could get a job at a vet’s office there. He would probably think it’s a pretty noble idea.”
Honestly, she had a hard time picturing Dr. Peters being upset with her. Most likely, he would welcome her back with open arms a year later. Groaning, she allowed Aaron to continue his lecture.
“Your apartment. People sublet their apartments all the time. What do you have to lose, Annie?”
Aaron asked again, this time with a firmer tone. “Well? What do you have to lose?”
Hesitating a moment, Annie spoke. “I’m scared.” It was barely a whisper.
“What was that?” Aaron asked Annie to repeat herself.
“I said, I’m scared.” Finally admitting it to herself, she felt slightly better.
“I know you are. This is it, Annie. This is your test. Ever since I’ve known you, all you do is talk about true love, love at first sight. This is your chance to put your money where your mouth is.” Aaron knew Annie so well, his words made perfect sense.
Annie didn’t speak. She couldn’t put her thoughts into words. Why was she holding back?
“Annie? Let me ask you one more question. Isn’t it a scarier thought to let him go?” He did have a point.
“Aaron. I can’t.”
“Why not, Annie? Tell me one good reason why not.”
Silence hung thickly in the air.