Seventeen years later...
Rose looked out her shop window, at the couple of soldiers that were passing by, hoping to see him there but he wasn't. She sighed. It's been seven years. Seven years of writing letters and emails and sending gift packs. Seven years of not seeing her best friend.
She missed him. To the heavens, she missed him. It's been so long, too long without his annoying face and his sweet smile.
The bell chimed as a customer walked in.
She smiled at her regular customer. "Dorcas, what will it be?"
"Two donuts, four sticky buns and a cup of cappuccino, please." Middle aged Dorcas smiled, her cheeks lifting her glasses.
She turned on the espresso machine, then took a paper bag and filled it with Dorcas order. When the espresso was ready, she poured it into a paper cup and poured in the steamed milk. "Here you go." She handed Dorcas the paper bag and the cappuccino.
"Thanks." Dorcas said in her lyrical voice, stretching forth a ten dollar bill.
"Thank you for choosing Sweet And Creams."
"Have a good day." Dorcas waved at her as she walked out.
She waved back at Dorcas, then put the ten dollar bill into the cash register.
The bell chimed, jerking her attention to the door. And as her eyes fell on the being in army khakis walking in, all she could do was scream.
The being grinned, his emerald eyes bright as an urchin's. He spread his arms wide and she could nothing but run into them, hugging him tight as he lifted her off the ground.
"Rick." She whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Oh, Rick!"
He squeezed her then dropped her back on the ground. "Hello, smartypants."
She chuckled, joy bubbling out of her. She ran her hand across his cheek then down his black hair, just to feel him. "It is sooooo good to see you, to...have you here, right in front of me."
"I know." He chucked her chin, then shouldered off his backpack, opened it and brought out an old paper and a velvet box.
She watched, curious.
"Remember when we were young and we made a contract," he raised the paper. "Saying that if we were not married by twenty five, we would marry each other."
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
He went down on one knee and opened the velvet box, revealing a sapphire ring. "Rose Hokins, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Are you crazy? Have you gone bonkers, Rick?" She covered her eyes with her palm then dragged it up to her hair. "For Heaven's sake, we were five!"
"Ten." He smiled. "I know you did not forget."
"Doesn't change the point I'm trying to make. We were kids. We were young and irrational."
"Remember that episode of Victorious, when Trina brought the contract Tori wrote, that if she did not marry a prince at sixteen, I think, she would be Trina's slave. Remember when they brought it before Tori's friends, what did they say? That a contract is a contract regardless of when it was written."
"It was 'a promise is a promise', not a contract is a contract...and don't go bringing movie into reality. They are two far apart entities."
"'Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscure' Ralph Waldo Emerson."
She whacked him on his shoulder and kept whacking him. But the annoying being just kept laughing.
Finally, he grabbed her hands. "Okay. How about before you turn me down, you allow me to court you?"
"You'll be wasting your time."
"Just say yes. I won't let you go till you do."
She let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine. And just to let you know, it going to take you pouring in your charm real thick to get me to say yes."
"I wasn't expecting anything lesser."
*******
Rick let his eyes take in the dainty small shop Rose called hers, the red round tables that were yet to be filled with people before turning to watch his friend as she attended to customers, his heart filling with wonder of how she had changed. In a good way.
Her cheekbones were more actuated than the last time he saw her. Her golden locks styled in a pixie cut. Her blue eyes seemed...more brighter and so captivating and her lips were fuller. Her shape was absolutely more womanly.
His best friend was now a woman. A very beautiful and attractive woman.
"Are you going to stare at me all day?" Rose asked, her brows cocked sassily.
Gosh, he had missed her. Seven years of camping everywhere and anywhere, of the loud noise of gunshots without her was too long.
"Not a bad way to spend the evening, eh?"
Her eye brows rose higher. "Why don't you come over here and make yourself useful?"
"I don't think these hands can work that spoon of yours."
"It is called a tong."
"Whatever you say, smartypants. Why don't you come over here? I've missed you."
Her smile softened. "I've missed you too." She walked over and sat on the chair beside his. "How are you? Really."
He shrugged, hoping his eyes did not reveal the depths of his inside.
"What was your last camp like? How are your buds?"
At the mention of 'your buds', flashes from the last war ran through his mind. The flashes were so real, he could hear the gunshots clearly as it had been that day; the cry of Zayne beside him; Fred's shout asking them to retreat.
He shrugged again, hoping to shrug the memories off.
Rose's brow drew together as she studied him. "You don't want to talk about it here?"
"It is not coming." He leaned forward to tug her hair. "Why did you cut your hair?"
Her frown told him she knew what he was doing. "It was always getting into my eyes and mouth when I work."
"Even when you packed it up?"
"Even when I packed it up. Rick, what happened at your last camp?"
"Rose." He sighed her name.
"You know I won't let it go."
"Not here."
"Okay." She pulled off her apron. "Let's go for a walk." She stood up and turned the closed sign. "Come on."
"Rose, you just can't close..."
"I can and I am. So get up, Rick."
"They are dead." He blurted.
Her eyes went soulful. "Oh, Rick." Then she was in front of him, her hands coming round him.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his eyes dry but his heart hurting like crazy. "We were ambushed."
"You didn't see it coming?"
"We didn't."
She squeezed him tighter.
He didn't know how long they stood like that, all he knew was he drew strength from Rose, his best friend, his rock. Finally, he pulled away. "I'm fine."
She reached up and cupped his cheek, her eyes searching his.
"I'm fine."
Tears leaked out of both sides of her eyes. "Oh, Rick." She whispered.
He rested his forehead on hers. "It's fine, Rose."
She began to sob, her shoulders shaking.
He pulled her close.
"I'm sorry, Rick."
"You and me both, Rose.