Post by HburgEagle44 on Apr 6, 2013 18:58:25 GMT -5
So, the writing bug has hit again! I don't know how much I can update this, what with college, but I will try. Please comment. I want to know if you want this story to continue ;)
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The waves crashed on the shore and Jamie McCormick blinked against the sea spray. Running a hand through her hair as it flew around her face, she grinned. “This is lovely!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks,” her boyfriend, Edmund Callahan, said, smiling. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her over to the edge of the sand. Waves crashed around their feet and it was freezing, but neither of them cared.
Jamie waded a few feet into the water. It was cold and the current was strong, even from where she was, but she loved it. She knelt down and let the water come up to her thighs, breathing in the salt air. “Edmund,” she started.
Edmund knelt down beside her. “Jamie, you know that there is a reason I brought you here,” he interrupted.
Jamie looked up at him in surprise. “What? Why?”
“Because… while all the turmoil is going on around us,” he indicated the wind and the crashing of the waves and the sand flying everywhere, “it can still be a beautiful place, can’t it?”
Glancing around and then out to sea, Jamie smiled and nodded. “Yeah. It is lovely here. But what does that have to do with…”
Edmund reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “Jamie, you are the love of my life and I would be honored to spend forever with you. Will you be my wife?”
Jamie paused, her hand flying to her mouth. Her heart skipped a few beats and she dithered, trying to know, to decide how she felt about him. Could she spend the rest of her life with him? Sure, he was fun and all, and she really liked him, but… “Edmund…uh…”
His eyes searched her face, desperately trying to see her answer in her eyes.
“Edmund.” Jamie took his hand. “You’re a sweet guy, and I would love to…” She paused and closed her eyes. “You know that I really like you, but…”
“Forget it,” Edmund snapped suddenly, pulling his hand from her. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does!” Jamie exclaimed, jumping up and staring down at him. “It matters so much! I’m flattered, I’m honored, I’m speechless. But you know, this is too soon. We have only been dating for five months.”
“Isn’t that long enough to know how you feel about someone?” Edmund murmured, standing up and moving closer to her.
She pulled away and started backing up the beach. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But I can’t.” Turning, Jamie ran up the beach to her car. She got in and breathed a few breaths before backing out of the parking lot and driving back to her house. Tears started streaming down her face as she realized what she had done.
“I like Edmund,” she argued with herself. But deep inside, she really knew that she was only dating Edmund for the fun of it. He was fun, musical, smart…just what she liked in a guy. But he wasn’t the one.
Jamie walked inside, soaking wet and with a dejected look on her face. Her roommate, Katherine, glanced up at her from the table. “What’s up?” she asked casually.
“Nothing,” Jamie snapped. “Why?”
Katherine raised her eyebrows. “Wow, no need to bite my head off,” she said. “I was just asking.”
Jamie shut her eyes and sighed. “Okay. Um… I guess I should tell you now, anyway. Edmund asked me to marry him and I refused, running away.”
Katherine blinked a few times in surprise. “Oh, Jamie,” she said sadly. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Jamie asked, confused. “I don’t love him.”
“No, but you like him and he was premature in his, well… his declaration of love, I guess,” Katherine mused. “I mean, you might have loved him later on, if you had continued dating. And besides, turning anyone down is hard.” She smiled ruefully.
Jamie sighed. “I need to take a shower.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit wet out there,” Katherine agreed. “Where did he propose?”
“The beach.” Sighing yet another time, Jamie started to head to her small bedroom. “If he comes by, tell him I need a little time, okay?”
“How are you so sure he will come by?”
“I’m not,” Jamie snapped. “That’s why I said if.”
Katherine nodded and continued her homework, bending her light head over the stacks of papers.
Jamie went to take a shower, taking a long time to just relax and calm down in the hot water. She sang a couple of her favorite songs to calm her nerves, even belting out the part of Defying Gravity that she loved so much, just trying to get all of her emotions out.
“Dang it,” she exclaimed in the middle of nowhere. “Why did he have to go and ruin everything? Now I have to see him in classes every day and… gah.” She hit the side of the shower once before holding her hand ruefully, rubbing the part that she hit a little too hard.
After she got out, Katherine was cooking dinner. “Hey, uh, Edmund did come by. He left a note and…a box.”
Jamie walked over to the table and picked up the box. Opening it up, she saw a small, silver ring with an emerald surrounded by diamonds. Shutting her eyes, she put the ring box down and read the note.
“Jamie,
I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your feelings for me. I thought that we were the perfect couple. I just want to let you know that I’m not mad at you, and I still think you are the most beautiful girl around, and you are perfect for me. I’ll never forget you. You were my first love.
I wish you all the luck in life. I’ll probably see you in school, but if you don’t want to talk to me for a while, I understand.
I love you.
Edmund.”
Jamie blew out her breath and put the note down. “Did you read it?” she asked Katherine, who nodded. “What do I do?” she asked nervously.
“Just… give it time,” Katherine said. “You may go back to him, or you may find someone, or something else.” She smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be okay.”
Nodding, Jamie sniffed. “What’s cooking?” she asked, attempting to make her tone lighthearted.
“Stir fry. Don’t worry. I made enough for you.” Katherine grinned. “It’ll be all right.”
“Jamie, you’ve been in there for days!” Katherine complained, opening the door and storming in.
Jamie groaned and rolled over. “It’s Friday night and I need to sleep,” she complained.
“No. You need to come with me,” Katherine commanded, whipping the blankets off of her.
Sitting up, Jamie glared at her. “You know, I haven’t been in here for days. I’ve been to school, and to work, and to the coffee shop across the street from Royal’s. I’ve been places! I don’t need to party, or whatever you are planning on doing tonight.”
“Fine,” Katherine grumbled. “How about…we see a movie. Does that sound good?”
“What were you going to do?” Jamie asked.
“Go to a pub.” Katherine shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, though. You just need to get out of the house. You know, you’ve been like this since the Edmund situation.”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “No, I’ve been like this since the second week of classes. I’m too busy, too busy.”
“It’s the sixth week of classes! We have a lull because of midterms,” Katherine argued. “And it is because of Edmund.” She paused and sized Jamie up. “I’m starting to think you liked him more than you thought you did.”
Jamie jumped out of bed. “Whatever. You have no clue. I’m over that. Let’s go to the pub, huh?”
“Not like that,” scoffed Katherine. “You need to change your clothes, fix your bedhead, and do your makeup.” She pushed Jamie around until they were ready. “Come on, now,” she said. “This will be fun.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Jamie grumbled good-naturedly. She had to admit to herself, it was going to be fun. She hadn’t had a day out in quite a while. Or a night out, for that matter.
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The waves crashed on the shore and Jamie McCormick blinked against the sea spray. Running a hand through her hair as it flew around her face, she grinned. “This is lovely!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks,” her boyfriend, Edmund Callahan, said, smiling. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her over to the edge of the sand. Waves crashed around their feet and it was freezing, but neither of them cared.
Jamie waded a few feet into the water. It was cold and the current was strong, even from where she was, but she loved it. She knelt down and let the water come up to her thighs, breathing in the salt air. “Edmund,” she started.
Edmund knelt down beside her. “Jamie, you know that there is a reason I brought you here,” he interrupted.
Jamie looked up at him in surprise. “What? Why?”
“Because… while all the turmoil is going on around us,” he indicated the wind and the crashing of the waves and the sand flying everywhere, “it can still be a beautiful place, can’t it?”
Glancing around and then out to sea, Jamie smiled and nodded. “Yeah. It is lovely here. But what does that have to do with…”
Edmund reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “Jamie, you are the love of my life and I would be honored to spend forever with you. Will you be my wife?”
Jamie paused, her hand flying to her mouth. Her heart skipped a few beats and she dithered, trying to know, to decide how she felt about him. Could she spend the rest of her life with him? Sure, he was fun and all, and she really liked him, but… “Edmund…uh…”
His eyes searched her face, desperately trying to see her answer in her eyes.
“Edmund.” Jamie took his hand. “You’re a sweet guy, and I would love to…” She paused and closed her eyes. “You know that I really like you, but…”
“Forget it,” Edmund snapped suddenly, pulling his hand from her. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does!” Jamie exclaimed, jumping up and staring down at him. “It matters so much! I’m flattered, I’m honored, I’m speechless. But you know, this is too soon. We have only been dating for five months.”
“Isn’t that long enough to know how you feel about someone?” Edmund murmured, standing up and moving closer to her.
She pulled away and started backing up the beach. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But I can’t.” Turning, Jamie ran up the beach to her car. She got in and breathed a few breaths before backing out of the parking lot and driving back to her house. Tears started streaming down her face as she realized what she had done.
“I like Edmund,” she argued with herself. But deep inside, she really knew that she was only dating Edmund for the fun of it. He was fun, musical, smart…just what she liked in a guy. But he wasn’t the one.
Jamie walked inside, soaking wet and with a dejected look on her face. Her roommate, Katherine, glanced up at her from the table. “What’s up?” she asked casually.
“Nothing,” Jamie snapped. “Why?”
Katherine raised her eyebrows. “Wow, no need to bite my head off,” she said. “I was just asking.”
Jamie shut her eyes and sighed. “Okay. Um… I guess I should tell you now, anyway. Edmund asked me to marry him and I refused, running away.”
Katherine blinked a few times in surprise. “Oh, Jamie,” she said sadly. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Jamie asked, confused. “I don’t love him.”
“No, but you like him and he was premature in his, well… his declaration of love, I guess,” Katherine mused. “I mean, you might have loved him later on, if you had continued dating. And besides, turning anyone down is hard.” She smiled ruefully.
Jamie sighed. “I need to take a shower.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit wet out there,” Katherine agreed. “Where did he propose?”
“The beach.” Sighing yet another time, Jamie started to head to her small bedroom. “If he comes by, tell him I need a little time, okay?”
“How are you so sure he will come by?”
“I’m not,” Jamie snapped. “That’s why I said if.”
Katherine nodded and continued her homework, bending her light head over the stacks of papers.
Jamie went to take a shower, taking a long time to just relax and calm down in the hot water. She sang a couple of her favorite songs to calm her nerves, even belting out the part of Defying Gravity that she loved so much, just trying to get all of her emotions out.
“Dang it,” she exclaimed in the middle of nowhere. “Why did he have to go and ruin everything? Now I have to see him in classes every day and… gah.” She hit the side of the shower once before holding her hand ruefully, rubbing the part that she hit a little too hard.
After she got out, Katherine was cooking dinner. “Hey, uh, Edmund did come by. He left a note and…a box.”
Jamie walked over to the table and picked up the box. Opening it up, she saw a small, silver ring with an emerald surrounded by diamonds. Shutting her eyes, she put the ring box down and read the note.
“Jamie,
I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your feelings for me. I thought that we were the perfect couple. I just want to let you know that I’m not mad at you, and I still think you are the most beautiful girl around, and you are perfect for me. I’ll never forget you. You were my first love.
I wish you all the luck in life. I’ll probably see you in school, but if you don’t want to talk to me for a while, I understand.
I love you.
Edmund.”
Jamie blew out her breath and put the note down. “Did you read it?” she asked Katherine, who nodded. “What do I do?” she asked nervously.
“Just… give it time,” Katherine said. “You may go back to him, or you may find someone, or something else.” She smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be okay.”
Nodding, Jamie sniffed. “What’s cooking?” she asked, attempting to make her tone lighthearted.
“Stir fry. Don’t worry. I made enough for you.” Katherine grinned. “It’ll be all right.”
“Jamie, you’ve been in there for days!” Katherine complained, opening the door and storming in.
Jamie groaned and rolled over. “It’s Friday night and I need to sleep,” she complained.
“No. You need to come with me,” Katherine commanded, whipping the blankets off of her.
Sitting up, Jamie glared at her. “You know, I haven’t been in here for days. I’ve been to school, and to work, and to the coffee shop across the street from Royal’s. I’ve been places! I don’t need to party, or whatever you are planning on doing tonight.”
“Fine,” Katherine grumbled. “How about…we see a movie. Does that sound good?”
“What were you going to do?” Jamie asked.
“Go to a pub.” Katherine shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, though. You just need to get out of the house. You know, you’ve been like this since the Edmund situation.”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “No, I’ve been like this since the second week of classes. I’m too busy, too busy.”
“It’s the sixth week of classes! We have a lull because of midterms,” Katherine argued. “And it is because of Edmund.” She paused and sized Jamie up. “I’m starting to think you liked him more than you thought you did.”
Jamie jumped out of bed. “Whatever. You have no clue. I’m over that. Let’s go to the pub, huh?”
“Not like that,” scoffed Katherine. “You need to change your clothes, fix your bedhead, and do your makeup.” She pushed Jamie around until they were ready. “Come on, now,” she said. “This will be fun.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Jamie grumbled good-naturedly. She had to admit to herself, it was going to be fun. She hadn’t had a day out in quite a while. Or a night out, for that matter.