till' we meet again, william schofield

twenty-three

twenty-three

    HE WAS HERE. Ready to take her hand and beg for forgiveness, but all she could think about was how untruthful he had been. As the rain fell on the both of them, she watched tears roll down his cheeks. Her heart turned at the sight of his puffy red eyes.

"Please," he croaked, holding out his hand. "Talk to me. Yell at me. Hit me. Anything. But please, say something."

Rosine looked down at the wet pavement. She could keep going and not look back, board the boat with her family, and continue her life as if she did die back in France. She looked up, her eyes catching Will's once again. Or, she could take his hand and try to fix what went wrong.

A soft hand placed itself on her shoulder. Rosine turned to see the concerned face of her brother. His eyes bored into her own, searching for answers as to what was happening. "Should I get security?"

Should he get security? Rosine wasn't sure. She looked at Will again, taking in his ruined tux, wet hair, and pleading face. She almost could've laughed at his appearance, but instead she waved her brother off. "No, I need to talk to him."

"Rosine—" Blake called out to her, but she was already walking towards Will. The ex-groom met her halfway, enveloping her in a tight embrace, crying into her shoulder.

Rosine didn't hug him back. Instead she let her mind run at a million miles per minute. Her heart was still gutted, trying to piece itself back together, but she wanted to believe him— give him another chance. She wanted to kiss him, run her fingers through his hair, and whisper sweet nothings in the early morning. She yearned for everything to be right between them. She wanted to be the bride. She thought she deserved that luxury, to walk down the isle after everything she's been through— everything she's survived.

She gulped, lightly wrapping her arms around his torso. His body relaxed into her touch, begging to be gripped harder. A person shouldn't be defined by one mistake, one wrong decision— that's why Rosine concluded.

  She wanted Will. In every way possible. All the good and the bad. Through thick and thin, sickness and health, war and peace. This man was irreplaceable.

She stepped away from Will, wiping a small stream of tears that had begun to fall. She turned away, walking towards her brother and his family.

"Please. Don't go," he whispered. Will's heart shattered as he watched her walk away. With every step she took towards the boat, he felt a piece of himself wither away like the cherry blossom tree Blake and him inspected all those years ago. He put his hands on his head, taking in a deep breath,
accepting her decision. Respecting her decision.

Rosine grabbed her luggage. She placed a loving kiss on Timmy's cheek and gave Lara a bone crushing hug. She walked back to where her brother stood, completely confused by the whole situation. Rosine placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, much like he did moments before. "Love is stronger than any emotion. I'll come visit, I promise."

"Rosine, you're being ridiculous. You can't just drop everything for this man," he tried to reason with her.

She only shrugged, sending him a smile as her eyes were full of tears. "I love this man. I can't be without him. Even if I'm not sure how to be with him right now. I hope you'll forgive me, like I forgave you. Write to me and we'll stay in touch. I pray you'll understand that I life without him isn't a life worth living."

Blake nodded slowly, barely processing what was happening. Rosine turned and dragged her luggage towards where Will stood, his jaw on the ground. As Rosine walked towards the man she loved, her brother saw her for the first time in a different light.

Rosine had never talked about her time in Ecoust with him, but now he was seeing the woman it moulded her to be. He saw the determined, decisive, and strong woman that she was, diving head first into uncertainty. He nodded once again, more to himself than anyone else. He turned, walked towards his soaked family. Lara held open her arms for him, embracing him in a tight hug, Timmy joining in within seconds. Rosine sent her family a quick wave as they boarded the boat without her. A part of her hurt to see them go, but she knew this side of the sea was where she was suppose to be. She knew it for a long time.

Rosine faced Will, pulling him into loving embrace. Will, too shocked to do anything, stayed still. Rosine pulled away, reaching a shaky hand up to his face, running a gentle hand across the line of his jaw. He leaned down, placing his lips on her own. They moved slowly in sync, savouring the taste of each other mixed with rainwater. Both his hands moved up to take her head in his hands. Before he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back, placing a hand on his chest to keep him away.

"I haven't forgiven you, but I'm willing to try," she stated, looking him sharply in the eyes.

Will nodded. He couldn't help the shit eating grin that crossed his face as he erupted in laughter. He effortlessly picked Rosine up, swinging her around. Rosine giggled herself, squealing as she became dizzy.

Will lowered her and pulled her in for another kiss. A true, passionate kiss. Perhaps this was the start of something new.

THE END.