Work Text:
This was a request that someone special made a while ago. Anyhow, enjoy :)
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The One
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A candlelit dinner. A kiss at a friend’s party. A smile. Red wine. The sun reflecting on skin. Kisses behind closed doors. Soft whispers chanting three words. Tossing pennies in a pool. A diamond ring. A rooftop filled with red rose petals.
Glass shattering on the ground.
The memories rush through your brain when you think you see her across the street. But you take a second look, your heart hammering inside your chest, only to realize that it’s not her.
You try to swallow down some of the anxiousness that’s creeped up on you, and continue your walk back to your place. Not that the feeling in the pit of your stomach leaves you, even after you’re inside the safety of your apartment.
You’re not still in love with the woman who refused to marry you, broke up with you and left the country two days later. That’d be insane, but it hasn’t been easy and you’re not too proud to admit that the path to get over her has been challenging to say the least.
Still, you can’t deny that there are lingering feelings that might never fully go away.
…
When you do see her, all the raging storms that have unraveled in her name seem to dissipate within you, leaving in its wake a clear sky for you to see through.
In the moments that you allowed yourself to think about her, you’d always imagine her having adventures on her own, traveling the world, meeting women on the internet and taking them home.
Her spirit had a wild edge to it that you always admired, she was never afraid to speak up her mind and do the things that she wanted to do and you loved that quality.
But this is real and the woman standing in front of you is real.
“Hi.” She smiles, and once the initial shock of seeing her wears off, you smile too.
“Hi.” The smile on your lips comes genuinely, you don’t have to strain yourself to be happy to see her and that remains a subtle surprise to you.
“You don’t seem to be enjoying this.” She says, motioning to the large and pompous party going on around you.
“Should I smile a little more?” You ask with a hint of humor but the truth is that she knows you’re not, because once upon a time she learnt you completely and without restraints.
“I think you just need a refill.” She says before promptly grabbing two glasses from the tray a young waiter is carrying.
You let her replace the empty glass in your hands with a full one, but refuse to let your eyes linger on her face and the treacherous glint of her eyes.
“I hear you got a promotion.” She says and you smile into your glass of expensive red wine. Her twin brother works in Stark Industries as well, but you never see him since you’re both stationed in different departments.
“I did.” You nod, returning to look directly at her. “You’re keeping tabs on me?”
“It came up in conversation.” She shrugs easily, unapologetically. “Natasha and I met in London last month. We had a couple of drinks, talked for a bit. She invited me to this thing.”
You were wondering how she made her way into this gala, although you still feel blindsided in a way. Natasha is supposed to be your friend and you didn’t even know she met your ex in London last month.
Your mind goes to the few dozens of galas she accompanied you to when you two were together, how incredible it felt to have her on your arm and call her yours. It always felt too good to be true, too good to last, it always felt as if you were reaching for the stars.
It was so easy being in love with her and you have no doubt that she loved you as well. Your love was intense, like most imperfect things are, like all doomed things are damned to be.
Now, she’s not a stranger but she might as well be. Her eyes are still the same color, her hair is longer but remains a dirty blond that you know shines under a summer sun. However, you don’t know who she is anymore and no matter how amicably you’re being now, you’ll never be what you once were to each other again.
“The promotion happened six months ago.” You tell her and she gives you this smile, this proud little smile that used to make your accomplishments feel bigger than they were.
Her validation meant everything to you once and although it’s nice to have it now, it’s also of no consequence.
“We were something else, weren’t we?” She asks, teeth catching her bottom lip playfully and you smile.
“Roaring twenties, we had it all.” You tell her with a smile of your own and something else passes through the both of you.
A blanket of peace seems to cover up the past and the future that lies ahead, and there’s a finality to it that wasn’t there five minutes ago.
But if your wishes came true, it would have been her---it would have been her for the rest of your days and it would have been fun, because you wanted her to be the one.
“I’d have been fun.” She says after a beat, stealing the words from your mouth before you even have the chance to uther them. She doesn’t have to elaborate, you know what she means.
“I know.” You tell her softly.
You don’t see her again, and life goes on without her and it’s okay.
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