| Fan Fiction |
by Shweta
“Ariel wait!”
“Joe, leave me alone.” Ariel pleaded, still fidgeting with the key.
“Ariel I don’t think you should drive in this condition.” Joe warned, trying to get a hold of Ariel. Annoyed by his actions, Ariel whirled around and pushed Joe away.
“Oh, you don’t think, eh? You don’t think I should drive? Well tell me one thing, why should I listen to you? Why?!”
“Arie...calm down.”
“No! No, I won’t calm down. I’m sick of this Joe, sick of everything! Sick of my job, sick of my life, sick of this pain...and if that wasn’t enough, I have something else to be sick of! I’m sick of my stupid relationship with Enrique, which won’t continue unless I leave you!”
“What?” Joe went completely still. “Enrique gave you an alternative?”
“Y-yea. He think you’re trying to break us apart. So he asked me t-to choose.” Ariel stuttered. She finally came to her senses and realised what was happening and who she was talking to. She hadn’t planned on telling Joe about the alternative. She knew if she told Joe, he would sacrifice their friendship.
“W-who did y-you ch-choose?” Joe asked with a blank expression on his face. Ariel couldn’t read him and that worried her. Was he hurt? Was he angry? What was he feeling?
“Who do you think?” Ariel gave a ghost of a smile. “Enrique just came into my life, and I know he holds an irreplaceable space in my heart, but long before him, you came into my life. You consoled me when the world thought evil of me because I left Mike. You were with me in my highs and my lows. Heck, you’re the reason I’m still in this business acting today. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been a has-been, with no work and no life.”
“T-that’s not true...you’re a wonderful actress, and you have more offers than I do. Y-you just say that so I feel I’m important in your life. And if you love Enrique, you must choose him. Don’t worry about me...”
Ariel sighed. “I knew you would say that.”
“Let me finish.” Joe raised his hand, signalling for her to be quiet.
“There’s more? Spare me the lecture.” Ariel ignored his hand.
“Listen, would you?” Joe said annoyed. Ariel pretended to zip her lips together, and threw the pretend key behind Joe.
“If you love him, you should be with him. If you really want to be with him, then I’d find a way of befriending him, and making him feel completely safe with me. I’d try to make him feel that I’m not really trying to break you guys apart.”
Ariel felt a pang of sorrow at his words. She wanted to hear something completely different. She was surprised for feeling that way, because she thought her feeling for him had disappeared and blamed the break up with Enrique for bringing those feelings back to her again. Regardless, Ariel spread her arms for a hug saying, “Aww, that’s so sweet.” But Joe backed away from her.
“Let me finish.” Joe put her arms to her side, and held on. “However, I won’t lie. I really was trying to break you guys apart.”
“What?” Ariel felt her heart beat faster, and felt her cheeks burning up. She was happy, but she knew she should be angry. She tried her best to hide her feelings from Joe, and gave a blank expression.
“I know...mean, stupid, but true. At first, I thought I wanted to break you guys up, because I didn’t like Enrique. I mean, he’s an American, his value systems all screwed, and he would have tried to take you to bed before marriage, and all those silly thoughts kept coming into my mind.”
“Must I remind you, that you too, have taken many women to bed before marriage?”
“Listen would you!” Joe said annoyed, and Ariel zipped her lips again. “Then today, when Enrique invited you over to his house, with no furniture except a bed in it. I realised that I’m not just concerned for you as a friend, but I’m also jealous. Jealous that you’re dating Enrique, jealous that you’re not spending time with me, and I know it sounds like it’s just a friendly jealousy, but heck, when I saw him kissing you...it was as if someone punched me in the stomach and blocked out all the oxygen supply.”
“You’re jealous of Enrique?” Ariel felt a smile trying to fight its way into being seen. She could feel her cheeks burn up.
“I wanted to claw his eyes out! That over the top reaction, made me realise that I don’t just see you as a friend anymore. I used to, but that was when you were with me 24x7.”
“And now?”
“And now, now that you’re with Enrique 24x7, I realise that my feelings for you, were more than just friendship. I realised that my hunt for the dream woman would never work, because I would compare all the girls I dated to you. I would look for someone who’s as beautiful as you are. Someone as smart, and someone who could hold my attention like you.”
“H-how can you be sure, that this isn’t just passing crush, and that once you have me, you won’t leave me?”
“I had days and days and days to think about this. Every time I heard you were out with Enrique I would stay locked up somewhere thinking about how I would handle a life without you. And if you don’t believe me, or think that I only want your body, or that it’s only a crush, and I’d get over you...I promise to not touch you until we get married.”
“M-married?”
“You didn’t think I’d date you, did you? I don’t want to waste time. I don’t want other men to think you can become theirs. And also, I heard a wise guy once say that...if you’re in love with someone, you can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with them, and you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
“Oh, Joe.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
“I don’t know...I...”
“Ariel I know you love me too, or at least you did. That’s what the whole proposal was about that day wasn’t it? That day I was going away with Ella, you were telling me your feelings, right?”
“Yes...but...but you laughed at me, Joe. You laughed at my feelings.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it then, I know it now. If you told me that speech again today Ariel, I’d think it was the most beautiful, and hug you forever.”
“But, what about Enrique?”
“What about him? You love me, I love you. He’ll find someone else.”
“Joe!”
“I’ll talk to him. Just say yes. Please Ariel. I love you, I can’t bear for you to become someone else’s.”
“I love you Joe.” Ariel gave him a hug. “Of course I’d say yes. But first...”
“What?”
“First, you have to talk to Enrique.”
“Yeah, and also I have to talk to someone else too.”
“Who?”
***
“Rainie?” Joe asked as he entered the room, it was completely dark, and a lone figure was standing in front of the window.
“Joe? Y-You came back? I knew you would! What happened Joe? Why did you leave me like that? I thought you didn’t want me anymore. We had that amazing night, and then...then you just left me. Did I do something wrong Joe? I’m so...”
“No Rainie, you didn’t do anything wrong. The one in the wrong was me. I didn’t love you. I just...just wanted you to go to bed with me, and I...I tricked...”
Rainie slapped him across the face, and started to weep. Joe stood quietly for a moment watching her weep, then he went over and hugged her, soothing down her protests.
“Please forgive me Rainie. I know I did wrong. But it is important for you to forgive me. So you can move on to better opportunities, better people, and find your love.” Joe and Rainie spoke for an hour, Rainie sobbing, and trying to understand Joe, and Joe trying to make Rainie understand his view. Finally Rainie stopped crying, and looked at Joe, as she wiped her tears.
“Why are you telling me all this now Joe? What happened?”
“I know how you feel now Rainie. I understand your pain and what I did to you. I fell in love too, and I now know how it is to fall in love with someone and not have them.”
“I’m glad you do Joe. I have no anger towards you now. Although it would take some time to heal the pain.” Rainie smiled.
“Well, I hear work is a good way to forget your pain. I have a job offer for you, miss interior designer.”
“If you think I’m going to design your love nest...”
“Not mine, but my friend’s. This guy I know, moved to Taiwan recently and is having some design problems. I think you should help him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Oh, you’ll find out.”
“Why the mystery?”
“No mystery, just...um...you’ll find out.”
“Ok, if you say so.”
“Goodbye Rainie.”
“Bye Joe, have a nice life with Ariel.” Joe went to meet Ariel in the church to plan their wedding.