It never got me very far
I never believed that love could find me
Like an arrow through the heart
I never believed in miracles
Or building castles in the air
Not until that day I found you
I turned around and you were there
She couldn’t help but find it all so romantic. Here they were, walking in the moonlight along the beach. The stars shone brightly, the fragrance of flowers wafted over them, and the sounds of music and people were quickly quieting as they wandered aimlessly down the stone path on the beach. It was the kind of night, the kind of moment, she thought, on which dreams were built. On which they lasted.
Brian was trying to figure out how best to say what he needed to say. He could barely breathe because he was afraid that, if he did, she’d disappear. The moment would shatter, and he would be left with the remnants of the dream he’d had since they were sixteen. In all the years in between, he’d stood back and watched her live her life. He hadn’t told her of his feelings, thinking that they would scare her. Once she was with David and engaged, he’d given up and tried to throw away his feelings.
But those feelings were fickle, flighty. They’d come back triple time when he’d found himself taking care of her. Now, now he was sure he’d burst if he kept them inside. But he wasn’t sure if he could tell her. Was she ready to hear them? Was it too soon after her fiancé’s death? David had been his friend, too, and to move in on his friend’s fiancée only a year after his death felt wrong. Maybe, maybe she would just crumble if he put the weight of his feelings on her. After all, she’d just been through a rough year and was still recovering.
God, he thought miserably, help me.
“Brian?”
He looked over at the woman occupying his thoughts. “Isn’t it gorgeous out here?” He spread his arms out as if to encompass the scene around them. “I don’t know why I’d ever go back to Kentucky after being here.”
“What?” Was he planning on staying here, she wondered. If he did, she’d be lost, so lost without him. With all the new feelings that were jumbling through her, she didn’t think it was going to be all right for her if he stayed and she went. “You’re staying here?”
Brian stopped walking and studied her, frowning. “Why would you say that? I just said I love it here, but Lexington’s home, Geneva. Of course I’m not going to live here. As much as I’d love to, it’s not home.”
“Oh.” Her heart rate leveled.
“Geneva.” His hand rested on her arm gently. “How could you think I’d leave you and everyone I love? I love Greece, but I need Kentucky.”
“Even with the cold?” she teased, trying to lighten the suddenly serious mood.
He huffed jokingly. “Maybe we’ll just vacation here during the winters.”
We? “Maybe,” she replied just as lightly, though her mind was racing. Had he really meant the two of them? Was it possible, at all possible, that he felt a little of what she was feeling, too? Or was it just one-sided? No, she decided after a moment, it was just one-sided. It had to be because this was Brian, for crying out loud. He was her best friend, nothing more.
A whole new point of view
I've been touched by an angel
It's impossible, but true
They began to walk again, and he reached out to link fingers with her. “So, how have you been feeling?”
Her gaze met his and, in the moonlight, saw the concern he didn’t voice as strongly. “I love the warm weather. It’s as though the darkness can’t touch me when it’s warm. But that’s silly,” she said after a moment. “Because, ever since you came back and got me on track, the darkness is practically gone. I can breathe again.” She let go of his hand and spun in a giddy circle. “For the first time in months, I can breathe again, and I love it!”
Brian watched her laugh and, in the moonlight, her beauty hit him like a fist. “If I can give you the warm, Geneva, then my life’s work will be complete.”
She slid her hand into his again as they moved forward. “I really don’t know how to repay you for everything you’ve done for me, Brian. I know you’re my friend, but none of the others bothered to dig in and pull me out. I need you to know that it means the world to me that you would do that. That you took the time out of your busy life to help.”
He stopped her then took her other hand in his and met her gaze. “Don’t thank me, Geneva. I’d do just about anything for you, and that’s a promise. I’m not going to back down, not going to let you suffer if I can help it. So get used to it. I’ve been here for you for fifteen years. God willing, I’ll always be there when you need me.”
When her arms came around him, tight, he blinked then rested his hands on her waist.
You made me trust again
You showed me there's a pot of gold
At every rainbow's end
“I know that. I know, and I love it,” she murmured before she leaned back to look into his eyes. “Brian, I-”
He saw what was in her eyes, and his heart stumbled. He took a steadying breath and looked over her shoulder. “Geneva, look.”
“What?”
He turned her gently until they watched it together. A small ray of golden light shot across the sky and faded out near the horizon. She shut her eyes and wished. This time, she thought, this time, her wish would come true. It had to.
“What did you wish for?” he asked as the path began to wind its way back towards the hotel.
Geneva grinned. “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”
“That’s just superstition,” he informed her, flicking a finger over her nose affectionately.
She rolled her eyes. “Brian, if you think that’s superstition, why did you wish on the falling star? It’s superstition, too, isn’t it?”
“Got me there,” he said after a moment. “I bought a house today,” he added after a minute of silence passed between them.
“What? I thought you didn’t want to live here,” she began, confused.
He shook his head. “I’m going to need to come back here every so often to check on the resort. It’s my baby, so I feel very personally invested in this. More than the other hotels. Anyway, I just want a place to stay that’s not the hotel. Why take up space that could be given to another guest, right?”
“Yeah,” she murmured. “What’s the house like?”
“It’s a house. Kinda big for just one person, I guess.” He shrugged. “It’s the white stucco material that’s big around here and looks like all the other houses around it. It’s just a house, though. Not a home. You’re the one with the home, Geneva.”
A lump formed in her throat. “It does have a lot of life, a lot of love in it, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t mean to make you sad,” Brian said gently and rubbed a hand down her arm, comforting.
“I’m not. Or maybe I am,” she corrected. “David and I poured a lot of love into our home, but he’s gone. I stood on the balcony in my room before coming down to the gala tonight. And do you know what I thought, Brian?” When he shook his head slightly, she squeezed his fingers. “I thought about how I can let him go without feeling guilty about doing so. I can go on with my life and be happy because he would’ve wanted that for me. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
He smiled. “Good. I’m happy that you feel better for it. That’s all I really want, Geneva. I just want you happy.”
The blazing lights and sounds from the gala were getting stronger, brighter. Brian stopped her and tugged her onto a pretty, carved bench. When she looked at him curiously, he shrugged. “I’m not ready to go back in there yet.”
“Brian,” she began after a few moments of studying him. “You spent so much time wondering, worrying, and caring about me and my happiness, but what about you? I never thought to ask if you’re happy.”
He patted her hand. “Don’t worry about me, baby. I’m fine.”
“That’s not happy,” she reminded him and leaned towards him. Was it her imagination or did he shrink back ever so slightly? “Tell me what would make you happy.”
You. Brian nearly said it out loud this time and bit his tongue. She was so, so close. “Being with the people I care about and making them happy makes me happy.”
“And if I said I wasn’t happy, would you help me do whatever it takes to be happy?” She was positive he was moving ever so slowly away. She could nearly see the nerves in his eyes. It was a powerful feeling, she realized.
Was she trying to kill him? He couldn’t breathe with her practically crawling into his lap. “Uh, yeah. Of course. It’s why I’m here.”
“Good.” And she pressed her lips to his.
Though sometime I wish I could
I never believed that golden slippers
Could ever find the perfect foot
I never believed in magic
Or that wishes could come true
But your very first kiss changed all this
Something only you could do
He absorbed the feel of her in his arms, the sweetness of her on his lips, his tongue. Years of waiting hadn’t prepared him for what it would be like to finally be with her in this way. And he couldn’t believe, not for sure, that it was happening.
“What’s wrong?” she wondered, a little dazed, when he peeled her off and set her on the bench a safe distance from him before he stood to pace.
Brian ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture she recognized as agitated, frustrated. “I don’t know. This, you and me. Geneva. This is so sudden. I don’t know what to believe.”
“Brian. Do you remember what you told me almost two months ago?” When he shook his head and continued to pace, she clutched her hands together. “You told me you believed in me. You told me and proved to me that you believed in me. But, you know what the funny thing is, Brian? You’ve made me believe in you, too. And I do. I believe in you.”
He stopped pacing and stared at her, stunned. “I’m in love with you,” he said after a long moment.
When she flew into his arms and buried her face against his neck, he smiled and stroked a hand down her back. “How long?” she asked.
“Hmm?”
“How long have you been in love with me?” Geneva framed his face in her hands.
He smiled. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“I wanted to ask you to junior prom,” he said after a moment. “When Dan Grant asked you, I thought I’d die of jealousy and go straight to hell. I think I had an inkling then.”
She smiled back and brushed her lips over his. “I told you I believe in you. I believe you.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “It’s what makes this all so magical.”
“If I were struck by lightning at this moment,” he said quietly, his fingers tangling in her hair. “I think I’d die happy.”
Geneva’s arms tightened around him. “Don’t. Don’t talk about dying. I couldn’t bear it if you left me, too.”
“Baby, I told you the truth. I’ll always be there for you,” Brian said quietly, drawing her back to gently brush his fingers over her cheekbone.
Her smile was brilliant. “I love you, too.”
When his lips found hers and joined them, she could hear the song of the sea, the scent of tropical flowers, and feel the magic of the moonlight. But the strongest, she’d come to discover, was the sight, the sound, the feeling of love. It destroyed the darkness, brought in the light, and vanquished every doubt and fear.
It was all there was.
And if its up to fate
Then you're my destiny
Now I know, now I see
Anything can happen
If you just believe
I believe in you
I swear that forever from today
No one will ever take your place
I believe in you
And I believe our love will last always
**Lyrics from Joe and *N Sync “I Believe in You”
