My Happiness
by Damien J. Frost
Disclaimer: Hannah Montana, and all items associated with, are property of Michael Poryes, Richard Correll, Barry O'Brien, It's a Laugh Productions, Disney, et al. There is no profit being gained from the content of this story and it is to be used solely for private entertainment purposes. The plot is the intellectual property of the writer. No parts of this story are to be duplicated or posted elsewhere without the expressed permission of the author.
This story is rated "K+" or "PG" by the guidelines of the fansite on which it is posted.
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You've got to be kidding me.
I'm at The George Inn Yard, celebrating my girlfriend's birthday. We and our friends are doing the usual bar-hopping and somehow got sucked into the old English pub on the London Bridge.
Five minutes ago, I'm volunteered to hit the bar for another pint. Now, I'm standing with six glasses in my hands staring at her standing in the door.
I quickly take my seat before I lose my grip on the glasses.
"You alright?"
I look at my girlfriend, Jamie, and shake my head.
"No."
Worried now, she slides closer to me. We've been together for almost a year now. We met about two months after I got here, and she knows me pretty well. But, now…
"What's wrong?"
I turn and spot Lilly. She's sitting alone at a table on the other side of the pub. She's staring at me.
"Lilly's here."
It takes a second before Jamie reacts, and I flinch when she looks for her. She spots her in no time, though. I had a picture of the two of us until Jamie convinced me to burn it. Nothing ever made me feel more free.
But now… now I'm suffocating.
"She's coming over."
I shake my head and look at Jamie imploringly. She nods and stands, blocking Lilly's way.
"I think you need to scarper."
Our friends look up at Jamie, drunkenly confused as to why she's starting a fight with a stranger, until they notice the look on my face.
"I'm sorry, but I just want to talk to Miley."
Her voice is like a knife to my heart.
"Well, I know she doesn't want to talk to you, so bugger off."
Nick, sitting to my left, gets tense. He's been in his share of brawls, being a Hammers fan, but he knows he can't go knocking around a woman. He's got a little sense. Very little.
"Let her tell me that herself."
Silence falls, and everyone in the bar is looking at me expectantly. I turn and look at Jamie. I make sure I don't look at Lilly.
"Go away Lilly."
I'm not expecting what happens next. She pushes Jamie out of the way and stands over me. She is between me and Nick. I look back down at my pint, trying to ignore her. Trying to ignore my dying heart.
"I left him. I left him for you, and now you tell me to go away?"
I still refuse to meet her eyes.
"I never wanted you to leave him Lilly."
I can see her fist trembling out of the corner of my eye. She's still wearing her wedding ring.
"You said you wanted me."
I shake my head.
"No, I told you I couldn't do it anymore."
Her fist slams the table, sending my ale sloshing around.
"You didn't even give me the chance!"
My anger rises at that and I finally stand and look down into her eyes.
"I gave you every chance. You never wanted me until you knew I was leaving. I'm done with this, Lilly. I'm done with you. I have been for more than a year. I'm with Jamie, and she's everything you never were to me."
I see the tears running down her cheeks, but I hold myself together. I will not soften, because it is all she's waiting for.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
I take a deep breath. It's hard being cold to her. But I don't have a choice. I won't be her toy.
"Go home, Lilly. Go home to your family. I know haven't left him. You never could."
Then I turn and walk out of the stuffy pub and into the cool London air. Jamie and the rest of my friends are there a few minutes later. Jamie takes my hand.
"Well, that was a brilliant end to the big 2-5. Let's go home."
I smile and nod, knowing that I've finally moved on. That I've found someone who wants to share her life, not just her regrets.
As we wait for a cab, Lilly comes out of the pub and heads the other direction, crying. I watch her go for a second before shaking my head and looking back at Jamie. She watches me curiously until I lean in and kiss her.
I've finally found my happiness.