Serendipity

Summary: I had the picture perfect life. A fiancé I was marrying in three months, a surplus of friends and family, a great job which I actually enjoyed. However, there was only one man who I knew had the potential to change everything, to uproot all of my plans, and I was on a plane getting ready to spend three days with him.

Chapter One: His Drunk Girlfriend

His girlfriend was drunk at my fiancé and I's house. How's that for the start of a story? It took me four years to get him to hang out with me outside of work. Four years of getting to know each other, constantly bantering, dare I say flirting for forty plus hours a week. It was a recipe for disaster: having a guy over your new house you bought with your fiancé that you've had a secret crush on for years. Crush was putting it lightly too. It was more a connection, an undeniable attraction and draw towards one another. Strong as gravity and dangerous as the vodka I'd creatively shoved down his girlfriend's throat. So why invite them over? Why tempt fate and complicate my already complicated life? Simply because I couldn't not. I couldn't deny this constant pull towards this man I could never have. A man I could communicate without words with, who could read me like an open book, who challenged me and made me want to be a better person.

Killian Jones. That was his name and a strong name at that. He had been my boss on and off again for the last four years. We worked at a corporate hardware store called Cal's Hardware. The details of how we met and how we drew closer are bound to come up at another time, but we can safely say we were close, some (our significant others in particular) would probably say we were too close.

However, now his girlfriend of over six years was drunk at my house. One hundred percent...my fault. I'd like to say I accomplished this task because I wanted her to have a good time and feel welcomed in my home. However, the truth, which I would never admit outloud was I wanted her to stay, to be distracted and bond with me therefore I'd be able to hang out again with them...okay with Killian.

So a group of us coworkers are out in front of my house talking. Killian's girlfriend Milah was drunkenly babbling. She was bragging to us about how she's our boss' girlfriend. Then it happens. She accidently drunkenly smashes one of my new wine glasses. Glass is everywhere on my front porch. Luckily (come on now I'm not a completely terrible person) she wasn't hurt. I assure her it's no big deal, honestly I'm more then a little amused, and tell the group I am going to grab a broom. I open my front door and hear Killian say he is coming with me. I'm more then a little surprised but I don't show it.

We enter my empty house and head for the stairs. My fiancé, friends and family members are all in the backyard having a good time. As we travel up the stairs I realize that this is the first time we've been alone together tonight. Sure we played lawn games in my backyard while standing next to each other, toning down the flirtations but this was the first time it was just the two of us without the prying eyes of others.

I also notice as we walk up the stairs that it was very quiet in my house, which was actually kind of nice after being with all of my rambunctious and crazy friends all day. My fiancé Walsh and I had just finished remodeling the house after many crazy months of work. We had our family come over at two in the afternoon and now at almost midnight our friends had shown up and the party was going strong.

As we turn left to walk into my spare bedroom where I kept the broom I hear Killian say "I'm sorry." His voice is much quieter then normal and as we enter the bedroom I finally turn and lock eyes with him. His eyes are deep blue and staring intently at me. I feel the familiar warmth of attraction spread through me as I look upon his face. He is so handsome. His dark hair is positioned just right and his tan flawless skin only helps bring out his bright eyes, and his eyes are where some of our most meaningful conversations occur. Whether they are sparkling with laughter or deeper and intense with attraction, and right now even under his slightly apologetic face I see the attraction. I usually revel in it, I never think to much of it because my heart knows that he couldn't possibly feel the same way about me as I feel about him. Even after all we've been through. The years of conversations about anything and everything. The hours on end at work getting to know each other and working close together on a daily basis. He's too put together to feel the same way. He's had the same girlfriend for over six years and has helped her raise her daughter.

However, in this quiet room, all alone, his eyes are more intense then normal. I see his thoughts going a mile a minute through his head and wish I had the guts to ask him what was on his mind. I turn slightly to locate the broom. Usually I would egg him on, flirt shamelessly with him, maybe even move closer to him to test his reaction. But this time it's too real and I knew I couldn't handle the rejection that was bound to occur. Based on the number of drinks I had drank I'm sure my reaction would be written all over my face. I mean what did I think was going to happen? That he would kiss me passionately? Start making out with me and move us to the futon in the corner of the room? His girlfriend was right downstairs and my fiancé was right outside.

I immediately feel my skin begin to get blotchy, he's the only one to have this effect on me. It's the only thing that gives away my strong attraction to him. My chest breaks out in red dots and my skin turns red. I'm not a big blusher but Killian Jones sets my whole body on fire. I'm sure even in the dimly lite room my spaghetti strap teal dress is doing nothing to hide my reaction to him.

I grab the broom, try to collect myself, and turn to look back at him. He is still staring intently at me and then he takes a step forward. In an instant my heart beat quadruples, I know my palms are sweaty and my mind completely blanks out, but I can't turn away. I see him lift his left hand up out of the corner of my eye and move it towards me. The movement only takes a second but the moment goes on much longer in my head. I couldn't believe after all this time that he was finally stepping towards me, that the passion that we've been constantly denying was going to get played out. I knew there was no way I would be able to stop what was about to happen, and I didn't want to. My body and mind was on fire with want and need. Then I heard a rattle to my right. He holds out the dust pan in front of him and finally breaks eye contact as he walks out the door.

The plane jerks which tears me back from my flashback. That was a year and a half ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I still can't believe how foolish I had been to think he was going to kiss me. When he had left my house that night giving me a one armed hug after his girlfriend had given me a full body hug telling me how much she enjoyed hanging out with me, I watched him walk down the street to his truck full of jealousy, I knew she would go home and have sex with him and get to fall asleep in his arms. I knew I had no right to think this way, seeing as I would be sleeping with my fiancé but I couldn't help the reaction I had to them walking down the street together away from me.

I had to snap out of these thoughts though, I was getting married in three months! I had just paid my photographer five hundred dollars last week. I had barely spoken to Killian since he got promoted to a district manager and torn from our store. Sure I had called him a couple days ago and talked to him for an hour like old times but that was only because I was nervous about going to my first manager's conference since I had recently gotten promoted as well. On the outside I may look like I was nervous about the flight (which was partly true because I don't like flying) or about our first meetings, but on the inside I knew I was nervous about spending three days unsupervised with Killian Jones. It was the first time we'd be together without our significant others or coworkers watching our every move. Sure there would be four thousand other people at the conference but in a room full of others I knew only one of them mattered. Only one of them had somehow over the course of the last six years wormed their way into my heart.

Thoughts? This story wouldn't get out of my head and it's very near and dear to me. Hope you enjoy! Not sure how long it'll be but I should update at least once a week!