Here's the last chapter of the story...it was so much fun to write for you all and because it was nice being able to put certain people together and see it to the end! Here's to a wonderful weekend for you all, I hope you like this one :) Shh, don't tell anyone...I'm not that great a fan of Rose's either, hehehe
"Uhh, hi Simon. How'd you find us here?" Ruthie faked a laugh and let it die away when she saw her brother look right past them at the still frozen Rose.
The baby stirred in his carrier and let out a little cry. Martin took the baby's bottle out of a thermos of hot water they had brought with them and handed Aaron and the bottle to Sandy when she reached out her arms after sinking down uneasily beside Ruthie.
"This is not good," Sandy muttered beneath her breath, sharing a sad little smile with Ruthie and Martin.
"I see you've had a productive day," Simon called, raising his voice, as he stepped over the blanket and began walking towards Rose, meeting her a few feet from his sister and friends.
Stupidly, the dark haired stranger followed and was about to go to Rose's side til she raised a hand, telling him to wait. "I could say the same thing," she mocked, tilting her head towards the wide eyed Sandy.
"I thought you were supposed to meet your friend Mikel to go help you with the flower arrangements for our wedding."
Mikel had the good grace to flush.
"We did. Simon, this is my friend Mikel. Mikel, this is my fiancé Simon, his sister Ruthie and their friends Martin and Sandy."
They all waved and said hi weakly.
"I thought Mikel was a girl," Martin whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Ruthie who nodded that she had thought the same thing.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you Simon. Rose has told me so much about you. And I'm the guy that's going to take her away from you," he mumbled beneath his breath. Smiling a toothy grin, he reached out a sun bronzed hand to Simon to shake and pulled it back when Simon glared at him.
"Well that's really interesting, cause see, I have heard nothing about you. Not even your name til today, which is interesting," he snickered, "because my fiancée normally tells me everything."
"You should talk Simon," Rose interrupted, "here you are getting all cozy with my 'supposed' best friend Sandy." She glanced down at her and mocked, "At least I don't go around and get knocked up by high school guys that can barely stand me."
"Hey…" Sandy began, handing the baby to Ruthie, getting up from the blanket and moving to Simon's side.
"Sandy stay out of it." Rose snapped at her, "Besides," she continued, "we weren't doing anything. We were just walking through the park after lunch and catching up on old times." Rose folded her arms, her nose tilting up in the air, almost as if she was daring Simon to mock her.
Simon took a step towards Rose, who put up her hands and backed right into Mikel who wrapped his hands around her arms to stop her from stumbling.
"Does catching up on old times consist of you in his arms, ready to kiss him? Sandy and I are only friends and you know that. You've never believed it though, no matter how many times I had to reassure you," he fought to keep his voice low when Aaron let out a frightened cry.
Martin and Ruthie's eyes bounced back and forth between the four people who looked like they were ready to haul off at any minute and hit someone.
Handing Ruthie a receiving blanket to place over her shoulder, Martin whispered close to her ear, "I'm placing my bet on the blond guy and the 'ready to strike at any minute' brown haired girl beside him."
Shifting the baby to her shoulder to burp and calm she grinned, "They could take them, easily."
"Look pal," Mikel held up his palms in innocence, "she's telling the truth, we didn't do anything. At least not yet," he curled his lip and smirked. "Oh shit," he backed off and was ready to run when Simon made to lunge at him. Stumbling over his own feet he fell to the ground with a loud thump.
"Simon…Simon grow up," Rose scolded before turning to Mikel to see if he was all right.
Taking a deep breath, Simon looked at the ground and then back at Rose. "How long has this been going on? Did it just start or have you two been seeing each other behind my back for a while?"
The look on Rose's face spoke volumes.
"How long?" he demanded, his voice cracking with pain.
Sandy rubbed his back and glared at Rose who was acting the devastated role to a hilt. Martin quickly packed the picnic basket and helped Ruthie strap the baby into his carrier and then into the stroller.
"I think this is our cue to leave," he said, pulling her up beside him.
Rose pinned them with a deadly look. "Where do you think you two are going? You are just as much to blame in this as Simon and Sandy are."
"Ruthie," Martin warned.
"Oh no," she assured him, "I'm not going to do anything that she doesn't deserve."
Sandy stepped in front of her. "Please, let me do the honours. I've been waiting to do this for a long time," raising her hand she pulled it back and slapped Rose across the face, leaving behind a bright red hand mark.
Ruthie shrugged and stepped back to Martin. "You did a good job, couldn't have done any better myself."
"Thanks," Sandy grinned and shook her hand to cool it down.
Simon caressed her warm palm and shook his head disbelievingly at what he had just witnessed.
"Excuse me, have we forgotten about something here?" Rose demanded their attention and rolled her eyes as Mikel waited for her to help him up. "This is about me. How could you do this to me Simon? Here we are about to get married and your off with Sandy. I always knew you were weak. Mommy and daddy made you that way."
People walking past had stopped to gawk and listen in on the little scene that was unfolding in front of them.
"Rose, you may want to calm down. You're going to pop that vein that's throbbing in your head, and I for one do not want to clean up after it." Martin laughed, causing the growing crowd to join in. He quieted down when her eyes seemed to blaze red.
Sighing with acceptance and a little bit of sadness, Simon looked at Rose with pity. "It took me a long time to realize and I thought I really loved you, but you only think about one person, and that's yourself. I couldn't marry someone like that, so you're free. She's all yours buddy," he slapped Mikel on the arm as he nodded for the other's to follow him.
"Simon, you don't know what you're talking about. Mikel means nothing to me…oh grow up," she hissed at Mikel he cried out at that. "We love each other, we're meant to be together…we're getting married in a couple of months. Simon…SIMON…" she yelled as he shook his head and kept on walking.
She whirled on Mikel and shrieked at him, "This is all your fault. Don't worry Rose, he'll never find out. I love you Rose…" she mocked him childishly. "Oh get out of my way," she pushed him and stalked off.
"Simon?" Sandy held his arm to stop him before he got in the driver's door of his car.
He looked at her with a mixture of relief and weariness on his face.
"I'm so sorry about what happened back there. What Rose said, it wasn't true. Not one word of it. You're a wonderful person that deserves only the best."
Simon lowered his eyes, looking at his feet for a moment before turning his eyes back up to hers, smiling slightly. "Thanks. I just can't believe I didn't see any of this before. How could I be so blind?"
She sighed. "Sometimes when you're in love, you don't always see a certain side of the other person. You see the good qualities, what makes them special and sometimes it takes a little while for our quirks to appear…as awful as she was back there, in a way you were lucky to find out who she really was before you got married."
Turning towards her fully, Simon pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for always being there for me. Maybe it's you I should marry," he kidded softly, trying to find some humor in what had happened.
Blushing fiercely Sandy laughed and walked over to the passenger side and slid into her seat. "Let's take it one day at a time."
Buckling the last safety belt in place, Martin touched his son's cheek and looked at Ruthie who was sitting in the front seat. She twisted around to look back and smiled.
"There's no secret girl out there some where that you want to tell me about is there?" she joked.
He laughed and shook his head no. He closed the door and watched as his friends pulled out of the park's gravel lot and shook his head. That Rose was a real piece of work, he thought to himself as he got in beside Ruthie, resting his hand on the steering wheel.
"Promise me you won't find a guy like Moogle…."
"Mikel?"
He quirked an eyebrow and rested his nose on hers, smiling into her eyes. "Mikel, Moogle, what ever. Promise me that you won't make a friend like that where I'll have to kick his ass and you feel the need to go look at some 'flower arrangements'…and we'll always be honest with each other?" he asked when she laughed.
"I'll try," she said giggling against his lips when he growled at her.
"Ruthie…."
"I promise. Now shut up and come here," she laced her hands through his hair and opened her lips, like her heart had always been, to him.
The End
Thank you once again everyone for your kind reviews, wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for you all! My very first story finished...how did you all like it? And I may end up writing a sequel at some point :D