One-Shot Collection

"I love you," he said looking me directly in the eyes, a grin on his lips and his eyes shining in the light coming from the window.

"Bullshit," I said, smiling and kissing him before getting up from the bed. His arms caught around my waist, bringing me to him.

"And just where do you think you are going?" His chin rested on my hip, his chocolate eyes reflecting the smile on my face back to me. I laid my hand on his cheek, my thumb stroking his prominent cheekbone, just like Orlando Bloom.

"I'm making Ramen noodles, why? As much as I know you'd want me to, I just can't stay in this bed for the whole day. We humans do have special necessities you know."

His teeth gleamed with his smile. "I know, weirdo; I am human, too." Just then, he decided to bite and hold onto the hip his chin had been leaning on.

"Ahh! What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted through my laughter. A muffled, "biting you" came from his mouth. "W-why?" I stuttered, still laughing. He simply looked up and shrugged, then went on making little growling noises.

The hand that had been on his cheek slid down and was hanging onto his shoulder farthest from my hip. The other was in his hair, sending it into a disarray. Through all the scattered excitement, I tripped over his foot, sending me backwards landing on the bed next to him, my feet dangling over his lap. His brown eyes stared into mine and the grin on his face told me he was bemused by my clumsiness. I always love the way the sparkle in his eyes shines through, despite their coloration...a rebel as I like to call it.

He straddled my legs, seeming to tower over me like he does when we're standing. "You're cute when you're helplessly a klutz, though I must admit, you are cuter from this angle." A giggle passed my lips, something that a school girl would probably do if put into a similar situation. His finger traced a random pattern on my stomach, the path being etched onto the surface of my Cami. He stopped, flattening his hand just to the right of my belly button, and kissed my stomach on the other side of it.

"Why do I love you so much?" I asked him aimlessly, my fingers entwined in his hair to keep them busy.

"I'm not sure. I've been wondering that very thing since you agreed to be with me." I laughed slightly at his joke. He went back to tracing my stomach, but this time my Cami was pulled up enough for him to trace his spontaneous line patterns. The air felt chillier on the new bare skin than it did on the other surfaces of my body. His touch was soothing, though, the trails his finger left seeming to burn themselves onto my flesh. Every now and then he'd lean over to press his lips to my skin. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Forever and for always." It should be prohibited to love someone this much. Feeling this is like an all-time high that I never want to lose; he's too much of a good thing.

A sigh escaped him, his muddy eyes peeking up at me. I simply gave him a tiny smile to at least amuse his sight. "You're too beautiful. Your beauty is burning my retinas." I burst into a fit of laughter, my one favorite grin scaling his cheeks. "I hate when you laugh at my compliments. It makes me feel like you don't appreciate them."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I appreciate them...you just word them in a way that makes me laugh." He simply smiled at me, my expression a reflection of his own.

"How did I ever end up with the chance to be with you? I could never deserve you." The smile on his lips had softened into a gentle line, his eyes patiently watching his fingers that were tapping the surface of my showing skin.

"Don't say that," I whispered. I'm not sure why our voices got so quiet with each answer, but they did, stilling the atmosphere that had been so active. His eyes searched mine, seeking maybe truth or sincerity, possibly both, but before I could decide on either one, he scaled the rest of my body until his lips were pressed against mine.

My thoughts were beginning to get hazy when he pulled away, our lips still lightly in contact with each other. "I thought you wanted Ramen noodles."

"Screw the noodles...I want you." The corners of his mouth perked up before we were kissing again. That was when my stomach turned against me. His smile still shone when he pulled away the second time. He looked at me mockingly, unstraddling my legs so he could stand beside the bed. "Don't go...I'll tell it to shut up."

He simply laughed and said, "Let's go, Starving Marvin; your stomach says you need a little more than just me in your system." I felt the smile on my lips as he voluntarily lifted me from the bed and carried me to the kitchen.

"You're such the classical Prince Charming," I commented him. "Swooning the fair lady, carrying her out of bed and tending to her needs like the true gentleman would. I'd say that's one hell of a lucky woman."

"Good thing that woman is you, huh?" He joked along. He let my feet hit the floor and I stood on my own, going straight to the cabinet filled with the dry goods.

"Hmm," I hummed at the sight of the positioning of the Ramen noodles, "a jokester you seem to be." They were residing on the top shelf, which was just out of reach for my fingertips. Those are my favorite type of noodles, a fact known to him. I'm still a little surprised that we don't complain about our cheeks hurting with all the smiling we do in a day.

His arms coiled around my middle, his breath warm and sensational on the skin on my shoulder. "Looks like you could use your Prince Charming," he said reaching for the noodles with me still in his grip. "Your noodles, my dear." A giggle passed my lips involuntarily; a habit that fell in line as time with him passed.

I got everything needed for cooking the food, all with him as my shadow. His arms remained around my waist as the water sat on simmer, his lips grazing my bare shoulder, working their way up my neck. My breath was beginning to hitch, sticking in my throat as his lips met my jawline. Chemistry had me pinned when our lips finally collided. My thoughts became hazy, my motor skill their own. My legs wrapped themselves around his hips, our lips moving gracefully with precision in a speed for lips that should be cumbersome and messy. The feel of his tongue gliding over mine put me head over heels. That was enough action to tell our bodies to bring us back to the bedroom.

The water in the pot ended up boiling over that night...

3 years later

I grabbed a glass of champagne from the silver tray the passing server held. I took a sip from the ample amount, the bubbly carbonation fizzling down my throat. My eyes scanned the formally dressed crowd in search of my sister, the blushing bride of the hour.

It was humid with the summer air and people attempted to stay cool by fanning themselves, sliding ice cubes down their clothes or grabbing more drinks, which was also having its set backs since some the guests seemed to sink into a stupor. I was drinking for different reasons...

I spotted her, a hint of jealousy pinging at my heart. I had expected this to be me by this time, but it wasn't. I wasn't the one dressed in a gorgeous white gown with my hair fixed in a picturesque way that would make any woman jealous with my family and friends surrounding me, but more importantly, the love of my life standing by side where he'd always be after this day. This made a part of me hate her, but I couldn't help but to be overwhelmed with joy for her, too. I promised myself that would not let my misery get in the way of her special day.

She was the spitting image of my fantasies, now dead and long gone, only a few dust motes to replace them. He left me to crumble on my floor after accusing me of cheating, a figment of his imagination and paranoia. With how much we felt for each other, it shocked me that it would even cross his mind. He was my one and only and no one could ever take his spot. My heart still beats for him, but it's out of tune now that his is playing a different song.

My eyes scanned the crowd for his face rather than a relative's. When I spotted him, my heart sped. Then she appeared beside him, the new girlfriend that replaced me and was now the love of his life. My throat became dry at the thought of what I was about to do.

Stupid idea, I thought to myself, but if I don't take the risk, I'll never know for certain.

I downed the rest of my champagne and placed it on a different silver tray as I made my way towards him. When I reached him, a smile found my face that hadn't shown in a long time when seeing his image; all there had been were tears. Surprisingly, he reflected my expression. My heart was in my ears, throat and chest all at the same time; I felt deaf, mute and exhausted.

"Hey, you," he greeted, his voice forcing my heart to skip beats.

"Hi. Uhm, I'm sorry to bother you like this, but do you mind if we go somewhere and talk?" It felt like high school all over again, the tension and awkwardness thick between us.

"Uhh, sure." He flipped around quickly to tell his date that he was going to talk to the ex and gave her a peck on the lips. Even this wrenched and twisted my heart. I tried to put it out of mind as we walked inside the large banquet hall that was holding the reception.

We crossed the marble floors until we came to an empty hallway private and away from the rest of the party outside. My body turned to face him, but I didn't dare look up from my fingers busily playing the seam of the tiny, silk shawl that my sister requested I'd wear with the dress.

"So," he started, "what did you want to talk to me about?" My throat became parched again and I knew that my voice would break when I began talking.

"I wanted to talk about us." My voice broke on the last word. An irritated sigh escaped him, his fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"I honestly cannot go through this again." He started to turn and took a step away.

I said the only thing that I could. "I love you." The tears swelled in my eyes, but didn't spill. He stopped and turned back to me, stepping closer than before. His breath was warm against my skin, causing a shiver to go down my spine.

He only had one, eight-lettered word as a reply. "Bullshit."