There You'll Be

Caroline Jones felt a smile creep onto her face, betraying her true feelings about being here. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the small home that her parents still had after almost forty years. There she wanted to crawl into bed after a long day out on the lake with hometown friends that she hadn't seen in forever, but those friends were demanding that she attend the carnival that was in town.

Now, as she sat on a bench with a fist full of cotton candy, watching the firework show, she felt her lips betray the "I want to go home" attitude she was trying so hard to maintain.

---

Aaron Voros wasn't sure if it was the best idea to go to the Fairbanks carnival that night, but he did anyway. His teammates, Trevor and Mike, had dragged him along, hoping to cure him of his heartbreak he had recently suffered. They knew he was torn because this was the longest he'd ever been in a relationship; it had lasted an entire three weeks. Tonight was a time to forget about that girl, he told himself over and over again, trying to have as much fun as possible.

And he was having fun riding the lame carnival rides, playing games that ripped him off, hanging out with his teammates - including their girlfriends, Amy and Hannah - and eating foods that his coaches would kill him for eating. But it was all one night of the year that despite how much money he spent on ride tickets and games, despite being jealous of his friends having the gorgeous girls, and despite the fact that the fried foods he was eating would clog his arteries, he could still say that he enjoyed every second of it.

When the sun had finally made its way below the horizon, the entire carnival jittered in anticipation for the firework show. They heard the loud, ear-splitting boom and everyone froze, turning their attention to the sky. It took about five minutes for boredom to set in, so he averted his eyes from the sky and that's when he saw her.

The colorful bursts of fire above them all illuminated her face in an array of colors. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, which draped gently onto her shoulder. She wore a hot pink tank top and a pair of black gym shorts with a coordinating bag of pink cotton candy resting in her lap. As she sat there with her other four friends, gazing up in wonder at the sky, he felt something he had never felt before, something that made it so he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He was certain that the thing that drew him in most was the small, secretive smile that was present on her lips. It somehow felt like he and she were the only two people that were aware of its existence.

In the middle of a million thoughts running through his brain, he watched as her eyes lowered from the sky and seemed to immediately find him in the crowd, staring back at her. The smile grew into a shy, innocent grin as her eyes turned to the ground in embarrassment. He knew, even in the poor lighting, that she was blushing when her eyes daringly met his again. And he knew that she was special.

As soon as it had happened, it was over. Her blond friend tapped her on the shoulder and pointed back up toward the firework display. A part of him wanted to be bold, to stroll up to her and introduce himself like he had down with so many other girls. But the other part of him was terrified in a way that he had never been before - including his cancer.

How can that be? he thought, confused with himself for feeling this way about a girl. He let time pass as he watched her instead of the fireworks, hoping that she wouldn't find him creepy. What if she did? What if she didn't feel the same magnetic connection that he felt? What if... Stop it, you're acting totally corny with all this "magnetic connection" shit...

Eventually, the show ended with the grand finale, which lit her face up in blues, reds, yellows, greens, purples, and whites. When the loudness subsided into applause, he watched as she raised her hands - one empty and one still full of cotton candy - and joined in with the rest of the crowd in clapping. Her friends stood, beginning to walk off, when the blond that had been sitting next to her tapped her on the shoulder, motioning for her to follow them. She lifted herself off of the bench, showing that she couldn't have been more than 5'3", and started to walk away with her friends. But just before she took her first step, she slowly turned her head around so that she was looking at him.

He felt that same fear course through his veins again, making him frightened of her, but in a very good way... if that made any sense, which it didn't to him. Everything about her was a mystery and he loved it. Again, she tore her eyes away from his and quickly jolted forward to catch up with her group. She had disappeared into the crowd.

---

Caroline crossed her arms as she waited in line for the ferris wheel with Michelle, Sylvia, Lizzie, and Maria. She listened as they all gossiped about the latest Fairbanks news, which she knew nothing of, seeing as that she didn't live here any longer. Part of her wanted to jump right back into the conversation, hoping that they would clarify on certain things. Whenever she would try to join in, they would surge on, not giving her the time of day. As much as she loved the four girls, she hated when they got into talks like this one; a talk about the local U of A Fairbanks Nanooks' hockey team. It was a subject she couldn't even begin to touch because she hadn't been following the team since she was in high school. She found herself not really paying much attention to the four, but rather thinking about the guy she had seen in the crowd during the fireworks. The way he stared at her was supposed to creep her out... but it didn't. Instead she felt her heart skip a beat.

"The kid had cancer," Lizzie said in her quiet, shy voice, pulling Caroline back into listening to the conversation. "Its a miracle he survived, let alone the fact that he's still playing hockey this season."

"I heard he's going to sign with the NHL team that drafted him, the New Jersey Devils," Maria, the sports guru, added solemnly.

"That's a shame," Sylvia began with a smirk, tossing her glossy black hair back and folding her perfectly tanned arms. "He was nice to have around here in Fairbanks."

"You mean nice to look at, Syl," Michelle scoffed, sending an apologetic glance in Caroline's direction. Michelle was the only one that seemed to be genuinely happy to see the Caroline back in Fairbanks for the weekend. Michelle's blond hair shimmered in the carnival lights, making Caroline envious of her pale, ice princess-like appearance. She had always been gorgeous in that sort of way.

Before Caroline could say anything, the man who was working the ferris wheel was urging the five girls forward, splitting the group of into pairs. Sylvia immediately grabbed Michelle's arm and it was a given that Lizzie and Maria were attached at the hip. Caroline felt herself silently plead with Michelle to stay with her so she didn't have to ride alone or with someone she didn't know. Sylvia, who was never Caroline's biggest fan, seemed to tighten her grip around Michelle's upper arm in a possessive manner.

When giving it up and letting Sylvia have her way, the little old man finally got Caroline situated in the rusty, old bench-seat of the ferris wheel. He smiled down sympathetically at the girl, then turned toward the long, spiraling line of chattering people.

"Anyone want to ride? I've got a one seat! I need one person!" the man shouted, getting only about half the crowd's attention. As the seconds ticked by, Caroline felt the sting of rejection, silently cursing her friends and debating whether or not she should just get off the ride and let the sweet couple at the front of the line take her seat.

There was an odd silence before she heard a deep voice yell, "I will!" Relief flooded her as she heard the words, yet she couldn't pin point exactly where the voice had come from in the crowd until she saw the young man step through the gate with a ride ticket in his hand. She knew that face... from earlier. During the firework show, he had been the one that was staring at her. He paused as he recognized her, too. A blushing sensation was present in her cheeks as she made eye contact with him. There was something about those eyes that made her feel like she was lost in them. They had a joy about them that made her assume that he was thankful for every moment he had on this earth. And once she made that assumption, she immediately wanted to know why he had that expression in his deep green eyes.

The old man fastened the two in and made his way to the control stand, turning the ride on so that it lurched backward and stopped when they were about twenty feet above the ground, allowing the cart in front of them to dispose of its riders and let the next two people board the ride. Caroline stared down at her black Rainbow flip-flops and watched - seemingly fascinated - as she wiggled her own toes in an attempt to stall the inevitable.
She heard him clear his throat beside her and she lifted her gaze to meet his once again.

"I'm Aaron Voros," he introduced with an adorably crooked smile, offering her a hand to shake. She noted how his hand engulfed hers when she shook his hand and how he included his last name - a rare thing that most people did nowadays.

"Caroline Jones," she replied softly, tucking a dark brown lock behind her ears, feeling her pulse speed up.

"Are you from around here?" he asked politely, seeming truly interested in her answer.

"I grew up here in this town," Caroline began, trying to stop herself from giving away too much information and watching as he raised his brows. "I moved away three years ago to go to Seattle University down in Washington. Its been really great living there, but I came up for the weekend to visit my parents."

"Oh, yeah? That would explain why I've never seen you around before," Aaron said quietly, still marveling at the way she carried herself in a mature way. She was a junior in college, the same year as him, yet she seemed to be more level-headed than the typical college girl with bad judgment.

"You definitely don't sound like you're from here. What's that, Canadian?" Caroline asked with a grin, trying to detect where his accent was from.

"Vancouver. Born and raised, baby," he boasted, always proud of his nationality and that he was from Vancouver.

"So what brings a Canadian boy to Fairbanks, Alaska?"

Aaron paused, unsure of whether or not to tell her about his hockey scholarship. Everyone in town knew he was on the team, but if she didn't know, should he wait to tell her? He came to the conclusion that she didn't seem like the type who looked highly upon keeping secrets. And with every passing moment, he found himself more and more determined to impress her. Not with his hockey skills, but with his maturity level. "I play hockey for the Nanooks."

"Huh... that's interesting. My friends were just talking about one of your teammates earlier, while we were waiting in line. They said something about one of them having... cancer, was it?"

Caroline watched as Aaron looked down at the ground that was now at least fifty feet below them. She was trying to understand why he was so silent. Then she realized.

"They were talking about... you?" she asked, almost in a whisper, barely audible over the various carnival sounds. She was disappointed in herself for bringing a touchy subject up.

"I'm fine now," Aaron said, sensing her unease. "I just... had a rough patch last year. But I'm having a pretty good season this year. I'd like to sign with the Devils and turn pro, but I'm just not sure yet. I might do my senior year."

"Well, you're certainly lucky," she told him with an encouraging smile. "To go from a situation where your life was in jeopardy to a situation where you're debating whether or not to turn the sport you love into a profession."

He couldn't help but return the grin as he felt his heart squeeze itself a little too hard. Soon, the ride was over, but the two simply couldn't stop talking to each other. Caroline's friends and Aaron's friends both urged their respective fifth member to join them again, but soon left them when they realized that the two couldn't leave each other... at least, not yet. The pair wandered around the carnival, laughing and conversing like old friends. They talked about his hockey, which led to his cancer. Although it was still a rough subject, Caroline could sense that he was strong to get through such an awful thing. She respected him for his courage through the life-altering ordeal. They then moved seamlessly into the concept of life itself and what their goals were, which had Caroline blabbing on about how she was to finish her undergrad at the University of Seattle, then go to the School of Nursing to become a nurse. Aaron admired her passion on the subject of caring for people.

As they they talked, Caroline got the feeling that he knew her better than the girls who she had come to the carnival with; girls that had been lifelong friends she had known since she could walk. They walked and talked without a care in the world except each other. It had been a long time since Aaron didn't need to worry about what he was saying around a girl. He could say anything, and he knew she wouldn't judge him.

As the carnival crowd dwindled in numbers, both Caroline and Aaron found themselves talking a little louder, a little bit frantically, realizing that their night was going to come to an end soon. Before they knew it, they were in line for the ferris wheel one last time. Once at the top, Caroline looked around in wonder at the lights and atmosphere of the small town.
A smile graced her lips as she whispered, "It's really beautiful."

There was a silence that engulfed them, causing her to turn her head back to Aaron. He caught her off guard at that moment, lifting his hand to her cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "But not as beautiful as you."

She was the type of girl who despised lines such as that, but she found herself melting anyway. Cautiously, he leaned in, trying to gauge her reaction. As soon as their lips touched, though, it was like everything was complete. All was forgotten and it was just the two of them sharing the sweetest kiss they had ever experienced. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth at that moment in time, feeling as if he was the only thing that mattered. She'd been kissed before, but never like this. Never was the other person so understanding of her. And what shocked her the most was that she had only known him for a couple hours. Something even more frightening was that she was leaving tomorrow morning on a 6 AM flight to Seattle. When realizing this, her mind was suddenly clear again. Caroline lifted her hand and lightly pushed against Aaron's chest.

His cheeks were blushing bright red in the lights of the carnival as he pulled away. "I'm sorry," he breathed out, frowning and looking away, embarrassed with himself for his forwardness.

"No, no, Aaron..." she began to say just as the ferris wheel came to a stop and the same old man hurried them off. Once the two of them were away from the crowd of people, she started to speak again. "I like you a lot, but..."

"Was I going too fast? I'm sorry, I just - I don't know. I just had a feeling about you. Like maybe you liked me in a way that could-"

Caroline lifted her hand, hoping that he would stop his nervous, quick rambling. When he cut himself off, she shot him an apologetic smile, hoping she didn't ruin anything in between them. "Is your offer of taking me home still up for grabs?"

Aaron nodded, walking her to his car and driving her to her parents' home about fifteen minutes away. In those fifteen minutes, the two started out awkwardly, trying to forget about what had just happened on the ferris wheel, but they quickly fell back into rhythm, talking openly and freely like they had been just earlier. It was like one single bad moment couldn't stop them from being happy around each other. As they chatted, she found herself loving every second of her time with him, but dreading the fact that it was a second closer to the time she had to leave him. She knew what she had to do. Caroline knew she had to leave it up to chance.

He pulled his car into the driveway, getting out and quickly running around to open her door for her. Caroline's pulse quickened as she thanked him. This was going to be so hard to do. But if they were truly meant to be together, then maybe... maybe it could happen.

Aaron cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them. "So, you think we should exchange numbers? I mean, I know you have to go back to Seattle tomorrow and all, but..."

Caroline could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes. She didn't really want to do this, but it was probably for the best. "Aaron," she began shakily, not wanting to look him in the eye, but knowing that she had to. "You are a wonderful guy, you know that? You're sweet, courageous, and in the few hours I've known you, I feel like I've known you my whole life. I feel like you know me better than anyone else and when I'm with you, I don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing. I can just be myself and you accept me for that. You opened up to me about your cancer scare. You listened to me talk about my ambitions and I am completely fascinated with yours, but..." Aaron didn't want to listen anymore. He knew what was coming next. He knew that he would be rejected by the only girl he'd ever thought was special. "With you most likely traveling all the time for hockey and with me wanting to finish up my undergrad and then go to nursing school in Seattle, I am sure that right now is not a good time to have each other present in our lives."

"Right now?" Aaron asked, biting his lip and looking down at the cement of the driveway and how it contrasted with his black Chucks. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean... I mean that I feel like we're meant to be, but not right now. I think that if we are, we should let fate do it. Let's go live our lives. We're both young. When we meet again, we'll be ready to be together."

Aaron scoffed, trying not to let his hurt and irritation show. "Fate?"

"Yes, fate."

He started to make his way back to the driver's side of the car, opening the door and turning the keys in the ignition. "Bye," he said, trying not to let the girl know that he thought she was deeply mistaken.

As he backed out of the driveway with his window down, she yelled. "Goodbye Aaron! I'll see you again one day!"

Six years later...

Caroline let her toes dip into the clear, irresistible water of one of the finest beaches in Orange County, California. It was a long way from her home in Seattle, where she had just finished up her Nursing degree and was ready to start her new life with a bang. She was certain that a job offer in Anaheim was the right thing for her. She loved to travel, to see the various parts of the country, and living here for a couple years would be a good experience.

Staring down at herself in a small red bikini, she realized that although it seemed she was
completely happy with her life, there was something missing. There had been boyfriends while finishing up college, but none compared to the hockey player she had met that one night back in Alaska.

She vaguely followed Aaron's career, only knowing that he had finally made his way to the NHL and had switched teams a couple times, his most recent being New York. At the thought of him, she made a mental note to check up on his latest hockey news once she got back to her new apartment.

After spending a couple minutes wading in the warm ocean, she found herself making her way back to her hot pink towel, opting for a book rather than swimming. She was absolutely taken by the romance of the Notebook, not noticing anything around her, making her completely surprised when a big body tripped over her legs.

The brunette man stared up at her, mortified by the fact that he had tripped over her.

But that's when fate stepped in.

"Caroline Jones..." he said softly and in awe of what he was seeing. He even blinked a couple times, trying to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing.

"Aaron Voros," she replied with a knowing grin on her face. "You know, I've always thought about how it would happen. Maybe a ferris wheel... or a bar... or - I know its unoriginal - a hockey game. But I'd think about the day I'd get to see your face again..." She leaned in, close to his face, watching his reaction to her words. "How all of a sudden... there you'll be."