Wouldn't Miss My Chance

~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~

"Andrew! It's pouring out!" I shouted as he ran out the back door and onto the dirt road.

"That's the point Caitlin! Live a little!"

"My parents will be so mad if we track dirt into the cabin. Please just come back inside." He threw his arms up and accepted defeat.

Andrew and I had been dating for a year. We both just graduated high school two days ago. He was trying to get drafted into the NHL and I was moving to England for school. He didn't know that though, I didn't want to distract him form getting drafted. We had come up to my families cabin to spend some time together before everything changed.

Andrew made his way back to the cabin. He stopped in the doorway and smiled at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He was soaking wet but I needed to be close to him. Before I knew it he pulled me outside and into the rain.

"Ahh, Andrew! What are you doing?" he chuckled as I struggled to get out of his embrace.

"I want to dance with you in the rain." I rolled my eyes. He was always spontaneous like this. Dancing in the rain was such a cliché but he thought it was romantic. At the moment I had to agree with him, it seemed very romantic.

"Its the middle of the night!" I wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled him close.

"Live a little." I rested my head in the crook of his neck.

"Oh the things I do for the one I love," I mumbled as we swayed back in forth in the rain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Brooks, you jerk!" I smacked my brother. It was his wedding day; I really shouldn't have been doing any smacking. "Why did you not tell me that you invited him?"

"Caitlin, it’s been three years. He is a nice guy."

"He hates me. I know he does. How could I just leave him like that?"

"You wanted to make a life for yourself. Granted, you should have mentioned that you were moving but we all make mistakes."

"I watched him get drafted," I whispered.

"I know. I also know you watch all of his games. You still love him and you need to tell him."

"Oh, shut up Brooks! Go wait by the aisle. Krista looks beautiful," I said standing up and making my way to the door.

"I love you sis," he said as I was leaving. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was so happy and all he did was tell Krista that he couldn't live without her. I wonder if it’s really that simple?

"I love you too." I shut the door behind myself and made my way downstairs and outside to where the ceremony was taking place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You look beautiful," I heard behind me. I was sitting at the bar watching my brother enjoy his first dance with his wife. I turned around to see Andrew standing behind me. He looked much older, which he was, but he seemed to have matured so much.

"Thank you." There was an awkward silence. "I'm sorry. I should have told you I was leaving, but I had to go."

"Caitlin, I'm not mad at you. I want you to make a life for yourself. I missed you though.”

"I thought about you everyday. I watched you get drafted and I watch all of your games."

"I thought maybe you forgot about me. Maybe you were to busy taking amazing pictures all over England.” I put my hand on his and stared into his eyes.

"Andrew, I could never forget you."

"Let's catch up, I'll buy you a drink." I smiled at him and told him my drink order. "So, tell me about school."

"I loved it! I am so happy I became a photographer. I wouldn't have been happy doing anything else. I also met my best friend there and I am the godmother to her daughter."

"Wow, that's great! So where do you live now?" I took a big sip of my drink.

"I am moving to Chicago next week."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I heard they have a pretty great hockey team there." I joked.

"I heard they suck."

"But the have that really hot forward. What’s his name? Shaw maybe." He laughed.

"You still think I'm hot?" I nodded. I felt the alcohol hit my system. I was no longer shy.

"You are extremely hot, especially when you get into fights." He burst out laughing and almost spilled his drink.

"Yeah, that happens often."

"Yeah, you are very scrappy." Suddenly, through my alcohol induced haze I got the greatest idea. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

"Where are we going?" he asked as I pulled him along.

"Think back to the last time we were here." I turned to see him smiling at me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. We slowly started swaying back and forth. I rested my head in the crook of his neck.

"Oh the things I do for the one I love."

"You still love me?"

"I never stopped. Andrew, I want you to be my forever. I want you to be the last man I dance with." He lifted my chin so I was looking into his eyes.

"I love you too." He pressed his lips to mine. "Where are you going to live when you get to Chicago?"

"I have an apartment. You are welcome to stay there with me."

"Yeah, I stopped renting my old place, so I have no where to stay. Plus we might have a lock out."

"I heard that. You can play hockey with me instead." he threw his head back in laughter.

"That would be way more fun than playing in the NHL."

"I thought so. I'm proud of you. I may have cried when you got drafted."

"Can I ask you something?" I nodded. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" I paused and thought about how I could explain putting him through that.

"I knew if I told you, you would be distracted. I couldn't be the one who took hockey away from you."

"We could have made it work."

"Andrew, its better like this. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much."

"Please don't leave me again."

"I could never do that again, doing it once was the hardest thing I have ever done." I pressed my lips to his again. "So, what do you say? Are we back together?"

"We will never be apart again and I will never miss a chance to dance with you." We swayed back and forth together and made up for lost time.