Ren, Melissa, and I were all chatting in aim one day when I had an idea. Upon explaining it, they all loved it. Basically, we give each other prompts, and we compose a one-shot to that effect.
This is a result of one of those prompts. Melissa gave me "something to do with an earthquake."
I hope you enjoy it!
Shaken and Stirred
The wedding was beautifully decorated. Everything lived up to her high expectations, and though it was due to rain, she knew that her outside wedding would be spared. To this point everything was perfect, so it would continue to be that way.
“Melissa?” a voice asked, and she slowly turned in her dress to face whoever called her name. Seeing it was her maid of honor, she smiled.
“Yeah?”
“It’s time. Are you ready?”
Melissa turned and looked at herself one final time in the mirror. Her hair was up and pinned perfectly in place. A small tiara with a veil attached topped it. She smiled at herself and knew that the day she’d spent so long hoping for was becoming a reality. “I’ve never been more ready in my entire life.”
Stan stood at the end of the aisle, waiting for his fantasy to come true. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to marry the woman he’d loved for so long. He’d loved her before he knew anything about her. As he watched her go from class to class in college he became infatuated with her. So much so that he began to follow her around, creeping on the edge so as not to be noticed. He paid attention to her interests and adopted them as his own. When he was certain he was the person she could fall in love with, he made his move.
Sure enough, she fell for him, and though her closest friend Joe had tried to dissuade her from accepting his proposal, she ignored him and said yes. He was gleeful when he noticed his lack of invitation when they were mailing them the month prior.
He heard the music start and his eyes turned to the back of the garden, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She looked radiant and happy, and he knew it was because she was getting the perfect wedding she always dreamed of; the wedding they both imagined. She was living her fantasy, and in a few hours he would be living his. He smiled adoringly at her; the one he’d practiced for days before they’d met and watched as her eyes lit up. Finally, she was standing next to him and he saw the tears shining in her blue eyes.
The ceremony started and it went without a hitch. The only part he was nervous about was due to begin any second now; the part where the priest asked if anyone had a reason for the two of them to not get married. Sure enough, as if on cue, three men ran into the garden. The one in the center was easily recognizable as Joe Jonas, the one person who had seemingly seen through Stan’s infallible façade.
“Joe?” asked Melissa, her voice angry that he’d dare interrupt her perfect ceremony. “What are you doing here?”
“Mel,” he started, ignoring the hatred in her voice and the look of repulsion in her eyes. “Mel, this man you’re marrying…he isn’t who you think he is, okay?”
Stan’s smile faded as he realized the determined look in Joe’s eyes meant he had proof that Stan was, in fact, a liar to Melissa.
“Let me decide who he is, okay?” Melissa seethed. “He’s the man I want to marry. Just because I didn’t choose you, you can’t hate everyone I fall in love with.”
Stan smiled inside as he recalled the story of Melissa and Joe’s relationship. At seventeen they were high school sweethearts, in love with the world and each other. They’d agreed to have an open relationship during college, and though they were close it all ended when he’d asked her on a date. Joe was instantly distrusting, and though he insisted it wasn’t because of his jealousy, she’d never believed him.
Tears were in Joe’s eyes as he marched up to the altar and stood directly in front of Melissa. “I don’t want you to do something you’re going to regret.” He pulled her close, and she gasped at his strength. He lifted her face to his and pressed his lips gently to hers. She recoiled, and pushed him away.
“I hate you.” She said, her face close to his. “I hate you.”
His eyes reflected the sadness his heart felt, but he nodded and turned to walk towards the two men he came with. Melissa didn’t even acknowledge his brothers, angry at the fact her perfect day was ruined by spectacle. Turning back to face Stan, he pulled her into an embrace.
And the world began to shake.
The couple was forced apart as jolts from underneath them shook them away from each other. People screamed and shouted as the intensity of the shocks became more and more frequent and intense. Melissa was terrified as the decorations and chairs flew to the ground and the people tried to find shelter. She ran to the back of the garden, where she knew the tent she’d been waiting in would keep her safe, forgetting all about the wedding.
No sooner than she’d gotten underneath the unsteady table she heard a deafening crash from all around her. She gasped and hoped that everyone she loved was okay. The shocks ended a few seconds later, and Melissa shakily went outside the tent to inspect the damage.
Chaos surrounded her, and screams of the injured and scared filled the air. She glanced down to see her dress covered in dirt but she didn’t care about that; she wanted to find her family and Stan.
“Melissa, help us!” a voice called out to her, and she turned to find Nick staring at her, his chocolate eyes filled with tears and fear. “It’s Joe.”
“What about him?” Melissa asked, her voice uncaring as she scanned the crowd for a glimpse of her family.
“I think—“ Nick seemed to be having trouble forming words, and his lack of usual eloquence caught Melissa’s attention. “I think he’s—dead.”
It was as if Melissa had been doused with cold water, as chills raced up and down her spine. The memory of her last words to him, words she’d spoken only minutes before flooded her mind, and she stood stock still. “Oh God,” she gasped, letting Nick grab her hand as they raced to where Joe was.
The scene before her almost caused her to break down completely. Underneath a pile of benches and flowers was Joe. He was still and his eyes were opened. But it wasn’t the man Melissa knew so well; it was a shell. The Joseph she loved was gone. Collapsing, she fell into the arms of Kevin. He held her close and they sobbed together.
“I didn’t mean it,” she said over and over, the tears falling freely on his shoulder. “What I said to him, I didn’t mean it.”
“I know,” he whispered, his own tears falling on her bare shoulder. “And he knows it too.” They held each other, letting the pain of losing someone they both cared for wash over them.
Nick stood alone, always stoic and calm. “He wanted you to have this,” he said, handing her a small sheet of paper.” She took it, her blue eyes shining with confusion.
As she read it, the weight of her decision fell on her shoulders and she burst into tears once more, this time reflecting on the love she threw away.
Melissa,
You don’t know how many times I’ve tried telling you how much I loved you. I know it’s too late now, as you’re getting married to him, the wrong guy. I should be the one in that tux, admiring your beauty and thanking God you would be mine for eternity. But you made your choice and I have to accept it.
Stan isn’t who you think he is though. And I know you’re rolling your eyes right now and thinking I’m an idiot, but trust me. He will never love you like I do. He’s a pretender.
Ask him to tell you your real favorite color. Not the one you tell everyone; just regular blue, but the blue of your eyes when they shine with happiness. What you call the “best blue in the world.”
He couldn’t tell you, but I can.
I love you,
Joe
“Melissa!” a voice called, breaking her out of her shock. She turned to see Stan and her family looking relieved that she was fine. But Stan’s smile was different. It wasn’t the one she’d seen so many times before. It was one that scared her. His eyes were on Joe’s lifeless body and she could have sworn she saw a look of triumph in his eyes.
“Melissa, you don’t have to go to him.” Kevin said, his voice raw with emotion.
Melissa just nodded. Kevin had always been her rock when things between her and Joe were rough. Nick was like her younger brother, and it pained her to see them so broken. So fragile. So much like herself. “I need to do one thing.”
“Baby, we were so worried about you!” Stan said, smiling at her. But it wasn’t the same smile he usually gave her. She noticed his eyes were on Joe’s lifeless body and unless she was wrong, she could detect a look of triumph in his eyes.
“Joe was right about you,” she said, pulling the engagement ring off her finger and tossing it at him. “Mom, dad. I need to be with my other family.” They nodded their heads and she left. Stan stood stunned, but did nothing to stop her.
“Kevin, call your mom” she said hugging him tightly. “We need to do all we can for him.” The earthquake had not only shaken her, but inside her heart it had stirred emotions she thought she’d put past her. Emotions that would help save herself and the Jonas family.
