Finding Love

               
                Leanne and William had grown up together, and gone to school together, they were best friends, inseparable.  It was in middle school when they began noticing each other as guy and girl rather than just kids and friends.  William liked Leanne and Leanne like William, everyone knew that.  Everyone that is, except the new kid.
         Jeremy had moved from Chicago to their tiny town.  He noticed Leanne in his history class, and started passing notes to her.  Finally, in 10th grade, he asked her out, and made the biggest mistake of doing it in public during lunch.  She didn’t hesitate, and answered with a resounding “NO!”
         Now years had passed and William was leaving for college.  It was his last weekend with Leanne.
                                         ~***~
Crickets chirped softly in the moonlit night.  A couple strolled handed in hand by the lake, and the moon’s shining reflection cast a romantic glow around its shores.
                “Hey, Leanne, what would you say to me picking you up on Tuesday and going out to eat?”
                “You know I’d love that, William,” Leanne said flashing her brilliant smile at him.  A ringing cell phone interrupted their quiet evening.
                “Hello?”
                “Uh, hey Leanne, it’s Jeremy.”
                “Oh, hi. What do you want?”
                “Um, I was hoping you could give me another chance.  I mean, our last date went great.”
                “You know I only went out with you so you would leave me alone right?”
                “I know, oh, uh, are you with William?”
                “Goodbye, Jeremy.”
                “Oh, um, well can you ask him if he’ll let me steal you for a night..”
                “Jeremy, this is my last weekend with him, and I’m thinking about going with him to college.  They have an opening and I’m very close to taking it.  I will go with you tomorrow night if you’ll just stop bothering me.”
In a quiet voice he said, “Okay, that would be great.  I’ll pick you up at seven?”
                “I’ll just meet you at Starbucks okay?”
                “Okay, thanks.  Bye Leanne.”
Leanne just sighed and closed her phone.  She leaned her head on William’s shoulder.
                “So…You’re thinking about coming with me?” William said.
                “Yes, I called the university and they have an opening.  Besides, I wouldn’t be able to stand living so far away from you.”
                “Yeah, me neither,” William said and pulled Leanne close.  He kissed the top of her head as he hugged her and said, “I love you.”
                “I love you too, Will,” she replied softly.  They tilted their heads towards the sky and watched the stars, pointing out constellations and laughing at corny jokes for the rest of the night.
                                                ~***~
         The bell above the door rang as Leanne walked into the small Starbucks.  She looked around and saw Jeremy at a corner table.  She saw him smile brightly as he caught her eyes.  He jumped up and courteously pulled out a chair for her to sit on.
         “Hi, Leanne, thanks for coming.”
         “Yeah, sure.”
          “So, you want to talk about anything specific?”
         “Uh, are you intending to go to college anywhere,” she asked.  Might as well make the most of this, she thought.
         “I’m not sure where yet, but I’m saving up.”
         “Oh, that’s nice,” Leanne said, hesitant to continue, “Jeremy, I need to tell you something, I’ve - I’ve decided to take the opening at the university, to go with William.”
         “Leanne, I like you, I really like you!  You two have been together for a long time huh?  That’s why you’re going with him, isn‘t it!  All you two care about is each other, and nothing else.  You see nothing but each other!”
         “Jeremy!  We love each other, we know each other.  We know each other’s darkest secrets, our most embarrassing moments.  I wanted to be nice to you.  To give you another chance, but I could never love you, not the way I love William.  I’m sorry Jeremy, but I have to go.”
         “No, Leanne, don’t go, please!”
         “Sorry Jeremy, but I can’t stay any longer.”
         Jeremy slumped in his chair as the bell rang when she walked out of the store.  He knew, he would never see her beautiful brown hair ever again.  He’d never look into her emerald green eyes.  Never see her wonderful smile as she laughed at the silliest things.  She’d allowed him six dates.  And the sixth had been a disaster.
                                                ~***~

         I didn’t want it to go that way, Leanne thought.  I was going to tell him about my decision after laughing at his stupid jokes.  I was going to kiss him on the cheek goodnight, tell him I liked him, but only as a friend.  None of it went that way!  Ugh!  How could I have been so stupid to think I could have told him so smoothly.  That he’d take it gently!
         Leanne stopped her pacing and sat hard on her bed.  She took out her phone, and dialed William’s number, but her finger hesitated over the talk button.  She took a deep breath and dialed Jeremy’s number.  It rang three times before he picked up.
         “Hello?”
         “Um, hi Jeremy.”
         “Oh, it’s you.”
         “I just wanted to apologize for something I didn’t say  on our date.  Jeremy, I wanted to say that I do like you, but as a friend.  I never had many friends in my life; that’s why I’m so close to William.  But you always tried, and I was afraid that you would be like another guy that was my friend.  He completely destroyed me, and William was there to hold me up and gave me a shoulder to cry on.  That’s all I wanted to say.  Bye.”
         “Thanks, Leanne. Goodbye.”
         Leanne smiled, she the dialed William’s number for the second time that night.  It only rang once before he picked it up.
         “Hey, Leanne.”
         “Hey, Will.”
         “Uh, Leanne, I have something to ask you.”
         “Okay?  You can ask me anything.”
         “ Leanne, do you love me?”
         “William, what on earth are you talking about?  You know I do.”
         “Well, Jeremy just called me, he said that you liked him now, not me.  I was just wondering if that held any truth.”
         “What?!  William, I, wait…Oh, I know what he’s doing.  William, he’s right, I don’t like you. I-”
         “What do you mean you-”
         “William, William!  He said that I don’t like you anymore, and he’s right, I don’t, I love you.  How could you get the two mixed up, you silly boy?”
         “Leanne, that’s such a relief.  For a moment I seriously thought that you didn’t love me anymore.  And now, um, can we see each other tonight?”
         “I’d like that.”
         “Okay, I’ll be right over.”
                                                ~***~
         Leanne ran around cleaning things up.  Her home was small, but she lived by herself, and things tended to get a little messy.  She froze when she heard the doorbell ring.  He’s here, the love of my life is here, she thought.
         “Hello, my love”
         “Hello, darling.”
         “Oh, I love the flowers.  They are for me, aren’t they?” Leanne said with a coy smile on her face.
         “Of course they are, beautiful,” William said as he hugged and kissed her.  When she took the flowers he reached into his pocket and took out a small box. “Now close your eyes.”  He got down on one knee and opened the box, “Leanne, when I ask you one question open your eyes.  The question is: will you marry me?”
         “William, oh it’s beautiful!  Oh William!  Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you!"