The Perfect Hour

Chapter - 2

It has been three years since the concert incident but the memory is still as fresh as it happened yesterday.

She pushed files inside her bag, tossing them over her shoulder, and looked into the mirror one last time. It was her first day to job's new location after transfer, and she intends to make it perfect.

Releasing her tense shoulder, she took two deep breaths and stepped out on a rainy day, her umbrella shielding her form.

Lily Ross started dating Shawn Anderson a week after returning from the concert. She cried her heart out that night, unable to understand her own feelings. He never belonged to her, then why did it hurt so much? Her best friend tried to cheer her up but nothing worked. She wanted to be left alone. When Shawn's message popped up again for another date, she instantly agreed, hoping moving on would take her mind off him. This time they met at the right spot.

Shawn Anderson is a happy go lucky guy, and fun to be with. Lily always enjoyed his company, though a small part of her mind kept reminding her about Ryan Reece. She hated her destiny to have her accidentally meet him only to leave her in tears. There were numerous times she questioned herself - why did she ever meet him? What was the point? But there never was a response. With time, her weeping heart healed, or that's what she liked to think.

Ryan Reece's popularity hit tremendous heights in the first year of his career. Unable to help herself, she followed him on the internet with interest. He has often been linked to several celebrities. Seven of them he is confirmed to have dated, while three were short-term relationships. It would seem like he was never single. Lily did not know why she kept track. She wanted to stop herself, cry out in frustration. It was only when Shawn proposed to her after ten months of dating, that she stopped her unusual hobby and decided to forget Ryan Reece for good.

It didn't work out much to her disappointment. Shawn was looking for a long-term relationship and Lily wasn't sure she could give him that. She felt a pang of guilt inside her like she wasn't being completely honest with him. Unable to contain her guilt, she broke up with him after three months, and eventually the two decided to remain friends.

Reaching her office, she slumped her things on the table, and went into the managers' cabin.

"Good morning, Sir." She greeted him.

"Ah, Miss Ross, good you are here." Her boss, Stanley, was a man in his mid fifties. People say he has mentored some extremely good tycoons in real estate, not to mention his calm and caring attitude helped him gain loyalty and several favours. He treated his employees like family. Lily personally felt she was lucky to have found him.

"I have an assignment for you. One of our valuable clients suggested his friend is looking for a beachside bungalow. I want you to give our client a personal tour. His P.A has already seen it, and the client himself agreed to the terms and conditions, and is ready with the down payment."

Lily frowned. "So what's the problem?"

"He needs to check it himself to make sure it is a worthy investment," her boss answered.

Lily nodded. It was nothing new. Her clients visited the same property five to six times before making payment. Tedious, it was, but money speaks for the rich.

"Here is the file. Go through it. You will be meeting him in about an hour. I suggest you leave in five minutes." Her boss waived his hand, dismissing her.

Lily took the file, securing it in her arms and stepped out.

She got to her place, after greeting and exchanging pleasantries with several colleagues. Opening her file, she was about to go through the details when her phone buzzed.

"Still up for the party?" It was Amy.

"Sure, I'll be there around seven." She quickly typed the message, and flung her bag, holding the file tightly in her grip.

In the cab, her eyes widened in shock as she scanned the details.

Ryan Reece was written in big bold letters. He wanted a new beachside bungalow. Lily mentally cursed her luck. When she finally managed to move on with her life, Ryan freaking Reece decided to step in.

Shaking her head, she scanned the rest of the detail, keeping her emotions at bay.

Just a tour and it will all end.

You can do this, Lily. She encouraged herself.

The car stopped at the destination. With trembling legs, she got out, blaming the weather for inducing shivers that were currently running down her body.

There was a car already parked at the entrance. Wearing a determined look, she headed towards the entrance.

towards the man who unknowingly broke her heart into several pieces years ago.

towards Ryan Reece.

But she was no longer Silly Lily. She promised herself she'd handle it maturely.

"Hello!" She greeted him with a plain smile.

Ryan Reece turned around at the voice, his expression changing from nonchalance to a mixture of surprise, anger and disbelief when he saw her. For a moment no one spoke. He stared at her until Lily cleared her throat.

"Lily?" His voice was confused. Like he couldn't believe his eyes. It was truly her.

"Umm- yes. You remember me?" Lily asked, stammering a bit. She was confident he had forgotten about her existence years ago. He was famous with many beautiful celebrities around him almost all the time. While her? She was just Lily, the real estate broker. Nothing special.

Tears were on their way as she quickly shook them off. She would not let her feelings take over her judgement.

"How could I not?" Ryan said, disbelief etched all across his face. "Oh God, this better not be a dream."

He got closer and closer until he was in her personal space, and held her face with both palms covering them in his warmth, his thumb circling her cheeks.

Lily was stunned at the sudden gesture, her eyes wide. She wanted to step back and make a respectable space in between them again but her legs froze.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She whispered.

He lay his forehead against her and said softly, "Something I should have done years ago."

She jolted out of his space, leaving him perplexed.

"Why did you not wait for me?" He asked. She could see he was still upset at not finding her backstage.

"What was the point?" Her voice was louder than a whisper. She did not know if it was her anger or pain that was now crawling on her face.

He knitted his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Lily shook her head. This was her best chance to get every memory out of her system once and for all. This might be the closure she needs. "I saw you kissing some girl in your changing room that night."

"And assumed everything else." He finished the statement for her.

"It was pretty self-explanatory." Lily muttered lamely, her job long forgotten.

He nodded understandingly. "My friend set me up on a blind date with her. I thought she was you but turns out she never bothered to show up the day we met, but after I got famous, she pestered my friend into giving her my contact and tried to kiss me into dating her."

"Oh," Lily stared at him wide-eyed. That would make sense too. "I'm sorry."

"If you had waited for me, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Or would have." Lily countered and when she saw his confused look, she continued. "It's not like you didn't date again. I mean it was all over the internet."

"I only dated other girls to forget you." He answered sincerely. "We never exchanged contact, and I had no clue of your whereabouts. Frankly, I gave up hope that I'd ever see you again."

"You wanted to forget me?" Lily couldn't believe her ears. She was not the only one.

He smiled, slightly embarrassed, his eyes looking away from her. "It may sound corny, but I haven't been able to wipe off the memory of our first meeting. A part of me wanted to live that again, so I dated to relive those moments but none of them stand even remotely closer to the time we shared."

Lily did not realise she was breathing hard. She did not realise her eyes were spilling tears on their own.

"Hey, please stop crying. I'm sorry if I said something wrong." He gently wiped her tears, his fingers caressing her palms.

She hoped this wasn't a dream. It would be a cruel joke.

She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "No, it's not you. I thought I was the only one with strange feelings that I couldn't shake off no matter how hard I tried. It made no sense considering I only met you once. I couldn't like anyone else. It was like my entire life was frozen at that very moment, and I couldn't move one. I didn't know what to do. I was so lost."

Unable to resist anymore, he kissed her with all his might. She was surprised at the sudden initiative, and too frozen to act. He kissed her for six seconds before pulling back, his eyes searching for hers that were staring back at him in amazement.

"Yeah, I love you too!" She smiled widely, tears still travelling down her eyes, and upon his fingers that were still holding her face.

He chuckled softly. She stood up on her heels to nearly match his height and kissed him back. She could feel him smile against her lips, as she returned the same. Lily felt like she was flying in the air. It was then she realised that even if this was a dream, that if her mind was playing another trick on her, she knew she never wanted to wake up. The moment was just perfect.

Their lips synced on their own. Her mind went blank as she solely focussed on him.

At that moment, for the first time in a long time, Lily felt like she was truly living.

Once they parted, though not completely, both their foreheads still touched as they breathed heavily against each other.

They could completely loose themselves in each others' eyes, and Ryan Reece couldn't think of anything better. But time flies no matter how much you wish to pause it. His phone buzzed in his pockets, as he shifted slightly, one hand travelling down to clasp with hers while the other pressed the call button.

"Yeah?" He answered.

Lily waited patiently as he continued his conversation. He smiled widely in her direction. Having no clue what was happening on the other end, she smiled back at him.

The phone call ended.

"My next concert tour is in France." He grinned.

"That's nice." Lily tried to smile. But we just met after years.

"Cheer up darling! We are going to Paris." He enveloped her into a warm hug, his warmth reaching her.

"We?" Lily questioned dumbly.

"Yes, now that I have found you. I'm not going to let you go." He kissed her hair, snuggling even closer. "Besides, I'm gonna show you off to the entire world, love."

"You know you called me love before." She reminded him of their first coincidental date. "Once."

"And I meant it."

"Wait," she pulled away a bit. "What about my job?"

"I have friends in high places. I'll make some calls to make sure you get two weeks off." Lily stared at him. As much as she loves him, she likes her job too.

Ryan saw her frowning deeply. He reassured her. "Don't worry. Your job will still be there once you come back. I just got you. I don't want to loose you again."

Lily blushed, ducking her head closer to his chest. "Yeah. I still can't believe it happening after an accidental hour."

"I think it was the perfect hour."

They kissed again.

Standing in each others' arms, not just willing to let go while trying to savour the moments that passed through them, and making up for the lost time they could have spent together. They remained on the porch of one beachside bungalow with drizzle of rain constantly hitting the ground around them.

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FIN