Beautiful Lie

Prologue She looked up from the book she was reading when the sound of laughing and voices taunting her prompted her to do so, and she pushed her auburn locks out of her piercing green eyes as she did so. She stood there and watched as the individuals who had caused the disturbance pushed and shoved each other as they made their way to the counter of the coffee shop with their backs turned to her. They kept acting like twelve-year-olds even after placing their orders and moving to the side of the room to wait for their coffees. She couldn't help but look at them with a sad smile as she thought about how siblings often hide their affection and devotion to one another beneath arm punches and foolish name-calling. Not that she had any type of concept of what it was like to have a sister in any way, shape, or form. Or the family, full stop. Observing their contact took her by surprise and caused her to feel a desire for something she had no right desiring at all. There was nothing about the other male college students in her class that could ever pique her interest in any way. They were juvenile and obnoxious, and the ones she had met up to this point cared only about who was going to buy the keg for the forthcoming party or how fast they could run to third base. She had too much invested in her future to waste time with people like that since she had too much at risk. She pushed her long, wavy hair off of one shoulder and started to put her head back down to finish reading the night's Photojournalism assignment when one of the guys turned around. She was feeling entirely too vulnerable when it came to these strangers and the emotions they unwittingly forced into her heart. She had been feeling like she had no choice but to let them in. When their eyes met, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her breath catch in her throat. He was the kind of man who would make you sit up straight and hope to God that your make-up would still look fantastic after you had been in class for six hours. He caused you to flush and make you want to glance behind you to see if he was actually gazing at you or at a more attractive woman who was standing nearby. He was dressed in a pair of faded trousers that hung low on his hips and a grey Abercrombie and Fitch shirt with long sleeves. In spite of the fact that it was evident that he was a college student, he was all guy. He was well over six feet tall, and although he didn't have the bulky physique of a typical jock, she could see the strength in his arms as he flexed them to lift his rucksack higher onto one shoulder. The defined muscles of his chest stretched across the cotton fabric of his fitted shirt, which caused her hands to itch with the desire to either smooth her palms against him or trace the word "Abercrombie" with the tips of her fingers just to feel the heat from his skin. His chest muscles were visible through the fabric of his shirt. While he was talking to her, he absently nodded his head in response to something that his companion had said, and he never took his sparkling blue eyes off of her as he ran his long fingers over his short, black hair. She willed him to approach her and talk to her at the table she was seated at. She longed to hear his voice and was curious as to whether or not it would have the same profound impact on her as his gaze had. Just the sound of his laughing, which was hearty and uninhibited, sent a shiver down her spine, and she was taken aback once again when she realized that it had nothing in common with the laughter of college-aged men. She was instantly able to forget who she was, what she'd been through, and the decisions she'd taken as a result of the experiences she'd had as a result of the choices she'd made because of him. Aside from the way his eyes seemed to pierce right through to her soul and the way he wouldn't tear his gaze away from her even when outside forces tried to get his attention, she knew by his actions that he was a genuine person in just a few short minutes: the way he let a woman and her little girl go ahead of him in line and then gave his friend a stern look when he complained, or the tip he stuck into the jar on the counter when no one was looking She only needed one look from him and a few kind gestures before she wanted to throw all of her principles to the wind and become completely consumed by him. She wanted to ignore the voice in her head that kept reminding her that sharing a part of yourself with other people only led to disappointment and a broken heart, and she wanted to forget that she didn't need or want anyone else in her life. She also wanted to forget that she didn't need or want anyone in her life. She made a conscious effort to break eye contact with him in order to prevent herself from acting in a manner that was utterly out of character, such as standing up and walking up to him or pressing her lips to the side of his neck in order to taste his skin. She gave her libido a figurative smack in the head before shifting her focus to the friend who was standing next to him. However, he was a few inches shorter and didn't quite have the same appeal. His presence didn't seem to command the room as much as Blue Eyes' did, but his smile lighted up his entire face and, strangely enough, made her feel more at ease. A smile that did not conceal anything and would not deceive her in any way, unlike the ones she had become accustomed to hearing recently. She smiled shyly as she shifted her gaze between the two of them and thought about how she had never been lucky enough to attract the attention of even one good-looking guy, let alone two. She blinked back and forth between them. As they both made their way over to her table, her smile became wider and wider. She would always think back to that moment over the coming years and wonder what would have happened if things had been different, such as if only one of the boys had come into the coffee shop that day or if she had just listened to her brain instead of her heart and said no to that first date. She would always think back to that moment and wonder what would have happened if things had been different. As soon as those boys took seats next to her, she knew that her life would never be the same again, and she had to keep reminding herself that everything unfolded precisely as it was supposed to. She would never give up having those two guys in her life, no matter what happened to her or how much she had to compromise her feelings or store her thoughts away in a hidden compartment in her heart. No matter how much she had to give, she would never give up having those two men in her life. They were her dearest friends and her family in addition to being her life. But suppose you had the opportunity to go back in time and tell the person you lied to the truth in order to spare their feelings and their lives. Would you take that chance? "It's one of the most beautiful lies. It is the most effective form of denial. What a wonderful deception to allow oneself to believe in. - "A Beautiful Lie," by 30 Seconds to Mars After a delay of eight years Wilfred McPherson hurriedly descended the shaky wooden steps that were tucked in among the overgrown grass. As he did so, he nervously ran his fingers through his close-cut black hair and cast a quick peek at his watch. As he hastened his speed, he cast a squint with his blue eyes toward the sun that was beginning to set. It was Alison's favorite Italian restaurant, so he arranged a reservation for the two of them there for eight o'clock. When he went to her house at seven thirty in the morning and there was no answer when he knocked on the door, he immediately knew where he could find her. When he saw her, he broke into a grin as he descended the last step and his brown lace-up Doc Martins sank into the sand. He had been wearing them casually. She was lying on her stomach right next to the edge of the water, propping herself up with her elbows while she held the camera up to her eye. Every single mild wave that washed up onto the shore slowly inched its way around her body before retreating and racing back out to sea.