The words hung in the air, echoing in her mind. Those words heralded silence. Those words brought the longest, heart-pounding moments of Sara Tancredi’s life.
Should she try talking her way out of it? Could she pull that off even if she wanted to lie at this point? Probably not. Lying was never her strongest skill and the man in front of her always saw through her feeble attempts anyway.
Wordless, Paul gathered her into his arms, grinning. “I didn’t think you knew yet.”
That was a strange response to being told she loved him. “Huh?”
He stroked her cheek. “Sometimes, I know you better than you know yourself.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I already knew you loved me. I’ve been waiting for you to realize it, too.”
As long as he didn’t know about the part of herself that was entertaining the notion of being with Michael since yesterday, she was okay with him knowing her mind. Someone needed to since she scarcely recognized her reflection in the mirror these days. The stress of coping with the sorry state of her life over the last five years took their toll.
No more of that. The past was dead. A smart woman would have laid to rest her feelings for Michael a long time ago…probably the same time she laid her mother to rest. But Sara hadn’t been smart. Not back then. At sixteen, she was just a kid, really, and didn’t know any better.
Now, as a grown woman, she knew better.
A universe of unrelated forces converged back then to keep her and Michael apart. In the end, it didn’t matter whether Michael abandoned her after her mother’s death or if Veronica intervened. It didn’t matter if there were real feelings between her and Michael at the time. While she lay waiting for death, relegated to a black hole of misery, Paul Kellerman stepped in to save her life while Michael Scofield happily took his real girlfriend to bed.
And none of it mattered.
Did everything happen for a reason or was happenstance and coincidence all there was? Was the point of everything that happened back in high school simply to bring her to this moment here with Paul when she could admit without pause or reservation that she loved him? She didn’t care. Destiny or chance, she was here now.
“I’m so glad Nika has crappy taste in men.”
Paul shook his head. “What does Nika have to do with this?” He closed his eyes and shook his head again. “Wait. Is this still because I slept with her? I knew it would cause problems. That’s why I never told you about…”
“No. I mean, that’s a shock and all since you hated each other, but…”
“I never hated Nika.”
“You said you did. And she made it clear she hated you.”
“Well…” He shrugged. “I was pissed off. How many times was she going to play the damsel in distress in need of saving before she realized she was causing her own problems?”
“Still not the best thing to say to teenage girl while she’s crying.”
“Well…no. Wait. What were you talking about?”
Sara grinned. “If Nika had better taste in men then we wouldn’t have been spying on her dates. And I wouldn’t have seen a side in you to love in the first place.” The grin faded. “I wish I saw back then what I see now.”
“Probably better you didn’t. I won’t lie and say I didn’t care about you as more than a friend and stakeout partner back then, but…I was still too angry.”
“You had good reason.”
“Maybe.” He shook his head. “But anger and relationships don’t mix. We both saw how well that worked out.”
“Even then, you were nothing like Sucre.”
“Could’ve been.” He shifted his weight. “I have a table to refinish.”
Was he kidding? Okay, so memory lane took a dark turn, but…come on. Sara pushed the door closed before he could open it more than a few inches. “I tell you I love you and you want to deal with the kitchen table? I can think of other things that are more appropriate.”
An easy smile spread over his lips. “So can I, angel, but if the sound of the door opening and closing didn’t draw everyone’s attention, Michael’s dramatics probably have. By now, the whole house must know something was wrong. If we start something and they send Lincoln to check on us again, I swear to God, I’ll drown him in your bathtub.”
Sara relented and opened the door, snuggling close to him as they moved down the hallway. “Well…that might make Jane happy.”
“She’d probably be pissed she didn’t get to do it herself.” He stopped abruptly at the end of the hall, in the same spot Michael cornered her in not so long ago. “I need to come clean with you about something.”
“If it’s that you also slept with Roni, I don’t want to know.”
He ignored the joke. “Getting you the book wasn’t my first choice of birthday present for you.”
“I know, but I still love it.”
“I’m glad, but I’m kicking myself right now.”
For giving her the perfect gift? “Why? You realize the advice you got from almost every one of my friends was insane.”
“Well…I must be insane, too, because I did buy a ring.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “But then I panicked because I didn’t know how you’d react and…”
Sara took a moment to collect her breath. “So…you were planning to propose?”
“Yeah. Sort of.”
“Um, there’s no sort of with that. It’s cut and dry. Yes or no.”
He met her eyes. “Okay then. I was planning to.” Mischief flashed in his eyes. “What would you have said?”
Before this morning…Sara didn’t know. Fainting may have been involved. Now…hmm. “I might have said yes.”
“Nope. Cut and dry. Yes or no.”
“So…you’re asking?”
He leaned against the wall, still grinning. “I don’t see the ring in my hand, so let’s call it a hypothetical question. How ‘bout it, Tancredi?”
“Hypothetically…” She paused long enough to see a brief glimmer of panic on his face. “Yeah, Kellerman, I’ll marry you.”
Paul opened his mouth to speak, but breaking glass drew their attention. Annoyed, they poked their head around the corner to see Michael with a broken coffee mug at his feet and a terror swimming in his steely gaze.
Without missing a beat, Lincoln smacked Paul on the back. “Looks like congratulations are in order.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry for the super long chapter and the delay. Stupid me forget to actually schedule the post. 
Oh, I keep forgetting to mention it, but I’m on Facebook and Twitter if anyone else is. I have no idea if I have an FB URL, but my name on there is J. Nicole Whitten if you want to friend me. Or you can click here to follow me on Twitter. Fair warning…I forget to check Twitter a lot and I’m on Facebook constantly…
Happy New Year, y’all.
© 2010, Sydney Katt. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of content will result in dragon attacks.
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Sara said hypothetically oh yes it is evil. I think Mike will want explanation of Sara and perhaps an adjustment of the two. Do not apologize for not updating, but really missed
Deb – I thought you might.
Newsmile – Hmm…maybe you won’t have to wait until next week for more. Check back tomorrow for a little surprise…
Fernanda – Yes, she did say that. I wonder at what point Michael and Lincoln walked up on the conversation?
Oh poor Michael!
He thinks they are going to marry..
I can’t wait for more.. bye!
God I love it when you talk like that…lol…
No need to apologise for a long chapter hun….far from it!!!!! LOVE it!!!!!!
Mmm…..Michael has me a tad confused I must admit. He seemed sooooo besotted with her way back when, and I get that with all the misunderstandings etc, things weren’t gonna just go back to the way they were, just like that.
Having said that, Sara has obviously never really gotten over him, sabotaging (for want of a better word) her other relationships, and never committing to them. Michael however, has been with Nika for 2 years……. He seemed so in love with Sara, and I get that he would have flings etc, but 2 years sounds a long time, given that he now seems as if HE has never gotten over Sara either????
He (Michael) seems absolutely mortified that Sara has (hypothetically) agreed to marry Paul…..
Good God, next Friday can’t come soon enough!!!!!!
Happy New Year to you as well hun..hope you had a good one. I hope 2010 brings you all you hope for….Mwah xxxx
Yes, it would appear Mikey has some explaining to do.
Maybe you won’t have to wait until next Friday…