When Destinies Collide

by Shirl Rickman

  I give him one quick nod and we hug again. This moment is one I will play over in my mind for a very long time. It’s the moment I completely forgive my father.

  Selene

  CROSSING MY LEGS AND LEANING up against the tall cypress tree, I take a long deep breath. “So, I asked myself why I felt the need to come here today, especially after the day I had.” I’m feeling content. “I barely knew you, yet I feel drawn to this place.” Swallowing, I add, “Maybe, it’s our childhood friendship…maybe it’s Drake, but honestly, I think it’s your connection to Mama.”

  The breeze blows through my hair, as if trying to comfort me. “I can’t even remember if I’ve said this or not, but I don’t blame you. I realize Mama never would have, so really, why should I? Not to mention, you’re a part of Drake, and I love him. I love him beyond reason.”

  I tilt my head up and close my eyes, breathing slowly in and out. When my father left, I went to search for Drake and Aunt Vi. When I walked into the garage, Aunt Vi was sitting alone, sifting through pictures. Without looking up, she told me Drake had gone home and told her he would be back later. Then whispered, “Good for you, Selene. You did the right thing.” My heart seemed to slow, and an unexpected peace came over me. I left her sitting there, not even sure where I was going until I arrived here.

  Suddenly, I’m aware of the body heat next to me as a hand lifts mine and laces our fingers. My eyes remain closed. “I’m going to give him a chance. I know it’s probably crazy to do, but I couldn’t help it. Even if his reasons were selfish, I want to love him now.” Warm lips press against my cheek, and a deep sigh escapes between my lips.

  “I understand. I finally let things go and forgave my father tonight too. We needed to forgive if we want to be happy.” He pauses, and his thumb caresses my hand. “They were wrong, Selene, but forgiving them was right. Their reasons were not malicious…just selfish. I can understand that. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Opening my eyes, I looked up at him, and I’m struck by this beautiful boy who is mine. He is more than I ever could have hoped for, and the bond I feel between us is everything I ever wanted with a person. “Drake, I don’t want to see you hurt either. I’ll never purposely hurt you again. If I have you, I’ll get through anything.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “Do you think this feeling between us will last? I need it to last.”

  I can feel him shake with laughter, but I’m not offended. “Selene, yes. I think this will last. It won’t be easy, but that is because nothing worth it is ever easy. I don’t believe we have a choice. Our paths were chosen for us long before we ever met.” He kisses me on top of my head. “I need it to last, too.”

  I’m not sure how long we sit there in silence, just me, Drake, and the ghost of a girl who brought us together.

  Drake

  AFTER EIGHTEEN YEARS, I’M PRETTY sure my life is normal for the first time. Normal is a relative term, especially since everything leading up to my life today was a Lifetime movie on crack. Now, it is one day at a time. The best part is Selene and I are both finally breathing. It feels good knowing I have gone through the worst life can offer and made it. I can look forward and know while things are always a gamble, I can hope.

  There will always be a chance my mom will try to make trouble for me, but I don’t fear the possibility. My dad told me I don't have anything to worry about any longer. He said she has started the life she always wanted. It doesn’t hurt me she never wanted me. I have plenty of people who do.

  Graduation is in just a few days and will be the beginning of something new. Selene and I are headed to Austin in just a couple of months, and even with the unknown I feel confident all will be right.

  Looking up, I watch Selene and Emme walk into class. Tommy follows close behind, rolling his eyes at their girlish banter. I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips as I watch them. All three are oblivious to the fact that without each of them, my life wouldn’t mean quite as much. When they reach me, Selene leans over and kisses me. “Hey there.” I breathe the words against her mouth.

  It hits me that right now is that kind of moment. You know the moment when the love that has been coursing through you finally reaches the center of your heart and takes deep root. It becomes the only source of energy that keeps your heart beating.

  She looks down into my eyes, and I know she feels it too.

  Selene

  DRAKE FOLLOWED ME UP TO my room with a few boxes for packing. We’ll be leaving for school soon, so I wanted to get a bit of a head start. He puts the boxes down and turns to me.

  I smile as I press my lips to his, and I look into those deep greens eyes. It’s the same look I noticed in class earlier. A promise. The best part is it’s the first promise I haven’t been afraid to believe. “You sure seem to enjoy kissing me,” Drake says as his lip curls up in one corner.

  Generally, I would try to knock him down a few pegs for his arrogant comment, but not this time. “I do. I thoroughly enjoy kissing you,” I say playfully as I wrap my arms around his neck.

  “Don’t you like kissing me?” I lift one eyebrow, waiting for his response.

  I squeal as he pinches my backside and claims another kiss. We laugh with our lips pressed together, and I jump up, encircling my legs around his waist. The movement is so abrupt we fall back on my bed. At first we are playful, and then our eyes meet. Suddenly, something in the air between us changes. All at once, my body is burning for him and his touch. Soon we are both moving, almost desperately as our mouths collide. I can feel him on every part of me. It feels like so much and not enough, all at once. I want to be closer to him but feel as if I could never be close enough. Before I realize what I’m doing, my hands are moving at the edge of his shirt, trying to pull it up over his head. He lets me. I look down at him lying beneath me, his eyes darkened with desire. I lift my own shirt over my head, tossing it somewhere behind me.

  Pulling my lip between my teeth, my eyes roam over Drake’s chest, up to his face. I slowly move my hands along his sides. I feel him squirm a little, and my lips tip at the corners. It feels good. He puts his hands on my wrist and stops me from sliding them further down. “Selene…maybe we should stop.” He swallows as if those words were like fire scorching his throat. I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to stop. And Aunt Vi won’t be home for hours. She’s playing canasta with her ladies’ group.” I sigh when I see doubt in his eyes. “Do you really want to stop? Because, like I said. I don’t.” I’ve never been surer in my life.

  Before I know what is happening, Drake is flipping me over and pinning me beneath him. I quickly recover, and my hands immediately move to the button of his jeans. Once again, my touch is frenzied as if my life depends on this moment. Drake’s lips are making their way down my throat in slow caresses. “Let’s go slow,” he breathes against my skin. As if on command, my hands still and then begin making more controlled motions. I slowly begin unbuttoning his jeans, and he does the same to me. He calmly and deliberately starts pulling my shorts down my legs and then stands, taking his own jeans off.

  I lie on the bed, more vulnerable than I have ever allowed myself to be, yet feeling safer. I can feel his eyes rake across my body just as mine roam over his solid form standing before me. He is mine, and I can see in his eyes I’m his.

  Slowly, he moves and covers my body with his own until we are eye-to-eye and our mouths mere inches apart. “I love you,” he whispers just as we connect as one. Then, he shows me just how much.

  Drake

  SELENE IS CRADLED IN MY lap as I rock us in a wooden chair, looking out over the back yard. My hand subconsciously strokes her thigh. “This is nice,” she declares and releases a low sigh. The happiness I feel reaches my eyes.

  Selene is right; this does feel nice. “It’s probably the best I have felt in my entire life,” I confess. Saying that doesn’t make me feel any sadness. Only happiness. I actually feel content and happy, something I never thought would happen.

  “Me, too.” She
sighs. I squeeze her a little tighter against me, and she relaxes into my embrace.

  I’m not sure how long we sit together in silence, looking out into the night before she asks, “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

  Shaking my head, there is no hesitation when I say, “Nope.” I kiss the top of her head before I continue. “How can I be when it’s one more step into our future together?” Selene looks back at me over her shoulder, tears glistening in her eyes, and she just watches me. “Don’t you see it, too? Don’t you feel it?” I ask her, already seeing the answer in her eyes. She nods, turning and leaning back into me.

  I hold her. Everything I went through up until this point doesn’t matter. It’s over. With Selene, I will finally know and give the kind of love that is unconditional.

  Selene

  MR. GIBBONS PLACES THE DIPLOMA IN one hand and shakes the other as we turn and face the camera for our photo op. Although it feels good to know my life is moving forward and to know happiness is possible again, this moment is bittersweet. I can feel the tears threatening to fall until I look out and lock my eyes upon his gaze. He gives me that nearly unbearable heart-stopping smile, and I can’t help but reciprocate.

  Then my eyes drift out to the crowd just beyond my other classmates. Aunt Vi is standing, funneling her hands around her mouth and yelling my name. Next to her, my father is clapping wildly, wiping his eyes in between. It’s weird seeing him out there, cheering me on. While it wasn’t easy for me to agree to it, I’m glad Aunt Vi talked me into sending him an invitation. My heart feels so full of possibilities. My cheeks redden as I make my way back to my seat and notice Emme laughing as Drake punches Tommy in the arm. I’m confused until I see the sign Tommy is holding out of Drake’s reach that reads, Selene, forget Drake and marry me! I roll my eyes, unable to stop myself from enjoying the moment the rest of the way back to my seat.

  The remainder of the day is a blur of hugs, smiles, and laughter. Drake and I never had a chance. It was always going to be this way in the end. Just like one of Lacey’s romance novels. Me, Drake, and our happy ever after.

  Selene

  I IMAGINED THIS DAY COMPLETELY different. I thought Mama would be here. Instead, Aunt Vi is by my side. Everything is different. In fact, I never could have predicted standing here with boxes and a suitcase full of my belongings at my feet in front of a co-ed dormitory. A dorm my boyfriend would be living in too.

  Aunt Vi isn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but I convinced her I’d be safer with Drake close. She joked she was more worried about Drake than anyone else. I laughed, but she didn’t. Maybe she wasn’t completely joking. Either way, she conceded to the idea.

  My heart warms as she places check marks next to the items she wrote out on a list of things I would need. I’m so thankful she is here. My nerves are in overdrive as I watch the other students and their parents shuffling around me, excitement in their voices at the prospect of the anticipated freedom that comes along with no parents. Some parents are quietly patting their children goodbye on the shoulder, while others are pulling their sons and daughters against them, saying tearful goodbyes and orders of daily phone calls. The chaos around me cannot take my mind off the one thing I’m waiting for.

  My eyes search the crowd until finally my gaze falls upon the one person I can’t make it through this day without. Drake. He doesn’t see me. His eyes roam over the crowded campus until his dad walks up to stand next to him, saying something that draws Drake’s attention to him. It still surprises me when I see them side-by-side. Their features are so strikingly similar I can’t help but imagine Drake at his father’s age. I’m struck once again, as I have been often over the last several months, by the thought my mama had been in love with this man.

  If they had made different decisions, Drake would not be Drake, and I would not be me. We would not have one another. Everything would be different. As often as I have wished for things to be as they once were, I know, especially now, I would never survive life without Drake. Even if I’d never met him. Life is funny that way. I was once the girl so afraid to trust, give my love away, and accept love in return. I’ve changed, at least when it comes to Drake.

  Continuing to watch them, I think about how much has changed. I watch as Mr. Thomas says one last thing to Drake before he draws him into an embrace. To a stranger’s eye, it would appear to be a regular, father-and-son college farewell, but I know the history. I recognize the slightly awkward movements. I see the effort it still takes for both of them to show one another affection or trust for the other. It gives me hope.

  As they pull apart, Drake turns, and our eyes finally meet. He lifts his hand in a wave before picking up his bags, saying a last goodbye over his shoulder to his dad and heading in my direction. I feel happier than I could have imagined. This feels so right. We are moving forward. While we have more growing up to do, we both have already come a long way. I know what is in front of me, what I want, and what it will take for me to get there.

  Looking up from Drake’s stare, my eyes connect with a similar one. I grin when Mr. Thomas gives his head a nod and returns my expression. Raising his hand, he gives me a sign of peace. My heart swells with familiar warmth and love. I can’t believe it, but he gave me the one thing I’d been missing from this day. A part of Mama. She never left me without flashing me the peace sign. A lonely, happy tear falls down my cheek as I lift my hand to return his gesture. A tender look on his face, he slowly turns, gets in the car, and drives away.

  Drake finally is standing before me, dropping his bags and pulling me against him. I hold him tight, feeling his breath against my ear as he whispers, “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

  Pulling back, I look up into his worried eyes and say, “Peace. I feel at peace.” Then I lift up on my tiptoes and place my lips softly against his, not caring who’s around.

  If someone had asked me a year ago if I thought I would ever be happy again, my answer would have been no. Truthfully, I’ve never been this happy, and even though Mama is gone, I can admit it without guilt. I’m not sure why my life and Drake’s were meant to be one, but they are. I guess there isn’t anything we can do, especially when our destinies collide.

  I NEVER IMAGINED WHEN SELENE and Drake’s story began taking shape in my mind that I would one day be on the journey I’m on now. It began as a fun little way to entertain my friends. I would write a chapter and send it to them to read. As the story began to unfold, my reason for writing Selene and Drake’s story changed.

  It was about eight months after I began WDC, two of my very best friends and I discovered Colleen Hoover. After falling in love with her books and then with her journey into a life as an author, I found inspiration. My friends encouraged me to finish my book and publish it. I’ve said this before but Colleen was the water to the seed of my dream, but she wasn’t the only one. It took many people to get me to where I am today. They each came into my dream journey at just the moment I needed them. Each one helping me in different ways. They were all perfectly on cue where I needed them to be. I am forever grateful to each of them.

  First, I have to say thank you to my two biggest supporters and cheerleaders through this journey, Trish Lyle and Kristen Teshoney. Thank you both for sending me hundreds of threatening text messages about your need for me to get off my lazy bleep bleep and write you some bleeping chapters. So sweet. Ha.

  Trish… this isn’t the first time I have wondered what I could have done in my life to deserve a friend like you. There are no words to describe what you mean to me or what your support has been to me. You’re always there sharing and caring and being the truest friend I could ever hope for in my life. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. I love you.

  Kristen…your infectious laugh and optimism are contagious. I’ll never be able to repay the love and support you have shown me. Your friendship is one that would be impossible to live without. I may get lost on my way to the post office with important packages, but I will always pull through for you in
the end. Thank you for Facebook trolling on Super bowl Sunday. Ha! You got my back, I got yours.

  Murphy Rae…from the very first email we ever exchanged, I knew we were going to become friends. You are genuine and one of a kind. Thank you for taking me under your wing and wanting to help me. You have introduced me to a whole new world and a whole new book family. I will never be able to thank you enough.

  Kristin Delcambre and Chelle Northcutt…how can I ever thank you both for your complete honesty and care with Selene and Drake. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done when I attached my manuscript to an email and hit send to two complete strangers. Thank you for helping me see the humor in writing an imperfect book and also, for helping me see there is always room for improvement. Most of all, thank you for our new found friendship.

  Sara Ney and Christine Kuttnauer…Holy poop on a stick! You two round out my lucky streak! Thank you for coming in at the end and helping me finalize all my loose ends. You both gave me the little extra courage and support that I needed to make this happen. Sara, you’re hands down the queen of blurbs and possibly other things too inappropriate to discuss here. We’ll save that for another book. Christine, your attention to the small stuff kept me in line. Your love for Drake makes me so happy.

  Finally, to my family who allowed me to spend hours and days alone with my computer. You’re everything to me.

  BORN AND RAISED IN TEXAS, Shirl Rickman now resides in California with her husband, daughter, and two crazy dogs. She loves spending her free time with her family and friends, reading, and writing. A romantic at heart, Shirl believes in love and happy endings. She also believes if you aren't laughing then you aren't living. Loyalty and sarcasm are her strongest qualities.