All is Found

When Ethan decided to return home, the last thing he expected was to see her again.

The wounds were still fresh; they still stung. When he saw her, he felt as if he had been punched in the gut.

The memories of their time together began to swirl around in his mind. The first time he had laid eyes on her. The first time he had spoken to her and had stuttered so much that she couldn't help but laugh. The quickening of his heart beat as he saw her.

He remembered the day he had asked her out for the first time as if it was yesterday. How he had taken her to the small little Italian place across the street from the library and they had shared their dreams.

She wanted to become an actress. He wanted to become a writer.

The night passed in a blur of pasta and laughter. He drove her home and walked her to her front porch.

And there, under the flickering lightbulb and the rain that had began to fall, they shared their first kiss.

He knew she was the one for him. Or so he thought.

High school was a mix of ups and downs. They won the state championship senior year, but he broke his leg. She didn't get the lead in the school play, yet she still won an award for best ensemble.

Prom was a blast. They were crowned the royal couple. It seemed as if everything was perfect.

And then the accident happened.

It was a freak accident. The police said that they had never seen something quite like it. The doctors claimed that he would be alright.

But he knew otherwise. Whatever had caused the car accident had made him lose all feeling in his hands.

Every time he tried to pick up a pencil, it fell out of his grip. When he tried to type on the computer, he hit too many keys.

What was he supposed to do without his hands?

She told him that she would be there for him every step of the way. That she would never leave his side.

But in doing so, she would be stuck with him at home. She would have to get a job and she would be the one to pay the bills.

She would have to let go of her dream.

And he refused to let her sacrifice everything for him.

So he ended their relationship.

It had been twenty years since he had broken both their hearts, and now she was in front of him.

Gabriella Rowan. Renown actress. Winner of three consecutive Oscars for best actress. She had multiple Golden Globes. She had participated in Oscar winning films ranging from romance to action to mystery to thriller.

She froze in her tracks as she saw him.

Ethan Martin. Author of the best-selling books "A Choice" and "In the End". Author of the ongoing fantasy series "The Aradan Chronicles". Writer for the screenplays for various award winning movies. Winner of awards and prizes that meant nothing to him.

Time seemed to slow around them. The world stopped as the former couple slowly, but steadily, walked towards each other.

"Ethan?" she said softly.

"Gabby?" he answered.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she rushed to him. "Is it really you?" she asked.

"The one and only" he answered warily. He ran a hand through his premature grey hair.

"Listen, Gabby, I'm-"

He was cut off as she threw herself to him, wrapping her arms around him. She caught him completely off guard.

"I missed you, Ethan" she whispered.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her before feeling tears burn his eyes.

"I did too" he whispered, voice heavy with tears.

"I'm so sorry" he said.

"And so am I" she responded.

"I should have never let you go"

"I should have never left your side. It took me a long time, Ethan. It took me twenty years of my life to realize that all I ever wanted wasn't an Oscar. It was you"

He smiled ruefully. "You know, maybe if I changed my name to Oscar, you'd get both things..."

She laughed and hit him playfully. "Why you scoundrel..."

He laughed and took her hands, suddenly serious.

"Gabriella, listen, I am truly sorry for what happened. I was young and stubborn and my life looked bleak. But now that I am older, I can see what an idiot I was. I know now that you are the one for me. Please forgive this old man and give him a second chance"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. "I'll give you a second chance, and a third and a fourth and more!" she said with a slight chuckle.

He smiled and kissed her hand before wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her softly.

She gasped in surprise before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

They pulled apart to breathe and they knew that everything would truly be alright.

"I love you" he said softly.

"And I love you" she said.

Before they said anything else, they heard thunder overhead.

"Well what do you know?" he joked. "It seems that we even made the sky cry"

"Very funny" she said with a bright smile.

She pulled him in for another kiss, this one longer than the last.

As they kissed, it started to rain.

They parted and started to laugh.

"Oh dear, it seems I've forgotten my umbrella" she said as she attempted to cover herself.

"And I never carry one" he said with a slight chuckle.

He took off his jacket and made a makeshift roof, covering both of them.

"Hey, are you hungry?" he asked her.

"Why, as a matter of fact, I am. I missed lunch"

"Excellent!" he said to which she responded with a funny look.

"Wait, no! Not that you missed lunch, that's not good. It's just that it's a great thing!" he said before kicking himself. "Oh, that's not what I meant. I meant to say that it's good that you're hungry because I am too and-" he said before she pecked his lips.

"Stop talking" she said with a laugh and he joined in.

"What I meant to say is, would you like to join me for dinner?" he said after their laughter died off.

"I would love to" she responded as she led him to the car that was waiting for her.

The driver got out quickly and opened the back door.

Once he got back in, he turned to them.

"Where to?" he asked.

Ethan shared a look with Gabriella.

"There's this little Italian place right across the library..."