Best Friends and True Love
Preparations
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Finally, I'm back! Ha! I'm so sorry I was unable to update sooner. It was because of my computer. This story is almost over anyway. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy. Unfortunately, my spell checker is messed up, so I hope there aren't any mistakes! Here's the chapter.
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I woke up that morning to a familiar feeling. I was warm, comfortable, and most of all, I knew I was safe. As I heard a heart beating beneath my ear, I realized that I definitely wasn't in my bed.
I felt arms wrapped around me and I remembered that I'd fallen asleep while Edward was holding me. I opened my eyes and I saw that Ed was still asleep. Had he slept as good as I did? I couldn't help but wondering that.
After I'd fallen asleep, he must've laid down and taken me with him. He'd stayed there with me the whole night, making sure that I was okay. Ed wasn't perfect, nobody is, but I knew that he was the perfect person for me.
He looked so peaceful, so carefree, like I probably did when I was asleep. But he was the only person I knew who could make me feel that way when I was awake, especially during the times I felt so horrible.
I smiled as I continued to look at him and then I remembered the ring around my finger. It was so beautiful as the sunlight hit it. He'd always known Easter was my favorite holiday and this ring was perfect for me. Sure, my best girl friend, Sheska, had given me jewelry for birthdays and Christmas before, but this ring was different.
Ed had never given me anything like this before. So that ring was more special to me at that moment than anything anybody had given me in my life. I kissed the ring and smiled even more. I settled back against him and closed my eyes once more.
I expected to drift back off to sleep, to spend even longer being held in his arms. But what I hadn't expected was what Ed did.
"Winry," he whispered so softly that I could barely hear it. He said it in a whimsical, gentle way, as if at that moment, it was the only name in the world.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was still asleep. Was he dreaming about me? I got shivers just thinking about the way he said my name. Nobody had ever said it like that before. It wasn't just whimsical or gentle; it brought many more descriptions to mind.
I guess that the only way to describe it all put together was just one word: beautiful. He said my name in a beautiful way, as if my name was beautiful, and that made me feel beautiful.
Raising my hand, I reached towards his sleeping face, bringing it down over his cheek. It was warm, just like the rest of him, and soft.
He raised his own hand and caught mine, holding his over it and cradling his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at me with his amazing golden eyes, the eyes that I always had loved. They were more golden and bright than the sun itself sometimes. I loved that. I loved him.
"Hey there," he said, looking straight into my eyes, gold meeting blue.
"Good morning," I said, my heart suddenly beating faster for some reason.
I hadn't really wanted him to wake up. Him waking up meant that I would have to get up and I was very reluctant to leave the warmth of his embrace.
He yawned and wiped his eyes before blinking a couple of times and looking at me again. He smiled that brilliant smile of his and brought my hand to his lips before kissing it gently.
"Do you feel better?" he asked me, concern in his eyes, written on his face.
I smiled back weakly. It wasn't week because of my previous upset or because he'd brought it back up. Nope, it was weak because he kissed my hand. The feelings that overwhelmed me from that sensational kiss was what made me weak. I was weak in the knees, too, and I was sure I'd be falling to the ground right now if I were standing.
It was at that moment that I wondered if his lips would feel just as warm and soft if they were on my own lips instead of my hand.
"Yeah, I do feel better. Thank you…You could've been home with your family but you stayed here with me…and then you slept with me on this lumpy couch all night.…"
"Well, what are best friends for, after all? Besides, I think you'd do the same for me," he said faintly, as if there was something else he wanted to say but was holding back.
Friends….Best friends…that's all we were. I wished with all of my heart that we were more than that, more than just friends. And he was right. I'd do the same thing for him in a heartbeat.
I raised my hand and looked at the ring yet again. The little jewel in the middle of the cracked egg caught the sunlight and shone bright.
I smiled at him again. I felt so warm, fuzzy, comfortable, and safe all at the same time. If I could wake up to this every morning, wake up with him every morning…I'd be truly happy.
If only I had enough nerve to kiss him. Now would be the perfect opportunity, too. But I just didn't have it in me to do it. After all, I was afraid of rejection. And more than that, I was afraid that rejection would ruin our friendship.
"What time is it?" I asked quietly as I looked away from his golden orbs.
He raised his wrist and looked at his watch. "Almost ten thirty," he replied. "I guess I should get home. My mom will want to know where I was all night and my dad probably has some disturbing ideas in his head…"
"Wait, what disturbing ideas?" I asked curiously.
He blushed and looked away. "Nothing, nothing. Just…stuff. Anyway, I have to go. But I'll be back later, so you should be ready by then."
I stifled a yawn before I asked him, "Read for what?"
He smiled. "You honestly forgot about what's going on down by the pier? They're having games and a party, not to mention food and fireworks when it gets dark. You were so excited about it last week that you wouldn't shut up about it."
My eyes widened as I remembered. I had talked nonstop about how he just had to take me and about how fun it would be.
"Yay!" I said happily. "That is today, isn't it?"
He released me from his embrace and sat up on the couch. I stood up and stretched before watching him do the same thing. I didn't want him to go. I wanted him to stay there with me and hold me a little longer. But I knew that if he did hold me longer I'd be even more reluctant to see him go.
Besides, the sooner he left, the sooner he'd come back and take me to that party, right?
I'd almost forgotten all about it. In fact, I had made plans to go to the mall with Sheska and Rose so that I could look for a good dress to wear to it.
As a matter of fact, I should have been getting ready to meet up with them right now! I didn't want to hurry Ed out the door, but…
"Okay you should go then!" I said as I rushed him to the door. "Bye now!"
I closed the door in his face and hurried up to my room to go take a shower and get dressed.
I looked out of my window and saw Ed making the short journey to his house. It was going to be a great night, I just knew it. Ed was taking me to a party. It was kind of like a date…I blushed at that thought.
By the time I was done getting ready Sheska had pulled up in the car and Rose was already with her.
"Hey," I said as I opened the door and climbed into the back seat before closing it behind myself. "Right on time."
As we drove by Ed's house, I saw him standing on the front porch saying something to Al. They both waved at me and I waved back, of course. Whatever they were talking about seemed to be pretty important since Ed was slightly nibbling on his bottom like he normally did whenever he was really thinking about something.
"Ed's a great guy," Rose said from her seat as she peered out the window. "You're really lucky to have him."
I smiled.
"I guess I am. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's always there for me, no matter what…" I trailed off and thought about how much Ed had done for me. He was my rock, I guess, something I could always lean on.
They both exchanged meaningful looks that I didn't understand. It was like they knew something that I didn't but as if they were unwilling to tell me.
I shrugged before looking out the window and watching the world quickly go by. My parents were doctors. They had to work a lot, but they'd always managed to find time for me. But it seemed these days that they grew more and more distant.
They'd take trips often, yet not together and when they weren't gone on a trip, they were working. And that left me home alone, unless of course, I decided to go over to the Elric's house and bother them.
Sometimes it felt to me as if Trisha and Hohenheim were more like a mother and father to me than my own parents were.
I sighed. I'd spent all of my teenage years so far with Ed and Al, growing up with them. They'd been like brothers to me. But somewhere along the line, Ed became something much more.
I thought back to the way he said my name, to the way he kissed my hand, to the way he held me in his arms even after I fell asleep. And the way he looked at me with those brilliant golden eyes…How did Edward feel about me?
He couldn't love me back, could he? I shook my head. I didn't dare to dream something so wonderful.
We arrived at the mall quickly and we began to shop. I had to find the perfect dress. I wanted to look my best. I wanted to make an impression on Ed. I wanted to look the same way hearing my name floating from his lips made me feel: beautiful.
"Come on Winry," Sheska said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a store behind her.
I didn't find anything I liked there. It was the same when we went to the next store.
"Here," I said as I handed Rose a simple, yet beautiful white dress. "This will look great on you!"
"You think so?" she asked as she pulled it up in front of herself and looked into the nearby mirror.
Sheska had found an outfit for herself and was heading to the dressing rooms.
"Just give it a try. You know, Alphonse always has liked seeing white on girls…" I said with a wink.
She blushed before she nodded and hurried to the dressing rooms, too.
Rose really liked Al. I thought they'd make a cute couple so I was silently cheering her on.
The problem was that Al had a crush on Noah, which I was deeply opposed to. Al deserved better. That was my opinion and I was sticking to it.
I grabbed a few random dresses and followed them to the dressing rooms. I closed the door behind me and I quickly undressed.
I picked up the first dress and put it on. It was an orange dress. It showed way too much cleavage and it was really short. Plus, I looked just like a basketball in it.
The next on was pale pink. T was pretty and I liked it, but the sleeves were too big and it was a bit too long.
The last one was a purple so I immediately rejected that one. The other two hadn't turned out so well so I didn't really plan on giving this one a try. Add that to the fact that I'd look like a big grape if I walked around in that dress and you have yourself a good example of fashion disaster.
I sighed out of frustration as I left the dressing room. I saw Sheska and Rose paying for their clothes and that was when I saw it.
On display behind the glass of the store right across from us was the perfect dress!
I pulled out of the garage and drove the short distance to Winry's driveway. The flutter of her curtains drew my attention, but I didn't see her. I merely shrugged before going to the door. It wasn't locked so I let myself in.
"Hey Win," I called as I closed the door. "Are you ready yet?"
It took her a minute to answer me. "Almost."
I leaned against the back of the door, my arms crossed over my chest. I wasn't in a hurry so I just waited for a while. I got thirsty and I was about to go to the kitchen and get a soda when she came walking down the stairs.
It was so shocked that my mouth was wide open. It was a good thing I didn't get that soda because however much of it would've been in my mouth would now have been on the floor in front of my feet and probably even down the front of my shirt.
"Wow" was the only word that came to mind.
She was wearing a red dress, my favorite color, that barely reached her knees. The straps of the dress were thin and cradled her slender shoulders. It hugged her body for the most part, yet it fluffed out towards the bottom.
Like I said, it was red, but different shades. The top of it started out a bright red and it ended up very dark by the time it reached the bottom.
Se was wearing red hoop earrings and her hair was loose and wavy. She was even wearing red heels and I noticed she'd even painted her finger nails and toe nails. And if that wasn't enough, she was even wearing a little makeup.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at me in a confused way, as if she had no idea why I was looking at her the way I was.
"Ed, are you okay?" she asked as she put her hand under my chin and closed my mouth for me since I seemed to be incapable of doing it my self.
"Yeah…" I said faintly. "I'm okay…I'm better than okay…"
She smiled shyly.
"So…how do I look?" she asked as she spun around quickly.
"G…great," I chocked out. "Great!"
Great? Great? Now I sounded like Tony the Frosted Flakes tiger. Great…why did I say that when I knew she looked much better than great?
She smiled at me again and I smiled back weakly.
"Shall we?"
I offered her my arm and she took it gladly before we hurried out of the house.
