He'd never deemed it possible. Actually, he still didn't think it was possible. His eyes must be deceiving him.

When he had been preparing himself this morning to go to work—he'd got a job as a waiter with a catering company—this was the last thing he'd expected. In reality, he hadn't thought much about working at all; he had had different things on his mind, and how to carry glasses from a bar to a table on a tray wasn't a thing he worried about.

He'd been approached by a talent scout two weeks ago when he was playing basketball with his friends on a summer evening, and it was this small moment that had made his whole life turn upside down. The offer that was given to him could change everything for the better, but meant he could lose everything too, saying goodbye to the life he knew and the people close to him.

To understand, it's important to know River had to work for his opportunities all his life. Things had never been handed to him. Going from job to job and having difficulty keeping one for a month, he always had to prove himself.

But then came Jeremy Wellinger, who had said, "I'm going to change your life." And he had; he'd handed him the best chance he could've ever imagined getting in the shape of a phone number on a business card.

River had never dared to dream about a future in professional basketball. There were so many great players out there that had the time to pursue their dreams and although he had an optimistic nature, he wanted to be realistic in his expectations. He'd always thought other were much better than he, and unlike them he didn't have the time or patience to perfect his skill.

Life was funny like that, surprising him in places he least expected it.

But he had a choice to make now. Jeremy Wellinger's business card was burning in his pocket and River was much too aware of the small object. Calling the number would mean traveling the world to play basketball games, but leaving Talia behind. Jeremy had already warned him that, when he accepted his offer, he'd not see his home as often. River had interpreted that as not at all—or at least something close to never.

But it was his dream, or at least, the thing he'd been dreaming about the past two weeks. Basketball as his full-time job—who wouldn't want that? He loved the sport and couldn't imagine it being less than amazing as a job.

Then, this morning came. Because he hadn't accepted Wellinger's offer yet and hadn't had the time to cancel this job, he showed up this morning at a castle-like building where a wedding was to be held, as was expected of him as a waiter of the catering company.

And it was in that moment that something unexpected happened.

He walked into the building—through the back entrance, which was meant for the staff—and listened to the instructions in the kitchen given by a superior, talking about the schedule for that day and what was supposed to happen when, pressing on the tight schedule they had. River dozed off halfway through, but knew his colleague Barry was paying attention and wouldn't mind repeating it back to him.

After that talk, the staff prepared for the day. River waited behind the bar as he watched one of the other staff members, Brian, pouring drinks when an older lady approached him. She asked for the drinks his colleague was pouring and that were meant as a welcoming gift for the guests.

"Hurry up, the guests are coming!" the lady, who River guessed to be in her fifties, said. Her voice was high-pitched in a typical older-lady fashion and the words rolled of her tongue quickly; she was clearly stressed out. "This is my daughter's wedding!"

River offered Brian to help, even though he had no expertise in pouring drinks. It seemed easy enough and there was nothing else for him to do anyway. The lady had told him the waiters didn't need to take the drinks to the guests, which meant he wouldn't have anything to do for the next hour; the lady's daughter would do it herself, with her husband-to-be. They'd welcome the guests before going back to their own room somewhere in the castle to prepare for the wedding.

He had to admit that this was a beautiful venue for a wedding. It was a bit over the top and too extravagant for his taste, but he wasn't used to this kind of stuff anyway. Every time he saw this castle in the distance driving past it, he'd admired it. But, decorated with white and silver ribbons, minimalistic flower bouquets coloring the place and the silver shining in every corner of the room, it was too much. He guessed this was what the life of the privileged must be like.

Despite his good intentions, River screwed up with pouring the champagne in the glasses. His head wasn't in it at all; he was thinking about Jeremy Wellinger and his future. The answer he would give him could change his life forever. He'd either have to work jobs like these for the rest of his life, but at least he was close to Talia, or he could pursue a career in basketball, far away from Talia, but he'd be able to take care of her better than he could now.

His thoughts constantly wandered away from what he was doing and went back to the business card in his pocket.

Until he saw it.

Or better said, her.

And of course, it was only she who could take his mind off the business card in his pocket and capture his attention.

*

"River, are you okay?"

It was Brian who pulled him back after River lost himself in his thoughts, taking another peek at the girl standing not far from him to get the confirmation he needed. It really was her—yes, she wore more makeup and yes, she was dressed more formally than the joggers he'd seen her wear at the airport, but it was the same dark brown hair cut in a bob with deep brown eyes. Her skin was slightly more tanned than in February and glowing a little more, and she didn't wear that beautiful smile, but it was undoubtedly Emily.

"Yeah," River said with a slight hesitation, trying to get himself back together again. "Sorry."

His eyes let go of the mesmerizing girl as he picked up another tray he could put the glasses on, but in doing so he knocked over a couple of glasses. Their fall seemed to happen in slow motion and gravity took its time to let what was happening sink in. He was just in time to save the glasses from falling to their death—although it was too late to save the champagne from pouring out onto the floor as a clear, bubbly liquid.

"Sorry," he said again. He realized he'd said it two times in a row already; he said 'sorry' too often. The word had slowly started to lose its meaning.

"It's okay," Brian said, immediately filling up new glasses. "It's not like they don't have enough money to cover for it anyway. They probably won't even notice the difference in their bill." Brian rolled his eyes, but River saw the envy for the lifestyle of these people. If Brian had been given the choice, he would choose the same rich life.

The life she was a part of.

He hadn't seen her walk in, but suddenly, she was just there. She stood next to the older lady—who must be her mother, judging by the same face shape and dark eyes. She'd commanded them before and now the lady didn't exactly seem satisfied with the choice of outfit Emily had made.

Emily.

He didn't think he could ever say her name out loud again—or just think about her—but now that she was here, just a few feet away from him, everything seemed possible.

"This is inappropriate attire, Emily," her mother hissed. "You're supposed to be wearing something more formal—you're the bride!"

You're the bride.

And it was then that every piece of the puzzle came together. The guest book he'd seen at the entrance, showing two names in an elegant font. Jason and Emily. It was his Emily, this Emily, the one he'd meet three months ago.

She was the bride.

She was getting married.

Then, another thought came to mind.

Emily was here, in Miami. They'd met earlier this year here too, but when they'd said goodbye to each other at the airport, it was supposed to be goodbye. They wouldn't see each other again.

So why was she here? Did she want to see him again? She was not supposed to be here!

A million thoughts raced through his mind. Should he be happy, getting another chance to see her again? Sad, because it confirmed the feeling they'd had before that they could never be together?

And why was she here, with these people? Was she one of them, living the rich and privileged life while served by the less fortunate like him? That couldn't be true; Emily didn't fit in with that type of people and the idea he had of them. She was different.

"I have to go," River mumbled, and before Brian had the chance to ask him what was going on, River had walked through the kitchen and away from there. Away from her.

He pinched himself in the arm. Was it another dream? No. He hadn't woken up the last time he thought he was dreaming, when he got the offer from Jeremy Wellinger, and he wasn't dreaming now.

What did this mean?

Had she seen him too? In the short moment that he realized she was standing there—as in right there, something he still had trouble believing—her attention hadn't been focused on him. Had she recognized him, or didn't she know he was here yet?

This was quite the turn of events.

*

"River, are you sure you're okay?" It was Brian again.

He nodded. After a short moment of freaking out in the bathroom, River had joined Brian behind the bar again. They still had a lot of glasses to fill, as the lady—Emily's mother—reminded them constantly: "216 guests, boys! You have to get the champagne ready for 216 guests, but I don't see anything yet!"

"I'll be fine on my own, too," Brian said. "In case you don't feel well. You shouldn't be working if you're not okay."

"Don't worry about it," River said, no matter how tempting it was to run back to the bathroom again to think. Here, the possibility of Emily turning around any moment and seeing him was big—and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet. What should he say? What do you say to someone who causes the butterflies in your stomach to go wild even after not seeing each other for three months?

He picked up a new bottle of champagne and unscrewed the cork. He told himself to keep working—he couldn't let himself get distracted and lose another job with Emily as a witness.

But it was hard to keep his attention focused on his work; his thoughts either drifted to Emily, who he heard talking as he was standing there. She was greeting guests, shaking hands and her arm hooked on another guy's arm—which, if River was honest, was a stab straight to the heart.

When he wasn't looking at her, he was thinking about the business card in his pocket and the choice that laid ahead. In all this, he didn't have time to think about his sister and to check up on her, something he'd promised to do. As a waiter he worked long hours and they already didn't see each other often.

"Do you have another tray ready, boys?" It was Emily's mother again. The likeness between Emily and her was clear; those same deep brown almond eyes and the voluminous hair, with the difference that her mother wore it longer and the hair had grey streaks in it.

"Right here, ma'am," River said. He had one hand on his back and he realized it was because he wanted to make a good impression on her. And why? This was a wedding—Emily's wedding. No matter what had happened in February or what he felt when Emily was close to him, it didn't matter anymore.

She walked away with the tray without even saying anything and she handed it to Emily while announcing to her daughter that she would pay a visit to the bathroom. "If you need more drinks, you can get it at the bar," she said, pointing at River. Naturally, Emily followed her finger while her mother walked away and her eyes filled with shock when she saw what—or who—her mother was pointing at.

When she saw him.

Was it a good sign? What did the big eyes and the slightly parted lips mean? She was surprised too, that was for sure, but was it a good surprise or not?

"I need to go too," Emily said then to the guy whose arm she'd been hooked on, who River guessed was Jason. He'd seen their names before in the guestbook.

His heart began beating a little faster, because unlike her mother, Emily walked towards the bar—towards him. She was coming. So she hadn't seen him before then, he concluded. But what did this look in her eyes mean?

And what he wanted to know the most: what was she going to say?

"River?" Emily whispered.

He nodded, not being able to say a word. She was actually here, she was actually talking to him. This was real.

She shook her head, not being able to believe it herself, then quickly looked over her shoulder before she said, "I want you to leave."

* * *

I don't know whether I should be happy because they're given a second chance or be crying... So, how are you doing after reading this?