Here's the alternate happy ending I promised. This part is more of a love story than the others, but there's still plenty of sex. If you liked how chapter four left off then you might not want to read it. For those who do read enjoy.
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For four long years I had worked for this day. The past two years had been difficult, but every new day was a little bit easier. Today I was graduating from college and looked at it as a new beginning. Tomorrow I was going on a date with friend of a friend of a friend and while I wasn't expecting to find eternal happiness it was a start that had been a long time in coming. Heading to the auditorium I felt free for the first time in years and finding my place in the crowd I waited for my name to be called.
I still had lingering feelings for Ellen, but the occasional emails I exchanged with her daughter told me she had a new man in her life. When I found out she was involved with another man over a year ago I knew it was time to move on. This past year I'd been so busy with school that I used it as an excuse but all that was going to change. Ellen was a remarkable woman and more than anything else I felt she deserved to be happy. I'd never forget her but knowing she had found a new man to love made it easier for me to start dating again. No matter what happened in the future I'd always cherish the happy memories of our magical summer where life seemed so simple.
My college roommate couldn't believe I was going on a date after seeing me stay single for the past two years. I'd become the butt of countless jokes in our little circle off friends during that time. They kept saying they were sad to see my self-induced solitude end, but I knew they were all happy for me. None of them knew the full story, or anything more than a small part of it for that matter, but they all knew there was a bad experience with a woman in my past that was too painful to talk about. For a long time I blamed Ellen for everything that happened, but Gloria's harsh words to me on the day I left made me realize I'd never treated her like a woman I truly loved and that, as much as anything, had led to me losing her.
"Daniel Clarke, botany," the master or ceremonies called as I walked proudly across the stage to accept my diploma. Searching the crowd I found my parents and managed to maintain my broad smile despite who I saw sitting in the row behind them. Her hair was much longer and her tan was a little lighter, but I could never forget her beautiful face. Ellen smiled back at me. Suddenly my two years of healing evaporated and I was sitting on the curb outside her home a broken man again. Why had she come back? How could she do this to me now?
Back in my seat I sat mesmerized waiting for the ceremony to end. By the time it was over I had come to one conclusion, my roommate was right. I wasn't going on my date tomorrow and I owed him $20. Finding my parents at their seats, my eyes found Ellen a few rows above now. She made eye contact with me and walked away, no doubt expecting me to follow. It would have been smarter to let her go, but I would have given anything to hear her voice one more time. I told my parents that there was an old friend I wanted to say hello to and I'd be right back.
"Your hair is longer," she said running a stand through her fingers when I found her. My hair starts to curl once it grows past my ears and I was sporting a messy tangle of hair that had to be brushed from my eyes constantly. At least I had shaved off my scraggly beard for graduation.
"Yours is too," I said. It hung down just past her shoulders and looked fantastic on her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you graduate," she said but I knew there had to be a lot more to it than that.
"I'm getting it cut soon," I said taking her hand away from my hair and forcing her to look me in the eye. "Why did you come here?" I asked again.
"I don't want to do this here. There's so much to talk about but I want us to be alone. Will you be going home anytime soon?" she asked.
"Next week," I said.
"Will you come see me then?" she asked with a hopeful look.
"Will you be home this time?" I said too harshly.
"I deserved that," she said looking hurt.
"You never should have come here. I was finally ready to move on. After all that time alone I thought I was over you at last. Now... now I don't know what to do. I'll come see you but only because one look at you again has left me no other choice," I said before she could walk away. I could feel my frozen heart start to thaw at the sight of her beautiful smile.
"I'll be waiting for you Daniel I promise," she said. "Don't cut your hair, I like how it looks on you," she added before turning to go.
The moment I saw her I knew I'd been kidding myself. I still loved her, even after all this time. My summer with Ellen had been the best time of my life and I was willing to do anything for another chance with her. Every waking moment for the next few days was spent trying to figure her out. What could have changed for her to come back into my life? I was preparing myself for a new romance with her but what if it was something else? I had to be ready for less than what I was hoping for or the disappointment would be too much to bear.
I was expecting an endless amount of abuse from my friends when I backed out of yet another date, but they sensed something was wrong. No one made any jokes and their faces were filled with pity. I'd fallen so low that I'd become too sad to make fun of. My emotions ran from the sheer joy of seeing her again to intense bitterness over our time apart. I was still angry that she hadn't been willing to let our relationship last and was afraid I was getting too excited when I didn't know where this was leading yet.
The following Friday arrived and I still didn't know what to expect as I was driving over to see her again. I thought about bringing her fresh flowers but didn't want to look too desperate. The one thing I had decided over the past few days was that no matter what happened it was going to be on my terms. I couldn't accept another fling with her. As much as I wanted to make love to her one more time, I needed to know there was more to it than that. Losing her once had almost been too much to live with, a second time would be.
At her home Gloria let me in. She had known to expect me and wasn't surprised when I arrived. I was shocked when she greeted me without the disdain she had shown towards me the last time I saw her. In two years she'd forgiven me it seemed. Ellen was waiting for me in her bedchamber and I walked the familiar path on my own. I'd thought I would never see the inside of her house again, but now I was heading towards her bedroom. Her choice of a meeting place seemed to confirm what I suspected from the moment I saw her, but I remained cautious.
I knocked on the outer door and let myself in when she called to me from inside. She was smiling at me from to doorway to her inner chamber. Ellen was wearing a light blue dress that I thought was the perfect color on her and the emerald necklace I'd given her, another good sign. She looked so beautiful it hurt even more to think about our time apart. I had no idea what to say and she suffered the same problem so for a long time we just stared at each other.
"Come in," she said at last inviting me to join her inside.
