Battle in Paradise

[Megami*]

((Continued from: Just a Dip))

If there was one thing Christian Valero knew as a certainty, it was that roaring down the street, the wind beating in your face, surrounded by the tranquility of the outdoors rather than the stuffy metal enclosure of a vehicle was a one-of-a-kind experience.  Chris rode all the time -- especially when he was deep in thought or when he needed to relax.  This time, of course, he was just riding for fun, and he had to admit that with the blonde on the back of the bike clinging around his waist, it was definitely fun.

Of course, the entire scenario made his mind drift back to another time, another place.  Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, another blonde-headed bombshell graced the passenger's seat of Chris's Kawasaki motorcycle.  As he drew nearer and nearer to the bustling amusement park, he couldn't help but think back to that time.  The sun was starting to set over the horizon, and the lights on the ferris wheel and other attractions were starting to come on, aluminating the entire park.

It had looked just like this the last time, too...

~~~

"This is gonna be so much fun!" squealed the blonde as she bounded off of the back of Chris's motorcycle.

Of course, the unimpressable Ali Grayston simply shrugged her shoulders as she and Colt dismounted the bike they'd ridden on.  Ali wandered on ahead, Colt following behind shortly.  Kourtney, meanwhile, waited impatiently on the other Valero twin to head toward the park gates.  Chris walked up behind her, his arms falling lightly over Kourtney's shoulders.

It had been such a different time back then, and it almost seemed surreal reflecting back to it.

Even paradise had its troubles, though.  It was something that Christian Valero would find out very, very soon.  Kourtney had stepped into the ladies' restroom and like any respectful gentleman, Chris had been leaning against the exterior of the building, awaiting her return.  He hadn't planned on encountering a blast from the past in the form of Chelsey Langston, a girl he'd attended grade school with.

When the girl had walked up to him and immediately embraced him, Chris had been taken aback, not recognizing her in the slightest.  After all those years, though, Chelsey still recognized him.  The two fell into light conversation, each telling the other about what they'd been up to since their last encounter, each recollecting childhood memories about the former.  It was about the time Chelsey handed Chris her number, hugged him, and walked away that Kourtney had finally stepped out of the bathroom.

Chris had, of course, thought nothing of it.  The instant the blonde swung him around, however, the fire in her eyes was apparent, and Chris all too soon realized that the other side of Kourtney Darling wasn't a pretty one.

"What the hell was that all about?"

It hadn't been about anything.  He'd tried to explain that to her.  He'd told her that he knew Chelsey from grade school, that he hadn't seen her in years, and that they'd just happened to run into one another at the amusement park, of all places.  Kourtney didn't believe a word of it, and inevitably flew off on a tirade of accusations about him cheating on her.  The accusations left Chris completely speechless.  He hadn't ever... he wouldn't!  Kourtney wouldn't believe it.  That was the first time he'd ever seen the pure, unadulterated jealousy that lay dormant within Kourtney Darling.

It made no sense.  The girl was a bombshell in every sense of the word.  Why someone so pretty could be so insanely jealous of somebody that didn't have anything on her was beyond Chris, and although he didn't like it, he simply let things blow over.  Things with Kourtney eventually straightened themselves out, seeing as she finally realized that despite the unending accusations on her part, Chris genuinely wasn't that sort of guy.  That might have been the first time that Chris laid witness to the darker side of Kourtney Darling, but it certainly wouldn't be the last.  In a way, this moment was the first loose pebble in their avalanche of a relationship.

~~~

Chris drifted back into the present, trying to push the not-so-happy thoughts from his mind -- not an easy accomplishment in such a familiar place.  Perhaps that was the true reason he'd never bothered to return to the amusement park after his split with Kourtney.  He'd deny it to the bitter end, to everyone else as well as himself, but part of him still missed the girl.  When you're in such a dedicated, intimate relationship with another human being, it's impossible not to feel something for them, and the hard truth is that feelings continue to linger on, even after the relationship has ended.

No sense in reminiscing over the distant past, though.  People change, and people move on.  Chris supposed that he should be doing the same, rather than clinging to memories of things that no longer were and would never again be.  To him, perhaps, Mariavel was a big step in getting over the blonde who had tortured him incessantly before finally dumping him.  He couldn't help but think that even now if she'd take him back, he'd gladly return.  This made his thoughts fall back on Mariavel, though.  How could he ever truly devote himself to somebody when his heart belonged to someone else?

Sighing inwardly in dismay at the thoughts, Chris eased to a stop in the amusement park's parking area.  This was the first of many steps in freeing himself of the imposed restraints he'd been placed under after Kourtney'd left him.  It was time to stop dwelling on the past.  The memories would always be there, but the people had long since faded.  Chris told himself that it had been another time, another place -- one to which he would never return.  Now, all he could do was force himself to move on.  No more dwelling on the past.  Now, he was going to look toward the future.  A smile alighted his features as he looked toward the blonde who'd accompanied him to the amusement park.  This was the place to start.