An unthinkable visit

Twas an early day when Jodie awoke, the sky outside mostly clear with patchy clouds that still allowed the sun to pour into her home. While lighting up the rooms, it was also the cause of her early awakening, but it was one she didn't particularly want on this day, since it was one of great importance to her. It was yet another day filled with loneliness and it also marked the day she came into this world. So naturally, her spirits were a bit more down than usual.

Walking to the kitchen, she noticed that her parents left a note on the table, informing her not to wait up for them because of time-consuming, set engagements that they had already arranged. This note didn't help Jodie, only made her a bit more sad. She hoped, however, that when signing on to MSN she would find something that would make her day a bit brighter. She had come to somewhat expect her friend Josh to cheer up her day, in some form. But, today he couldn't be found except for an offline message he sent the night before telling her he wouldn't be on when she got on due to his boss calling him in.

"*Sigh* Can this day get any worse...?" Jodie asked herself while opening World of Warcraft. This game had become something to help pass the time when nothing else would do, not to mention that it also brought her new people to talk to when no one else was on.

Thankfully, most of her guild was on, questing, PvPing, ganking--the usual was going on like any other day. Playing as her favorite druid, Màili, she killed a good number of hours doing quests and running the well-loved instance, Zul'Furak. Before she knew it, it was 3PM. Keeping an eye out for him, she noticed that Josh hadn't even signed on to MSN. She knew he had to work, but something was pulling at her, though she was unable to quite put her finger on it. So, she brushed it off for now, focusing on leveling for her new skills.

Around 3:15 PM, she got a call from her mother asking to meet for a quick eat at a local restaurant and that she should dress nice for it. This pleased Jodie a great deal!  Finally, someone she loved was going to spend time with her on her day!  While quickly getting ready, she found herself thinking back to what her friend was actually doing.  For some reason it continued to push its way to the front of her mind, poking her to think about it. It wasn't that much of a big deal, though; he had given her a lot to think about lately. With everything he had talked to her about, she often found herself wondering on those subjects they conversed about.

The day had been blessed with emphasis on perfection and beauty, begging its enjoyers to indulge in a stroll despite their engagements. Though adrift in her own world, she was abruptly brought out when a car passed her with the bass loud enough that it matched the pounding of her heart.

"Damn Idiot!" Jodie yelled, annoyed that someone had to ruin a nice escape.

Ah, but it couldn't have been better timing! The restaurant had snuck up on her rather quickly and now rested right beside her. Jodie went in and without skipping a beat jumped due to the sudden burst of "Happy Birthday!" from everyone in her family. They reserved much of the restaurant to celebrate and even pulled many extra hard strings to get one Runrig to provide the entertainment. Clearly Jodie was awestruck by the overwhelming actions of her family. And, to her, it was just that. Overwhelming. No one had ever thought of doing this before, especially in getting Runrig.

Sitting down to enjoy her meal Jodie forgot to turn off her cell phone, which had snuggly been resting in her pocket from when she got dressed. Making it through the appetizer, entree, and beginning of dessert, she recieved a phone call. Answering the phone, she was shocked again due to the person on the other end.

"Hello, Jodie." Josh said softly with a sweet smile. "How's your birthday going?"

"Okay, I guess. But, um, how did you get my number?" Jodie replied, holding her fork, while waiting for the answer before diving into her sweet dessert dish.

"I pulled a few strings..I can just see the party now though...a very beautiful Jo-chan in an actual Lavender dress, haven't even touched her dessert..and ah-

"Josh, I didn't tell you my dress was Lavender...where are you?" Jodie questioned while looking around intently searching for him.

"You're looking around like you're a mission while Runrig walks out on the stage to play one our favorite songs.." Josh continued, staying seated with his legs crossed.

"........." Jodie remained silent while searching.

"And then, you see him here in Scotland for the first time ever. Sitting, on the phone, trying to reenact one of his favorite movie endings without messing it up." Josh grinned as Jodie stood there, completely speechless. "And sitting next to him, the boss who called him in." Josh looked over at Angel who had one of the biggest smiles on her face.

Dropping her phone, Jodie ran over to Josh hugging him tightly with tears in her eyes. Could this be happening? Could this be real? So many questions passed through her mind in that very instant, but only one escaped her lips. "How?"

Hugging her back tightly, Josh began to cry as well. He had truly done something more powerful than anything he'd ever done before. The essence of the moment hit him hard, like a shot to the chest. "Angel....she flew me in to Inverness last minute. I wrote you that note at the airport just before boarding the plane."

"Thank you so much....." Having a hard time controlling her emotions, Jodie stumbled as to what to say. But everything she wanted to get out shone forth visibly through her eyes, even Josh could see that.

"Come on Jodie..." Josh began, taking her hand while getting up from his seat, "let us go enjoy Runrig the right way...together."