Life never really ended up like anyone expected… did it? At least for Jordan Williams, it did… and didn’t in an odd way. If you asked him 15 years ago where he thought he would be, his immediate answer would have been growing a family with Jezebel Sloane while teaching dance lessons at a local youth charity center. That’s all he ever really needed to be happy. Someone he loved by his side while doing something he loved. And having kids of his own that Jordan could give everything to. Give everything… that his father never gave him. Safety… security… love. And an endless amount of love…
But did Jordan regret how his life turned out? Perhaps he regretted certain points of his life, but he didn’t regret the end result. Words couldn’t describe how much Jordan Williams loved Sadie Williams. The simple thought of her could make his heart race - even to this day. She was his light in the darkness and she had continued to be throughout the years. And Jordan knew that often, he had been too. There always had been more to Sadie than her bubbly exterior. Someone more complex… more human. And that was the person he fell in love with. That was the person he proposed to during one of his broadway performances.
Flasback:
“God… is it normal to be this nervous. I’ve never been this nervous before…” Jordan sighed, rubbing his hands as he looked out on stage as the hall filled with guests to the broadway show he was premiering in. It was late 2023 and Jordan had been dating Sadie Monroe for 3 and a half years. 3 and a half of the happiest years he had in a long time. And honestly, Jordan Williams wasn’t going to make the same mistake he made before. He wasn’t going to let her go… if she had him… oh god he wished she would have him. And that thought only caused him to pace more. Jordan heard a soft laugh, Riker looking at him from the side.
“I’ve never, in the 5 years that I’ve known you ever seen you this nervous over a performance,”
Jordan rolled his eyes, “You know it’s more than just a performance, Riker,” Jordan sighed. Though, within a few seconds he found his best friend stopping him in his pacing tracks and the man actually, ACTUALLY, slapped him. I kid you not. HE WAS SLAPPED. Not necessarily a hard slap, but enough to make Jordan jump in surprise with a wtf man look.
“Listen to me, Jordan. That girl sitting in the front row is your biggest fan and supporter. She is never going to say no to your proposal, not after you literally changed the whole broadway production for opening night to make it about your story with her. With the lovely me narrating. I’m sorry Elo couldn’t be here, the twins weren’t feeling well. They have a little fever and she was worried but she told me that you have to text her the MOMENT everything goes down. Anyways, stop freaking out. Get your big boy pants on and get it together. Do you still have the ring?,”
Jordan sighed a soft smile on his lips at his best friend’s encouraging words. A man who had, ironically, been freaking out only a year earlier about doing the exact same thing. But nevertheless, it was appreciated. Hugging the man, Jordan took the box out of his pocket and opened it up to reveal a ring. There was nothing necessarily extravagant about the ring, but there was one very important aspect to it. It was his mother’s ring before he died… something that Riker had actually given to him after revealing to him that he knew his mother growing up. Something that meant… the world to Jordan. Hearing stories about her… meant everything to him.
Jordan had gotten the ring reupholstered, added a few diamonds, fit it to Sadie’s ring size. And all he hoped… was that she would say yes.
“Mr. Williams, it’s time.”
Taking a deep breath, Jordan watched as they fit Riker with a headset so he could narrate the story. The story of his life with Sadie. The lead actress agreeing to play “Sadie”. Jordan had lied to all of his friends and family, saying that he was in a broadway musical. Really - he created this musical. A musical taking him a year. The music, the composition, the acting - every aspect created by him. And with a wink from Riker, going outside in his usual charisma to entertain the audience - soon Jordan followed suit.
A play that included meeting Sadie, dancing with her, falling in love with her, going on dates, and her being the person of his dreams. Up until the moment Jordan pulled the ring out. Though, instead of going to the actress playing Sadie - Jordan walked down the steps and walked straight to Sadie Monroe, telling her that she was the only person he loved and he couldn’t imagine another day without her… well… if we’re being exact, his words were…
“Sadie Monroe. I have been with you for the last three years, and for the last year, I kept thinking about the best way to do this. To express how much I love and the issue was, I could never put it into words. There were just… too damn many words I wanted to say. Too many songs I wrote but none of them were ever perfect. None of them ever captured how much you meant to me. All the damn songs in this musical were some I wrote and their only a fraction of what my mind was racking over for the past year. And then I realized, The only way I could do it was to show you. Sadie Monroe, you are my light… my love… the only person who can make me smile when nothing is going right. You will forever have my heart, and if you let me, I would be honored to call you my wife. Sadie Monroe… will you marry me?”
And she said yes. Somehow… somehow he was lucky enough for her to say yes. And since that moment, Jordan has never had a sad day. He’s had Sadie… two beautiful kids that he loved with all of his heart. Days and nights filled with dancing, with laughter, with happiness. And that’s exactly what it was… pure happiness. He loved her with his whole heart.
End of Flashback:
That’s all he could think of as he looked at his wife with a smile; the two on the boat discussing everything about the reunion. Kissing the woman on her forehead, he told her he was going to make his rounds. Though, instead, after a few moments - Jordan found himself walking around the boat just reminiscing. Thinking about the last 10 years. How damn happy he was. Did he have regrets? Maybe one. One specific one. One… Tinkerbell that he hadn’t talked to in years. Had he seen her? Yes. There were moments… weddings… events… where he ran into her. But there weren’t ever… the right words to say. Jordan was no longer… fully overwhelmed and upset by what happened, but part of him still couldn’t get over it. Perhaps that’s why when he saw a closed ballroom with a piano - Jordan made his way inside looking at the piano.
Perhaps it just the memory of everything… the thoughts about Jezebel that were in his mind. That as he reached the piano, he played a song he wrote 12 years ago. Parts of the implications of the song had changed. He had found true love again, and this time, he didn’t let it go. Sadie Moroe was his life. But maybe after 10 years, Jordan had to sing this song one last time. For the first time in a long time, he played the familiar keys of the song he wrote such a long time. That he never shared with anyone.
Play True Love - Jordan Fisher
If I could do it all over, maybe I’d do it different
Maybe I wouldn’t be here in this position
I found you, then I lost you
Looking back is torture
And it hurts to know I let you go
Did he regret Jezebel? He regretted a lot of things that happened with her, yes. And no matter what happened, part of him would always love her.
There’s no such thing as perfection
I’m still learning that lesson
And to forgive is key to forgetting me
And I’m staring at my reflection
He had made so many mistakes. He did so many things right… but that would always be his biggest regret. As he finished the last few cords of the song, he let the piano music harmonize with the last few notes of his song and then he heard it.
The soft shuffling of someone’s feet. Confusion filled his features though he soon turned his head and saw her. Jezebel Sloane… a girl who looked as beautiful as the day he had fell in love with her. But that time was now long gone. “I… what are you doing here?” Jordan asked, unsure of what to say after honestly pouring his heart and soul into a song she was never supposed to hear.
@novella - Hope you don’t mind me leaving sadie