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| FIRST LOVE BY MARIQUA |
CHAPTER 3 |
Tea's heart leaped within her. She hadn't known what to expect from this new persona who changed a little more every day. It was as if they were starting completely over.
"Do you love me at all?" he whispered very soft and urgently.
Oh, querido, if you only knew our history! Involuntarily she shuddered with the knowledge that she had, but she brought her hands up to his arms and pressed against them.
"I never stopped loving you." Her words hung in the air and she could almost hear both their hearts beating in the stillness. She tensed when she felt a gentle pressure on her hair and realized that he had brought his face down close to her head and was nuzzling her hair. I'm going to lose myself in you again! I'm afraid, Todd.
As if reading her mind, Todd spoke again with a sort of conviction. "Don't be afraid, Tea. You don't need to be. Whoever I am I know what we are to each other. There's something between us that is so strong...I feel it every day. It's not going away. It will only get better. You have to believe me."
"I want to believe you, Todd. There are things you don't know yet that could change everything later. I just don't know..."
"Tea!" he spoke her name forcefully -- asking her with his voice to look at him for confirmation. She half turned in his arms and looked up to see a look she hadn't seen on his face since he was down on his knees at the Palace Bar. It was a look of absolute pure love and she knew she had no choice but to cave in to it. He bent over her face and with a finger slowly made a circle around her lips.
"Do you know that ever since that day in the kitchen with you, I've wanted to touch your lips again...like this," he said as he deliberately enclosed her lips in his. A moan escaped from her mouth, and Todd knew that she would resist him no more. His mouth explored hers and drew her in deeper and deeper until she thought she would faint. She broke away from him and buried her head in his chest. He put his hand on her head and stroked her silky hair and soothingly began talking to her.
"I know what you must be feeling, Tea. But I'm ready for this. It's about time, don't you think? I'm not a boy anymore, and I know I can make you happy. As crazy as that sounds coming from me -- whacked-out Todd. Are you ready to take your chances with me, Tea? Tea looked up into his soulful eyes, startled by the familiarity of those words. She had said almost the same thing to him once before in the penthouse and that night he had accepted her challenge and they had met halfway. Did he remember this?
"Todd, I have been ready for the longest time, but you made it very difficult for me. I'm still in shock about your regression, and I don't even want to speculate on what the future holds for you...or me." She said this pleading with him to understand her side.
Todd's mood changed abruptly. "So that's it, huh? Love him and leave him, right, Tea?" He was angry with her now out of sheer frustration. How long does she expect me to hang in there? I have feelings, Tea. Feelings that I never knew I had and even if they were there before, it's new to me now. He wanted to smash something all of a sudden because he saw that she was unwilling to let him get closer.
He shifted his position and loosened his hold on her. If this is what you want, Delgado, then you've got it! He rose from the ground -- leaving her staring up at him. I'm not going to lay my heart on the ground for you to stomp on it.
"Todd!" she spoke up watching his shoulders stiffen and his manner become cold. She realized she had not said what he wanted to hear. He was blindly in love with love and she could see that he wouldn't accept anything less than a total commitment from her. Slowly in her mind's eye she began to see something that she hadn't seen for the last few months. This was the Todd she had known before the catatonia. Her heart beat faster than it had before. He was coming back to her -- even with all his faults. He was there!
The rain had lessened some and Todd crossed over to the edge of the shelter to look out. There was a look of wrenching pain on his face but it was soon replaced by one of steely resolve.
"Make up your mind one way or the other, Tea. I'm a man who is in love, but I'm no fool either. I'm not some young boy you can yank around with all that garbage about "not knowing my future". If you want to be in my future, you'd better decide quick. There's a world out there that I want to conquer and I'm not wasting any more time. The ball's in your court!" he said this forcefully as if dropping a gauntlet at her feet.
He took one long look at her and strode out into the misting rain. She saw his form get smaller in the distance and she jumped up without even thinking.
"Todd!" she yelled at him. Crazy bastard! Tears washed over her face as she ran blindly out into the summer rain calling after him. I'll make you pay for this if it takes the rest of my life!She caught up with him, her eyes wild with distress and her hair and clothes once more dripping. What was left of her mascara had started to run again, and she shrieked once more at him.
"Todd, wait!"
Todd turned and his eyes softened for an instant. She does love me! He looked at her as if assessing her appearance.
"Tea, cut out the hysterics!" he half smiled at her and spoke again.
"You look awful, Tea!" he said with mock seriousness. She stood there before him, vulnerable and hopelessly in love -- aware that he had won her over. This time she didn't mind losing as their eyes met and the rain pored down on them. I'm here to stay, Todd Manning, so you'd better get used to it!
He put his arms around her waist and lifted her petite body a few inches off the ground and kissed her as she had dreamed of him kissing her for all those months. Just like in the movies she thought as the rain rolled off their faces.
"Can we go home now, Todd?" she asked him as he gently put her back down.
"Yeah, home, I think I can deal with that now!" he said and a broad grin spread over his face. Tea laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as they sloshed their way through the puddles of rain.
THE END
