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| STILL IN THE SHADOWS BY TIMA |
CHAPTER 7 |
Tea: I told you I would spend the night tomorrow but that wasn't good enough for you, was it?
Todd: All I did was give you a little pleasure to think about during that long, long drive you were taking tonight. You enjoyed yourself, didn't you?
Tea: Shut up!
[Todd has no desire to continue speaking as Tea bridges the distance between their bodies and, with Todd's help, pulls his pants and underwear off. As she takes him into her mouth, Todd lies back with a smirk on his face, knowing that she won't be going anywhere tonight.]
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[The next morning...
Tea awakens to the sensation of Todd's mouth on her breast...his tongue on her nipple. She purrs her approval. Knowing that she's finally awake, Todd removes his mouth from her breast and kisses up her neck until their mouths are locked together. Several minutes later, they break away from the kiss as Todd lays down on his back and Tea turns her body and snuggles against him.]
Tea: I should be angry about what you did last night.
Todd: But you're not.
Tea: Wake me up like that every morning and I'll never wake up angry with you.
Todd: Did it really bother you?
Tea: Just the fact that you were trying to manipulate me.
Todd: Why didn't you stop me if it really bothered you?
Tea: Do you really need an answer to that?
Todd: So, you did enjoy it?
Tea: I think I proved that last night right here in this bed.
[Tea is caressing Todd's body, feeling very happy and content when she suddenly realizes that it's light out.]
Tea (sitting up): What time is it? (looking at a nearby clock) I'm late. I knew this would happen. I was supposed to be at the community center already and I still have to drive into town and shower and change.
[Tea frantically gathers her clothing and begins dressing.]
Todd: What's the big deal if you're a little late?
Tea: The big deal is that if someone calls the penthouse and I'm not there they may want to know where I was.
Todd: So you'll make something up.
Tea: I could just tell everyone the truth.
Todd: You wouldn't.
Tea: It's ridiculous that you're keeping it a secret. (Sitting back down on the bed next to Todd) Come with me.
Todd: No way.
Tea: You won't be alone. I'll be right next to you. I know that you want to see Starr.
Todd: I will. You'll go for a walk with her in the park. I'll be there.
Tea: But will you be hiding? You could come forward and talk to her and hold her in your arms. I think that's something that you both need right now.
Todd: I'm not ready.
Tea: When will you be ready?
Todd: You don't enjoy sneaking around with me?
Tea: I enjoy every moment that I spend with you. I want you to have everything that will make you happy and being with Starr is the most important thing to you. I know that.
Todd: I don't want to mess up her life anymore than I already have.
Tea: Your absence is not enhancing her life.
Todd: I think it is. No one has ever had a better life for having known me.
Tea: I have. Just think about it, okay? You can think while we drive into town.
Todd: We?
Tea: We might as well drive in together since we're both coming back here tonight. It would be less conspicuous than this camper of yours.
Todd: Not if someone spots me in your car.
Tea: You can hide in the back seat and I'll park several blocks from the community center, okay?
[Tea convinces Todd and they both dress and drive into town together.
When Tea finally makes it to the community center Carlotta and Andrew both question why she didn't answer her phone hours earlier when they both had tried calling her. Tea lies that she had turned her phone off the night before and then overslept. They both believe her.
While helping to prepare the Thanksgiving meal Tea spends time with Starr which makes her miss the time when she was married to Todd and lived with him and Starr, even more than she normally does.
After a couple of hours, Tea asks Starr to take a break with her and go for a walk. Before leaving the community center Tea sneaks into a private area and calls Todd on his cell phone. Tea had finally convinced Todd to give her his cell phone number so she could call him to let him know when she would be bringing Starr to the park.
At the park, Todd lurks nearby and watches and listens as his ex-wife and daughter talk. It's especially difficult for him when Starr mentions how much she misses him.
Tea assures Starr that Todd loves her very much and misses her tremendously. It hurts Todd a great deal to hear the sadness in his daughter's voice when she talks about him but he just can't bring himself to come out of hiding. He feels worthless and that he has nothing to offer her so she's better off without him, even if she does miss him.
Hours later...
Tea calls Todd to let him know that she's done at the community center and ready to pick him up. She's not surprised when he tells her he's at the docks.
She picks him up and they drive silently back to his motor home.
When they arrive, Tea retrieves a small suitcase that she had placed in her trunk earlier in the day. Todd unlocks his motor home and then wanders off without saying anything to Tea. Knowing he needs time alone, Tea lets him go and goes into the motor home to wait for him.
When Todd returns hours later he finds her asleep on the bed. He takes off his shoes and climbs in next to her.
An hour later, Tea awakens.]
Tea (placing her arm across Todd's body): You're back.
Todd: I live here.
Tea: Do you want me to leave?
Todd: Why would I want that?
Tea: If you want to be alone I could leave and we could try this sleeping together idea another time.
Todd: I never said I wanted you to leave.
[Tea kisses the side of Todd's face and caresses his chest through his shirt. Todd's body stays stiff and Tea gives up after a few minutes of trying to help him relax.
After Tea rolls as far away from Todd as she can on the small bed he rolls toward her and places his arm around her body. They stay that way for a long time with Tea softly stroking Todd's arm. When Todd starts kissing the back of Tea's neck she knows that he's ready for more serious physical connecting.
Tea rolls over so she's facing Todd and they kiss. Soon all clothing is removed and they slowly make love.
When they both have pleasured each other into exhaustion, they lay together enjoying the closeness they each feel with the other. Tea's body is atop Todd's body and Todd's arms around Tea's bare back. Several minutes of comfortable silence pass before words are spoken.]
Tea: Todd?
Todd: Yeah?
Tea: It's Thanksgiving.
Todd: Not anymore it isn't.
Tea: Well, it was and there's something that I want to say to you.
Todd: Well, you missed your chance since it's not Thanksgiving anymore. You'll have to wait until the next holiday to get all sappy on me.
Tea: What makes you think I wanted to say something sappy?
Todd: I know you.
Tea: Then you won't be surprised when I say it anyway.
Todd: Tea, don't. We've done okay without all the words so far.
Tea: Sorry, Todd. I'm going to say it.
[Todd grunts in disapproval but doesn't make any effort to move or get away.]
Tea: Today...yesterday...whenever...there was a lot of talk about being thankful.
Todd: Every year it's the same. People yack about all that sappy garbage and say all kinds of stuff that they don't really mean and the very next day they're right back to hating each other's guts and trying to stab each other in the back. What the hell's the point of saying all that stuff when no one means any of it?
Tea: I mean this. When I think about what I'm thankful for there's one thing that always tops my list.
Todd: That we still have similar hair?
Tea: Close.
Todd: Stop now while you still can, Tea.
Tea: I can't stop. I don't want to stop. When you left everyone told me how lucky I was but it didn't feel that way. It just hurt a lot. It wasn't because of anything that happened on that disastrous night. What hurt the most was thinking...believing...that you didn't love me...that you never had. (tears coming to her eyes) I can't tell you what that felt like. It...it was...devastating. I walked around for months feeling like a zombie, going through the motions but not being able to feel anything but this ache inside me. And then I saw you again and even before we made love everything felt different. It just felt good to know that you were near me, that you were alive. We did make love, though, and being able to feel you, to kiss you, to touch you, made me feel like my life was returning to me. The thing that I'm most thankful for is you, Todd. Every time that you let me show you that I love you feels like a special treat. The joy that I feel with you is greater than I ever imagined that it would be. I'm grateful for every second that we've had, or will have, together. I'll sneak around for the rest of my life if it's the only way I can be with you.
Todd: Yeah, well, I was thinking about it and it won't have to be for much longer.
[Tea raises her head and looks into Todd's eyes.]
Tea: Are you finally giving up the shadows?
Todd: No.
Tea: Todd, it's time.
Todd: Not yet. I can't do it yet. I've decided that I'll do it for Christmas. I'll give everyone in Llanview the gift of me for Christmas. The Buchanans will want to return that gift, of course.
Tea: Starr won't...and Viki...Jessica...
Todd: Let's stop talking about this, okay? You know you'll have to spend the next several weeks trying to convince me to go through with this, right?
Tea: I won't let you back out because I know it's what you really want.
Todd: If you say so.
[Tea rests her head on Todd's chest as they both are silent for several minutes.]
Todd: Tea?
Tea: Yes?
Todd: You weren't expecting a bunch of sappy words from me, were you?
Tea: No. However...
Todd: Look, I don't do that sort of thing well.
Tea: I know that's not true. I've heard your words before, remember?
Todd: Yeah, but I always ended up messing everything up in the end.
Tea: This time you won't because I won't let you. There's no way you're going to sabotage us this time. Say the words...don't say the words...it doesn't matter. The way that you touch me, look at me, kiss me, make love to me, tells me everything that I need to know.
Todd: So, I don't have to tell you that I love you?
Tea: I already know that.
Todd: I don't have to tell you that I'm glad your around?
Tea: I know that, too.
Todd: That I'm glad that you were stalking my kid at the same time and in the same place that I was stalking her and that you didn't run away when you saw me? That I missed you when I was gone? That I'm glad you can still stand me? That it makes me feel good when I hear you laugh? That even sappy holidays aren't as torturous when I'm with you? That you actually make me think almost positively about the future? That you're the first person I would call if I was really in trouble? That I like what we've been doing these last few weeks? That it felt good waking up next to you this morning? That I want you to be there when I wake up every morning? That maybe if you are then I'll actually be waking up because I'll actually have fallen asleep the night before? That I like the way your body fits against mine? I don't have to tell you any of that kind of stuff?
Tea: No.
Todd: I don't have to say the words and tell you that I want to make love to you again right now either, do I?
Tea: Your body is doing a pretty good job of telling me that all by itself.
Todd: So, are we done with the talk?
Tea: Just one more thing.
Todd: What?
[Tea moves further up Todd's body so her mouth is close to his.]
Tea: I love you, Todd.
Todd: This is where I'm supposed to say ditto, right?
Tea: Right.
Todd: I love you, too, Delgado.
Tea: You didn't have to say that.
Todd: Shut up.
[Todd places his hand on the back of Tea's head and brings her mouth down onto his. They kiss. They make love. They sleep in each other's arms.]
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