| AGAIN BY TORRI |
CHAPTER 11 |
Part 11
My heart is hurting,
Crying desperately for love.
My eyes are stinging,
Red
And raw
From the millions of tears I have shed.
My throat is sore
From the sobs
I have tried to silence.
Hurt.
Raw.
Sore.
Pain invades every part of my body,
Every part of my soul.
Each night I try to escape the pain,
Yet it finds me,
Even in my dreams.
She doesn't know how long she's been sitting in the park. It's starting to get cold, but she doesn't notice. She doesn't notice the rain that has started to lightly fall. All she can think about is the man that she loved. Nick quietly walks up behind her, and watches for a few minutes before approaching.
Wordlessly, he removes his jacket, and wraps it around her shivering body. He slides next to her. She leans into him, and puts her head on his shoulder.
"I loved him so much. Do you know that?"
"Loved or love?" He asks as he strokes her hair.
"I love him, but I don't know what to do."
"Let's go back to your place so you can get out of these wet clothes," he takes her hand and leads her away.
The Penthouse
She throws her purse on the couch, and walks up the stairs.
"Do you want some tea?" Nick asks.
She nods, then continues up the stairs. Instead of going to her room, she walks into the master bedroom, and searches through his closet. She's not looking for anything in particular. She then goes over to his dresser, and opens the top drawer. It's filled with t - shirts and sweats. While moving things around, she notices a small box hidden in the back of the drawer. She grabs a pair of his sweat pants, t - shirt, and the box, and sits on the bed.
Nick, worried about Tea, walks up the stair looking for her. He notices a door slightly ajar with a light on. He starts to walk in, but changes his mind when he sees Tea holding a gift box. Thankful that he had decided to give Vicki Carpenter his cell phone number for Todd Manning, he goes back downstairs to make a phone call.
Tea opens the box, and gasps at the sight. It's a gold locket, inside a picture of Todd and Starr, outside it is engraved with the words "Our love lasts forever."
Nick scrolls down the numbers on his caller i.d. until he comes across the name Todd Manning. He turns the phone on, and dials the number. After the fifth ring, Todd finally answers.
"Yeah," Todd answers.
"Todd, this is Nick."
"Is something wrong with Tea?"
"Yes."
"Is she in the hospital?"
"No, she's not hurt. I found her in the park, sitting in the rain. I don't know the exact details, but she received your gift at the diner, then she got into an argument with her neice. Carlotta said she just ran out without a word."
"Have you talked to her?" Todd asks, concerned for her.
"She hasn't been too talkative. The reason I called is because I want to know where you are."
"Like I would tell you."
"Hear me out. She needs to be with you, but I don't think she'll come on her own."
"So you're going to kidnap her? That's my M.O."
"No, I'm just going to suggest that she take a little vacation with me. We'll come to where you are, and you'll bump into each other."
"Why should I trust you?"
"That's right, Tea did mention that you had a problem with trust. I don't care about you, but I owe Tea something, and the only way I can repay her is to give her her life back. Just don't screw it up again. So are you going to tell me where you are or what?"
"Maui."
"Okay. I'll call you back after I make the plans," Nick hangs up abruptly, when he hears Tea coming down the stairs.
"You didn't have to hang up on my account," she says as she takes her cup of tea from the table.
"I didn't. Those clothes are a little too big for you," he says as he notices that she's wearing Todd's sweats.
"Yeah, but they're comfortable," she says as she sits on the couch.
"Are you feeling better?"
"I guess."
"New necklace?" he notices the locket and opens it. "Nice picture."
"I found it hidden in one of his drawers. I thought that I was finally moving on with my life. Well, not really moving on, but I was coming to terms with being without him. Then, everything changed."
"What do you mean?"
"He called last night. It was the first time we'd spoken in months. He seemed so different."
"Different how?"
"Calm. Serene. Todd was always anxious, at times even paranoid. He could never relax, but last night, he seemed sort of at peace. He said all the things that I wanted to hear and I believed him," she runs her fingers through her hear and sighs deeply. "Oh, and today, he sent me a gold two of hearts card with diamonds."
He reaches in his pocket and retrieves the card. "That reminds me," he hands her the card. "Carlotta told me to give this to you."
"Thank you. I left so abruptly, I forgot it at the diner."
"You're welcome. So, if you believe him, why don't you act like it."
"What do you mean?"
"Tea, look at me, I'm 29 years old, never been in love, never had anything that's lasted over three months. You, on the other hand, overcame tremendous odds, became a great attorney and found the love of your life. You had it all, why aren't you willing to fight to get that back?"
"I don't know. I don't want to leave myself that vulnerable again," her eyes fill with tears, but she does not let them fall.
"What's so bad about leaving yourself vulnerable?"
"You leave yourself open for heartbreak."
"You leave yourself open for the greatest feeling in the world," he retorts.
"I'm not willing to take the risk."
"That's funny. I always remember you as being courageous."
"Maybe my courage is all used up."
"Nope," shaking his head "when someone has survived what you've gone through, anything else is a piece of cake."
"Whatever," a smile crosses her face as she realizes she just used Todd's favorite word.
"What are you smiling at?"
"Todd used to say that all the time."
"I think you need to get away from here. You need some time to clear your head. Why don't you let me take you to Hawaii for a few days."
"You make it seem like I can just pick up and leave."
"What's stopping you? You don't have a job, no kids, no husband, there's no reason why you can't."
"Oh, thanks. You make me sound so pathetic."
"What do you say? If you want, we can invite that girl I saw you talking to the other night."
"What girl?"
"Very pretty, curly hair, nice body."
"Rachel?"
"I guess. We can take her with us if you want."
"I think you want her there to keep you company, not me."
"Why don't you give her a call and see if she wants to come," he hands her the phone.
"You've never even met her. What makes you think she would want to come?"
"Once a woman meets me, she can't resist. I'm charming, handsome, intelligent, rich, what more could a woman want?"
"Whatever," she says as she dials Rachel's number.
