| AGAIN BY TORRI |
CHAPTER 13 |
Part 13
I cannot explain
what it is that
I'm feeling for you,
but it's something
I've never had before.
Whenever I see you,
or hear your voice
I just want to run to you
And be held in your arms.
Ever since you left me
that day,
I haven't been the same.
I have cried so many nights
for you,
longing to be near you.
What hurts me most
is that you didn't have the courage
to tell me goodbye,
or that you didn't love me.
I had to find out from a friend
that you were gone.
I was left feeling
alone and abandoned.
How am I to go on
Without you to love?
Now that you're gone forever,
I guess I will have to go on,
But how?
The warm Hawaiian air smacks the passengers on the plane as they exit. Tea is the first to exit, slightly drunk, she stumbles down the stairs. Nick grabs her from behind and steadies her.
"Are you alright?" Nick asks.
"I think I had a little too much to drink."
"I almost forgot how much you hate to fly." He turns around and sees Rachel struggling with her carry on bag. "Let me get that for you," he takes Rachel's bag and carries it to the limosine.
Nick and the driver unload the rest of the luggage and pack them in the trunk. As soon as Tea gets in the car, she falls asleep. "She never could hold her liquor," Nick says. "We should probably drop her off at the hotel."
"Drop her of?"
"Yeah, that way, you and I can do a little shopping and catch a bite to eat."
"What if she wakes up?"
"This actually works out perfectly. We'll leave the limo and have the driver take her to the beach to meet Todd."
Todd's House
Later that Day
Todd is hurridly getting ready for his surprise. He hates wearing tuxedos, but for her he could endure the torture for a few hours. His hair is starting to grow back, but it's at that in-between stage, where there's not much he could do with it. He wanted to get a hair cut, but she always seemed to like it long, so he just let it hang below his ears.
Well, this is it. This is my shot at winning Delgado back, I can't blow it. All I have to do is act natural, what ever that means. Okay, she never liked normal, just civilized, I think I can do civilized. Use utensils, chew with my mouth closed, most of all, control my temper. Don't push her too much, let her control what happens.
He looks at his watch, realizing that it's almost time, he grabs his jacket and heads for the beach.
The Beach
Dusk
Tea approaches the spot where the driver told her to meet her companions, but they have yet to arrive. This is so beautiful. He thought of everything, peach roses, her favorite champagne and candles. Where's the food? He'll probably have it flown in or something. I hope they come soon, I'm starving.
She takes off her shoes, and walks to the edge of the water and takes a deep breath. Before she even turns around, she knows he is there. She could smell his cologne. Her stomach jumps, her breath catches, tears immediately sting her eyes.
He steps a little closer, careful not to touch her. He stands behind her for a few seconds, drinking her in, before saying anything. Finally able to speak, he whispers her name.
Slowly, she turns around and looks into his hazel eyes. Now she is left speechless at the sight of the man she loves. He wordlessly takes her hand and leads her back to the blanket. Out of nowhere, a waiter appears, carrying two plates with silver warmers. He leaves quietly, careful not to disturb the couple, lost in each others eyes.
"Are you alright?" Todd asks, concerned that she has yet to speak.
"Yes, I'm just surprised. How did you know I was here?" Not daring to break the eye contact.
"Nick."
"How do you know him?"
"I don't know him. We got in touch, and boom, you're here. I don't know about you, but I'm starving," he says as he uncovers their plates. "You want some wine?"
"I shouldn't, but, what the heck. This food looks delicious, I haven't had crab legs in months. You went all out, huh?"
"No, I mean we all gotta eat, right? Do you like your dress?"
"Did you pick this out?"
"Yeah," he pours the wine, almost spilling it, hypnotized by her eyes.
"I love it. For a man who hates to shop, you really have great taste. Perfect size."
"You look good in anything, but I love to see you in red. And the size thing, that wasn't hard either, I just told the lady to get me the smallest one they had."
They start to eat dinner, trying not to get too messy. After a while, Tea gives up on trying to be prissy, and picks up a crab leg and yanks the meat out, spraying them both with juice. Todd follows her lead and does the same. By the time they are finished, they are covered in crab sauce.
"I hope this comes out," Tea says, wiping at the stains on her dress.
"If not, we can get you a new one."
"It won't be the same."
"Whatever you want."
Tea tries to stand up to quickly, and falls back down.
"What's wrong?"
"For the second time today I think I had too much to drink."
"You wanna go for a walk, maybe the night air will help," he says as he stands up and reaches for her hand. Their fingers automatically entwine, sending shivers through both of them. He stares at her for a moment, silently wanting her more than he had wanted anything before.
"What?" She asks, puzzled by his expression.
"Uh, nothing. Let's go this way," he leads her along the beach.
After a half- hour walking silently, they finally end up where they started. The blanket, plates and utensils have all been removed.
"What happened to our stuff?" Tea asks.
"Oh, I had someone clean it up. Do you want some desert?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"How about a hot fudge sundae, or cheesecake, whatever you want."
"A hot fudge sundae sounds good."
"Let's go," he leads her toward the house.
"Todd, where are we going?"
He stops suddenly. "We have to go to our place to get it."
"Our place?"
"Yeah, it's right there," he said pointing directly behind them.
"You mean we've been right in your backyard?"
"No, we've been in our backyard."
"Race you," he says as he takes off for the door.
She follows him, but he beats her by a mile.
"What's the matter? You outta shape?" He taunts.
"You cheated. You got a head start."
"You know I never play fair. So what's my prize?"
"Wait one minute, Manning, we never said anything about a prize."
"Hey, we make up the rules as we go along, remember."
"You're right," she concedes, "so, what do you want?"
"I want to spend some time with you while you're here. Do you think maybe we can start over? I mean, like court-ing."
"I don't know Todd."
"Okay, well, that's not a no, right?"
"No, it's not a no."
"Good, um, well, let's go in the house we'll talk."
"That's a first."
"What?"
"Todd Manning wanting to talk."
"Give me another chance, and you'll see a lot of firsts," he opens the door to the house, and leads her into their home.
