| AGAIN BY TORRI |
CHAPTER 15 |
Part 15
I anxiously anticipate the nightwhen our minds, bodies and souls become one.
The night when I shall unveil my desire
and hold you 'til the moon gives way to the sun.
I will light a million candles
that will flicker in my eyes.
I'll slowly reveal my body
and show where all my secrets lie.
I will run a nice, hot bubbly bath
for just the two of us.
We'll sip the finest of all wines,
and kiss until the dusk.
And then when day becomes night
and our passion is at its height,
and when the fire in our bodies ignite
we will know the time is right.
She was the first to wake. She felt his breath on her neck, and his hand surrounding hers. She turns and looks at the clock, which reads 9:30. She couldn't believe she slept this long without waking up. She quietly extracted her hand from his, and silently got out of bed.
She wanders around the house, searching for the bathroom. For some reason, she is drawn to the master suite, as if someone is calling her name. This room is absolutely incredible! I could definitely get used to this view. What am I saying? I need to get out of here. She turns to leave, but decides instead to look in the closet. There are two walk in closets, one for him, one for her. The first one she opens is his. It's full of casual clothes, light colors as well as dark colors. Everything looked so cool and comfortable. Next, she looked in the other closet, expecting it to be empty. The closet was filled from top to bottom with clothes, shoes and accessories. She rummaged through the closet, not believing her eyes. My god, is all this for me? Well, it damned well better be. I'm sure he won't mind if I take something to wear for today. Let's see, what should I wear. She was like a kid in a candy store, trying different combinations. She finally settled on a pair of white linen slacks, a short sleeved matching top, and a red tank to go underneath. After getting dressed, she went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee for Todd. Checking the clock and seeing that it's getting late, she decides to leave.
The Hotel
An Hour Later
Tea tries to sneak in her hotel room, without being seen by Rachel or Nick, but they were both waiting for her in her room.
"You guys scared the hell out of me," says a startled Tea.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be trying to sneak in," Nick responds. "So, how did it go?"
"Fine. By the way, I'm going to kill you both. Rachel, I can't believe that you agreed to be a part of this."
"I really didn't have a choice. Nick didn't even tell me about it until we were on the plane. So, when's the third wedding?"
"Who said anything about a wedding?"
"Please, girlfriend, it's a cycle. He promises to be good, you forgive, you put him on probation for a few weeks, he asks you to marry him, you agree, you get divorced, and you repeat the process."
"Shut up," Tea says with a smile.
"So, tell us what happened," says Nick.
Tea sits on the couch, and takes a deep breath before answering. "We had a candlelight dinner on the beach, then we went for a long walk. It was so beautiful, just talking to him, and being near him. We ended up going back to his place, at which time he informed me that it was really our place. It's the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. You guys should have seen it, I can't even describe it. We had dessert, talked some more, then we went to bed."
"Together?" Rachel asks with disbelief in her voice.
"No, not like that. He held my hand all night. It was one of the sweetest things he's ever done. Now, tell me what you guys did last night."
"We went shopping and to dinner," Rachel answers.
"Is that all?" Tea asks.
"Did you think we would have hot, steamy, sweaty, uninhibited sex on the first date? What kind of a guy do you think I am?"
Rachel playfully punches Nick in the arm, and starts to fan herself. "Hey, you have two women who have been celibate for awhile, talking like that could be hazardous to your health."
"Ooh, kinky, I like that," Nick teases.
Todd's House
Morning
He finally wakes up, after sleeping better than he had since he left Llanview. He turns over and checks the clock that reads 12:00. He turns toward her side of the bed, but she's gone. Immediately, he starts to panic, thinking she had changed her mind. He reluctantly gets out of bed, and brushes his teeth takes a shower. The hot water is a relief to his body, as it relaxes his tense shoulders.
What did I do to drive you away this time? I thought things were going well. Maybe I hurt you in my sleep. Oh god, please don't let me have hurt her. What if she just changed her mind? I'll just call her at the hotel, and see what happened. Naw, I'll just stop by, in case it's the last time I can see her face.
He steps out of the shower and towels himself off. He goes to his bedroom, and notices her closet door slightly ajar. After taking a mental inventory, he concludes that she took one of her outfits. Closing the door, he goes to his closet and picks out a pair of cream slacks, and a tight - fitting maroon shirt.
As he walks downstairs he inhales the aroma of the coffee. She must not have been in too much of a hurry.
The Hotel
Afternoon
Tea, Nick and Rachel are talking as they have lunch in the hotel restaurant. None of them notices Todd standing in the doorway holding a bouquet of peach roses. They laugh loudly at a joke Nick cracks, suddenly Tea goes silent. She sees him across the room, and rendered speechless at the sight of the beautiful man that claimed to love her. Everyone seemed to notice him.
"Damn," Rachel says as she observes Todd's sexy body.
As if in slow motion, they move toward each other. All eyes are on them, but they notice nothing outside of their world. Their love clearly evident, causes an electric currant to flow through the restaurant.
"How come you left so early?" Todd asks.
"I just needed to think some things out. Are those for me?" She says pointing to the flowers.
"Uh, yeah," he says handing the bouquet to her.
"Thank you, they're beautiful."
"Do you get the feeling that everyone's staring at us?" He asks as he looks around.
"Yes. Do you want to join us for lunch? We just ordered."
"Uh, I don't think so. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."
"You won't. Come on," she reaches for his hand and links their fingers.
"I don't know if this is such a good idea."
"Please, for me?" She asks as she gives him that look that she knows he can't resist.
"Only if you agree to spend the rest of the day with me."
"You drive a hard bargain Manning," she says as she ponders his offer. "Okay." She leads him to their table and to the seat next to her.
"Hi, I'm Nick," he extends his hand for Todd to shake.
"Todd Manning. Hi, Rachel."
Before she responds, she glances at Tea who mouths "be good" to her. "Hi, Todd. Long time, no see."
"Tea, what did you order?"
"Just a salad."
"Yuck, I think I'll have a hamburger," he says to the waiter who just approached. "Yeah, a hamburger, fries, and a Pepsi," he hands the waiter his menu.
"How do you like the island?" Nick asked genuinely interested.
"It's fine, I guess."
"So, what do you do all day?"
"Not much."
"You're a man of few words."
"He's a little shy," says Tea.
Rachel just looks at Todd, and, as much as she hated to admit it, there was a difference in him. she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about him that was strangely calm. As she took in his entire appearance, his well-defined physique, his tan, even his hair, she realized that this was not the Todd Manning that she remembered. She carefully watched his interaction with Tea and Nick, especially the way he looked at Tea. There was nothing other than complete and unconditional love for her in his eyes. It almost made her jealous, the thought that someone could love another person as much as Todd loved Tea.
"Rachel, are you going to come back to earth now?" Nick asks.
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something. What were you saying?"
"I asked you if you wanted to go parasailing later."
"I don't swim. I just sit along the edge of the water looking good," she jokes.
"Rachel, you can't swim?" Tea asks in disbelief.
"No, but I do a good job of faking."
"Nick, you should teach her how to swim. He taught me how when were kids," Tea says ignoring the glance from Todd.
"Yeah, I'm a good teacher. Actually, I'm pretty good at whatever I do."
"I'm game, just promise not to throw me in or anything."
"Damn, you're taking the fun out of it," Nick says.
"Good thing you told him, he threw me in and forced me to learn," Tea says as she looks over at Todd. He is clearly uncomfortable, and ready to leave. "Todd, are you ready?"
"Yeah," he perks up. He motions to the waiter to bring the check, pays the bill, and he and Tea leave to begin their day together.
