The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
LIES FEARS & LOVE
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
28 |
chapter 28
TEA’S APARTMENT
Blair stepped out of the elevator and looked for Tea’s apartment--she hadn’t been hard to find. Slowly she made her way down the corridor checking the numbers on the doors until she came to the corner apartment. Looking around the elegant, old building, Blair wondered how Tea could afford to live in this building and whether Todd was paying for it.
She pulled a compact out of her purse and checked herself out. Wiping the lipstick from her lips and messing up her hair, she looked down, straightening the pillow beneath her blue dress, and prepared to knock.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she knocked, and waited.
She noticed someone looking through a peephole before the door opened and saw a small, dark-haired woman with olive skin standing there.
“Yes?” asked Lourdes.
Blair put on a sweet smile.
“Hi, I’m looking for Tea Delgado. I’m an old friend from Llanview, Blair Cramer.”
Lourdes recognized the name immediately and stepped in front of her.
“Is Ms. Delgado expecting you?”
“No. I know I should’ve called. Is she here?” she asked, pushing past Lourdes and walking into the livingroom.
“Please wait here. I’ll be right back,” said Lourdes, annoyed by her rudeness.
Blair looked around the place as Lourdes went out onto a terrace. Noticing the simple, elegant surroundings she sniffed enviously, but what caught her eye was a small, child’s football on a chair. She picked it up and examined it curiously.
Lourdes approached Tea as she sat at a table working, typing into her laptop. Lourdes looked back over her shoulder with a worried expression as Tea looked up.
“Who was that at the door at this hour?” she asked casually when she noticed the strange expression on Lourdes’ face.
“She said her name is Blair Cramer.”
Tea got up quickly with a look of astonishment.
“What? What could she possibly want with me? Lourdes, I want you to escort her out here and close the door behind you. Then go into Leo’s room, close the door and don’t come out until I tell you,” she said quickly.
Lourdes nodded but sensed the panic in her voice.
Lourdes disappeared but was back in an instant, followed by Blair. Blair stepped forward and faced Tea.
The two women looked at each other for an instance with caution and suspicion, one trying to read the other, but revealing nothing. They had not known each other a long time and yet, because of Todd, they had amassed quite a history between them, and they felt like ancient rivals. Suddenly Blair broke into a smile.
“Hi, Tea. I know I should have called but I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”
“And you would have been right,” said Tea, crossing her arms defensively.
“Would you like some refreshments, Ms. Delgado?” asked Lourdes, eyeing Blair.
“No, Lourdes. Please go and take care of that little matter, Ms. Cramer won’t be staying long.”
Lourdes disappeared, closing the doors behind her as Blair observed Tea , slender and radiant in a long, white tank dress and long, flowing hair.
“This is a beautiful apartment, and what an incredible view, Tea, you must be doing very well.”
“ I’m quite sure you didn’t get on a plane and fly to New York to see me in order to discuss my view. What do you want, Blair?”
Blair looked down at her own bulging belly and back up at Tea, her face taking on a sad aura.
“Well, Tea, I came to talk to you about Todd, woman to woman.”
Tea’s back went up at the mention of Todd. She stepped back and noticed Blair’s swollen stomach as a small wave of nausea fluttered through her. Blair looked pale and disheveled, she observed, and she was acting awfully docile.
“Does Todd know you’re here?” asked Tea.
“No, I thought it was best if we spoke alone.”
“We have nothing to talk about, Blair and I would appreciate it if you left right now.”
Blair walked over to Tea and placed a hand on her arm.
“Please, Tea, hear me out...if not for me, than for my unborn baby,” she said, rubbing her stomach.
Tea kept her guard up, she knew what this woman was capable of, but she was also a mother know and on some level identified with her condition. She motioned for her to sit down, and she took a chair opposite her.
“What do you want, Blair.”
“As you may have heard, Todd and I were getting married, but suddenly he’s changed his mind and doesn’t want to marry me. Starr is devastated. All she ever wanted was for her family to be together and now, with a new baby on the way...well...you can imagine how she must feel.”
Tea stood up and turned away from Blair feeling guilty about Starr and suddenly feeling very much like “the other woman.” She walked to the edge of the terrace and stared out at the city, silently, as Blair continued.
“I think it’s because of you, isn’t it, Tea?”
Tea turned around to face her.
“Why don’t you ask, Todd.”
“I already mentioned it to Todd and he didn’t deny it. He wants to be with you.”
“What do you want from me, Blair?”
Blair stood up and approached Tea with tears in her eyes.
“I want you to let him go...for the life of my baby.”
Tea stared at her in confusion.
“I don’t understand.”
“You see, Tea, I haven’t told Todd, but there’s something wrong with our baby. I had an amniocentesis done last week and it confirmed that our baby...has....uhm...Down’s syndrome.”
Tea’s mouth fell open as she stared at Blair whose tears now rolled down her face. Tea’s heart sank as she a walked over to her and helped her back into a chair, her maternal instincts kicking in. She took her hand and sat opposite her.
“Oh my God, Blair, I’m so sorry. You must be devastated.”
Blair nodded her head as she removed a tissue from her purse, dabbed her eyes and blew her nose.
“Yes, I am. And I just don’t know how I’m going to tell Todd. You know how he loves children.”
“Blair, you have to tell him. He can help you get through this.”
Blair stood up again and looked away from Tea.
“Yes, I was hoping he’d be there for me, and for Starr, but now he’s leaving us...for you,” she said turning around to face Tea with a scared expression.
Tea looked away.
“That’s why I came here, Tea. Please don’t take Todd away from us. I just don’t know how Starr and I will make it without him. I’m so scared, Tea, for my baby,” she sobbed into her tissue.
Tea got up and put her arms around Blair to comfort her. Blair smiled over her shoulder, keeping her stomach a slight distance away from Tea. Finally, Tea let go of her.
“Blair, you need to talk to Todd about this. I can’t be involved in this.”
“But you are involved, Tea. And as long as you are, Starr and me and our baby will be left alone to deal with everything. We need him.”
Tea shut her eyes and shook her head. This afternoon she and Todd had been together, making love and planning their future--the life they had wanted together just within their grasp.
“Blair. Go and tell Todd. He needs to hear this from you.”
Blair nodded silently and picked up her purse, heading for the French doors. Before exiting she turned around and glanced back at Tea who looked pale and devastated, clutching the railing. She opened the door and walked back into the livingroom and closing it quickly behind her she looked up at the ceiling and smiled with satisfaction.
Lourdes watched Blair silently from the hallway, smiling up at the ceiling and then heading for the door. When she heard the apartment door slam, Lourdes went out onto the terrace to find Tea crying into her hands. Tea looked up and Lourdes took her into her arms.
to be continued...
2001 Copyright by Trog
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