by Jade
Harrison Bridger descended the platform and made his way through the crowd, not even bothering to watch the embarrassed couples. He had no desire to see Nick Riley holding Jo Bhaer in his arms.
His admiration of Jo had cost him much: his peace of mind, his sleep and even some of his sanity. To stay a gentleman and not let his jealousy show was to remain immersed in painful longing for a woman he knew would never be his. And slowly his jealousy was getting harder to hide...
"Mr. Bridger?"
He looked up to see graceful Meg Brooke waiting at his side expectantly.
"Oh, hello, Meg," he said, injecting a false tone of happiness into his voice for her benefit, "Could I do something for you?"
"Well," she said haltingly, "You looked so lonely and I just thought maybe I could accompany you."
Looking up, Harrison was surprised to see Meg's usually creamy complexion tinged with pink. And he was even more surprised by the content of her message. Everyone in Concord knew that Meg was practically engaged to Edward Trenton. She wouldn't be interested in him, not when she could have Edward.
"Actually," he said, slightly interested in the way their conversation was going, "I was just about to leave."
"Oh," Meg said, looking down, and Harrison was pleased to see disappointment spring up in her eyes.
"Well then..." she started, "I won't hold you up."
"Then again," he said, breaking in, "Maybe I won't."
"Really?!" Meg squeaked, her face lighting up, then reddening, causing Harrison to laugh.
"Yes, really," he said, still chuckling.
"Would you like to go for a walk?" He asked, offering her his arm.
"Indeed," Meg accepted, recovering her composure and slipping her arm through his.
As they strolled through the crowd and toward the door Nick and Jo had just vacated, Harrison studied Meg out the corner of his eye. She really was a handsome woman; though lacking Jo's vibrancy, she had an honest strength and genteelness surrounding her that lent her an air of attractiveness.
Meanwhile, Meg was thinking of how distant Harrison was. She was greatly aware of his attraction to Jo and often cringed at his off-hand comments that he had directed to her younger sister. She felt sorry for him in a way, and her mothering instinct propelled her toward him, but lately she had found herself admiring him in a very different way. His aloofness toward her and any woman other than Jo both puzzled and saddened her.
As they passed under the mistletoe-graced door, Meg caught sight of the plant and found herself wondering what it would be like to be trapped under there with Harrison. The thought brought a rosy blush to her face and she prayed profusely that he hadn't seen it.
As they went outside, Meg shivered at the sudden change of temperature and Harrison, feeling her shake, slipped his arm around her.
"Thank you, Harrison," Meg said, glad that the darkness hid her face.
"You're welcome," he replied indifferently.
"So," Meg said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence, "How's the paper coming along?"
"Oh, wonderful!" He said, showing more emotion than he had all night, "We had a Mr. Billiard of Boston come in and propose a deal..."
Meg phased out, disappointed at the lack of intimacy he showed her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a couple in a long embrace. She realized it was Nick and Jo at the same time she realized Harrison had fallen silent.
Turning away, she watched a dark shadow of anger cross his face before he pulled away from her and walked away.
"Harrison!" She called out, hurrying after him in concern.
As she caught up to him, he glanced at her once and waved her away. "I want to be alone, Meg."
"Harrison!" She repeated in a tear-filled voice and he stopped and looked at her in concern.
"She's not yours!" She choked out, her eyes overflowing with anger combined with pain.
"She'll never be yours! She's in love with Nick, can't you accept that?!"
"No." He said angrily, his eyes flashing, "I can't accept it. She's the only woman I've ever thought of, ever since..." He stopped, cutting himself off before he revealed too much.
Meg looked down, hurt by the confession, and then she moved close to him and touched his face.
"Do... Do you ever think of me, Harrison?" She asked quietly, her eyes searching his.
Harrison stood stoically, his eyes fixed on her lovely upturned face, and then in one swift movement, he took her in his arms.
Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her passionately, losing himself in her sweetness. And then he pulled away in confusion and anguish and walked away.
The End... or is it?
HARRISON
This is a side of Harrison we've never seen before, but that gives him some real emotion and depth. We're glad to see he's more than just a goofy newspaper editor!
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