The Love In My Eyes

I just heard this song on CMT, and I had to write about it. This takes place during this imposter situation.

Disclaimer: I don’t owe the characters. That’s all JER. The song, “Come a Little Closer”, is by Lila McCann.

“Just leave Luis. I have nothing more to say to you,” Sheridan said, her anger very evident in her voice. “I’m not leaving until we work this out,” Luis said, trying to stay calm. “Fine, I’ll call security then.” She walks away from him “Sheridan please don’t. All right, something is not right here. Either there’s been a terrible mistake, or...” “I know what I saw,” she said venomously.

“Or your family is trying to split us apart.” He reached for her hand, and she backs away. “Come on. Either way we have to hold on to what we have. We have to fight for what we have, our love. Love is all we have.” His desperation was clear in his voice. Just then, music started to fill the area.

You look like an angel
I wanna touch you
Come a little closer
There’s not much we can do
Oh unless you
Come a little closer

If you can’t see the love in my eyes
If you can’t hear my heart beating faster
Than maybe, you should come a little closer
If you can’t feel the electricity
Flying between you and me
Then maybe, you should come a little closer

One foot in front of the other
Come a little closer
Right now
One inch between us
Is one too many
Come a little closer
Don’t resist it
Too much distance
Are you listening
Come a little closer

If you can’t see the love in my eyes
If you can’t hear my heart beating faster
Then maybe, you should come a little closer
If you can’t feel the electricity
Flying between you and me
Then maybe, you should come a little closer

One foot in front of the other
Come a little closer
Let your heart lead you, I need you
Right here, right now, don’t slow down
Keep coming, that’s it, come on

Come a little closer
Come a little closer
Come a little closer

Sheridan walked away for him. The song, it was just too much for her right now. She couldn’t handle it, couldn’t handle Luis being there after everything he did. It hurt too much. “Sheridan, did you hear that song? Look into my eyes. Can’t you see my love for you?” Luis asked. Sheridan didn’t make any move to step forward. “Sheridan, look into my eyes. I love you. It’s all there, you just have to look. I would never do this to you. I love you too much. I could never hurt you. Would you please just look at me?”

Sheridan turned to face him, but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She knew what she saw with her own eyes. He was in bed with another woman. She saw it. There was no way he could get out of it. As much as she wanted to believe him in her heart, the evidence was there. There would be no “let’s pretend it didn’t happen” this time.

“Sheridan, please. It wasn’t me. I swear to God it wasn’t me. Did you listen to that song? If you can’t see the love in my eyes, come a little closer . Sheridan, it’s there, Just look for it.” He reached for her again, and this time she didn’t pull away. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look at him. “Sheridan, look at me. I love you. Can’t you see that? I would never lie to you. Don’t you see it in my eyes? My love for you, it’s all there.”

Her chin began to quiver, and the tears came again. She was so confused. The love he said was there in his eyes, she saw it. Either he was good, or he was telling the truth. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. What if it was a set-up? “Sheridan, give me a chance. Let me prove to you that it wasn’t me, that I didn’t betray you. Please, say you’ll give me a chance. Please Sheridan.”

If she said no, and it wasn’t a set-up, her heart would be safe from breaking yet again, but if it was a set-up, she would be losing the best thing that ever happened to her. “Luis, just give me some time alone to think. I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is what I saw broke my heart worse than it ever has been broken before. Please, just leave.” “If that’s what you want, I’ll go for now. You will think about it, though right? I will do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this.” Luis saw her nod. “Good-bye,” he said before walking out the door.

Sheridan had sleepless, restless night. She couldn’t get the images of what she’d seen earlier out of her head. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see and hear was Luis and that other woman. She needed to take a walk and get some fresh air. She headed down to the wharf. *************************************************************************************

“Well done,” Julian said. “When do I get my money?” the imposter asked. “As soon as you and Dee Dee get out of town?” “It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Crane.” “Likewise.” Julian hung up. The plan worked perfectly. “Sheridan and Luis are finished, and best of all, I don’t have to kill them.” He does a little dance. “Now, where is Rebecca?” *************************************************************************************

Dee Dee and the imposter were packing up, ready to get out of town. “Mr. Crane insisted that we get rid of this mask,” the imposter said. “Can’t we have just a little more fun with it before we do?” Dee Dee asked. She thought Luis was sexy and the imposter was good in bed. Why not have both? After another round, they grabbed their stuff. Both of them wanted their money. They ran out of the house in such haste, that the imposter forget to take off the mask. *************************************************************************************

Luis was out driving in his car. Sleep was not a option tonight. How could he lose everything in a matter of minutes? Why couldn’t she just believe him? He would never use her. She meant everything to him. Why couldn’t she see that. He stopped his car and got out. He needed some fresh air. He hoped a walk on the wharf would help.

He walked aimlessly around for hours. The wharf held so many memories of him and Sheridan. He remembered the first time they really kissed, and the feelings that kiss brought to his attention. It may have started out as a kiss for cover, but all the feelings he experienced were real. That kiss took him to another place. It was then that he realized just how strong his feelings for Sheridan were. He was broken out of thought when he heard someone crying. He moved in the direction of the noise. *************************************************************************************

Walking on the wharf stirred up many memories and feelings for Sheridan. She remembered the first kiss she and Luis really shared, but she also remembered coming back and hearing him say he was just using her. Was it right for her to just forget all of that? He insisted it wasn’t him then just the same way he was insisting it wasn’t him now. He had the same look in his eyes. Could he have really played her for a fool twice? She sat down on the nearest bench and started to cry. Maybe a walk on the wharf wasn’t such a good idea after all. *************************************************************************************

“I just have to go pick up a few more things, then we can get out of town,” the imposter said. As they walked along the wharf, they saw someone crying. When they looked closer, they realized it was Sheridan. “The plan worked brilliantly. She’s taking all of this pretty hard,” Dee Dee said. “I told you it was a job well done.”

Dee Dee turned to face him. It was then that she noticed he was still wearing the mask. “You forgot something.” “What?” “This,” she said pointing at the mask. “You’re still wearing the mask.” *************************************************************************************

As Luis approached the woman, he saw it was Sheridan. “What is she doing down here at this time of night?” he wondered. It tore him apart seeing her crying. Knowing that she thought he was the one who caused her such pain was unbearable. He wasn’t sure what to do. Should he go to her, or leave her alone? He wasn’t able to think long because he heard a male voice say, “I can’t get it off. It’s stuck.”

“You idiot. How could you leave it on? I can’t believe this. Someone’s going to catch us, and we’ll never get our money. Mr. Crane isn’t going to like this at all,” a female voice said. Julian or Alistair, what did either of them have to do with it? Luis had never heard those voices before in his life. “Couldn’t you feel the mask on your face this whole time? This is not good at all,” the female voice said.

“Would you quit panicking? No one’s going to catch us. The plan worked. Sheridan and Luis are finished, and we’ll get our money.” “I knew it was a set-up,” Luis said, taking off in the direction of the voices. He couldn’t let them get away. Hearing the voices become louder, he knew that he was close. “Come on. I know you’re around here somewhere.” “Would you just quit your complaining and help me get in off,” the male voice said.

At that moment Luis came around the corner and was face-to-face with a man who looked exactly like him. Luis couldn’t believe it. “Julian and Alistair hired an imposter to spit Sheridan and me up. I can’t believe. I guess they really don’t want me snooping around if they’d go to these lengths. They’re going to pay for doing this. Sheridan, I promise I’ll make them pay.” “Uh-oh,” the imposter said. “This isn’t good.”

“Who the hell are you?” Luis demanded. “Never mind. You can explain everything later. Right now the two of you are coming with me. Luis roughly grabbed both of them by the arm and pulled them to where he’d just seen Sheridan.

When they got back to the bench, it was vacant. “Where did you go, Sheridan?” Luis hauled the imposter and Dee Dee to his car. “Get in,” he ordered. He was angry enough to kill, and the other two knew that. Both of them got into the car. Luis handcuffed them together, making sure neither of them would get away. He pulled into the driveway of the cottage. As he got closer to the cottage, he heard crying. In the background he could hear music. It was the same song they’d heard earlier. He stopped at the door and listened.

“Luis, I saw the love in your eyes. You said it was there, and I saw it. You told me you didn’t do it, you wouldn’t never hurt me. I believe you. But nothing can explain what I saw. Would my family really do this to me? Do they really hate me that much?” Sheridan was torturing herself. “I can’t lose you.”

Luis couldn’t take it anymore. He took his spare set of cuffs and cuffed the imposter and Dee Dee the gate in front of the driveway. Then he knocked on the door. He saw Sheridan get off the couch and walk to the door. He heard the doorknob turn and the second the door was open he pulled her into an embrace. She didn’t fight him. He held her close and let her cry. “Shh baby. I’m here,” he said, rubbing her back soothingly.

She pulled away and looked up at him. “Luis, I’m so sorry. I know you love me. Your eyes, they tell me everything. What I saw hurt so much. It shattered my heart. My hurt and anger took control over everything, and I didn’t give anything you said a second thought. I’m sorry.” “Sheridan, it’s all right. After what you saw, you had every right to be angry and hurt. It hurt me that you would think that I would give up everything between us, that I would hurt you. I understand though, and I understand why you thought you saw me. Come with me, I have something to show you.”

He lead her outside and over to the gate. What Sheridan saw shocked her? Standing in front of her was Luis’ twin. “Your family hired an imposter. They made sure that you would see the two of them together. They even went to the trouble of having a mask of my face made right down to the smallest detail,” Luis said. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this,” Sheridan said, anger and hurt returning to her voice. “My father and brother are going to pay for this.” She was pacing now.

“Sheridan, I need you to do something for me. I need you to stay here. I’m going to go up to the mansion and get Julian.” “Luis, let me go up to the mansion. Julian will listen to me. I’ll bring him down here. He’s going to know something’s up if you go.”

Luis had to admit that she had a point. “Be careful Sheridan. I love you. Don’t do anything rash. Promise me.” “I promise. I love you too.” She went up to the mansion. *************************************************************************************

“I can’t believe how perfectly the plan worked,” Rebecca said. “I know. Sheridan and Luis are on the way to permanent splitsville. The best part is that neither of them no what hit them, and there’s no way it can come back to us,” Julian said. Sheridan was outside the door listening to this. She had to keep her anger in check though. Julian and Rebecca, she couldn’t believe Rebecca was in on this too, couldn’t be suspicious of anything. She knocked on the door, then entered the room.

“Sister dear, what is it?” Julian asked. “Yeah Sheridan, what’s wrong?” Rebecca asked. “It’s Luis, he came back and won’t leave. Could the two of you come over to the cottage. If you threaten him, he’ll leave?” Sheridan said. “Of course. Anything to help you,” Julian said. Together the three of them walked to the cottage. “They’re in for the shock of their lives,” Sheridan says to herself.

Julian and Rebecca stopped dead in their tracks as they got closer to the gate. “You see Julian, Luis stumbled across the participants in your plan. I can’t believe you would do this to me. How could you?” The words came out of Sheridan’s mouth like poison. She was so angry Julian and Rebecca could taste it. “This wasn’t part of the plan, though, was it?”

Before either Julian or Rebecca knew what was happening, Luis was in their faces. “Looks like your plan didn’t work. I don’t understand how you could do this to Sheridan? She’s your sister of God sake. Someone who would do this has no heart, but then, I never thought you did. Rebecca, you’re just as bad as Julian. I promise you this, both of you will pay for what you’ve done to Sheridan.”

Just then, red flashing lights approached. The officers stepped out of one of the police cruisers and walk to where Julian, Rebecca, Sheridan, and Luis were standing. One of the officers was about ready to slap the cuffs on Julian, but Luis stopped him. “Let me do it,” he said. “You’re going to spend some time right where you belong, in jail.” Luis hauled him off in the direction of the cruiser.

By the time Luis was back to Sheridan, the cruisers were gone. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” she said. “All the matters is that we’re together now. If you ever need reassurance, look in my eyes. My love for you is there and it will always be there.”

“I know it will.” “How about we go inside? It’s been a long, exhausting, hellish day. I don’t know about you, but I could use some sleep.” “Me too. I need to be in your arms, curled up beside you.” “I need that too.” They walked into the cottage hand-in-hand. *************************************************************************************

Six Months Later

You look like an angel
I wanna touch you
Come a little closer
There’s not much we can do
Oh unless you
Come a little closer

If you can’t see the love in my eyes
If you can’t hear my heart beating faster
Than maybe, you should come a little closer
If you can’t feel the electricity
Flying between you and me
Then maybe, you should come a little closer

One foot in front of the other
Come a little closer
Right now
One inch between us
Is one too many
Come a little closer
Don’t resist it
Too much distance
Are you listening
Come a little closer

If you can’t see the love in my eyes
If you can’t hear my heart beating faster
Then maybe, you should come a little closer
If you can’t feel the electricity
Flying between you and me
Then maybe, you should come a little closer

One foot in front of the other
Come a little closer
Let your heart lead you, I need you
Right here, right now, don’t slow down
Keep coming, that’s it, come on

Come a little closer
Come a little closer
Come a little closer

“This song got us through a tough time. It showed me that I never had to doubt you, Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald,” Sheridan said. “It did get us through that difficult situation. You will never, ever have to doubt me. I love you Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald. You’re my angel,” Luis said.

They were dancing together at their reception. They’d worked through all of their problems and Sheridan’s doubts. Luis had made her see that what they had was true love and that he would never hurt her. If she ever had even the slightest doubt, all she had to do was look into his eyes. “Sheridan, I love you. Look into my eyes,” Luis said. “I know you do, and I love you.” They sealed their declaration with a kiss.

THE END