This is an old(er) song that I just love and it just happens to be what I centered my story around. In order for you to understand some parts of the story, here are the lyrics to the song.
It's morning, and we slept the night away
It happened, now we can't turn back the hands of time (oh no)
Yes we've stolen this moment,
We forgot to face, one simple fact
We both belong~ to some else
As we slept, the night away
It's morning, sunlight shines across your sleeping face
A new day, brings reality that we must go our
Se~parate way
What a lovely night, we had (yeah yeah)
As we shared each other's love
We forgot about all the pain we'd cause as we slept the night away
As we lay
We forgot about tomorrow as we lay (mmhmm, hey hey)
As we lay
We didn't think about the price we'd have to pay( oh no, no no nono no no no)
It's morning
And now it's time for us to say goodbye
Goodbye baby
You're leaving me,
I know you got to hurry home to face your wi~fe, whoa
I would never want to hurt her no
She would never understand
You belonged to me for just one night
As we slept the night away
As We Lay
We forgot about tomorrow
As we lay
We didn't think about the price we'd have to pay...oh no
We should have counted up the cost
But instead we got lost
In the second, in the minute, in the hour hey hey, hey
As we lay
We forgot about tomorrow,
As we lay, whoa
It's morning (it's morning) (oo oo)
It's morning (whoa)
It's morning
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Chapter 12
If you had asked either of them if they thought they’d end up where they were, they both would’ve said no. Jeremy was married and Charlotte, up until that morning, had a boyfriend.
So when Jeremy led Charlotte up to a room of the hotel they decided to only sit in to talk, she was freaking out, surprised, concerned and a whole range of other emotions all at the same time.
Her concern was that she didn’t think that Jeremy could, or ever would, cheat on anyone. That just wasn’t in him, she thought. But at the same time, she was surprised at how okay with that she was, which surprised her even more.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was freaking out inside. He couldn’t believe that he’d already went further with Charlotte than he intended to, but now he was leading her to their own private hotel room. He realized that he was on autopilot and that his heart wasn’t responding to what his mind was telling him anymore. He felt that if he was going to make any moves outside of his marriage, he wanted it to be with Charlotte. His want and need for her was well worth the risk, he told himself.
He just hoped that she felt the same way.
“After you, Madame,” Jeremy said as he held the door open for Charlotte.
“Why, thank you, my good man,” she responded.
She couldn’t believe that they were being so cool about everything. She was all over the place on the inside. But as she entered the room, excitement took over. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she knew that she couldn’t wait to do whatever that was.
“Charlotte, I need to be straight up and honest with you and get this off my chest before anything else happens,” Jeremy said. Then he took a deep breath.
“I meant everything I said earlier, when I told you that all I want is a little bit of time to spend with you. I didn’t bring you up here to sleep with you,” he blushed, “but believe me when I say that the things I’ve already done to you in my head… how flexible are you…”
He stopped and looked at her sheepishly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out that way.”
Charlotte couldn’t hide the smile that lit up her face. She thought he was so cute when he was rambling on, especially when he was rambling about embarrassing things.
“Okay, let me start over. Like I said earlier, I just need some time with you. I don’t care if you don’t say a word, I just really feel strongly about having to be around you right now. I need to make up for lost time. And if something happens in the time that we get to spend together, then so be it. I just hope that you feel the same way.”
For a minute, Charlotte didn’t say anything. She was searching for the right way to tell him that she felt the same way. She just wanted some time.
But she wouldn’t be upset if something more happened. And she wanted him to know that.
“I agree.” That was all she said, and it immediately brought a huge smile to his face.
“Cool, cool. Okay,” he said, clamping his hands together, “let’s check out the room service menu. I’m getting hungry again. Oh, and we can order some wine or something, set the mood and talk. I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right.”
She smirked at him. He was one of the few guys that got her personality and that could challenge her wit. That was another thing she loved about him. He always kept her on her toes.
“No, that’s not what we’re here for. You’ll find out soon enough, though. Mark my words on that one, buddy,” she said teasingly.
So they looked over the menu and ordered light dinners. Jeremy opted to order a bottle of champagne, for them to celebrate finally telling each other about their feelings for each other. When the food arrived, they sat down at the small table in the suite and ate together. They talked about everything except what they were doing in the hotel, his wife and Damien.
After they finished their meal, they moved over to the bed, Jeremy laying across it on his back and Charlotte sitting at the head of the bed hugging a pillow.
This was the moment of truth.
__________________________________________________________
Robin and Greg sat at a small corner table in the restaurant of the fancy New York hotel. She loved going there because they didn’t have to sneak and hide their relationship, plus, they’d been there so many times that the hotel staff knew them by name.
“Baby, don’t worry about it. Maybe this is the push you need to finally up and leave and come be with me, where you belong. I don’t see this as a problem. I see it as that push you need, that we both need,” Greg told Robin.
She was telling him about how she felt earlier and her thoughts on why. She was freaking out, again, and he was sitting across from her all happy. He wanted to be with her, to marry her, but she kept giving him excuses as to why she couldn’t leave Jeremy “just yet”. He saw this as a good thing for him because now she could be with him and the added bonus was a little Robin or Greg running around. He was ecstatic.
“I can’t do this, Greg. What if the baby is Jeremy’s? What will you do then? I knew it was a bad idea to start this thing up with you again. I should’ve followed my first mind.”
She was doing more talking to herself than him, really. He didn’t care though. Either way, this could be the nail in the coffin to get what he wanted.
“Okay, babe. Let’s really look at this whole thing. You feel sick, nauseous, right? Well, maybe it could be something you ate, or even just the plane ride. You’ve been working really hard lately and eating food that’s not really good for you. You don’t even know if you’re pregnant. You could be jumping the gun on this,” he said, trying to comfort her.
But he didn’t believe a word of it.
“I know,” she sighed.
“I mean, I haven’t even missed a period yet… wait, I’m not sure,” she said, trying to think back. “I need to check my calendar. But Greg,” she said while putting her hands in her lap and leaning across the table, “what if I am pregnant? What then?”
The pleading look in her eyes made him reach out across the table. She took his hand and he soothingly ran his thumb across the back of her hand.
“Baby, I can assure you that whatever situation may come, we’ll get through it the best way we can. Together. I’ll make sure that everything work out for the both of us. I promise.
Robin smiled across the table at Greg, hoping that what he said was true and things did work out, whatever was going to happen.
_______________________________________________________________
Jeremy rolled over onto his stomach and leaned his chin on the heels of his hands and stared at Charlotte.
She was leaning with her back against the headboard of the bed with her eyes closed. He thought she looked beautiful. He still couldn’t believe that he was here with her, after all this time.
“Lady, you okay?” he asked?
Her eyes fluttered open as she looked over at him.
“Yeah, I’m okay, just sitting here thinking and listening,” she said, referring to the soft music playing in the background.
He moved to sit like her, with his back to the headboard. She immediately placed the pillow she was hugging in his lap and laid her head on it. He took that moment to touch her hair. It was still as soft as he could remember. He used to always sit at the head of his bed and she would lay across his lap when they would hang out in his room. She was one of the few females that his mother would allow in his room. Her motto always was: No babies in this house with the same last name as me. Both her and Jeremy’s father were the only children in their respective households, so that would only leave Jeremy to father a baby with their last name. His mom wanted to do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t happen before he graduated high school.
She raised him well, though. And he wished that he listened to her more often. She was the one that always teased him and Charlotte saying that they would end up together, but the two of them always laughed it off, saying that they were just best friends. Boy, would she be happy now.
But Jeremy didn’t know how to tell her without Robin finding out.
Robin. How would he explain Charlotte to him. He didn’t want to disrespect either of the women by making anyone uncomfortable.
He sighed out loud and Charlotte sat up and looked at him.
“I wish things were different,” Charlotte said. “Because I just don’t know how we would be able to see each other on a friendly basis after this without her,” she spat, “having something to say. Look at me,” she said, laughing to herself, “I haven’t even met her and I already don’t like her.”
Jeremy didn’t say anything. He laid down on the bed and then reached for Charlotte. She let him pull her down next to him and wrap his arms around her.
There was really nothing left to be said. They were both getting what they wanted, even if for just one night.
So when Jeremy led Charlotte up to a room of the hotel they decided to only sit in to talk, she was freaking out, surprised, concerned and a whole range of other emotions all at the same time.
Her concern was that she didn’t think that Jeremy could, or ever would, cheat on anyone. That just wasn’t in him, she thought. But at the same time, she was surprised at how okay with that she was, which surprised her even more.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was freaking out inside. He couldn’t believe that he’d already went further with Charlotte than he intended to, but now he was leading her to their own private hotel room. He realized that he was on autopilot and that his heart wasn’t responding to what his mind was telling him anymore. He felt that if he was going to make any moves outside of his marriage, he wanted it to be with Charlotte. His want and need for her was well worth the risk, he told himself.
He just hoped that she felt the same way.
“After you, Madame,” Jeremy said as he held the door open for Charlotte.
“Why, thank you, my good man,” she responded.
She couldn’t believe that they were being so cool about everything. She was all over the place on the inside. But as she entered the room, excitement took over. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she knew that she couldn’t wait to do whatever that was.
“Charlotte, I need to be straight up and honest with you and get this off my chest before anything else happens,” Jeremy said. Then he took a deep breath.
“I meant everything I said earlier, when I told you that all I want is a little bit of time to spend with you. I didn’t bring you up here to sleep with you,” he blushed, “but believe me when I say that the things I’ve already done to you in my head… how flexible are you…”
He stopped and looked at her sheepishly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out that way.”
Charlotte couldn’t hide the smile that lit up her face. She thought he was so cute when he was rambling on, especially when he was rambling about embarrassing things.
“Okay, let me start over. Like I said earlier, I just need some time with you. I don’t care if you don’t say a word, I just really feel strongly about having to be around you right now. I need to make up for lost time. And if something happens in the time that we get to spend together, then so be it. I just hope that you feel the same way.”
For a minute, Charlotte didn’t say anything. She was searching for the right way to tell him that she felt the same way. She just wanted some time.
But she wouldn’t be upset if something more happened. And she wanted him to know that.
“I agree.” That was all she said, and it immediately brought a huge smile to his face.
“Cool, cool. Okay,” he said, clamping his hands together, “let’s check out the room service menu. I’m getting hungry again. Oh, and we can order some wine or something, set the mood and talk. I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right.”
She smirked at him. He was one of the few guys that got her personality and that could challenge her wit. That was another thing she loved about him. He always kept her on her toes.
“No, that’s not what we’re here for. You’ll find out soon enough, though. Mark my words on that one, buddy,” she said teasingly.
So they looked over the menu and ordered light dinners. Jeremy opted to order a bottle of champagne, for them to celebrate finally telling each other about their feelings for each other. When the food arrived, they sat down at the small table in the suite and ate together. They talked about everything except what they were doing in the hotel, his wife and Damien.
After they finished their meal, they moved over to the bed, Jeremy laying across it on his back and Charlotte sitting at the head of the bed hugging a pillow.
This was the moment of truth.
__________________________________________________________
Robin and Greg sat at a small corner table in the restaurant of the fancy New York hotel. She loved going there because they didn’t have to sneak and hide their relationship, plus, they’d been there so many times that the hotel staff knew them by name.
“Baby, don’t worry about it. Maybe this is the push you need to finally up and leave and come be with me, where you belong. I don’t see this as a problem. I see it as that push you need, that we both need,” Greg told Robin.
She was telling him about how she felt earlier and her thoughts on why. She was freaking out, again, and he was sitting across from her all happy. He wanted to be with her, to marry her, but she kept giving him excuses as to why she couldn’t leave Jeremy “just yet”. He saw this as a good thing for him because now she could be with him and the added bonus was a little Robin or Greg running around. He was ecstatic.
“I can’t do this, Greg. What if the baby is Jeremy’s? What will you do then? I knew it was a bad idea to start this thing up with you again. I should’ve followed my first mind.”
She was doing more talking to herself than him, really. He didn’t care though. Either way, this could be the nail in the coffin to get what he wanted.
“Okay, babe. Let’s really look at this whole thing. You feel sick, nauseous, right? Well, maybe it could be something you ate, or even just the plane ride. You’ve been working really hard lately and eating food that’s not really good for you. You don’t even know if you’re pregnant. You could be jumping the gun on this,” he said, trying to comfort her.
But he didn’t believe a word of it.
“I know,” she sighed.
“I mean, I haven’t even missed a period yet… wait, I’m not sure,” she said, trying to think back. “I need to check my calendar. But Greg,” she said while putting her hands in her lap and leaning across the table, “what if I am pregnant? What then?”
The pleading look in her eyes made him reach out across the table. She took his hand and he soothingly ran his thumb across the back of her hand.
“Baby, I can assure you that whatever situation may come, we’ll get through it the best way we can. Together. I’ll make sure that everything work out for the both of us. I promise.
Robin smiled across the table at Greg, hoping that what he said was true and things did work out, whatever was going to happen.
_______________________________________________________________
Jeremy rolled over onto his stomach and leaned his chin on the heels of his hands and stared at Charlotte.
She was leaning with her back against the headboard of the bed with her eyes closed. He thought she looked beautiful. He still couldn’t believe that he was here with her, after all this time.
“Lady, you okay?” he asked?
Her eyes fluttered open as she looked over at him.
“Yeah, I’m okay, just sitting here thinking and listening,” she said, referring to the soft music playing in the background.
He moved to sit like her, with his back to the headboard. She immediately placed the pillow she was hugging in his lap and laid her head on it. He took that moment to touch her hair. It was still as soft as he could remember. He used to always sit at the head of his bed and she would lay across his lap when they would hang out in his room. She was one of the few females that his mother would allow in his room. Her motto always was: No babies in this house with the same last name as me. Both her and Jeremy’s father were the only children in their respective households, so that would only leave Jeremy to father a baby with their last name. His mom wanted to do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t happen before he graduated high school.
She raised him well, though. And he wished that he listened to her more often. She was the one that always teased him and Charlotte saying that they would end up together, but the two of them always laughed it off, saying that they were just best friends. Boy, would she be happy now.
But Jeremy didn’t know how to tell her without Robin finding out.
Robin. How would he explain Charlotte to him. He didn’t want to disrespect either of the women by making anyone uncomfortable.
He sighed out loud and Charlotte sat up and looked at him.
“I wish things were different,” Charlotte said. “Because I just don’t know how we would be able to see each other on a friendly basis after this without her,” she spat, “having something to say. Look at me,” she said, laughing to herself, “I haven’t even met her and I already don’t like her.”
Jeremy didn’t say anything. He laid down on the bed and then reached for Charlotte. She let him pull her down next to him and wrap his arms around her.
There was really nothing left to be said. They were both getting what they wanted, even if for just one night.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Chapter 11
After the second kiss, Jeremy was feeling really bad. Although he was enjoying the time he was spending with Charlotte, he felt bad because he didn’t feel bad about his action towards her. He thought he should be feeling guilty, to say the least, but he was perfectly fine with what he was doing.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was having a really hard time dealing with her feelings. She tried to put Robin out of sight and out of mind, but it wasn’t a total success.
They decided they needed a change of scenery, somewhere where there were lots of people moving about and intimacy would be hard to achieve. So they walked across the street to the Hilton and decided to sit in the lobby. It was still early in the evening, so they figured it would be okay.
They sat on the sofa across from the front window of the hotel. Charlotte tried not to think about how much she enjoyed his kisses and Jeremy tried not to think about how right she felt in his arms.
They talked about what they did for a living and about how, when they were younger and in school, they both wanted to be owners of their own businesses, and the fact that it came true. Jeremy talked about the struggles of trying to get his company off the ground and how his mom was his biggest supporter and Charlotte told him about how nervous she was when she planned her very wedding on her own.
They talked about getting together with all their old friends, but then decided against it. Charlotte didn’t want to meet Jeremy’s wife, and she told him that. She didn’t want to have a face to put with a name. “Out of sight, out of mind,” she’d told him. He didn’t completely believe her, though. He just wasn’t all that comfortable with Robin meeting Charlotte. Hell, he already knew he was in hot water with his mom. Now that she’d made contact with Charlotte, she was bound to throw it in Robin’s face any chance she got.
But that would just have to be something he dealt with when it happened. Now that Charlotte was back in his life he couldn’t very well let her slip away again. Robin would just have to understand and he figured he would have to find a way to present Charlotte as a friend, a sister even. He just wasn’t sure how he’d be able to pull that off.
“What’s going on over there in that head of yours,” Charlotte asked Jeremy. “You’ve been quiet and in and out for the past few minutes. I’m starting to think I’m just talking to myself.”
He laughed. One thing he could never do to Charlotte was ignore her.
“I’m just thinking about how crazy this all is. I mean, I have my best friend back, but at the same time…” he trails off.
Charlotte looks at him eagerly, waiting for him to finish his sentence. She wanted so badly to get inside his head. She knew that when he was deep in thought, he was quiet and that when he finally did speak up, he meant every word he said.
“I’m so married,” he said as he dropped his head against the back of the sofa. “Going any further with you would be so wrong, so very wrong, but yet, that’s all I can think about. Not the consequences, but how right is sounds, and is.”
He leans back again. Expressing himself in this manner was not what he wanted to do. He wanted to start over, to go back to yesterday when none of this had come up. It was just easier that way. He wouldn’t be confused and he definitely wouldn’t be contemplating getting a room. But he was, on both accounts. He couldn’t help it. He just wanted to kiss her all night, they didn’t even have to do anything else.
And to be quite honest, Charlotte was thinking the same thing. She just wanted time with him, just to be near him. She felt like, after all they’d confessed to each other, they deserved it. So what if he had a wife. He was going to go home to her. For pete’s sake, he married her. She just wanted, no NEEDED, a little time alone with him. Just for once and then she would be satisfied. No. She knew that was a lie. But she knew that if she got that time she could remember it and him forever.
Charlotte shook out of her daydream when Jeremy got up from the sofa.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her.
She took that moment to send a quick text message to her sister.
Hey sis! Guess who I’m out with? Jeremy Johnson! Yes, that Jeremy. I’m turning my phone off for a while and will talk to you when I make it home. Love you!
She’d just turned the phone off when she was startled by a presence standing over her. She looked up just as Jeremy reached his hand out to her. She looked at it and then back up at him. She knew what he was asking without even having to say the words.
“Charlotte, I want us to be the most truthful we’ve ever been in our entire lives right now. I would really regret not asking you this if we left from here right now. You know that the decision is completely yours to make, whatever you decide to do. But please know that all I’m asking for is extra time. You can just sit and stare at the wall for all I care. I’m just not ready to let you go yet.”
He stood there with his hand outstretched to her for what seemed like an eternity. Neither of them ever let the other one’s gave fall from sight.
Charlotte sat with her hands folded in her lap for only a second before she reached out to take his hand. Once he felt that contact, he gripped her hand as though he was holding on for dear life. She smiled at him as he placed his other hand on the small of her back and guided her over to the elevators.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was having a really hard time dealing with her feelings. She tried to put Robin out of sight and out of mind, but it wasn’t a total success.
They decided they needed a change of scenery, somewhere where there were lots of people moving about and intimacy would be hard to achieve. So they walked across the street to the Hilton and decided to sit in the lobby. It was still early in the evening, so they figured it would be okay.
They sat on the sofa across from the front window of the hotel. Charlotte tried not to think about how much she enjoyed his kisses and Jeremy tried not to think about how right she felt in his arms.
They talked about what they did for a living and about how, when they were younger and in school, they both wanted to be owners of their own businesses, and the fact that it came true. Jeremy talked about the struggles of trying to get his company off the ground and how his mom was his biggest supporter and Charlotte told him about how nervous she was when she planned her very wedding on her own.
They talked about getting together with all their old friends, but then decided against it. Charlotte didn’t want to meet Jeremy’s wife, and she told him that. She didn’t want to have a face to put with a name. “Out of sight, out of mind,” she’d told him. He didn’t completely believe her, though. He just wasn’t all that comfortable with Robin meeting Charlotte. Hell, he already knew he was in hot water with his mom. Now that she’d made contact with Charlotte, she was bound to throw it in Robin’s face any chance she got.
But that would just have to be something he dealt with when it happened. Now that Charlotte was back in his life he couldn’t very well let her slip away again. Robin would just have to understand and he figured he would have to find a way to present Charlotte as a friend, a sister even. He just wasn’t sure how he’d be able to pull that off.
“What’s going on over there in that head of yours,” Charlotte asked Jeremy. “You’ve been quiet and in and out for the past few minutes. I’m starting to think I’m just talking to myself.”
He laughed. One thing he could never do to Charlotte was ignore her.
“I’m just thinking about how crazy this all is. I mean, I have my best friend back, but at the same time…” he trails off.
Charlotte looks at him eagerly, waiting for him to finish his sentence. She wanted so badly to get inside his head. She knew that when he was deep in thought, he was quiet and that when he finally did speak up, he meant every word he said.
“I’m so married,” he said as he dropped his head against the back of the sofa. “Going any further with you would be so wrong, so very wrong, but yet, that’s all I can think about. Not the consequences, but how right is sounds, and is.”
He leans back again. Expressing himself in this manner was not what he wanted to do. He wanted to start over, to go back to yesterday when none of this had come up. It was just easier that way. He wouldn’t be confused and he definitely wouldn’t be contemplating getting a room. But he was, on both accounts. He couldn’t help it. He just wanted to kiss her all night, they didn’t even have to do anything else.
And to be quite honest, Charlotte was thinking the same thing. She just wanted time with him, just to be near him. She felt like, after all they’d confessed to each other, they deserved it. So what if he had a wife. He was going to go home to her. For pete’s sake, he married her. She just wanted, no NEEDED, a little time alone with him. Just for once and then she would be satisfied. No. She knew that was a lie. But she knew that if she got that time she could remember it and him forever.
Charlotte shook out of her daydream when Jeremy got up from the sofa.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her.
She took that moment to send a quick text message to her sister.
Hey sis! Guess who I’m out with? Jeremy Johnson! Yes, that Jeremy. I’m turning my phone off for a while and will talk to you when I make it home. Love you!
She’d just turned the phone off when she was startled by a presence standing over her. She looked up just as Jeremy reached his hand out to her. She looked at it and then back up at him. She knew what he was asking without even having to say the words.
“Charlotte, I want us to be the most truthful we’ve ever been in our entire lives right now. I would really regret not asking you this if we left from here right now. You know that the decision is completely yours to make, whatever you decide to do. But please know that all I’m asking for is extra time. You can just sit and stare at the wall for all I care. I’m just not ready to let you go yet.”
He stood there with his hand outstretched to her for what seemed like an eternity. Neither of them ever let the other one’s gave fall from sight.
Charlotte sat with her hands folded in her lap for only a second before she reached out to take his hand. Once he felt that contact, he gripped her hand as though he was holding on for dear life. She smiled at him as he placed his other hand on the small of her back and guided her over to the elevators.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Chapter 10
What do you do when the man of your dreams is kissing you like you’ve never been kissed before? You reluctantly stop and take a few steps back because, of course, he’s married. To someone else.
Charlotte hated that she had a conscience. Yes, it had allowed her kiss a married man, but at the same time, it was something she felt like she had to do. She wanted to let him know that she understood how he felt because she felt the same way.
But it wouldn’t matter, her feet were moving her toward the exit faster than her mind could think about what she’d just done.
“I’m sorry,” she said as the walked towards the front of the bar.
Jeremy jumped up and chased after her. He reached her just as she pushed the door open.
“Lady… stop,” he said as he grabbed her arm. He caressed her face. “Please don’t go.”
She closed her eyes the second his hand touched her face. This is what she wanted, yet she wasn’t sure it was what she should have. All she knew was that if she didn’t put some distance between the two of them, she wasn’t sure what would happen next.
“I’m sorry, I think I should. What just happened, what we did, it was wrong, so very wrong. I loved it,” she smiled weakly at him, “but it was so wrong.”
He was lost. He heard and understood what she was saying, but neither of them could get past the fact that it felt so right.
Jeremy took Charlotte’s hand and led her out of the doorway and back into the building. They were standing in the hallway leading to the restrooms. It wasn’t the most ideal place to have their conversation, but the talk needed to come out.
“I wish I’d said something years ago,” Charlotte said, turning away from him. “When we were in school, I used to wish for the day that you would come to me and tell me all the things you just told me.” She turned to face him. “The same things that I felt, and still feel for you now. Jeremy, I have loved you since day one, and I’ve never stopped.”
Jeremy leaned back against the wall. All this time he thought the feelings he had for her were one sided. To find this out now, it was like a relief and a hardship, both at the same time. He was married! He loved his wife. But -and this is where things got complicated- she was not Charlotte.
He dropped his head in his hands and sighed. He didn’t know what to say to fix the situation.
Charlotte stepped back from him and leaned against the opposite wall. She was spent, also.
As she watched him, she absently reached up and touched her lips. She could still feel his mouth pressed against hers. That moment will be etched in her mind, and heart, until the end of her days, she thought. The feelings that were rushing through her at that moment were like nothing she’d ever felt before. She was bursting inside and there was no way she could let that show.
Jeremy looked at the ceiling for a second and then back at Charlotte. He gave a hint of a smile.
“I still can’t believe how this is turning out. I would’ve never guessed that you felt that way about me. All those years,” he said while shaking his head, “we could’ve been grooving all this time.”
She giggled lightly at his choice of words. His sense of humor, compassion and his gigantic heart were just some of the things that made her fall so deep in love with him. The way he knew her, inside and out, also played a part.
“I can’t believe it either. But, considering how the past 10 years went, would you change it? If you could go back right now, still in the dark about what you know now, would you do anything differently? Would you tell me?”
Charlotte waited patiently for his answer, but they got interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She pulled it out to see who it was then silenced the ringer and put the phone back in her purse.
“Wow. That was just what we needed right there,” Jeremy said sarcastically.
Charlotte took a step closer to him.
Everything was whirling so fast in her mind she couldn’t do anything to slow it down. Now that she knew that he felt the same way, she wanted him for herself.
“I have to be honest with you. Again.”
Jeremy tilted his head, wondering what else she could possibly say.
“I want you. I, she stressed, “want you. For myself,” she finished.
She leaned against the wall next to him. It was all she could do to keep from jumping him right there in the hallway.
“But I know I can’t have you. And that just kills me.”
She sank down to her feet. She realized then that her heart was breaking.
“I’m in love with a married man,” she whispered. “I would never want to break up a happy home. And it was not my intention to come here and kiss you and, just all this,” she said, gesturing between them. “I am so sorry for that. But I feel compelled to lay it all out on the line here. I want you. I need you.”
It was tearing Jeremy apart to see her like that. He’d always considered her to be a rock. He knew she had feelings, but she was always strong. To see her breaking down was something new to him. He wanted to hold her, to make all the pain go away.
He sat on the floor beside her and put his arm around her. He felt her body tense and stiffen, then he felt her relax against him.
“I can’t believe I’m acting like this,” she said as she played with some lint on her pants. “I just never expected this. I don’t know what to do.”
She made the mistake of looking at him. Being that close to him, there was only one thing to do. This time, it was her leaning into him.
_______________________________________________________________________
Robin lay back on the bed of the hotel room. She was in heaven. She always enjoyed her getaways with Greg. She just hated that she had to lie to Jeremy about what she was doing.
She met Greg a few months after her and Jeremy got married. At first, she kept her distance from him, but then they got scheduled to work together on a deal. She had no choice but to be around him. And of course, he took advantage of the situation. No matter how many times she told him she was married and that she would never cheat on her husband, he kept pushing. After a couple of months, she gave into him.
It started off simple with dinner dates and talking on the phone.
Robin could never say that Jeremy didn’t pay attention to her or that he didn’t do for her because that wasn’t the case at all. They both worked, but with Jeremy owning his own contracting business, he had more free time. So he mostly took care of the household, which was a huge burden off her. She really had nothing to complain about. But yet, she still wanted more. So to her, Greg was just that.
But two years into her marriage, she got pregnant. Of course, she didn’t know which man was the father. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She was terrified to tell Jeremy. What if it was Greg's baby?
Unfortunately, two months after she found out, she had a miscarriage. That forced her to tell Jeremy that she was pregnant and that she’d lost the baby. He insisted on going with her to the doctor. After all, he thought it was his son or daughter that they’d lost.
Robin felt so bad about the baby, the miscarriage and Jeremy, that she even broke up with Greg. But that didn’t last very long. She found out that she liked the adventure of it all. She loved Jeremy and figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. She just figured that she had to be more careful.
Then, to make matters worse, over time her feelings for Greg started to turn from lust to love. He wanted her to leave Jeremy, but she kept putting it off. She didn’t want to have to give up what they both gave and did for her. Greg wanted her to divorce Jeremy and marry him, but she liked the idea of having it good on both sides. She wanted to hold on to Jeremy for as long as she could. He was too good of a man to let someone else have him. That was something she realized back when they were in college.
Back then, all the other guys just wanted to sex her, but Jeremywas laid back and easy going. He didn’t force or push her to do anything. He did things for her that you saw in the old movies and she loved that about him. If she was on good terms with his mother she would thank her everyday for the man she raised. She knew that he deserved better than her, but until he came to the realization himself, she was going to take every advantage of it.
“Damn, baby, that was amazing. Where did that come from?” Greg asked Robin.
They’d just finished a “huddle-room session”, a term they used to describe their sexual escapades. They were both breathing hard and tired.
“Oh, you know. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I wasn’t going to use them all right away,” she said as she kissed his cheek.
She rolled over and climbed out of the bed. As soon as she stood up, she immediately felt nauseous. She ran to the bathroom, slammed the door and threw up in the toilet. She’d been feeling ill for the past couple of days now.
“Babe,” Greg said as he pounded on the door from the outside, “are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, babe. I guess you were really working on my bladder there. I’ll be right out,” she said.
She washed her face and brushed her teeth, refusing to look at herself in the mirror. She didn't want to see the truth in her own face.
Charlotte hated that she had a conscience. Yes, it had allowed her kiss a married man, but at the same time, it was something she felt like she had to do. She wanted to let him know that she understood how he felt because she felt the same way.
But it wouldn’t matter, her feet were moving her toward the exit faster than her mind could think about what she’d just done.
“I’m sorry,” she said as the walked towards the front of the bar.
Jeremy jumped up and chased after her. He reached her just as she pushed the door open.
“Lady… stop,” he said as he grabbed her arm. He caressed her face. “Please don’t go.”
She closed her eyes the second his hand touched her face. This is what she wanted, yet she wasn’t sure it was what she should have. All she knew was that if she didn’t put some distance between the two of them, she wasn’t sure what would happen next.
“I’m sorry, I think I should. What just happened, what we did, it was wrong, so very wrong. I loved it,” she smiled weakly at him, “but it was so wrong.”
He was lost. He heard and understood what she was saying, but neither of them could get past the fact that it felt so right.
Jeremy took Charlotte’s hand and led her out of the doorway and back into the building. They were standing in the hallway leading to the restrooms. It wasn’t the most ideal place to have their conversation, but the talk needed to come out.
“I wish I’d said something years ago,” Charlotte said, turning away from him. “When we were in school, I used to wish for the day that you would come to me and tell me all the things you just told me.” She turned to face him. “The same things that I felt, and still feel for you now. Jeremy, I have loved you since day one, and I’ve never stopped.”
Jeremy leaned back against the wall. All this time he thought the feelings he had for her were one sided. To find this out now, it was like a relief and a hardship, both at the same time. He was married! He loved his wife. But -and this is where things got complicated- she was not Charlotte.
He dropped his head in his hands and sighed. He didn’t know what to say to fix the situation.
Charlotte stepped back from him and leaned against the opposite wall. She was spent, also.
As she watched him, she absently reached up and touched her lips. She could still feel his mouth pressed against hers. That moment will be etched in her mind, and heart, until the end of her days, she thought. The feelings that were rushing through her at that moment were like nothing she’d ever felt before. She was bursting inside and there was no way she could let that show.
Jeremy looked at the ceiling for a second and then back at Charlotte. He gave a hint of a smile.
“I still can’t believe how this is turning out. I would’ve never guessed that you felt that way about me. All those years,” he said while shaking his head, “we could’ve been grooving all this time.”
She giggled lightly at his choice of words. His sense of humor, compassion and his gigantic heart were just some of the things that made her fall so deep in love with him. The way he knew her, inside and out, also played a part.
“I can’t believe it either. But, considering how the past 10 years went, would you change it? If you could go back right now, still in the dark about what you know now, would you do anything differently? Would you tell me?”
Charlotte waited patiently for his answer, but they got interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She pulled it out to see who it was then silenced the ringer and put the phone back in her purse.
“Wow. That was just what we needed right there,” Jeremy said sarcastically.
Charlotte took a step closer to him.
Everything was whirling so fast in her mind she couldn’t do anything to slow it down. Now that she knew that he felt the same way, she wanted him for herself.
“I have to be honest with you. Again.”
Jeremy tilted his head, wondering what else she could possibly say.
“I want you. I, she stressed, “want you. For myself,” she finished.
She leaned against the wall next to him. It was all she could do to keep from jumping him right there in the hallway.
“But I know I can’t have you. And that just kills me.”
She sank down to her feet. She realized then that her heart was breaking.
“I’m in love with a married man,” she whispered. “I would never want to break up a happy home. And it was not my intention to come here and kiss you and, just all this,” she said, gesturing between them. “I am so sorry for that. But I feel compelled to lay it all out on the line here. I want you. I need you.”
It was tearing Jeremy apart to see her like that. He’d always considered her to be a rock. He knew she had feelings, but she was always strong. To see her breaking down was something new to him. He wanted to hold her, to make all the pain go away.
He sat on the floor beside her and put his arm around her. He felt her body tense and stiffen, then he felt her relax against him.
“I can’t believe I’m acting like this,” she said as she played with some lint on her pants. “I just never expected this. I don’t know what to do.”
She made the mistake of looking at him. Being that close to him, there was only one thing to do. This time, it was her leaning into him.
_______________________________________________________________________
Robin lay back on the bed of the hotel room. She was in heaven. She always enjoyed her getaways with Greg. She just hated that she had to lie to Jeremy about what she was doing.
She met Greg a few months after her and Jeremy got married. At first, she kept her distance from him, but then they got scheduled to work together on a deal. She had no choice but to be around him. And of course, he took advantage of the situation. No matter how many times she told him she was married and that she would never cheat on her husband, he kept pushing. After a couple of months, she gave into him.
It started off simple with dinner dates and talking on the phone.
Robin could never say that Jeremy didn’t pay attention to her or that he didn’t do for her because that wasn’t the case at all. They both worked, but with Jeremy owning his own contracting business, he had more free time. So he mostly took care of the household, which was a huge burden off her. She really had nothing to complain about. But yet, she still wanted more. So to her, Greg was just that.
But two years into her marriage, she got pregnant. Of course, she didn’t know which man was the father. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She was terrified to tell Jeremy. What if it was Greg's baby?
Unfortunately, two months after she found out, she had a miscarriage. That forced her to tell Jeremy that she was pregnant and that she’d lost the baby. He insisted on going with her to the doctor. After all, he thought it was his son or daughter that they’d lost.
Robin felt so bad about the baby, the miscarriage and Jeremy, that she even broke up with Greg. But that didn’t last very long. She found out that she liked the adventure of it all. She loved Jeremy and figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. She just figured that she had to be more careful.
Then, to make matters worse, over time her feelings for Greg started to turn from lust to love. He wanted her to leave Jeremy, but she kept putting it off. She didn’t want to have to give up what they both gave and did for her. Greg wanted her to divorce Jeremy and marry him, but she liked the idea of having it good on both sides. She wanted to hold on to Jeremy for as long as she could. He was too good of a man to let someone else have him. That was something she realized back when they were in college.
Back then, all the other guys just wanted to sex her, but Jeremywas laid back and easy going. He didn’t force or push her to do anything. He did things for her that you saw in the old movies and she loved that about him. If she was on good terms with his mother she would thank her everyday for the man she raised. She knew that he deserved better than her, but until he came to the realization himself, she was going to take every advantage of it.
“Damn, baby, that was amazing. Where did that come from?” Greg asked Robin.
They’d just finished a “huddle-room session”, a term they used to describe their sexual escapades. They were both breathing hard and tired.
“Oh, you know. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I wasn’t going to use them all right away,” she said as she kissed his cheek.
She rolled over and climbed out of the bed. As soon as she stood up, she immediately felt nauseous. She ran to the bathroom, slammed the door and threw up in the toilet. She’d been feeling ill for the past couple of days now.
“Babe,” Greg said as he pounded on the door from the outside, “are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, babe. I guess you were really working on my bladder there. I’ll be right out,” she said.
She washed her face and brushed her teeth, refusing to look at herself in the mirror. She didn't want to see the truth in her own face.
“Oh, God, please don’t let me be pregnant. I can’t go through this again,” she whispered to herself.
She looked down at her stomach and rubbed her hand across it. She lowered her head and said a silent prayer, wishing God to make the baby be Jeremy’s.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Chapter 9
After a very long hug, Charlotte reluctantly let Jeremy go. She reckoned that she could’ve stayed wrapped up in him ‘til the end of time. But she knew that her thoughts were inappropriate, considering his situation.
They each took their seats and shyly smiled at each other. Charlotte took the initiative to speak first.
“It’s so good to see you. You haven’t changed at all, well, except you don’t look as tall as you used to. Either way, you look really good,” she said with a slight blush in her cheeks.
“I could say the same thing about you. You still look like the same 18 that hugged me that day at graduation,” he started. “I can’t believe this. Wow.”
“I know. I have to be honest with you, though. I thought about not coming. I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I’m having a hard time with some things and I didn’t want to burden you with them, considering.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. He was feeling the same way. With both of them, they really wanted to see each other, but it was simple fact that, as far as they both knew, the other one was in relationship with someone else. Plus, it was ten years later.
“I know exactly what you mean. But I look at it like this: we were friends back then and we can be friends now. I mean we already kind of picked up the other day where we left off ten years ago. It’s as if no time has passed at all. I think once we get over the initial shock of seeing each other after all this time, things will get back to normal. I mean, I would like for them to get back to normal, wouldn’t you?”
He could look in her face and tell what she was thinking. She knew, just as well as he did, that he was rambling to cover up what he really wanted to say. He was grateful that she was kind enough not to tease him about it.
“I would really like that. I missed you, for most of the years we were apart,” she joked, “but I seriously can’t wait to really catch up with you and see what’s been going on. I know there is so much to tell you about what I’ve been through and done and seen and…” she paused and looked him in the eyes, “and all the mistakes I’ve made and things I let slip by.”
She looked away from him and closed her eyes after she said that because his stare was too intense for her to bear. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and get her heart’s pace back to normal. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that to him. Sure, she was known for her bluntness, but when it came to her feelings about him, she could never find her tongue. She hoped that he wouldn’t press her right then. Maybe later she could explain.
“Lady, are you feeling okay? I’m gonna get you some water,” he told her as he stood up from the table.
“No, no, I’m okay. I think I just need to get some air. Can we sit at one of the tables outside? I feel like the room is closing in on me.”
“Of course.”
Charlotte stood up and Jeremy put his hand on the small of her back and let her out the side door of the restaurant. Where his hand was placed, if felt as if all the heat in his body radiated through her skin and straight to her heart. She was in deep and she had no idea how she was going to make it through the rest of the evening. They’d only been talking for about 10 minutes. She had to pull it together.
“Wait, do you mind if we get something to eat?” She felt she needed something to keep her mind and hands busy.
“Oh, yeah,” he shook his head as if he was remembering something, “I totally forgot where we were. I’ll get it, if you want to stay here. What do you want?” he asked.
That was the Jeremy she remembered. He’d always been such a gentleman, pulling out chairs, holding doors. She knew that his wife was getting the royal treatment from him. Then she immediately thought about Damien. He never did anything like that for her.
“Um, get me whatever you’re getting. I’m good with that,” she said. She trusted him.
He headed off back into the restaurant. As soon as he was out of eyesight, Charlotte let out a high pitched squeal. She couldn’t believe that she was there with him. Just like old times, she thought.
She craned her neck around the pillars on the side of their table to look in through the window. She could see him placing their order. She watched him as he reached for their glasses and for the plates handed to him by the server. She was watching his body. He stilled moved fluidly, as though he was floating on air. It was so effortless. And his body… even beneath the shirt she could visually outline every muscle and each individual pack in the six pack.
She tried to make it seem like she wasn’t looking when he came back out of the restaurant, but she knew she was caught.
“Enjoy the view?” he asked, joking with her. “I saw you eyeballing me.”
“Yeah, I was trying to see if anything had changed. Are you still overdoing it in the gym?”
He laughed. She always did tease him about always working out and staying in shape. He knew that it was all in fun because she used to go with him back in the day.
“I do what I can, you know how it is. But after eating this,” he said, pointing to his plate, “I’ll be spending hours each day in there.”
She looked down at her plate and nodded.
“I know what you mean, but we can’t help it. It’s just too good.”
They both laughed and agreed as they dug into their food.
________________________________________________
They each took their seats and shyly smiled at each other. Charlotte took the initiative to speak first.
“It’s so good to see you. You haven’t changed at all, well, except you don’t look as tall as you used to. Either way, you look really good,” she said with a slight blush in her cheeks.
“I could say the same thing about you. You still look like the same 18 that hugged me that day at graduation,” he started. “I can’t believe this. Wow.”
“I know. I have to be honest with you, though. I thought about not coming. I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I’m having a hard time with some things and I didn’t want to burden you with them, considering.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. He was feeling the same way. With both of them, they really wanted to see each other, but it was simple fact that, as far as they both knew, the other one was in relationship with someone else. Plus, it was ten years later.
“I know exactly what you mean. But I look at it like this: we were friends back then and we can be friends now. I mean we already kind of picked up the other day where we left off ten years ago. It’s as if no time has passed at all. I think once we get over the initial shock of seeing each other after all this time, things will get back to normal. I mean, I would like for them to get back to normal, wouldn’t you?”
He could look in her face and tell what she was thinking. She knew, just as well as he did, that he was rambling to cover up what he really wanted to say. He was grateful that she was kind enough not to tease him about it.
“I would really like that. I missed you, for most of the years we were apart,” she joked, “but I seriously can’t wait to really catch up with you and see what’s been going on. I know there is so much to tell you about what I’ve been through and done and seen and…” she paused and looked him in the eyes, “and all the mistakes I’ve made and things I let slip by.”
She looked away from him and closed her eyes after she said that because his stare was too intense for her to bear. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and get her heart’s pace back to normal. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that to him. Sure, she was known for her bluntness, but when it came to her feelings about him, she could never find her tongue. She hoped that he wouldn’t press her right then. Maybe later she could explain.
“Lady, are you feeling okay? I’m gonna get you some water,” he told her as he stood up from the table.
“No, no, I’m okay. I think I just need to get some air. Can we sit at one of the tables outside? I feel like the room is closing in on me.”
“Of course.”
Charlotte stood up and Jeremy put his hand on the small of her back and let her out the side door of the restaurant. Where his hand was placed, if felt as if all the heat in his body radiated through her skin and straight to her heart. She was in deep and she had no idea how she was going to make it through the rest of the evening. They’d only been talking for about 10 minutes. She had to pull it together.
“Wait, do you mind if we get something to eat?” She felt she needed something to keep her mind and hands busy.
“Oh, yeah,” he shook his head as if he was remembering something, “I totally forgot where we were. I’ll get it, if you want to stay here. What do you want?” he asked.
That was the Jeremy she remembered. He’d always been such a gentleman, pulling out chairs, holding doors. She knew that his wife was getting the royal treatment from him. Then she immediately thought about Damien. He never did anything like that for her.
“Um, get me whatever you’re getting. I’m good with that,” she said. She trusted him.
He headed off back into the restaurant. As soon as he was out of eyesight, Charlotte let out a high pitched squeal. She couldn’t believe that she was there with him. Just like old times, she thought.
She craned her neck around the pillars on the side of their table to look in through the window. She could see him placing their order. She watched him as he reached for their glasses and for the plates handed to him by the server. She was watching his body. He stilled moved fluidly, as though he was floating on air. It was so effortless. And his body… even beneath the shirt she could visually outline every muscle and each individual pack in the six pack.
She tried to make it seem like she wasn’t looking when he came back out of the restaurant, but she knew she was caught.
“Enjoy the view?” he asked, joking with her. “I saw you eyeballing me.”
“Yeah, I was trying to see if anything had changed. Are you still overdoing it in the gym?”
He laughed. She always did tease him about always working out and staying in shape. He knew that it was all in fun because she used to go with him back in the day.
“I do what I can, you know how it is. But after eating this,” he said, pointing to his plate, “I’ll be spending hours each day in there.”
She looked down at her plate and nodded.
“I know what you mean, but we can’t help it. It’s just too good.”
They both laughed and agreed as they dug into their food.
________________________________________________
“Let’s go hit The Spot, get a drink and talk some more,” Jeremy said.
They’d already finished their food and were talking for two hours. The Spot was a small bar that he went to sometimes after work. It was quiet and mellow, the perfect place to talk about the past.
“Okay,” Charlotte readily agreed.
They then went to their cars, which Charlotte noticed were not parked next to each other, but across lanes from each other.
Once they made it to their second destination, they found a corner, ordered some drinks and jumped right into the all important conversation.
“Okay,” Charlotte began, “I have a confession to make. I originally had an ulterior motive to contacting you after all these years. I don’t know what I was doing the other day, but something had me rummaging through my Memory book.”
She stopped and looked up at him. His eyes, she realized, she would have to stop looking into. They were mesmerizing.
“I came across the note you left in the back of my book. Do you remember me giving you my book and you telling me not to read what you wrote right away? Turns out I’d never read it until the other day. I don’t know how I could’ve missed that. But anyway, when I read it, I started thinking about you, something I realized then that I hadn’t done in a long time. I couldn’t believe that I’d let all this time pass and I hadn’t spoken to you. So I reached out using the last number I had for you, and thankfully your mom kept that number. I was so elated to talk to you that I forgot my main purpose in calling you.”
She didn’t want to ask him her next question, but she knew it would bother her if she never did.
“What did that message mean? I mean, if I’m reading more into than you meant, please let me know, but I have to know if it meant more. I have to know if I meant more.”
She could finally breathe after confessing that to him. No, it wasn’t all that she had to say, but it was a start. She could tell him the rest, or not, after she got more information from him.
Jeremy looked at her for some time without saying a word. She didn’t want to press him and make him not tell her what he had to say, so she waited patiently. Besides, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear what he had to say. It could’ve been bad.
“Well,” he sighed, “I don’t even know where to begin.” He paused again for a moment before starting again. “I… when I wrote that, I meant for us to have this conversation,” he said gesturing between them, “right then. Ten years is a long time, you know.”
He watched her, as eyes dropped, no longer meeting his. He thought she looked hurt, as though she was expecting something that she didn’t get.
“But,” he said, trying to recatch her line of sight, “that time hasn’t changed the way I felt, or feel, about you. Lady, I’ll be honest with you. From the time I met you back in Pre-K I felt like you were my best friend, that person I could lean on and run to if I needed it. You had always been that. And then one day, I saw you as something more, someone so beautiful. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you have always been pretty to me, but this was different. My feelings for you changed into something much more than I ever thought I could feel for someone. At first, I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that I had to control it. You were my best friend and I didn’t want anything to ruin that. And then you had a boyfriend. So to keep from going crazy over you being with someone else, I started chasing girls.”
“You and I were never single at the same time, so I never acted on my feelings for you. And please believe me when I say that they have never gone away. I do regret not doing anything about it because, well, who knows what could’ve happened?”
He finished and slumped down into the sofa they were sitting on. Charlotte was still lost in craziness of what he’d just told her and was unmoving.
After a minute of her not saying anything, Jeremy moved closer to her.
“Charlotte, are you okay? I don’t blame you for being speechless, I know this is a lot to handle and you probably never saw me as anything more than a brother, but I must say that it feels good to finally get this off my chest. You know, come to think of it, you probably never even loo…”
Charlotte kissing him cut him off. She had no idea what to say to him, but everything in her entire being told her to just kiss him.
But apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Jeremy was kissing her back.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Chapter 8
Jeremy was so excited. He was going to Charlotte for the first time in 10 years! He didn’t know if he would be able to contain himself. To calm his nerves, he jumped in the shower to see if the warm water would calm him. It didn’t work at all.
Once out, he went to his closet to get his clothes. When he bent down to get his shoes, he noticed an old box. It was the same one that he’d thrown all his old high school memories in. He thought it was at his mom’s house in her attic.
He pulled the box out from the back of the closet and set it on his bed. The first thing he was when he took the lid off was his High School Yearbook. He laughed to himself because the book was decked out with first place ribbons and gold and black stickers and cards. If he hadn’t known better, he would think the book belonged to a girl.
He flipped through it quickly, knowing exactly what part of the book he was looking for. How he remembered exactly where the picture was they took together was beyond him, but he never forgot the page number.
He ran his finger across the picture of him and Charlotte at the prom. They didn’t go together, but the yearbook editor was there and just happened to catch them for a pose. He could remember that night perfectly. He as dressed all in black and was really looking “GQ”, as they say, and Charlotte was dressed beautifully in all black, also. It wasn’t planned that they matched, it was just something that happened. Thinking back on that, he wondered if that was a sign.
The picture, too, was flawless. He remembered he just whispered in Charlotte’s ear that he thought her dress complimented his suit more than the one that Bianca had on when she looked up at him. The photographer just so happened to catch the most loving look between them he’d ever seen two people give each other. He knew that’s what his look was, but for Charlotte, he had no idea.
He looked over at the side table to check out the time. It was almost and hour before the time he was supposed to meet Charlotte, so he figured he’d have to do his reminiscing some other time.
He hurriedly got dressed. He was just about to spray on his cologne when he remembered something.
Back in the day, Charlotte bought him a bottle of cologne that she thought was perfect for him. He never wore it anymore because Robin thought it stank and didn’t want him to touch her when he had it on. But today, he wanted to please Charlotte. He pulled it out of his cologne bin and spritzed some on, especially around his neck, the spot that he knew she would fit in perfectly in a hug.
Then he headed out the door. He wanted to stop off and pick up some sunflowers for her before he left. He hoped those were still her favorite flowers.
Once out, he went to his closet to get his clothes. When he bent down to get his shoes, he noticed an old box. It was the same one that he’d thrown all his old high school memories in. He thought it was at his mom’s house in her attic.
He pulled the box out from the back of the closet and set it on his bed. The first thing he was when he took the lid off was his High School Yearbook. He laughed to himself because the book was decked out with first place ribbons and gold and black stickers and cards. If he hadn’t known better, he would think the book belonged to a girl.
He flipped through it quickly, knowing exactly what part of the book he was looking for. How he remembered exactly where the picture was they took together was beyond him, but he never forgot the page number.
He ran his finger across the picture of him and Charlotte at the prom. They didn’t go together, but the yearbook editor was there and just happened to catch them for a pose. He could remember that night perfectly. He as dressed all in black and was really looking “GQ”, as they say, and Charlotte was dressed beautifully in all black, also. It wasn’t planned that they matched, it was just something that happened. Thinking back on that, he wondered if that was a sign.
The picture, too, was flawless. He remembered he just whispered in Charlotte’s ear that he thought her dress complimented his suit more than the one that Bianca had on when she looked up at him. The photographer just so happened to catch the most loving look between them he’d ever seen two people give each other. He knew that’s what his look was, but for Charlotte, he had no idea.
He looked over at the side table to check out the time. It was almost and hour before the time he was supposed to meet Charlotte, so he figured he’d have to do his reminiscing some other time.
He hurriedly got dressed. He was just about to spray on his cologne when he remembered something.
Back in the day, Charlotte bought him a bottle of cologne that she thought was perfect for him. He never wore it anymore because Robin thought it stank and didn’t want him to touch her when he had it on. But today, he wanted to please Charlotte. He pulled it out of his cologne bin and spritzed some on, especially around his neck, the spot that he knew she would fit in perfectly in a hug.
Then he headed out the door. He wanted to stop off and pick up some sunflowers for her before he left. He hoped those were still her favorite flowers.
__________________________________________________________________
Charlotte primped in the visor mirror before stepping foot out of the car. She looked around the parking lot to see if she saw Jeremy’s car. She then laughed at herself because she had no clue what his car looked like. She thought how ironic would that be if she were parked right next to him.
She got out of the car and shut the door. She slowly walked to the restaurant door and took a deep breath. After letting it out, she opened the door and walked in. She was shocked at how few people were in the place. Usually there was a big crowd, but today was very mellow. She was happy for that.
She walked around the wall that blocked the tables from the entrance and stood in the doorway. She looked around, but didn’t see anyone that resembled him. She looked back down at her watch to see that she still had a few minutes before she could officially label him as late.
She figured she would sit down and wait for him to arrive. She thought it would be rude to eat or drink anything before he got there.
As she was sitting there, she had this weird feeling that she was being watched, so she decided to scan the room again. She stood back up in the doorway and, very slowly this time, checked out each person in the room.
When she got to the darkened corner in the very back of the room, her eyes locked with a man, the man she was there to see. It was the first time in 10 years that they’d laid eyes on each other.
A slow smile spread across her face as she slowly maneuvered her way through the tables to him. When she got some feet away from him, she stopped. He was as handsome as he’d always been, but with a little extra something. She figured it was just his grown-manness. Whatever it was, though, she liked it.
She watched as he stood up. She smiled as she remembered his height compared to hers. She loved tall men, being as she’s 5’11 herself. He towered over, though. She looked up at him as closed the gap between them.
“Hi,” she said. Once the words were out, she was a little disappointed that after 10 years, that was all she could muster out.
“Hey you,” he replied.
She couldn’t help but smile at him. His dimples, those eyes, his sexy lips… they all had her mesmerized. She knew that she still wasn’t over him, but the feelings she was having right then were ridiculous. She wanted to jump all over him, but she knew she had to restrain herself.
She watched as everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Him reaching out to her. Touching her hand. Drawing her to him. Engulfing her in a hug that sent her senses into overload.
She knew in that very instant that she was in trouble. She was in love with Jeremy.
___________________________________________________________________
When Jeremy got to the restaurant, he sat in a darkened corner. Every time he heard the door open, he looked up, hoping that that person was Charlotte. He kept checking his watch, it seemed, every 10 seconds. Patience was not with him today. He was anxious to see her.
He wanted to get something to eat, just to keep him busy, but he thought it would be rude to eat or drink anything before she got there to order.
Just as he looked at his watch again for the seventy-third time, he heard the door. He held his breath until the person rounded the corner of the wall.
He released the breath as he saw her standing in the doorway to the main section. She was still as beautiful as he remembered her to be.
He thought about standing up and waving her over, but his body wouldn’t cooperate with him. All he could do was sit back and watch her. His mind had turned to mush and he couldn’t think about anything but how beautiful and graceful she was.
He watched her as she did a quick once over of the room. He figured she didn’t see him because she looked down at her watch in what looked an exasperated way. He could see her take deep breaths as she walked to the bench along the wall to sit down.
Next thing he knew, she was on her feet again. This time, she really seemed to be taking her time scanning the people in the room again.
He was getting nervous, as her line of sight got closer to him. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her since the moment she walked into the room.
He stared at her. She was getting closer and closer to being seen by her. When her eyes landed on him, it was as if everything and everyone else disappeared. Her eyes were one of her sexiest qualities. They were big and cat-like and you could see all her emotions in them all the time.
At that moment, he knew he was a goner.
He watched her intently as she made her way around the table to get to him. He stood up when she stopped a few feet away from him. He stared at her some more. He couldn’t help it, his tongue wouldn’t work!
“Hi,” she managed to muster out very quietly. It was like they were alone in a room, she could whisper and he would hear it as if she screamed.
“Hey you,” he replied.
He couldn’t take it much longer. He slowly, so as not to startle her, closed the distance between them. He reached out and took her hands and pulled her the short space that was left between them into a hug.
Once he had her in his arms, he knew he was a dead man. The feelings that he used to have for her, he knew hadn’t disappeared at all, but the ones that he was feeling at that exact moment, he’d never felt before. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have an idea of what they were. But it was too late to do anything about it.
He was in love with Charlotte.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Chapter 7
After hanging up with Charlotte, Jeremy couldn’t wait for his lunch “date”. Yes, he said date. That was what he wanted it to be, although, he knew that was what it could never be. He didn’t want to be one of those guys snuck around behind his wife’s back. That was why he wanted to be up front with her and tell her what was going on.
He made sure, first, that Mikey was situation at the table with his breakfast. For such a little boy, he sure had a healthy appetite. Whenever he was staying over, Jeremy had to make sure he had the fridge stocked.
Just then, Robin walked in. She went over to Mikey and kissed him on the forehead. “Morning shortbread,” she called out to him, using the nickname she branded him with when he was a newborn.
“Morning, auntie. You sleep late,” he told her. This was their routine whenever he was there. She would get up around 7 a.m. and he was always already eating breakfast.
“I know, Shortbread. You always beat me when it comes to waking up,” she told him as she walked over to Jeremy. “And how is my big man this morning?”
Jeremy couldn’t help but smile at her. No matter how mad or moody she got, she never let it show in front of Mikey. She was always nice and sweet to him. Not that she was mad or moody that morning, but it was refreshing that she would act that way when she was.
“I’m good, babe. What’s on the agenda today? Anything interesting?” Jeremy was trying to get a feel for what she was doing that day. He didn’t think about checking with her before he made his plans with Charlotte.
“No, I mean, not really. Just work stuff. I’ll be gone all weekend.”
“Huh? Gone where? What’s going on?” Jeremy couldn’t have been happier with that news. Not that he wanted her to be gone, but at least this way he had a little more time to catch up with Charlotte without Robin breathing down his back once he told her what he was planning on doing.
“I’ll be going to New York for the weekend to work on a project with some of the other Analysts. I have a flight to catch for 3 pm today. A car will be here to pick me up at one thirty. I’m sorry, babe. I just got the call this morning. Please don’t be mad.”
“No, I’m not mad. I understand. Mikey and I will just hang out here for a while before I take him home. No biggie. Anyway, it’ll be a little while before you go, so we still have a little bit of time.”
Inside, he was shooting off fireworks. This was perfect!
___________________________________________________
He made sure, first, that Mikey was situation at the table with his breakfast. For such a little boy, he sure had a healthy appetite. Whenever he was staying over, Jeremy had to make sure he had the fridge stocked.
Just then, Robin walked in. She went over to Mikey and kissed him on the forehead. “Morning shortbread,” she called out to him, using the nickname she branded him with when he was a newborn.
“Morning, auntie. You sleep late,” he told her. This was their routine whenever he was there. She would get up around 7 a.m. and he was always already eating breakfast.
“I know, Shortbread. You always beat me when it comes to waking up,” she told him as she walked over to Jeremy. “And how is my big man this morning?”
Jeremy couldn’t help but smile at her. No matter how mad or moody she got, she never let it show in front of Mikey. She was always nice and sweet to him. Not that she was mad or moody that morning, but it was refreshing that she would act that way when she was.
“I’m good, babe. What’s on the agenda today? Anything interesting?” Jeremy was trying to get a feel for what she was doing that day. He didn’t think about checking with her before he made his plans with Charlotte.
“No, I mean, not really. Just work stuff. I’ll be gone all weekend.”
“Huh? Gone where? What’s going on?” Jeremy couldn’t have been happier with that news. Not that he wanted her to be gone, but at least this way he had a little more time to catch up with Charlotte without Robin breathing down his back once he told her what he was planning on doing.
“I’ll be going to New York for the weekend to work on a project with some of the other Analysts. I have a flight to catch for 3 pm today. A car will be here to pick me up at one thirty. I’m sorry, babe. I just got the call this morning. Please don’t be mad.”
“No, I’m not mad. I understand. Mikey and I will just hang out here for a while before I take him home. No biggie. Anyway, it’ll be a little while before you go, so we still have a little bit of time.”
Inside, he was shooting off fireworks. This was perfect!
___________________________________________________
After dropping Mikey back off and spending a few hours playing video games with David, Jeremy headed back to get ready to meet up with Charlotte. When he got home, Robin was gone, as well as her overnight bag she used for business trips.
He went to the kitchen to grab a beer when he saw a note hanging on the refrigerator:
Babe,
There’s been some kind of an emergency with my mother at the mall. I’m going over there to check on her and will call you later to let you know what’s going on, probably tonight if its nothing urgent. There are leftovers in the freezer. Talk to you later tonight, love.
Robin
So she was gone. He didn’t get a chance to tell her what he was going to do today, but it didn’t matter. He would be the gentleman that he always was. Robin didn’t have anything to worry about.
All that was left to do now was get dressed and go see his old friend. He couldn’t wait!
___________________________________________________
“Hey baby, I’m ready, leaving the house now, but I have to stop off and check on my mother first. She’s having a fit about something. I need to see what’s going on with her before I can leave and go out of town,” Robin said into the phone.
“Okay, well call me when you get close. I’ll wait for you, but we don’t want to get to the airport too late. We still have to check in and everything,” the man said back.
“No problem, shouldn’t take too long. Oh, and please remind me to call my husband later. I told him that I would let him know what’s going on with my mom and I guess I would have to call and let him know I made it to New York. Oh, and please DO NOT put the room under your name, again. I don’t want to slip up again, just in case,” she said to the man, firmly.
“See, if you would go ahead and dump the chump and get with me, you wouldn’t have to worry about all this sneaking around. We’ve been together for almost 4 years now. I’ve waited long enough. You gotta do something soon, baby. I hate being without you all the time.”
“I know, Greg. I miss being with you all the time, too. But Jeremy is my husband and I can’t just up and leave him, at least not yet. I’ve been with him for almost five years too. I have history with you both, but I’m married to him. It’s not that simple to break up our home. It takes time. But I promise you, it will be soon,” Robin said into the phone as she pulled into the mall parking lot.
“Okay, babe, I’ll wait. I know you’re worth it. A little while longer and I can officially call you mine. I love you, Robin.”
“I love you, too, Greg. I’ll see you in a bit. I’m at the mall. I’ll call you when I’m leaving.”
“Okay baby. See you in a bit.”
Robin hangs up the phone and goes into the mall. She finally meets up with her hysterical mother. She rushes in to see what the commotion is, hoping to resolve the matter as quickly as possible so that she can get back to her “other” life.
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