by Rinyu, Beth
“Oh, wow, I really don’t know how you do it,” I said.
He seemed as if he didn’t want to talk about it, quickly asking me how I was doing and how the funeral had gone. I told him about the funeral and the days leading up to my dad’s passing. He was absorbed in what I was saying, flashing me a caring, sympathetic smile. When I started to get emotional, talking about my dad, I quickly changed the subject, asking him how Tau was doing. He said that Tau had the surgery three weeks ago and that he had been keeping in touch with the surgeon and as far as they could tell, he was going to be okay. He said that Tau had to stay in France for the next six weeks for observation and if all went well then he could go back home after that.
“That’s great news,” I said happily.
Julian nodded but I could still sense some regret in his face over Rapula. I knew that he felt like he had let Rapula and his parents down, but he had done everything that he possibly could.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“No, I’m fine, I swear,” he said, laughing, knowing that I would probably ask him about another hundred times.
We talked for some time and I could tell he was getting tired, his skin looked paler than usual and the light color of his eyes just enhanced the dark circles that were beginning to form underneath.
“Are you tired?” I asked.
“A little,” he finally admitted.
“But I thought you didn’t get tired,” I teased as I got up to grab the blanket from the other couch, turning off the overhead light. I looked out the window to see a light snow falling. I sat back down on the couch covering us both with the blanket as we watched TV with just the glow of the fireplace and Christmas tree lights. He had his arms wrapped tightly around me as I rested my head on his chest.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?” he asked.
“For being here.”
I smiled when he pulled me closer and gently kissed my head. It didn’t take long before I heard his breathing begin to change and as I looked up I saw he was sound asleep. I put my head back down on his chest, kissing it softly. Just knowing he was here beside me, listening to his heartbeat and feeling him breathe, put my mind at such ease that it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep too.
Chapter 16
The bright sunlight shining through the window woke me from my sleep. I touched Julian lightly, he was still here, I wasn’t dreaming. He was still sound asleep as I quietly got off the couch and gently covered him with the blanket. I looked out the window, to find a light blanket of snow covering the ground and flocking the trees creating a picture perfect winter scene. I quietly tiptoed into the kitchen and dumped the full pot of coffee from last night. I quickly rinsed it out and made another pot. It seemed like an eternity before it was done brewing. I peeked into the living room and noticed that Julian was just starting to wake, looking very boyish as he rubbed his eyes trying to come out his sleep stupor. I watched him for a moment, thinking how absolutely adorable he looked. I quickly poured him a cup of coffee and brought it out to him.
“Good Morning,” I said laughing at the perplexed look on his face.
“Good Morning,” he said when he saw me as if he had finally figured out where he was.
“You were in a pretty deep sleep there,” I said.
“Yeah, well that was the first time that I had more than two hours of sleep in a while.”
“Here you go?” I said handing him a cup of coffee.
“Wow, you’re good,” he said still looking like he was half out of it.
“Nothing but five star service here.” I joked.
I went back in the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee and returned back to the couch. Julian was staring into space looking like he was still half asleep. “Are you okay?” I asked as I sat down next to him.
“Yeah, I just didn’t realize how exhausted I was.”
“Well working nonstop will do that to you,” I said.
The coffee started kicking in and he started turning back into his normal self. He told me that his flight was scheduled to leave tomorrow night which made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I knew I had one more day left with him but sad because I didn’t know what would happen past that. He apologized for ruining any plans that I might have had with him being here. Little did he know, I had no plans and even if I had, I would have canceled them for him in a heartbeat.
“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that you’re here,” I said. He smiled as I kissed him on the cheek.
His cell phone was vibrating away on the coffee table. He picked it up and looked at the number on the caller ID. “I got to take this,” he said reluctantly.
I got up and went in the kitchen to give him his privacy. I sensed that it was a work call just by the way he was talking. I was unloading the dishwasher when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Claire’s cell phone.
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath waiting for you to get here.”
She laughed. “Well, I figured you would like that surprise better than my boring company.”
“Yes, it was a pretty nice surprise; thanks Claire,” I said sincerely.
“You’re welcome. You deserve some happiness after all you’ve just been through,” she said, the tone of her voice confirmed that she played a big part in Julian’s visit.
“Yeah, even if it is just for a couple of days,” I said.
She was calling to invite Julian and me over for dinner, reminding me that it was New Year’s Eve and that she was dying to meet him. I quickly accepted, not even checking with Julian, who was still on the phone but I had a feeling he wouldn’t mind. I hung up the phone feeling a little selfish for wanting to have him all to myself in the short time he was here, but I couldn’t deny him the chance to taste Claire’s excellent cooking. Just as I couldn’t deny Claire the opportunity of meeting him. I felt a little flutter of excitement about introducing him to Claire, knowing that she would instantly see the same wonderful man in him that I did.
* * * * *
I spent the entire day showing Julian around where I had grown up. We visited several antique shops as he struck up long-winded conversations with the shop owners over various World War II collectibles. Normally I would never set foot in an antique shop, it just never held my interest. But today being here with him, I didn’t seem to mind it at all.
We stopped for lunch along the way. I found myself doing more laughing then eating as I listened to his stories about his mischievous childhood. I wondered to myself, how could someone have it all? Usually everyone had some flaw to them. But with him I just couldn’t see one. He was gorgeous, caring, and funny. He was the complete package. The type that I believed was non-existent.
We finished eating and walked out of the restaurant. The sun was out in full force, melting the last of the snow that still covered the ground. It was turning into a mild winter afternoon, perfect for just walking around town sightseeing. We stopped every now and then as he took in the grandeur of some of the more elaborate bed-and-breakfasts. I could tell that he was impressed just by the expression on his face. We walked for hours going in and out of little shops along the way. It was getting later and the sun would be leaving us soon. I wanted him to see one more thing before it did.
We walked a short distance down the street crossing over the main road that led to the beach. We made our way onto the deserted beach area. The only sounds were the few seagulls flying overhead and the roaring waves crashing on the shore. The wind immediately began to pick up. I stopped just where the waves washed up on the shoreline. The sun appeared to be sinking into the water as the sky lit up in an array of muted shades of pink. No matter how many times I had seen those colors in the sky, I always became mesmerized when I looked at it, as if seeing it for the very first time. I looked at Julian, who seemed equally impressed.
“This is my waterfall,” I said.
I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms arou
nd him, coming very close to perfecting our first kiss. I ended it with a soft kiss on the lips as he pulled me closer, hugging me tightly.
“Now that was a ten,” I said smiling.
He laughed and took my hand in his as we walked along the shoreline for a bit longer. We took the short walk back to my car to get ready to head over to Charles and Claire’s, his hand never leaving mine.
The parking situation at Charles and Claire’s house was always a nightmare. Tonight was no exception. There was a small spot in between two cars that I normally would never attempt to fit into. Julian insisted that I could. I followed his step-by-step instructions for parallel parking. It took me four tries. Three of which involved almost hitting the car behind me. I looked over at him in the passenger seat as he tried not to laugh. He was no longer able to contain himself as he busted out laughing.
“That was pretty scary,” he said, still laughing.
“Hey, I warned you,” I said.
Charles had been standing on the front porch watching the whole thing unfold. He was shaking his head as I came into sight. “Kat, you know you are the worst at parking. What would possess you to try and do that?” he asked in his fatherly tone.
I didn’t say a word and just pointed to Julian.
“I didn’t know she was that bad,” Julian said as Charles reached out to shake his hand.
I walked past Charles giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I am nothing if not entertaining.”
I headed to the kitchen to find Claire while Charles immediately began to talk Julian’s ear off. The delicious smell of something roasting in the oven permeated the air, making me instantly hungry. Claire was in her element, in the kitchen. Along with her many other talents, cooking was at the top of her list. She was just finishing frosting a chocolate cake that looked as if it could be on the cover of a magazine. I placed the bottle of wine that I had bought in the fridge and asked her if she needed any help.
“Nope, everything is almost done. Just a few more minutes on the prime rib,” she said, wiping some frosting from her hands. “So, where is this Mr. Wonderful?” she asked with a smile.
“In the living room, talking to Charles.”
She rolled her eyes knowing how long-winded Charles could be at times. “Oh Geez, let’s go rescue him,” she laughed.
Julian was sitting on the couch across from Charles, who was doing all the talking. Charles continued on his banter, having his back to the door and not seeing us enter. Julian immediately stood up when he saw Claire and I enter the room. Such a gentleman, I thought to myself. I introduced him to Claire, paying close attention to her reaction. I knew immediately that she was just as captivated as I had been the first day I had met him.
It was the most perfect night of delicious food, good conversation, and a little too much wine for me. I was starting to feel a little light-headed. Claire finally revealed her assessment of Julian once we were alone in the kitchen, cleaning up. “Oh Kat, he is such a nice guy, and not hard to look at either,” she said, laughing as she took another sip of wine. We both began to laugh like two school girls.
We headed back into the living room. I was finally coming out of my wine coma and looked up at the clock. It was almost ten. I knew there was no way we would make it until midnight. I looked at Charles, who was about to fall asleep at any minute. Claire looked like she wasn’t far behind either.
Julian nodded when I asked if he was ready to leave. Claire put up a little fight insisting that we had to stay until midnight. Despite her best effort, I knew she really wanted to be sound asleep when the New Year rang in.
We said our goodbyes. Charles was adamant that Julian do the driving. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my parking job or because of the fact that I had two glasses of wine. I finally gave in to his unyielding request, handing Julian the keys.
“They are really nice people,” Julian remarked.
“Yeah, they really are,” I said sincerely.
“You’re very lucky to have them,” he said, taking his eye off the road to look at me for one split second.
“I know.” He had no idea how lucky I was. I would have never been able to get through this whole thing with my dad if it weren’t for the two of them.
When we arrived back at my house, he asked to use my laptop so he could answer some work emails. I gladly obliged. I opted to turn on the radio instead of watching the annual New Year’s Eve special. It was still set to my dad’s oldies station that he always listened to. I looked over at Julian, who was typing away deep in thought. I immediately turned the radio up when Hold me, thrill me, kiss me by Mel carter came on. This had always been my mom and dad’s song; it gave me goose bumps every time I heard it. Julian stopped his typing for a brief second, giving me a weird look at my choice in music.
I stood behind where he was sitting and wrapped my arms around him. “Dance with me please,” I whispered.
He looked at me as if I were crazy. “I don’t dance,” he said, trying to ignore my request.
“And I don’t play baseball,” I said, pulling him up from the chair and closing the laptop.
“Wiffle ball,” he corrected me.
I led him into the living room and wrapped my arms around him. I could feel that he felt as uncomfortable dancing as I had playing wiffle ball. We swayed slowly back and forth. I mouthed the words to the song, which I knew by heart, while staring into his eyes. He laughed at my poor attempt at lip-syncing as I hugged him tightly. I looked up at him again, and this time he had a more serious look on his face. He took my face in his hands and began to kiss me. It was his best kiss yet. The music ended as he carried me off to my bedroom, where we rang in the New Year making love all night long.
Chapter 17
The only thing better than waking up in my own bed was waking up in it wrapped in Julian’s arms. I lay there watching him sleep. This was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do as of late. My smile quickly turned into a frown upon thinking that later today Julian would be leaving. I hadn’t a clue where our relationship would go after this. I immediately began to doubt myself for sleeping with him again. I compared it to the Christmas presents that I had bought for my dad. Even though I knew that it would be hard dealing with the aftermath, I still felt compelled to do both. I traced an outline on Julian’s rock-hard chest with my finger and nuzzled closer to him. I breathed deeply, taking in the fresh clean scent of his skin, and it was intoxicating. I could no longer contain myself from kissing him on the cheek, waking him up. He opened his eyes and flashed me his boyish grin. I smiled, then immediately felt the sadness taking over. I wouldn’t be waking up in his arms for a long time, if ever again.
“Wow, that was a happy New Year,” he said, laughing. I hugged him tightly and kissed him softly. I rested my head on his bare chest as he ran his fingers gently up and down my back. There was nowhere else on earth that I wanted to be right now than in his arms. I felt so content, so alive, and, most of all, so in love with this absolutely perfect man lying beside me. He turned on his side, pulling me closer to him as he gently caressed my breast. I smiled at the thought of making love to him again. I surrendered myself completely to his every want. I didn’t think that it could have been any better than what we had shared last night, but it was. I was feeling so content, but at the same time wanting him more. I was beginning to think that there wasn’t anything this man was bad at. We finished and he was still on top of me. I pulled him closer, strangely needing to feel his weight on my body. I closed my eyes, holding him tightly. He kissed me gently, rolling me over and pulling me on top of him.
“You have no clue what you do to me,” he said, pushing my hair out of my face. I could feel myself blushing.
“I don’t want this moment to end.” I ran my fingers gently through his jet-black, tousled hair. He looked even sexier first thing in the morning. He gave a quick smile and if I had to guess his thoughts, I would say he was feeling the same way. Or at least that’s what I had hoped. “I don’t want you t
o leave me.” The words were out before I could even stop myself from saying them. I immediately regretted them. I didn’t want to sound too needy. I waited in angst for his reaction.
“Kat, you will be fine,” he said, looking down at me through his long dark eyelashes.
I’ll be fine. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Okay, obviously he wasn’t having the same strong feelings that I had for him. I immediately pulled away, sitting up to dress. He must have sensed my frustration as he grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him.
“Hey what’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I tried playing it off but he wasn’t falling for it.
“Kat, please tell me, what just made you upset?”
I couldn’t lie to him, as much as I wanted to pretend that I didn’t have any feelings for him. “I’m just finding myself having more and more feelings for you.”
“Okay, and what’s wrong with that? Do you think that I’m not feeling the same for you?”
I shrugged. It was so much more than that. Even if he did feel the same way about me, I knew we were doomed. He was leaving for another country in less than eight hours and even when he returned, we both wanted different things out of life.
He hugged me tightly. “Do you honestly think I would be here with you right now if I didn’t have feelings for you?” he whispered. His words filled me with happiness and sadness at the same time. He kissed me on the forehead and I decided to drop the subject for now. I didn’t want to spend what little time we had left agonizing over this.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. He smiled and nodded. I kissed him softly on the cheek before jumping out of bed to make him my best omelet ever.
The day flew by much too quickly. I looked at the clock and it was less than an hour before he had to leave for the airport. All of the feelings from earlier, surfaced again. He must have sensed my anxiety. He stopped his work on the computer and sat down next to me on the couch.
