“Oh, come on. Rachel, she’s a little neurotic, but that’s just plain crazy. People don’t set other people’s hair on fire.”
The urge to strangle someone came back with strength and before I would react to it, I surged to my feet. With enough space between us I retrieved the evidence of my singed hair, tossing it in his face.
Peter caught the bag and looked at it in confusion, “What is this?”
“It’s the hair that Karen had to cut off last night. Open it up and look at it. It’s melted and smells like singed hair. Your ex did that to me.”
Peter shook his head, “Rachel, you must have imagined you saw her. She was putting out the fire with the water from the floral arrangement.”
“No. I saw her before that. She had a gold-plated lighter, and was holding it to the ends of my hair. She tucked it back into the bra of her dress. I observed her.” If he didn’t believe me I’d go mad!
“There must be some other explanation.”
“No!! Think about it. How else would my hair have caught on fire? No one else was within ten feet of me. There were no candles in the ballroom. Nothing.”
Peter looked thoughtful and then horrified as what I was saying sunk in. He pulling me to him, hugging me close, “Sorry, Rachel. I believe you. It’s just so crazy to even think about.”
I took comfort in his arms for a few minutes before I pushed away. “So where does this leave us?”
Peter shook his head, “I honestly don’t know. I love spending time with you and don’t want to stop seeing you. And I’m starting to develop some pretty deep emotions for you. But I don’t want to put you into these kind of situations anymore.”
I stared at him, not daring to hope that maybe my feelings for him weren’t one-sided. My eyes started to fill with tears again.
“Stop crying, darling! Stop, please! Maybe I should tell Mr. Bishop that I won’t go to Spain. There are other IT firms out there that can handle the contract.”
It filled me with joy to listen to his words. Even though this was exactly what I wanted, I couldn’t take him up on his offer: “No! You can’t. What about your business and your career? Not fulfilling the terms of the contract could ruin your company. I won’t let you do something like that.”
“We’d survive. If I told my partner everything that’s been going on, he’d support me. It’d take a while but we’d find new clients.”
“You can’t do that. There’s got to be another way to handle this. Besides, if you lose this contract and your business tanks, I don’t want you ever to blame me for the loss.“
“I wouldn’t…”
“You say that now, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
We sat, arms wrapped around each other, leaning against the couch, for several moments. After a while, Peter spoke up, “Well, I don’t leave for another few weeks. Let’s make the best of that time and somehow a solution will present itself. I don’t want to give up on what might turn out to the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.”
I blushed. “Me neither. I have to finish my internship, and I got a great job offer at a firm right here in Santa Clara. That means I don’t have to move.”
He kissed me on the forehead, “Wonderful news! I’m happy for you. Don’t worry, things will all work out.“
I nodded my head as he kissed me tenderly and with such great promise I almost started crying all over again. I had become a human watering bucket lately! It needed to stop!
“Rachel, I need to take care of a few more things at the office. How about we catch dinner and a movie tomorrow after work and we’ll just take it a day at a time for now?”
“Sounds good. I’m sorry you have to go back to work…”
“Don’t be. I’m glad we talked. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll decide what movie to see. Have a good night and get some sleep. I don’t like seeing dark circles beneath your eyes.” He kissed me one more time with sweetness and love, before he let himself out of the apartment.
I stayed on the couch thinking about everything that had happened. Life was full of uncertainties! It was full of twists and turns as well! The best one could hope for was to make the most of each moment as it occurred so that there was never any reason to look back and wonder ‘what if.’
Chapter 13
For the next ten days, Peter and I spend as much time together as our schedules allow. We go out for dinner, visit museums, attend movies and art exhibits, but we don’t make love again. As the time grows nearer for him to leave for Barcelona, being together takes on a sad quality that neither of us can combat.
One evening, after returning home Karen decides to tackle the problem. She asked me to join her in the kitchen and I walked in apprehensive and sad. “What’s up?”
“Well, why don’t you tell me? You walk around the apartment looking like you lost your best friend. You’re dating the hottest guy in the city and he walks around with the same hangdog look on his face.”
I nodded, “We can’t seem to get past the fact that he leaves in a few days and could be gone for months, or even a year. And what is worse, that viper, Lara, is going with him.”
“You need to do something!” Karen informed me.
“What?! We’ve thought of everything and the situation’s hopeless!”
“Nothing’s hopeless unless you make it so.” She tells me.
It sounded like good advice, but I was so heartbroken, I had little hope and less imagination.
“Do you love him?”
I started to cry, ”Yes.”
“Does he love you?”
“He says he does.”
“Do you believe him?”
“What’s with the twenty questions?” I asked.
“Just answer the question. Do you believe that Peter loves you?”
“Of course I do. But he’s leaving in a few days for another country!”
“Then we need a plan.” Karen was thoughtful for a minute before she asked, “Don’t you have relatives in Spain?”
“My grandmother’s youngest sister lives there. Near Barcelona.”
Karen clapped her hands together, “Don’t you see it? Barcelona is where Peter is going. Why don’t you check if you can visit your great-aunt for a few weeks? Your internship is finished and your new job doesn’t start until September 1st. That’s still nine weeks away.”
I looked at Karen in surprise and smiled. Why hadn’t I come up with such a simple solution? My brain must have been fogged by all the problems. “Karen, you’re an angel. That’s the answer. I visit my grandma’s sister and have the chance to be with Peter. We’ll be near enough to see each other at least on the weekends.”
Suddenly a distressing thought crossed my mind, “But what if he has to stay longer than 3 months, maybe even a year?”
“You can worry about that when it happens. Let’s go step by step for now, ok?”
I smirked, confident in the future for the first time in weeks. “I need to make some phone calls. What time is it in Spain, anyway?”
“Early morning. Give your great-aunt a call and tomorrow you can start packing.”
I was so excited as I made the requisite phone calls, I could barely speak. My grandmother received the first call, and immediately initiated a three-way call to her sister Sophie. I had never met grandma’s sister, but if she were anything like my grandma, we’d get along perfectly. The woman sounded nice and was thrilled to hear that I was coming to Spain. She lived in a nice villa surrounded by vineyards about 30 minutes outside of Barcelona with her aging husband and had plenty of room for me.
After clarifying the details, Karen helped me find a plane ticket and apply for a quick passport renewal. I had a passport, but we discovered that it would expire while I was out of the country. I went to bed that night gleeful and hardly able to contain my excitement.
Karen and I had agreed that it was better not to tell Peter this exiting news until our last night together. I didn’t want to take any chances that his ex would find out
and somehow manage to ruin everything.
Peter and I spent the next three days together and I had a hard time containing my joy. He looked sad, and it took everything I had to keep from telling him my good news.
Chapter 14
Karen had helped me plan a romantic farewell dinner on the beach and I wanted everything to be perfect.
The evening before Peter was to fly to Spain arrived and I wandered around the beach cabana nervously, waiting for him to arrive. Thanks to Clara, I had secured the private beach of one of her clients. Karen had pulled some strings with a local catering service to prepare and serve the meal.
I had planned and prepared for this night and had asked him to meet me here so I could make sure everything was perfect. The table was set perfectly, and soft candle light filled the inside of the cabana, accompanied by soft music and the sound of the ocean beyond.
I heard Peter arrive and waited for him to enter. I had chosen a soft, flowing yellow dress that ended just above my knees and had left my hair down, curling softly around my face and shoulders. My eyes were bright with happiness and what I hoped would help secure our future together.
Peter arrived, dressed in khakis and a button down shirt the same color of his eyes. Even from a distance, I could smell him and I bit my lip as I observed him saunter towards me. He looked around and said, “Wow! You went all out, didn’t you?”
I nodded, “I wanted tonight to be special.”
“Just being with you makes it special,” he said, melting my heart with his loving words.
“I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving. And not just for food.”
I blushed as he had intended and let him lead me to the table and seat me. The wait staff served the meal as we exchanged light conversation and commented on the excellent meal.
As we finished desert, Peter seemed to grow sad once again, as our time together drew to a close. He took my hand into his and suggested a walk upon the beach. I slipped my sandals off while he removed his shoes.
“I wish I could take you with me,” he said as we strolled along the wet sand.
This was the opening I had been waiting for. I turned to him and asked, “Really? You’d take me with you?”
Peter pulled me close, holding me against his chest and resting his chin on the top of my head, ”You know I would. I’m going to miss you so much.”
I returned his embrace for a moment before pushed away, “Well then, I guess I should probably go packing.”
Peter smiled at me sadly, “If only it was that easy.”
He thought I was joking. Not exactly the response I had been looking for. I tried again, “What would you say if I told you that I will be in Barcelona a week from tomorrow?”
Peter was taken aback, “What are you talking about?”
I told him about my grandmother’s sister and how she lived in Spain. I saw the happiness fill his eyes as I told him about buying the plane ticket and when I would be arriving. He grabbed me around the waist and swung me in circles, “That’s fantastic!”
Putting me down, he kissed me with a passion that I had never felt before. Wow! I needed to surprise him more often.
Later in the evening Peter drove me to his home. I was glad that Karen had dropped me off at the beach and I didn’t have to return my car to Santa Clara. I held his hand all the way and couldn’t believe that things were turning out so well.
Peter kept lifting my hand to his lips and kissing me, giving me smoldering looks at each stoplight. By the time we arrived at his condo, I was on fire for his touch. We barely made it inside the front door before he pushed me up against the door and ravaged my mouth, his hands tearing at my clothes seeking bare flesh.
I pulled his shirt from his pants and then unbuttoned his pants, pushing them towards the floor. Lifting me in his arms, he carried me to the couch, “The bedroom’s too far away. I need you now.”
The trip to the top of the cliff was fast and furious, but neither of us minded. This was the culmination of weeks of desperation and sadness disappearing. As I toppled off the edge into ecstasy the only thought, echoing through my mind, was that this was the beginning, not the end.
Much later Peter drove me home so he could finish packing, “If you sleep over, not only will we not get any sleep, but I won’t get to finish packing.”
I had chuckled and agreed to meet him at the airport the next morning; the airport being closer to my house than his.
*****
I made sure to leave early enough so I would be able to park in the short-term parking and walk the short distance to the terminal. Peter was just gate checking his bags when I crossed the street and he waved to me in greeting. I ran the last few yards and threw my arms around his neck as he picked me up.
His head swept down capturing my lips and he didn’t let me up until we were both gasping for breath. Hearing the catcalls coming from passersby, we chuckled and kissed each other again anyway.
We stayed together inside the terminal until the last moment, knowing that soon we would be together, but hating the thought of a weeklong separation. Peter promised to call me each evening. He would be very busy the first week, but by the time I arrived, he hoped to have things into a routine so we could spend some quality time together.
I kissed and hugged him goodbye and waited until he was out of sight before I returned to my car. I wasn’t sure what the future held for us, but after the beginning we’d had, it had to be something good. In one week’s time, I would be stepping off a plane in Spain, being met by the current man in my life. It might only be for a few weeks, but I knew that every step we took together was a step in the right direction.
Please accompany Rachel and Peter on her exciting trip to Europe and find out what happens to their relationship overseas.
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Falling For Him 1 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 7
