~*~*~*~
Bobby quickly moves behind a nearby tree, gathering
snow in his large hands, while keeping an eye on Lindsay.
"Bobby! Where are you?!" The ice crackles beneath her shoes as she searches
for him. "This is not funny!"
Finally, something catches her eye and she smiles sneakily. She rushes
to make a snowball, giggling as she does. As she turns to swing, though,
his hits her square in the face. He stands before her, laughing incontrollably
- her glare not phasing him a bit. Before he can stop it, snow is all over
his face and she's the one laughing. Seeing him step forward, she turns
and begins to run...but not for long...
"AH!" She screams as his body pushes them to the ground. "You're insane,"
she laughs.
"Yes I am," he grins. "Over you..."
She smiles. Looking down at her, he is mesmorized...the blush of her cheeks,
the light in her eyes, that gorgeous smile...snow in her golden brown locks
and all around her...she had never been more beautiful to him than in this
moment.
Happy, yet nervous, he caresses her cheek as he confesses, "I love you,
Lindsay..."
Her silence kills him, but soon her nose crinkles up and her lips form
in the most glorious grin.
"I love you, too..."
~*~*~*~
Nearly four months later, the two lovers rest amongst
the wrinkled sheets of Lindsay's bed, after making love.
“Wow….” She sighs, perfectly content, as they lay
side by side, facing one another.
“Yeah…” he smiles, exhausted. “Some lunch.”
“I’ll say…” she mutters.
“We should do this everyday…”
“I don’t know how long we’d live…”
“Oh, but what a way to go.” He grins, kissing her.
She laughs. “Thank God I don’t have any appointments. I wouldn’t make it.
I can’t move.”
“Neither can I…” he groans. “And I HAVE to go. I’ve got a three o’clock
appointment.”
“Have fun,” she mutters, drifting off.
He laughs. “You don’t seem too disappointed. Aren’t you going to miss me?”
“I’m sure I will, but I’m too sleepy to decide right now.”
He laughs again, summoning up every ounce of energy he has, and leaves
the bed. He manages to get his boxers, pants and shirt on…but all undone.
“Why don’t you just cancel?”
“I wish I could, but this is our biggest client.”
“Hmmm…..” she sighs and opens her eyes.
He stops buttoning his shirt and stares at her. She couldn’t be more enticing,
laying there with one arm crooked above her head…the sheet barely covering
her…sweat still visible on her skin…in the afterglow of their lovemaking
she was divine.
She sits up on an elbow. “It’s a shame….after a little nap I was insured
for round two and possibly three as well…”
He shakes his head and crawls over to her, holding her in his arms. “You’re
making this so hard…”
“Sorry…” she giggles.
He kisses her feverishly…getting lost. The phone rings and they don’t stop.
After three rings, her machine comes on.
“Ms. Dole, this is Rick Spaulding from New York…we spoke on Monday afternoon…”
Bobby pulls away, looking at her as the voice continues. He listens earnestly.
“I just wanted to inform you that your hotel has been booked as well as
your flight. We are looking forward to seeing you next week. Take care.”
The machine cuts off. Lindsay looks upset – both by Bobby’s look and the
fact that he had to find out this way.
“What’s in New York, Lindsay?”
“BMI Associates.”
“What business do you have with them?” She doesn’t say anything. “Lindsay,
tell me. What?”
“They want to hire me,” she states simply.
“Hire you?” He replies in a surprised tone.
“Yes. One of their lawyers came to the area, looking for potentials for
their firm...they saw me while I was trying the Eaton case...they checked
my background...and called me.”
“And you’re actually thinking about it?”
“Yes.”
“How - Why - What about us?”
“I haven’t really thought everything out yet…”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Bobby, please…”
“When did you plan on telling ME?”
“Tonight. I was going to tell you at dinner.”
He sighs and sits up, unable to look at her. “What does this mean, Lindsay?
Are we over? Are you leaving me?”
“No, Bobby! Of course not!”
“What did you think – a long distance relationship?”
“I don’t know!” She huffs. “It’s not even decided yet!”
He stands and finishes buttoning his shirt and pants. He turns to her.
“Well, when it is, you know where to find me,” he says cooly.
“Bobby, don’t leave! Please, don’t! Not like this.” She begs him, getting
up to go after him.
“There isn’t anything left to say, Lindsay.”
“Sure there is.”
“Like what,” he asks, harshly.
“I love you,” she tells him, touching his cheek.
“Do you?” He asks, serious.
She looks stunned. “How can you ask me that? You know I do!”
“I’m not so sure. You’ve said it, but when the first chance comes to prove
it, you go the other way.”
“Dammit Bobby! I told you it’s not even set yet!” She looks angry now.
“And how dare you be so selfish! I’ve worked my ass off to get an opportunity
like this!”
“Worked YOUR ass off??! You wouldn’t know the first thing! You’ve been
doing this – what – two years? I’ve bled for seven and look where it’s got
me!”
“Oh, that’s what this is about! Me getting what you didn’t!”
“That’s NOT true!”
“You couldn’t just be happy for me, could you, Bobby? What about that?
You say you love me, where’s your proof?”
“I don’t want to let you go. That’s my proof.”
“Love comes with sacrafices, Bobby.”
“Not each other. If you leave, that’s exactly what will happen. You’ll
say we’ll see each other as often as possible…maybe at first we will….but
eventually it’ll stop. It’ll be over before we know it. I don’t want to
risk that.”
“It won’t happen, Bobby.”
“You don’t know that.”
She sighs, and starts to cry in frustration. “I don’t want it to be over,
Bobby. I love you and I have faith in us.”
His heart breaks to see her cry. “Don’t…” he wipes her tears. “Please…don’t,
baby…” He kisses her softly at first. “I love you…” more “I don’t want to
lose you…” again.
“You won’t,” she whispers, in between kisses. “You won’t.”
His kisses become demanding. He kneels onto the carpet, bringing her down
with him. Bodies meet in a desperate mission to prove how deep their passion,
love and devotion truly goes. Their hands grasp, holding tightly as they
reach ecstacy. ‘I love you’ is repeated again and again as they cling to
each other.
~*~*~*~
Lindsay moves within the empty outer office of Donnell and Associates.
Her heart catches in her throat and she finds it hard to breathe as she
contemplates what she is about to do. Not only because of him...but the
others, too. Over the past few months, Eugene, Ellenor, Bec and Jimmy had
become her best friends. They supported her relationship with Bobby and
welcomed her into their lives with open arms. Leaving them would without
doubt be the hardest thing she'd ever done.
Upon the sound of his door opening, Bobby looks up from the files stacked
atop his desk. He smiles.
“You're back.”
“I’m back…” she says softly, sighing as she pushes the door shut.
“Come here…” he whispers, waving his hand.
She walks up to him, and he pulls her onto his lap.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
Her nervous tone, sulky composure and inability to look him in the eye
gives him the answer he feared.
Frowning, his mouth goes dry before he is able to speak. “You took the
job, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” she says quietly.
He swallows the lump in his throat. “When do you have to go?”
“Two weeks. They need to prepare for my arrival and I…have loose ends to
tie up.”
Harshly, he demands, “And is that what I am?” He couldn't believe this
was happening.
“Bobby…” she chokes out his name, standing.
“I’m sorry. I know this is supposed to be good news, but…I just can’t accept
it. I’m just selfish I guess.”
“If it was you, I’d accept it.”
“Well, that’s the difference between us, I guess.”
“I guess…” she wipes at the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Maybe I should
go...”
“Yeah, you’re good at that,” he says in an icy voice...his cold, angry
eyes rip her heart to shreds.
She lets out a sob and turns, quickly moving out of the office. Upon the
sound of the outer door slamming, he gets up. Pain mixes with rage and he
loses all control, swinging his arm across the desk - knocking off item
after item, some getting broken in the process.
