Questions And Answers...

Give Me Everything I Need

"Order everything you want." Kelly encouraged her as she procrastinated over what to choose. " Otherwise....... you'll just end up wanting mine!" Kelly was indulging her indecisiveness so she ordered two appetizers shrugging her bare shoulder helplessly, taking a sip from her glass of Merlot, her eyes closing a little, relishing the warm red on her tongue.

"I can't help it if I have a healthy appetite." She pouted seemingly unaware that his thoughts had become centred around the fullness of her red-glossed mouth, thinking of things that had nothing to do with food.

"Kelly?"

"Yeah..." pulling his mind out of the gutter with an effort and back to what she was saying he turned the full beam of his electric blue eyes onto her.

"I really do appreciate tonight. It means a lot." She was saying.

"I know. And we should do this more often. I'm sorry it's taken so long. You deserve a lot more than I give you."
His voice dropped a little with an apology.

"Hey...hey.. no. " Stella put her hand on his on the table and stroked the back with her thumb. "Don't say that. You give me everything I need."

"I do?" He asked in surprise and she nodded firmly.

"Yeah. You do." But there was a nuance in her voice alerting him that she had picked up where his thoughts had wandered to a minute ago so he leaned back in his chair scrutinising her.

"You mean food don't you?..." He laughed.

"Yeah...what did you think I meant....your hot body?" Stella was trying hard to keep her face straight.

Kelly kept grinning, mesmerized by her playfulness. There hadn't been much of that in the last few months since the factory fire.

"I'll remind you of that later... " He reached under the table and put his hand on her thigh and then slid it between her thighs and started inching upwards. "when you're squirming around under me in bed....."

Stella gasped in shock, her eyes widening, clenching her thighs to halt his marauding hand but at the same time the blood rushing to the muscles around her pelvis and that familiar squeeze of tension . Hastily she looked around them, having visions of being thrown out from this fine establishment for indecency, but luckily the tablecloth did a great job of concealing what he was up to. Just then the waitress arrived with their appetizers and Kelly reluctantly took his hand away, smiling innocently at Stella.

"You were saying?"

Shaking her head at him and trying not to laugh, she picked up her cutlery and cut into her baked goat's cheese, groaning with a different kind of delight as the flavors hit her tongue.

The food was delicious. Stella insisted that Kelly tried her shrimp cocktail and equally eyed his beef carpaccio until he loaded up a fork and held it to her mouth, loving every second of watching her love affair with the decadent food experience.

Surprisingly she passed on dessert after her pappardelle entree, her full stomach objecting even though her eyes were trying to convince her otherwise. Finishing the meal with some coffee, Stella sat back in her chair, totally replete and content.

Kelly listened quietly as she chatted about her dilemma over her love of sleep versus her butt starting to need toning so should she sign up to early morning gym classes. He was enthralled by her earnest sparkle, a lump lodging in his throat thinking of the times he had pushed her away in the past when all she had tried to do was love him. He had a sudden very clear picture of her waiting for him outside the Loft on a dark night, cold and broken.

"I love you, but I can't be with you."

He had known then that he didn't want to be without her but his stupid pride had let her walk away and he had spent the next few months regretting it every single day. Until she had come banging on the cabin door one night, and he had finally told her how he was going to be the man she deserved, all the while waiting with anxiously suspended breath until she had walked up to him and kissed him.

"I think I may have to unbutton my jeans, I'm so full, babe!" She huffed as they left the restaurant.

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle taking her by the hand and wrapping it around his waist and putting his arm around her.

"Well, guess I can say that was a success."

"That was so good." She waxed lyrical.

"Agreed. Boden recommended it." He confessed. "Or Donna actually.. Said bring someone there for a special occasion."

Surprised and bemused, Stella turned to him.

"What, is the special occasion?"

"You." He replied simply, the one word sending her heart somersaulting and her face lighting up.

"And they said you weren't romantic!" Stella laughed jabbing him with a finger.

"Who said that?! He exclaimed in mock outrage.

"Oh I don't know... everyone!" Stella told him laughing.

Kelly stopped walking to take her into his arms.

Looking at her for a moment he didn't say anything. Then.

"Well...maybe I didn't have the right girl to be romantic with."
It was the closest he had ever come to confessing what and whom Stella had really become to him. More than anyone previous to her. More than anything, period.

He stared into her eyes, his whole being filled with a contentment that was difficult to compute for someone who was so used to losing in love.
Leaning in he kissed her. But just then from across the bridge, sirens broke into the evening and both of them turned their heads toward the engines racing down the other side of the water. A reminder of a life that was never far away.

"Hey, how's Casey doing?" Stella asked.

Kelly's face sobered somewhat thinking of his friend.

"He carries the weight of this more than the rest."

"I can tell." Stella agreed sadly.

"He said he's going to Molly's tonight." Kelly offered.
There was a silent moment between them when they both acknowledged that now there was enough of them to share with the other people that they loved.

"You wanna head over there?"

He nodded and she smiled at him putting her hand in his kissing his cheek. It was o.k. They had all the time in the world.

🔶️🔶️🔶️🔶️

A/N

Here's hoping tonight the writers give Stellaride and us the respect this all encompassing love deserves.❤️