Masquerading

Part 11

Chapter 11

Abby held her head high as she walked towards him.  The closer she got, the more she noticed how angry he was.  He stood completely still, his jaw was clenched as it had been before he punched Paul earlier, and his hair was unruly, letting her know he had ran his hands through it on the drive over.  She ignored the urge to flee and stopped in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

His angry expression dissipated, but the disappointed one that now masked his face did nothing to make her feel better.  He shook his head at her.  “No, it’s not your fault.  The entire time, I was thinking about why I was afraid to have relationship.  I thought that any girl who was with me would one day wake up and realize that I didn’t look like a man she wanted.  I never thought about your misgivings, and for that, I’m sorry.”

“You’re kidding?” she mumbled with a sigh.  “Do you have to be so damned perfect?”

He chuckled before sobering.  “I understand why you ran from me; I’m just disappointed that you didn’t talk to me about it.  We may have only known each other for a little while, but I won’t be in a relationship that doesn’t progress.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I plan on getting married, I plan on having kids, and I plan on growing old with the woman that I love.  That woman is you, Abby, but if you can’t accept that, I’ll eventually settle for someone else.”

She waited for the panic feeling to rear its ugly head, but to her surprise, it didn’t.  What she felt instead, was a strange sense of jealousy for whomever he would move onto.  “I like you, Lance.  I really like you, but I don’t think I’m ready for all that.”

“You think I am?” he asked with a laugh.  “I want those things for the future, Abby.  I wouldn’t mind moving in with you or you with me, but everything else can wait.  I just need an assurance that you’re going to give this thing a chance.  I don’t want you to run from me when things are getting tough.  I want you to talk to me.  Is that so much to ask for?”

“No,” she replied while shaking her head.  “I guess it isn’t.”

“Good.  Let’s look at it as a job with a chance for advancement, just a chance.”

“I can do that.”

“You’re sure?”

She gave him a large smile and a nod.  “I’m positive.  I would love for you to move in with me.  You think that is a good enough start?”

He closed the distance between them.  Grabbing her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead while she let out a sigh of disappointment.  “Patience,” he mumbled.  “If I have to wait, I think you can too.”

“I thought the whole point of inviting you to move in was so that I didn’t have to wait.”

Kissing her on the corner of the mouth, he took a quick step back, but kept holding her hand. “Yes, but right now, you have your ex staring at us.  I think it’s best if we go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere?”

He squeezed her hand.  “My place, then yours.”

“Deal,” she mumbled while dropping his hand and jogging towards the other side of his car.  She slid in and waited for him to do the same.  As soon as he had the car started and into gear, she grabbed his hand again.

He shook his head at her, but before he pulled out, he glanced over towards the cliff.  “Do you think he will be okay?”

Abby nodded.  “He’ll be fine.  He’s just looking for something right now.”

“What is that?”

“What we have,” she whispered while leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.

***Another short story has been posted, this one starring Paul.  It's titled Veiled, and can be found under my works :)  Hope you all enjoyed the read!***