Melia-Irrevocable Journey (Sequel to Irrevocable Quest)

067:

067:

It buzzed, as if he'd heard her thoughts about him.

"Hi." She said, coincidence, or?

"Hey there. How are you? How was your day? I've been thinking about that part you were struggling with all day and I figured it out. You want to hear my take on it?" and without waiting he plunged right in to his idea, listing all the reasons he figured it would work if she played it from his point of view. His voice was enthusiastic and captivating, and she enjoyed just listening to him.

Melia felt herself relaxing. She hadn't realized how tense she always got, until the muscles in her neck began to ease up and then she sank with relief into her bed.

"Hey, you're kind of quiet. What's on your mind sweetheart?" he finally said, laughing at himself for monopolizing the entire conversation like that, and she pictured his quirky smile.

"Why do you call me sweetheart and baby?" she asked, completely randomly and a little flirty, knowing it was a question that would attract a flirty response, but she felt happy when he called, and it was a happy kind of flirty. There was so little of that in her working life, and right now that was all she did, work and take care of the babies.

He hesitated. "Are you sure you want to have this conversation right now?" A kind of serious note in his tone that she hadn't anticipated. She drew in her breath sharply regretting her question immediately. It had dissipated the jocular mood he'd set, the 'just friends' image he cultivated for them. He never crossed those bounds and spoke of any other possibility. She really had no idea where he stood, except for the one time in the airport...

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No." He stated firmly. "It's not that we can't have this conversation. I don't mind at all. I like calling you sweetheart, and honey and darling and whatever other endearment I can use to describe what you are beginning to mean in my life."

"Am I beginning to.... Mean something in your life?"

His laugh was free and easy. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you how much."

"Oh." She didn't know what to say. Did he mean as friends, or something more? He'd always been pretty careful not to cross that line.

"Are you still married?" He asked bluntly. "I think I know you well enough to ask that."

"Sure you do." She replied carefully. "Yes. But there are reasons I haven't told you about."

She heard his deeper breath as if he was bracing himself, and she knew he expected her to tell him. He waited. She finally decided she could be honest with him. He had been her only close friend the last few months and he knew she and Ryan weren't really married.

"Someone has been threatening me. And Ryan feels we should stay together till we get it sorted out. We have a houseboat trip in a few days with some of my family and then a family reunion in New York a few weeks later, and then we're going to get the annulment."

"Are you... have you been intimate?" He asked it forthrightly and it didn't make her feel uncomfortable, but she had the feeling, at one time it could have.

"We can still get the annulment." She said.

"You can do that these days intimate or not. I am not asking for that reason."

"Oh, why are you asking?"

"Because my jealous green monster head is rearing up. I want to know, that's why." His voice was calm, but constant, and she knew he really did care about the climate of their relationship, and by the same token, realized that the reason was because he was waiting for her... and he wanted to feel that perhaps he had a chance. If she was sleeping with Ryan then there was more between them than he'd originally thought, and it spoke something about her character that was revealing.