Anna
"I need your advice, I'm told he's with her, he's in her hotel room as we speak."
"Anna, I don't know what to tell you. This decision is Christian's to make, if he doesn't want to be with you, who am I tell him differently?" Christian's mother explained.
"I understand the choice is his but his judgement is clouded because of that girl. If she wasn't in the picture he would come to me."
"Why do you think that?"
"Christian is trying to be a good guy. Good guys don't cheat, even if it is with the love of his life." I answered.
"So what so you want me to do?"
"I want you to set it up so that Chris and I have no choice but to spend time together alone."
"How?"
"I'm working out the details now. I'll let you know when everything is in place. Does this mean you'll help me?"
"I've always wanted to see you and Christian together." She nodded.
Raylynn
After hearing what Chris had to say, I can't lie, I miss him and I want him back but I refuse to play the fool. "I believe you." I told him.
Chris looked up, eyes blazing. "What does this mean?"
"It means I'll give you a chance. Grandma and I will come back home in two weeks time. I'm staying with her at her house and you and I can start again but we're taking it slow. That means no moving in together."
Chris' jaw dropped. "Starting our courtship over?"
"Yes, dates, hugs, kisses, no sex."
"I can handle that. Just promise me that when you come back you'll give me a fair shot, no holding anything we talked about against me."
I thought about it and realized that would be impossible. "Is Anna still going to be in your life."
He looked weary. "Yes, she's my best friend but I've talked to her, I've made it clear that the only capacity she can hold in my life is as my best friend."
I didn't believe it. Sure, he might have told her that but a woman like Anna isn't going to give up anything she desires just like that. "Alright."
"So where can I sleep?" Chris asked.
"On the couch, I'll bring you a few blankets and a pillow."
~February 13th~
Christian
"Thank you for all your help, Crisp, I promise to take you to the movies next week." Valentine's day was tomorrow and Crispin helped me set everything so it was perfect. Raylynn and I had been taking things slow and I was hoping that by the end of the day tomorrow we'd be where we were before the incident with Anna.
"Yep, no problem." Crispin responded and ran up to his room.
The plan was for me to be straightforward and honest. I want the surprise to not be the trip I have planned but the set up when we get there. We're going to my family's cabin that sits in the woods.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, it was a text from Raylynn.
Raylynn: How am I suppose to pack?
Me: Cozy?
Raylynn: It'd be easier if u told me where we're goin'
Me: Nope
Raylynn: ... >:(
Me: Cheer up! We leave tmorow
Raylynn: Can't wait!
Me: Love you
Raylynn: :)
I didn't expect Raylynn to say it back. She's been very cautious about sharing her feelings with me and I don't blame her. It feels like she's constantly waiting for me to leave her for Anna. Hopefully the three days away will change all that.
Charles
Everything is steadily falling apart. If I don't make this deal with the St. Victoria's I can kiss everything I've worked so hard to create goodbye.
"Honey, why are you sitting here in the dark?" Helen asked as she switched the light on.
"Nothing, just thinking." I replied. I looked at the photographs the sat on my desk. The photo of Helen, Margret, and Meredith we recent, less than three months old. The only picture I had of Raylynn was over ten years old and it was pushed off to the side. It made her image seem like an intruder, as if she didn't belong with the other picture. Then another thought came to mind. "What was Raylynn's reason for leaving again?"
"She, um, after all the talk about cutting costs, she packed all her things and left. She didn't want to give up the lifestyle she was accustomed to in order to help this family to survive." She answered.
That didn't make a lick of sense, but then again, women rarely did. "Right."
"Why do you ask, Honey?"
"I just wondered why she didn't say anything to me before she left, I'm her father."
"She was an ungrateful, spoiled brat. She probably did it to hurt you. Don't dwell on it, let's focus on the beautiful daughter we still have." Helen kissed my cheek.
I nodded my head, but something just didn't feel right.
~February 14th (Valentine's Day)~
Raylynn
"Where are we?" I asked, we had reached our destination in the early evening.
"My family's cabin." Chris answered.
It was very cozy. I loved it! Chris took my hand and lead me into the cabin, inside was decorated for Valentine's Day, there was a banner that hung on the inside balcony, it read: Love Nest. There were rose petals on the floor that led up to what I presumed was the bedroom. Chris followed the petals and we ended up in the main bedroom. The lights were dimmed and it smelled heavenly.
"Get naked, I'm gonna start a bath for you. There's already a towel on the bed because I'm sure you're not ready for me to see you naked again yet." And off Chris went.
As I undressed, I thought about what Chris said. The weeks since I've been back, I've kept him at arms length and he's been trying really hard to win me over. I haven't heard from Anna since we've gotten back together and there hasn't been a hint that he's been seeing her behind my back. I know where he is at all times precisely because he doesn't want me to worry about who he might be with. I wasn't being fair to him and it needed to stop.
I forwent the towel and walked into the bathroom, fully planning to seduce Chris. The look on his face when he saw me was priceless. I slowly helped myself into the tub and relaxed. When Chris remembered himself, he stood and gathered to oils I assumed he put in the water.
"Are you gonna join me?" I purred.
Chris missed a step, startled by my offer. "Y-you want me to?"
I nodded my head.
"Um le-let me get a few things and I'll be right there." Chris turned and left.
When he returned, he was naked and had two champagne glasses, one filled with Dr. Pepper and the other filled with Sprite. I really love this man, I thought.
He handed me the glasses and climbed in the tub behind me. He took the glasses from me again and placed them on the small table that stood beside the bath. His arms wrapped around me kissed any exposed skin he could reach from his position.
"I missed being able to do this, to touch you however and whenever I wanted."
I breathlessly answered, "I missed this too."
The kissing continued until the water turned cold and our sodas turned flat. Chris lifted himself from the tub and then carried me out. He dried me off, paying special attention to certain parts, then laid me on the bed. He then dried himself off, never taking his eyes off of me. When he was done, he crawled on the bed, over me. "I love you, Raylynn."
"I love you too, Christian." I returned.
The rest of our trip happened with Chris and I in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, floor, and livingroom of the house. Happy valentine's day to me!