Chapter 14
“So, have you decided on a colour for your walls, or do you think we’ll be going with some wallpaper instead?” Eric asked as he pushed the cart – while Chloe stood inside it – down the aisle of a hardware store.
“I think we should paint it. Wallpaper takes the fun out of things.” She stated.
Eric grinned, “And the mess too.”
Chloe glanced over her shoulder at her father, sending him one of her innocent smiles, but as usual her eyes gave her intentions away.
Maybe Allison had a point when she said he was in for a world of craziness when he allowed Chloe to have full control over the decorations of her room.
Eric had gone over to their place to pick up Chloe as eight o’clock sharp, and just as he’d hastily arrived, he’d hastily left with Chloe in tow. His hasty retreat wasn’t so much because he wanted to get this morning of shopping over with; it had more to do with not being around Allison. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be around her, it was the fact that he wanted to be around her. This was very dangerous, especially for him, who was engaged to someone else.
He wasn’t the type of guy to cheat on his fiancé, and he knew neither was Allison the type of person to encourage it. Not that he was entertaining thoughts about cheating on Heather with Allison.
It would be easier to break up with Heather and go back to Allison, he thought, but quickly erased the thought at its disturbing nature.
Eric knew having thoughts like that was crazy. He was happy with Heather; he wouldn’t have asked her to marry him if he wasn’t absolutely sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Granted, things hadn’t been going so great since she got to L.A., but that was partially his fault for dropping the ‘I have a kid’ bomb on her. Of course, her inabilities to accept things for what they are aren’t exactly helping things either.
All he could do was hope that someday soon in the future, Heather would come around and try to make an effort.
“Paint it is.” he announced as he pushed the cart to the aisle with the paint.
There must have been hundreds to different colours that lined the aisle and Eric dreaded the thought of Chloe taking hours to decide on the exact colour she wanted. He could only hope that she was like her mom, who knew what she wanted and went after it.
“Have you decided what colour you want your walls painted?”
Chloe placed her forefinger to her chin in thought, “Hmm… not pink. It is way to girly.”
Eric chuckled, “Yeah, but I asked what colour you wanted, not what you didn’t want.”
“I know. I’m just letting you know that it can’t be pink.” She stated matter-of-factly.
Eric just shook his head, “Well, I take your lack of answer as a sign that you don’t know what you want.”
“No, I know.”
“Well,” he offered, “what is it?”
“I was thinking black.”
Eric’s eyes grew wide with shock and had him stopping in mid stride, but when Chloe started to giggle, he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Nice, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Chloe just laughed louder. “How about we reserve the black for when you’re in your moody teenage phase.”
“The look on your face was priceless, daddy.” She giggled.
Eric couldn’t help but smile at the joy she exuded and even more so when she called him daddy. It was hard to believe that not so long ago she’d called him by his first name, as if he was just another stranger she met.
Of course, he had been just that up until they’d met. The thought that she would never accept him as her father had crossed his mind more than once over the past three weeks and it tore at his heart, but he knew the thought of never even having the knowledge that she was alive was far worse and that he would take what he could get with her.
Things had turned out for the best – in the end; and as he watched in amazement at the way Chloe freely joked around with him, easily letting the word daddy fall from her lips, giving him parental acknowledgement, Eric knew he couldn’t picture his life without her in it.
“Okay, okay, enough laughing at my expense.” He added lightly, “All serious now, I think the best way to handle this would be with some samples. Don’t you?”
He steered the cart to a hanging on the wall which held all the samples of the paints within the store. There were different shades of each colour they stored, all printed on a strip of cardboard. They had just about everything, ranging from red, to blues, to greens, yellows, and Chloe’s new favourite – black.
“Okay, see anything you like? This looks nice.” Eric commented, picking up a pastel shade of yellow.
“Hmm… I don’t really like yellow.”
“Okay, so do you see anything you want?”
Chloe scanned over the samples that lined the wall, her face a mask of concentration.
“I like this one and this one too.” She leaned up and picked up a sample that held different shades of lilac and the other green.
“Okay,” Eric took the samples from her, “which one to you like more?”
“I like them both.”
“Of course you do. How about this, we’ll get them both.” He suggested.
“Really?”
“Yes,” he chuckled at the stars in her eyes, “really. I think they could go nicely together, if we get the right shades.”
“Okay then. But we need other supplies as well.”
“So what else do we need Handy Mandy?”
She thought for a second and then jumped up excitedly, “Paint brushes.”
Eric smiled at her, “Yup, that and some other things. I’m sure you’re going to need some shelves in your room.”
“Yeah, where else am I going to put my dolls?”
“Let’s get our paint and be on our way. We still have a game to get to after all and we don’t want to be late for that.”
“No we don’t. Come on, daddy. Let’s get done, before we’re late.”
Eric shook his head with a smile on his face, “Okay let’s get this over with, shall we.”
***
With Chloe carrying the lighter items, she and Eric walked out the elevator of his apartment building. He’d wanted to bring their purchases home before they went to the game and a part of him wanted to see Heather too.
She’d been a bit upset with him this morning when he’d told her he had plans with Chloe to go shopping for supplies for her room and that they had a game after, when she asked if they could spend the day together. He’d offered her a chance to go with them, saying it was a good chance for her to get to know Chloe, but as usual, she thought up some excuse to avoid the situation.
At that moment he couldn’t be bothered with her and her attempts to avoid his daughter. He was about to spend the entire day with Chloe, just the two of them and that was something even Heather couldn’t spoil for him.
Pushing the key in the lock, Eric unlocked the front door and ushered Chloe inside. The first thing he noticed, when he shut the door behind him, was the smell of food cooking.
Heading towards the kitchen, Eric raised a sceptical eyebrow at the sight of Heather cooking. This was definitely a shock for him. Back in New York, Heather wasn’t really big on cooking and Eric found himself doing a bulk of the cooking for their dinners. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to cook; it was just that she wasn’t big on the idea.
‘What’s going on?” Eric asked as he entered the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re home and with… Chloe too.” Heather smiled, but Eric could tell it wasn’t as real as it looked.
“Hi,” Chloe greeted meekly, still a bit uneasy around Heather, but he could blame her.
“Hi Chloe. How was your day so far? Looking forward to the game?” Heather asked, leaving Eric confused.
“It was great.” she replied a bit more openly. “Daddy and I got all the supplies we needed for my new room.”
“Oh, so what colour are you planning on painting it?”
“Lilac and green. It’s going to look so cool once it’s done.” Chloe stated proudly.
“I’m sure it will. I hope you guys are hungry. I made lunch.” Heather headed back into the kitchen and brought a bowl of what looked like Mac and Cheese to the table, where places three people were set.
Eric was even more stunned than he was before. Was she actually making an effort? He wondered. Looking at the lunch she prepared and the settings that were placed, he knew that she’d probably given some thought to doing this, but must have started at the last minute, considering it was only Mac and Cheese, which didn’t take that long to make.
“Why don’t you take a seat, Chloe, while I’ll get the cool drinks?” She smiled slightly.
“You sit, sweetie. I’ll be right back.” Eric said when he noticed Chloe hadn’t moved from her spot and followed Heather into the kitchen.
“What’s this all about? I thought you weren’t big on the idea of bonding with Chloe.” He half accused.
Heather nodded her head as she took the lemonade from the refrigerator and closed the door behind her, looking up at Eric.
“I know. I’ve been a bit… disagreeable over the past few days.” Eric sent her a pointed look. “Okay, maybe a been more than a bit.” She whispered, not wanting Chloe to hear their conversation.
“You have, but I was wrong too for not telling you sooner.” Eric admitted.
“True, but after you left this morning I started thinking about how I’ve been acting and even I can say it wasn’t my best behaviour. I know I’m not the best choice for a mother, but I will try and be the best step mom I can be for Chloe. It’s clear she means a lot to you and I love you, so I’ll do this for you.”
Eric enfolded her in his arms and gave her a quick kiss, “Thank you. This does mean a lot to me. And you’ll see you and Chloe will get along just great.”
“I’m sure we will. Now, we should eat lunch, I’m sure Chloe’s starved.” She said a bit loudly for her benefit, walking out the kitchen.
“You know, you didn’t have to do all this. We were planning on grabbing a couple of hotdogs while were at the game.” Eric said as he sat down at the table, across from Heather.
“Those aren’t filling enough. Besides, I think Allison would appreciate her daughter having a wholesome meal.”
At the mention of Allison Eric stiffened, but tried to remain a mask of neutrality. He couldn’t help the images that flooded his mind of the sexy Ally who’d been dressed in that beautiful flowing plum dress; which had clung to all the right contours of her body. Her flesh had felt velvety soft as he clipped her necklace around her neck and all he’d wanted to do was…
Eric mentally shook his head and focused on the two other women in his life, the ones who should be coming first.
Yes, he thought, Allison was definitely dangerous territory.
***
Allison twirled around the house as the sounds of Bon Jovi blared through her stereo speakers. This was the first Saturday in a long time that she had all to herself and she’d decided that she was in much need of some musical therapy while she did some much overdue housework.
The laundry was done, the dusting and vacuuming had just been completed and now all she was in need of was a long hot, relaxing bath before Chloe got home from her day with Eric.
Thinking about Eric caused a frown to appear on her brow. Why had he so hastily retreated when he’d come over this morning?
Had she said or done something to make him angry this morning or perhaps… last night?
Just thinking about last night and the jealousy he’d admitted to, made her smile. But why would she want him to be jealous? It wasn’t like she wanted him in her life again, or at least, not in that way. Yes, Eric jealous was a bit entertaining. Seeing the lengths he would go to too prevent her from being with another man.
But weren’t the men the ladies usually wanted the one they wanted to make jealous?
Well, she certainly didn’t want Eric in that way or… at least she hoped she didn’t. But every time he was near her, looking at her in the way that said he had only one thing on his mind, Allison couldn’t help the frantic pounding of her heart or the way her body seemed to react to him when ever he inched closer to her.
It was all she could do not to jump him sometimes and kiss the living daylights out of him. Did he even know what he was doing to her? He certainly didn’t if he kept coming closer to her every chance he could.
All for except this morning, a voice told her. And why was that? Did it have anything to do with Heather and her obvious manipulation?
Allison brushed off the thought. It was none of her business what went on between Eric and Heather and the less time she spent thinking about that woman, the better.
***
The hot, relaxing bubble bath was the cherry on top of her perfect day. Now all she needed was to spend some time with Chloe and she’d be more than content. Slipping on a pair of denim short and a t-shirt, Allison dried her hair and made sure she had done all she wanted today.
Checking the time, she saw she still had a few hours to herself before Chloe got home and decided to catch up on reading. Book in hand, Allison walked into the living room and snuggled up in her favourite armchair that was positioned by the window, the glow of the sun shining perfectly through the window. Allison slide the window open and a light, refreshing summer breeze blew in, adding to the mood.
It was about a little after an hour later that Allison lifted her head from her book and noticed the shiver that come over her. The breeze had become too much and she decided that it was best to close the window, least she get sick. After shutting the window, she walked into her bedroom with the intention of pulling on a sweater, but when her eye caught hold of the throw blanket, on the top shelf of her closet, she leaned up and pulled it down, bringing with it a box, which landed with a thud at her feet.
Placing the blanket beside her, she bent down and turned the box right side up. Some of its content had spilled onto the hardwood floor and as she retrieved it, it shocked her to see what she had found.
It was a picture, a really old picture taken nine - if not - ten years ago, of her and Jen. She grinned as she recognised the awkward eighteen year old that smiled back at her, while Jen – being her usual self – had been as sexy and as confident as she was today. Allison was pretty sure if it hadn’t been for Jen and her zany personality encouraging her to let out of her shell, she’d probably never have agreed to date Eric in the first place.
She marvelled at their appearances. It made her want to laugh, looking at their haircuts – hers being much longer then it was today and without the layers, with her long bangs that hung in her face, while Jen’s was about the length she, Allison, had now – and the clothes they had on. Had they really considered that fashion once upon a time?
Allison placed the picture back into the box and noticed some other items she stowed away a long time ago. She smiled, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. Closing the box, she placed the throw blanket on top and headed towards the living room. There she placed the box on the floor and with the blanket wrapped around her; she sat on the floor and pulled the lid off.
She couldn’t believe she still had all this stuff or, should she say, that she’d forgotten all about it in the first place. She’d forgotten that she had placed all of these things into a box when she’d moved from her and Eric’s old place, back to her parents. When she’d left there, she’d just stuffed the box into her closet, not even bothering to open it.
Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t. As she glanced over a few of the items, she realised why she’d forgotten about the box. It was filled with reminders of Eric and their relationship.
Allison pulled out a photo album. It was made of papier-mâché, the colours a combination of autumn reds and browns, with a yellow ribbon that held it together. She remembered buying this after Eric noted that the colours reminded him of her, with her auburn hair and deep brown eyes, he’d always said that she reminded him of autumn, but when she was in his arms, it was like summer.
She smiled at the memory and then slide the cover open. Her eyes were immediately greeted by a dried out lily. It was one the flowers she’d saved after their first date. Eric had bought her a bunch of lilies, wanting to move away from the conventional roses. Some girls would have preferred the roses, but Allison loved her lilies and was saddened by the fact that they wouldn’t last forever as a reminder of the wonder she’s felt that night.
This flower was all that remained of that bliss filled night she’d fallen for Eric. She placed it carefully on the table and turned her attention once again back to the album.
The first few pictures were of her and Jen in their first year at college. She had been surprised that she and Jen had become friends so quickly. It was almost as if they were soul mates, destined to be best friends, who were more like sisters.
Flipping over to the fourth page, Allison’s hand suddenly froze as a picture of her and Eric looked back at her. This was taken before they started dating, when they’d been friends and he’d basically pestered her non-stop to go out with him.
She was smiling at the camera, while Eric had his arm draped over her shoulder, a smile on his face, but he only had eyes for her. She guessed she should have known even back then that he was crazy about her. What puzzled her was what he saw the night they met that had him falling for her in the first place.
She wasn’t one of the hot model type girls she’d seen at their fraternity’s parties. In fact, on such a night Eric had given her all his attention, ignoring the admiring looks he got from other girls. She recalled not being much of a party girl, but had gone because Jen wanted her there, but in the end she’s disappeared with Paul.
Eric had clearly realised that she was out of her element with all the drunken freshmen hitting on her, wanting nothing more than to get laid. He’d swooped in, fending off all the guys and then led her out to the backyard where they basically spent the night talking and when he saw it was late, he offered to walk her to her dorm room. She’d declined, but being the gentleman that he’d always been with her, he ignored her comment about how she could take care of herself and walked her anyway.
That was probably the first night Allison knew she was falling for him and that it wouldn’t be long before she finally gave in and actually went on a date.
Flipping through the rest of the pictures, Allison came across many that were of her and Eric. There was even one or two with him and her family over Christmas.
Nearing to the end of the album, she found pictures of the time that she and Eric went camping with Jen and Paul.
It was the summer after they started dating. They’d decided to spend the weekend at the lake and Paul had suggested that spot to them.
It had started out bumpy. First they’d forgotten their can opener, which meant most of the food they brought with couldn’t be opened. Then there was the rain that started after dinner. Lucky for them their tents had been setup already, though all the good it did.
Eric had said it was most likely to pass, that it was just a late summer rain. Of course, when it started to pour, it came down hard and before they knew it, their tents were drenched.
“Waterproof my ass.” Allison remembered Eric grumbling as they ran towards the car.
In the end Jen and Paul could slept on the backseat, while she and Eric took the front. They’d turned on the heater and Allison found that she could easily fall asleep while snuggled closely in Eric’s arms.
Though they thought the first day had been a bust, the next was even worse as they found the next morning after packing up and wanting to head home, that the battery had died due to the heater being on all night.
After everything that had gone wrong, there was nothing more they could do but laugh – which both Allison and Jen did uncontrollably, only to have the guys joining them.
Somehow through all the madness of that one day of camping, they managed to have one of the best times she has ever had with her friends.
Allison sighed as she closed the album. These held some of the dearest memories that were closest to her heart. They reminded her of a time when things seemed so much easier, she seemed freer and definitely happier. Not that she wasn’t happy now. With Chloe in her life, how could she not be?
But there was something to be said about being alone. It was something she felt tremendously over the years. But what was strange, the moment Eric Denton walked back into her life, Allison slowly felt that loneliness slip away.
She knew it wasn’t good that Eric had done this, taken away her loneliness. He was engaged after all. But still, taking a trip down memory lane had her wondering what if?
Closing the album, she was about to place it on the table when a picture slipped out. Picking it up she felt the tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Had she really been this in love once? She found herself wondering.
Eric stood behind her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, while his face leaned into hers as their foreheads touched. She could see the smile that lingered on his face and it mirrored her own.
She was practically glowing, beaming like the sun as their eyes met. She was so in love and knew there was no way that she could love another as she did him. And maybe that was her problem over the years. The love she experienced with Eric was great love. There was nothing on this earth that could be described as its equal. No sweetness, no melody. No feeling of joy or delight would have been adequate to describe the feeling of love that had filled Allison that day.
They’d been at the park and Jen had snapped the picture. Both she and Eric had a copy of the it. Hers had always stood on her nightstand, by her bed. Well… at least until the day he walked out on her.
Looking at her smiling face as it beamed up at her with love and delight, she never would have guessed that she and Eric would end up separated, that he’d be engaged to someone she could never picture him with.
A tear slide down her cheek as she mourned the lost love she knew she’d never know again.
Swiping at the tear, she placed the picture on the table and moved onto the other items. There were some other loose pictures and a stuffed puppy with a bow tied around his neck, looking up at her with those puppy dog eyes. On the bow was a small card that read ‘Will you be my Valentine?’
It was a simple Valentine’s Day gift and she couldn’t have loved it more. Eric always knew just the right things to get her. She wasn’t one for flashy diamonds or any other expensive gifts. Cute, plain and simple was all that was needed – with a few kisses added to the deal.
She was about to continue her nostalgic trip down memory lane, when the front door burst open and in a blur of blue, Allison jumped in fright as Chloe came to stand in front of her and threw her arms around her mother, giving Allison a hug before stepping back and launching into her excited chatter.
“Momma, you should have been there. You should have seen it.” Chloe exclaimed, looking about ready to jump out of her skin with excitement.
“Seen what my angel?”
“The game.” She stated as if it were obvious. “My favourite team won and daddy got me this foam hand.”
Allison leaned back as a blur of blue once again came her way, “That’s great, Chloe. Though, what’s that on the hand?”
Chloe looked at the hand and then – as if remembering – her eyes went wide with excitement once more, “It’s an autograph. Daddy took me to meet some of the players.”
“Oh wow. You best put that in a safe place so you can show your grandpa. I’m sure he’s going to be so jealous of you.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?”
And then before anything else could be said, Chloe darted off towards her room, but suddenly stopped, turning she headed the other way. Following Chloe as she went to the front door, where – Allison noticed for the first time – Eric stood casually leaning against the doorframe.
“Thanks daddy for the great day.” She said, while giving him a hug.
“You’re most welcome. Don’t I get a kiss?” She pecked him on the cheek and he mimicked her, giving her another hug, “I’ll see you in the week. We have a room to paint, don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” she said over her shoulder as she once again headed for her room.
Allison returned her attention back to Eric who was looking down at her. She gave him a warm smile and wondered if he would flee as he did that morning. To her surprise he came in and closed the door behind him.
“So, was she a handful?” Allison asked to fill the silence, knowing full well Chloe wouldn’t have given him any major problems.
“Nope, she is real energetic though. A spitfire, just like her mom.” Allison turned her gaze from his, trying her best to remain composed on the outside.
“What’s all this?”
She looked up to see him take a seat on the floor beside her. She felt the hairs rising on her neck as his familiar scent filled her scenes and she had to resist the urge to close her eyes and lean back into him.
Good grief, what was wrong with her?
“Err… just some old stuff from when we were… err… dating.” She awkwardly replied, “I was getting this throw blanket from my closet and this box came tumbling with it. I’d actually forgotten it was there.”
Eric began to scan the objects, his eyes landing on the stuffed animal puppy he’d given her for Valentines Day. The sides of his mouth twitched up in a slight smile. He’d given this to her on their first Valentines Day, he remembered. He half laughed to himself as he recalled the tizzy he was in because he couldn’t figure out what to get her.
Ally was never one for expensive gifts and in the end the more money he spent; the most likely she’d make him return it. He’d learnt his lesson on that already. He’d been scanning a gift shop, trying his best to find a gift that she actually would accept when his eyes landed on this little guy with his sad puppy dog eyes. Ally was always a sucker for animals and he knew there was no way she’d say no to being his Valentine with these eyes looking up at her.
“I can’t believe you still have this.” he stated, his thoughts a million miles away.
“Yeah, I can’t either. But you know me; I’m not one to throw away things that have sentimental value to me.”
“True. I guess I just figured you’d get rid of the things I gave you.” he looked up at her and held her gaze.
She shrugged, “Just because things ended badly, doesn’t mean I stopped caring, Eric.”
He took her hand in his, “Just because I left, doesn’t mean I stopped caring either.”
Allison held his gaze as a wave of warmth spread through her body, planting itself within her very core. When his grey eyes penetrated hers in this way, she could feel her body respond to his in a way it could never respond to nobody else’s.
Did he care? Did he really care as much as he said he did?
If so, why was he marrying someone else? Why would he even stay with Heather if he still had feeling her, if he cared as much as he said he did?
No, Allison thought, he cared for her yes, but in a way that a man would the mother of his child. She and Eric were destined to be friends. That was something her heart and her body would have to accept.
“What? You still have this?”
Allison looked at him confused, but then noticed he was no longer looking at her, but at something inside the box. She watched as he reached inside and pulled out something she couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about.
“My Bon Jovi band t-shirt. Oh my word, I can’t believe I forgot about this.” she stated disbelievingly.
“Yeah, especially if you consider how much you wore this thing.” Eric joked, making Allison playfully punch him on the arm, “I’m just stating the truth. Seriously though, you wore it so much, you had me wondering why I bought it for you in the first place.”
“Because you loved me so much and hated seeing me upset because I wouldn’t have had anything but memories to relive that night?” she said, grinning at him.
“You’re right. I think I loved you too much. I was blinded.” He joked, making them both laugh.
Allison sighed, as she admired the t-shirt, “I really did have a great time. I couldn’t believe that you were willing to take me to the concert when I knew you weren’t one for their music. The fact that you endured the entire night; well it definitely earned you some brownie points.”
Eric grinned at her devilishly. Allison knew what part he remembered, the part after the concert, when she showed him just how grateful she was.
Bon Jovi had been on a nation wide tour and when they came to L.A. their tickets sold like hot cakes. She’d been upset because she couldn’t get tickets and on the night of the concert, Eric had surprised her with VIP tickets to the show.
To say she was ecstatic would’ve been an understatement. When the show had finally started, she and about every screaming fan that joined them were singing along to their songs.
“I have to admit though, by the end of the night I could finally understand why so many girls enjoyed their music.” he admitted. “I presume you’re still listening to their stuff.”
“Of course, how could I not.”
Silence drifted between them before Eric suddenly let out a slight laugh.
“What’s so funny?” she asked arching her brow.
“Nothing. I’m just remembering the drive home after.”
Allison coughed, trying her best not to let out the laugh that threatened to escape.
Eric narrowed his eyes at her, “Hey, I wasn’t that bad, was I?”
Allison grinned, “No, not at all.” She replied, but Eric could hear the humour in her voice.
“Remind me to never sing again.”
They’d been on their way back to the college, the car filled with companionable silence, when suddenly Eric started to hum. Allison had shifted her head in his direction only for him to start singing – and slightly off key, but it was passable – I’ll Be There For You. Allison, feeling the love even through his off key singing, reached out and touched his cheek. He captured her hand in his, bringing it to his lips and as they stood by a red light, Eric turned to her and whispered, ‘I love you.’
“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a baby. It was… sweet.” She commented, trying to keep a straight face but failed miserably.
Eric huffed, “Yeah well I wasn’t the only one who got all mushy though was I?”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes at him, but then smiled, “It was romantic.”
“With you Ally, everything was…” he drifted off suddenly.
She followed his line of vision and found him staring at the picture of the two of them. It was the same one she’d shed a tear over only moments before. She watched as he picked up the picture, a smile of remembrance lighting his handsome features.
“This was always my favourite picture of us.” he murmured.
“Mine too. Things were so different back then, weren’t they?” she commented, she too memorised by the wonder of their once love.
“They were. It felt like nothing and no one could touch us, like I was invincible with you in my arms.” He admitted.
Allison glanced up at him and for the first time in the past three weeks since he’d been back, she saw vulnerability in his eyes that was laced with regret.
Did he truly regret leaving her as much as he seemed to?
She was about to reassure him the way she always had, but as soon as that look appeared, it disappeared once again, leaving in its wake the cool, reserved Eric Denton.
“I should go.” He said, placing the picture back on the table and making a move for the front door.
“Oh… yeah. I’m sure Heather’s wondering where you are.” She offered with a half smile.
Eric opened the door, but turned to face he one last time, “I know things can never be the same with us, but I’d like to think that at least one good thing came from us and she’s in her room.”
“You’re wrong.”
Eric looked at her quizzically, “How so?”
“She might be the greatest thing to come from our relationship, but she wasn’t the only thing.” she said, offering his a smile.
He gave her one nodded and headed out the door.
Allison heard his car take off. Going back to the table were all her memorabilia lay, she picked up the picture of her and Eric. She couldn’t get the haunted look she’d seen in his eyes out of her mind. Did he really live with that much regret about how they’d parted, or over the fact that they parted at all?
As she placed all her old reminders back into the box, she found herself not wanting to store the picture away and wondered if Eric still had his, stowed away in a place forgotten just like she had.
No, she thought, he probably doesn’t even have it anymore.
But what Allison didn’t know was that Eric had never stored that picture away. Its edges were worn and frayed from his hands, as every night from the time he moved to New York, Eric pulled that picture out and longed for the woman he knew he’d never have again. And to this very day, that very picture, as stowed away in his draw, away from his fiancé’s eyes, while she was clueless to his yearning for the days when he’d once felt invincible with Allison.
***
Hey all!
I know this isn’t very long, but it’s the best I can do for now. I plan on writing more soon. I hate keeping you all waiting. And I just want to thank you for being patient through all this. My examinations if half way through, so I’m almost home free.
I hope you liked this. I wanted you all to see what Eric and Allison were like when they were dating. Hope I did them justice.
I’ll try and update real soon…