Page 31 of It's Only Love

“What?” she asked defensively.

“Nothing, I’m just…is relieved the right word?” he laughed, she opened her other eye and her shoulders relaxed.

“Relieved?”

“Oh, gosh sorry! No, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just that after last night, we kissed, and...” he trailed off, she slumped down next to him.

“No spark?” she supplied, he nodded.

“Yep. I really wanted there to be one. You’re a beautiful woman and I had such a crush on you for so long. When I saw you again after nearly fifteen years, I thought it was fate but then we kissed...”

She laughed. “It wasn’t that bad!” she cried, and at his horrified expression she laughed again. “It’s fine, I know what you mean, it wasn’t right. I’m so glad, I was so worried last night.”

“Same,” he said laughing, he stood up and pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a big hug.

“I do, however, think we could become very good friends. And that’s always a win,” she said, muffled against his chest, he chuckled.

“Sounds good to me.”

When they pulled apart, he started looking around the room.

“You really don’t have to help me with the house, you know,” she said.

“Can I tell you something if you promise not to be mad?” he asked, looking sheepish.

“I guess?”

“It’s me that’s buying the house.” He bit his lip, looking anxious.

“It is? That’s amazing!” She threw herself at him for another hug.

“You don’t mind?”

“Why would I mind? It’s perfect! Do what you want with the place.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

They headed into the kitchen as she fetched them some drinks from the fridge. She tossed him a Coke, and then something occurred to her.

“I bet Dean is so happy!” she said, feeling herself blush like a teenager as she said his name.

“Well, I haven’t actually told anyone else yet. I wanted to wait until it was all confirmed and the sale closed. Do you mind keeping it to yourself for now?”

“Of course, my lips are sealed.”

They went back through the house and out onto the porch to sit in the wicker chairs in the shade. The warm breeze tickled Christy’s cheeks, the smell of citrus gliding through the air, there for a fleeting moment and then gone. She listened as he told her of his plans to turn the house and land into a fitness and rehabilitation retreat. He wanted to get back to helping people with their quality of life rather than just getting a budding starlet to drop a few pounds. He wanted to help people who had injuries and the elderly, offering physical therapy, his passion as he spoke was infectious.

The more they talked the more he really began to open up and he told her the reason he wanted to move back home. He loved L.A. but he also saw how detrimental the lifestyle was. He had been seeing a woman, Tracy, for almost a year, she started out as a client and they began dating. She became obsessive about her looks, her weight, and demanded he help her lose more and more weight. He could see what she was doing and refused to help her become unhealthy.

Unfortunately, she had taken it to mean he was no longer interested in her and thought he was seeing someone else behind her back. She began following him, accusing him of cheating on her constantly with other clients, even the woman who served him coffee every morning. It became too much and he decided to end it, but she must have known what he was planning because he tried to end it, she attempted to kill herself. Christy felt sick.

“That’s horrific,” she said, putting a hand on his arm.

“Yeah, she locked herself in the bathroom and swallowed a bunch of pills. At first I thought she was just having a tantrum and locked herself in, but after a while I realized her silence wasn’t right.” He dropped his head. “I should’ve known what she was doing. By the time I figured it out and busted down the door, she was unconscious. I called for an ambulance and managed to bring her around, sticking my fingers down her throat to get her to throw the pills up.”

Christy began rubbing his arm, trying to comfort him. She could tell from his voice he was still shaken by the incident.

“I should’ve known; I took too long to figure it out.” He shook his head, frustrated.

---