Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 59
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 | Ch. 58 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 59
Eddie watched as the SUV Holly's parents had described approached the house, and then stopped. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong as he stepped off the porch and began to walk towards her vehicle. He hoped that being here would convince her to just give him...them...one more chance. He also wanted to be the one to tell her about Sean.
Before he could get closer, the vehicle started to move again, slow over the deep ruts in her gravel driveway. She gave him a half-hearted wave as she passed by to park beside his rental. He went to her door and opened it when she turned the engine off, hoping for the best, but expecting a lukewarm reception.
He didn't expect her to step out and shove both hands into his chest, sending him sprawling in the dirt.
"What the hell? I know you're mad, but..." By the time he was on his feet again, she'd wrangled her luggage out of the back and was headed for the house. He ran to catch up and reached for one of the bags, but she refused to give it up.
"You scared the crap out of me," she said, finally forced to set her suitcase down at the front door. "I thought you were Sean. What are you doing here, Eddie?" Fitting the key into the lock, she pushed the door open and turned back for the case, but Eddie already had it. He nodded towards the door.
"We need to talk," he said, waiting for her to move. "About a lot of things, apparently. Let's go inside, and I'll tell you about Sean."
She looked at him for a long moment, some of the fight leaving her expression. When she finally went inside, she left the doors open behind her.
Eddie followed, glancing here and there as Holly led him past a tall staircase, through a cozy looking living room and down a narrow hall to her bedroom. She set her bag on the bed and reached for the one he was carrying, but he shook his head and lifted it up onto the dark green velvety comforter himself. He smiled at the decor - rich, deep colors and plush fabrics for the bed, curtains and an oversized chair in one corner. The walls were dark too, a kind of mottled green and black color that matched the velvet on the bed.
"I like it," he said, amused to see her cheeks turn pink. "It's you."
"Most people wouldn't think so," she replied, turning toward the door. He reached out to lightly grasp her wrist, pulling her back when she didn't fight him.
"Then most people don't know you like I do." He pulled her close to his chest and placed her hand on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around her waist. With his other hand, he coaxed her chin up until she looked into his eyes and he saw that spark of hope he'd wanted to see when he'd first opened her car door.
"Hi," he murmured, lowering his head to brush his lips over hers. Her hands slid up to cup the back of his head and he deepened the kiss, relieved when her tongue slipped out to meet his. He kept it slow and easy, nibbling at her bottom lip before he pulled back to look at her again.
"I missed you," he said, watching her face for any clue about what she might be thinking. "I was worried when you didn't come see me, and then you wouldn't take my calls. I thought we had an understanding."
She pulled out of his embrace and went to sit on the edge of the bed. "They wouldn't let me see you. Every time I wanted to, they had something else for me to do, or said it wasn't a good idea. And by the time you called...I just wasn't sure what to even say. So much happened." She looked down at her hands, then up at the window, and back down at her hands again. "Honestly, I wasn't really sure if something could work between us. We're so different, and our worlds are so different..."
He sat beside her and reached out to take one of her hands. "None of that matters. It's all window dressing - you know that. We'll figure it out, but I need you, Holly. I love you, and I think you love me too. We need to be together, no matter what."
She chuckled. "I thought I was the romance writer here."
"Funny how many songs are romantic, isn't it? I may have even written a few myself." He thought about the one he'd started on the flight up - the one he planned to sing for her later tonight. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned in for another kiss.
"I do love you," she murmured, snuggling in with her head on his shoulder. "And I'm sorry I pushed you. When I saw the car in the driveway, I thought Sean had tracked me down already. That's why I stopped where I did. Then I saw you, and I was just relieved and mad at the same time - mad that even the thought of him could scare me so much." She sat up with a frown. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me about him?"
Eddie nodded. "I'm sorry I scared you - I didn't even think about what you might think." He rubbed her arm gently. "Sean's dead, Holly. They found him around two this morning at his mansion - someone made an anonymous 9-1-1 call. He'd been shot, and it looks like he bled out before emergency personnel could get there."
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 | Ch. 58 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 59
Eddie watched as the SUV Holly's parents had described approached the house, and then stopped. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong as he stepped off the porch and began to walk towards her vehicle. He hoped that being here would convince her to just give him...them...one more chance. He also wanted to be the one to tell her about Sean.
Before he could get closer, the vehicle started to move again, slow over the deep ruts in her gravel driveway. She gave him a half-hearted wave as she passed by to park beside his rental. He went to her door and opened it when she turned the engine off, hoping for the best, but expecting a lukewarm reception.
He didn't expect her to step out and shove both hands into his chest, sending him sprawling in the dirt.
"What the hell? I know you're mad, but..." By the time he was on his feet again, she'd wrangled her luggage out of the back and was headed for the house. He ran to catch up and reached for one of the bags, but she refused to give it up.
"You scared the crap out of me," she said, finally forced to set her suitcase down at the front door. "I thought you were Sean. What are you doing here, Eddie?" Fitting the key into the lock, she pushed the door open and turned back for the case, but Eddie already had it. He nodded towards the door.
"We need to talk," he said, waiting for her to move. "About a lot of things, apparently. Let's go inside, and I'll tell you about Sean."
She looked at him for a long moment, some of the fight leaving her expression. When she finally went inside, she left the doors open behind her.
Eddie followed, glancing here and there as Holly led him past a tall staircase, through a cozy looking living room and down a narrow hall to her bedroom. She set her bag on the bed and reached for the one he was carrying, but he shook his head and lifted it up onto the dark green velvety comforter himself. He smiled at the decor - rich, deep colors and plush fabrics for the bed, curtains and an oversized chair in one corner. The walls were dark too, a kind of mottled green and black color that matched the velvet on the bed.
"I like it," he said, amused to see her cheeks turn pink. "It's you."
"Most people wouldn't think so," she replied, turning toward the door. He reached out to lightly grasp her wrist, pulling her back when she didn't fight him.
"Then most people don't know you like I do." He pulled her close to his chest and placed her hand on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around her waist. With his other hand, he coaxed her chin up until she looked into his eyes and he saw that spark of hope he'd wanted to see when he'd first opened her car door.
"Hi," he murmured, lowering his head to brush his lips over hers. Her hands slid up to cup the back of his head and he deepened the kiss, relieved when her tongue slipped out to meet his. He kept it slow and easy, nibbling at her bottom lip before he pulled back to look at her again.
"I missed you," he said, watching her face for any clue about what she might be thinking. "I was worried when you didn't come see me, and then you wouldn't take my calls. I thought we had an understanding."
She pulled out of his embrace and went to sit on the edge of the bed. "They wouldn't let me see you. Every time I wanted to, they had something else for me to do, or said it wasn't a good idea. And by the time you called...I just wasn't sure what to even say. So much happened." She looked down at her hands, then up at the window, and back down at her hands again. "Honestly, I wasn't really sure if something could work between us. We're so different, and our worlds are so different..."
He sat beside her and reached out to take one of her hands. "None of that matters. It's all window dressing - you know that. We'll figure it out, but I need you, Holly. I love you, and I think you love me too. We need to be together, no matter what."
She chuckled. "I thought I was the romance writer here."
"Funny how many songs are romantic, isn't it? I may have even written a few myself." He thought about the one he'd started on the flight up - the one he planned to sing for her later tonight. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned in for another kiss.
"I do love you," she murmured, snuggling in with her head on his shoulder. "And I'm sorry I pushed you. When I saw the car in the driveway, I thought Sean had tracked me down already. That's why I stopped where I did. Then I saw you, and I was just relieved and mad at the same time - mad that even the thought of him could scare me so much." She sat up with a frown. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me about him?"
Eddie nodded. "I'm sorry I scared you - I didn't even think about what you might think." He rubbed her arm gently. "Sean's dead, Holly. They found him around two this morning at his mansion - someone made an anonymous 9-1-1 call. He'd been shot, and it looks like he bled out before emergency personnel could get there."
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