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Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 20 Kristy sat at her desk and finished dictating her last note of the day. As she clicked off her tape recorder, her eyes drifted across the room to the golf ball now sitting with the other momentos throughout her bookshelves and smiled warmly as she thought of Kevin. "Dr. Butler? There's a 'Cheryl' here to see you," Sarah called over the phone's intercom. "Thanks Sarah. Could you please send her back? Oh, and Sarah... please, just call me Kristy." "I'll send her right back... Kristy. "Wow! Nice place," Cheryl commented as she entered Kristy's new office. Kristy grinned. "I know. Even Disney's clinics are first-rate. So how was your first day?" She saw the smile light up Cheryl's face, her eyes twinkling. "What'd Howie do now?" Cheryl giggled. "More roses!" "Ooh! White again?" "And yellow and peach... and one red." Cheryl smiled shyly. "Red?!" Kristy's eyes widened and she smiled brightly at her friend. "Have you guys said...?" Kristy stopped as Cheryl shook her head adamantly. "How 'bout you and your sleep-over friend?" Cheryl teased as she spotted the toy moving van on the bookshelf and the tulip bulbs sitting next to Kristy's briefcase. Kristy blushed slightly, but also shook her head. "Not yet... but Cher," Kristy sighed and absentmindedly fingered her pendent. "I'm seriously falling for him. I've never felt this way about anyone before." Cheryl smiled and nodded her head in agreement.Howie and Cheryl strolled along the walkway up to the piano bar's entrance, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. He smiled warmly as she turned her face to his and captured her lips in a gentle, leisurely kiss. "Thank you for joining me tonight." Cheryl smiled back. "Thank you for inviting me. Dinner was great, the conversation stimulating." Cheryl gently slapped him as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Knock it off Dorough. And I WAS going to say how wonderful the company's been." "Aww, I'm sorry," Howie pouted as he kissed her softly on the nose. "Please forgive me?" Cheryl thought over it. "I think I need a little convincing." Howie pulled her to him for a deep, "convincing" kiss. "Mmmm, okay. I forgive you." They entered the club and found a secluded booth off to the side. They sat cuddling together, whispering sweet words and kissing and touching. "Hey D," Tommy said, approaching their table. "This must be the lovely Cheryl. Glad you guys could make it." He took Cheryl's hand and kissed the back of it. Howie left his arm draped over her shoulder and grinned at his friend. "Hey, I promised I'd let you meet her one of these days. I'm a man of my word." "Yes, you are, because she's as beautiful as you said she was." Cheryl blushed and smiled warmly at Howie. He always made her feel so special. One again she realized how lucky she was to have him in her life.Kevin barely paid any attention to the dinner in front of him; he was too focused on the woman beside him. Once again, they'd moved their table settings so they could sit next to, rather than across from, each other. Kevin didn't want to think about how much he was going to miss seeing Kristy all the time when they were on tour. Today had been bad enough. When he'd picked her up, he'd kissed her with such passion and longing, it'd left both of them breathless. Now as he looked into her incredible blue-green eyes, he felt himself getting lost. Kristy couldn't name what she saw in Kevin's eyes, or what that look did to her, but she knew she never wanted this feeling to end. She'd fallen in love with him. From the first moment they'd met... their first conversation, first dance, first kiss... each step cemented those feelings a little more. Kevin reached his hand up and caressed the side of her cheek. "Promise me something." "Anything." "Promise we'll never take this - us - for granted." "I promise," Kristy said, her heart swelling with love as Kevin leaned forward and drew her lips into a gentle, lingering kiss.The rest of the week continued much the same way, with both couples spending as much time together as their busy schedules would allow. Friday afternoon, Kevin picked Kristy up at the clinic, drawing many smiles and curious looks from her coworkers and patients. He had a couple of things planned, but agreed to run some errands with Kristy before their weekend officially started. “Thanks for letting me get this out of the way,” Kristy said as she wandered through the medical school’s bookstore, with Kevin following right behind her. This was hardly the way she wanted to spend her precious free time while Kevin was still home, but there simply hadn't been time during the week. “I just need to pick up a few reference books for clinic, then I’m all yours.” Kevin squeezed her hand. “That’s exactly what I like to hear!” Kristy smiled in return and headed down one of the isles. She quickly found one of the books she was looking for and Kevin offered to carry it. She pulled a second book from the shelf and stacked it on top of the other one in Kevin’s arms as she continued to scan the titles. It was her third selection that piqued Kevin’s curiosity. “OK, I understand the pharmacy books, but ‘Mosby’s Guide to Physical Examination’?” “My physical assessment skills have gotten a little rusty, so I want to brush up on some of the basics,” Kristy explained. “Let me know if you need someone to practice on,” Kevin said in his best “sexy voice” - as Kristy called the way he talked in some of the BSB songs. Kristy giggled and sent him a seductive smile. Kevin smiled too, the way he always did whenever he heard her musical laughter. Kristy’s laugh had quickly become one of his favorite sounds in the world. “I know that laugh!... Kristy?” Kristy and Kevin turned towards the voice behind them. “Petie?! Oh my God!” Kevin felt like he was watching the scene unfold before him in slow motion. Kristy’s incredible hazel eyes widened with surprise and a smile lit up her face. A frown crossed Kevin’s features as Kristy stepped forward into the embrace of a tall blond man. Perhaps it was the slow motion feeling, but Kevin thought the man hugged Kristy too tightly and for entirely too long. A knot formed in Kevin’s stomach as he had to watch Kristy in another man’s arms. Kristy stepped back, a stunned expression still on her pretty face as she turned to Kevin. “Kev, this is Alex Peterson... Petie this is my boyfriend, Kevin Richardson.” “Hi Kevin,” Alex said, his eyes still on Kristy. “Kristy and I are old, ah... ‘friends’ from college.” Kevin resisted the urge to wipe Alex’s smug grin off his face. He was liking this guy less and less by the minute. “Hi Alex,” Kevin said, deliberately avoiding his nickname. “I’m Kristy’s new, ‘ah... friend’.” Kristy bit back a smile as she tucked her hand in Kevin’s arm. She knew it was archaic, and definitely not “PC”, but a small part of her felt a thrill that Kevin was acting jealous. But as far as she was concerned, Kevin didn’t have a single reason to be jealous of this man... or any other, for that matter. Kevin however, wouldn’t have agreed. From all he’d learned about Kristy in the last couple of few weeks, “tall, dark and handsome” - as she’d described Kevin - wasn’t her usual “type”. She’d admitted to historically going for blond-haired, blue-eyed guys. Although she’d said she had a special fondness for dimples as she’d kissed his cheeks very sensually. The knot in Kevin’s stomach tightened as he watched the tall blond with blue-gray eyes smile at Kristy. Dimples. Alex had dimples. “So what are you doing here?” Kristy asked, stepping closer to Kevin and giving his arm a comforting squeeze. He had been smiling so much since she’d met him, she’d almost forgotten how intimidating he could look when he wanted to. “I’m going to med school here... what about you?” “I took a position as a clinical pharmacist at OMC.” Kristy shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I ran into you.” “Actually, I’m not all that surprised to see YOU... I was just thinking about you.” Alex grinned, revealing very deep dimples. He turned to Kevin. “See, Kris and I have always had this ‘connection’... whenever we think about each other, we seem to cross paths soon thereafter.” Kristy rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up Petie,’ she thought as she noted the muscle in Kevin’s jaw clenching and unclenching. “It was good to see you, but we’ve got to get going. Kevin and my free time is very precious lately and we’d rather spend it doing something together than in a bookstore.” “Maybe I’ll see you around? We could grab lunch sometime... or dinner?” “Yeah, Kevin and I should have you and one of your friends over for dinner sometime. Well, take care Alex,” Kristy called over her shoulder as she turned towards the front of the bookstore. Kevin waited until they were in the parking lot to ask Kristy some of the few hundred questions running through his head. Kristy looked up at him and smiled sweetly. “Before the inquisition starts, can I say one thing?” Kevin nodded, bracing himself for the worst. She draped her arms around his neck and looked straight into his beautiful green eyes. “You’re kinda cute when you get jealous.” She leaned into him and drew his head down to hers for a thorough kiss. The kiss ended and Kristy held her breath a bit as she waited for Kevin’s reaction. Kevin stared into the angelic face before him and, shaking his head, smiled. He was used to women getting defensive or denying their past when faced with a similar situation. He should’ve known Kristy would do neither. The way she handled the situation confirmed what Kevin already knew... she was special. Kristy raised her eyebrows and smiled patiently. “Go on... I know you want to.” Kevin kissed her softly, and shook his head. “I trust you. And I love you. That’s all I need to know.” Kristy’s eyes widened and she gasped softly. Kevin stood motionless as he watched her close her eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with tears. She shook her head and Kevin felt a sharp pain slice through his chest. “No, you need to know something else.” Kevin shut his eyes, then felt a soft caress on his cheek. “I love you too.” Kevin’s eyes flew open and he pulled Kristy to him for a passionate, loving kiss.Next: Chapter 21 |