|
12
Years Makes a Difference FREE
Romantic Fiction Online provided
by PneumaSender |
|||
|
Patrick’s
Return Chapter 16 On
the weekend before Christa's 18th birthday, she was standing in front of her
mirror, preparing to meet Patrick for the first time since he left for the
Air Force. It had been a full year, and she was nervous, wondering if any of
those exotic women he'd met all over the world would make her look dowdy by
comparison. She knew he'd never have forgotten about her so quickly, but it
would be easy to see the difference between all the world offered and
Christa, the girl from back home. She
knew she was being ridiculous--or at least she hoped so, and she rushed
downstairs to figure out what to do until Patrick's arrival. In the end, she
had decided to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. It had always been a
special place for them. She hoped he would get the meaning behind the
gesture. It
would be Christa's first moment alone with Patrick. She had already convinced
her parents to come in the back way and leave them that privacy. She sensed
they would need a private moment when they would finally see one another
again. For
the thousandth time, she checked her watch and wondered if her nervousness
had made her aware of the passing of milliseconds. Finally, the door opened,
and there he was, looking tall and foreign in the dark blue dress uniform.
And handsome--so handsome he took her breath away. Christa
stood and offered him a seat beside her, feeling almost as if he were a
stranger. He smiled, recognizing the gesture's meaning. He sat and took her
hand, drinking in the sight of her, as he was of him. Finally,
finding her voice, Christa repeated a question she had once asked, "Why
did you kiss me back on my birthday? And can I have another one?" His
gaze was steady and expressive as he answered, "Because I, too, am in
love with you," Pausing,
taking a deep breath, he added, "and yes." He stood, grasping her
hands, and he pulled her into a soft embrace. Pressing his lips to hers, he
left no trace of doubt that this kiss was mutual. For
her part, she was thrilled. He really, really loved her. For his part, he was
appalled. "I shouldn't be kissing her!" his mind screamed. For a
moment, he succeeded in silencing the thought, but a clear and distinct
warning bell sounded within his head, and he forced himself to take four
quick steps back. Not
allowing him to pull away, Christa rushed into his arms, burying her head in
his chest. His heart felt a pain that was almost physical--that was physical.
"Oh, what a can of worms we opened, Christa!" he mumbled into her
hair, trembling. He could feel her shaking, too. "I'm
sorry!" she cried out into his shirt front. "But I love you."
He was glad to hear that. After so many months of waiting, it was a relief to
know she hadn't changed. Hearing her say the words, "I love you"
meant more to him than anything. Yet
it didn't change a thing. He had no right to be touching her. Neither one of them was ready for marriage, and until
then, touching in a way that would cause all these desires to rush to the
surface was not safe. Pulling back again, he said firmly, "We both know
that we shouldn't be doing that now. I'm sorry I caved, but the sight of you
there after all the long days of waiting--I love you, and you know it, but I
can't let us both get carried away." She
smiled shyly and asked, "Will you always be like my prince in shining
armor--protecting me from even yourself?" His chuckle was sincere and
equally shy as he answered truthfully, "I don't know if I can do that if
we don't stop all that kissing." She
felt like giggling --they had only kissed twice. But the truth was that she
understood him completely. More of those kisses and
she wouldn't be able to resist him, either. "I agree," she said
softly, "We will have to stop that." Above
all, she wanted to spend time with him, to be around him. If only she could
do that comfortably, without all the agony caused by their closeness, she
would be happy to accept a no-touching policy. Yet there was such security in
the midst of all that turmoil. What she felt when she was in his arms--the
knowledge that he wanted to be close to her and that he needed her--it was so
comforting that she wished she could stay there all day long. |
|||
|
12 Years Makes a Difference Email Me Remove the spaces when typing this email address. |
|||
http://www.oocities.org/pneumasender/12years_files/12years_ch16.html