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"Dear Lord," Sheridan began, trying to find the right words to say. "my whole life I have wanted; needed, one thing. I have always desired to have that unconditional love that your family is supposed to show you." Sheridan laughed uncomfortably. Love..her family? Not towards her anyways. She was so different from them...it was if she didn't belong. And they had always gone out of their way to make sure that she knew what she meant to them: Nothing. Sheridan shook her head slightly and continued. "Anyways, my New Years resolution is to find that true love. And I pray that you will help me find it. So as I drink this Pink Catabwa grape juice, please let it bless me. Amen." And with that, Sheridan downed her glass of grape juice and climbed into bed. She felt different, but deep inside she knew not to expect anything.
"Luis?" Beth asked as she slow-danced danced with Luis, slightly annoyed. "Huh? What?" he asked, shaken from his daze. "What the hell is wrong with you tonight? You've been in another world all evening!" she growled. "Sorry Beth...it's just that my mind is on other things." Luis knew that was a mistake the minute he said it. He saw Beth's face go from angry to furious. Oh hell. "OTHER things? You sure as hell better hope you're not cheating on me-" "I am NOT cheating on you, Beth. God, how could you think that? I love you." he lied. Luis knew he didn't love her, but he would rather lie to her right now than cause a scene. "You had better mean that. I know 20 men who would kill to love me." she said firmly, grabbing his face in one of her hands. "What the hell do you mean by-" "MIDNIGHT IS IN 10 SECONDS EVERYONE!" Everyone joined in the counting down. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!" everyone shouted. "Happy new year, Lopez-Fitzgerald." Luis muttered under his breath.
And at the very same time, Sheridan was dreaming of someone she had never met before. He was tall, dark, and handsome. As she continued to dream, a small smile spread across her lips. "Happy new year, Sheridan." she sighed in her sleep.
to be continued...
Luis ran a hand through his dark brown hair as he stopped in front of "Claire de Lune". Beths' birthday was tomorrow, and he knew if he didn't get her a gift she wouldn't talk to him for at least a month. 'Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.' he thought to himself as he walked inside the store.
Sheridan was just about to leave her spot when she heard the door open. 'Oh great...just what I need. Another rather large lady that wants to know if we have something in her size.' she thought to herself rolling her eyes. As she turned around to see who it was, her mouth immediately dropped open. This young man was mouthwatering. She quickly tried to regain her composure as he approached her at the counter. "Hi." he said in a sexy low voice. "H-hello, may I help you?" she managed to stutter out. "Yeh, I'm looking for something to get my girlfriend for her birthday.." he trailed off. The minute he said 'girlfriend', Sheridan frowned. 'Great Sheridan..you sure can pick them out.' "Um, do you have anything in mind?" Luis looked at the girl. She looked a couple of years younger than him, but she certainly was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Luis couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from her. "What do you think I should get her?" "Hmmm..how about some perfume?" "Sounds good to me, what kinds do you have?" "Well, we have millions, but if you want my personal opinion, I think you should go with this." she said as she walked out from behind the counter towards him and placed a bottle in front of him. "Forever Mine?" he asked. "Yes, it happens to be my favorite. In France they call it 'Chercheur vrai de l'amour', which means 'Searcher of true love'. I wear it all the time.." she trailed off. This man had the most intense gaze she had ever seen. It almost killed her to not be able to do anything but stand there.
Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me
Transcending space and time
And I was rendered still
There were no words for me to find at all
As I stood there beside myself
I could see you and no one else
When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe, I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be, I'd never be the same
"Well, I'd love to smell its scent." he replied. "Oh...well I'm afraid the tester bottle just ran out yesterday." Luis stepped closer to her. So close that it made Sheridan's breath get caught in her throat. He looked at her nametag. "Well, Sheridan, since you wear it all the time, do you mind if I..?" Sheridan nodded yes. She would have submitted to anything this man said at this minute.
Only once in a lifetime love rushes in
Changing you with the tide
And dawn's ribbon of light
Bursts through the dark
Wakening you inside
And I thought it was all untrue
Until there all at once I knew
When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe, I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be, I'd never be the same
He put her in such a trance that it made her heart want to pound out of her chest. With a killer smile, he pulled her closer to him but wrapping his arms around her waist lightly. As her hands on his chest being the only thing that separated them, his head moved down to her neck and took in her scent. "Well, if you want my personal opinion, I don't think you will have to search for true love, any man would be lucky to have you." he whispered huskily in her ear. Sheridan let out a soft sigh before pulling apart.
With no beginning and
Without an end
You are the one for me
It's evident
And your eyes told me so
Your eyes let me know...
When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe, I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be, I'd never be the same
He flashed her another smile. "That's a very nice perfume you are wearing, but I don't think it's for someone like my girlfriend." Sheridan was curious. "Oh-doesn't your girlfriend believe in true love?" "Oh sure she does, but her idea of true love is making sure she is attached to me for the rest of her life." Sheridan smirked. "Well I'm glad I could be of service to you..?" "Luis. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald." Sheridan smiled. "Please stop by again if you want to talk about your girlfriend some more." Luis grinned. "Is it ok if I stop by just to talk to you..and not about my girlfriend?" Sheridan eyes widened slightly. "Of course. I work every Saturday..unfortunately." Luis laughed. "I'll see you then." "Have a nice day." "Oh I will now." Sheridan smiled at his last comment. He gave her a sexy wink and walked out the door.
Sheridan then allowed herself to collapse on the counter. "GOD that man was ffffiiiinnnnneeeeeee!!" she screamed. She looked at the bottle in front of her. 'Hmmm...maybe I should buy some more of this stuff.' she smiled as she put it away. Suddenly, one of Sheridan's best friends MyKynzi returned from lunch and walked through the door. "Hey Sheridan, how'd things go? Sorry for leaving you all alone for so long. I hope you weren't bored and lonely." "Oh don't worry, I wasn't." Sheridan grinned.
"Hello?" Beth asked. "Hey baby." Luis responded. "Oh well isn't this a nice surprise! I'd like to talk but I was fixing to walk out the door." Beth said cheerily. "Oh that's ok, I'll talk to you later then?" he asked a little disappointed. "Of course. I love you, Luis." "I love you too, Sheridan." Luis slapped his hand over his mouth. Oh shit. Beth then screamed a few choice words into the phone at Luis. "B-Beth I didn't mean that I'm really so-" "WHO THE HELL IS SHERIDAN?" Beth yelled so loudly that Luis had to remove the phone from his ear. "It's not what you think, Beth, I-" "YOU JERK! I HATE YOU! DON'T EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!" And with that, Beth slammed the phone down hardly. 'Way to go Lopez-Fitzgerald you idiot!' Luis mumbled and cursed under his breath before hanging up the phone. "Great, when Beth gets like that she won't want anything to do with me for a long time. Looks like you're going to have yourself a great Valentines day." he said outloud to himself. Suddenly, Luis got an idea. He grabbed his jacket and wallet and went outside to his car.
***ONE HOUR LATER***
Sheridan sat curled up on her couch. She was wearing a satin red dress that went down to above her knees and had a slit. The back crisscrossed and she wore matching red heels. She had no reason for dressing up, she always tried to look nice for Valentines Day. Not like she was expecting anyone to see her though. Then out of the blue her doorbell rang. 'Great, it's probably MyKynzi wanting to go guy-hunting at the mall.' she rolled her eyes and walked to the door. Sheridan nearly fainted when she opened the door. Right before her stood Luis, with a dozen roses in hand. "Luis? What are you doing here?" she asked in shock. "Well, I know you said last Saturday that you didn't have a boyfriend. And I couldn't have you spend the most romantic holiday of the year alone, now could I?" "That's so sweet of you, but what about Bet-" "Forget about her." Sheridan looked in his eyes. 'They must have had a fight.' she thought to herself inviting him in. "These are for you." Luis handed her the dozen roses. Sheridan smiled sweetly and gave him a quick hug before walking into the other room to put the flowers in a vase. As soon as she was gone, Luis patted his jacket pocket to make sure the package was still there. "Please, make yourself at home in the living room, Luis." Sheridan called from the other room. Luis walked into the living room and sat on the couch. On his right, there was a table with some pictures of Sheridan and her family. He picked up one of Sheridan's and held it in his hands.
Sheridan walked into the living room and noticed Luis looking at her picture. He seemed so engrossed in it. She smiled as she sat down next to him. "Hey." "Oh, hi Sheridan.." he replied placing the picture back in its place. Luis turned around to face her. God she was beautiful. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sheridan asked, shaking him from his thoughts. "About what?" he responded puzzled. "About Beth." "Oh. That. No, I'd rather talk about something else. Where's your family?" "They decided to go out of town for the weekend." she replied, her voice tinted with a slight shakiness. "Why didn't you go with them?" Sheridan's face turned pale as she frowned. "I wasn't invited..." she said quietly. Luis' heart fell. "I'm sorry." "No, it's ok, really." Sheridan replied adverting her eyes from his powerful gaze. Luis brought her face to meet his. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, staring deeply into her eyes. Sheridan nodded no. Then came the tears. Luis scooted closer to her and she buried her face against his shoulder and cried. He held her in his arms and stroked her hair as she continued. "My mother informed me it was a 'family' vacation only." Sheridan weeped. Luis' hand ran down her back and he pulled her up to look at him. "Sheridan, you deserve all the love in the world, and if you are shown or told otherwise, I'll kick their ass." Sheridan couldn't help but smile slightly. "Thank you for being so understanding, Luis." "Thanks for being willing to talk to me about it." "So.." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. "Well, seeing as it is Valentines Day, I thought I might give you a gift." he smiled, taking a package from his pocket. "Oh, you really shouldn't have done that. You already got me flowers and-" "I really want you to have this." he interrupted. Sheridan sighed and took the present, opening it slowly. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she read the writing on the box outloud to herself. "Forever Mine perfume? I-I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!" she said happily throwing her arms around him. Luis could feel her body crushed against his, and he almost groaned in pleasure. What was it about this girl that made him dizzy with thought? Ever since the first moment he saw her he couldn't tear his eyes off of her. Sure, he tended to flirt, but the way he acted around this girl was more than flirting. They had this deep, unspoken, connection that he hadn't ever felt with anyone before...not even with Beth. That was the reason he had wanted to touch, caress, kiss, and hold all of her since the first time his eyes met hers. And it was most likely the same reason he had said her name while talking to Beth on the phone.
Luis pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes, their faces were so closet together that it wouldn't take much to meet her in a kiss. Her eyes reflected the same passion and desire as his held. Swallowing hard, he started to inch closer to her soft lips...
Sheridan finally released the breath she had been holding for so long. It was going to be a long night.
Sheridan was just finishing up her make-up when her doorbell rang. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Her dress, was made of red velvet, and it was tight and low cut, but at the end it flowed as it traced over the ground. In the back, it was criss crossed and it showed off her figure very well. She practically ran down the stairs. And when she opened up the door, she almost died. She always knew Luis was handsome, but damn, tonight he was F-I-N-E fine! He showed off his killer smile and took her hand in his. "You look beautiful. Ready to go?" Unable to speak, she nodded her head yes and walked with him to his car.
They finally arrived at the restaurant, and Sheridan gasped. Her favorite restaurant! "Oh, Luis..you remembered?" "Of course I did. I hope it's still your favorite place." "Yes, it is. Thank you so much for bringing me here." she smiled sweetly. She never thought that he would remember something that seemed so unimportant-but he did! They walked inside and were seated at their reserved table.
After they had ordered something to drink, Luis took Sheridan's hand from across the table. "Sheridan, I want you to know that this is more than just hanging out to me." Sheridan froze. "You mean-" "I want us to start dating, starting right now." Sheridan smiled and fought back her tears. She had never been so happy. "Ok, Luis. I want to too." He seemed relieved and kissed her hand before releasing it.
Everything was going great, they were talking about anything and everything. They had ordered their food and were really enjoying themselves. After finishing the main course, Sheridan excused herself to the bathroom. Luis sat patiently at the table, a love-struck smile spread across his face. He was falling in love with her, he knew it. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't see what was coming his way-he almost didn't see her. "Hey sexy."
"Damnit Beth, what are you doing here?" "I came to tell you I forgive you, and I want you back." Beth-" But that was all he could get out before she forced her lips on his. And his world crashed seconds later as he saw Sheridan out of the corner of his eye coming from the bathroom, tears falling down her face.
Luis nearly threw Beth off of him. "Sheridan-" Luis tried to say, but he was too late. She was already running for the door, her sobs heard by everyone in the restaurant. "Damn you, Beth!" Luis yelled as he grabbed his jacket and ran after Sheridan. "Wait, Luis!!" Beth called after him, but he was already gone. Beth was left with everyone in the restaurant staring at her.
It was pouring rain outside, but Sheridan didn't notice. All she cared about was getting away from Luis. Damn him! How could he say he wanted to go out with her one minute and then kiss his ex-girlfriend the next behind her back? "Men!" Sheridan grumbled under her breath. "Sheridan!" Luis yelled, grabbing her arm. "Don't touch me!" she snapped at him, jerking her arm away. Luis grabbed her arm again. "God damnit it, Luis! Let me go!" Sheridan scowled as if his touch was setting her on fire-and it was. "Please, Sheridan...will you at least let me explain?" Luis begged.
Sheridan stopped trying to pull away her arm. The raindrops hid her tears, but she knew Luis could tell by the mascara running down her face that she was crying. "What is there to explain? I saw with my own eyes what happened." Sheridan replied coldly. "No, Sheridan. That's not what happened. Beth found me when you went to the bathroom and kissed me. I swear it was over before I could push her away. Do you believe me?" Sheridan saw the honesty in his eyes and collapsed against his chest.
Her sobs came back, and Luis kissed her head as he ran his hands through her hair. "I'm so sorry, Sheridan.." he soothed. "Do you forgive me?" Sheridan lifted her head to meet his. She nodded yes and he stared into her deep blue eyes as he broke out into a killer smile. Luis bent his head down slightly, and gently kissed Sheridan's lips. All time seemed to stop as they clung to eachother as if they would die if they were to ever part again.
Luis and Sheridan stumbled into Luis's house laughing after returning from a date at the park. He kissed her and backed her against a counter. They were soon overcome by their passion for eachother. "I want..you..Sheridan.." Luis mumbled against her lips between kisses. Sheridan stared up into his brown eyes. He paused. "I'm sorry, Sher. I didn't mean to be so blun-" Sheridan kissed him with a fervently. He looked into her eyes. "Are you sure about this, Sher?" She nodded yes. Luis searched her eyes for the truth, and when he saw them overcome with passion, he kissed her neck and picked her up in his arms. He carried her up to his room.
Sheridan moaned as Luis layed on top of her, kissing her neck and nibbling slightly. They had somehow lost their clothes on their way to his room, but that was the last thing on her mind right now. She could always find them later.
As her moans increased to cries, Luis took his finger and gently entered her. He stirred every living cell in her body. "Don't stop, Luis!" Sheridan screamed as he moved his finger harder and faster. He knew she was close to the edge, and so was he. He gently removed his finger from her opening and positioned himself over her. Lovingly, Luis kissed her as he moved himself inside of her. As his thrusts became more and more deep and rough, Sheridan matched his rhythm. They both reached their peak and cried out eachothers names; Luis collapsed against Sheridan. They layed like that for what seemed like forever before he carefully removed himself from her and held her in his arms. "I love you, Sher." Luis whispered as she began to fall asleep. "I love you too." she muttered back against his chest. He smiled as he too drifted off to sleep.
Sheridan sighed as she leaned into Luis's arms. It was September 1st, and they were sitting under autumn's starry night skies. "You cold, babe?" Luis asked politely as Sheridan shivered against him. "A little." she replied. "Let me warm you up." he grinned. Sheridan frowned. "Luis-stop." "What's wrong with you?" he asked, kissing her neck. "I said stop!" she said a bit louder, pushing him away and getting up. "What the hell is going on? I was just trying to-" "Does everything we do have to do with sex now?" Sheridan yelled. "What's that supposed to mean? That I pressure you into having sex everytime we're together?" "Yes! Not a single date has gone by without you asking me to come to bed with you ever since our first time together." "It takes two to tango, honey!" Luis retorted. Sheridan gasped and slapped him. "Fuck you!" "Sheridan..I'm sorry-" "Just stop it, Luis." she said shaking her head and beginning to walk away. "Wait! Where are you going?" Luis called after her, catching up to her. "Away from you! I can't take this anymore." Luis froze. "So what are you saying?" Sheridan opened up her mouth to speak, but Luis stopped her. He took her chin with his hand and rubbed her face lightly. "Please don't say it." "I-I'm sorry Luis...we just need some time apart." "Are you sure?" Sheridan nodded. He smiled slightly and embraced her in a hug. "At least let me take you home." Sheridan agreed, and under the Autumn skies, he walked her home. Luis left with no kiss, no I love you, or a hug. He simply looked deep in her eyes and turned to leave, never looking back. Sheridan's eyes filled with tears. 'What have you done, Sheridan?...'
It must have been only days that went by, but to Sheridan they felt like years. She had locked herself away in her room and now she was constantly sick to her stomach, which was most likely due to her not eating. A knock came on her door. "Sheridan, darling? Please come out and eat dinner with us." Ivy said softly. No response. "Honey, I'm begging you." Ivy frowned when she still didn't respond. She refused to let her daughter do this to herself. Sheridan deserved so much better than this boy. Ivy opened up the door to Sheridan's room while trying to talk to her. "Sheri-" Ivy fell to the ground next to her daughters body. "SHERIDAN!" she screamed as her daughter layed curled up on the ground, holding her stomach in pain. Sheridan opened her mouth to speak, but Ivy stopped her. "Shh don't talk honey. JULIAN! Call 911!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. 'Oh dear God, let her be alright..' Ivy prayed in her mind as she held her daughters frail body in her arms.
Luis lay flat on his back on his bed. He was in nothing but his boxers, and
he hadn't shaved or ate since Sheridan broke up with him. God, he missed
her. Why the hell did things turn out this way? They were supposed to be
together forever. Luis just didn't understand. He slapped his hand onto his
forehead and rubbed his temples lightly. Suddenly, his stomach churned.
Something was wrong with Sheridan-he could feel it. Coming to his senses, he
jumped up and picked up the phone, dialing her number frantically. 'God,
what's wrong with you, Luis? She's probably fine and is going to tell you
never to call her again.' Luis cursed himself under his breath. No answer.
'She must be out...' he sighed and hung up. He wanted to believe it, but in
his heart he knew something just wasn't right...
To Be Continued...
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