"Hello love

Title: Ojai to Denver

Post Episode 13 – Home Alone

Fiction Rated: K

Characters: Nora and Isaac

"Hello love."

"Isaac? What are you….Is everything ok? Is your flight alright?" Nora was shocked to hear from Isaac so soon after he left Los Angeles.

"Nora, I am a sixty-five year old man and I have not even made it half way across the country without thinking of you." Isaac held a picture of Nora in his head while he focused in on her voice, letting it drown out the commotion of the Denver airport.

"Isaac," she was blushing even though he was more than a thousand miles away. "You don't have to flatter me. You are on your way to DC and who knows when…" Nora's voice gradually became more strained and came to an awkward silence.

"Nora, remember just four hours ago , you told me not to say goodbye. Yes, I have accepted a position at Georgetown University. Flatter, I do not. Rather, I speak of what I see and feel and am experiencing for the first time in a long time. We will see each other again."

"Isaac, I have my family."

"As do I. Nora, I understand your reasoning, and I do not expect you to move across the country from your comfort zone. I not only enjoyed kissing your neck, just below your ear, not only holding you close to me and dancing to jazz music in your kitchen, not only waking up with you curled in my side, but I also enjoyed having great conversations and debates with you. Please, tell me that three thousand miles has to keep us from that as well."

Nora's jaw had dropped on the other side of the phone. How she could dismiss Isaac's advances easier in person than over the telephone she hadn't a clue. "I enjoyed my time spent with you, even though I would have previously considered you the lowest form of life, being a Republican political operative and all."

Isaac smiled big and couldn't help but laugh, "Discussion just like this. A woman who will help keep me honest and tell it like it is."

"But I am in California. You can get party critiques right down the road at the Democratic Headquarters." Nora begun to feel exasperated, partly tired from the emotional roller coaster of the day, partly releasing anxiety over her DC decision, partly longing for a man that she thought she was beginning to love.

"Nora, my next door neighbor is one of the biggest, richest, most well-connected Democrats in the country. I do not even need to go as far as the DNC HQ to be overanalyzed and picked apart from policy on down to character flaws. I just need to walk next door. But, I LISTEN to what you have to say. I take it in and "

The sound of silence took hold of the space between Ojai and Denver.

"My plane is boarding, love. I enjoy the sound of your voice, the silence of your thoughts, and the rhythm of our conversation. Distance does not need to deter us from keeping that up. Promise that we will continue to talk?"

"Promise." The word popped out of Nora's mouth, perhaps, because the rhythm of the conversation forced it out, perhaps, because she did not want what she had with Isaac to end, or perhaps it was a childish gesture. Who makes promises these days, anyways?

Interrupting her train of thought, Isaac responded, "Wonderful. Then, I will talk with YOU later."

Nora, still stunned at her one word response to Isaac's request, hadn't been able to respond before Isaac hung up the phone. Promise. She knew it was more than childish fancies. Outside of her children, the last person she had made a promise to was William Walker.

Hanging up the phone, Isaac took his airline ticket out and handed it to the United agent before boarding the plane.

"How pathetic," he muttered to himself. He had only made it to his connecting flight in Denver before he called Nora Walker again. It was only four hours since he had left LAX and talked with her. She already sounded shocked to hear from him, as if she had it in her head that she would never see or hear from Isaac again.

"But, how wonderful." Isaac's thoughts turned to the candle light dinners, the walk along Nora's property at dusk, holding hands, catching a glimpse of Nora's face and smile and feeling completely at ease even though there was the chaos of a campaign all around him. And her voice.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 will follow