Sweet Romance
A Therox short story



Theresa stood quietly in a room illuminated only by candlelight. Shadows flickered romantically against the pale walls as the soft soothing sounds of jazz drew her into a quixotic realm of romance. Rose petals littered the floor beneath her. Theresa walked carefully, almost hesitantly, to a table covered with a brilliantly white cloth, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and truffles- her favorite. Her eyes took in every detail. She wanted the scene surrounding her to be forever kept in her memory.

Feeling as though she was being watched, she slowly lifted her gaze and found a pair of dreamy dark brown eyes boldly fixated upon her.

Those eyes…she thought to herself.

His eyes possessed the rare power of being able to see into her soul. Somehow he knew what she was feeling, and in turn he knew what she was thinking.

Those beautiful eyes…

She watched him inch closer. His eyes were so full of admiration- so full of love, and she knew that it was all for her.

How did she get so lucky?

What did she do to deserve such a wonderful man?

She pondered these questions as he produced a bouquet of roses. "For you," Fox whispered lovingly in Theresa's ear. His words seemed to linger making her ear tingle with sensation. Chills ran up and down her spine while butterflies flittered nervously in her stomach. Theresa's heart raced wildly in her chest. No one could ever make her feel the way she did now.

Nobody except him.

"A dance?" Fox asked her with his eyes as he silently reached for her. Their bodies fit together perfectly as they swayed rhythmically to the soft music. He bent down to take in the sweet scent of her hair. Her scent was intoxicating- so tempting.

She was consuming him while at the same time he was consuming her.

"I've never felt this way," Fox shyly admitted as his hand stroked Theresa's back.

"Neither have I," Theresa whispered as she stroked his cheek.

Surprise overcame his features. "No one has ever made you feel this way?" He asked warily. "No one?" The name of his half-brother repeated in Fox's mind as he anxiously waited for Theresa's answer. Ethan was her supposed first love. Wouldn't he have been able to her feel this way? Hadn't he made her feel this way before? Questions swam through Fox's mind as he expected to hear Theresa say the name of the man who had captured her heart years before Fox had ever come back to Harmony.

"No one," Theresa began quietly lifting her dark brown eyes to gaze into his. "Except you." She said firmly and sincerely.

Relief surged through Fox's body as he held her tighter, closer, not wanting to ever let her go. Fox could never completely shake the fear that seized him whenever he thought of the prospect of Ethan ever taking Theresa back. Now that he and Theresa had a hold of each other's hearts, Fox prayed that Theresa was truly over Ethan. Ethan had always gotten the best of him in the past, and Fox was afraid that his half-brother would get the best of him again and take away the first woman he ever truly loved.

"She's the first woman I've ever truly loved," Fox realized as he felt her rest her head against his chest. "It's always been her," He thought to himself. He chuckled softly as he thought about how foolish he was when he thought he was in love with Whitney.

"It wasn't love. It was infatuation."

Theresa looked up curiously. "What's so funny?" She asked him with a bemused smile upon her lips.

"It just that~" He said softly as he kissed her forehead. "I just can't believe how lucky I am to have found you."

Theresa smiled. "So this is love," She said quietly as she gazed admiringly at the man who stood before her.

"But what about what you had with Ethan?" Fox could not help himself. He still needed reassurance that Theresa loved him and not his half-brother.

Theresa features changed at the mention of Ethan. A slight frown replaced the dreamy smile on her lips. "Ethan was an infatuation." She stated simply as the words led her slowly to a realization of her own. "He was a fantasy."

"A fantasy?" Fox repeated.

"Yes." Theresa said firmly. "He was my fantasy for a long time. It came true. I got what I thought I wanted- him. But," Theresa played with Fox's tie.

"But what?" Fox asked.

"But, he and I weren't meant to be after all. I was meant to be with you." Theresa let her fingers rest directly on Fox's heart.

"Are you sure?" Fox asked skeptically.

"Absolutely." Theresa replied. "You aren't sure?" She asked him with a mixture of hurt and worry clouding her gaze.

"It's not that, Theresa." Fox said quickly. "I- I just don't want to lose you to- to him."

"You won't." Theresa said. "I love you."

Fox pulled Theresa back into his arms. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that." He said.

They continued to dance losing themselves in the music and into each other. Long after the music ended, they were still wrapped in each other's arms swaying to the melody of love playing within their hearts. Wordlessly, Fox led Theresa to the table bearing the champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and truffles.

"Mademoiselle," Fox said as he handed Theresa a glass.

"Merci," Theresa replied grinning.

Fox lifted his glass and contemplated a toast. "To you my dear," He said softly. "For showing me the wonders of true love. A life without love is no life at all, and if I hadn't found you, my life would be empty. Thank you, my hopeless romantic, for giving me the best gift anyone could ever possibly hope for. True love."

Tears immediately brimmed in Theresa's eyes. Fox looked at her worriedly. "Is it something I said?" He asked. Theresa bent her head down. "Do I really deserve this? Do I really deserve your love?" She said aloud.

"I'm no paragon of virtue, Fox." Theresa continued quietly. "I've done things that I'm not proud of." Theresa got up and slowly walked away. She hugged herself tightly as she bit her lower lip.

"You're perfect just the way you are." Fox said lovingly as he followed her. "Hey," he said gently as he turned her around and caressed her cheek. "Look at me," Theresa lifted her eyes slowly- almost unwillingly. "You hear me? You're perfect just the way you are." Fox said in a gentle yet firm tone. "And besides, I've done some things that I'm not proud of either. Remember? I'm a little devil."

Theresa chuckled. "And a cute one at that." She said teasingly.

"In all seriousness Theresa," Fox began. "Whether or not we deserve each other is not important. Honestly, who's to say that we don't deserve each other? What matters is that we feel the same way about each other."

Theresa nodded. "Okay,"

"Oh and Theresa?" Fox said as he wrapped his arms around her again.

"Yeah?" Theresa said as she snuggled in Fox's strong and comforting embrace.

"I love you too."

The End.