Through Her Eyes
Rachel's
cell phone rang; she answered it absently. "Leeds."
"Rachel Leeds?" a semi-familiar male voice
asked.
"Yes. Who is this?"
"Pete Costas. I'm a friend of Josh's; I called
your office and they gave me this number."
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Is there a
problem?"
"There could be. Have you talked to Josh
recently?"
She ran a hand through her short blonde hair. "No,
I haven't seen him for a few weeks. Why?"
"He's been kind of bummed recently. See…you know
Laura, right?"
"Josh's girlfriend?"
"Ex-girlfriend, now. She came back from her
semester at sea with another guy. Josh didn't know until he saw them together on
the docks."
Rachel's gut twisted. "That's…terrible, but why
are you calling me?"
"Josh really needs someone now. I can't stay with
him; I've got class. I was hoping…would you talk to him?"
She closed her eyes, trying not to think. "I don't
think I'm the right person to be with him right now. There are…issues."
"I know about your history," Pete snapped.
"That's why you should be with him now. He needs you. If he's alone,
he might end up…well, let's just say currently he's only drinking Coke, but
he's at the right place for something stronger."
Rachel sighed, defeated. "Give me the
address."
She
paused inside the door, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light inside. A few
heads swiveled her way, the hard-core bar patrons unused to seeing a woman in a
plum business suit inside their domain at two in the afternoon. She only had
eyes for one, though.
Josh sat at the bar, his blonde head tipped back, eyes
closed. Rachel barely heard the music as she crossed, the soft female voice
singing, "I see your strength and how you shine; you're a diamond in the
rough that should be mine. But you're still fighting an old, old war that's left
you wounded and left you scarred…." Her attention was focused on the
young man, empty glass in front of him, pain etched on his features. She let her
hand rest gently on his shoulder, heart wrenching as his eyes opened, sorrow
filling their liquid brown depths.
"Pete called me," she told him, sliding into
the chair next to him. The pain in his eyes struck her to the core; she ached to
take him in her arms and take the hurt away. "He told me where you were,
and why. I'm sorry, Josh." You should
never have to hurt.
"So'm I. But…" she watched as he turned the
empty glass in his hands, long fingers handling the thick glass as if it were
about to shatter, "at the same time, I should have known. I think I may
have known, but didn't want to admit it. When the problems first started…when this
all started, " he tapped the watch masquerading as his bio-link, "I
knew it would be a problem. I think I knew that she couldn't handle it."
Josh turned the glass over on a damp napkin. "She deserves someone who can
give her one hundred percent. That isn't me anymore. I knew it a long time ago.
So I guess I should be happy. The kiss, it was just…an excuse, a catalyst,
hurrying along the inevitable."
It was more to me. It was…an awakening. It took so
much for me to do that. "Oh. But…you weren't…" was all she
said, quietly prompting him to continue, to say more, to voice what she hoped he
was feeling.
"Myself. That's what you said before, that I
wasn't myself, that it didn't matter." He looked up; she met his eyes,
those eyes that she saw as either blue or brown, but had never seen such depth
as she did at this moment. "I think I regret that more than anything else
in my life." He looked away, turning the glass around, searing a ring onto
the damp paper underneath. "Because I 'wasn't myself,' we could both write
off that kiss, pretend like it never happened. But it did."
Oh god, it did. I still dream, starting with that kiss
and ending with things that would make a sailor blush. Things that might have
happened if we were different people, in a different situation, without so many
complications. She sat silent, watching him toy with the empty glass. His
physical closeness affected her, tightening places inside of her, a pleasant
tension riffling through her. She watched his hands as he pushed the glass away.
"Dance with me?"
"What?" Did I hear him correctly?
"Here?"
"Yes, here." He extended a hand to her.
Rachel looked at it, at the strength she knew he possessed as well as the
gentleness, and slid her hand into his, trusting him. She closed her eyes as his
arm slid around her waist, barely touching the fabric of her jacket, but she
felt his warmth like a brand, burning his touch into her skin. She let her hand
rest gently on his shoulder, longing to lean against him, to feel the solid
reassurance of his chest. Why do there
have to be so many complications?
His arm tightened around her waist. To hell with
complications. She leaned against him, sighing as she felt him hold her
close, letting her hand slide across his shoulders. He rested his head against
hers; she thought she felt him whisper something into her hair.
"Rachel."
"Hmm?"
"I just want you to know my probes aren't
malfunctioning, I'm not on the rebound, and…I've never been more myself."
Why is he…? "Why?" she asked, looking
into his eyes. In answer, he touched his lips to hers, gently caressing,
feather-light. Her eyes closed again with the sweet sensation she'd thought to
never feel again. Josh's hand left hers to circle her waist; she took advantage
of the free hand to bury it in his hair. I must be crazy, kissing him in the
middle of a bar, she thought, then squashed any objections her mind brought
up. This was what she wanted, to be held by the man she loved.
His lips nibbled gently at hers, tasting, asking for
more. She parted her lips, allowing him the access he was looking for. His
tongue scraped lightly against her teeth, stroking along the inside of her
mouth, sending shivers up her spine. She returned the sensation, feeling the
ridges of his palate, delving into the recesses, tasting the sweetness of the
cola still on his tongue and lips.
They broke apart, shuddering. A few of the patrons
clapped; one grizzled man suggested they find a room. Josh slid his hands down
her arms, taking her hands in his, linking their fingers. They understood each
other.
He left a few bills next to the empty glass on the bar
and together, they stepped into the sunlight.
Author's Note: Okay, so I lied. After
writing "Myself," I started wondering about Rachel's feelings. The
original version of "Myself" had switched to her POV at the end, and
when I went to type it in, I wrenched it back to Josh's POV. But her side of the
story still needed to be told. Besides, I had a request to expand the kiss. :)
So this gives us a bit of insight into Rachel's mind, and gives us a pretty
splendid kiss, if I do say so myself. What they do, what they say or where they
go after leaving the bar is up to you, the readers, to decide.
Once again, I own nothing,
not Josh, not Pete, not Laura, not Rachel, not Coke (which is something I forgot
earlier) and not the song, which was Chely Wright, "Let Me In."
Figured I'd done the "yearning ballads" in "Myself," and
"lusty rock" would NOT have fit the mood, so I chose the "weeping
country." Please read and review, as I am a very needy author.