Questions
Disclaimer: CBS, creators, producers, etc., own all recognizable characters, not me.
A/N: Sequel to Treasure Found
Questions
"Spill it." The sound of her voice in the quiet of the night startled him, jarring him from his restless ruminating. The stillness of her body and the sounds of her even breathing had lulled him into thinking she had drifted to sleep. He should've known better he realized. "Are you gonna share what's on your mind that's keeping us both awake?" she asked, as she propped herself up on her elbow to better see him in the candle and moonlight illuminated bedroom.
Turning to meet her eyes, he found himself distracted and momentarily lost in their green depths, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook and he knew it. "I thought you were asleep," he said, evading her question, as he reached up to brush a stray lock of silky hair off her cheek. She smiled at him then and the knowing look in her eyes told him this evasion on his part hadn't gone undetected.
"Kinda hard to sleep with all that thinking keeping me awake," she said in her lilting drawl. Still smiling, she placed a soft palm on his cheek. "So spill it."
"Cal, I've been lying here quietly, hardly what you could call keeping you awake," he tried.
"Mmm. You're all twitchy while you're lying there quietly. I know you well enough to know what that means," she told him, keeping her eyes locked on his. "And I know when you need to get out of your head."
Dropping his gaze, he heaved an exasperated sigh. "It's late, you know," he said attempting evasion once more, although he didn't expect success, because if he knew anything, it was that she knew him well enough to know exactly what he was doing. "Aren't you sleepy?"
Moving off her elbow, she rested her head on his shoulder and lightly traced small circles on his chest with the tips of her fingers. "Nope."
Nestled under his chin, he could still smell the faint scent of roses clinging to her skin and slightly damp hair, filling his head with memories of their recent lovemaking. Now all he could think about was making love to her again. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in deeply and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"So tell me, did you enjoy your special dinner tonight?" she asked, distracting him from thoughts of her rose scented skin and how much he wanted her.
"Mmm," he mumbled, nodding. "It was wonderful. You truly outdid yourself."
"And your dessert courses?" she asked.
He couldn't help but chuckle, hearing the grin in her voice. "Yes, dessert was," he paused, " … memorable. The rose petals in the bath were a different … but nice touch," he answered, smiling at the memory. "You outdid yourself there as well."
"All your dessert courses were memorable?" she asked, lifting up on her elbow again and leaning over him as she continued her feather light assault on his skin with her free hand. Her golden hair fanned out around her, spilling onto his chest and tickling him. The double sensations of fingertips and silky locks were making it harder and harder to concentrate.
"All were memorable," he told her. "And if you don't stop that, you're about to get yourself another course," he continued, grabbing her hand and eliciting a giggle in return.
"I like that idea," she said, moving closer and earning a heated kiss in the process. "But first, you have to finish answering my questions," she said after pulling back from his lips. He groaned in response and flipped her onto her back before moving his mouth to the hollow above her collarbone. "So overall, you'd say this was a nice Valentine's Day?" she asked, barely suppressing a soft moan.
Lifting off her, he met her eyes and saw his love for her mirrored back to him. "Yeah Cal, it was, in every way. Thank you for going to so much trouble. I love you," he said, lightly brushing his lips against hers. "How about you? Did you have a nice Valentine's Day? I hope you liked your gifts," he said, gently stroking her cheek.
"I love you, too. I hope you know how much," she said, leaning into his touch. "And I loved my gifts, all of them. You're spoiling me, you know, not that I'm complaining," she said with a grin.
"Nah. I could never spoil you as much as I'd like to. Besides, I have a lot of catching up to do," he said with a hint of sadness he couldn't hide.
"You don't have to, but thank you for wanting to," she returned before meeting his lips. "So, everything is good between us?" she asked, reluctantly ending the kiss.
"Yeah Cal, everything is good between us," he answered with confidence, because the last six weeks had been better than he could've ever hoped. In fact, the last six weeks had been even better than the fifteen months they were together before their year plus long split, especially considering that six weeks ago he thought he'd lost her forever. Since reconnecting, they had been inseparable and slipped with ease into this deeper, stronger relationship.
"Then Tim, please tell me what's got you churning up inside," she said softly, her eyes never leaving his.
"Calleigh, nothing's wrong," he lied, feeling obligated not to ruin the evening she had worked so hard to surprise him with.
"Tim … " she said, as her eyes implored his for answers.
Frustrated, he flopped onto his back and sighed loudly, because she had proven distraction worked better than evasion at getting what you wanted. Because she proved once more that she knew him inside and out. Because over a year ago he had let her walk out of his life and took no steps to get her back, despite being miserable without her. But the biggest reason for his current edgy state? Because six weeks ago he almost lost her to another and he still had a hard time believing he wouldn't lose her again.
There was no rational explanation he could come up with as to why this was bothering him again and on tonight of all nights. She loved him, he believed that without doubt and she had come back to him willingly. That he loved her, deeply, completely and probably more than he ever had in the past was a certainty as well. Everything that happened during and after their split gave him a greater appreciation of what they had now.
"We promised we wouldn't shut each other out, remember?" Her soft voice pulled him out of his head. "That's how we got into trouble before. We promised to always be honest and to talk to each other, Tim. We promised," she reminded him, propping herself up on her elbow again. "And I for one, intend to keep that promise."
"I know that Cal and I do talk to you. But this … this, we have talked about." And they had, at great length, many times, beginning with the night she came back to him. Rising up on his side, he watched her through the flickering candlelight and saw the subtle change in her expression from confused to concern.
"Then we'll talk about it again," she offered, "and as many times as we need to, until it's not something that can come between us."
"It's not coming between us," he said as he fingered her silken hair. "We're good. We don't need to talk about this tonight, especially tonight," he emphasized. Of all the nights to feel insecure, tonight, after she had spent all night loving him, as if he were the only one who ever mattered to her, was not the night to do so. From the night she came back to him, quite unexpectedly, till tonight, she'd made it clear her heart was with him. And he'd known since she hesitantly stood in his doorway, that he loved her enough to spend a lifetime with her if he ever got the chance.
She shook her head at him. "Especially tonight."
Frustration rising, he rested back on the bed. She wasn't going to let him off the hook, but she was right, they did need to talk tonight, especially tonight. There could be no obstacles between them, especially not the kind he put there unnecessarily. The only path for them was a forward moving one, one clear of stumbling blocks, which meant he had to let go of his one remaining insecurity.
"You were going to marry him, Calleigh. Marry him," he stressed, unsuccessfully keeping the emotion out of his voice. "I loved you and I stupidly let you walk away, while I did nothing to stop you. But I never expected you to marry someone else. I would've lost you for good then and I just can't imagine that." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath before continuing. "It would've been my own fault, for not marrying you myself when I had the chance, for ever letting you go."
"I know," she said, her voice barely audible. "But I didn't. I didn't marry him. I'm here with you. You have to believe that you are the only one I want to be with." She reached for his hand and twined her fingers with his. "I had been having doubts for awhile. I just let myself get swept up in the momentum of everything that was going on around me, but every time I tried to look forward, I found myself looking back instead. I shouldn't have let it go that far." She paused then before she continued. "I never loved him the way I loved you. It was nothing like it had been with you. At the time, I thought that was a good thing," she said, laughing lightly.
He turned onto his side and moved closer to her. "Oh?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
"If I didn't love him the same, then I wouldn't hurt the same," she said simply. "But I couldn't go through with it, because I realized I never stopped loving you."
"And I never stopped loving you," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry Calleigh. So sorry that I ever hurt you. I missed you every single day. I really thought we'd work things out and I kept hoping we would, but I never did anything to that end. After awhile, I convinced myself it was for the best. I only wanted you to be happy and I thought moving on was what you wanted."
"Turned out we were both wrong, it wasn't for the best and it wasn't what I wanted."
Shaking his head and sighing deeply, he let go of her hand and moved his to her cheek, lightly caressing the soft skin. "No, it wasn't what I wanted either. I wanted you back with me and I should've told you that a long time ago. I really screwed things up. I'm so sorry Calleigh. I don't think I can ever say that enough."
"It wasn't just you in that relationship. I made my share of mistakes and I hurt you. A lot, I'm afraid. I haven't forgotten that. But think about it, everything that's happened, even the things that hurt, all worked to get us to this point." Wrapping both arms around him, she pulled herself up against him, her soft curves molding to the contours of his lean body. "And isn't this a good point?" she asked, before meeting his lips. "We're much better now, better than we ever were before."
"You're right about that," he answered with his lips lightly grazing hers. "It's time for us, especially for me, to move past what happened and just be grateful for where we are now. And I definitely like where you are with me right now." His arms encircled her waist and he clasped her body tightly to his.
"Me, too and Tim, you have to believe me. I'm not going anywhere."
"Sounds like I'm gonna be stuck with you awhile," he said, smirking. Grinning, she nodded as he covered his mouth with hers and kissed her passionately.
"Are we done talking now?" she asked, panting slightly, when their lips parted.
"Why, you have something in mind you'd rather be doing?" he asked, still smirking. His hands began exploring every inch of her that he could reach, feeling as she began to release herself to him. She made his advances easier as she leaned in, leaving no space between them and he wanted nothing more than to take her that moment. But this was too important to rush; he needed to take his time with her. By the end of this night, she would know without a doubt, exactly how much he loved her.
"Mmm, More dessert," she answered, her eyes gleaming, as she ran her hands down the length of his back.
"Haven't yet had your fill?" he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. Slowly and teasingly, he lightly caressed her jawline down to the juncture of her neck while he kissed around her ear, knowing the reaction he would get.
"No. So could you please stop talking," she pleaded as she squirmed under his ministrations.
"A bit impatient, aren't you?" he teased. "However, I do find you rather desirable, so I think I can oblige you," he answered, as he lightly grazed his lips over first one nipple, then the other, teasing her as she rose up to meet his touch. "But wait, there's still one thing I want to ask you," he said, abruptly pulling away.
"What is it?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes now dark with lust.
"Well, I was just wondering … if I were to ask you someday, would you consider marrying me?" her eyes widened as he watched and he could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
"You're just wondering, now, how I'll answer, in case you decide to ask me someday?" she asked, sounding confused.
"Well, yeah," he answered, biting back a smile.
"Then, I guess if you ever consider asking, I'll consider answering," she answered with a smile, pulling him flush with her body.
"Sounds fair," he said, as he held her eyes in his. "Now, where were we?" he asked, moving his mouth over hers and parting her lips, kissing her deeply. Pulling away when they broke the kiss, he watched as her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze. In the candlelight, with her hair fanned out around her and her desire for him so clearly evident, she had never looked quite as beautiful as she did just then. And there was never a time when he'd felt such overwhelming love for her or possessed such clarity as in that very moment. With nothing between them now but the love they shared, he realized that although this was not the moment or manner in which he planned to ask this question, there was no moment that would be more perfect than this one. "I love you Calleigh, with all my heart. Will you marry me?"
Gasping slightly, it took her a moment to answer. "Are you really asking me to marry you?"
"Yeah, I am. Will you marry me?"
"Yes … Yes," she responded, her eyes now glistening. "I love you, too, with all my heart and I do want to marry you," she said grinning at him, before raising her lips to his.
"I like your answer," he said, meeting her lips and grazing them with his.
"I kinda liked the question," she returned, "and maybe now we're done talking?"
"Oh yeah, we're done talking for awhile," he said, kissing her.
The end