"Can I please have a divorce?"
It takes everything in him to ask, but he knows that he needs to. Teddy is going to Germany, and with that knowledge, he can't ask the question that he truly wants to ask. Henry shoves his hands deep into his pants' pockets as tears threaten to well into his eyes.
"Of course," she replies. "You don't need me anymore, right?"
He swallows, and forces a smile. "Right." Lies. He needs the woman more than he has ever before.
Andrew, that ignorant bastard, ends the conversation he's in the middle of and waves over to Teddy for the third time. "Are you ready to go yet? You don't want to miss those reservations."
Henry wants to punch him. He desperately wants to walk up to the asshole and pound him straight through the hospital floor. Ignoring the urge, he makes a gesture with his head toward the exit. "I guess you should get out of here."
"I guess." Teddy steps to the side, readying to make her escape.
"I'll see you again before you leave, right?"
A shadow of a smile takes over her lips. "Absolutely."
With that reassurance, Henry ceases fingering the engagement ring in his pocket. He pulls his hands back where they can feel the air-conditioned temperature of the hospital, exposing them to the harsh reality that is life. He brushes against Teddy as they walk opposite ways, forcing his feet to continue moving even as his conscience objects. He knows she's going out with Andrew, and he can't stand the thought of the couple kissing . . . touching . . .
x
The raindrops feel like bullets as they sink through Henry's thin long-sleeved shirt.
He barely notices.
It's Seattle, and rain is nothing unusual.
He's been pacing outside her building for close to forty-five minutes. It feels like it's been eight hours, and she still isn't home. Teddy needs to come home at some time during the night, because she still has to work in the morning. It's two a.m.. Why isn't she home?
Teddy's building is much better kept than his building. A doorman stands inside, out of the chilling precipitation, and he gives Henry a glare that makes him feel like a criminal.
All of these emotions are swimming through his system. He's angry. He's hurt. He's in love.
Why does it all have to be so complicated? Why couldn't Andrew die of a sudden heart attack or . . . something much less morbid that didn't make Henry seem homicidal.
Speak of the devil. The very man Henry had just wished death upon pulls up in his expensive ride. Henry drives a Volts Wagon. He suddenly feels a very strong hatred toward the beautiful automobile before him. Stepping back into the shadows to hide from view, he watches silently from his vantage point. Teddy leans across the car console to place a kiss on Andrew's lips. It lasts longer than Henry's comfortable with.
Then, finally, she unbuckles her seat belt and steps into the rain. In seconds her clothing is dripping and her hair is a disaster. She's still beautiful.
He knows he's acting like a convict with multiple stalking and rape charges, but he needs a moment where he isn't an obligation. A moment where he can feel like more than her go-to-guy.
Teddy doesn't see his lingering figure. Henry reaches out and grasps her wrist. She nearly screeches in fear, but her mouth is silenced as his lips crush hers. The kiss barely lasts a second, not nearly enough for him to be satisfied. Maybe he's being greedy, but she tastes so sweet.
It isn't long before Teddy realizes what has happened and whom her intruder is. "Henry! What the hell are you do-?" She's silenced a second time by a more passionate exchange. Knowing who he is, she's less hostile against his lips. Her mind is telling her to pull away; step back. Her lips have thoughts of their very own, and part at the first sign of pressure applied by Henry's tongue.
Teddy's fingers grip strands of her husband's dark, thick, and wet hair. Rain water drips down their faces to collide with their saliva. It's a battle between their mouths; in the end he has complete control. She's a clump of clay at his touch.
When she pulls away to take a breath, she knows it's a wiser decision to step away completely. Breathing hitched, she says, "I leave for Germany in two days. With Andrew."
Henry nods. He knows. He wishes things were different.
Teddy continues, "Ask me to stay."
His heart skips a beat. Digging into his pocket, he closes his hand around a small ring of gold and removes it from his pocket. Even in the darkness of the night, Teddy knows what it is. "Marry me, Teddy?"
She steps into his arms, her lips finding his in need. The kiss is hungry.
Henry breaks contact this time, wanting to know her answer. He can't continue breathing if this woman is leaving for Germany.
She smiles up at him. "Earlier you wanted a divorce. Now you want me to marry you."
"I'm an indecisive guy, sometimes. But I do know that I love you."
"Andrew's not going to be very happy."
"I really couldn't care less," he chuckles, winking.
A/N: Please review. I personally hate how this oneshot was written. The tense bothers me, but I kinda like the scene, so . . . what do you think?