Kiss Me at Midnight
Chapter 1: The Deadline
It was New Year's Eve, and Lily was beside herself. Everyone was angry with her, and she knew that 'everyone' included her husband. Sure he was trying to act like what she did didn't still bother him, but she knew that it did. He just wasn't the same around her.
He seemed to be himself on Christmas, but now she was beginning to think it was only for the sake of Christmas for, right after Christmas, he started to become a little distant.
She'd go to kiss him, and he'd only halfheartedly kiss her back.
She'd joked with him about something and he'd barely muster up a plausible smile.
And, when it came to the bedroom, he was always 'tired', or 'not in the mood', or he had a headache. A headache! And here Lily thought it was only women who used that excuse.
This morning, she had woken up to him not by her side, which was starting to become a regular occurrence since Christmas. It made her sad, for there used to be a time when he'd never let her wake up without her being in his arms, or without a kiss from him.
With a sigh, Lily had showered and dressed for the day.
Eric was in Aspen for the holidays, skiing with Elliot, and Jenny was spending the holidays with her mother.
Seeing as Serena wasn't speaking to her, and Dan wasn't all that thrilled with her either, that left her and Rufus to spend the holidays alone together.
She had a surprise for Rufus.
One time, when Lincoln Hawk was on tour, their tour bus broke down in a remote part of Jeffersonville, Vermont. There was no way the bus could be fixed until morning. It was way too cold to sleep on the bus, but there was a firefighter's convention in town, laving no vacancies in the nearby hotels and motels.
Thankfully, a kind gentleman happened to be passing by, and stopped to ask if there was anything he could do to help. Upon hearing their dilemma, he offered them a cabin to stay in. As it turned out, he and his wife owned a bunch of cottages that they rented out. It just so happened that someone had cancelled at the last minute, and there was an unoccupied cabin.
So, Lincoln Hawk ended up staying over night in the two bedroom cabin.
The rest of the band had been nice enough to give Rufus and Lily the bedroom with the Queen-sized bed.
It was so nice and cozy with a fireplace in the room. They had cuddled up together under the covers, and tried to be as quiet as possible when they made love. Though, that hadn't worked out too well for them.
The band had complained about the noise the next morning.
Rufus had loved the cabin and told Lily he wished they could stay another night. However, their bus got fixed in the morning, and they had to take off in order to make Lincoln Hawk's next show.
They never did get to return to the cabin. Lily guessed Rufus had simply forgotten about it.
Well, three months ago, she had searched online for the heck of it, and ended up finding the man's number. She found out that his son ran the place now that his father was elderly. She told the son the story of what his father had done for Lincoln Hawk, and the son had put his father on the phone. His father had remembered her and the band, and was more than willing to reserve a cabin for them over the New Year. And, as luck would have it, he even remembered what cabin it was he had given them, and made sure to give them that very same cabin.
Lily felt it was a sign that the old man remembered the cabin when she couldn't even remember herself which cabin it had been for sure!
She thanked him profusely and prepaid in full.
That was three months ago, when she and Rufus were still normal. Now, she didn't even know if he would go with her. To top it off, it was a little over a six and a half hour drive. So, they'd have to leave by five at the very least to make sure they got there before midnight. In fact, factoring in any potential problems along the way, and time to enjoy themselves before midnight, they should really leave around three.
It was currently eight in the morning, so she had seven hours to convince him. It sounded like more than enough. But, with the way her husband had been acting lately, she wasn't quite sure if it would be.
She sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out, then headed down the stairs to find her husband.
R&L
She found him with his back turned toward her, sitting on the couch, reading the paper, and drinking his morning coffee.
She took another deep breath and slowly let it out while trying to work up the courage to talk to him.
The courage to talk to him? What's wrong with you, Lily, he's your husband for gosh sakes!
Lily shook the thought from her head. She knew she was being stupid, so she sucked it up, and headed over to her husband. After one more deep breath in and out for courage.
She walked up behind him, and gently massaged his shoulders. "Good morning, My Love."
"Morning," he mumbled before taking another sip of his coffee then setting the mug down on the coffee table and switching to the next page of the paper.
She walked around to the front of him and sat down beside him. She rested her head against his shoulder. "I miss waking up to you in the morning."
"Yeah, well, I wake up early, and don't want to wake you," he said.
"I wouldn't mind if you woke me. Then maybe we could do some morning calisthenics to get us both pumped up and ready for the day, if you know what I mean." She ran her hand slowly up his thigh.
Rufus picked her hand up and set it back on her own lap. "That probably wouldn't be such a good idea with Eric in the house."
"He already left for the day," Lily reminded him.
"Yeah, well, other mornings he is here," Rufus said simply. He was still focused on the newspaper, and hadn't given her a single glance since she had arrived downstairs.
"That's never stopped you before," she noted. "Besides, what do other mornings have to do with this morning?"
Rufus shook the paper straight. "Yeah, well, things change, Lil." He turned the page.
Lily sighed. "Look, if you're still angry with me, just come out and say it, all right? I don't know why we can't just move past this!"
Finally, Rufus set the paper down and looked at her. "You sent an innocent man to prison, Lil, and you don't even seem the least bit remorseful about it. And, not only that, but you sold your stepson slash adopted son's company, and weren't the least bit sorry about that either!"
"I was doing what it took to protect my daughter. I thought Ben had taken advantage of her, and a part of me still thinks he had! If he hadn't gotten involved with her in the first place, it never would have gotten that far, and therefore, what I did never would have happened! And, as for Charles, I didn't know when he'd be back. I thought I was doing what was best fro him. It's not like I was going to keep the money I got for the company. I was going to give most of it to him!"
Rufus laughed. "Most of it?"
Lily sat up straight, her head held high in defiance. "Well, I do a lot of work at Bass Enterprises. Why shouldn't I get a share?"
Rufus held his hands up. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" He stood up.
Lily had tears in her eyes now. She didn't want her husband to hate her. Not now. Not after all they had been through together.
"Rufus, please." She gently stroked his cheek. He didn't move her hand away, so she continued. "I know I've made some horrible mistakes lately. Heck, I've made them my whole life. But, you're the one thing I got right. Please, you have to forgive me. If I lose you, I'll have nothing left."
Rufus took her hand. He held on for it for just a moment before dropping it. "It's not me you need to apologize to. It's Serena, Ben, and Chuck."
Lily nodded. "I already tried to apologize to Serena, but she won't hear it. As for Ben, I still don't think it was all my fault. Some of it was his as well. When he apologizes to me, I'll apologize to him. And, Chuck's out of town right now, and I'd really rather apologize to him in person instead of over the phone."
"Well, it's a start at least." Rufus sighed. "I still don't know if I'm ready to forgive you, Lil. It seems like it's always something with you, isn't it?"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, a little annoyed now.
Rufus looked into her eyes, his own eyes so cold it literally made Lily shiver. "It means that you never learn, Lil. There is always a secret or lie you're hiding from me, and it just gets old after a bit."
Lily sighed."Rufus, I'm sorry. You know why I lied about my cancer. It was stupid, and I promise to never trust William again. And, as for the newest incident, well, I will make things right with everyone—Ben included if that's what it takes to get you to forgive me. And, most importantly, I promise to never keep a single thing from you ever again."
Rufus sighed too. "I wish I could believe you, Lil, but I'm not sure if I can anymore."
Lily placed a hand over his shoulder. "I was going to surprise you, but I guess I'm going to have to tell you. I booked us a weekend at the cabin you love so much. I booked tonight through the day after New Years."
Rufus raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What cabin?"
"The cabin we had to stay at when Lincoln Hawk's tour bus broke down. I remembered how much you loved it, and wished we could stay another night. We never got to. So, I looked it up on the internet, and, as it turns out, the man's son runs it now, but his father still remembers us. He is giving us the same cabin we stayed in that night," Lily explained.
Rufus smiled a bit as the memory came back to him. "Oh yeah. I had forgotten all about that."
"So, it takes six and a half hours to get there, but we'll have to factor in a little more time for traffic and everything. Do you want to go?" Lily asked with a new hope since a smile had appeared on her husband's face.
However, her hope was quickly shot down as the smile disappeared from Rufus' face. "I don't know, Lil. I'll have to think about it. I'm still not sure I forgive you, you know."
Lily sighed. "I'll tell you what. I have a few things I want to do first anyway. Why don't I just go on ahead and, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, you can just meet me up there? That way, you can have some time to think along the way, and clear your head."
Rufus thought about it for a moment. "I can't guarantee I'll be there."
Lily sighed. "Well, I paid for it in full all ready, so, even if you don't go, I might as well go. Then it can give you some time apart from me, which I'll take it you want if you don't show up."
Rufus nodded. "All right," he said quietly.
"However, if you do decide to go, please make sure you're there by midnight." Lily took his face between her hands. "I want my midnight kiss," she said. Then, working up all the courage she had left in her, she kissed him gentle and sweet.
She then headed upstairs to pack. Rufus didn't say a word, nor did he follow her.
Lily sighed. She really didn't know if Rufus would forgive her or not. She just hoped she wouldn't end up standing in the cabin alone at the stroke of midnight.
R&L
Rufus sighed. "Damn you, Lily," he muttered to himself as he gently touched his lips. It was twenty-one years after the day he met her, and she was still getting under his skin—even more so now.
He had to admit, her little New Years surprise was sweet, and incredibly thoughtful. And that kiss... Well, it made him hungry for more. It had taken every ounce of strength within him to not ravish her right there on the couch earlier when she had her hand on his thigh and was suggesting morning calisthenics. However, he was still a little angry with her. It was bad enough what she had done to Ben, Serena, and Chuck, but to lie to him? Again? That was the part he was having such trouble forgiving her for.
"Well, I'm going to leave now. I hope to see you there," Lily said as she came down with her suitcase in hand. She set a piece of paper down on her desk. "I'm leaving the address here in case you decide to meet me."
Rufus looked at her. He hadn't really paid much attention to what she was wearing this morning, but now he noticed.
She had her hair up in a messy bun, She wore a low-cut, red, silk, ruffly blouse with a black silk pencil skirt that went to her mid thigh. Her blouse was tucked in and secured with a tiny silver belt. Hanging from her neck was a white gold rose. On her wrist, was a chunky white gold bangle. To top the outfit off, she had on black mesh stockings, and red high heals.
Her lips were looking so plump and red he just wanted to kiss them, but of course, he resisted the urge. "Have a safe ride up," he said, knowing her driver would take her. He would take his car, that is, if he decided to meet her up there at all.
She paused, looking as if she wanted to say something to him. Then, she sighed. "I hope to see you up there." She walked over to him and kissed his cheek.
He kissed her cheek in return, only halfheartedly.
She gave him a halfhearted smile, then walked to the elevator, disappearing behind the doors a moment later.
Rufus sighed. He felt like a jerk, but he couldn't help the way he felt. Lily had hurt him, and he didn't know if he was quite ready to forgive her just yet.
He sighed. He needed to go for a walk to try to clear his head. He'd need his heavier jacket for that though, for it was a colder day than usual.
He headed upstairs and to the closet that he and Lily kept their extra coats.
He was searching through the coats when something on top of the closet caught his eye. It was in the back, hidden behind a hat; he almost didn't see it.
"What is this?" Rufus muttered to himself.
He reached for it, and grabbed it. He hoped it wasn't some other secret of Lily's that she was trying to hide from him. There were always secrets with her lately.
He got the box down, and looked into it. It had a bunch of DVDs in it.
He looked through them. Most of them were moments in their children's lives like, "Serena's first steps", "Eric's first word," "Dan's first day of Kindergarten", and "Jenny's first play—Hansel and Gretel" (First grade)". But one stood out to Rufus.
He took it out and saw that it was marked "Lincoln Hawk or Bust".
With a slight grin, he turned the television on, and then popped the DVD into the side DVD slot. Then, he turned up the volume, and sat down in the bed to watch.
The first person to flash on the screen was Lily. She was twenty-one years younger, of course, for this was Lincoln Hawk's first tour. She had been so excited to tour with them that she had insisted on making a documentary about their journey.
"This is Lily Rhodes, and this is my documentary on the sexiest band in the world, Lincoln Hawk. Follow me as I give you an inside scoop on what it is like to tour with the sexiest band alive." She looked around the room to make sure that no one was listening, then turned back to the camera. "All right," she said a little quieter, "the truth is, what makes the band so sexy is the lead singer, Rufus Humphrey. The rest of the band is just all right."
Rufus found himself laughing out loud. He didn't even remember watching this ever. If he had, he didn't remember any of it. Though, he had no idea how he could forget something like this!
He couldn't help but watch Lily, and smile throughout the video. She was so beautiful back then. Now, she had grown to be even more beautiful. Now, not only was she beautiful, but she was classy and sophisticated as well.
It felt so surreal seeing his old bandmates on the DVD, looking so young. Heck, he looked so young.
"So, what do you like best about this tour so far?" Lily asked, interviewing him on the DVD.
Rufus on the DVD grinned. "The fact that I get to make love to you whenever I want."
Lily grinned. "Good answer!"
Rufus smiled to himself as he watched the rest of the video.
Lily had interviewed all the band members, and followed them around on the tour bus, getting snapped at by them when she tried to peak at them in the shower or even on the toilet.
"But the fans will want to see it!" she had argued.
Rufus laughed out loud. He missed his gutsy, spunky little Lily. He guessed she was still spunky; just in different ways now.
There was a lot of footage of Lincoln Hawk performing, though it was clear which band member Lily adored. Rufus had gotten most of the air time—even for the songs he didn't sing lead on!
He smirked, and blushed a little when he saw she had panned in on his crotch at one point. "Makes me horny!" she said to the camera.
He covered his mouth and smiled. She was so prim and proper now, he sometimes forgot how she used to be back then.
The video ended with Lily talking to the camera again. "So, there you have it. The joys of touring with the band. There are bad things, and good things, but, I have to say, the good things out way the bad things by far."
"I hope I'm one of those good things," Rufus said, coming up to her, his arms around her waist from behind.
She grinned up at him, and they kissed.
"Mm, video's over," Rufus said, putting his hand over the lens of the camera.
Lily's giggles could be heard, then the DVD went blank.
Rufus sighed, then smiled to himself. "What am I going to do with you, Lil?" he asked. He was about to take the video out when the screen went to switched over to another scene. It was their wedding.
He was mesmerized as he watched it. It had been over a year since they had married, but he still hadn't gotten a chance to watch the DVD of it.
He watched now, remembering how breathtakingly beautiful Lily had looked on her wedding day. "And I know that our future will be just like us, flawed and fragmented, and filled with more love than I ever thought possible."
Rufus felt an aching in his heart at Lily's words. He loved her so much, and he knew she loved him.
They were pronounced husband and wife, and Rufus could see how happy they both looked as they kissed.
He grinned, seeing how he didn't want to let her go. That had to have been their longest kiss in history. He was pretty good at kissing, if he did say so himself.
So was Lily.
He didn't finish the video. He turned it off after they had finally broken the kiss. Then, he turned the TV off, and headed to pack. He had a wife to get to by midnight.
R&L
Rufus was all packed and had his car loaded. He was about to take off, then realized he had forgotten the address that Lily had left him. So, with a sigh of annoyance, he headed back into the apartment building, and took the elevator to their apartment.
Once inside, he found the note, then headed out again.
He got to his car, and got inside. Then, he was finally off.
He glanced at the clock. It was eleven. He'd still get there around seven or so. He planned on making a brief stop for lunch in a bit.
He'd drive for an hour, then stop.
And so began his long drive. He found himself wishing he hadn't been such a jerk earlier. Had he not been a jerk, he could have had Lily by his side right now, and they could have driven up together.
He turned on the radio, and cranked up the volume. At least he'd have his favorite singers to keep him company.
He drive for a good half hour, singing along to the radio. Then a light caught his eye. He was running low on gas.
He sighed. Dan was usually more responsible than that. Dan had been the last to use the car, so it had to have been him that didn't refill the gas tank.
"Darn it, Dan! You choose now to be irresponsible?" Rufus asked. With a sigh, he found a gas station, then stopped for gas. He hadn't wanted to have to stop until lunch.
He got out and filled the gas tank, hoping he didn't have any other unexpected surprises along the way.
R&L
The car ride to the cabin was lonely. Lily's driver had stopped at a deli so that Lily could get a quick lunch on the way. She had gotten it to go so that she didn't waste any time getting there.
Finally, she arrived. She had already paid the driver for his time, but she left him a generous bonus when he helped her with her bags.
"Thank you, Ma'am. Will you be needing a ride home on Sunday?" her driver asked.
"May I call you tomorrow and let you know?" Lily asked him. "My husband might be joining me tonight, and, if he does, he will be giving me a ride home."
The driver nodded. "Certainly, Ma'am. If I don't hear from you tomorrow, I will assume you don't need a ride."
Lily smiled at him. "Thank you, Giles."
After Giles left, Lily headed into the cabin, her bags in hand.
Once she got into the cabin, she couldn't help but smile. It looked exactly the way she had remembered. There was the couch Bobby had slept on, and the two twin beds, the rest of the band had crammed into.
She looked inside the master bedroom, and smiled even wider at the sight of the big, Queen-sized bed.
She took off her shoes and coat and put them in the closet. Then, she pulled the covers back and climbed into bed.
Then, she quickly pulled the covers up over her body, and closed her eyes. She just needed to rest a bit, then she would get things ready for the night. She just hoped Rufus was there to enjoy it with her. Otherwise, there would be no New Years celebration for her.
R&L
After getting gas, Rufus had decided to drive until he was halfway there before stopping for lunch.
Finally, at around two thirty, he stopped at a diner for lunch. He enjoyed his lunch, and then headed out to go the rest of the way to the cabin.
He could hardly wait to see his wife again. He wanted to apologize to her, and make sure he never upset her to tears again. The visions of her almost in tears when he was so cold to her this morning was enough to break his heart now.
He figured once he was almost there, he would stop at the store and buy her flowers and chocolates. Then, when he got to the cabin, he would make it up to her in a way that only he could.
He smiled at the thought, and continued driving toward his destination.
However, a half hour later, he was doing anything but smiling when his car suddenly stalled.
"What? No!" He quickly got his car to the side of the road, and just in time at that. It died right after he got to the side of the road. "Come on! Not now of all times!" he exclaimed, angrily slamming his hands on the steering wheel. He had just gotten his car fixed up and restored too. The men who had fixed it up either owed him some money back, or Dan had accidentally done some damage to the car and had neglected to tell him.
"I don't have time for this crap!" he exclaimed as he dialed AAA to come get him and his car.
They said they would be there in a half hour.
"A half hour? Great! Just great!" Rufus muttered upon hanging up.
He looked at his watch. It was four o'clock. He had eight hours to get two and a half hours away. It seemed like more than enough time, but, with AAA, one never could know for sure.
All he knew was that his car better not have something seriously wrong with it. Otherwise, he was going to be in trouble. Big time.
R&L
AAA didn't end up coming until an hour later. Rufus was livid, but he didn't want to pick a fight with someone whose help he so desperately needed, so he kept his mouth shut about it.
AAA towed his car, and gave him a ride to the garage.
However, it didn't make much of a difference, for he was then informed that he needed a new engine, and that it was going to be Monday before the part would be in.
This only made Rufus more livid. He had just gotten a new engine put in! Once he got back to New York, he was going to have to go to the garage he had had it put in and give them a piece of his mind. But, before that, he was going to have to find a ride to the cabin.
"You don't per chance have a car I could borrow until Sunday or Monday, do you?" he asked the main mechanic.
The mechanic laughed. "Sorry, but we're a garage, not a car rental place. The closest car rental place around here is an hour away."
"Well, what about a taxi company?" Rufus tried next. It would be expensive, but worth it to take a taxi to the car rental place.
The technician shrugged. "Sorry. That's a good hour away too. The only thing we have in this crappy little town are a couple restaurants, a twenty-four-hour diner, a Walmart, a gas station, and of course this garage."
Rufus sighed. Now what was he going to do? He guessed there was only one thing he could do—hitchhike.