Wish Fulfillment
Chapter 6
When the time came, Alex thought that she was ready to go. Her feet ached from dancing in unfamiliar shoes. She was light headed from too much champagne. Getting into the limo ahead of Bobby, she realized her mistake. She realized that going home meant going back. She'd felt like Cinderella all evening. The girl in the borrowed shoes who goes to the ball and dances with the prince. But now in the back of the limo, the magic slipped. She remembered that Cinderella got the prince and happily ever after, but the step sisters went home disappointed. She wasn't sure who she was going to be at the end of the limo ride. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't believe in fairy tales or happy endings. The thought lay like a stone in the pit of her stomach.
Unlike the first limo ride though, Bobby settled into a seat near her. She shivered before the driver made the first corner and Bobby wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer. She felt reassured by his gesture.
"Cold?" He asked.
She managed a nod, but no words for several minutes.
"A girl could get used to this." She said finally. Like all return journeys this one seemed to be taking half as long as the first trip. The buildings and bridges were flashing by at an alarming rate.
"You enjoyed yourself?" He asked.
"It was an amazing night, Bobby. Like a dream." She felt him relax a little. "Before," she said, "When I asked about your intentions?"
"Mmmhmm." He said, his response muffled in her hair.
"Why did you go to all this trouble?" She heard him inhale and hold his breath. He didn't answer for a moment. The rock in her stomach shifted and pinched.
Finally he exhaled and said, "To make you happy."
"A lot of expense and trouble, just to make me happy." she said leaning against him as the car cornered.
"I," he said slowly, "I wanted you to know how I feel about you."
She sat up and turned to face him. He put his hands together in his lap and squirmed under her gaze.
"How you feel about me?" It was a whisper.
She put a gloved hand on his arm. He looked down at her and then away. "How much you mean to me."
"Bobby?" She said. He looked at her again.
"I thought it was time I told you." He said. "Time I told you that I love you."
She shook her head. "You told me ~ just one night." She said. "That's what you told me. Just - one - night."
"You wouldn't have come if I'd dropped to one knee in the squad room and professed my love there. You would have thought I was crazy."
Alex began to laugh. "Crazy? I thought you'd completely lost your mind when you gave me the ticket. And when I told you that I'd come, I was certain I'd lost mine."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed her and she kissed him back. Cinderella she thought. I really am Cinderella.
Finally she pulled back but didn't let go, "Wait," she said. "One more thing."
"What," he said, intent and serious again.
"I love you too." She said. "I love you too."
Thanks for reading. Just a little more to come. - Dix.