Chapter Eleven
Marion was directing guests to their rooms, but Linka didn't wait for her, heading straight down the corridor, taking Wheeler with her. "You know where my room is Babe?"
Linka blushed, "Da. Erm, Marion asked me if some of us would mind sharing."
The American pulled a face, "Don't tell me I'm with Ma-ti, he snores you know."
Chuckling, Linka opened the door to their room. "Nyet, you are not sharing with Ma-ti." Following him in and closing the door, she went over to her bags and put her journal away. Turning back she saw her companion was looking stunned.
"I'm sharing with you?" he asked.
"Da. I hope that is okay?" She was a little worried now.
"You told Marion you wanted to share with me?" trying to get his head around it.
"Well, she didn't mind, but if you don't like it I can share with Gi, I just thought…" She didn't get any further as he closed the distance between them and kissed her before anything could happen to stop him. Her surprise only lasted for a second, then she closed her eyes and returned his embrace.
When they finally came up for air, Wheeler scooped his girlfriend up in his arms and carried her to the bed, sitting down and placing her in his lap. Sighing and snuggling against him, Linka said, "No more arguments, or misunderstandings okay?" She looked up to meet his eyes, "I love you."
Smiling and tightening his arms he said, "And I love you, and I'm never gonna be stupid enough to let you go again." Her answer was to reach up and kiss him, a little timidly, but then she'd never done this before.
"Tell me something Babe?" he said when they parted.
Snuggling up and burying her face in his neck, she nodded. "When you told Marion you'd share with me, we weren't talking right?" She nodded again. "So… I mean, why?"
She hesitated then it all came out in a rush, "When we were at your parents, you said that you assumed that I was in love with Greg and because of that, that I had slept with him and when I said I hadn't and wasn't in love with him, and wouldn't do that with someone I wasn't in love with, you believed me because you really did know me better than that, Da?" She was feeling nervous about her reasoning now, and gripping him a little tighter because of it.
Hugging her back encouragingly, Wheeler said, "Yeah that's right." She didn't say anything else and a sudden realisation came over the young planeteer, "So you figured you'd convince me that you love me?" She nodded.
"Oh Lin." He closed his eyes. "What if I'd taken you up on the offer and still not believed you?"
She stroked his hair out of his face, "I would not have been any worse off Matthew. If you really wanted me to leave, nothing else would have mattered, there is no one else for me, there never has been."
Unable to speak, the fire planeteer simply kissed her, willing her to feel his love.
As usual, Gi walked in at that point, without thinking to knock, "Linka aren't these rooms amazing I… Oh." She blushed.
Separating as quickly as they could, Linka's face turned bright red, but Wheeler prevented her from getting up by locking his arms, "You know something beautiful, I think her timing is actually improving."
"Da, you are right," she agreed, forcing herself to relax, "but I think we had better remember to lock the door anyway." He chuckled as she asked the water planeteer if there was something she could do for her.
Her face darkening with embarrassment at the picture in front of her, Gi replied, "Marion said this was your room Linka, I didn't mean to interrupt, I thought you'd be getting ready for dinner."
Noticing that the Asian girl was already in an attractive, semi casual evening dress, Linka agreed, "Da, we should be." She looked up into her lovers eyes not really wanting to be the one to pull away.
Giving her a brief kiss on her lips, Wheeler set her on her feet, before grabbing one of his bags and heading for the bathroom.
"Is Wheeler staying in here?" Gi asked sounding slightly shocked.
Linka retrieved her own baggage and began to sort out her clothes, "Da." Then, when her friend didn't say anything else, she looked at her, "Do you think very badly of me?"
"No, I mean you two have been getting closer for a while now, I just didn't realise things had gone so far." The water planeteer still looked a little awkward.
Linka blushed, "Depending on what you mean, they haven't… yet. But we love each other and we want to be together so..." She began changing into her evening dress.
"Did you just admit that you are in love with Wheeler?" Gi was grinning now.
Laughing Linka shrugged, "You walked in on us kissing, I can't exactly deny it can I." Her face lit up, "And you know something Gi, I do not want to deny it anymore! Yes I am in love with Wheeler."
The water planeteer laughed, sharing her friends happiness and walked forward to hug her. "I'm really pleased for both of you."
They heard the shower go off and a few seconds later Wheeler walked out, rubbing his hair with one towel and wearing nothing but another, slung low about his hips showing off his very well toned torso, like a model in an advert. Gi had always thought of him like a brother, but the present situation caused her for an instant to see only her best friends boyfriend wearing next to nothing and she suddenly excused herself and nearly ran from the room.
Linka shook her head, allowing herself to gaze admiringly at the handsome figure before her, "You did that on purpose." She accused.
"Did what?" He asked innocently, though his eyes were sparkling with mischief.
Chuckling she told him to, "Go and put some clothes on." But it didn't stop her watching as he shrugged and retreated into the bathroom, deliberately dropping the towel from his waist before closing the door, giving her a very good view of his rear.
When they returned to the room, several hours later, Linka was in a thoughtful mood.
Everything had gone quite smoothly, Wheeler had finally dressed in tight fitting jeans and a white shirt, which for once he had tucked in properly, though the shirt was undone at the neck. For some reason she couldn't fathom, Linka found this look very attractive, and realising that, he had begun teasing her about it immediately.
"Matthew stop it, you can't carry on like this here!" Then fearing he might think she was pushing him away again she tried to clarify it, "I mean we are on duty, working… it's not private."
Seeing her sudden discomfort, the American planeteer took Linka in his arms, "Hey, what's wrong? I was only teasing I wont do anything you don't want me to."
Her eyes imploring him to understand, she repeated that they were working. "You can do what you want in private, I am not meaning to be chilling you out!"
"You know it's really cute how your English get's worse when you're stressed. But Lin love, you're not freezing me out, I get it, you wanna keep things private, that's fine Babe really." He gave her a hug.
She looked grateful, not wanting him to be mad at her anymore, but she became a little nervous again as he asked, "So it's private when we're alone and it's not when we're working but what about when we're just home hanging with the others?" then he took her by surprise by kissing her suddenly, guessing her mood, "Don't fret about it, I'm just asking so I don't make you uncomfortable later."
That made her smile and she replied, "Do not second guess yourself Matthew, I… I don't know how comfortable I will be in front of the others, but I wont mind, and I can always tell you if I think you are getting carried away."
He nodded, "As long as you do tell me Babe, don't feel you have to go along with something you don't like."
Linka had promised her boyfriend that she would be completely honest with him, but she couldn't imagine not liking anything he did, as long as they didn't have an audience.
True to his word, he had behaved himself all evening, not even rising to the veiled barbs, Bastian was throwing in his direction. It was this that Linka was thinking about when they returned to their room, she'd had an idea about the actor's attitude ever since she'd first seen his reaction to Wheeler and it wouldn't go away.
Absent-mindedly locking the door and following Wheeler to the bed, Linka sat down next to him. "Whatcha thinking about Babe?" wrapping his arms about her.
"Nothing important." She smiled putting everything but her Yankee from her mind.
Gently kissing her and holding her close, his passion just below the surface, he felt a sudden tension from her. Drawing back and guessing at the likely cause he said sincerely, "You don't have to 'prove you love me' Lin, we can wait 'til we get married."
Linka blushed, "Was that a proposal Yankee?" she teased, but not waiting for the answer she continued, "It is not that, I do want to. But I… I really haven't done anything with anyone before, I don't want to disappoint you."
Shaking his head Wheeler assured her, "You could never disappoint me, and it's so not about that!" He tilted her chin up so that she had to meet his eyes, "Been there, done that and it didn't mean a thing! This is about showing each other how we feel and there's no right or wrong way to do that. You just have to mean it." He lowered his head to kiss her lips and she melted into his embrace.
A/N: Just a couple more loose ends to tie up ;o) Hope you stick with me 'til the end.