Lester's Pov
Ranger and I walked back into the house twenty minutes later soaking wet and covered in mud. We both huddled together on the small tile floor that was just inside the door. Steph came up with towels slung over her arm and a questioning look on her face. I looked behind her for Eden, but she was no where to be seen.
"Beautiful where is Eden?" I asked wiping my face off with a towel she'd given to me. I was worried when I didn't see her anywhere near Stephanie. I knew she was scared when we had left and I knew from previous experiences that when she was scared she clung to me and I figured she wouldn't venture away on her own while the storm was still going.
"She went into the bedroom to look out the window that is in there. She paced back and forth and kept going to the window above the sink. She finally gave up and went into the other room. What happened out there, did you see the people that Eden said she saw?" she asked
"Yea we found them" Ranger said peeling his shirt off and dropping it to the floor
"Well who were they and what were they doing out in the storm?"
"They are the neighbors that live out back to the house. When Eden looked up and saw them a tree had just fallen over and crashed onto the end of their house. They heard the crash and came out to see what had happen"
"Oh God was anybody hurt?"
"No it wasn't too big a deal, it just hit the corner, they were pretty lucky" he told her "Babe my duffel"
Steph brought Ranger's duffle over that he had asked me to get out of the car earlier. While he unzipped it and began to rifle around in it, I placed the towel I had over my shoulders, toed off my useless ruined dress shoes, and began to make my way to the back of the house where Eden was staying. Before the interruption of the storm, I needed to talk to her and now was my chance.
"Santos" I heard my name called and turned back to look at Ranger and Stephanie. When I did so a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt hit me in the face and fell to the carpet. "You might want to clean up a little before you go in and see her" Ranger said. Picking up the clothes, I realized that I was still very wet and my pants were caked in mud. My mind had only been on Eden and that had overridden any thought of just being out in the pouring rain.
"Thanks" I said turning and going into the bathroom that was in the hall to get out of my wet clothes. Thank God that we all had the foresight to pack extra clothes into the cars. In the line of work we are in extra clothing has come in handy more times than not.
Eden's Pov
I stood by the window and tried to see if I could see the people I did before when it would lighting, but when it would it flashed so fast that I couldn't get a good enough look. I surprised myself that I was actually standing by a window as the thunder boomed all around and the lighting flashed off and on, usually I would hide until the storm blew over. I was still scared but I guess the fear of Les and Ranger being out in the storm over rode the fear of the actual storm itself.
When Lester announced that he was going out to check the people out my heart stopped and fell to my stomach. I could just see him going out and never coming back. The storms we get from where I'm from aren't like the ones here on the East Coast. When it begins to storm we flood from the torrential rains, streets turn into angry rivers, people loose their lives, their homes, and anything that isn't nailed down that is why I am so terrified of storms, I've seen all of this first hand.
The lightening flashed again and I tried hard to see if I could make out Lester or Ranger, not seeing anything dread started to fill my stomach. A knock came to my door a few seconds later and I figured it was Stephanie checking on me and I called to tell her to come in.
"HI" I heard and knew instantly it wasn't Stephanie that had come into the room. I turned around and found Lester standing at the closed door. Relief flooded me when I saw him; he had made it back and looked to be unharmed.
"Are you ok?" I asked him raking my eyes over him to see if I could see any sign of injuries.
"Yes just wet and muddy" he told me giving me a cooked grin
"Did you find the people I saw out the window?"
"Yep they live behind the house. A tree fell in the storm and they came out when they heard the crash"
"Oh no" I said my hands flying to my mouth. I knew from pictures I'd seen on the news that trees can flatten cars and really cause a lot of damage to homes.
"They're fine" he said coming towards me. When he got there he took my hands from my mouth and held them "When the weather clears it will just be a simple patch job"
Lester looked down at our joined hands and so did I. He began to rub soft circles with his thumbs on the backs of my hands "Eden" he said softly and anxiety began to bubble up replacing the fear of the storm and the fear of Les and Ranger going out in it. I looked up and found his gorgeous green eyes looking back at me; I sucked in a breath remembering our time in the kitchen.
"Can we talk?" he asked me taking one of his hands and smoothing the backs of his fingers over my cheek. I closed my eyes at his touch and just for a moment I allowed myself to be drawn in by his touch.
"Ok" I told him knowing that it was only me and him in the room, there was no escaping this time
"What I said to you and did to you earlier in the kitchen I meant. I would like to get to know you more and be with you more"
"Lester" I said moving away from him to sit on the edge of the bed, I looked down in my lap and played with my fingers trying to come up with the next thing to say to him.
"Yes?" he asked coming to sit next to me
"God" I said shaking my head "Who would have thought coming to New Jersey for a meeting with a client would have turned my safe little world upside down. I don't know if I'm coming or going" I said and Lester slid a hand onto mine so I would stop picking at my fingers.
"Have you spoken to Stephanie?" I asked
"Yes I have, but I want to hear it all from you" he said an angry tint to his voice. I got up and walked over to the window, it would be easier to tell my story than to see the looks Lester would give me.
"I have always been heavy and my family couldn't afford the clothes that were in style back then, but none of that bothered me. When I entered into middle school all that changed. My school was in the city and all the lawyers and doctors kids went there, it was known around town to be the rich people's school. I had gone to school with these kids since grade school, but now that didn't matter. I was made fun of my clothes and my weight. I got my clothes from the discount stores, which there is nothing wrong AT ALL about that, but now in school there are certain social standards and I didn't meet them." I told him and could feel him staring at me as I spoke. I closed my eyes and went on.
"I tried to fit in and be like the other kids. I went to football games and to dances only to sit by myself and watch all the other kids dance to slow songs and wish that the guy I had a crush on would show compassion and see me and sweep out to dance with him, but that never happened. I stopped going to the dances and never cared about them again. I became friendly and would talk to the people around me and can remember one of the guys named Derek who laughed at a joke I told him and said to me for being a fat girl I was pretty cool. I was cool to laugh with, but not cool to love"
"Idiot" I heard Lester swear
"So in high school it was just more of the same, just older and the words became harsher. We had an oral report to do and it was my turn to walk up from my seat and give my report. When I walked through the row I heard one of the guys call out EARTHQUAKE and all the kids laughed. I pretended I never heard them and gave my report. I never went to the Junior- Senior proms; I didn't really care about them anyways. I knew I couldn't afford a dress and the hundred dollar tickets and I had no one to go with me"
"You never dated or had a boyfriend?" he asked me and I blinked to keep the tears from falling remembering some of the trauma I'd went through.
"No, if anyone was ever interested in me I never knew."
"Eden"
"I just kept to myself and did my studies. I was friendly to people, but I never fully trusted them. When I graduated and we sang the school alma mater, the guy next to me placed his arm around my waist and smiled at me to join them in singing. I had gone to school with him my entire life and not once did he acknowledge me. College was the same, I was quiet, kept to myself, and after a while I graduated with honors. Pathetic huh?" I asked him
"No"
"After school I landed the job I have now and from my years of keeping to myself I have learned to be observant. You can find out a lot of stuff if you just stay quiet. This little trick helps me out a lot in my job, I can read my clients and the ones I deal with on job sites and know what they like and what displeases them and if I'm being cheated or lied too"
"Oh Eden" I heard and felt Lester move to stand behind me. Lester placed a hand on my shoulder and I turned around keeping my head bowed and my eyes on the carpet.
"You" He said lifting my head up to look at him "deserve to be loved. You deserve to be held, protected"
"Maybe it's not meant for me too; maybe this is Gods plan for me to be alone"
"I don't think so because I want to be the one that holds you, protects you, and loves you. I'm not the best to discuss religion with, but I believe there is a God and maybe that's why your here to have me show you" he said and I shook my head
"Lester it would never work" I told him
"Yes it can, stop doubting and talking yourself out of this"
"Lester I live in California, I'm going against you for a deal, and…."
"And what?" he asked and tears fell down my cheeks. Lester brushed them off with his thumbs.
"Look at you" I said "and then at me, your friends at work would laugh at you if you brought me around"
"STOP" he shouted. Lester pulled me to him and looked deep into my eyes. His body was warm where it touched mine and I could feel his heart beating against his chest. "I wont listen to you berate yourself any longer. Those kids in school were dumb asses all of them. My friends will be surprised because of how I've always been, but they would never make fun of you once they figure out I'm serious. They would protect you like their own because you are mine. I want you to listen to me, I want you and I want to kiss you" he said and we both stared at each other.
"I want to kiss you" he repeated in a very soft whispery voice "Let me be the one to change everything you've ever thought"
With that he leaned in and came closer. When I saw what was definitely going to happen this time, my heart began to hammer in my chest. When I felt Lester's mouth on mine, my eyes instantly closed and I pushed my lips forward to kiss him back. A second later his mouth was on mine again this time at an angle, instincts that I never knew I had took over and I opened my mouth up under his and his tongue slipped in causing my knees to buckle. Lester tightened his hold on me and I found my arms moving to circle around his neck. The kiss was slow and deep and I was silently praying that he wouldn't be disappointed. When Lester broke the kiss his forehead laid against mine as we tried to regain our breaths. I stole a look at him and found he had a smile on his face that spread from ear to ear.
