i was going to wait until morning to post this... but i think y'all proabably want me to post sooner than later (: so, enjoy !
Recap:
Wildfires ran through her veins as fireworks erupted in her stomach. She gasped, not being able to hold back her feelings. "I love you." She cried. "I love you."
She could feel Brock kissing her back, and it felt better than ever. She felt as his warm, strong hands ran up and down her arm. "Reba." He whispered continuously.
Reba's eyes shot opened as she sat straight up, knocking her head on Brock's in the process. She groaned partly out of pain and partly out of disappointment. It had all been a dream. Why did God have to torture her like that? How was she supposed to keep Brock from her thoughts now?
"I'm so sorry!" Brock immediately apologized for the bruise that was already forming on Reba's head. "I will go get you some ice." Brock hurried into the kitchen before Reba could protest. Seconds later Brock returned with a bag full of crushed ice and a paper towel. "Lay down." he gently pushed her back on to the couch while he positioned the ice atop her forehead.
"Brock, I'm fine." she took the ice off her forehead and tried to get up, only to be overwhelmed with a pounding in her head. She quickly laid back down, putting the ice over the bruise. "Maybe not." she admitted quietly after a moment of silence.
Brock disappeared into the kitchen, only to return moments later with a bottle of medicine and a glass of water. "Thank you." she said quietly before swallowing the pill and chasing it down with a drink of water. Couldn't he have just given her tequila?
Reba lay on the couch, the pounding in her head dulling with the time that past. Hopefully the medicine would help her headache soon. Wondering where Brock had gone, Reba ventured into the kitchen to see if he was still in the house. She sat down at the kitchen table with a smile glued to her lips. Brock was in front of the stove making her dinner.
It melted her heart simply because she could count on one hand the times that Brock ever cooked dinner for her when they were married. The times that he did, were early on, when their marriage was still young. She placed a hand over her mouth, trying her hardest not to make a sound.
"Hey." Brock turned around to see Reba sitting at the table. "Dinner is almost ready; i just have to strain the noodles."
Reba only smiled, waiting patiently at the table. "I'm surprised that you know how to strain noodles, or cook sauce."
"There are a lot of things that I can do that you may have forgotten about." she knew he didn't have any hidden meaning, but all she could think about was the dream she had had just moments before. She felt her cheeks flush as she turned her head away, hoping Brock hadn't noticed.
"Dinner is served." he said jokingly as he sat a plate in front of Reba. She smiled seeing her favorite meal, and the meal that had made an appearance in her dream: spaghetti and meatballs.
"Thank you." she looked at him with a gracious light shining through her eyes. She had had a terrible day at work. When she got home, she simply wanted to be alone, but Brock had taken care of her 'accidental injury' and he had made her dinner. She was glad she had a friend in him.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Reba threw a puzzled glance at Brock. It was exactly like her dream.
Brock shrugged while scrunching up his nose. "I'm not that hungry. I figured i would let you eat."
Reba shook her head, getting up from her spot at the table to retrieve another fork from the silverware drawer. "Nonsense." she said sitting back down. "I can share my food with you, I am not that hungry either." truth be told, she was starving, but she wanted Brock to feel welcome in her home. After all they had been through together, things still got awkward at times. She wanted to diminish that friendly barrier.
"Do you know what this reminds me of?" Brock asked taking the fork from Reba. She shook her head, picking up her own fork. "Lady and the Tramp." Reba chuckled at his comparison to a children's movie.
Dinner conversation flowed smoothly from one subject to another, but that didn't surprise Reba. She always felt like she could talk to Brock. They had been friends for so long, that conversation with him just came naturally.
"Well, i suppose i am going to head out." Brock said after they had finished eating. Reba's mind flashed back to her dream, and what had happened after they ate dinner.
"Yeah, i think that's a good idea. It is getting rather late." she watched as Brock grabbed his coat and headed out the back door. When the door slammed she let out the breath she was subconsciously holding. "Too much excitement for one day." she said holding her head.
She passed the couch in the living room, stopping to take one final look. She couldn't get the dream out of her head. It felt all too real. Shaking her head, trying to rid her stomach of the nervous butterflies, she headed upstairs to her bedroom to call it a night.
Someone had once told her that people appear in your dreams, not because they want something from you, but rather you want something from them. Did she want something from Brock? She tried to avoid him, push him away, so that she could rebuild the melting defenses. That obviously wasn't working and she was running out of ideas.
She did have Chris to lean back on, as a distraction, but lately that didn't seem to be enough. When she was with him, she only found herself thinking of Brock. How much better he was at, well...everything. When she met him, he was supposed to take her mind off of Brock, but her moral barometer told her that she shouldn't use him just to push Brock away. She needed to find someone to permanently settle down with.
XXX
Reba had been up for a while now, she just hadn't ventured out of her bed. She closed her eyes gently, hearing a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Come in." she said with sleep still evident in her voice. It must have been Brock; he had been here every morning for the past two weeks.
"I made you breakfast in bed." The voice came closer, sitting in a chair beside her bed.
"Thank you, Brock." Reba said, rolling to her side with her eyes still lightly closed.
"Brock?"
Reba's eyes shot open as she looked at the man beside her. It wasn't Brock, but rather Chris. "Chris? How did you get in here?" she asked, covering herself with the plush, red comforter that rested atop her bed.
"Your son let me in." Reba sighed; didn't Jake know not to let strangers in the house? She gave Chris a weak smile.
"Did you make me breakfast?"
Chris shook his head. "No, your ex husband was also here when your son let me in. he made it, and I decided to serve it to you." Reba forced a smile. She was a firm believer in not taking credit for other people's work. Even though it was only breakfast, she still didn't like the idea of him taking credit for Brock's work. "Plus…" he continued, "serving you breakfast in bed gives me a chance to see you." He had a mischievous grin on his face, which worried Reba.
Reba took a bite of the cinnamon roll covered in warm icing. It was delicious. It was hard to believe that Brock had made it. Sure it was probably just a cinnamon roll from a tube, but she liked to keep the idea in her head that Brock made it from scratch.
"How does it taste?"
Reba moaned as she took another bite. "Delicious." She smiled.
"Can I have a taste?" Reba nodded holding out the unused fork on the tray. She was surprised when he ignored the fork, kissing her in what he must have imagined as passionately. He pulled away, looking in her eyes. "It sure is delicious."
Reba gave him an unconvincing smile and nodded. Deciding it was probably best if Chris left, she placed the tray on her bedside table and told him she was going to take a shower and get ready for work.
Chris didn't seem to get the hint that she wanted him gone, though. "How about I help you undress?" he said pulling the covers off of her and placing a kiss on her lips.
"Chris, I really have to get ready for work." Reba gently tried to push him off of her, but he still wouldn't leave.
"Work can wait, sweetheart. Besides, I am your first appointment." He roamed his hands over her soft skin, slipping one hand under her night shirt. Reba squirmed uncomfortably, she didn't want to do anything with him, but he seemed to be charging, full steam ahead.
"Chris," she said more firmly this time. "You need to leave." He finally had gotten the hint, and climbed off of the bed.
"We can always pick up where we left off in your office later today." He said with a sly smile and a wink. When she saw her bedroom door shut, Reba raced for the shower, locking the door behind her. She needed to tell Chris that she wasn't interested in him before things got too out of hand.
She sighed as the hot water washed over her body. It was then she realized just how badly she was shaking. Was she… scared? No, she just didn't want things to go too far. She quickly finished up her shower and dress for another day at the office.
She groaned when she pulled into the real estate office parking lot, as Chris was already there. He was here to sign papers to the house he had settled on here in Houston. She waltzed into her office going straight to the filing cabinet to retrieve the papers he needed to sign. With any luck at all he would forget about this morning and be in and out after the signing.
After setting her belongings down, Reba gave Chris and pen, and he signed all the paperwork that he needed to. After giving her the pen back, Chris walked around the desk, pulling Reba gently to her feet in the process. She felt him lead her backward as her backside hit the edge of her desk. He slowly leaned her over until her head hit the desk as well. "Chris…" she was cut off by him capturing her lips with his. He trailed his kissed over her cheek and to her ear and down to her collar bone.
"Chris…" she rasped out again. She could feel his hand sneak to her thigh and up the hemline of her skirt. "Stop." Her voice was a firm as it could be while she was shaking.
He looked down at her with a questioning look. "Don't you want this to happen?"
Reba took another shaky breath. "Chris, we have only been dating for a few weeks."
"So…"
"I'm not ready for this Chris. This may seem abrupt to you, but I am really not looking for a relationship right now."
"So, you just led me on for the sake of selling a house?"
Reba looked at him with shock present in her eyes. "I would never do that! I am not that kind of woman!" she pushed him off of her, pacing the floor.
"So you just led me on for the free dinner?"
Reba was horrified, how could he make these accusations? Sure, the truth wasn't much better, but being accused of such actions still hurt. "Look, I am sorry. I thought I was looking for a relationship, but I am not interested right now." She wasn't about to tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that she was using him to get Brock off her mind.
"Well, lucky for me, I know where you sleep now." He gave her one last glance before storming out of her office and back out into the parking lot.
Reba watched as he slammed her office door in anger. Was he threatening her? He knew where she slept? It sounded like a threat to her. Reba picked up a pen that had fallen to the floor and tried her hardest to control her trembling hands. She played it off, believing she was just hungry and her blood sugar was low. She flopped back in her chair, taking a ragged breath and letting a single tear fall upon the paperwork on her desk.
