Chapter 25
"What did you say?" Bob asked him.
"Are you going to make me say it again?"
She shook her head. "No. Because you're not in love with me. You're my friend and you love me because of that. But you're not IN love with me."
"Whew, well, thanks for straightening that out for me. I've been under the impression that I'd fallen in love with the woman I'm sleeping with. But now that you've cleared that up…"
The tears were starting to pool again. "Don't tease me Greg! This is much too important to me."
His blue eyes sparkled when he looked at her. "Why is it so important to you?"
"Because, I…" she couldn't get the words out.
"Say it. Please."
Her voice was the barest whisper. "Because I love you."
He smiled. "That's my girl."
She wasn't smiling. "Stop it. You're playing games with me and I can't –"
"I'm not playing games. I love you. And not as your best friend. As a man for a woman."
She stared at him intently, trying to read his mind and his meaning. "You really mean it?"
"Yeah, I really mean it."
She started to cry again.
"Ah, shit," he said, "What did I say now?"
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. These are happy tears."
He rolled his eyes. "Women are so annoying. How the hell does a man tell the difference between happy and unhappy tears?"
She put her arms around his neck. "All you really have to know is whether or not the woman wants to be with you. And then you just hold her."
"I can do that." He said as he held her.
They stayed that way for a few moments, just holding each other and enjoying the feeling of being in love.
Into his shoulder, she murmured, "I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with you. I just never believed you would be in love with me."
He chuckled lightly, then took a deep breath and said, "I really am sorry about acting like a jerk today. I should have realized how important the party was."
She pulled away from him and looked at him, utter amazement on her face. She couldn't speak.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
It took a few moments for her to find her voice. "I thought hearing you say that you're in love with me would be the most amazing thing I ever heard. But I just figured out that it's not."
He stared at her quizzically.
"I just heard Greg House apologize! I think I'm in shock."
He gave her a withering look. "Do you think you're funny?"
"No, I told you, I'm in shock."
"Oh, you're in shock, are you?" he said leaning into her and putting his face close to hers.
She started giggling. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" he said as he pushed her back on the bed.
"I think that because you told me you love me, you think you can have your way with me."
" 'Have my way with you?' What is this, the 1890's?"
She giggled again, then said in a high voice, "Oh, sir, please, be gentle with me. I'm just an innocent girl."
"Not for long."
He pushed her back on the bed and started moving on top of her. Before long, their clothes were off and he was inside her.
It was the first time in a long, long time he knew the joy of being in love when he was making love.