"Circle of Two"
Chapter One
"Because the world looks better when I'm by your side" Ed Sheeran's voice made its' way through the residence. Henry heard the music as he dropped his bag in the sitting room, smiling he made his way to her office in the private residence. The door was open and he leaned on the door frame just staring at her. Her hair flowed of honey gold down her back with that one piece hanging beside her face. It matched the pale yellow Frampton t-shirt she was wearing with pink pajama pants, one leg bent up leaning on the desk the other crossed under her as she looked at photos through her glasses.
"Hey Babe, what are you looking at?" he asked making his way over to her.
"My beautiful man," she laughed getting up and making her way over to him, sliding her hands around his neck as he took her in for a long passionate kiss.
They broke away. "I meant what's on your desk," he laughed, giving her the eyes.
"The proofs of the family Christmas photos," she walked back to the desk.
He stepped behind her and glanced over her shoulder, leaning down and kissing the back of her neck just behind her ear, "Which one is your favorite?"
"Definitely the outside ones. The indoor photos seem much too formal for the McCords," she laughed.
"Is this the new Ed Sheeran album?" he asked.
"Yes, I love it. Do you?" she turned and asked him.
"Yeah…I was just listening to it on the plane ride back. This song reminds me of our beginning," he smiled at her.
"Hmmm…me too. How was your trip? I missed you," she put the photos aside and they headed to the kitchen.
"Missed you too," he pinched at her backside as she scooted ahead of him.
Elizabeth gave Chef Cindy the night off knowing Henry would be home late for dinner. Late being 7:30 these days. Since moving to the White House, they regularly ate at a normal dinner time. They heated up some leftovers and settled down at the round wood kitchen table.
She bent one knee up leaning it against the table while they ate, gave him the flirtatious look and asked, "What part?"
"Huh?" he asked unbuttoning his shirt another button making himself more comfortable while baring his chest to her a little more
"What part of the song reminded you of our beginning?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to him.
He put his fork down, "The beauty of music is that it can relate to anybody. That song could be about any couple but it had moments where I saw our past flash before me."
She had that twinkle in his eye, "Let's play a game over the next few weeks because we need some fun in this place." She looked around pouting.
"Do you really hate it here?" he asked giving her a look.
"It's nice but it's not HOME, Henry," she whined.
"Well then you shouldn't have gone for another four years. Now, we're stuck here." He joked with her, as she threw him a look, "Continue with the game idea….I'm interested," he dug his fork back into his pasta.
"One of us mentions a memory and the other has to tell the story," she put her arms out smiling at him. Before he could answer she said, "I'll start! Drinking my father's whiskey," she stated, a twinkle in her eyes.
He pointed at her with the fork as the memory came flooding back. He put the fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a sip of wine.
"Okay…this one goes back a day or so before the actual memory. February 28th, I was coming to pick you up at your Advanced Calc. class so we could go get dinner. I found you on the bench with Conrad," he laughed at the memory.
She laughed and took a sip of wine, "Keep going. This is one of my favorites."
"Okay…I know. I thought Conrad was your uncle at the time," he laughed as she tapped the table with her hands.
"And you said to him?" she was laughing.
"Hi, Henry McCord, you must be Elizabeth's uncle," he laughed.
"Absolutely the best!" she was cracking up laughing. "He's only eight years older than me!"
"But, the day was not as funny as that moment. He came to tell you Aunt Joan had been killed while on CIA duty. Also, the same evening you sat across from me curled up on the couch at the farmhouse hesitantly telling me your family's history in the CIA. I had no idea about your grandfather, your mother and aunt until that day" he said quietly, he took a drink. "It was also the time I found out your mother recruited Conrad the day before she died. To this day, the only ones in our circle that know that bit of information is us and them."
She put her head down and looked back up at him.
He continued, "We spent the next few days saying goodbye to Aunt Joan and you were on edge. The stress of what would happen to the house and your parents' belongings. Having to keep the house and the farm up and running while attending college was now left on your shoulders. Will blatantly not caring about a thing. He went back to school that evening after everyone left and it was just the two of us in the house. You came down from a shower, your hair still wet wearing a very similar outfit to what you are wearing now." He paused and gave her the sultry look. "You almost fell over when I turned to you in the kitchen and handed you a glass. You stared at the bottle in my other hand and practically yelled, 'You opened my father's last bottle of whiskey!' You were not happy."
"No, I wasn't," she agreed.
He continued, "I said," she looked up and smiled saying it with him, "To the legacy they left us."
She continued, "It was 8:22 and you said it while looking around the room, like you knew the house would be ours. It was that moment we both knew this was forever!" He leaned over and clinked wine glasses with her and kissed her.
"Want to do a repeat of the rest of that night?" he asked her.
"Grab the whiskey, Captain," she got up and headed to the bedroom.
Henry went to the cabinet, grabbed the whiskey and two glasses and followed after her.
When he entered the bedroom, he heard the bath running in the en suite. She was already in the hot, bubbly tub. Her haired pulled up messy in a clip. The water making its' way up her body.
"From what I remember, a tub together was not part of the memory," he stated handing her the glass of whiskey, looking over her body.
She laughed that seductive laugh, "Well, it's a chilly night and I just thought we could relax. You just came off the pla…" He dropped his pants and she got a glimpse of his tight legs and butt, stopping her mid-thought.
She took a sip of the whiskey letting it warm her as it went down as she watched him get naked in front of her. He leaned over and kissed her wanting to taste it off her mouth first.
"Mm, that's good," he said as he moved to get his own glass off the vanity, "scooch up, I'm coming in." Elizabeth moved up away from the back of the tub as Henry climbed in behind her, straddling her body with his legs.
She leaned back feeling the warmth of him envelope her body with the water. His arms were on the sides of the tub, holding his drink in his left hand. They stayed that way, quietly having their drinks for a while.
"How was the visit?" she asked quietly, rubbing her feet under the water.
"It was good. Craig and Elana say hello. They love California. He loves teaching our up and coming fighter pilots," he took another sip of his drink.
"How are the barracks renovations coming along?" she asked.
"Beautiful. Stunning, really. They raised the land up. Man, if you are a new Marine and you get a room on the west side, you are living the dream," he said laughing. He rubbed her back while she was leaning up. "Gorgeous views of the Pacific, the tile floors are the ones that look like wood floors. You can slide the window open and hear the ocean waves crash. The sunsets are just stunning."
"None of my barracks ever looked like that," he laughed. There was quiet for about 30 seconds as the memory came flooding back to both of them.
She took a drink and turned with one finger up about to stop him.
"Ohhhh guess what my memory is going to be tomorrow?" he laughed.
Elizabeth laughed and said, "Don't! Henry, I swear, if you bring it up in front of anyone…"
He laughed again, "Let's just say we can't relive that one because there is no beach here for you to pass out on."
She shook her head in front of him, "I'm wrinkly. I'm getting out." She stood up, her naked backside right in front of him.
He reached up and wiped the bubbles off of her, "Bet, you're regretting inventing this game." He laughed and got out of the tub after her, drying off and wrapping the white bath sheet around his waist.
She turned to him while drying herself off, "Are we going to bed or are you just going to stand there laughing?"
He pulled her into his arms, "This memory ain't over yet, Babe."