Elizabeth
"She was the love of my life." Peter says and I feel the tears start. We sit together in silence, just being present for each other's grief. I don't know what is worse, living without the love of your life because they're dead, or living without them because they don't feel the same for you.
"Ma'am?" I feel Peter's hand on my shoulder and realize I've zoned out on him. "Maybe I'm out of line, but as you said what the hell. Maybe you should tell him?"
"Tell who, what?" I reply. But I know who and what he's talking about.
"Maye it's not too late." He stands to leave, "I would give anything for a second chance." With that he leaves the room. I ponder his last statement. Anything for a second chance. A second chance sounds perfect, but unfortunately, Henry would want to have one too. I grab my phone and hover over his name, before clicking another.
Henry
"What can I get you?" the bartender asks me ask I sit down. I just got done with another lack luster date. She was perfect on paper. She was a recent divorcee. She had two kids. She had long legs, and beautiful smile. She was incredibly smart. But she laughed too quietly and her eyes didn't sparkle with passion when she talked about her work. I need to decide if I want to keep dating. No one is meeting up to my expectations. It's really rather unfair to the women I am taking out, them not knowing that they will never be Elizabeth. Maybe I just need to hook up. There is a pretty red head at the end of the bar. She keeps looking at me and smiling, and defiantly batting her lashes. She raises her empty glass to me when we make eye contact
"Johnny Walker Blue Label, neat. And another one for the lady"
Elizabeth
I find myself knocking on Jack's door again. He is a nice guy, really. We both have found ourselves in a similar predicament. He is the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army and he lost his wife last year to cancer. It's only sex, and sometimes cuddling. We both agreed to that the first time it happened. We were both lonely and a little drunk after being the only two single people at a White House event. We don't really talk all that much, neither of us want to. He smiles at me and lets me in. Every time I do this I get a little embarrassed to know that my security detail knows exactly what I'm here to do. It's like doing the walk of shame, except I see these people every day.
"You want a drink?" He always offers, and I always decline. I shake my head and take off my coat and then skip the pleasantries while I unbutton my shirt. He just watches me, and I think for a man in love with a dead woman, he sure likes the way my breasts look in this lace see-through bra.
Henry
Neither of us finished our drinks before we found ourselves making out outside the bar. It feels nice, I forgot that things could still feel good even when you don't have feelings for the other person, but I haven't been touched in so long. I decide to turn my brain off and just focus on both of us having a fun night, when her hands start to move lower.
Elizabeth
When we're finished Jack goes in for a kiss. It's much more emotionally intimate than we've been with each other before. I let him kiss me, but it just makes me feel empty. This weekly appointment is no longer serving its purpose. Not if Jack is getting feelings.
"I have to get going, I have a middle of the night phone call with Beijing." I wonder if he can pick up on my lie. If he does, he doesn't say anything. He nods and rolls off of me, so I can get up.
"Same time next week?" He asks
"I'll let you know."
Henry
When Sadie and I are finished, both physically satisfied. I get up to leave.
"Want to do this again sometime?" She asks me as I'm buttoning my jeans. I hesitate for a second, which she must pick up on. "You don't have to buy me dinner, I'm not looking for a relationship"
I reach into my pocket and pull my card out of my wallet. "Here's my number"
I figure maybe we can make each other less lonely as least for an hour anyway.
Elizabeth
"Who's the guy?" Stevie startles me from my office when I walk in the door. She must be writing a paper for school, because she hasn't quit typing to look up me. It's a weird reversal of roles, to have my daughter question where I've been tonight.
"There isn't one, I was at the State Department." She stops typing and slowly looks up at me.
"No, Blake dropped off some files you forgot about an hour ago." I nod, blushing at the embarrassment of my daughter catching me during my booty call walk of shame.
"He's not important" I tell her. I know Stevie is old enough to understand that I'm an adult that needs to have an itch scratched by another person every once in a while.
"Too bad." That response confuses me.
"What do you mean?"
"It's just, Dad has been dating. And I want you to be happy, too." I feel like I've been punched in the gut. It isn't a shock to me that he's moving on, but to hear it out loud makes it real. Maybe I should open up more to Jack. I realize that I don't want to be alone forever.