Disclaimer: As everyone else around here knows, I own nothing IaHB related. If I did, things would be quite interesting indeed. :)
Note: Okay, well first of all- the important stuff. Bea, July is good for me. Finals will be over with and I will be back from vacation by then. Just let me know when in July is good for everyone else involved. (Okay people, I am talking about an inside joke involving certain people, some duct tape, a getaway car and Darkchilde's basement.
Darkchilde's mom: "What was that noise coming from the basement?"
Darkchilde: "Oh that........ it's just the television. I think Arcadia is watching Dawson's Creek or something." *smiles very angelically*)
K, that aside, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Thank you to all of the people who have read all of it so far and have reviewed. You guys are great! Thanks muchly! Please review this when you are done and tell me what you think.
Jamie stood in Caitie's room and listened to the muffled sounds of water behind the bathroom door. He smiled as he let his mind wander in thought. Wouldn't it be nice, he thought, to be able to hear the sounds of Caitie taking a shower every morning? Wouldn't it be nice if she lived with me?
The smile faded a bit from his face to be replaced with a frown. What am I talking about, he thought. It's not going to happen. He lightly touched the laptop computer that sat open on her desk and cursed it at the same time. If it weren't for her work......But, why can't she do her work where I am, he wondered. She is a writer, she can write where I am. Or am I just being selfish, he wondered.
The sound of the shower being turned off caught his attention and he turned to stare at the closed door. Wouldn't it be nice.........
"Are you almost done?" Jamie asked as his mood darkened. He had been wanting to see Caitie again for so long, but now he almost wished he had never come to the reunion at all. Maybe I shouldn't have come, he thought. Maybe I should have just been happy with the camp and not worried about Caitie or what could have happened between us.
"Give me a few more minutes," A voice rang out behind the door and Jamie sighed. Why did girls have to take so long to get ready anyway?
Jamie shook his head, a slim ray of light breaking through his dark mood. A smile of fondness crept up on his lips. Boy, would he miss her. He would miss how beautiful she was and how he seemed to forget everything when he kissed her. And how they just seemed so perfect for each other. And how she seemed to take forever to get ready to go anywhere.
"Hurry up," he said playfully, waiting for the sarcastic retort that he knew he would get.
"I am!" Caitie exclaimed from the bathroom and Jamie broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Girls take longer to get ready, you know. We can't just throw on any old thing and rush out the door like you guys!"
Jamie shook his head and wished with all his might that he could hear that voice and its sarcastic wit everyday for the rest of his life. If only...... But, how many times had he said 'if only' since seeing Caitie again. If only he would get up the nerve to kiss her. If only she would feel the same about him. If only she would live with him forever. If only.......
He cast his eyes towards the floor, knowing that his mood was darkening again. He didn't want to leave Caitie, that was for sure. But, how could he convince her to go with him instead of returning to her own life. It would be too much, he knew. And it would be wrong. She had created that life for herself and it would be wrong for him to ask her to leave it. The best thing he could do was just keep quiet about how he felt. Then they could both go back to the lives they had led before the reunion.
And yet....... And yet, here he was standing in her room, wishing that she would leave the life she created. Leave it all just for him.
Jamie tried to push those thoughts away. His eyes wandered aimlessly around her room, trying desperately to get his mind off what the next morning would bring. It doesn't matter, he thought. We'll just have to make the best of tonight.
"Jamie?" A voice called out from the bathroom and he jumped. He hadn't realized that he was so deep in thought.
"Yeah?" He answered, his voice sounding as depressed as he was starting to feel. Her voice was just so sweet and it pained Jamie to think that he might not be able to hear it again for so long.
"I left my lotion in my suitcase, on the left side. Could you get it for me and pass it through the door?"
Jamie nodded, even though he knew Caitie could not see him behind the closed door. Didn't she realize that he would do anything for her? Anything at all if it meant that they could be together.
He crossed the room to where her suitcase sat on the floor. Kneeling down in front of it, Jamie quickly unzipped the sides and pulled up the front. And he smiled, his first genuine smile of the day. And then a snicker escaped his lips as he studied the object on top of Caitie's clothes in the suitcase.
He reached into the suitcase and his fingers closed over the right side of the picture in front of him. He raised it from the suitcase so that he could have a better look at it. There she was in a football uniform, holding the helmet in the crook of her arm. The pads underneath the jersey made her look so small in comparison. And he stood next to her in the cheerleading outfit he had borrowed from Val. He laughed as he noticed the long blonde locks falling around his shoulders. Man, that wig had been so annoying.
Yes, he remembered that night. He and Caitie had abhorred the idea of the dance and had almost not even gone. After all, it would just be a jock and jockette fest. Sports had never been Caitie's or Jamie's thing. But, then they had gotten the idea. They would show everyone what they thought of sports players. So, Jamie had donned a cheerleading outfit and Caitie wore the football outfit. It had been great.
And now, looking at the picture, Jamie couldn't help but smile as a million memories of he and Caitie came rushing back at him. The night that Kenny had gotten hurt and Caitie had gone to the hospital with Jamie to make sure he was okay.........The time that she had met Bobbie. Man, Jamie thought, Caitie had not liked her at all. And then there was the time that they got in the contest with Val and the rest of the preps to see who could collect the most bottles and cans. They had done so much together and then after graduation it had all stopped because they had left each other to pursue their own lives- their own dreams.
Jamie looked harder at the picture and tried to remember what he had been thinking that night. Had he realized how much he had liked Caitie yet? Or, at that time, was he still trying to pretend that the funny feeling in the pit of his stomach every time she came near only meant he was coming down with some kind of flu?
"Jamie? What, did you get lost on the way to my suitcase?" Caitie called, pulling Jamie out of his thoughts.
He snickered and placed the picture back in her suitcase carefully. And then as he had been instructed, Jamie looked on the left side of her suitcase under a pile of clothes. He reached to the very bottom of the suitcase and smiled as his fingers closed over the plastic bottle of lotion. Pulling the bottle out of the suitcase, Jamie read the label. "Peach Nectar", he read outloud. He bet she would look great tonight as usual but ah, she would smell good as well.
A smile lingered on his lips as he stood and crossed the small room to the bathroom door. He knocked softly, waiting for just a glimpse of her face to appear.
Caitie pulled the door open and Jamie's jaw almost dropped to the floor. It could have been the fact that Caitie's wet hair was hanging down around her shoulders. He had always liked her hair when it was down. Or it could have been the fact that all she wore was a towel, the top of it clutched together in her fist. Too bad the towel was so big, his mind thought vaguely as he held out the lotion for her to take.
In any case, she was beautiful. A goddess, in Jamie's opinion. How can I just leave her tomorrow, Jamie thought, saddened.
"Well, I am glad that you found it," Caitie said, not noticing the sad look in her friend's eyes. "It took you long enough."
Caitie reached out for the bottle of lotion, her fingers closing over the top. She tugged on the bottle, wanting to pull it from Jamie's grip. But, he held onto it tightly, as if he did not want to let it go. Caitie looked down at Jamie's grip on the bottle and realized that his knuckles were white. Whoa, Caitie thought. What was wrong with him?
"Um Jamie, you need to let go of the bottle. It hasn't done anything to you," Caitie laughed. "Stop holding the lotion hostage, Jamie."
And then she made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. Of course, she had seen them before. Even that weekend, she had found herself staring at them so often that Caitie was sure their image was branded on her brain for life. But, now, they looked different. She had never seen them look so incredibly sad before. He was looking at her intensely, as if she were the most important aspect of his life at that moment. As if he wanted to say something to her and yet, could not seem to find the words. And it bothered her deeply. Why was he so sad, she wondered.
"Jamie," she said slowly, suddenly worried about the melancholy expression that she found in his eyes. All she wanted to do was shake him from his dreary state. "Jamie," she whispered, much quieter this time.
Jamie closed his eyes slowly, thinking of all the times that he and Caitie had shared. Memories flitted through his mind quickly, too quick for him to latch onto one and really think about it. He shook his head, trying to get rid of his thoughts. It didn't matter how he felt, he knew. No, because tomorrow was still going to come whether he wanted it or not. He was still going to be leaving Caitie in the morning.
Jamie opened his eyes and fixed them back on Caitie. He could see the concern in her eyes and it pained him that he couldn't even tell her why he felt this way. After all, what difference would it make? She would still leave.
"Here," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. He let go of the bottle of lotion and she accepted it slowly.
Jamie stared at her for only a moment longer before turning around and walking out of the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, not knowing what to do next. It had taken all of his energy to walk out of the bathroom without screaming in frustration. And he could just picture the hurt expression that graced Caitie's face then. She was probably surprised and confused all in one over his behavior. And he really could not blame her. All he wanted was to be with her forever. Was that really too much to ask?
Jamie glanced down towards the floor, wondering why he had come to the reunion in the first place. Had he really thought that this story would have a happy ending? Had he really thought that Caitie would automatically give up everything for him? How selfish am I, he wondered.
Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a crumpled piece of paper lying next to the doorway. It sat between the edge of the bathroom door and the garbage, as if someone had thrown it towards the garbage and missed by mere inches.
Jamie knelt, intent on picking up the paper and throwing it in its rightful place. But, something caught his eye as he picked it up. Through one of the crumples in the paper, Jamie could read the word "loves". Intrigued, Jamie opened up the paper to see what was written on the inside. He knew that it was none of his business what was written there. But, that word still intrigued him so much.
He smoothed out the paper on his bent knee and then let his eyes fly over the words, allowing them to pour into his mind and his soul.
"Caitie loves Jamie," it read in a little heart.
Jamie chuckled, recognizing Caitie's handwriting. It was so unlike her to be so.......well, girly. He had never known her to write people's names in hearts as she had done here. That was always something more like what Val would do. Not his Caitie. And the paper is crumpled, he thought. She had meant to throw this away.
Jamie could just imagine Caitie sitting at the small table in her room drawing the little heart that was on the paper. And then she had probably realized how mushy she was being, he thought. And in embarrassment, she had crumpled up the paper and tried to throw the evidence of her mushiness away, he surmised. Except she had not done a good job of getting rid of it since he had found it so easily.
Well, Jamie thought. Since she was so eager to get rid of it, she won't mind if I just take it.
Jamie folded the paper neatly and placed it in his back pocket. Yeah, he might not be able to take her with him tomorrow, but at least he would always know exactly what she had thought of him. The few words on the paper told him that much.
Jamie stood from his kneeling position on the floor and smiled a ghostly smile. The next day seemed too close for comfort.
............................................
Brooke stood in the doorway of the gym and watched as the diners made their way to the right tables. People exclaimed and hugged each other as they finally saw lost friends that had not been seen for years. Everyone talked excitedly to each other and glanced around the room for just a glimpse of someone else that they may not have seen since high school.
It was a night for reunions and old friendships renewed.
Brooke smiled, knowing that she had pulled off the arrangement of the tables all by herself. And as she looked around the room, she was pleased to notice that almost all of the tables were full. Almost all of the tables had all of their occupants there, waiting to be served the first course of their dinner. Almost all of the tables.
She frowned as she noticed the one single table in the very middle of the room. It was totally empty, not a chair out of place. Brooke hadn't seen any of her special guests arrive yet. Thus, her position at the door. As far as Brooke was concerned, her special guests would experience a dinner to remember. She would make sure to that.
After all, Brooke thought as she glanced out the doorway of the gym, it is a night for reunions and old friendships renewed.
.............................................
Caitie and Jamie approached the door of the gym slowly. It was as if neither of them really wanted to go inside. To go inside meant that their time together was really coming to an end. And of course, Caitie did not want to think about that at all.
Things had been so wonderful between her and Jamie at the reunion and she truly wondered if her life would ever be the same after she left Kingsport the next day. And how can I just leave him, she asked herself as they got closer to the door.
"Jamie! Caitie!" A chipper voice called from the doorway.
Caitie pulled herself out of her sad thoughts and focused on owner of the voice.
Brooke stood in the doorway, her eyes lighting up with excitement and........ was that a bit of mischief Caitie saw as well?......at the sight of them. She was holding a clipboard of some sort and a pencil was sticking out from behind one of her ears. Caitie smiled. Yes, Brooke looked the same as she had whenever Caitie had visited the EMS station in high school.
"Hey Brooke," Jamie said with his own smile.
Caitie looked at him quizzically. Why did his voice sound so tired, she wondered. Caitie was still not sure what had been going though his mind when he had held so tightly to her lotion in the bathroom. But, whatever he had been thinking had been serious, of that she was sure. And she had been surprised when he had finally just handed her the bottle of lotion and had left as if nothing had happened. But, something had. Something was on his mind, Caitie knew, and she wished she knew exactly what it was. She didn't want him to waste their last evening together being depressed. She wanted him to enjoy it as much as possible. It truly would be their last.
"Hi Brooke," she said quietly and she stepped forward as Brooke enveloped her in a sisterly hug. It was good seeing Brooke again. To Caitie, it had been way too long since she had seen her 'little sister'. Of course, that's what Brooke was to her. She always had been and always would be.
When Brooke stepped back, Caitie could swear that she saw the mischief in her eyes again. Something was up, Caitie knew. But, she said nothing. Hey, if it will make the evening a bit more entertaining, she thought, so be it.
"Welcome to Chez Brooke," Brooke said as she bowed. "Tonight will be a night to remember. Now, let me just show you to your table. Please follow me."
Brooke turned on her heel and started across the gym, not waiting to see if Jamie and Caitie were coming. She knew they would.
When they reached the table, Brooke pointed to two seats close to her. "You guys sit here," she said.
"Wow, we're the first ones here," Caitie commented as she slid into her chair.
"Yes, well, your dinner companions should be arriving any minute," Brooke said, her formality causing Jamie to snicker.
Caitie elbowed him in the ribs and he fell silent. He did look at her, though, with the same hurt look that he had had on his face in the bathroom. Caitie stared back at him, silently questioning what was wrong with him.
Brooke noticed the exchange of looks and smiled. Good, she thought. Everything is going perfectly. "Wait right here and your waiter will be here shortly."
Neither Jamie nor Caitie made any movement to suggest that they had heard her at all. They simply stared at each other, lost in their own little world where other people did not exist.
Brooke walked away from the table and smiled. The mischief in her eyes much more evident now. Yup, everything was going perfectly.
She raised her clipboard up and snatched the pencil that had been behind her ear. Slowly, she drew a check mark next to two names on the seating chart. Then Brooke took her position by the door to wait for the next special couple to arrive.
Well, that Brooke is certainly mischievous. K, what did you think? Please review. Thanks lots.
Note: Okay, well first of all- the important stuff. Bea, July is good for me. Finals will be over with and I will be back from vacation by then. Just let me know when in July is good for everyone else involved. (Okay people, I am talking about an inside joke involving certain people, some duct tape, a getaway car and Darkchilde's basement.
Darkchilde's mom: "What was that noise coming from the basement?"
Darkchilde: "Oh that........ it's just the television. I think Arcadia is watching Dawson's Creek or something." *smiles very angelically*)
K, that aside, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Thank you to all of the people who have read all of it so far and have reviewed. You guys are great! Thanks muchly! Please review this when you are done and tell me what you think.
Jamie stood in Caitie's room and listened to the muffled sounds of water behind the bathroom door. He smiled as he let his mind wander in thought. Wouldn't it be nice, he thought, to be able to hear the sounds of Caitie taking a shower every morning? Wouldn't it be nice if she lived with me?
The smile faded a bit from his face to be replaced with a frown. What am I talking about, he thought. It's not going to happen. He lightly touched the laptop computer that sat open on her desk and cursed it at the same time. If it weren't for her work......But, why can't she do her work where I am, he wondered. She is a writer, she can write where I am. Or am I just being selfish, he wondered.
The sound of the shower being turned off caught his attention and he turned to stare at the closed door. Wouldn't it be nice.........
"Are you almost done?" Jamie asked as his mood darkened. He had been wanting to see Caitie again for so long, but now he almost wished he had never come to the reunion at all. Maybe I shouldn't have come, he thought. Maybe I should have just been happy with the camp and not worried about Caitie or what could have happened between us.
"Give me a few more minutes," A voice rang out behind the door and Jamie sighed. Why did girls have to take so long to get ready anyway?
Jamie shook his head, a slim ray of light breaking through his dark mood. A smile of fondness crept up on his lips. Boy, would he miss her. He would miss how beautiful she was and how he seemed to forget everything when he kissed her. And how they just seemed so perfect for each other. And how she seemed to take forever to get ready to go anywhere.
"Hurry up," he said playfully, waiting for the sarcastic retort that he knew he would get.
"I am!" Caitie exclaimed from the bathroom and Jamie broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Girls take longer to get ready, you know. We can't just throw on any old thing and rush out the door like you guys!"
Jamie shook his head and wished with all his might that he could hear that voice and its sarcastic wit everyday for the rest of his life. If only...... But, how many times had he said 'if only' since seeing Caitie again. If only he would get up the nerve to kiss her. If only she would feel the same about him. If only she would live with him forever. If only.......
He cast his eyes towards the floor, knowing that his mood was darkening again. He didn't want to leave Caitie, that was for sure. But, how could he convince her to go with him instead of returning to her own life. It would be too much, he knew. And it would be wrong. She had created that life for herself and it would be wrong for him to ask her to leave it. The best thing he could do was just keep quiet about how he felt. Then they could both go back to the lives they had led before the reunion.
And yet....... And yet, here he was standing in her room, wishing that she would leave the life she created. Leave it all just for him.
Jamie tried to push those thoughts away. His eyes wandered aimlessly around her room, trying desperately to get his mind off what the next morning would bring. It doesn't matter, he thought. We'll just have to make the best of tonight.
"Jamie?" A voice called out from the bathroom and he jumped. He hadn't realized that he was so deep in thought.
"Yeah?" He answered, his voice sounding as depressed as he was starting to feel. Her voice was just so sweet and it pained Jamie to think that he might not be able to hear it again for so long.
"I left my lotion in my suitcase, on the left side. Could you get it for me and pass it through the door?"
Jamie nodded, even though he knew Caitie could not see him behind the closed door. Didn't she realize that he would do anything for her? Anything at all if it meant that they could be together.
He crossed the room to where her suitcase sat on the floor. Kneeling down in front of it, Jamie quickly unzipped the sides and pulled up the front. And he smiled, his first genuine smile of the day. And then a snicker escaped his lips as he studied the object on top of Caitie's clothes in the suitcase.
He reached into the suitcase and his fingers closed over the right side of the picture in front of him. He raised it from the suitcase so that he could have a better look at it. There she was in a football uniform, holding the helmet in the crook of her arm. The pads underneath the jersey made her look so small in comparison. And he stood next to her in the cheerleading outfit he had borrowed from Val. He laughed as he noticed the long blonde locks falling around his shoulders. Man, that wig had been so annoying.
Yes, he remembered that night. He and Caitie had abhorred the idea of the dance and had almost not even gone. After all, it would just be a jock and jockette fest. Sports had never been Caitie's or Jamie's thing. But, then they had gotten the idea. They would show everyone what they thought of sports players. So, Jamie had donned a cheerleading outfit and Caitie wore the football outfit. It had been great.
And now, looking at the picture, Jamie couldn't help but smile as a million memories of he and Caitie came rushing back at him. The night that Kenny had gotten hurt and Caitie had gone to the hospital with Jamie to make sure he was okay.........The time that she had met Bobbie. Man, Jamie thought, Caitie had not liked her at all. And then there was the time that they got in the contest with Val and the rest of the preps to see who could collect the most bottles and cans. They had done so much together and then after graduation it had all stopped because they had left each other to pursue their own lives- their own dreams.
Jamie looked harder at the picture and tried to remember what he had been thinking that night. Had he realized how much he had liked Caitie yet? Or, at that time, was he still trying to pretend that the funny feeling in the pit of his stomach every time she came near only meant he was coming down with some kind of flu?
"Jamie? What, did you get lost on the way to my suitcase?" Caitie called, pulling Jamie out of his thoughts.
He snickered and placed the picture back in her suitcase carefully. And then as he had been instructed, Jamie looked on the left side of her suitcase under a pile of clothes. He reached to the very bottom of the suitcase and smiled as his fingers closed over the plastic bottle of lotion. Pulling the bottle out of the suitcase, Jamie read the label. "Peach Nectar", he read outloud. He bet she would look great tonight as usual but ah, she would smell good as well.
A smile lingered on his lips as he stood and crossed the small room to the bathroom door. He knocked softly, waiting for just a glimpse of her face to appear.
Caitie pulled the door open and Jamie's jaw almost dropped to the floor. It could have been the fact that Caitie's wet hair was hanging down around her shoulders. He had always liked her hair when it was down. Or it could have been the fact that all she wore was a towel, the top of it clutched together in her fist. Too bad the towel was so big, his mind thought vaguely as he held out the lotion for her to take.
In any case, she was beautiful. A goddess, in Jamie's opinion. How can I just leave her tomorrow, Jamie thought, saddened.
"Well, I am glad that you found it," Caitie said, not noticing the sad look in her friend's eyes. "It took you long enough."
Caitie reached out for the bottle of lotion, her fingers closing over the top. She tugged on the bottle, wanting to pull it from Jamie's grip. But, he held onto it tightly, as if he did not want to let it go. Caitie looked down at Jamie's grip on the bottle and realized that his knuckles were white. Whoa, Caitie thought. What was wrong with him?
"Um Jamie, you need to let go of the bottle. It hasn't done anything to you," Caitie laughed. "Stop holding the lotion hostage, Jamie."
And then she made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. Of course, she had seen them before. Even that weekend, she had found herself staring at them so often that Caitie was sure their image was branded on her brain for life. But, now, they looked different. She had never seen them look so incredibly sad before. He was looking at her intensely, as if she were the most important aspect of his life at that moment. As if he wanted to say something to her and yet, could not seem to find the words. And it bothered her deeply. Why was he so sad, she wondered.
"Jamie," she said slowly, suddenly worried about the melancholy expression that she found in his eyes. All she wanted to do was shake him from his dreary state. "Jamie," she whispered, much quieter this time.
Jamie closed his eyes slowly, thinking of all the times that he and Caitie had shared. Memories flitted through his mind quickly, too quick for him to latch onto one and really think about it. He shook his head, trying to get rid of his thoughts. It didn't matter how he felt, he knew. No, because tomorrow was still going to come whether he wanted it or not. He was still going to be leaving Caitie in the morning.
Jamie opened his eyes and fixed them back on Caitie. He could see the concern in her eyes and it pained him that he couldn't even tell her why he felt this way. After all, what difference would it make? She would still leave.
"Here," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. He let go of the bottle of lotion and she accepted it slowly.
Jamie stared at her for only a moment longer before turning around and walking out of the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, not knowing what to do next. It had taken all of his energy to walk out of the bathroom without screaming in frustration. And he could just picture the hurt expression that graced Caitie's face then. She was probably surprised and confused all in one over his behavior. And he really could not blame her. All he wanted was to be with her forever. Was that really too much to ask?
Jamie glanced down towards the floor, wondering why he had come to the reunion in the first place. Had he really thought that this story would have a happy ending? Had he really thought that Caitie would automatically give up everything for him? How selfish am I, he wondered.
Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a crumpled piece of paper lying next to the doorway. It sat between the edge of the bathroom door and the garbage, as if someone had thrown it towards the garbage and missed by mere inches.
Jamie knelt, intent on picking up the paper and throwing it in its rightful place. But, something caught his eye as he picked it up. Through one of the crumples in the paper, Jamie could read the word "loves". Intrigued, Jamie opened up the paper to see what was written on the inside. He knew that it was none of his business what was written there. But, that word still intrigued him so much.
He smoothed out the paper on his bent knee and then let his eyes fly over the words, allowing them to pour into his mind and his soul.
"Caitie loves Jamie," it read in a little heart.
Jamie chuckled, recognizing Caitie's handwriting. It was so unlike her to be so.......well, girly. He had never known her to write people's names in hearts as she had done here. That was always something more like what Val would do. Not his Caitie. And the paper is crumpled, he thought. She had meant to throw this away.
Jamie could just imagine Caitie sitting at the small table in her room drawing the little heart that was on the paper. And then she had probably realized how mushy she was being, he thought. And in embarrassment, she had crumpled up the paper and tried to throw the evidence of her mushiness away, he surmised. Except she had not done a good job of getting rid of it since he had found it so easily.
Well, Jamie thought. Since she was so eager to get rid of it, she won't mind if I just take it.
Jamie folded the paper neatly and placed it in his back pocket. Yeah, he might not be able to take her with him tomorrow, but at least he would always know exactly what she had thought of him. The few words on the paper told him that much.
Jamie stood from his kneeling position on the floor and smiled a ghostly smile. The next day seemed too close for comfort.
............................................
Brooke stood in the doorway of the gym and watched as the diners made their way to the right tables. People exclaimed and hugged each other as they finally saw lost friends that had not been seen for years. Everyone talked excitedly to each other and glanced around the room for just a glimpse of someone else that they may not have seen since high school.
It was a night for reunions and old friendships renewed.
Brooke smiled, knowing that she had pulled off the arrangement of the tables all by herself. And as she looked around the room, she was pleased to notice that almost all of the tables were full. Almost all of the tables had all of their occupants there, waiting to be served the first course of their dinner. Almost all of the tables.
She frowned as she noticed the one single table in the very middle of the room. It was totally empty, not a chair out of place. Brooke hadn't seen any of her special guests arrive yet. Thus, her position at the door. As far as Brooke was concerned, her special guests would experience a dinner to remember. She would make sure to that.
After all, Brooke thought as she glanced out the doorway of the gym, it is a night for reunions and old friendships renewed.
.............................................
Caitie and Jamie approached the door of the gym slowly. It was as if neither of them really wanted to go inside. To go inside meant that their time together was really coming to an end. And of course, Caitie did not want to think about that at all.
Things had been so wonderful between her and Jamie at the reunion and she truly wondered if her life would ever be the same after she left Kingsport the next day. And how can I just leave him, she asked herself as they got closer to the door.
"Jamie! Caitie!" A chipper voice called from the doorway.
Caitie pulled herself out of her sad thoughts and focused on owner of the voice.
Brooke stood in the doorway, her eyes lighting up with excitement and........ was that a bit of mischief Caitie saw as well?......at the sight of them. She was holding a clipboard of some sort and a pencil was sticking out from behind one of her ears. Caitie smiled. Yes, Brooke looked the same as she had whenever Caitie had visited the EMS station in high school.
"Hey Brooke," Jamie said with his own smile.
Caitie looked at him quizzically. Why did his voice sound so tired, she wondered. Caitie was still not sure what had been going though his mind when he had held so tightly to her lotion in the bathroom. But, whatever he had been thinking had been serious, of that she was sure. And she had been surprised when he had finally just handed her the bottle of lotion and had left as if nothing had happened. But, something had. Something was on his mind, Caitie knew, and she wished she knew exactly what it was. She didn't want him to waste their last evening together being depressed. She wanted him to enjoy it as much as possible. It truly would be their last.
"Hi Brooke," she said quietly and she stepped forward as Brooke enveloped her in a sisterly hug. It was good seeing Brooke again. To Caitie, it had been way too long since she had seen her 'little sister'. Of course, that's what Brooke was to her. She always had been and always would be.
When Brooke stepped back, Caitie could swear that she saw the mischief in her eyes again. Something was up, Caitie knew. But, she said nothing. Hey, if it will make the evening a bit more entertaining, she thought, so be it.
"Welcome to Chez Brooke," Brooke said as she bowed. "Tonight will be a night to remember. Now, let me just show you to your table. Please follow me."
Brooke turned on her heel and started across the gym, not waiting to see if Jamie and Caitie were coming. She knew they would.
When they reached the table, Brooke pointed to two seats close to her. "You guys sit here," she said.
"Wow, we're the first ones here," Caitie commented as she slid into her chair.
"Yes, well, your dinner companions should be arriving any minute," Brooke said, her formality causing Jamie to snicker.
Caitie elbowed him in the ribs and he fell silent. He did look at her, though, with the same hurt look that he had had on his face in the bathroom. Caitie stared back at him, silently questioning what was wrong with him.
Brooke noticed the exchange of looks and smiled. Good, she thought. Everything is going perfectly. "Wait right here and your waiter will be here shortly."
Neither Jamie nor Caitie made any movement to suggest that they had heard her at all. They simply stared at each other, lost in their own little world where other people did not exist.
Brooke walked away from the table and smiled. The mischief in her eyes much more evident now. Yup, everything was going perfectly.
She raised her clipboard up and snatched the pencil that had been behind her ear. Slowly, she drew a check mark next to two names on the seating chart. Then Brooke took her position by the door to wait for the next special couple to arrive.
Well, that Brooke is certainly mischievous. K, what did you think? Please review. Thanks lots.
