Sarah was awakened the next morning by a strange, relentless pounding.
"What the hell?" she mumbled, glancing around the room groggily trying to remember where she was. Sarah had never been a morning person.
"Come on, Sarah, open up!"
Deborah. She'd completely forgotten about the photographer! Grabbing her robe, she stumbled over to the door to be greeted by the ever-cheerful Deborah, loaded down with camera equipment, 2 coffees and a bouquet of flowers.
"And good morning to you sunshine. I see somebody decided NOT to take advantage of the hotel's wake-up service" she teased as Sarah tried to help her carry some of her stuff through the door.
"I forgot, sorry. And what's with all the stuff?" she asked, while rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Well, let's see. I picked up the coffee for us because I know you don't do mornings, you know what the camera equipment is for, and I snagged the flowers from the deliver boy dropping them off at the front desk, figured I'd save you the trip. And now, open the card because I'm dying of curiosity!"
"You mean you haven't already?" Sarah teased.
"Well I would have if I wasn't carrying all this crap. Stop stalling - open it." she pressed.
Sighing, Sarah opened the card to find her own earlier statement printed back at her: "I really enjoyed being with you yesterday - J"
"Not J as in Jared King, is it?" Deborah gasped as she read over Sarah's shoulder.
"How did you..."
"Oh please, I did my shoot with him an hour ago. Some of us have to be up before 10, remember? Quite a looker, that one. Wealthy too." she winked at Sarah suggestively.
"Not that it matter." Sarah answered noncommittally.
"What do you mean? He's single, you're with Matt so you'll be single again soon."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Deborah shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, Sarah, Matt's cute, don't get me wrong, but it's a fling. Pretty boys like that are only good for one thing and I'm not talking about intellectual conversations."
Sarah blushed at her friend's hinting. Deborah was one of her few, if only, girlfriends and she knew about Sarah's history with men. She could tell there was something between Sarah and Mr. King - she had noticed the roses when she came in. Reporters do not usually get daily bouquets from the people they interview, and they certainly don't react the way Sarah did when she read that card. Deborah would leave her alone for now, but she was going to get a confession from Sarah sooner or later.
* * *
"Sarah this is great. I couldn't have done a better job myself." Deborah told her as she snapped another picture. "You've really found the most photogenic spots in this Labyrinth."
"Actually, Jared helped me. He walked me through it the other day, so I suppose he should get some of the credit."
Deborah looked up from her camera to see a dreamy Sarah staring into space.
"Alright, enough already. I've been patient, but it's been two hours and you've still got that look on your face. And NOW you're telling me you spent all day with him...alone? Come on girl, spill."
Sarah considered it for a moment, then led her friend over to a nearby bench.
"You have to swear you won't repeat this, but if I don't tell someone I'll go nuts."
Deborah made a crossing motion over her heart. "I won't tell a soul."
Sarah thought about the best way to sum up her experience with Jareth without making Deborah think she was a nutcase.
"Ok, the truth us, I met Jared 7 years ago. Of course, I was immediately attracted to him -" Deborah grinned knowingly at this, "but we didn't exactly get along. We got into a fight and I basically told him to get out of my life. And he did, for 7 years. At first I figured this attraction was a stupid teenage crush, but it never went away!" she cried, tossing her hands in the air.
"Well, good Lord, 7 years ago you were 15. I think it's safe to say you've both matured since then. Just try again." Deborah suggested.
"It's not that easy."
"Why not? Matt's not the problem is he?" she asked, looking somewhat dubious.
"Oh God no. Either way I'm dumping Matt after this weekend. He was just a defense in case Jared had a girl with him. I didn't want to look like the dork that didn't have a date for the prom you know?"
Deborah nodded understandingly. "Then what's stopping you besides you?" she asked.
"Because I have to be sure this isn't some kind of trick. Some twisted revenge to hurt me for what I did to him. I refuse to let him break me" she finished in a whisper.
Deborah wrapped her arms around her friend. "This is more than a 7 year crush. You love him don't you?"
Sarah nodded miserably.
"Well, honey, part of loving someone is learning to trust them. You have to put yourself on the line sometime, otherwise what are you living for? No passion, no risk? Besides," she grinned wickedly," no one said we can't tip the scale in our favor. Isn't there a ball coming up?"
"What the hell?" she mumbled, glancing around the room groggily trying to remember where she was. Sarah had never been a morning person.
"Come on, Sarah, open up!"
Deborah. She'd completely forgotten about the photographer! Grabbing her robe, she stumbled over to the door to be greeted by the ever-cheerful Deborah, loaded down with camera equipment, 2 coffees and a bouquet of flowers.
"And good morning to you sunshine. I see somebody decided NOT to take advantage of the hotel's wake-up service" she teased as Sarah tried to help her carry some of her stuff through the door.
"I forgot, sorry. And what's with all the stuff?" she asked, while rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Well, let's see. I picked up the coffee for us because I know you don't do mornings, you know what the camera equipment is for, and I snagged the flowers from the deliver boy dropping them off at the front desk, figured I'd save you the trip. And now, open the card because I'm dying of curiosity!"
"You mean you haven't already?" Sarah teased.
"Well I would have if I wasn't carrying all this crap. Stop stalling - open it." she pressed.
Sighing, Sarah opened the card to find her own earlier statement printed back at her: "I really enjoyed being with you yesterday - J"
"Not J as in Jared King, is it?" Deborah gasped as she read over Sarah's shoulder.
"How did you..."
"Oh please, I did my shoot with him an hour ago. Some of us have to be up before 10, remember? Quite a looker, that one. Wealthy too." she winked at Sarah suggestively.
"Not that it matter." Sarah answered noncommittally.
"What do you mean? He's single, you're with Matt so you'll be single again soon."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Deborah shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, Sarah, Matt's cute, don't get me wrong, but it's a fling. Pretty boys like that are only good for one thing and I'm not talking about intellectual conversations."
Sarah blushed at her friend's hinting. Deborah was one of her few, if only, girlfriends and she knew about Sarah's history with men. She could tell there was something between Sarah and Mr. King - she had noticed the roses when she came in. Reporters do not usually get daily bouquets from the people they interview, and they certainly don't react the way Sarah did when she read that card. Deborah would leave her alone for now, but she was going to get a confession from Sarah sooner or later.
* * *
"Sarah this is great. I couldn't have done a better job myself." Deborah told her as she snapped another picture. "You've really found the most photogenic spots in this Labyrinth."
"Actually, Jared helped me. He walked me through it the other day, so I suppose he should get some of the credit."
Deborah looked up from her camera to see a dreamy Sarah staring into space.
"Alright, enough already. I've been patient, but it's been two hours and you've still got that look on your face. And NOW you're telling me you spent all day with him...alone? Come on girl, spill."
Sarah considered it for a moment, then led her friend over to a nearby bench.
"You have to swear you won't repeat this, but if I don't tell someone I'll go nuts."
Deborah made a crossing motion over her heart. "I won't tell a soul."
Sarah thought about the best way to sum up her experience with Jareth without making Deborah think she was a nutcase.
"Ok, the truth us, I met Jared 7 years ago. Of course, I was immediately attracted to him -" Deborah grinned knowingly at this, "but we didn't exactly get along. We got into a fight and I basically told him to get out of my life. And he did, for 7 years. At first I figured this attraction was a stupid teenage crush, but it never went away!" she cried, tossing her hands in the air.
"Well, good Lord, 7 years ago you were 15. I think it's safe to say you've both matured since then. Just try again." Deborah suggested.
"It's not that easy."
"Why not? Matt's not the problem is he?" she asked, looking somewhat dubious.
"Oh God no. Either way I'm dumping Matt after this weekend. He was just a defense in case Jared had a girl with him. I didn't want to look like the dork that didn't have a date for the prom you know?"
Deborah nodded understandingly. "Then what's stopping you besides you?" she asked.
"Because I have to be sure this isn't some kind of trick. Some twisted revenge to hurt me for what I did to him. I refuse to let him break me" she finished in a whisper.
Deborah wrapped her arms around her friend. "This is more than a 7 year crush. You love him don't you?"
Sarah nodded miserably.
"Well, honey, part of loving someone is learning to trust them. You have to put yourself on the line sometime, otherwise what are you living for? No passion, no risk? Besides," she grinned wickedly," no one said we can't tip the scale in our favor. Isn't there a ball coming up?"