"Feelings and Fears"
Chapter 3 - "I Just Can't Help Believing"
1:00 p.m. Lynn paces her office. Every now and then she checks outside to see if Rex has arrived. She reads the note again. "Well, he's not really saying he loves me," She ponders. "But he talks about 'what we have ahead of us'." She laughs to herself. "I'm afraid of that."
"Hey Lynn, you're certainly happy today," Joe says entering her office. Lynn is embarrassed he caught her daydreaming.
"I was just remembering something Rupie said this morning," She tries.
"He and Cassie are going to spend the week with Michael, aren't they?" Joe asks.
"Yes. His parents are visiting, and they wanted to spend some time with Cassie and Rupie." Lynn answers, slightly sad.
"It must feel awful to sleep in that house with no one else around."
"Oh, yes, it is."
"We could go out and have dinner, one day or two. So you won't feel lonely." He says, smiling.
"Oh, Joe, that's... very nice."
"So, is it a date?" He asks, quite casually. Lynn is taken aback and can't answer immediately.
"I, I don't know. It could be." She says, not wanting to be rude and tell him she had other plans.
"Great. What about tomorrow?" He says, getting up and heading to the door.
"Fine with me." Lynn answers, still unsure of what she's doing.
Joe opens the door. "I'll pick up at your place at 8." As he turns to leave, he almost bumps against Rex, who doesn't look too friendly.
"Oh, hi, Rex. How was at the court today?" Joe asks.
"Fine. I won." Rex answers getting into Lynn's office and sitting down. Joe closes the door, laughing to himself at that scene.
"So, I see you have a date today." Rex asks Lynn.
"It's actually tomorrow," she replies, and then tries to fix it, "But I could cancel it."
"And why would you do that?" Rex says, resting on the chair, trying to look natural.
Lynn doesn't answer. She looks at the paper at her desk. "Because I'd rather be with you," She thinks. She looks at Rex. "You tell me. You're the one who hates Joe."
Rex laughs. "I have nothing against Joe, really," He says. "Actually, in some aspects I wish I were like him." He says, getting up and starting to pace the room.
"And what would be those?" Lynn asks with surprise.
Rex thinks for a minute. "The ability he has to get into your heart so easily." He smiles sadly as that thought comes to his mind. Lynn notices it.
"So, Rex, in what aspects you wish like Joe?" Lynn insists.
"Well, can't name them all now, but for example... he has a nice hair."
Lynn smiles. "So do you, Rex."
They keep smiling at each other. "We can't really talk here. Won't you come to my place tonight?" Lynn asks.
"My God, I feel so used." Rex says. Lynn can't tell if he's joking or talking seriously.
"Why?"
"You have a date with me tonight, and then you have one with Joe tomorrow."
"Rex, shut up. I don't have a date with Joe, he just doesn't want me to feel lonely, since Michael has the kids this week."
"Oh, Joe is such a wonderful person."
"I already said I could cancel it."
"But you couldn't find a reason to do it." Rex says sitting on the side of Lynn's desk.
"You asking me to would be a good one." She replies.
Rex is speechless. "It's good to know that," He eventually says. He gets up. "So, what time do you want me to be at your place?" He asks.
"Anytime you want." She replies.
***
It's about 6 p.m. and Lynn is arriving at her house. When she gets out of the car, carrying two bags of groceries, she's more than surprised to find Rex sitting on the porch.
"Rex, what are you doing here?" Lynn asks.
"I thought we're going to talk." He says, getting up.
"Yes, but, I..." She can't figure out an answer. Rex takes her grocery bags and she opens the door.
"I'm going to take this to the kitchen," He says. Lynn nods and follows him.
"Can I get you something to eat?" She asks, looking into the bags. "You know, I was going to prepare something, but I didn't expect..." Rex takes her hands off the bags.
"Leave it, Lynn. You know I don't want anything to eat."
"OK." She smiles. "Neither do I."
"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Rex asks. Lynn is taken aback by his objectiveness.
"I'm sorry, Rex."
"Why?"
"I was afraid."
"Afraid of me?"
"No, no. Afraid of... believing. I didn't want to get hurt again, and,..." She can't go on.
"And it was me."
"No, Rex, is not that."
"And it wasn't Joe."
"Oh, Rex. Not that again."
"Lynn, I don't want you to have dinner with him tomorrow."
"You don't?" Lynn's eyes are shining. "Why?"
"Because, if you need company this week that your kids are with Michael, than I think I'm a better company."
"Why are you so sure of that?" She asks, flirtatious. They are so close know their bodies are almost touching.
"Because I..." He's interrupted by the doorbell. "Damn it," He says to himself as Lynn goes to see who's there.
"What are you doing here?" She says when she opens the door.
"It's something that couldn't wait." Joe says. "Can I come in?"
"No, you can't," Rex answers, coming from the kitchen. "I arrived here first."
"Rex, what the hell are you doing here?" Joe asks.
"None of your business. Now, go." He begins to push Joe outside.
"Rex!" Lynn tries to stop that, unsuccessfully.
"Rex, you're a jerk." Joe says as they get outside.
"Look who's talking." He leads Joe to his car. "Another thing, pal, forget the dinner tomorrow."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I'm telling you to. Now beat it." Joe is extremely annoyed, but decides to leave without arguing anymore. Lynn is standing by the door - she's trying to look annoyed, but on the inside she's loving the scene.
After Joe leaves, Rex gets back in the house. "So, let's go back to where we were." He says, holding Lynn's hand.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 3 - "I Just Can't Help Believing"
1:00 p.m. Lynn paces her office. Every now and then she checks outside to see if Rex has arrived. She reads the note again. "Well, he's not really saying he loves me," She ponders. "But he talks about 'what we have ahead of us'." She laughs to herself. "I'm afraid of that."
"Hey Lynn, you're certainly happy today," Joe says entering her office. Lynn is embarrassed he caught her daydreaming.
"I was just remembering something Rupie said this morning," She tries.
"He and Cassie are going to spend the week with Michael, aren't they?" Joe asks.
"Yes. His parents are visiting, and they wanted to spend some time with Cassie and Rupie." Lynn answers, slightly sad.
"It must feel awful to sleep in that house with no one else around."
"Oh, yes, it is."
"We could go out and have dinner, one day or two. So you won't feel lonely." He says, smiling.
"Oh, Joe, that's... very nice."
"So, is it a date?" He asks, quite casually. Lynn is taken aback and can't answer immediately.
"I, I don't know. It could be." She says, not wanting to be rude and tell him she had other plans.
"Great. What about tomorrow?" He says, getting up and heading to the door.
"Fine with me." Lynn answers, still unsure of what she's doing.
Joe opens the door. "I'll pick up at your place at 8." As he turns to leave, he almost bumps against Rex, who doesn't look too friendly.
"Oh, hi, Rex. How was at the court today?" Joe asks.
"Fine. I won." Rex answers getting into Lynn's office and sitting down. Joe closes the door, laughing to himself at that scene.
"So, I see you have a date today." Rex asks Lynn.
"It's actually tomorrow," she replies, and then tries to fix it, "But I could cancel it."
"And why would you do that?" Rex says, resting on the chair, trying to look natural.
Lynn doesn't answer. She looks at the paper at her desk. "Because I'd rather be with you," She thinks. She looks at Rex. "You tell me. You're the one who hates Joe."
Rex laughs. "I have nothing against Joe, really," He says. "Actually, in some aspects I wish I were like him." He says, getting up and starting to pace the room.
"And what would be those?" Lynn asks with surprise.
Rex thinks for a minute. "The ability he has to get into your heart so easily." He smiles sadly as that thought comes to his mind. Lynn notices it.
"So, Rex, in what aspects you wish like Joe?" Lynn insists.
"Well, can't name them all now, but for example... he has a nice hair."
Lynn smiles. "So do you, Rex."
They keep smiling at each other. "We can't really talk here. Won't you come to my place tonight?" Lynn asks.
"My God, I feel so used." Rex says. Lynn can't tell if he's joking or talking seriously.
"Why?"
"You have a date with me tonight, and then you have one with Joe tomorrow."
"Rex, shut up. I don't have a date with Joe, he just doesn't want me to feel lonely, since Michael has the kids this week."
"Oh, Joe is such a wonderful person."
"I already said I could cancel it."
"But you couldn't find a reason to do it." Rex says sitting on the side of Lynn's desk.
"You asking me to would be a good one." She replies.
Rex is speechless. "It's good to know that," He eventually says. He gets up. "So, what time do you want me to be at your place?" He asks.
"Anytime you want." She replies.
***
It's about 6 p.m. and Lynn is arriving at her house. When she gets out of the car, carrying two bags of groceries, she's more than surprised to find Rex sitting on the porch.
"Rex, what are you doing here?" Lynn asks.
"I thought we're going to talk." He says, getting up.
"Yes, but, I..." She can't figure out an answer. Rex takes her grocery bags and she opens the door.
"I'm going to take this to the kitchen," He says. Lynn nods and follows him.
"Can I get you something to eat?" She asks, looking into the bags. "You know, I was going to prepare something, but I didn't expect..." Rex takes her hands off the bags.
"Leave it, Lynn. You know I don't want anything to eat."
"OK." She smiles. "Neither do I."
"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Rex asks. Lynn is taken aback by his objectiveness.
"I'm sorry, Rex."
"Why?"
"I was afraid."
"Afraid of me?"
"No, no. Afraid of... believing. I didn't want to get hurt again, and,..." She can't go on.
"And it was me."
"No, Rex, is not that."
"And it wasn't Joe."
"Oh, Rex. Not that again."
"Lynn, I don't want you to have dinner with him tomorrow."
"You don't?" Lynn's eyes are shining. "Why?"
"Because, if you need company this week that your kids are with Michael, than I think I'm a better company."
"Why are you so sure of that?" She asks, flirtatious. They are so close know their bodies are almost touching.
"Because I..." He's interrupted by the doorbell. "Damn it," He says to himself as Lynn goes to see who's there.
"What are you doing here?" She says when she opens the door.
"It's something that couldn't wait." Joe says. "Can I come in?"
"No, you can't," Rex answers, coming from the kitchen. "I arrived here first."
"Rex, what the hell are you doing here?" Joe asks.
"None of your business. Now, go." He begins to push Joe outside.
"Rex!" Lynn tries to stop that, unsuccessfully.
"Rex, you're a jerk." Joe says as they get outside.
"Look who's talking." He leads Joe to his car. "Another thing, pal, forget the dinner tomorrow."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I'm telling you to. Now beat it." Joe is extremely annoyed, but decides to leave without arguing anymore. Lynn is standing by the door - she's trying to look annoyed, but on the inside she's loving the scene.
After Joe leaves, Rex gets back in the house. "So, let's go back to where we were." He says, holding Lynn's hand.
TO BE CONTINUED...