Lone Chapter:
Liz walked through Harmony Park, trying to sort out her thoughts. She had just had a
nasty debacle with her older sister, Eve, who she still blamed for the endless sea of pain
that she had inflicted onto her. Leaving her to fend for herself, get raped by her father, be
untrustworthy, and lose the one thing she thought she had firmed her hold on. Antonio
Lopez-Fitzgerald.
She sighed, sitting down on one of the benches. Her mind reflected on the
memories she had shared with Antonio back on St. Lisa's.
"If only I could have that reality NOW," she told herself bitterly. Habit ensued and
Liz took out the pack of cigarettes from her purse. She wasn't much of a smoker; she only
smoked when her nerves were on edge and she needed a form of release. She brought the
lighted cigarette to her lips, hardly noticing the person that had been walking towards her
and who was now standing in front of her.
"You know I never did like it when you did that," spoke the person bitterly. His
tone was as bitter as hers had just been. He reached over and removed the cigarette that
was draped around the contours of her mouth.
Too tired to protest, she watched him take the cigarette, throw it on the ground and
step on it for good measure.
Normally she would have brightened to see him, but her mood was too dark that
day to be affected by a little bit of sunshine. "What are you doing here, Antonio?" she
asked him.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, not really answering her question.
"Well, I'm sorting out my thoughts," she declared, standing up, taking a few steps
closer to him. "You?"
"Letting out my frustrations," he admitted, sighing as he sat down on the bench.
Liz looked after him, noticing the gleam of sadness that crossed through his eyes.
Her heart ached right at that moment; not just for the pain she was going through, but
also because of the evident grief Antonio was facing.
Sitting back down, she took his hands in hers, smoothly stroking them as a means
of comfort. "What frustrations?" she questioned.
Antonio stared back at her before answering. It had been a long time since he had
had a private, personal conversation with the woman that meant so much to him and
owned such a huge portion of his heart. His best friend. His first love.
"I just..." he began, not really finding the words. He paused, shaking his head.
"How can Sheridan and Luis be so happy to see me living again? I specifically told her
not to administer that damn drug, but she did it anyway. I mean, I made it through, I'm
alive. But look at me! Sheridan and Luis told me the truth and now they are together. She
divorced me. How can anyone expect me to be happy to be alive, when all I want is to curl
up and die." He shook his head again, this time in wonder, as a few tears clouded up his
vision.
Liz reached over to kiss away his tears. "Don't ever say that, Antonio," she
demanded gently. "Don't ever say you wish you were dead."
"Why not?" he cried out, standing up. "It's the truth." He turned his back to her.
"I know," Liz said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But it's not worth wishing
for. Trust me, I know."
Antonio turned around to look at her. One look into her chocolate brown eyes, and
he could tell that she wasn't lying when she said she knew.
"My life has gone downhill ever since I woke up from my coma, Liz," Antonio
exclaimed angrily. "It's like I'm stuck in an hourglass and the sand is going to make me
drown."
Liz shook her head, not really having anything to say that could cure his feelings.
Especially since she was in the same predicament. She had spent her life running away
from her family, and the memory of what her sister had done to her. She had finally settled
at St. Lisa's, only to leave again. Antonio was the reason she was here. She loved him too
much to be away from him. But her sister was here too, and with that came the memory of
the nightmare of her past. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't stay either.
"We both need to find something that could make everything better," she said
desolately.
"You're right," he replied. "I just don't know what that thing is yet."
He stared at her, and could tell from her expression that she very well knew what
that thing was.
"What is it?" he asked instinctively. He had read her thoughts.
"You for me," she stated simply. "And me for you."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I still love you, Antonio," she told him matter-of-factly. "And deep down
somewhere in your heart, I think you do, too."
He now understood what she meant. "I do," he said automatically. "I still love you.
But we were in the past. I don't know if we'll have the same chemistry, the same passion,
the same LOVE."
"What have you got to lose?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I lost my innocence,
my virginity and my self-respect all because my sister ran off. You helped me gain some of
it back when we were together. You lost the woman you thought you loved. I can help you.
We can help each other." She stared back at him, waiting for a reaction. Her words were
not that of a plea to win him back romantically, but rather an attempt to heal both of their
broken hearts.
He didn't answer her for a few minutes as he thought things through.
Liz eyed him wearily, impatience creeping through her veins.
"I don't know if we can relive our love again, Liz," he answered. "But I am willing
to try. And I think you can definitely help me when it comes to wanting to live."
Her facial expression grew into a beautiful, full smile, something she hadn't done
in a while. No recent situation had brought her enough merriment to cause her to grin
happily. But Antonio's words were enough cause for her to beam and hug him, never
wanting to let go of the man and the happiness she felt at that moment.
"You know I never got the chance to thank you for the positive influence you had
on me," she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Boldly, she reached up and
quickly planted a sweet, gentle kiss on his lips, as a way to show her appreciation.
He was no doubt surprised by the kiss, but he held on to her and kissed her back,
instantly remembering how she tasted, even though they had not shared a liplock for a few
years.
They continued to hold on to each other, enchanted by the long and endless kiss
they were sharing. Nothing and no one else seemed to exist as Antonio's lips caressed
Liz's. The problems with Eve, Sheridan and Luis disappeared from memory as all they
could do was hold on to the other, and see their dilemmas fade into the air, never to
return, as long as they had each other.
The End
Liz walked through Harmony Park, trying to sort out her thoughts. She had just had a
nasty debacle with her older sister, Eve, who she still blamed for the endless sea of pain
that she had inflicted onto her. Leaving her to fend for herself, get raped by her father, be
untrustworthy, and lose the one thing she thought she had firmed her hold on. Antonio
Lopez-Fitzgerald.
She sighed, sitting down on one of the benches. Her mind reflected on the
memories she had shared with Antonio back on St. Lisa's.
"If only I could have that reality NOW," she told herself bitterly. Habit ensued and
Liz took out the pack of cigarettes from her purse. She wasn't much of a smoker; she only
smoked when her nerves were on edge and she needed a form of release. She brought the
lighted cigarette to her lips, hardly noticing the person that had been walking towards her
and who was now standing in front of her.
"You know I never did like it when you did that," spoke the person bitterly. His
tone was as bitter as hers had just been. He reached over and removed the cigarette that
was draped around the contours of her mouth.
Too tired to protest, she watched him take the cigarette, throw it on the ground and
step on it for good measure.
Normally she would have brightened to see him, but her mood was too dark that
day to be affected by a little bit of sunshine. "What are you doing here, Antonio?" she
asked him.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, not really answering her question.
"Well, I'm sorting out my thoughts," she declared, standing up, taking a few steps
closer to him. "You?"
"Letting out my frustrations," he admitted, sighing as he sat down on the bench.
Liz looked after him, noticing the gleam of sadness that crossed through his eyes.
Her heart ached right at that moment; not just for the pain she was going through, but
also because of the evident grief Antonio was facing.
Sitting back down, she took his hands in hers, smoothly stroking them as a means
of comfort. "What frustrations?" she questioned.
Antonio stared back at her before answering. It had been a long time since he had
had a private, personal conversation with the woman that meant so much to him and
owned such a huge portion of his heart. His best friend. His first love.
"I just..." he began, not really finding the words. He paused, shaking his head.
"How can Sheridan and Luis be so happy to see me living again? I specifically told her
not to administer that damn drug, but she did it anyway. I mean, I made it through, I'm
alive. But look at me! Sheridan and Luis told me the truth and now they are together. She
divorced me. How can anyone expect me to be happy to be alive, when all I want is to curl
up and die." He shook his head again, this time in wonder, as a few tears clouded up his
vision.
Liz reached over to kiss away his tears. "Don't ever say that, Antonio," she
demanded gently. "Don't ever say you wish you were dead."
"Why not?" he cried out, standing up. "It's the truth." He turned his back to her.
"I know," Liz said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But it's not worth wishing
for. Trust me, I know."
Antonio turned around to look at her. One look into her chocolate brown eyes, and
he could tell that she wasn't lying when she said she knew.
"My life has gone downhill ever since I woke up from my coma, Liz," Antonio
exclaimed angrily. "It's like I'm stuck in an hourglass and the sand is going to make me
drown."
Liz shook her head, not really having anything to say that could cure his feelings.
Especially since she was in the same predicament. She had spent her life running away
from her family, and the memory of what her sister had done to her. She had finally settled
at St. Lisa's, only to leave again. Antonio was the reason she was here. She loved him too
much to be away from him. But her sister was here too, and with that came the memory of
the nightmare of her past. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't stay either.
"We both need to find something that could make everything better," she said
desolately.
"You're right," he replied. "I just don't know what that thing is yet."
He stared at her, and could tell from her expression that she very well knew what
that thing was.
"What is it?" he asked instinctively. He had read her thoughts.
"You for me," she stated simply. "And me for you."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I still love you, Antonio," she told him matter-of-factly. "And deep down
somewhere in your heart, I think you do, too."
He now understood what she meant. "I do," he said automatically. "I still love you.
But we were in the past. I don't know if we'll have the same chemistry, the same passion,
the same LOVE."
"What have you got to lose?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I lost my innocence,
my virginity and my self-respect all because my sister ran off. You helped me gain some of
it back when we were together. You lost the woman you thought you loved. I can help you.
We can help each other." She stared back at him, waiting for a reaction. Her words were
not that of a plea to win him back romantically, but rather an attempt to heal both of their
broken hearts.
He didn't answer her for a few minutes as he thought things through.
Liz eyed him wearily, impatience creeping through her veins.
"I don't know if we can relive our love again, Liz," he answered. "But I am willing
to try. And I think you can definitely help me when it comes to wanting to live."
Her facial expression grew into a beautiful, full smile, something she hadn't done
in a while. No recent situation had brought her enough merriment to cause her to grin
happily. But Antonio's words were enough cause for her to beam and hug him, never
wanting to let go of the man and the happiness she felt at that moment.
"You know I never got the chance to thank you for the positive influence you had
on me," she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Boldly, she reached up and
quickly planted a sweet, gentle kiss on his lips, as a way to show her appreciation.
He was no doubt surprised by the kiss, but he held on to her and kissed her back,
instantly remembering how she tasted, even though they had not shared a liplock for a few
years.
They continued to hold on to each other, enchanted by the long and endless kiss
they were sharing. Nothing and no one else seemed to exist as Antonio's lips caressed
Liz's. The problems with Eve, Sheridan and Luis disappeared from memory as all they
could do was hold on to the other, and see their dilemmas fade into the air, never to
return, as long as they had each other.
The End