As the sun came through the blinds Alex awoke slowly and reached his arm
across the bed to the sleeping form which...wasn't beside him. His eyes
sprung open and disappointment was written across his face as he surveyed
the empty space. Not even a note.
With a sigh he swung his legs off the bed and padded barefoot across to the bathroom. As he pushed the door he jumped at the sounds coming from within. He entered and saw Lara kneeling on the floor and retching into the toilet bowl. Strangely he didn't find it disgusting, he just felt sorry for her as well as being slightly amused at seeing her like this - unwell, vulnerable.
"Too much wine?" he asked jokingly, startling her into looking round.
Lara nodded, pushing thoughts of what else might be causing her sickness to the back of her mind. She stood up, flushed away the ex-contents of her stomach and smiled sardonically. Alex was disappointed, just for one moment she had no longer looked like the kick-ass, gun-toting adventurer he knew, but just beautiful and vulnerable. He felt a wave of affection for her rising in his chest. He went over to her and brushed strands of hair away from her face, then kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Sorry," she said.
"Don't be. Do you feel better now?"
Lara nodded.
"You look very sexy in my shirt," he commented.
"Thank you," she replied. "And you look very sexy in...well in nothing," she finished, looking down at him with a smug expression on her face. Alex laughed, aware for the first time that he was completely naked. He didn't make any attempt to cover himself.
They looked at each other for a while, not quite sure what was going to happen. "This is new ground for me, but if something is happening here then maybe we should wait until...well until we're sure," he said.
Lara nodded, understanding what he meant. "Is it ok if I grab a shower?" she asked.
"I think I need a shower too. A cold one," Alex muttered under his breath as he clicked the door shut behind him. He lay back on the bed and picked up a novel, but he kept thinking about Lara, about kissing her and about her in the shower just on the other side of the door. The more he tried not to imagine her in there, water running over her naked body the more unsuccessful he was.
He growled to himself and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. Gingerly opening the door Alex called out, "Lara, honey, I'm just gonna brush my teeth," he wrapped a towel around his waist and tried hard to avert his eyes from the frosted shower screen as he brushed his teeth, but he couldn't help but stare at the outline of her body.
Lara poked her head round the side of the screen, a stern expression on her face.
Alex put his hands up in mock surrender, "I know, I know what we said but I'm only human! I can't change that much overnight anyway," he walked over to her and leaned in to kiss her but bit her bottom lip between his teeth so she couldn't pull away. He then snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her wet body up against his, slipping his tongue into her mouth and kissing her passionately. "This is ok, isn't it?" he asked, still holding her tightly.
"Huh...er...I guess it's ok," she replied, slightly breathless from the force of the kiss.
Alex smiled down at her, "so...would it also be ok if I joined you in there?" he gestured to the shower and dropped the towel from around his waist.
Lara smiled back and pulled him into the shower. Switching the water onto cold she stood to the side and laughed as Alex screamed and flicked the freezing water onto her. "Hey! You're the one that needs the cold shower!" she exclaimed as he pulled her under with him.
Suddenly they were kissing passionately, hands roaming over each other's bodies. "Lara..." Alex murmured between kisses. "There's something you should know".
"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Well, I..." he wasn't sure he could say it.
"What?" Lara laughed, "it can't be that bad."
"Oh, it might be," he replied with a rueful smile. "Come with me." He wrapped her in a fluffy towel and grabbed one for himself, pulled her through to the bedroom and sat her down on the end of his bed. Alex knelt down in front of her and held her hands in his.
"Lara, whatever you might have been thinking for the past few weeks, I wasn't lying before, when I told you I loved you," he said, "I've loved you pretty much since the moment I first met you, I've tried to deny it but..." He looked into her eyes searchingly, "it's ok, I know you don't feel the same, I just thought I should say it, so you know this isn't just some fling for me this time."
The last time he'd told her that he loved her had been about a week after they had returned from Siberia. They had met up for dinner and she had been wearing a dress, a white one and her long hair had been flowing loose down her back. She had looked so beautiful and the words had just slipped out. She hadn't said it back, but then he hadn't really been expecting her to.
This time, sitting on Alex's bed, Lara was so touched by the way he'd just put his heart on the line and she believed he actually meant it. He looked so adorable; the sincere expression on his face was unfamiliar to her. Suddenly she realised what Manfred Powell must have seen straight away and exploited - that she did feel the same way about him. "I love you too Alex," she said quietly.
With a sigh he swung his legs off the bed and padded barefoot across to the bathroom. As he pushed the door he jumped at the sounds coming from within. He entered and saw Lara kneeling on the floor and retching into the toilet bowl. Strangely he didn't find it disgusting, he just felt sorry for her as well as being slightly amused at seeing her like this - unwell, vulnerable.
"Too much wine?" he asked jokingly, startling her into looking round.
Lara nodded, pushing thoughts of what else might be causing her sickness to the back of her mind. She stood up, flushed away the ex-contents of her stomach and smiled sardonically. Alex was disappointed, just for one moment she had no longer looked like the kick-ass, gun-toting adventurer he knew, but just beautiful and vulnerable. He felt a wave of affection for her rising in his chest. He went over to her and brushed strands of hair away from her face, then kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Sorry," she said.
"Don't be. Do you feel better now?"
Lara nodded.
"You look very sexy in my shirt," he commented.
"Thank you," she replied. "And you look very sexy in...well in nothing," she finished, looking down at him with a smug expression on her face. Alex laughed, aware for the first time that he was completely naked. He didn't make any attempt to cover himself.
They looked at each other for a while, not quite sure what was going to happen. "This is new ground for me, but if something is happening here then maybe we should wait until...well until we're sure," he said.
Lara nodded, understanding what he meant. "Is it ok if I grab a shower?" she asked.
"I think I need a shower too. A cold one," Alex muttered under his breath as he clicked the door shut behind him. He lay back on the bed and picked up a novel, but he kept thinking about Lara, about kissing her and about her in the shower just on the other side of the door. The more he tried not to imagine her in there, water running over her naked body the more unsuccessful he was.
He growled to himself and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. Gingerly opening the door Alex called out, "Lara, honey, I'm just gonna brush my teeth," he wrapped a towel around his waist and tried hard to avert his eyes from the frosted shower screen as he brushed his teeth, but he couldn't help but stare at the outline of her body.
Lara poked her head round the side of the screen, a stern expression on her face.
Alex put his hands up in mock surrender, "I know, I know what we said but I'm only human! I can't change that much overnight anyway," he walked over to her and leaned in to kiss her but bit her bottom lip between his teeth so she couldn't pull away. He then snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her wet body up against his, slipping his tongue into her mouth and kissing her passionately. "This is ok, isn't it?" he asked, still holding her tightly.
"Huh...er...I guess it's ok," she replied, slightly breathless from the force of the kiss.
Alex smiled down at her, "so...would it also be ok if I joined you in there?" he gestured to the shower and dropped the towel from around his waist.
Lara smiled back and pulled him into the shower. Switching the water onto cold she stood to the side and laughed as Alex screamed and flicked the freezing water onto her. "Hey! You're the one that needs the cold shower!" she exclaimed as he pulled her under with him.
Suddenly they were kissing passionately, hands roaming over each other's bodies. "Lara..." Alex murmured between kisses. "There's something you should know".
"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Well, I..." he wasn't sure he could say it.
"What?" Lara laughed, "it can't be that bad."
"Oh, it might be," he replied with a rueful smile. "Come with me." He wrapped her in a fluffy towel and grabbed one for himself, pulled her through to the bedroom and sat her down on the end of his bed. Alex knelt down in front of her and held her hands in his.
"Lara, whatever you might have been thinking for the past few weeks, I wasn't lying before, when I told you I loved you," he said, "I've loved you pretty much since the moment I first met you, I've tried to deny it but..." He looked into her eyes searchingly, "it's ok, I know you don't feel the same, I just thought I should say it, so you know this isn't just some fling for me this time."
The last time he'd told her that he loved her had been about a week after they had returned from Siberia. They had met up for dinner and she had been wearing a dress, a white one and her long hair had been flowing loose down her back. She had looked so beautiful and the words had just slipped out. She hadn't said it back, but then he hadn't really been expecting her to.
This time, sitting on Alex's bed, Lara was so touched by the way he'd just put his heart on the line and she believed he actually meant it. He looked so adorable; the sincere expression on his face was unfamiliar to her. Suddenly she realised what Manfred Powell must have seen straight away and exploited - that she did feel the same way about him. "I love you too Alex," she said quietly.