An All American Love Story
Chapter two: Strolls and Snowball Fights
After agreeing he placed his keys back into his pocket. "Where are we walking Lizzy?"
"I don't know. let's just talk."
After walking about a block in silence Elizabeth finally broke the ice. " So I haven't seen you much lately, anything new going on?" Awkwardly Romano shook his head. "No, just working on perfecting the flute and other fine instruments." Elizabeth sighed; it was like him to doge her questions. She wished he had seen someone after he lost his arm. After walking further in silence Romano finally stopped. "Ok Lizzy, are you going to tell me why you have delayed my departure for home or are we going to walk until we both turn into human ice icicles?" For the first time that night Romano really looked at her face. After Mark had died she had looked different to him. Not in a bad way. She just had the look of someone who was empty. Someone like him.
Elizabeth chose her words carefully; she already knew how Romano could turn around the smallest sentence. "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to talk. You have seemed pretty distant lately. Especially after Anspaugh's death." Romano rolled his eyes, "Christ Elizabeth, if I wanted to vent all my feelings I would pick someone besides you!" His voice was hard and rough. Realizing what he had just said he quickly looked for different words, "No, that's not what I meant." he said in a softer tone. "I just.I wouldn't make you sit through all of my problems, as of lately you don't need any more of them." Adding a slight chuckle on the end of the remark he tried to make the moment less intimate. Elizabeth just nodded, "Robert, you can always talk to me. That's what friends do." After saying that she reached over and touched his left shoulder. "So do you have anything you want to talk about?" Romano's muscles instinctively tightened against her touch. He thought over her question carefully, he could easily tell her how he was so lonely and wanted someone to be with for Christmas. Or how, even though he hated Anspaugh, it made him so deeply upset that the last things he had said to him had been hurtful and malicious. However, being the shy man he was he reached for a joke instead. "No, I hate you." He said with a half a smile. "Come on Dr. Laura, I'm walking back to my car." He turned and after a few steps he heard a grunt. A few seconds later Romano felt a stinging impact on the back of his neck. Reaching back, he touched the ball of ice that had just been hurled at his head. "What the." he was cut off as he turned around. Another snowball hit him in the face and he quickly threw his hands up. "Geeze.ok, ok I surrender! What are you doing?" "You bastard." Elizabeth replied, "you get no sympathy from me." Laughing she balled up another snowball and threw it Romano's way. This time it missed. Romano grabbed a handful of snow and grinned at Elizabeth. "No mercy now!" he yelled as he chased her down the street.
After about an hour of throwing snow and sliding on the ice, they were both sufficiently tired. "Wow," Romano said looking down at his clothes, "I am now soaking wet and it must be ten degrees out here." Laughing Elizabeth said, "Yeah but I burned off that snickers bar I had for lunch today." After another moment of sitting they both stood up at the same time. "Didn't you have to work tonight?" Romano asked. Grinning she responded, "Well, lets just say I blew it off for some personal time with a friend." Without a word Romano stuck out his hand, asking her to lead the way back to the hospital. "Well, since I pretty much killed you in snowball fighting can I give you a ride home?" Hearing Romano say that Elizabeth realized that they had reached his car. "Come on, you don't want to get on the El soaking wet do you? I mean, there's no reason in going to work now is there?"
Romano drove down the winding street. He had never been on this side of town before. It surprised him the subtle difference between uptown and downtown Chicago. "So which house is yours again?" Elizabeth looked over at her driver, "The fourth one from the back." She stated. This had been the third time she had told him. As Romano pulled into her driveway he put the car into park but left it running. He didn't expect an invitation but he was trying to stall long enough to figure out what he was going to say. As Elizabeth opened the door he finally spoke. "Elizabeth." Shocked at hearing her whole name she sat back in the car. "Are you on tomorrow?" Elizabeth quickly thought and then shook her head. "Actually no, I'm not on until next Monday." Slowly she asked the next question, "Why?" Dropping his gaze from hers Romano looked to his hands. "Well I was wondering if. I mean I'm off too so if. if you wanted to talk again tomorrow. We could do whatever you wanted." He brought his gaze up to hers again with a shy grin creeping onto his lips. Elizabeth tried not to look as shocked as she felt. As she was about to say no she thought back on the past two hours. They had been the first in a long time that she hadn't felt overwhelmed with stress or fear. However, this was Romano, the man she had been trying to avoid for so many years. But there was just something about the past few hours that made her curious. Stepping out of the car again she confidently stated, "Sure." After thinking on the issue more she spoke again. "How about you meet me here at noon? If you can remember the address." Smiling ear-to-ear Romano could barely nod.
"Noon it is." Knowing he should say something else he stuck his head out the window as she reached the door. "Hey Lizzy!" She turned at the sound of his voice. "There are better ways to blow off work then getting your ass kicked in snowball fights!" Elizabeth waved as he drove off. She didn't know if accepting his invitation was a mistake or not. She knew she should call him and cancel, but all she could do was smile.
After agreeing he placed his keys back into his pocket. "Where are we walking Lizzy?"
"I don't know. let's just talk."
After walking about a block in silence Elizabeth finally broke the ice. " So I haven't seen you much lately, anything new going on?" Awkwardly Romano shook his head. "No, just working on perfecting the flute and other fine instruments." Elizabeth sighed; it was like him to doge her questions. She wished he had seen someone after he lost his arm. After walking further in silence Romano finally stopped. "Ok Lizzy, are you going to tell me why you have delayed my departure for home or are we going to walk until we both turn into human ice icicles?" For the first time that night Romano really looked at her face. After Mark had died she had looked different to him. Not in a bad way. She just had the look of someone who was empty. Someone like him.
Elizabeth chose her words carefully; she already knew how Romano could turn around the smallest sentence. "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to talk. You have seemed pretty distant lately. Especially after Anspaugh's death." Romano rolled his eyes, "Christ Elizabeth, if I wanted to vent all my feelings I would pick someone besides you!" His voice was hard and rough. Realizing what he had just said he quickly looked for different words, "No, that's not what I meant." he said in a softer tone. "I just.I wouldn't make you sit through all of my problems, as of lately you don't need any more of them." Adding a slight chuckle on the end of the remark he tried to make the moment less intimate. Elizabeth just nodded, "Robert, you can always talk to me. That's what friends do." After saying that she reached over and touched his left shoulder. "So do you have anything you want to talk about?" Romano's muscles instinctively tightened against her touch. He thought over her question carefully, he could easily tell her how he was so lonely and wanted someone to be with for Christmas. Or how, even though he hated Anspaugh, it made him so deeply upset that the last things he had said to him had been hurtful and malicious. However, being the shy man he was he reached for a joke instead. "No, I hate you." He said with a half a smile. "Come on Dr. Laura, I'm walking back to my car." He turned and after a few steps he heard a grunt. A few seconds later Romano felt a stinging impact on the back of his neck. Reaching back, he touched the ball of ice that had just been hurled at his head. "What the." he was cut off as he turned around. Another snowball hit him in the face and he quickly threw his hands up. "Geeze.ok, ok I surrender! What are you doing?" "You bastard." Elizabeth replied, "you get no sympathy from me." Laughing she balled up another snowball and threw it Romano's way. This time it missed. Romano grabbed a handful of snow and grinned at Elizabeth. "No mercy now!" he yelled as he chased her down the street.
After about an hour of throwing snow and sliding on the ice, they were both sufficiently tired. "Wow," Romano said looking down at his clothes, "I am now soaking wet and it must be ten degrees out here." Laughing Elizabeth said, "Yeah but I burned off that snickers bar I had for lunch today." After another moment of sitting they both stood up at the same time. "Didn't you have to work tonight?" Romano asked. Grinning she responded, "Well, lets just say I blew it off for some personal time with a friend." Without a word Romano stuck out his hand, asking her to lead the way back to the hospital. "Well, since I pretty much killed you in snowball fighting can I give you a ride home?" Hearing Romano say that Elizabeth realized that they had reached his car. "Come on, you don't want to get on the El soaking wet do you? I mean, there's no reason in going to work now is there?"
Romano drove down the winding street. He had never been on this side of town before. It surprised him the subtle difference between uptown and downtown Chicago. "So which house is yours again?" Elizabeth looked over at her driver, "The fourth one from the back." She stated. This had been the third time she had told him. As Romano pulled into her driveway he put the car into park but left it running. He didn't expect an invitation but he was trying to stall long enough to figure out what he was going to say. As Elizabeth opened the door he finally spoke. "Elizabeth." Shocked at hearing her whole name she sat back in the car. "Are you on tomorrow?" Elizabeth quickly thought and then shook her head. "Actually no, I'm not on until next Monday." Slowly she asked the next question, "Why?" Dropping his gaze from hers Romano looked to his hands. "Well I was wondering if. I mean I'm off too so if. if you wanted to talk again tomorrow. We could do whatever you wanted." He brought his gaze up to hers again with a shy grin creeping onto his lips. Elizabeth tried not to look as shocked as she felt. As she was about to say no she thought back on the past two hours. They had been the first in a long time that she hadn't felt overwhelmed with stress or fear. However, this was Romano, the man she had been trying to avoid for so many years. But there was just something about the past few hours that made her curious. Stepping out of the car again she confidently stated, "Sure." After thinking on the issue more she spoke again. "How about you meet me here at noon? If you can remember the address." Smiling ear-to-ear Romano could barely nod.
"Noon it is." Knowing he should say something else he stuck his head out the window as she reached the door. "Hey Lizzy!" She turned at the sound of his voice. "There are better ways to blow off work then getting your ass kicked in snowball fights!" Elizabeth waved as he drove off. She didn't know if accepting his invitation was a mistake or not. She knew she should call him and cancel, but all she could do was smile.