Robert put their plates away and returned to the lounge, flicking through her cds and putting on Van Morrison.
Elizabeth came back into the room two lines into 'Moondance'. She couldn't see Robert but then he waltzed in carrying two full wineglasses, singing, "And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush. And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush. Can I just have one more moon dance with you, my love…?"
She laughed and took the offered glass. "I might be a bit clumsy dancing tonight."
"Can I just make some more romance with you… my love?"
"Well, I can't say no to that?" she said seductively.
He laughed. Then he took her wine glass off her and put it beside his on the table. "Come on…" he took her hand and pulled her close. She put one arm around his shoulder to carry her weight and hopped on the spot, trying not to laugh at their ridiculous attempt at dancing. 'Someone like you' was playing now.
"Robert…" she laughed and stopped hopping.
He stepped back, still holding her. "You're stunning." He let his eyes linger over her laughing face.
Her laughter faded to an adoring smile. She didn't want him to leave tonight. He leant in to kiss her but once again he pulled back as soon has he got too involved.
"I should go." He looked around the room with no idea where he'd put his coat or his keys or anything.
"Don't go." She stayed where she was – mainly because walking was more difficult than usual.
"Oh, I think I left my coat in Ella's room, be right back." He took the stairs two at a time. His coat was on the floor where he'd left it when Ella was showing him some new toy. He picked it up, hating to leave but knowing staying was a big step. He crossed the room to say goodnight to Ella. She was still awake, humming softly to herself quite happily.
"Hey." He smiled, sitting on the side of her bed.
"Are you going to bed now?" Ella asked
"Yup, home to bed. How come you're not sleeping?"
"I'm not tired."
"Oh. I have an idea."
"What?" her eyes widened in suspense.
Robert grinned at the reaction. "If you shut your eyes. I'll sing you a song. Maybe that will help."
"Okay." She shut her eyes tight.
"Is it okay if I call you mine? Just for a time? And I will be just fine, if I know that you know that I'm wanting, needing your love… ohohooooh… If I ask you, is it alright, if I ask you to ho-o-old me tight, through a cold dark night. Cause there may be a cloudy day in sight. And I need to let you know that I might… be needing your love… ohohooooh…"
Elizabeth wondered what was taking so long and starting hobbling toward the stairs, expecting to see him at the top. He wasn't so she hopped up the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible. At the top she stopped and heard him,
"What I'm trying to say isn't really new… it's just the things that happen to me when I'm reminded of you… like when I hear your name, or see a place where you've been, or see a picture of your grin, pass a house that you lived in one time or another… it sets off something in me I can't explain, and I… can't wait to see you again. Oh babe, I love your love." He let his voice drop into silence and when Ella didn't open her eyes he stood slowly. He stopped when he saw Elizabeth in the doorway. He lifted one finger to his lips and crept out, shutting the door behind him.
Elizabeth opened her bedroom door and went in. Robert waited at the threshold.
"You can come in," she said frustrated. "I just don't want to wake Ella by talking in her room and the prospect of those stairs is making my foot ache."
He stepped in and shut the door, standing only a few feet from it.
"Don't go." She turned to face him. She knew he'd heard her last time but he was obviously ignoring it.
"If I stay that changes everything." He said, trying not to look at her. "You know I want to, but then…
"You give yourself away." She smiled cheekily, "but the plan was to take things slowly. And that was weeks ago."
"That's not the point Elizabeth. I've wanted this for years. I don't want to mess it up."
"Have a little faith in yourself Robert. Have a little faith in me."
He swallowed, meeting her eyes. He shook his head with a smile, "I still don't believe it." he touched her face adoringly.
"What?" she smiled, hoping he'd stop doubting himself.
"You. You're… breathtaking."
"You're biased."
He nodded and held her eyes until it was all she could do not to kiss him. He had to make this decision.
How was he supposed to leave now? He wanted to wait until it was perfect. She was wounded, and he was maimed. It wasn't the fantasy.
It was better.
It was real.
He could smell her, he could feel her warmth, her soft skin under his fingertips.
Her heart sunk. He wasn't going to stay. He'd hesitated too long. She knew that she could probably convince him to stay if she really wanted to but it shouldn't be like that. She stepped away from his tentative touch on her cheek and sat on the edge of her bed.
"What are you afraid of?" she said sensitively.
He knelt on the floor in front of her and put his hands on her bed on either side of her.
"Do you know how hard it is for me to go home each night?"
"Yeah I do. It's about the same as watching you go home every night."
"You want me to stay?" he looked into her eyes like a child who really didn't know what she'd say.
She nodded.
He reached up and touched her face with his hand before kissing her desperately. She kissed him back, unbuttoning his shirt – what about his arm? She stopped kissing him, letting him trail kisses down her neck as she slid onto her knees on the floor. She slid her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. He pulled his arms back helping her to remove his shirt. He stopped realizing he was still wearing his prosthetic. He knelt in front of her on the floor, humble and afraid for a moment. Then he caught the look in her eyes and pulled her to her feet. He removed the prosthetic and his shirt and stood in front of her waiting. She ran one hand over the stump tentatively.
"It's a good thing you don't have buttons." He slipped his hand under her sweater, running his fingers over her warm skin around to the small of her back. He sought her lips desperately and only pulled away to remove her sweater.
Elizabeth came back into the room two lines into 'Moondance'. She couldn't see Robert but then he waltzed in carrying two full wineglasses, singing, "And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush. And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush. Can I just have one more moon dance with you, my love…?"
She laughed and took the offered glass. "I might be a bit clumsy dancing tonight."
"Can I just make some more romance with you… my love?"
"Well, I can't say no to that?" she said seductively.
He laughed. Then he took her wine glass off her and put it beside his on the table. "Come on…" he took her hand and pulled her close. She put one arm around his shoulder to carry her weight and hopped on the spot, trying not to laugh at their ridiculous attempt at dancing. 'Someone like you' was playing now.
"Robert…" she laughed and stopped hopping.
He stepped back, still holding her. "You're stunning." He let his eyes linger over her laughing face.
Her laughter faded to an adoring smile. She didn't want him to leave tonight. He leant in to kiss her but once again he pulled back as soon has he got too involved.
"I should go." He looked around the room with no idea where he'd put his coat or his keys or anything.
"Don't go." She stayed where she was – mainly because walking was more difficult than usual.
"Oh, I think I left my coat in Ella's room, be right back." He took the stairs two at a time. His coat was on the floor where he'd left it when Ella was showing him some new toy. He picked it up, hating to leave but knowing staying was a big step. He crossed the room to say goodnight to Ella. She was still awake, humming softly to herself quite happily.
"Hey." He smiled, sitting on the side of her bed.
"Are you going to bed now?" Ella asked
"Yup, home to bed. How come you're not sleeping?"
"I'm not tired."
"Oh. I have an idea."
"What?" her eyes widened in suspense.
Robert grinned at the reaction. "If you shut your eyes. I'll sing you a song. Maybe that will help."
"Okay." She shut her eyes tight.
"Is it okay if I call you mine? Just for a time? And I will be just fine, if I know that you know that I'm wanting, needing your love… ohohooooh… If I ask you, is it alright, if I ask you to ho-o-old me tight, through a cold dark night. Cause there may be a cloudy day in sight. And I need to let you know that I might… be needing your love… ohohooooh…"
Elizabeth wondered what was taking so long and starting hobbling toward the stairs, expecting to see him at the top. He wasn't so she hopped up the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible. At the top she stopped and heard him,
"What I'm trying to say isn't really new… it's just the things that happen to me when I'm reminded of you… like when I hear your name, or see a place where you've been, or see a picture of your grin, pass a house that you lived in one time or another… it sets off something in me I can't explain, and I… can't wait to see you again. Oh babe, I love your love." He let his voice drop into silence and when Ella didn't open her eyes he stood slowly. He stopped when he saw Elizabeth in the doorway. He lifted one finger to his lips and crept out, shutting the door behind him.
Elizabeth opened her bedroom door and went in. Robert waited at the threshold.
"You can come in," she said frustrated. "I just don't want to wake Ella by talking in her room and the prospect of those stairs is making my foot ache."
He stepped in and shut the door, standing only a few feet from it.
"Don't go." She turned to face him. She knew he'd heard her last time but he was obviously ignoring it.
"If I stay that changes everything." He said, trying not to look at her. "You know I want to, but then…
"You give yourself away." She smiled cheekily, "but the plan was to take things slowly. And that was weeks ago."
"That's not the point Elizabeth. I've wanted this for years. I don't want to mess it up."
"Have a little faith in yourself Robert. Have a little faith in me."
He swallowed, meeting her eyes. He shook his head with a smile, "I still don't believe it." he touched her face adoringly.
"What?" she smiled, hoping he'd stop doubting himself.
"You. You're… breathtaking."
"You're biased."
He nodded and held her eyes until it was all she could do not to kiss him. He had to make this decision.
How was he supposed to leave now? He wanted to wait until it was perfect. She was wounded, and he was maimed. It wasn't the fantasy.
It was better.
It was real.
He could smell her, he could feel her warmth, her soft skin under his fingertips.
Her heart sunk. He wasn't going to stay. He'd hesitated too long. She knew that she could probably convince him to stay if she really wanted to but it shouldn't be like that. She stepped away from his tentative touch on her cheek and sat on the edge of her bed.
"What are you afraid of?" she said sensitively.
He knelt on the floor in front of her and put his hands on her bed on either side of her.
"Do you know how hard it is for me to go home each night?"
"Yeah I do. It's about the same as watching you go home every night."
"You want me to stay?" he looked into her eyes like a child who really didn't know what she'd say.
She nodded.
He reached up and touched her face with his hand before kissing her desperately. She kissed him back, unbuttoning his shirt – what about his arm? She stopped kissing him, letting him trail kisses down her neck as she slid onto her knees on the floor. She slid her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. He pulled his arms back helping her to remove his shirt. He stopped realizing he was still wearing his prosthetic. He knelt in front of her on the floor, humble and afraid for a moment. Then he caught the look in her eyes and pulled her to her feet. He removed the prosthetic and his shirt and stood in front of her waiting. She ran one hand over the stump tentatively.
"It's a good thing you don't have buttons." He slipped his hand under her sweater, running his fingers over her warm skin around to the small of her back. He sought her lips desperately and only pulled away to remove her sweater.