WooHoo…what great comments! I loved reading what you guys had to say. I'm glad to know I put enough emotion in my writing to make of few of you tear up. LOL
Here's chapter fifteen, it's a little shorter than my last few, but not by much. Enjoy!

"No Strings"

Chapter Fifteen

Nearly a month had passed since the day Theresa boarded the plane to head back home to Harmony. Her and Fox still talked occasionally, but it wasn't even close to what it had been like when they were together in person. She still didn't know his real name, first or last, just his nickname, Fox.

It was a Thursday afternoon when she came home from work early and grabbed her mail from the box outside. After shuffling through bills and junk mail she came upon a light gray envelope. Wondering what it was she threw the rest of her mail on the coffee table and carefully broke the seal, pulling out a heavy piece of paper of the same color.

It read:

Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Winthrop
request the honor of your presence
at the reaffirmation of
their wedding vows
Saturday, the nineteenth of June,
at one o'clock in the afternoon.

Please RSVP by Saturday, the fifth of June.

Theresa noticed the smaller card and envelope tucked behind the invitation for her to RSVP. She was so happy for Gwen and Ethan. Since their wedding had been because of Gwen's pregnancy it had been rushed and they didn't have time for a big event. Theresa knew how much it meant for both of them to renew their vows in a huge ceremony and she was honored they asked her to be there. She quickly filled out the return card for only herself and placed a stamp on it so it could be mailed in the morning.

After sorting out the rest of her mail she headed upstairs to her bedroom to check her email. She read through a few for the magazine before she came to one from the girls at No Strings. It had been awhile since she had talked to them.

To: Theresa
From: Natalie, April and Megan
Subject: Hello out there….

Alright Theresa, what's going on with you? We haven't heard from you in over two weeks, not since we got your email about leaving Fox. We all know how much it hurt you to leave him behind; you're obviously in love with the guy. Anyways, can you at least send us a short little note letting us know you're okay? We're all very worried about you.

Love,
Natalie, April and Megan

Theresa let out a sigh and realized she had better send something back to them. She never told any of them how she felt about Fox, so obviously they picked it up from her sad email.

To: Natalie, April and Megan
From: Theresa
Subject: I'm still here

Hi guys, sorry I haven't written in awhile. I've been pretty busy at the magazine and just haven't had a lot of extra time. Well, I'm guessing you guys picked up on my sadness from my last email and that's how you figured out how I felt about Fox. You're absolutely right. I am in love with Fox and I don't know what to do about it either. I haven't talked to him in about a week and I just don't know how things are going between us. I mean, I still don't even know his last name. I guess I'll just see how things go for the next week or so. If I don't hear from him much I'll just assume that he's ready to move on with his life without me, though that's gonna break my heart.

I hope things are going better for you ladies in the love department. Talk to you soon.

Love,
Theresa

By the time she got done typing she had tears rolling down her cheeks. She grabbed a tissue from her desk and tried her best to clean up her face, but to no avail. Grabbing a few more she walked over to her bed and lay down to cry out the sadness in her heart.

--- --- ---

Two days after Theresa received her invitation Fox checked his mail in Los Angeles. He opened up piece after piece, mostly bills. Then he got to a light gray envelope. He had no idea what it was, so he ripped it open and pulled out the matching cardstock inside.

"So, Ethan and Gwen are finally having their vows renewed," he said to himself after reading it. "Well, I guess since I wasn't able to make it to their first wedding, I'll just have to make a trip back home to Harmony for this special occasion."

He quickly filled out his RSVP card and set it on the table by the door so it could be mailed immediately. Grabbing a beer from the fridge he sat down on his couch and picked up the picture frame that was sitting on his coffee table.

The day after Theresa had left L.A. the Los Angeles Times had printed an article about the fashion gala. As he had guessed the night of the party after their kiss on the red carpet their picture had landed on the front page. "Fox Crane in love!" the caption had stated, large and bold. There was a small article about him and Theresa, and people quoted to have seen them all over L.A. while she had been in town.

He had carefully cut the picture out of the paper and placed it in a heavy glass picture frame, the same one he now held in his hands. And everyday since he cut it out he did the same thing after work. He would grab a beer from the fridge and then sit down on the couch and stare at the beauty that was Theresa and think back to all the memories they had shared. From the first time he saw her, to the times they had made love, to the last time he ever kissed her.

This time was no different. Except today he had tears streaking down his cheeks as he reminisced about the woman he loved. He placed his half full beer on the table and lay back on the couch, clutching the frame to his chest as the tears came faster and faster.


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