Holding On
Chapter 14- Home Sweet Home
Gordo nervously paced back and forth in Lizzie's old room He was determined not to mess up his chances with Lizzie by getting too edgy and insulting her. That had been the cause of his crushing defeat in their last fight. He sat down on the bed and tried to control his shaking hands. Gordo knew that he was walking on thin ice with Lizzie and if their relationship continued to plunge downhill he would lose her forever.
She entered the room appearing to be calm, but Lizzie felt angry. Hadn't he gotten the message that she didn't want him around anymore? But all he did was stare at her like she was a goddess. She wasn't pleased.
"So what are you here for?" Lizzie asked. Her tone wasn't angry for harsh, but sharp and impatient. It hurt Gordo to already have he angry. He began to wonder if unexpectedly showing up on her vacation had been a good idea. Trying to stay as calm as possible, he finally spoke.
"I just want to talk to you. That's all. Nothing else." It his opinion, it was a weak opening statement, but it had to be said. Lizzie wasn't easy to please now that she could back herself up.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her leg out. Rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, Lizzie sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine." Her voice was harsh this time. Gordo's eyes lit up in surprise and he raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" He asked hopefully.
"But not while I'm staying with my parents, wait until I go home. And it's just you and me, not Maggie. Got it?" Lizzie was growing impatient. She wanted to catch up with everyone downstairs.
"Sure." Gordo complied. He started out of the room but Lizzie grabbed the back of his collar.
"Don't call my apartment or even think of showing up at my doorstep. I'll call you and we'll meet someplace." She loosened her grip. "Make a wrong move and I won't even talk to you. See you in a few weeks." Lizzie let go of his shirt and gave him a slight shove out the door. He left quietly without saying goodbye to anybody.
Lizzie casually sauantered downstairs and sat on the soft couch between her father and Maggie. "So how are things around here?" She asked. She was trying her best to look normal and calm. She didn't need her parents asking questions about Gordo just yet.
Her mother blinked in surprise the normality of her daughter's voice and behavior. She hesitated before answering. "Uh, everything's been pretty good. Same as always. Nothing new." There was another uncomfortable pause. Lizzie knew everyone was dying to ask her about Gordo, of couse they wouldn't in front of Maggie though. But they would ask about Jake, if she didn't find something to say first.
"Matt, how's the job search coming?" Was the first thing that came to mind. Matt had been out of work for about 10 months after the public relations firm he worked for had to make cutbacks.
"Not bad. I've got another job, but it's not as good as my last one." He sounded happy and Lizzie made a mental note to later ask him why he liked his new job so much. "Is anyone hungry?" He asked, sensing Lizzie was reading his thoughts like she usually did.
"No." Lizzie replied with a smile. She was happy that the conversation had turned to Matt's private life and not hers.
"I am!" Maggie said. Lizzie sighed. She had wanted to talk to Matt. Luckily her father came to her rescue.
"C'mon, Maggs, let's go out to eat." He offered. "Lizzie, you can stay here and rest." But he didn't want Lizzie to rest. He had taken Maggie out of the house so Jo and Matt could here about Lizzie's life with Jake and all about Gordo. He would find out everything later.
"Yeah!" Maggie hopped of the couch and grabbed her grandfather's hand. He did love being with his granddaughter. Maybe it was because it was like it used to be when Lizzie was little. He often wished he could go back to that time.
The second the door slammed Matt turned to his sister. "Lizzie, what did Gordo want?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nothing really." She replied, then she had a thought "So who's the girl?"
Matt looked taken aback. "What?" He asked.
"You've got that look in your eye. The mischievous look. Something's up."
He sighed "Christine. Alright are you happy now?" he began to ask her about Jake, but was cut off by his mother.
"How come I never heard about her?" hi mother inquired.
"Because." Matt said like a teenager.
"Because she married isn't she?" Lizzie asked.
"Not exactly." Matt said, staring at the floor. "More like engaged." Lizzie laughed. She doubted she had ever laughed so hard in her life. Tears sprung from her eyes. "It's not funny." Matt said.
Lizzie calmed herself and spoke. "Matt, you're having an affair with someone who's getting married, it's hilarious."
Matt, still looking at the floor, chortled softly. "I can see where you would think it's funny." He looked up at his mother. "Can we pry into Lizzie's personal life now?" He received no answer so he began the process himself. "How's Jake?"
"He's doesn't come around anymore." Lizzie replied, going along with his game. She figured anything she had to say couldn't be worse than Matt's affair. Her brother grinned maliciously.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Lizzie looked at him in shock. "Why are you so sure it was something I did?" She said. When he didn't answer she stood up. "I'm going to see Miranda. Be back in an hour or so."
Driving over to Miranda's she wondered what she was going to say. She finally decided on telling her about Gordo. Miranda could help her there. After all Gordo had been her friend too.
When she arrived Miranda greeted her very warmly. She hugged her and invited her inside. "Miranda, I need advice on Gordo." Lizzie said when they sat down. "And I need to make this quick, I've got to get back before Maggie does."
"Alright, what do you want to know?" She asked officially.
"Do you think I should give him another chance?" Lizzie asked "and I don't just mean start talking to him, I mean think about letting him move in or something."
"That depends, do you still love him?"
"I never said that I was ever in love with him." Lizzie retorted.
"Denial." Miranda chimed gleefully.
"I don't know. Everything's so mixed up, I still like him, but I don't know if Maggie will. And if she does, what if he gets tired of me like he did last him and leaves? I can't put Maggie through that. And I can't assume that he'll help out because I already told him that she's not his child." Lizzie finished and sat back in her chair.
"I don't think he cares about the true parentage of Maggie" Miranda said. She glanced at the clock. "Just start talking to him again and a friendly level. That way you can work stuff out."
Lizzie had got the information she needed and left, but not before she promised to come back later and bring Maggie along.
When she got home she decided to wait until after everyone had gone to bed to question Matt about Christine.
Chapter 14- Home Sweet Home
Gordo nervously paced back and forth in Lizzie's old room He was determined not to mess up his chances with Lizzie by getting too edgy and insulting her. That had been the cause of his crushing defeat in their last fight. He sat down on the bed and tried to control his shaking hands. Gordo knew that he was walking on thin ice with Lizzie and if their relationship continued to plunge downhill he would lose her forever.
She entered the room appearing to be calm, but Lizzie felt angry. Hadn't he gotten the message that she didn't want him around anymore? But all he did was stare at her like she was a goddess. She wasn't pleased.
"So what are you here for?" Lizzie asked. Her tone wasn't angry for harsh, but sharp and impatient. It hurt Gordo to already have he angry. He began to wonder if unexpectedly showing up on her vacation had been a good idea. Trying to stay as calm as possible, he finally spoke.
"I just want to talk to you. That's all. Nothing else." It his opinion, it was a weak opening statement, but it had to be said. Lizzie wasn't easy to please now that she could back herself up.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her leg out. Rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, Lizzie sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine." Her voice was harsh this time. Gordo's eyes lit up in surprise and he raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" He asked hopefully.
"But not while I'm staying with my parents, wait until I go home. And it's just you and me, not Maggie. Got it?" Lizzie was growing impatient. She wanted to catch up with everyone downstairs.
"Sure." Gordo complied. He started out of the room but Lizzie grabbed the back of his collar.
"Don't call my apartment or even think of showing up at my doorstep. I'll call you and we'll meet someplace." She loosened her grip. "Make a wrong move and I won't even talk to you. See you in a few weeks." Lizzie let go of his shirt and gave him a slight shove out the door. He left quietly without saying goodbye to anybody.
Lizzie casually sauantered downstairs and sat on the soft couch between her father and Maggie. "So how are things around here?" She asked. She was trying her best to look normal and calm. She didn't need her parents asking questions about Gordo just yet.
Her mother blinked in surprise the normality of her daughter's voice and behavior. She hesitated before answering. "Uh, everything's been pretty good. Same as always. Nothing new." There was another uncomfortable pause. Lizzie knew everyone was dying to ask her about Gordo, of couse they wouldn't in front of Maggie though. But they would ask about Jake, if she didn't find something to say first.
"Matt, how's the job search coming?" Was the first thing that came to mind. Matt had been out of work for about 10 months after the public relations firm he worked for had to make cutbacks.
"Not bad. I've got another job, but it's not as good as my last one." He sounded happy and Lizzie made a mental note to later ask him why he liked his new job so much. "Is anyone hungry?" He asked, sensing Lizzie was reading his thoughts like she usually did.
"No." Lizzie replied with a smile. She was happy that the conversation had turned to Matt's private life and not hers.
"I am!" Maggie said. Lizzie sighed. She had wanted to talk to Matt. Luckily her father came to her rescue.
"C'mon, Maggs, let's go out to eat." He offered. "Lizzie, you can stay here and rest." But he didn't want Lizzie to rest. He had taken Maggie out of the house so Jo and Matt could here about Lizzie's life with Jake and all about Gordo. He would find out everything later.
"Yeah!" Maggie hopped of the couch and grabbed her grandfather's hand. He did love being with his granddaughter. Maybe it was because it was like it used to be when Lizzie was little. He often wished he could go back to that time.
The second the door slammed Matt turned to his sister. "Lizzie, what did Gordo want?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nothing really." She replied, then she had a thought "So who's the girl?"
Matt looked taken aback. "What?" He asked.
"You've got that look in your eye. The mischievous look. Something's up."
He sighed "Christine. Alright are you happy now?" he began to ask her about Jake, but was cut off by his mother.
"How come I never heard about her?" hi mother inquired.
"Because." Matt said like a teenager.
"Because she married isn't she?" Lizzie asked.
"Not exactly." Matt said, staring at the floor. "More like engaged." Lizzie laughed. She doubted she had ever laughed so hard in her life. Tears sprung from her eyes. "It's not funny." Matt said.
Lizzie calmed herself and spoke. "Matt, you're having an affair with someone who's getting married, it's hilarious."
Matt, still looking at the floor, chortled softly. "I can see where you would think it's funny." He looked up at his mother. "Can we pry into Lizzie's personal life now?" He received no answer so he began the process himself. "How's Jake?"
"He's doesn't come around anymore." Lizzie replied, going along with his game. She figured anything she had to say couldn't be worse than Matt's affair. Her brother grinned maliciously.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Lizzie looked at him in shock. "Why are you so sure it was something I did?" She said. When he didn't answer she stood up. "I'm going to see Miranda. Be back in an hour or so."
Driving over to Miranda's she wondered what she was going to say. She finally decided on telling her about Gordo. Miranda could help her there. After all Gordo had been her friend too.
When she arrived Miranda greeted her very warmly. She hugged her and invited her inside. "Miranda, I need advice on Gordo." Lizzie said when they sat down. "And I need to make this quick, I've got to get back before Maggie does."
"Alright, what do you want to know?" She asked officially.
"Do you think I should give him another chance?" Lizzie asked "and I don't just mean start talking to him, I mean think about letting him move in or something."
"That depends, do you still love him?"
"I never said that I was ever in love with him." Lizzie retorted.
"Denial." Miranda chimed gleefully.
"I don't know. Everything's so mixed up, I still like him, but I don't know if Maggie will. And if she does, what if he gets tired of me like he did last him and leaves? I can't put Maggie through that. And I can't assume that he'll help out because I already told him that she's not his child." Lizzie finished and sat back in her chair.
"I don't think he cares about the true parentage of Maggie" Miranda said. She glanced at the clock. "Just start talking to him again and a friendly level. That way you can work stuff out."
Lizzie had got the information she needed and left, but not before she promised to come back later and bring Maggie along.
When she got home she decided to wait until after everyone had gone to bed to question Matt about Christine.
