"No Longer Neighbors"
Chapter 6
Thank you shellbell78 for the idea about bringing Steph in!
I took your idea and changed it a bit, but it is still yours.
Thank you Rainbow for your Beta work!
Previously...
I cried my tears of regret for what I did to Woody, on Tank's chest.
…...
"Angel, I need to go soon." Tank whispered to me while playing with my hair.
He held me after Woody left. When I stopped crying, he helped me clean up the mess they had made during the fight. We were now laid back on the couch together with me in his arms.
"Go? You just got here."
So much has happened in that short amount of time.
I feel like my life has changed...twice!
"I know. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have left Trenton at all. Ranger is in the wind and I'm running things. I just had to see you. I wanted to see for myself if what Lester said was true. I needed to know if you still loved me."
That surprised me, even though it shouldn't after the events of the last 24 hours. I never did get to talk to him, question him, after he walked away from me a year ago.
Do I dare try now?
Will it ruin whatever this is we have?
"Why?" I asked softly.
"Why? I was shocked when I heard that you still loved me. I thought when we ended it you would run off with Woody and never think about me again."
Now I was completely shocked. I sat up and faced him. "Tank, we didn't end anything." I felt the hurt and anger rising, and tried to sound calm. "You turned your back on me and walked away. You said you didn't want to talk to me. I thought you meant for a couple of days. A year, Tank. A year. Nothing." The hurt and anger turned to tears. "A year of waiting...hoping...that today will be the day he shows up at my door." I let out a small nervous laugh at the irony of that.
"I..I didn't know, Ashley. When you said you loved him... I thought..."
"That's all you heard? You didn't hear me say I was crazy in love with you? I chose you! It has always been you!"
He tried to pull me towards him, to hold me. I held my hands out and shook my head.
"Why? Why leave?"
Why not put up a fight for me...for us.
You just walked away.
I felt discarded.
Like what we had didn't even matter.
"Damn it, Ashley. It hurt my pride! I wanted to be the only man in your life. The only one you loved. You meant everything to me. I wanted you to feel the same way. I couldn't take the thought of you caring for someone else. For him!"
"You were." I whispered. "You were my everything. I didn't know I loved Woody. I probably never would have till you pointed it out. All I wanted, needed was you."
I didn't get another word out before Tank's lips crashed into mine.
When he finally broke the kiss, Tank looked at me with tears in his eyes. "I love you, Angel. I promise never to leave you again."
I let the words I have dreamed of hearing for over a year, sink in.
I wiped away a stray tear from his face, then kissed him.
"I never stopped loving you." I whispered.
...
"I really don't want to leave you. Come with me?" Tank asked after kissing me good-bye.
"Come with you? To New Jersey?"
"It's not that bad. Cold, but not that bad. We will be together. I can hold you every night." He kissed me tenderly. "Kiss you every day." He trailed kisses down my neck. "Make love to you over and over."
I sighed. "Mmm..."
How can I resist that.
Wait...wait.
I can't up and move to New Jersey.
Ug! Why is it I can never think around him.
Oh! That feels good.
"Come with me. We will only be there for another month and a half. Then, we can come back home."
"Well," He started nibbling on my ear. "I do have a couple of days off."
"That's a start. Let's see how much fun we can have in two days with me convincing you to stay."
"OK. You win. When are we leaving? I have to pack and I really should call Lester. He was so mad and it was sweet of him to check on me."
"Ashley," Tank's voice was stern. "I don't want you hanging around that man whore. He is just trying to get in your pants."
I laughed and shook my head. "It's not like that..."
"No, listen to me. If we are going to make this work, I don't want you hanging around him. I don't want a repeat of last time. I couldn't take it if I lost you again."
"Oh, I...I can understand that."
I don't want to loose Les.
He really is just a friend.
He does have a point though.
He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. "That goes double for Woody. There's no room for him in our lives. Especially since you started dating him."
Tank's face turned red, and I could feel the anger coming off of him.
"Just one date." I whispered.
"I'm serious, Ashley. Him or me?"
I didn't even hesitate. "You of course."
Of course... Woody and I weren't even friends now.
Now, that I betrayed him.
But, he didn't turn his back on me.
One day... he said...when I was ready.
"Good." He kissed me. "Go throw something in a bag and let's get that fine ass on the plane." He swatted me when I turned to do as he asked.
"By the way," He called out to me as I rummaged through my drawers, "I've got the Rangeman plane. We can join the mile high club on our way to New Jersey."
...
"I can't believe you are here!" Steph screeched in my ear as she hugged me tightly. "It's been forever!"
"I know. I missed you too, but I think I have permanent hearing problems now after your hello."
"Ha ha." She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away. "I'm stealing her, Tank!" She yelled back at him.
"Not too long, Little Girl. Angel and I aren't done making up."
"Awe!" Steph screech again.
She dragged me up to her apartment on seven, where she pushed me to the couch and opened a bottle of wine.
"Here" She said handing me a glass. "Now, spill. The last time I talked to you, you were going on and on about how romantic your date with Woody was. Now, here you are with Tank? Don't get me wrong. I love Tank. You know that. Nothing makes me happier then to see my two good friends together and happy. I'm just confused."
"We all are." I told her and took a large sip of my wine.
I then went on to tell her everything. Well, I left out some of the juicy details, but she got the gist. By the end of the story, she sat quietly with a funny look on her face.
"You look funny." I told her.
"Love you to." She replied.
"What are you thinking about that would make your face look like that?"
She swatted me. "You mind if I am blunt?"
"Now you ask? You never asked before!"
This time she punched me in the arm.
"Ouch!"
"Don't be a wuss." She started tapping her fingers on her leg. "It's just...Woody has a point."
I didn't expect to hear that.
"I didn't know about the problems you and Tank had before until it all went down, but from what you told me he said this morning...he's doing it again and you're going right along with it...again."
"Steph, he does have a point. The whole thing was my fault to begin with..."
"Whoa! No. No, it wasn't. You were to blame too. Don't get me wrong. Falling in love with someone else is a huge problem in a relationship. I should know, but Tank was no angel. He pressured you to do things you weren't ready for or didn't want, and he's started again."
"It's not like that, Steph. Tank just loves me so much. He wants what he wants and wants it now."
"I have to stop you right there. You are making excuses for him." She pointed out.
"You sound like Woody."
"Good. At least someone has some sense." She refilled our wine glasses and took a sip before continuing. "Listen, I've been in a similar situation before. If anyone understands how you feel, it would be me."
That got my interest. I pulled my legs up on the couch and got more comfortable.
"Have I ever told you about Joe?"
I shook my head.
She took a deep breath before beginning, then told me her story. I sat mesmerized and hung on every word. From what she was saying it was obvious to me that she loved Ranger all along. Why did it take her so long to see it? When she told me how Joe kept insisting on marriage and kids, I couldn't believe my ears. This sounded a lot like Tank and I.
Except Tank wanted to get married because he was madly in love with me, not for the sake of getting married.
Crap. I am making excuses again.
"Listen, Ashley. I am not trying to tell you not to be with Tank. I love him. He is a great guy. He deserves to be happy and so do you. Just don't lose you again. OK?"
I nodded. She gave me a big hug and then refilled our glasses.
...
My time in New Jersey flew by. Frankly, I didn't want to leave. I loved hanging out with Steph. Our heart to heart was an eye opener. It reminded me of what Woody said.
I really didn't want to leave Tank. We just got back together. I understood him wanting me close. So, here I was again. Back in the similar situation as before. Quit my job and stay with him, or live my life with him not in it. I just couldn't go back to that again.
"Tank," I had to make him understand. I didn't want to uproot my life, but there was no way in hell I was losing him again. "if I stay here I'll lose my job."
"It's alright, Angel. I'll take care of you."
"I appreciate that, but I don't want to lose my job." I saw his face darken. "Oh no you don't!" I pointed at him. "You are not going anywhere! I love you, and I'll be damned if I lose you again!"
That brought a smile to his face. He pulled me close and kissed me, hard.
"Wait." I tried to say around the kiss. "We need to talk."
"No talking. More kissing." Then his kisses moved to my ear.
"Mm...Baby." I moaned.
That was the wrong thing to say. It seemed to spur him on. The next thing I knew we were naked again.
...
"OK. Let's try this again. " I told him walking into the bedroom after my shower.
Oh crap!
I should have gotten dressed first.
He is eyeing me like I'm dessert.
"You stay over there." I instructed him. "Just listen."
He smirked at me and stretched out his tall frame on the bed.
"You're making it hard for me to think." I admitted. I might have licked my lips. Then, he pulled off his shirt.
"Oh hell." I said dropping my towel.
...
"Now, you listen!" I demanded. "I have to be at work in the morning! I have like nine hours before I have to be there. I need to get on that plane."
"No, you don't. You could stay here. I know a lot of fun things we could do in nine hours."
"I am pretty sure that would kill me. Seriously, Tank. Please, listen to me."
He sighed. "Fine, Angel. I'm all ears."
"Thank you. OK. Now, hear me out. You are here for what a month?"
"Maybe a little more. Month and a half, maybe two."
"OK. I can come visit you and before you know it, you will be back home."
"I'd rather you stay here now. I don't want to be away from you."
"I know. I feel the same way..."
"Then stay. It's settled." He began to move closer.
I held up my hand to stop him. "No you don't, mister. I don't want to lose my job. I like it." I smiled at my own assertion. "I will come visit you. Often."
I could tell he didn't like it. He was used to getting his way. I could also tell he was thinking about what I said, too.
"I want you here next week." He finally declared.
"Next week?"
"Christmas."
"Oh."
Crap.
I'm scheduled to work on Christmas.
Hell, I volunteered.
Overtime, and I had no one at home anyway.
"I don't want another miserable holiday." He confessed.
My heart melted.
"I was miserable, too, Baby. OK, I'll see what I can do."
...
We did spend Christmas together, and it was wonderful. Except for the fact that I had to lie to my job. There was no way I could take off and no one wanted to switch shifts even for a night. Tank came up with a solution. Instead of him flying here for the night, he got Bobby to write up an excuse for me for work. It claimed I had the flu. I've met Bobby before. I didn't realize he was a doctor. Tank even faxed it to my job. Before telling me. The excuse gave me seven days off. Bobby explained on the note that due to my work environment that I needed a couple extra days so as not to infect my patients. I couldn't believe it! I thought for sure my boss wouldn't, but she did. So, I had a whole week to spend with Tank. It was wonderful, I just did not feel comfortable with how it came about.
I did hear from Woody on Christmas. It made me more happy than I wanted to admit. I had kept Tank's wishes about Les and Woody, even though I felt horrible about it. On Christmas day, I received a text message from Woody. It simply said "Merry Christmas." I chose to read more into it. To me it said: I'm thinking of you. I miss you. I wish you all the best. I love you. I replied, breaking Tank's rule. "Merry Christmas, Woody." I hope he heard all that I meant to say: I'm sorry. I miss you. I love you.
Tank got word that Ranger would be back in early February. That meant one more month living apart. I was alright with it. After all, we did it for a year. Hell, look at Steph. At least I know where Tank is. He's safe in an office surrounded by mountains of paperwork. Poor Steph. I don't know how she does it. The not knowing. The worrying. She is a strong woman.
In the month of January, I made two weekend visits to New Jersey. I don't know how I managed that. When Tank came back to Georgia, I was so relieved. No more crazy travelling or lies. He moved me into his apartment at Rangeman instantly. I didn't mind. It was more convenient for him. My commute was just a little longer now. Traffic.
Things were hot and heavy between us, but then again, that has never been a problem for us. We seemed to have fallen back in the routine we were in before. I would work, stay with him in his office till he was done, then we would go home. It was wonderful to spend so much time with him, but I was also lonely. I missed my friends. I know I didn't go out and stuff with them, but I talked to them. Hell, Woody would call me daily.
Tank and I got to spend our first Valentine's Day together. Being the hopeless romantic, he took me back to Sal's. I admit I thought it was sweet when I saw where we were going, but I was starting to worry that he might proposes again. We hadn't talked about it, but it was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Hell, I was lucky I wasn't pregnant yet. I wasn't on the pill when we were together in December. I had stopped taking them after we broke up. Tank knew. I mentioned condoms, but he just smiled. I haven't had a chance to go back to the doctor and get back on the pill. It was just a matter of time before I was pregnant. I started to feel that my life was planned out again and was about to change very soon.
I was beyond shocked that he didn't propose to me that night. We had a romantic dinner, he showered me with flowers and a beautiful necklace.
Maybe, we wouldn't repeat our past mistakes.
Maybe, he won't rush me this time.
He did tell me all about a trip we would be taking soon. Since Ranger was back, Tank was going to take off the first couple of weeks in April. He had it all planned out. We would be going island hopping in the Caribbean. It sounded like a dream vacation, but I couldn't help but think how was I supposed to take off that much time.
The month of March was a hard one for us. We started to argue. I don't ever remember us arguing in the past. I know all couples do, but it bothered me. It felt like the tension never went away. The arguments weren't huge, just small and frequent.
"Ashley, I don't want you hanging out in the break room with the guys."
"Tank, can we go out and do something this weekend? It feels like it is always work, sit in your office, home."
"Did you tell your boss you are taking off a few weeks in April? Ask for three weeks, so you have time to pack and relax after. Hell, you might as well quit."
"You should probably wait to get on the pill another week. Just to make sure you aren't pregnant yet."
What the...?
Huh?
That doesn't make any sense.
Is all I could come up with for that.
Next week was Easter and Tank had asked for us to spend it at his mother's. I didn't want to argue again, so I agreed. I hadn't seen his family since that first Thanksgiving. I was beyond nervous to see them now after all that had happened.
We were to fly out the day after Easter for our getaway. Of course, my boss said there was no way I could take off two weeks in a row, much less three. She also complained about all the time I have taken off already this year. I was left with no choice. I had to turn in my resignation. It's not like I could tell Tank I couldn't go.
He was overjoyed when I told him I quit. He even took me out to dinner to celebrate.
"Now, you don't have to worry about your schedule and think about how much more time we will have together." He told me with a grin.
I just smiled, but inside Steph and Woody's words raced through my mind.
...
Thanks for reading!
Melanie