Tell It Like It Is

Chapter 15

Melanie Slaide could not believe her eyes. She tried to blink, thinking she had just imagined the whole thing, but when she opened them again she still couldn't believe that he was standing there in the lobby.

"Will?" she called out, her voice echoing off the cold marble floors. "What are you doing here?"

Will turned from the receptionist and blushed at her. "Mel."

She rushed across the room and wrapped him in a hug, trying to ignore the stiffness of his posture. "This is probably the sweetest thing you've ever done," she gasped as she let him go and looked into his eyes.

He just shrugged and looked down. "Just wanted to see you."

"I know, but it's still sweet. Not every guy flies across America to come see his lonely fiancé."

Will picked up his small overnight duffle from where he'd set it by his feet. Melanie couldn't stop smiling. Any type of insecurities she had with her relationship with Will suddenly flew out the window and she grabbed his free hand, starting to lead him away from the desk.

"Sir, does this mean you won't be needing a room?" the man behind the counter asked eyeing Melanie suspiciously. He'd observed her actions from the week she'd been staying and he was a bit confused by her sudden change of demeanor.

"Of course he won't be needing a room," Melanie laughed. "He's with me," she added as the man shot her a beady look. "He's my fiancé."

The man shot her another look. "Right," he said somewhat obnoxiously drawing out the syllables to make it sound condescending, but before Melanie could become indignant he spoke again. "Would he like another key to your room then?"

"It's fine, we'll get it later," Melanie grumbled catching the man's criticizing look and practically dragging Will toward the elevator.

She was slightly worried by Will's confused look and the way he seemed to be in his own little world, but she figured once she got him back to her room she could… force it out of him. Melanie was no idiot, she knew where her true power over men lay and it definitely wasn't an action that could take place right in the middle of the lobby of The Four Seasons.

"Did I tell you how excited I am that you're here?" she asked huskily as she unlocked her door and practically pushed him into her room.

Will nodded and dropped his bag on the floor as she attacked him, their lips pressing against each other's and he pinned her up against the door as she swung it close behind her and pulled his right arm under the knee of her left leg to almost lift her off the ground. She tugged on his hair, mussing it in every which direction, then quickly abandoned her pursuit to try to pull off his blue sweatshirt while still keeping his lips on hers. Unfortunately for Melanie's little plan, the moment they broke to rip off his sweater he pulled back and dropped her back onto her feet.

"This isn't what I came here for," he muttered as he stepped back and put his hands through his hair to smooth it back down.

"Then why did you come?" she asked, steadying herself against the door and fixing the straps on her dress that had shifted across her body.

"To see you, I guess," he replied quickly giving up with his hair and allowing his shoulders to drop in either relief or defeat.

"You guess?" she eyed him. "Why would you need to guess? What else would you have come here for?"

He shrugged and his eyes danced with panic. "To talk, I suppose."

"Will!" she commanded sharply. "Forget the 'maybe's and 'suppose's! What the fuck is wrong?"

He shrugged again. Did he even know? He watched her, standing there with her hands on her hips and her eyes glowing. She was slightly frazzled from their earlier confrontation and she just kind of stared at him, not yielding even an inch. In a weird way it reminded him of a girl he used to know. She had been a passionate and wild creature, the one that lit him up and reached for the stars. But thinking about her didn't clarify a thing because now she was broken. She had no passion, just a shell and a million layers that would take him the rest of his life to dig back through. She wasn't that passionate blonde girl that turned into a popsicle every winter or refused to let him kiss her in public; she was an armored car.

But Melanie wasn't. There she stood willing and able and prepared to make a lifetime commitment to him. She would never yield. Maybe his brain didn't go into a tizzy every time he was around her. Maybe his heart didn't do gymnastics in his chest at her touch. Maybe she didn't light his fire and push him into the spontaneous, fun Will that he secretly wished he was, but she was in love with him and life with Melanie could be just as much as an adventure as life with Lizzy could have been.

He hadn't flown to New York to brake up with Melanie. He hadn't come to confess that he still had feelings for Lizzy. Hell, he hadn't even known why he came at all, until that moment. He'd come to see, even if she wasn't the one, if he could spend the rest of his life with her. She didn't have to be passion, she just had to be contentment.

"I came to ask you if we could just… get this whole wedding thing over with." He eyed her as her eyes popped and her jaw slacked. "I know it's not what we planned Mel, but maybe we should just be spontaneous and- and I want to spend the rest of my life with you-"

"Stop!" She held up her hand again and looked down at the slightly dirty carpet. "Are you asking me to elope with you?"

He nodded but she didn't look up at him for another moment. When she did her jaw was set and her eyes glared. "No," she declared solidly. "We're responsible adults that have to understand that we made commitments that we must stick to."

"But we could just-"

"No Will," she grunted angrily, while practically snarling. "I made commitments to my friends, our parents, our clients. I refuse to just throw that all out the window."

Will's brow creased and he watched her face. He'd never seen her quite so pale. Why was she fighting this so much? He wanted, more than anything to ask her if she even wanted to marry him, but he only managed to shrug. "Ok. I guess if that's what you want then," he replied monotonously. He was drained of all fight.

"Okay. I'm glad that's settled." She plastered her sickly smile back onto her face. "Now would you like to take me shopping around the city?"

He shrugged. He was suddenly beginning to realize it wasn't about what he wanted at all.

Hi! Missed me? I tried getting this update up Saturday and Sunday but the thing wouldn't let me update. Grr.

The next chapter brings alot more questionmarks into the equation and I'm almost done writing it so expect it... by Friday? I don't know.

I'm sorry I've been so behind. But the good news is I think Im quitting my job this week! Yay!

Ok Hope you had fuuun.