Rooney escorted her into the small office, where a tattered beige sofa took up most of one wall. Gently he lowered her onto the cushion.
"I'll be right back."
She watched him through blurred eyes, trying to resist the urge to cry again. She was far away from her husband and his wounding temper.
True to his word, Rooney returned just minutes later with two Cokes and a wet cloth.
He sat down beside her and began to tenderly stroke her face with the cloth. She flinched at the coldness on her skin. "I-I'm sorry..." she said softly.
"Just relax..." Rooney said in the most soothing whisper she'd ever heard. "So what happened?"
"Well... Corbet and I have been having some problems..." She said, amazed at how intently he was watching her, waiting for her to continue. Corbet hadn't done that in years.
"We've been through a lot, Janine. You know you can trust me."
She told him about all the times Corbet had hurt her, made her feel insignificant and how she wanted to be loved again.
"Oh, Janine...I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me you were hurting?"
"I-I guess because I didn't want it to be true; that he really never loved me at all. I didn't want to leave. I-I just couldn't take the pain anymore."
He took her in his arms, as she cried into the soft fabric of his shirt.
"I-I'm sorry. I should probably go." She finally said, rising from the sofa.
She felt him grab her arm and pull her back onto the cushion.
"Stay, please."
"Oh God..." She said, wiping the tears from her face. "Remember how much better things were in high school?"
"I don't remember them being that good." Rooney said.
With a sigh, she leaned back against the sofa cushion.
"Remember the dances we went to in the gym? The boys were lined up on one side and the girls on the other?"
"Yeah, and then Father Abruzzi would give those speeches about sins? God, I can't believe he thought we would fall for that! Actually it was the complete opposite. We were so hormonal back then; especially Williams."
The mention of their crazy friend made them laugh. It was the first time in days that Janine had truly laughed.
"You know what I loved most about those dances?" She asked.
Rooney brushed the hair from her face. "What?"
"Being in your arms."
As they sat face to face on the sofa, she reached out and touched his face.
"You're sweet, you know that?"
He took her hands tenderly in his and began to caress the smoothness of her skin.
Suddenly a million feelings came back; feelings that she hadn't experienced since she was a teenager.
Before she could stop herself, she slid her arm around his neck and pulled him toward her...
The kiss was better than she ever dreamed. Rooney's mouth caressed hers over and over again; her fingers splayed in his soft hair, massaging his neck.
"God, you're beautiful." He whispered.
She arched her neck and sighed as he began to trail kisses down her neck. "I love you, Rooney." She said as his kisses returned to her mouth.
This is what she'd been waiting for all of her life. For someone to truly love her.
But just as abruptly as it started... it ended.
"Wh-what's wrong?" She asked when he pulled away from her.
He was silent for several seconds before speaking.
I'm sorry, Janine. I-I can't do this."
She stared at him in shock, as she watched him walk out of the office...