Chapter 2
Bobby was reading when heard the knock on the door. He was actually a little relaxed. Putting his glass of scotch and book down, he moved to the door. Frowning, he looked through the peep hole. It was Alex. Surprised, he cautiously opened the door. "Alex, I... What are you doing here? I thought you'd be having dinner with your family."
She held the basket of food that her mother packed up so that he could see it. "I was told to follow my heart...and here...I am..." Her heart was thudding in her chest. Had coming here been the right thing to do? Would he ask her to leave? Would he leave?
Bobby was taken aback. He swallowed hard. "Eames... I... You didn't have to come up here, but..." He couldn't send her away. Defeated, he stepped aside. "Come in..."
Alex stepped past him. "Bobby, we're not at work. Alex..."
Bobby swallowed hard. He nodded. He closed the door behind them. Turning to face her. "OK, Alex..." He swallowed hard. He was at a total loss. "I was just...reading. What...did you bring?" He didn't want to even think about the first part she had said.
Alex handed him the basket. "I'm not sure what all she stuck in there. The usuals...some turkey and dressing for sure." Mary Eames knew her daughter liked to eat. She watched as he sat it down. She looked around in the family area of the cabin. She noted the scotch and frowned, but didn't say anything. "I...don't know what you usually eat...at Thanksgiving."
Looking through the baskets, Bobby practically stumbled over his words. "This-this is what I...usually eat. It's...fine..." He couldn't believe she had brought anything at all. He looked up at Alex. "You... You really didn't have to bring all of this food here." He hadn't been sure he wanted anything close to a tranditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Alex turned slowly and frowned. "Do you want...me to leave?"
Bobby lifted his head and met her eyes. "I... No. No, it's fine. I mean, it's your place. I'm the one... I could go."
Alex shook her head. "No." She moved past him. "Enjoy the food, Bobby. I'll go. I shouldn't have come here." Why had she listened to her mother? Why had she humaliated herself like this?
Bobby frowned. His heart jumped a little. He wanted her to stay. Turning to her, he chased after her. "Alex. Alex, wait... I...didn't say... I don't want you to leave."
Alex stopped with her back to him. "I don't know...what I thought would happen when I came here...I was just..." Following my heart.
Bobby swallowed hard. He stepped towards her. "Alex, I... What did you mean when you said you were...following your heart?"
Alex swallowed hard, trying to make her heart slow down. She cleared her throat. "I wanted...to be with you." Her voice was low and soft as she turned to face him. Meeting his eyes, she tilted her head. "I didn't even have to think about where to go when my mother placed the basket in my hands and pushed me out of the house. I needed you."
Bobby took a ragged breath. He searched her eyes. "And I need you..." He closed his eyes. "You're so good for me. You don't even know. I think there are maybe three people I trust anymore, and you're number one. I...want you to stay."
Alex stepped forward, placing her hand to his cheek. "I want to stay too..." she breathed softy.
Bobby closed his eyes, leaning into his touch. He couldn't help himself. "Alex..." His mind was whirling with possibilities. After a moment, he finally snapped out of it. He moved away and grabbed the basket. "Let's get a couple of plates. Do this right."
Her mouth twitched into a smile. She'd been expecting a kiss. She moved behind him. "Plates...right..."
Bobby swallowed hard. He watched her pass him. Closing his eyes, he let out a heavy breath. He grabbed the table and took a couple of deep breaths. He finally grabbed the basket and joined her in the kitchen. "Here we go... We can unload it all..."
Alex started helping him pull things out of the basket. "There is enough in here to feed a whole family..." She trailed off. Bobby was her family. "So...its just enough for us."
Bobby glanced at her. He swallowed hard, hesitating before nodding. "You're right. It...should be just enough..." He tried to give her a small smile. He was struggling with all of this.
Alex filled her plate. She wasn't one of those girls that ate only a little because her man was around. Her man, seriously Eames...get a hold of yourself. She took not one but two rolls. "Did you want to eat in front of the fire?"
Bobby glanced at her. He was filling his own plate. He nodded. "Sure. If that's where you want to eat..." He was still timidly trying to figure out what was going on.
She shrugged and moved back to the fireplace. Settling down on the rug, she sighed softly. "Mom makes a mean pecan pie. She sent us a whole one."
Bobby raised his eyebrows. He moved and sat down beside her. "That's a lot of pie..." He reached over and grabbed his glass of scotch. Nervous, he took a gulp.
"What's with the scotch?" She took a bite as she waited for him to answer.
Bobby shrugged. He sighed softly. "I just wanted some scotch while I was reading."
Alex dug into her mashed potatoes. She noticed that Bobby didn't have any on his plate. "Come on..." She took a forkful. "You have to at least try Beth's potatoes. She'll ask..."
Bobby gave her a small smile. He nodded. "Alright. Alright. I'll try the potatoes."
She moved the fork to his mouth and met his eyes. "They're really good..." she said softly.
Bobby couldn't take his eyes off of her. "I believe you." He took the bite, still not taking his eyes off of her. Swallowing hard, he whispered, "You're right. Those are good."
Alex swallowed hard. He hadn't even really tasted them, just swallowed. She licked her lips. "Yeah?" she asked softly, her fork lowering. She slowly moved her head toward him.
Bobby swallowed hard. He leaned forward, closing the distance. He kissed her. It was short and tentative. Unsure, he pulled back. Meeting her eyes, he was horrified. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." He moved away from her a little, trying to creat distance.
Alex's heart sank. "You didn't want...to kiss me?" Her question was so honest, so innocent.
A/N: We meant to have this up sooner. Sorry for the delay. More chapters to come. We will beupdating Shades of Gray soon as well.