Liz surreptitiously rubbed her scar nervously as they followed behind the host who was showing them to their table. She was having second thoughts about all of this. What the hell was she thinking? She was on the run. She was pregnant with another man's child. She had baggage that was a mile long. Hell, Thomas didn't even know her real name.
She was startled from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. "Melinda?" They were both waiting for her to sit.
She smiled and mumbled an apology, then let Thomas pull her chair out for her and sat down self-consciously. As she waited for him to sit down across from her, she glanced around the restaurant. It was rustic, but she found that it had a homey feeling to it. She wouldn't mind coming back again if the food was good. The waiter interrupted her thoughts as he asked them something in German. Liz furrowed her eyebrows and looked to Thomas for translation. "He is asking what you want to drink."
"Oh..um, water's fine." Thomas looked at the waiter and spoke quickly to him; he nodded and walked away. Thomas smiled at her and pointed to the menu in front of her. "This is an Italian place. Do you know what you might want to eat?"
Liz pursed her lips, then straightened them out when that made her think of him. She'd been having horrible heart burn the last few weeks, and it seemed to be triggered by anything that had high acidity; like tomatoes and orange juice. "I guess a pizza? But with really light sauce." She rubbed her belly absentmindedly. "The baby doesn't seem to like anything with tomatoes in it."
He half stood up. "I am sorry, Melinda. If I had known that, I would not have brought you here. We can go somewhere else?" He looked crestfallen, and Liz found herself wanting to remove that look off of his face.
She held up her hand. "Thomas sit down, it's fine. I promise I'll be ok." She smiled, and he relaxed and sat back down in his chair. They talked idly for a few more minutes until the waiter returned with their drinks, then Thomas ordered for the both of them.
"So Thomas, tell me about yourself." He took a drink of his own water, then began to tell her anything and everything about himself. He talked with his hands, which she found incredibly endearing, but once again found that it reminded her of him. She found herself tuning Thomas out as her thoughts drifted. Was she ever going to be able to go a minute of her life without associating everything with Red? Why did everything have to remind her of him. It made forgetting him incredibly hard, and she had found herself more than once searching for a plane ticket to return back to the States. She had to do something about it, and Thomas seemed like someone she could possibly have a future with. He was a college graduate, but was a little down on his luck, so that's why he was working at the swimming pool. He was her age, and they had a lot in common.
In other words, he was perfect for her.
"Melinda?" Once again she found herself apologizing for not paying attention.
"Sorry, Thomas. I'm really tired. What did you say?" He nodded and reached over to touch her hand momentarily, then pulled it back and smiled. "I understand. I just say will you tell me about yourself?"
She quickly reminded herself of her back story, then told him as much as she could. The waiter brought their food during the middle of her story, but she continued to talk as they ate. He listened with rapt attention. Nodding his head and laughing where appropriate. She found herself leaning towards him as she spoke, and she realized something. She liked him. A lot. Maybe, just maybe things were going to work out after all.
OOOOOO
Red glanced out of Lucky Sushi's window for about the twentieth time since they'd arrived. "Raymond, what are you looking at?"
Red sighed and picked up a piece of sushi, then put it back down when he realized that he'd lost his appetite. "I think I saw her," he said bluntly. Dembe would find out eventually anyway.
Dembe coughed once, then quickly swallowed his mouthful. "Who? Liz? Where?"
Red nodded and played with the straw in his cup, then tilted his head towards the window. "Across the street, there was a woman leaning against the side of the building. She looked like Liz, but she was too far away. A tall man wearing a red dress shirt greeted her soon after and they went inside." He sighed and took his sunglasses off. "Dammit, I don't know if it was her though. Maybe I want it to be her so badly that my mind is playing tricks. That's why I didn't make a big deal out of it."
Dembe stood up abruptly and walked out of the restaurant without another word. Red pursed his lips and watched as the man crossed the road. He sighed and threw some cash on the table, then picked up his fedora and sunglasses and followed Dembe outside. He didn't cross the street though, and instead leaned against the car and watched his bodyguard scope out the place. Dembe sat down on a bench just far enough away from the entrance of the restaurant so that people coming out wouldn't be able to see him, then made himself comfortable.
Red slid into the driver's seat of his car and made himself comfortable as well; they might be there for a while.
OOOOOO
Liz and Thomas sat for another hour talking. They had a lot to talk about, and there were never any awkward silences between them. The food had been good, but the company even better. It felt like they had known each other for years, not for a couple of weeks.
Thomas glanced at his watch and grimaced. "I am sorry, Melinda, but I have to go to my other job in an hour." He also worked for his father's plumbing business. He'd told her he didn't mind it, but it didn't sound appealing to her at all.
She reached over and put her hand on his. "Don't worry about it, we can do this again sometime soon."
He smiled and turned his hand around to take hers in his. She squeezed it once, then pulled it away and stood up slowly and reached her hands around to massage her lower back as Thomas stood up and walked around the table to her. He held out his elbow for her to take, and she found herself sliding her hand in the crook of his elbow without hesitation.
They walked out of the restaurant and stopped on the sidewalk in front of the small building. He turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you for eating with me. I had good time."
She smiled and nodded. "Thank you for asking, and I had a good time too."
They stood there smiling at each other for a few more moments, then he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He didn't pressure her for more, and pulled away seconds later. She felt a small flutter in her stomach; she hadn't had that feeling since she'd last seen Red.
He ran his hands down her arms softly, then took a step back and said with concern, "Are you sure you ok to walk home? You won't let me walk you home?"
She shook her head. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
He sighed and took another step back. "Ok, if you're sure. Will you text me and let me know you make it home safely?"
She nodded, "Yes, of course." She made a shooing motion with her hands. "Now go. You don't want to be late."
He grinned widely and waved, then turned and walked the opposite direction of her apartment.
She took a deep breath and let the smile fall from her face. As much fun as she had with him, and as much as she was attracted to him, he still came up short when compared to Red. She hated herself for thinking that, but she couldn't lie to herself. When he kissed her, memories of her and Red kissing came to the front of her mind and she couldn't push them away. Found herself not actually wanting to forget those few precious moments between them. She wasn't being fair to Thomas, but maybe with time she could learn to love him as she did Red.
She didn't believe that for a moment, even in her own head.
OOOOOO
Red watched as the couple walked out of the restaurant an hour later. He was bored and tired, and found that his patience was at the end of its rope. He leaned forward in the seat and watched as the man put his hands on her shoulders, then lean down to kiss her moments later. He felt a surge of jealousy in his gut, even though he didn't know for sure that it was Liz. The man pulled away, then eventually walked off in the opposite direction.
Red snorted to himself. The man didn't walk her home. What kind of gentleman was he?
The woman stood there for a moment, then turned the opposite way and began walking down the crowded sidewalk. Red watched Dembe stand up and cross the street back to the car. He slid in the passenger side with an unreadable expression on his face. "Well?"
Dembe shifted and scrunched his face before turning to look at Red. "It is her."
Red closed his eyes. His mind was reeling. That proverbial cracked floor beneath him was beginning to fall away piece by piece. He felt like he'd been sucker punched, and wished Dembe would have done that instead; that would have been preferable. Liz. His Lizzie was not only on the run, but was trying to move on from him. While pregnant with his child. He slammed his fists into the steering wheel as hard as he could. "Dammit!"
Dembe placed a hand on his shoulder, probably more to prevent him from hurting himself further, than for comfort. "What are you going to do, Raymond?"
Red dropped his fists from the steering wheel. "I'm going to follow her home and have a nice little chat with her."
Dembe shook his head. "Are you sure that's the best course of action?"
Red looked at him sharply. "What the hell would you have me do, Dembe? Let her fall in love and have another man raise MY child? No. There's no way in hell that's going to happen."
"I am not saying you should let her do that, but I do not think we should confront her as she's returning home. We need to find out where she lives first, then when she leaves, we can break in and talk to her her when she returns. You do not want to scare her too badly."
Red's eyes softened. "No of course not, Dembe." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We'll do it your way." He turned the car on and pulled out into traffic; he spotted Liz right away and knew he had to be careful following her. She couldn't see him yet.
OOOOOO
Liz glanced over her shoulder again for the fifth time in as many minutes. She felt like something was off, but she didn't see anything suspicious, and attributed her paranoia to her hormones. She had a doctor's appointment to find out the sex of the baby in thirty minutes and needed to hurry home; she hadn't planned on spending so much time with Thomas.
She reached her apartment without incident and quickly changed her clothes, then pulled her hair into a ponytail. Five minutes later she was out the door and walking towards the bus stop.
She'd been to this doctor once and liked her ok. She didn't ask questions about why she was alone, and she appreciated that.
The bus ride was uncomfortable. There were so many people stuffed inside that she felt like she was going to be suffocated, or at least sat on. She'd always had a fear of enclosed spaces, stemming from some childhood trauma that she couldn't remember. A thin sheen of sweat broke out over her forehead and she prayed that the bus ride wouldn't be too much longer.
OOOOOO
Red watched Liz walk inside a door of a two-story apartment. They were in an older part of town, but the apartment was well-kept and the streets were clean. He was glad she'd been able to find somewhere decent to stay.
Five minutes later they watched as she walked back outside and made her way towards what he presumed to be a bus stop; he wished that he could offer her a ride, but he was pretty sure she'd decline.
He smirked at the thought, then parked the car and turned to Dembe. "I think I should go in alone, Dembe."
Dembe shook his head. "I think I need to be there to protect you." He quirked his lips.
Red huffed a quiet laugh. "You're probably right, my friend. You can come for the beginning, but I'm going to need you to leave when we talk."
Dembe nodded. "Of course."
They both stepped out of the car at the same time and made their way over to her apartment, then Red watched Dembe pull out the tools needed to break in.
OOOOOO
"It is a boy." The doctor smiled at her and pulled the wand away from her belly. "Congratulations."
Liz smiled in thanks..but her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She didn't know how she felt about having a boy. Everything about her little boy would remind her of him. She would be tempted to dress him smartly like his father. He would probably have his smile, his broad shoulders; would walk the same way, and have his eyes. The pain in her heart was so great at that moment that she wondered if she was having a heart attack.
"Melinda, are you ok?"
She opened her eyes to see the doctor looking down at her with concern. She nodded and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I'm fine..just happy. Thank you Dr. Malsbenden."
She smiled kindly and patted her shoulder. "We will need to see you in six weeks. Call if you need anything."
She agreed, then watched her walk out of the room to attend to her other patients. She wiped her belly with some paper towels, then pulled her shirt down and sat on the edge of the table. She felt a little sick to her stomach, and knew it was partly because of the bus ride over, but the other part was because she'd been so sure that she was having a girl; she knew having a boy would be painful.
She sighed quietly and opened the door, then made her way to the receptionist to make another appointment.
OOOOOO
Red fidgeted nervously as he sat in the corner of Liz's couch. They'd been sitting in her apartment for a couple of hours, and he wondered if she had gone back to that man who she'd been with earlier; he sincerely hoped not. Dembe sat quietly behind him on the piano bench. They hadn't spoken a word to each other for at least an hour.
Red was just about to stand up and find something to drink when he heard a key rattle in the door lock. She was here. He sat up and smoothed his tie down, then placed his fedora and sunglasses on the cushion next to him.
The door opened and sunlight spilled across the tan carpet, then disappeared just as quickly. The living room light switched on, and he looked up to see her standing there with her hand over her mouth staring at him; she hadn't made a sound.
He tried to smile. "Hello, Lizzie."
AN: I'm overwhelmed by the response to this fic. Thank you so much for all the reviews..I truly do appreciate them. I know this was kind of a filler chapter, and I apologize for that, but next chapter we'll finally see the confrontation. Special thanks to my friend FrostyFingers for her help with all things German. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. Have a great day. :)