Once again, thanks for all of your kind words and follows. This one is for Shani!
"If you puke in the pond, the fish will probably eat it."
Linka jumps at the voice of an unexpected visitor. She turns to look at him and furrows her brow.
"That is disgusting."
He smiles and puts his jacket around her shoulders.
"Shouldn't you be in bed? I thought you were tired," he says.
"Ever been too tired to sleep? I got to my room and was wide awake. Why are you not in bed?" She asks.
"Because when I laid down, the room started spinning."
"Da...I may have had that happen to me too when I sat down."
"I don't think I've ever seen you drunk before," he says.
"And I have never seen you drunk either...do you...do this often now?"
"Am I a drunk like my dad, you mean?"
"Nyet that is not what I..."
He cuts her off with his explanation,
"I'm not...I was just...thirstier than usual tonight."
Linka thought about Stephanie. She was the reason Linka drank so much...she has probably driven Wheeler to drinking too!
"Da. Me too."
They stand there in silence until Wheeler moves to the railing and looks down into the water. Linka turns around and mirrors his posture leaning on her arms.
"Soooo," he sighs.
"So."
"How are things?" He asks.
"Fine. You?"
"Good."
A moment of awkward silence follows before Linka addresses the elephant in the room...or on the bridge in this instance.
"Your fiancé seems nice," she lies, but trying to make polite conversation.
"Yeah, she seems to like me, so I guess she's a keeper," he half jokes.
"That is good. I am glad you are happy."
"Thanks...what about you? Are you happy?"
"Da."
"Even though you said no to Ivan? Or because you said no to Ivan?"
"You think hurting him made me happy?!" She asks, taking offense.
"No, I meant maintaining your 'single' status. I know how much you like your independence."
"You think I WANT to be alone?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I know that's NOT what you want. That's also why I know that line about not being ready to settle down was total bullshit...that's all you've ever wanted; someone who was ready to be in a serious relationship and settle down. That's why you never gave me a chance, right? You didn't think I was capable of settling down? And now look, I'm the one who's engaged and you're the one who's not ready."
"Are YOU ready? This all seems so sudden. No one even knew you were dating anyone and you show up here…engaged."
"Maybe I met someone who I couldn't live without, so I asked her to marry me…is that so hard to believe? That someone could love me?"
"Nyet, it is very easy to believe that someone could fall for you…I just…never mind."
"Say it," he encourages.
"I do not know how to say it without sounding full of myself."
"You didn't think I'd ever get over you?" He states.
"Which is clearly not true…obviously you have."
"I didn't really have much choice. You were halfway across the world, living a separate life, and seeing someone. I heard things were getting serious…I guess that wasn't true?"
"I do not think Ivan was ready either. I think he was scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Of me coming here...seeing you."
"He was afraid of seeing me? I never even met the guy. Why would he be scared of me?" He asks, his brain still in a bourbon fog.
"He was afraid of ME seeing you."
"Oh?"
"It was only a few days after I mentioned that our Planeteer reunion was coming up that he proposed," she explains.
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"I think he was threatened by you. I sensed his jealousy any time I would ask Kwame about you."
"You asked about me?"
"Da...it was the only way I could find out how you were doing since you kept in touch with Kwame more than me."
"I thought that's how you wanted it."
"What? Why would you think that?!"
Over the years, he's had a million different scenarios run through his head about what his life would be like if he'd gotten his 'perfect goodbye' with Linka, or if they'd kept in touch more frequently. Why was he so scared to reach out to her? Even if they'd only texted, or emailed, or called once in a while, maybe it would have been enough contact to build on...to keep her from falling for someone else.
"You didn't even say goodbye," he finally says.
"Excuse me?"
"When we left Hope Island. You couldn't get away from me fast enough. All those years we were friends...I never hid how I felt...and you couldn't even give me a fucking hug goodbye? Were you that scared that I'd do something stupid, like declare my love?"
"Did it ever occur to you that I could not? I did not know how I was going to say goodbye to you, so I chose not to."
"Well, it hurt like hell. FYI."
"I know. I thought it would be easier, but I regretted it every day. I was hoping things would be different the last time we had a reunion. Then it was you who left without saying goodbye."
"Yeah, but when I left a note for the front desk to deliver to you explaining why I had to leave and giving you my card with my contact information, I never heard from you. I figured you were pissed at me and didn't want to speak to me."
"I never got anything from the front desk! I found out from Ma-Ti that you had left. I would have called you if I had gotten your note or knew your number…I wish you would have told me in person that you were leaving; had a proper goodbye."
"I had to leave at 3am to catch a flight. Didn't want to wake everyone up."
"I would not have minded. I was looking forward to our plans that day. I still have not gotten to see the Eifel Tower."
"Well there it is," he says, pointing to their left. "Now we got to see it together after all."
"Not exactly what I had in mind."
"Maybe we can fit it in this weekend."
She smiles, knowing that he means well, but it will not be the same as it would have been two years ago.
"So, how is the wedding planning going?" She asks, trying to act like it doesn't upset her.
"I've got no say in any of that. Steph is just doing her thing."
"It is your wedding too. You should get what you want."
"Why start now?" He mumbles.
"What?"
"I'm used to not getting what I want," his tone sad and his words holding a double meaning.
"That is not how it should be."
"Yeah...nothing is how it SHOULD be."
"How should it be?"
Before he could over think it and stop himself, he leans in to capture her lips. Despite her initial shock, she begins to respond and allow him to deepen the kiss. Soon she has her arms wrapped around his back and is holding him to her. He has also placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head, keeping them as close as possible. His hand moves downward, over her backside, and down her thigh, slipping beneath the hem of her black skirt and caressing her skin before moving upwards until he reaches the silky garment covering her. She slides her hands up his back to entwine in his hair, tugging gently to get him to pull back slightly.
"Wait..." she says, breathless.
"Don't...don't..." he pleads bending his head to kiss her neck as he attempts to persuade her not to send him away.
She holds his head in place and turns to brush her lips against his ear.
"Not here. Not out in the open. I am not one of those characters in Stephanie's cheesy sex novels."
He straightens up to look at her and takes her face in his hands.
"No, you're definitely not. You're not an object. You deserve to be worshiped."
"I am also not a one night stand."
"Good...cuz I want to spend every night with you," he says, kissing her once again.
"What about your fiancé?"
"She wouldn't even be my fiancé if things had been different the last time we were here. If we'd have gotten to go on our Eifel Tower tour, this would have happened a lot sooner...there's a very good chance YOU'D be my fiancé...at least I hope that's what would have happened. I know you said you weren't ready to settle down..."
She puts her finger against his lips to stop him.
"I would have said yes to you. It has always been you."
She pulls him down for another kiss to confirm her words.
"So are we going back to my room or what?" She asks with a sly smile.
"I thought you'd never ask."
He steps away to allow her to step away from the railing of the bridge, but only long enough to tuck her under his arm and lead her inside.
To Be Continued...