Thanks for your lovely reviews! I LOVE hearing what you have to say! Though I have 12 chapters done, I am constantly changing stuff, so I can't post them all at once. Sorry :( But I hope you enjoy this next installment!
Love never fades. Love never alters. Hearts may get broken, love endures
The rest of the week panned out for them like they planned it. Beryl and Bill stayed in the room, still under the weather. That left Charles and Elsie to fend for themselves, which they had no trouble doing. They sat on the beach, took out the boats, and took long walks together. They read their books together, discussing their favorite parts.
Most of the time, they simply talked. They talked about everything. Small details of their lives, their personalities, and their memories. They had dinner together and spent most of the night dancing in each other's arms. They would always part, reluctantly, before sleeping in their own beds. Saying goodnight was always the hardest part. It would have been so easy to simply forget about who they were and just be one together. But after a few kisses under the moon, they parted.
On they final evening of their vacation, they walked together along the beach, hand in hand. They carried their shoes in their free hand and felt the sand scratch beneath their feet. Both tried to forget it was their last evening.
"What must you have thought of me?" Elsie was laughing as she recalled the time she threw a glass mug at him during a game of Pictionary.
"I thought you were the reincarnation of my mother. She was also very competitive and hated to lose." He laughed along with her. He remembered that day. He purposefully gave away the answer and she was in a state.
Elsie's laughter subsided. "I can't believe I did that! I never feuded with anybody until you. What changed in the past week?"
Charles linked her arm around his as they walked on. "I don't know Els. Maybe deep down all those mixed up feelings of hatred and disdain hid our attraction."
She snorted. "Listen to you, Mr. Philosopher. That is quite the analysis."
He smiled at her. "Plus you could never accept the fact that I have a better sense of humor than you."
She opened her mouth to counter and disentangled their arms. She wound up and smacked his shoulder. He laughed at her defense and held her arms down. He brought his lips to her cheek and then to her temple. She turned to him and brought her arms around his neck. Their lips met and exchanged a deep kiss of devotion and longing.
He moved his mouth to the side and caressed her cheek with his. "There's not much point in pretending it hasn't happened."
She felt tears gather in her eyes. "No, I guess not."
"The question is, what do we do about it?"
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do about it. I can flirt with you all I want. I can say that I want you and that I am in love with you. But when everything is laid in front of us… We're married Charles, I am married and you are married. It is only unfortunate that we are married to other people." Her tears landed on his cheek.
He pulled his head back and cradled her face in his palms. "Elsie, there is something we can do about it."
She squinted her eyes.
"Alice and I…" he paused. "I have asked Alice for a divorce."
Elsie never heard anything about this before, from either of them. "Charles, when was this? Why didn't either of you tell me?"
He shushed her and brought his hands to her upper arms. "I have only discussed it with her. But we have been putting it off for a while, learning to put up with each other."
She tried to let the information sink in. "And how did Alice feel about it?"
Charles sighed, not wishing to return to that previous conversation. "She was alright. Her main concern was, of course…"
"The children," Elsie answered for him.
"Exactly," Charles continued. "Even she admits that we have grown apart and…" Charles paused, "She said she sees no future with us together."
Elsie let out a sad sigh. "What a bloody business."
"Els, I am only telling you this because I love you and to let you know that there is another way to go. I understand if it is not what you want, but I don't think I can put myself or Alice through anything else together. And in light of recent events, I know I cannot go back to how things were before."
She sighed, more tears coming. "Charles, I… I don't know what to do… I could ask for a divorce. I don't think Joe would even bat an eye, but… is this the right choice?"
"I can't answer that for you Els. Please, do what is right for you, not for me or Joe."
She knew how much he loved her, freeing her from his pressure and allowing her to make her own decision. She pulled his mouth to hers. "Charles, please don't leave me tonight."
A sudden blot of adrenaline and anxiety shot through him as her warm breath met his chilled face. "Shh, Els, I won't leave you."
And he didn't.
He walked her back to her room, but the closing door didn't separate them. Once they were through that barrier, he scooped her up in his arms and she pulled his mouth to hers. Luckily he had been to her room before and knew where to proceed to her bed without having to think. He set her down gently at the foot of the bed and continued his exploration of her mouth. She sat up and used her arms to back slowly to the center. He followed straddling and crawling over her body so their kiss never had a means to break.
When she was settled in the center, she leaned her head against the plush pillows and hooked her arms under his and up to his shoulders. His entire body rolled down hers, settling on top. He turned them to the side and her leg immediately wrapped around his hips. She let out a breathless whimper as his mouth left hers, only to travel directly over her chin and down her neck. His path turned left, but was obstructed by her shirt covering her skin.
He told himself to simply move it to the side and continue. Yet, his hands wouldn't comply.
"Els," he pleaded for guidance.
She managed to come to from her trance and recognized his hesitation. She loosened her hold on him and made to remove her shirt, until she looked at him.
They both had with every intention of recreating their last night at the shore, 20 years ago, but their situations were different now. Each belonged to someone else.
They didn't need to vocalize it. They simply disentangled from the other and laid separately, staring at the ceiling.
"I still want you to stay," she said to the ceiling.
He found her hand lying on the sheets and brushed his fingertips over it softly. I will, he silently communicated.
She went into the bathroom and changed into her night shirt. When she came out, he was in his shirt and boxers under the covers. He pulled down her side of the covers and gave her a small smile. She climbed into the large bed on her hands and knees and leaned over to give him a loving kiss. She broke away quickly and curled on her side facing away from him. He shifted comfortably into his place behind her. His arm naturally fell around her waist and his other arm snaked under her head and pillow. She laced her hand with his and snuggled deeper. He was able to place a loving kiss on her shoulder before he fell asleep. This… this was enough.
The next morning, they climbed out of their luxurious bed and shared a few kisses before Charles went to his room to pack.
They met a still queasy Beryl and Bill at the check out desk. Their matching green tropical outfits matched their still nauseated feelings. All were very quiet through the cab ride and walking through the airport terminal. Charles and Elsie were quiet because of their newfound understanding. Beryl and Bill were quiet because they were afraid they would dispense of their light breakfast if they opened their mouths too much.
Charles made sure he chose the seat next to Elsie on the plane. Once again, Beryl and Bill sat well ahead of them.
As the plane took off, Elsie reached for Charles's hand. He gladly let her have it and didn't let go.
The first half of the flight they were mostly silent. Each held their books in their non occupied hand. They soon fell asleep against the other's head. When the plane was scheduled to land in half an hour, they knew they had to talk.
"Els, what do you want to do?" He squeezed her hand.
She had been thinking about this decision more and more over the past day and she thought she had everything straight in her mind. "I think I need some time, Charles. I need at least a week to settle back into everything."
"I understand." And he did understand. This was a big decision in her life and he did not want her to loath him for talking her into the wrong one later on down the road.
"However, when I'm ready and if I feel like a divorce is the best option will you still be here to hold my hand and help me through it?" She desperately needed some security, something she could count on to be there for her.
"Of course, Els. I will be here for you. I don't think I could leave you if I tried." He gave her a reassuring smile and raised her hand to his lips.
The plane landed and they released each other's hand. They said goodbye to Beryl and Bill promising to go somewhere without fish next year. Elsie couldn't help but wonder where she would be in a years time, if her life would be any different.
Charles drove to Elsie's house in silence. Joe's car was in the drive when they arrived. She didn't think she could say goodbye to Charles without making a scene, so she just gave him a half smile. He pulled her case out of the trunk and watched her walk up the drive. She still wore her sun hat. He thought it suited her.
"Joe, I'm back," she called through the house.
"I'm in here, Elsie."
Elsie moved into the living room, towards the voice. "How was Germany?" she asked. He was sitting with his legs crossed on the sofa reading the newspaper.
"Very productive! You would be surprised what clever negotiations one can accomplish in person." Joe was always very proud of his business dealings.
"I am sure you accomplished plenty." He went back to his paper. "I had a lovely time too," she added.
He looked up at her briefly. "That's right, how was the Bahamas?"
"Acapulco," she corrected.
"Yes, that's right, one of those beaches." He chuckled and returned to his paper.
Elsie sat in the chair adjacent to him. "It was quite lovely, Acapulco. The waters were so clear and the beaches were gorgeous."
She was almost positive he wasn't listening. "The hotel had such a fabulous view… Charles and I spent quite a lot of time together… Beryl and Bill got food poisoning, so they were sick all week. Charles and I had to fish alone. We caught a fish as big as my arm, and we named it Claude."
Still no response.
"We were alone together for six days… Alone… Together… And we fell in love, madly in love."
Nothing.
"We had this mad, passionate love affair and it was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me in my whole life!"
She stood in front of him. "Joe have you been listening to anything I'm saying?"
He brought the paper down. "Of course, Elsie. You said you enjoyed the beaches. I am glad for you dear. You deserved a rest."
Elsie turned and lugged her case up the stairs.
Charles was greeted by his two sons at the door, asking what he brought home for them. He pulled out the little Mexican shoes he bought and they were less than thrilled with his gift.
"They were made by real craftsmen. You should see the process it takes to make these."
They thought he should bring them something they could actually play with next time.
Alice rushed passed him.
"Charlie! I forgot you were back today. What a wonderful surprise for the boys." She grabbed her purse and shuffled them out the door. "Alfred has a football game today, so we are off. See you later."
Per usual. He thought to himself. He would have a talk with Alice later that night. She would, of course, want full custody of the kids. Even then, he would still have visiting rights. He would probably spend more time with them than he did now.
He wondered how Elsie was adjusting. Above all, he wanted her to be happy with whatever decision she would make. He just hoped to be a big influence in her ultimate choice.
Elsie settled in her small office on the top floor. She stared up her computer and opened her email account. Over 300 emails. She spaced out for a moment, thinking about her interaction with Joe downstairs. Then she thought about Charles. She opened another tab and typed divorce proceedings.
To anyone who has seen the movie, I completely deviated with their whole backstory and from here on it is much different.