The Weekend

Chapter Five

Reba waited outside of the auto shop as Brock called Barbara Jean to let her know about their unfortunate circumstance. The sun cut through the leaves that danced in the warm breeze, shining on Reba's porcelain skin. She smiled and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warmth on her face. It was only the beginning of September and the leaves were already starting to change in colour. She could smell fall in the breeze, the falling leaves, and she could feel the crisp air as if it surrounded her at that very moment. She loved fall and as she thought about that very fact, she couldn't contain her excitement; she was ready for what was to come. The colours, the beauty, the coolness, all of it. It couldn't come soon enough.

"Barbara Jean took the news better than I thought she would." The bells above the door were music around her for a split second as he walked out of the shop and stood next to her.

Reba tore her eyes away from the tree in front of her and looked at Brock. He ran a hand through his hair which lit up in the rays of the sun. She nodded, surprised that after all the planning that had gone into this trip, Barbara Jean was okay with her two favourite people not making it.

"It was the kids that were upset, I could hear Van whining in the background as he eavesdropped on the conversation." Brock chuckled softly, thinking back to the conversation he had just had moments before.

"Now why doesn't that surprise me." Reba smiled and Brock watched as her hair turned a fiery red in the glow of the sun. God, it didn't matter how many years passed, she would always be just as beautiful as that very first time he laid eyes on her.

"Do you want to walk back to the motel? It's such a beautiful day out, we might as well." He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and gestured to the sidewalk with a nod of his head as he spoke.

"Well, we're stuck here for three more days, we might as well kill some time." Reba stood from the bench that she was seated on and headed towards the sidewalk, Brock following beside her. If she was being honest, it felt sort of weird being alone with Brock. It had been so long since the two had been friends without Barbara Jean or the kids around, she wasn't sure they knew how to anymore. It felt awkward.

"So…" Brock stopped for a moment, what did the two of them talk about when they weren't discussing the kids or Barbara Jean's crazy antics? "How's work been?"

Reba smiled at his hesitation, now she knew he felt it, too. "This is weird, isn't it?"

"You noticed, too?" He gave her a side glance, smiling in relief that he wasn't alone in this.

"Yeah, it's been so long." Reba looked at the cars driving passed the two of them. Those people didn't know their story, they had no idea who they were or that they were divorced and she had to wonder, did the two of them look like a couple in those strangers eyes?

"I know." Silence passed between them for a long moment before Brock spoke again. "But it might be nice to have our friendship back, even if it is for a little while, you know?" Reba nodded at his words, did she ever know. "That's the thing I miss the most, our friendship." He finished his thought and watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"We had some fun times, that's for sure." A smile played on both of their lips as memories ran through their minds. Maybe this weekend wouldn't be as bad as she thought. I mean, it could be worse. She could be stranded here with Barbara Jean.

Twenty minutes had passed as the two walked through the small town and it hadn't taken long at all for them to fall back into the friendship they had once known. They talked about the kids, about Barbara Jean and Broque, about their nosey neighbours, and about life as a whole. They laughed and reminisced about their college days, talked about their old friends and all the crazy situations they had been stuck in back in those days. It felt good, Reba had to admit, to realize all of those things hadn't vanished. They still had their memories, regardless of them no longer being husband and wife.

Before they knew it, they had walked all the way back to their motel. Reba glanced at her watch, it was only 11:30 AM, not even noon yet.

"What the heck are we going to do all weekend? It's not even noon yet!" She looked around to see if she could spot anything worthwhile.

"We passed a cute little café, you hungry?" Brock looked down the street and then back to Reba. They had only had coffee this morning and knowing Reba, her stomach must be growling.

"We've had so much excitement this morning, I almost forgot about food!" She rubbed her stomach, feeling it grumble underneath her palm.

They walked about half a mile before spotting the café they had passed not long ago. It sat nestled between a flower shop and a bookstore. It was subtle, nothing showy enough to catch your eye as you drove passed it, but as Reba looked at it she noticed how cute and quaint it was. It was painted white and it wasn't as tall as the stores beside it. Flowers lined the edge of its window; pinks, reds, and purples, all popping before her eyes. The large window covered most of the front of the building except the white brick surrounding it. A few green vines climbed the bricks and disappeared over the roof.

It was beautiful.

Brock opened the door for her and it chimed as she walked through it, Brock's hand on the small of her back, his warmth igniting a small fire across the skin underneath her tee-shirt. She tried to ignore it, but the more she did, the warmer the fire burned.

"Welcome to Forget Me Not café, I don't recognize you folks so you must be new." The woman greeted them with the biggest smile Reba had ever seen. Her cheeks were plump and pink in colour and her grey hair was tied back in a tight bun. Brock and Reba both smiled and nodded their heads, everyone in this tiny town was so friendly. "The menu is behind me and you order here and then you take a seat and I'll bring it over when it's ready."

Reba read the chalkboard that covered the wall behind the counter. The menu was written in the most beautiful handwriting she had ever seen and she suddenly felt appreciation for the time and money that must've gone into this place.

"Do you know what you want?" Brock said quietly as he leaned into her, his question warm on her ear and she felt his hand press gently against her lower back once again. Reba felt that familiar fire once again and her breath caught in her throat.

"Y-yes." She smiled at the women who waited intently in front of her before finally ordering her meal, Brock doing the same once Reba had finished.

Brock led them to a small table at the back of the café. The table and chairs matched the walls, wearing a warm white which contrasted nicely against the dark hardwood floors. Brock pulled out her chair and Reba sat down and for some odd reason, she felt excitement wash over her. Brock sat across from her and rested his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers as he looked around the small room.

"It's cute, huh?"

"I love it." Her eyes lit up with her words and Brock felt his heart pounding against his ribcage when he saw the smile that followed.

She began to talk as they waited for their food, about what, he wasn't sure. All he could do was watch the woman in front of him. He smiled when she smiled, not because of her words, but because of the beauty that radiated from such a small act. He had forgotten how happy just watching her could make him. He had no wife, no kids, no anyone to worry about seeing the look he knew was in his eyes as he stared at her. He could finally look at her like she's the only person in the room, a habit he had always carried with him. One he had had to supress for so long, but not this weekend. Not right now.

"Alrighty, folks, you're foods ready!" The woman said as she came to a halt in front of their table. Reba smiled at the idea of food and Brock forced himself to tear his eyes away from her.

"Thank you!" Reba sang before the woman walked away. Brock stole one last glance at her, their eyes connecting for a split moment, and they smiled at each other.

What was happening inside of him? He didn't recognize this feeling.

"If you folks are looking for something to pass the time, you should walk down to the waterfront, it's pretty at this time of the year." The woman smiled as she dried the bowl she held in her hand.

"Well, thank you! We just might do that!" Reba gave the woman her best smile before walking out of the little café, Brock close behind her. "Do you want to walk down there?" She adjusted her jacket against her body and looked at Brock.

"Absolutely!" He walked forward eagerly and Reba stepped back, shocked by his response, but quickly followed him. He had been in a weird mood ever since they had sat down at their table and she couldn't help but wonder why.

Before they knew it, the two of them were walking slowly through the park that winded around the lake which moved with the warm breeze. The woman had been right, it was beautiful. The small trees that littered the park were bare, but the pink petals that had once inhabited their bare branches covered the ground below them and it made the park look like it was pulled right out of a fairy-tale. The willow trees danced around them as they followed the sidewalk that curved throughout the green grass.

"Remember that time Cheyenne came home from preschool and told us she had fallen in love?" Brock chuckled to himself as he brought up the memory he knew would cause a smile to spread across her lips.

"Of course I do, 'Mama, I'm in love with a boy!'" She did her best impression of a four year old Cheyenne. "She stood there with her dolly in one hand and her other hand on her hip. God, we should've known back then that she'd be pregnant so soon." Reba cracked and smiled at Brock whose eyes were on the ground in front of him, a smile on his lips.

"Even if we'd known, I don't think I'd change anything. I love that little girl."

"Me, too." Reba stopped walking and leaned against the railing that protected them from falling into the lake. She watched the waves move in synch, appreciation filling her body.

"I would change one thing, though." He stopped walking and stood next her, watching her face as she looked out onto the lake. Her hair blew around her and he could smell her sweet perfume in the breeze as it hit his nostrils.

"Oh?" Reba said absentmindedly as she was only half listening to him, unable to take her attention off of the beauty in front of her.

"The hurt I caused you, my best friend… the love of my life."

Reba slowly turned her head to face him, had he just said what she thought he said? He gently took hold of the hand that fell against her side. He turned it over in his palm and softly ran his thumb across her skin. Reba shivered as she felt the effects of his skin against hers, even if it was an innocent gesture.

Brock interlaced his fingers with hers and tried desperately to look into her eyes. So many feelings had rushed back to him this afternoon and they had fallen out of his mouth before he could even think twice about it. He wanted to look into her eyes, to see how she felt, but all she did was stare down at their hands.

Brock brought his free hand to her chin and gently lifted her face so he could look into those beautiful blue eyes. The look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Before he could stop himself, his hand slid across her cheek to the back of her head and he gently pulled her face to his.

Reba's breathing was heavy and her skin was covered with goosebumps as she felt his fingers tangled in her hair and stared at the lips that were moving slowly towards hers. She wanted to stop him, she knew she had to stop him, but she was frozen, paralyzed, and no matter how hard she tried, her arms wouldn't move.

His lips touched hers and immediately fireworks went off around them. He dropped the hand he was holding and used it to pull her closer into his body. Reba wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips continued to move against each other. The familiarity washed over them and neither was able to stop. They held each other as close as they possibly could. Years had passed, yet nothing had change. They were the Brock and Reba they had always been.

They had been craving this kiss for six years.

A gust of wind billowed through the park, sending the pink petals that surrounded them up in a whirl wind. Time seemed to stop around them and it felt like the world was moving slowly, but just as quickly as the feeling had come, the realization of how wrong it all was followed.

Reba quickly pulled away from his body and broke the kiss. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and Brock washed as the panic rose up inside of her body.

"Reba –"

But before he could speak, she turned and began to walk away quickly.

"Reba!" He shouted and tried to catch up to her, but she only moved faster away from him.

What had she just allowed herself to do?