The Room, Unslept in
A/N: Time for Chapter 31! This chapter focuses on the three songs Angela and Tony selected together for their respective CDs.
PS – I don't own any of the characters from Who's the Boss? I also don't own the song(s) I use in this story. I also don't own the dialogue I sometimes use in the chapters. I've tried to pick songs that remind me of Tony & Angela and their relationship. If you'd like to hear them, check out YouTube or Spotify – you can find just about everything there.
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Chapter 31: Once Upon a Honeymoon, VIII, The Story of Us, Part 7
Thursday, July 8th, 1993 (continued)
They'd gotten through the emotional reveals of each other's songs. There had been occasion to reflect, laugh, and cry at the music that was selected. They were ready to move on to the next portion of their discovery. This was the song reveal of the same three songs they had selected to be on both of their CDs. The only variation were the liner notes where each of them wrote their sentiments telling each other why they wanted that song to be included.
The notes were going to be longer than the previous notes written since they were songs that both felt so strongly about and were significant enough to have exacted a profound impact on their lives together. They'd agreed that this time they'd both read the liner notes to each other and then listen to the song. There weren't any secrets this time since they'd both spent an exhaustive amount of time picking out the tracks. They'd gone back and forth many times selecting the song and then deciding it wasn't quite right for them and then selecting something else.
"We can keep the same order, Angela. I'll read first, then you can, and then we'll listen to the song unless you want to go first," suggesting that he wasn't committed to that choice. He could see her eager brown eyes looking at him telling him she wanted to go first this time.
As expected, she then voiced that choice. "Tony, I'll go first this time," she told him with excitement in her voice. Clearly, she wanted to read Tony's thoughts for each song and was too impatient to wait any more.
They both picked up their respective liner notes from the coffee table. Angela cleared her throat and started to read what Tony had written for her about their first selected song.
"Can't Fight this Feeling, by REO Speedwagon
Angela, there was no way this song couldn't be on our CD. This song describes our first seven years together. Sometimes I'd be driving with all of us in the car. This song would come on the radio. I'd look in the rearview mirror, and I'd see the kids looking at each other with a 'knowing' look in their eyes that told each other they got what they were hearing in the song, wondering if the two of us would ever figure it out. I'd hear the words and wonder if you were listening, too, wondering what you were thinking about when you heard the lyrics. I'd secretly glance over at you to see if I could see anything change in your eyes or your face, but you were very good at hiding it if you did. Every single word of this song describes our years together until I finally told you that I was in love with you. I couldn't fight the feeling anymore. As I recall, I couldn't fight the feeling and those kisses we got to share when we did let our guards down and give in to our feelings on the occasions we did.
My life was a whirlwind from the time you opened your door to me – and Samantha. Never in my life would I have expected to become a housekeeper for some bigtime ad executive. You changed everything about my life. You gave me and my little girl a home and a family. I couldn't help falling in love with you. You were the woman I didn't know I needed until I met you and learned everything there was to know about you. I'll never know why I resisted letting you know how I felt (when I was conscious). The only thing I do know is that the road we took to get here was paved with everything you can experience in life as a family and a couple. On the night of the carnival, when I did tell you I was in love with you, I was so happy it was finally out in the world. (I'm sorry again that I screamed it). I couldn't fight my feelings of love I had for you any more. I could not live my life without loving you openly and completely any more. I had nothing to be afraid of Angela, you are my everything."
"Tony, that's soooooo beautiful," Angela practically squealed at him. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a big, squeaky kiss on his cheek. He turned and reciprocated with a big, passionate kiss on her lips that almost sidetracked them away from going forward with their songs.
"Now it's my turn to read what you wrote to me about this song," Tony told Angela as he plied himself away and regained his composure. Tony was now getting impatient to read what Angela wrote to him about this special song.
"Go ahead, Sweetheart" Angela encouraged as she turned around with her back to the pillows on the couch and cozied up to Tony putting her feet back up on the pillows on the coffee table. Tony turned the page to Angela's notes and started to read out loud.
"Can't Fight this Feeling, by REO Speedwagon
Tony, this song was destined to be on our CDs. I remember when I heard it the first time and associated it with us. Sometimes I'd feel my face grow hotter wondering if you could tell I was thinking about us when this song played on the radio. It seemed like we couldn't get in the car or sit in our kitchen without hearing this song played, almost like we were being spoken to by the radio. I often wondered if Mother had called the radio station to tell them to keep playing it just in case we were driving somewhere."
Tony couldn't help snicker at Angela's comment knowing how much Mona kept trying to push them together. He could see her starting to blush as he was reading and started to softly laugh. How he loved to see how he could still affect her like that. He took his hand and raised it to caress her now warm, red cheek. Then he continued. "Sometimes I could even hear the kids giggling in the back of the car when this song was on.
When I was at the jewelry store on our anniversary and the jeweler suggested I keep the watch blank, it was then that I knew I had to tell you my feelings even if it was an engraving on a watch. I'd kept my feelings to myself for so long – well, except for a few uninhibited moments when we couldn't resist each other and when I screamed my feelings to the whole household at the top of my lungs. It became more and more the normal way we acted towards each other all these years, and both of us wound up hurt more than we should have been. This song highlights all the wondering about the reluctances and fears keeping my feelings for you to myself for so long. I was so relieved taking your watch home with me. I was so ready to let you know how I felt. There wasn't anything we hadn't gone through by that night (well, except for the baby). I had to let you know that I wanted to love you with all my heart out in the open. I couldn't fight my feelings for you any more. You were so much more than my best friend. Tony, you are my everything."
"Angela, I love this. We do think alike, don't we? This is a perfect song for us. Maybe your mother did call the radio station – or …. maybe it was our kids that called knowing when we'd be in the car."
"Tooooony – I never thought of that," Angela said with emphasis reflecting back on those years. "They did know when we'd be in the car. They always picked the radio stations, too," Angela recalled out loud. "We can't say they weren't rooting for us from the beginning," causing Tony to add with tenderness, "Chez Rene!"
Angela giggled and looked up at her husband squeezing his hand.
Tony hit Play on the remote, and they heard the familiar whirring of the CD player as the first of their three hand-picked songs started to play. They enjoyed listening to REO Speedwagon sing this song thinking back to those awkward car rides when this song could be heard repeatedly or when they'd see it on MTV as the kids watched the video in their living room.
The song soon concluded, and Tony hit the Pause button as Angela hurried to say, "Tony, let's go on to the next song."
Angela took the liner notes and noticed a Post-It note on the next page. Several weeks before, Tony and Angela knew they wanted this next song on their CD. They couldn't agree on who's version of the song they should select, so they decided to let Jon and Peter's team decide based on which version they got copyright releases for first. The Post-It note had some hand-writing on it from one of Jon and Peter's staff members that told them that both clearances came in on the same day, so they got the gift of receiving both versions on their CDs much to their surprise.
"That's great, Tony. We get to listen to the versions we each like the best." Then Angela started reading what Tony wrote for her.
"Can't Last a Day Without You, by The Carpenters / Barbra Streisand
"What an appropriate song for how I feel about being with you, Angela. I couldn't last a day without you. The two months we were apart were a daily struggle for me. I felt like I was dragging myself through every activity I was doing. I missed your touches, your smile, our dancing, our deep friendship, and most of all, I missed our deep connection and being able to love you. I had only been in Iowa for a few months, but as great as I was treated out in Iowa, everyone was still a stranger to me while my family was back home in Connecticut. I didn't have any history with those people.
I should have known better than to stay out in Iowa without you. Angela, you remember when Mona moved to New York City to help Uncle Cornelius run the hotel, and I moved into her apartment? I was so homesick being there without you. I was sitting on my couch watching repeats of Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza by myself. Philly thought I was crazy. But I was missing our friendship which was so important to me, and I missed our nightly chats in the kitchen over tea. You were only 10 feet away, and it still wasn't close enough. There was an emptiness that I wasn't ready to admit to yet, but I missed being a part of your life every day. I missed living under the same roof as you. I was so happy when you asked me to move back into the house.
As they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.' When I woke up in the morning and you weren't there any more, I did the best I could to make sure those kids got the best professor and coach I could be, but my heart wasn't there any more. I need you by my side for the rest of my days. I had to come home to be with you. I need to be married to you."
"Angela, I meant what I said the night I came home. I want to be with you for the rest of our lives, and, no, I couldn't last a day without you."
"Tony, it's funny that you mention moving into Mother's apartment. The night you were supposed to be out with Philly, he came over and suspected something was going on with us. He asked me if we were doing 'the horizontal mambo.'"
Tony burst out laughing as Angela confessed what Philly had asked her. "Yeah, he really thought I was crazy watchin' those old TV shows instead of wanting to be out with some of those girls he wanted to set me up with."
Tony and Angela put their heads together and intertwined their hands. "We were both homesick for each other," Tony said picking up their hands to kiss Angela's hand.
When Tony turned the page of his liner notes, he found the same Post-It note that Angela had found on hers. He began to read what Angela had written to him.
"Can't Last a Day Without You, by The Carpenters / Barbra Streisand
Tony, I did live without you for two months, and no, no, no, I can't last a day without you. Those were two of the most miserable months I've ever gone through as an adult. I felt like I was walking around in a fog. The pain I felt from you not being around every day was gut wrenchingly painful. I was discombobulated. I lost my best friend. I lost everything we had worked towards for almost eight years. Nothing was the same after coming home. I lost the comfort and coziness you brought to me and our home. I lost our conversations. I lost those wonderful meals and food you cooked for me (I had to throw that in, Tony!). I lost the companionship I treasured. I lost the greatest love I've ever had in my life. And I was living with knowing I was the one who left Iowa. I was living with the guilt of leaving you. It wasn't the smallest of dreams not coming true anymore, it was the biggest dream I'd had for the longest time – loving you and being married to you.
But it wasn't the first time I had to live without you. Tony, the time you had to leave because I was trying to save my marriage, there was something happening that I couldn't put my finger on yet; something that left me so mixed up. I missed you – genuinely missed you, and you hadn't lived with us that long yet. You had become part of my daily life. I was so, so confused then. I felt a loss of contentment that I didn't know I felt until you weren't there any more.
Tony, until you came into my life, I had to present myself as being stoic and conservative – always on in a man's working world. I spent so much time building my career and climbing the corporate ladder. Tony, I was (and am) a strong businesswoman, but I was not a strong woman when it came to personal relationships. I didn't know what it was like to have a happy home that I wanted to come to at the end of the day and a man waiting for me that supported me and my career fully. You changed all that for me. You brought a joy to me that made me want to rush home at the end of the day. You were the friendly face on the person who cared about what I did during the day. You never stopped supporting me or my son. You even helped me enjoy going on vacations. I had so many reservations about hiring a man to be my housekeeper, but you became so much more than a housekeeper to me so quickly. You became a surrogate father to Jonathan, and you became the best friend I ever had. You brought me a feeling of serenity when I spent time with you. Then you became the man I loved so deeply. I found my soulmate in you. I learned that I want to go through this life with you by my side every single day. Nothing less will ever be enough for me. Not being with you left me broken-hearted and incomplete. I couldn't last a day without you."
An overwhelming desire to be closer to Tony came over Angela. She got up and moved to sit on Tony's lap again placing kisses all over his face. It didn't take long for him to join her in this very pleasant diversion and started kissing her, too.
In between the kisses, Angela took the remote from Tony's hands and hit Play. They remained in their embrace as their second song played. The reality of almost losing it all never far from both of their minds hit again as the song's lyrics resonated through their quiet hotel room. The song ended with Tony and Angela remaining in a deep embrace as they let their solemn emotions fully wash over them.
They both detached from each other and said in unison, "Thank you for those beautiful words." Then they both laughed while Angela turned the page of the liner notes to the song that helped bridge the chasm between the two of them back in the Autumn of 1990. It had been the most difficult time they had spent together up to that point in their confused relationship. But a magical night at the Starlight Ballroom and a chance meeting with Nick and Jenny and listening to their World War II love story started to bring them back together. And it was this song that had been that opening to rebuilding their relationship into something less ambivalent. It was the first time they had spoken about their relationship since that fateful night in May of 1990. It had been the first time they had danced together since that turbulent time as well.
Angela looked up at Tony before starting to read the liner notes.
"It Had to be You, by Frank Sinatra
Angela, it started with a kiss at Make Out Rock. I never forgot that kiss I shared for 57 seconds with a beautiful blonde with braces named "Ingrid."
It was you who welcomed me into her home, giving a broken ballplayer and fish truck driver and his daughter a home he never thought he'd have and trusted him to manage her home and help raise her son despite having an awkward first night together.
It was you who gave me a peek of herself coming out of a tub that I could never get out of my mind once I saw that vision of perfection.
It was you who played hoops with me that night you were supposed to be dining with someone else, giving me a chance to get to know you better.
It was you who helped heal my broken heart after losing one of the most important people in my life. It was you who helped me clean out my father's apartment and started to make me believe I could have genuine feelings of love for another woman.
It was you who became a surrogate mother to my daughter, giving her a female role model she looks up to with so much respect. You were the first person to buy her the first fancy pre-teen outfit she ever had.
It was you who I woke up with after a night of scary movies feeling so normal that I didn't realize that we weren't supposed to be in bed together. By the way, that was some sexy, revealing nightgown you had on, too.
It was you who drove around in your red jag looking sexy as hell after I made the decision to have it painted that color against your wishes. Thank you again for not firing me.
It was you who kissed me in the kitchen after our flour fight, igniting a passion I hadn't felt or expected in such a long time.
It was you who made me realize I wanted someone I could talk to instead of someone to wait on me. You were my Meryl Streep.
It was you who I found waiting for me as I arrived for Valentine's Dinner when we were set up by Jonathan. I never wanted that dinner to end – only the indigestion from eating all that food.
It was you who welcomed my friends into her home to play poker and then joined in the game like one of the gang, giving me the chance to see that opposites can live in each other's world.
It was you who got me to the hospital in time to remove my burst appendix. It was you that I told I love that same night of our second anniversary, and I meant it.
It was you that I was marrying when I was deep in thought reflecting at the Ferguson wedding, a view I could never unsee again.
It was you who bought me my baseball card back not knowing I sold it so I could buy you something wonderful for Christmas further capturing my heart.
It was you who had my baby girl's portrait painted because you wanted to thank me for helping you start your own advertising agency. It was you who spoke those beautiful words to me during your speech during that celebration.
It was you I climbed up to your bedroom window for to keep you from marrying someone else because I truly feared that I would lose you if you did.
It was you who I kissed in the van after your date with Jake the Snake because I wanted to help you finish your list but also because I wanted to kiss you, and it gave me an excuse to.
It was you who I shared so many romantic dances with because they were the only way I could hold you and not get questioned by anyone.
It was you who I wanted to buy pink roses for every day, and not for the House, but because I knew they were your favorite.
It was you I told my family that I'd marry someday to keep peace in my family, but somewhere deep in my heart wished it to be true.
It was you who inspired me to take a risky leap and go to college changing my life again because you believed in me.
It was you I wanted to recreate a prom for because you deserved a happy memory instead of the awful one you were left with by that Bigelow kid.
It was you who made me the proudest man when you helped my grandfather become a citizen of this country.
It was you who made me throw a cold glass of water on myself after playing footsies with me in our kitchen because, yeah, it did have an effect on me.
It was you who bought me a car for my birthday because you cared so much that I had something so special, making me believe I had truly changed my life for me and my daughter by becoming a Connecticut father.
It was you who sat with me on a bench making out with in Jamaica and told me you didn't care what I did for a living confessing your love for me without telling me you loved me. It was you I said that I saw in my future.
It was you who sat on a fire escape in Brooklyn looking at me like you were lost in love.
It was you who gave me a passionate kiss to demonstrate what that weirdo did to you that I still wish your mother hadn't walked in on.
It was you who helped me cope with empty nest syndrome when Samantha started college and left our home.
It was you who decided it was okay to take in a child who was not yours to raise as ours. It was you who forgave me for my stupid, horrible betrayal that should never have happened. Thank you again and again and again.
It was you who sat in a swan with me on the night we finally confessed our love to each other starting a make-out session I never wanted to end.
It was you who gave me one of the most magical nights of my life and loved me so completely on a night I'll never forget making love to for the first time. And like you said to me so many years ago, I did remember it and always will.
It was you who asked me to marry you when it should've been me doing the asking. We were still engaged, and it made me the happiest man on earth knowing you'd be my wife.
It was you who was so patient with me during my last year of college dealing with so many changes in my life that I didn't behave the way I should've with you. I'm so sorry for taking you for granted.
It was you who sacrificed your own happiness so I could live my own dreams.
It was you that I had to come home to because I couldn't live without you. My dreams didn't mean anything without by my side.
Angela, it had to be you … it was always you. I wouldn't be the me who I am right now without you. I am a better person because I have you to love me. Happy Wedding Day to my Soulmate. Love, Tony"
"Tony, I am overwhelmed by what you wrote," Angela cried. Tony reached over and handed her some tissues to wipe the tears running down her cheeks. He also took a tissue and dabbed it on her cheek to help.
"Angela, once I started writing, the words came racing out of my mind. I love you so much."
"Thank you, Tony. I hope you like what I wrote for you. I kind of wrote it in the same style," she told him surprising him.
"I should've known since we are soulmates," Tony whispered to her giving her a kiss on her now dry cheek.
After taking a deep breath, Angela told Tony that it was time for him to read what she wrote. He turned the page of the liner notes noting that her notes were as long as his were, to which Angela added with excitement in her voice, "Go ahead and start." Tony cleared his throat and took a quick drink of water. Then he began reading out loud Angela's love notes to him.
"It Had to be You, by Frank Sinatra
Tony, it started with a kiss at Kissing Rock. I never forgot that kiss I shared with a cute, brown-haired Italian boy named "Anthony."
It was you I took a chance on hiring as my housekeeper and a much-needed male influence for my son never in all my thinking that it could lead to the greatest love I've ever known.
It was you who I accidentally gave a peek of herself to that I could never get out of my mind once I saw your reaction.
It was you that I knew needed help cleaning out his father's apartment because you were having difficulty saying good-bye to him. I knew that's what a friend should do. And it was you who grabbed me the next morning at Christmas to dance the Lindy with becoming the first time we ever danced together.
It was you who had my Jag painted red after telling him I wanted it painted Sandlewood yet couldn't fire because I had become so attached to you already.
It was you who I missed when I tried to save my marriage and discovered you were no longer going to work for me and left.
It was you who I woke up with after a night of scary movies feeling so normal that I didn't realize who I was in bed with at first.
It was you who became a surrogate father to my son, giving him a male role model he looks up to who helped him become the confident young man he is now so ready for college.
It was you I kissed in the kitchen after our flour fight lighting a fire in me that I had never experienced in my life before and jumping to the conclusion we had slept together and not minding. You told me the next morning if that should ever happen, I'd remember it; believe me, I remember it.
It was you who wanted to support me in my custody fight for Jonathan making me realize I was so lucky to have your support because of how much you loved Jonathan, too.
It was you that I hoped saw me as your Meryl Streep when you thought about wanting a different kind of woman in your future.
It was you who came waltzing into Chez Rene when Jonathan set us up. It was one of the most fun nights out I had in a long time, and you were the reason for that. I didn't want that night to end.
It was you whose friends I welcomed into my home to play poker and then joined in the game like I was one of those friends, giving me the chance to see that opposites can live in each other's world.
It was you that told me that you loved me the night your appendix burst the night of our second anniversary, and I couldn't deny that I loved you back when confronted with the question by my own mother.
It was you who got me fired from my job and inspired me to take one of the biggest risks in my life and start my very own advertising agency changing my life again because you believed in me and supported my career and made me believe I could do it.
It was you that I was marrying when I was deep in thought at the Ferguson wedding, a view I could never unsee again and never forgot the joy I felt when I saw you standing in front of me knowing you were going to be my husband.
It was you who bought me a gorgeous Tiffany vase ("vozz") because you sacrificed your only baseball card so you could give me something special for Christmas. You were always sacrificing for others, and it's one of the things that made me fall in love with you.
It was you who I celebrated for convincing me to open my then in-the-black advertising agency. It was you I wanted to share my thoughts with in front of the family.
It was you who knew that pink roses were my favorite because I had told you they were my favorites once before. ONCE BEFORE!
It was you who climbed up to my bedroom window and wrote "ON" my window so I wouldn't marry someone I didn't love. You were right, you do have to feel these things.
It was you who kissed me in your van after my date with Jake the Snake because you wanted to help me finish my list but also because I wanted you to kiss me, and it gave me an excuse to let you.
It was you who I shared so many romantic dances with being the only way I could hold you and not get questioned by anyone.
It was you who I admitted to loving to my psychiatrist because I was in fear I was going to lose you to someone else who came from the same place you did.
It was you who told your family that you'd marry me someday, and somewhere deep in my heart wished it to be true and gave me the biggest smile I'd had in a long time.
It was you who recreated my prom giving me one of the most romantic memorable nights of my life. How I never wanted that night to end! It could've ended another way, and I would've let it happen.
It was you who I yelled that I loved in my sleep; it was you who I wished for when I blew out my birthday candle at Joe's Tiki Bar.
It was you who wrote a silly poem for me that I still adore to this day and keep framed in our bedroom.
It was you I bought a Jeep for his birthday because I knew you needed something new to represent your new life in Connecticut.
It was you who sat with me on a bench in Jamaica that I told I didn't care what you did for a living because I was already so deeply in love with you. That Hot, Hot, Hot dance was to make you feel hot, hot, hot. I saw it had the desired effect.
It was you I helped cope with empty nest syndrome when Samantha started college and left our home. I was still your best friend, and I knew you needed support. I missed her, too.
It was you that I made the decision for that it was okay to take in a child who was not mine to raise as both of ours. He reminded me so much of you.
It was you I forgave the betrayal. I don't want to add any further words to this.
It was you I gave a watch to letting you know it was finally time to tell you I loved you after so many years and who sat in a swan with me on the night you told me you loved me, too.
It was you who drove my Jag into a lake because you were so ready to be "uncorked." I was, too. I had waited so long to be with you. I didn't want to wait any more.
It was you who gave me everything and loved me so completely on a night I'll never forget making love to the first time. You once told me that you wanted me to remember it, and I will forever.
It was you who I became engaged to making one of my happiest dreams come true.
It was you that needed my patience during your last year of college dealing with so many changes in your life.
It was you that I decided to sacrifice my own happiness for because you had given me almost a decade of support for everything I had done in my life and you deserved the same from me.
It was you that I missed so much because you were a part of me I could no longer live without. It was you who gave up so much to come home to me – to us - and our beautiful future together.
Tony, it had to be you … it was always you. I am a better person because I have you to love me. Happy Wedding Day to my Soulmate. Love, Angela"
"Angela, thank you for these beautiful memories. I loved the moments you picked out for your notes. There were so many to choose from."
"There were," Angela wholeheartedly agreed with him. They gave each other a kiss.
They realized it was time to listen to the song, so Tony started the last song on the CD. They were deep in thought as they listened and remembered their years together and how much they truly belonged together. Then the music came to an end, and Tony and Angela sat quietly with their hands locked together as the CD whirred to its end and clicked itself off.
"Wow, Tony that was some experience! What a gift Peter and Jon gave us. It seems like it was a continuation of our talk on the beach from last week." Angela took a deep breath and then let it out. "I think we should send them a thank you gift for this."
Tony nodded agreeing with Angela confirming to her, "I agree, Angela, and I wouldn't trade this day for anything. We need to keep talking to each other and never let anything simmer inside to the point we do something we regret."
They continued to sit in comfortable silence on the couch. Angela rested her head on Tony's shoulder, and Tony rubbed her stomach tracing little delicate circles with his fingers around the small baby bump. Neither of them was in a rush to change positions or get up from their intimate hold on each other.
About 15 minutes later, Tony heard Angela's stomach grumble. Not even five seconds later, Tony's stomach joined in the stomach rumbling duet. They both laughed.
"Angela, let's call Room Service and get some salads and fruit for dinner. I'm too tired to go out tonight. Then maybe we can catch a movie on TV and get to bed early tonight. What would you like to do tomorrow?"
"That sounds like a good plan, Tony. I'm too tired to go out of this room again today, too. Listening to our CDs really drained me emotionally. For tomorrow, how about we take a walk through Central Park again, sit on the benches and people watch, and visit Central Park Zoo. I love the seals and haven't had the chance to go through the Zoo in ages. Practice … maybe … for taking the baby next summer?" she whispered in Tony's ear. Even though they kept promising each other they wouldn't focus on the baby, it was getting harder not to. Angela's mid-section was becoming more noticeable just in the week they'd been in the city.
Within the hour, Room Service had delivered two Chicken Ceasar salads and a fruit salad they shared. Ice water was replenished in glass pitchers wrapped in blue cloth napkins keeping the condensation from running onto the table.
After the empty dishes and food cart were collected, they both changed into comfortable nightwear and sat down on the couch. Tony grabbed the TV remote and started flipping through the channels.
They finally settled on Pride of the Yankees with Gary Cooper and Theresa Wright playing on TNT and cuddled into each other while the movie played. After a little while, Angela got restless and reached for the remote and started flipping through the channels.
"Don't you want to watch the movie, Ange?"
"No, this one is too sad to keep watching right now, let's see what else is on."
Angela flipped the channels finally settling on a baseball game playing on TBS. She looked up at Tony and rubbed his arm, "Look, Tony, your old team is on." Angela had seen Tony's baseball card and uniform enough to recognize the team on the screen in front of her, a far cry from the sports knowledge she exhibited before Tony and Samantha's arrival.
"Wonder who they're playin'," Tony pondered out loud as the screen went to a commercial before Tony got a look at the scores on the screen.
When the game came back on, Tony recognized the team the Cards were playing as the Atlanta Braves. "This should be a good game, Angela. The Braves have built up quite a team over the past few years. Sure you want to watch? Do you want me to call down for some popcorn?"
"Tony, let's watch the game. No, I don't want anything else tonight, only to cuddle up with you."
"Come 'ere, glad I can be of service then," as he cuddled Angela with his arm around her.
After the game ended in the Cardinals' favor 2 - 0, Tony turned the TV off.
He put the TV remote back on the coffee table and exchanged it for the CD player remote and pressed Play. He fast-forwarded the CD to exactly where he wanted it to It Had to be You. Then he asked Angela if she'd indulge him one more time before going to bed for one more dance reaching for her hands to help pull her up. They slow-danced to the song listening to the words in Frank Sinatra's light baritone voice.
Once the song ended, they let the CD player stop. Tony took her by the hand and walked them back to their bed.
Angela hated to break the romantic mood, but she had to run to the bathroom. Tony watched as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
He folded back the fancy comforter from the bed and fluffed the pillows. Then he made sure the pillows were close to each other.
Angela came back out of the bathroom without her bathrobe dressed in her blue lace negligee giving Tony a wink from across the room. She'd left her hair free-flowing this evening knowing how much Tony liked to play with it during their intimate moments.
Tony gave her a look and told her that she was absolutely breathtaking and that she wouldn't need that piece of clothing for much longer. He walked over to her and slipped the bright blue lacy short sleeve off her shoulder and placed a sweet kiss on it. He whispered alluringly into her ear, "It had to be you … only you. Now I want to ravish you."
Angela whispered back, "It was always you ... almost from the moment you walked through my front door. Ravish away …"
They looked deeply into each other's eyes and murmured, "It had to be us."
The End – Chapter 31 of The Room, Unslept In – Once Upon a Honeymoon, VIII, The Story of Us, Part 7.
I hope you all enjoyed this extensive dive into the songs that Angela and Tony selected for each other. Believe me, this was no easy feat. As the author, I went through so many songs that could be used. Coming up with these three songs was not easy. I was confident that I wanted to use the first and third song – I HAD to use those. The second song I used was not the original selection. I decided to use the new song because I wanted to explore more of their separation time and the pain they went through when they were apart.
PS – I really love research. The programs that Tony clicked through and the movie and the ballgame they watched were actual programming in New York City that night (thank you New York Times library subscription) . And, yes, the Cardinals did win that night with that score – what a nice gift for their honeymoon. Again, thanks, so much for reading along and exploring these songs and what this music meant to them.
Chapter 32 coming soon