Moving Forward- chapter one
All the credit goes to the WTB? writers, staff and actors! This takes place during the episode A Moving Episode.
Angela knew the moment the belly dancer walked down the stairs that their night was over. She could barely hide her disappointment after that closer than close dance. She motioned to Tony that she was going to head home. He looked like he had his hands full and didn't need her to drag him down. That's why she was so surprised when he followed her out the door. The music from the apartment could still be heard faintly by the time they got to the back door.
"Well… thank you for a lovely party…" she said with a smile.
"You're welcome! You're a lovely guest! I mean you didn't eat anything, drink anything and I don't think ya stole anything!" he chuckled.
"Well, see you in the morning…" she said.
"Goodnight… oh eh Angela ya know ahh speaking of the morning, maybe I'll make you something special for breakfast!" he said enthusiastically.
"Juice and coffee will be just fine… goodnight Tony…" she said as she turned to head inside.
"Angela… wait. I feel bad our evening got cut so short. And I feel really bad that dance got cut short… any chance you want to continue it?" he asked, hoping she was feeling some of what he was feeling.
"Here? Now?" she asked as she gestured to the dark, empty driveway. "There's no music and barely any light…" she said.
"Moonlight counts… it makes you look even more beautiful. And as for the music…" he said as he stepped forward, taking her hand in his and pulling her close to him. "I think we can figure it out…" he said as he started to dance with her in the driveway.
He pulled her closer to him, just as they had been dancing together earlier in the night. Their hands intertwined as she pulled them closer to their chests. Their cheeks gently touched as they swayed to the beat of the music only they could hear.
"You know Tony… I don't know if I've ever danced without music…" she said as she looked into his eyes.
"Well then… maybe I should change that…" he said as he started to sing 'My Girl' by The Temptations.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl, my girl, my girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl…
I've got so much honey, the bees envy me
I've for a sweeter song, than the birds in the trees
Well, I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl, my girl, my girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl…
I don't need no money, fortune or fame
I've got all the riches baby one man can claim
Well, I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl, my girl, my girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl…"
"That was beautiful Tony" she said as tears welled in her eyes.
"You're beautiful Angela… so very beautiful…" he said as his hands moved to the sides of her face. Her arms wrapped around his back, pulling them even closer together.
"I want to kiss you Angela, so badly…" he said.
"I want you to kiss me Tony…" she said as she leaned in ever so slightly. He looked from her lips back up to her eyes before closing the gap between them. The kiss started off slow, their lips tentatively meeting. They pulled back for a moment, making eye contact once again before entering into a passionate kiss. His hands moved from her face into her hair, feeling the softness of the locks. He could smell her shampoo; it was intoxicating, flooding his senses with the lavender scent.
Angela's hands continued the exploration of his back muscles. They finally settled on his lower back. She was lost in everything Tony- the feel of his body against her own, the smell of his cologne, the feel of his hands in her hair. His hands moved down her body, over her shoulders and down her back, finally resting just below her shoulders. Neither wanted to stop but they were interrupted by the door to Tony's apartment opening.
"Hey Tony! You better get back up here! Philly and Tiny are getting into it over the last keg of beer!" yelled one of the party guests.
"I'll be right up!" he yelled back.
"You better get up there… this… this was lovely Tony" she said as she ran her hand through his hair.
"Yes it was Angela… I really don't want it to end…" he said as he leaned back for one more kiss.
"I have a feeling you will need some help cleaning up that apartment. How about I come up after that breakfast you promised me and we tackle it… together?" she asked as leaned in for another kiss.
"Sounds like a plan Angela… I'll see you in the morning…" he said as he reluctantly let her go. She turned and opened the back door, stopping briefly in the doorway to look back at him. He gave her a quick wave as she walked further into the kitchen and closed the door. She looked back out the window and gave her own wave before turning around and shutting off the lights.
'What are you doing Micelli? She's your boss! You can't have feelings for your boss and worse, act on them? But that kiss… she kissed me back… not once but a few times. That's gotta count for something…' he thought to himself as he headed back upstairs to break up whatever mess his friends had gotten into while he was gone.
The next morning, Tony awoke in his new bed. The surroundings were still new to him so for the first few moments he was disoriented. Finally remembering he was in the apartment, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. A loud moan came out of his mouth as he looked up and saw freshly made footprints on the ceiling.
"I'm going to kill those guys! It's going to take us forever to get that cleaned!" he muttered out loud. Just then, he remembered last night- the dancing, walking her 'home', more dancing and finally that kiss. Well, kisses to be exact. The smile that spread across his face never left as he finished getting himself ready and headed over to the house. He was surprised to see Angela sitting at the kitchen table, already sipping her coffee.
"Morning Angela! You're up early! I'll get started on breakfast! There's a lot to clean up over there… if your offer still stands that is…" he said, trying to keep the desperate tone to a minimum.
"Of course Tony! It will be nice to spend some more… alone time with you. I barely slept last night thinking about… it" she said. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
"I couldn't sleep much either… once the party ended my thoughts just kept racing" he said as he sat down next to her at the table.
"Maybe after we clean up, we could… talk…" he said as he ran his fingers over her hand as it held the steaming cup of coffee.
"I'd like that Tony" she said as she leaned towards him, coming within in inches of his face. They were mere second from kissing when they heard the kids in the living room, heading towards the kitchen.
"Morning kids! What would you like for breakfast?" asked Tony as he quickly pulled his chair back and stood up.
"Pancakes!" yelled Jonathan as he poured himself a glass of juice.
"We just had pancakes! Waffles with whipped cream!" shouted Samantha.
"How about I do both? And can yous keep in down a bit? It's too early for yelling" said Tony as he started getting out the ingredients.
"I'll help you!" said Angela as she got up and headed over to him. She was looking for any excuse to be in close proximity to Tony.
"Since when do you help in the kitchen Mom? I'd like to be able to eat it!" chuckled Jonathan.
"She helps! She's gotten much better over the past few years!" said Tony as he came to her defense. Both kids looked at one another, wondering what they were missing and why their parents were acting so weird.
Angela managed to help Tony cook both pancakes and waffles for the family. They enjoyed each other's company. Both Samantha and Jonathan were blissfully unaware of the shift between their parents. Tony couldn't stop glancing over at Angela, causing her to blush each time. By the time breakfast was over, she felt like her face and chest were on fire.
"Okay kids, I'm going to go help Tony clean up the apartment after the party last night. If you need either one of us, just come over" said Angela as she placed her dishes in the sink.
"Make sure you do your chores before heading out!" said Tony as he finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher. They both headed out the back door and were soon in the apartment.
"So Angela, where do you want to…" he started to say as she practically leapt into his arms, kissing him passionately on the lips. After a few moments, Tony pulled back.
"Sorry Tony… I'd been thinking about doing that all night… and morning!" she chuckled.
"Never say sorry for kissing me like that! Ingrid and her second set of lips!" he laughed.
"At least no one was timing us this time! That was definitely longer than fifty seven seconds!" she laughed. She finally looked past Tony and looked around at the mess.
"Oh Tony… this place is a mess! We really should have gotten the kids to help us!" she said as she continued to survey the mess.
"Nah… I'd like us to have more alone time. And besides… if they were here, I couldn't do this whenever I wanted…" he said as he leaned in and kissed her again.
"Alone time is good…" she said when they finally came up for air.
"Alright let's actually start cleaning so we can have more adult alone time…" she said as she reluctantly pulled away from his embrace. They spent the next two hours cleaning up the apartment. He'd have to deep clean the carpets another day and bring up a ladder to clean the footprints. Once everything else was done, they collapsed on the sofa.
"So how are you liking having this bachelor pad to yourself? Have any plans with the guys?" she asked, secretly hoping the answer was no, especially if it involved women.
"Philly has been trying to get me to go out with him and the guys. Prove I haven't gone soft. I don't know… it's just not the same anymore! Even the party last night… my fun ended when you left…" he said as he reached out for her hand.
"Maybe you've changed… maybe you've just changed your priorities in life…" she said as she took his hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I think you might be right Angela. When I was young and carefree… and stupid… the booze, the women, the party scene was so alluring. Now… I'd rather stay home and watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie… maybe that does make me soft…" he said.
"Tony Micelli you stop that right now! You are not soft! You are the strongest, toughest person I know! You left everything you had ever known to give Samantha a better life! You took a job as a housekeeper just so she could live in a safe neighborhood and attend a good school! That's the opposite of soft or whatever else they might call you!" she shouted.
Without even thinking, Tony was all over her, kissing her more intensely than he had ever done. She had a momentary thought before all her thoughts left her mind that he was trying to prove his masculinity, prove he wasn't soft. The thought left her mind as quickly as it entered it as his hands began to roam her body.
"Tony…Tony… we need… we need to talk…" she finally managed to say as she pulled back from him.
"I'm sorry Angela. Yes we need to talk about this… this thing between us…" he said as he readjusted himself on the sofa.
"Believe me Tony I am enjoying whatever this is between us but… what is it? What are we to each other?" she asked, thinking back to their interrupted conversation on their second anniversary. She was hoping this time they wouldn't be interrupted.
"You mean besides employee and employer?" he chuckled.
"Yes besides that… these past three years have been some of the happiest times of my life Tony and that's all because of you. I feel alive when I'm with you. You know the best and worst things about me and you haven't headed for the hills yet!" she laughed.
"I'd never run from you Angela. I don't know what we are to be honest. You're my boss but you've also become my best friend. I'm obviously very attracted to you and have been since day one. I also have feelings for you beyond attraction that I've tried to suppress… badly at times I will admit…" he said, thinking to his declaration of love before his appendectomy.
"I feel the same way Tony… so what does that mean right now?" she asked, needing him to take the lead.
"I think it means we have a lot of obstacles ahead of us, two big ones hopefully at the house doing their chores. Neither one of us has wanted to set a bad example for either of the kids. Rumors were one thing when they were just rumors but if it turns out they are true, then that's a whole other issue. And the biggest challenge I see for us is you're my boss. I'm your housekeeper… we are from entirely different worlds…" he said.
"So then it's over before it even began?" she asked quietly, not being able to hide the disappointment and sadness in her voice.
"We have a bunch of things to workout Angela, but there's no one else I'd rather work them out with than you… maybe… maybe since I've moved in here, we can see where this ends up. We can keep it under wraps for now- having a stolen moment here and there, come up here maybe after the kids are in bed or when they are out. Get to really give this a chance without the scrutiny of family and friends. If it's as real and honest as I hope it will be, then when we are ready we can let them in on us…" he said as he pushed back a fallen strand of her hair.
"I like the just us in the know for now… it's going to be so hard hiding it though. Although, we've pretty much just admitted to hiding it for years now so what's another few weeks or so?" she chuckled.
"And in the meantime… we can take as much time as we need to figure out how best to move forward with this… I care too much about you to mess it up…" he said as he placed a slow, gentle kiss on her lips.
"There's no one else I'd rather move forward with than you…" she said as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.