Chapter 3

Shit! Shit! Shit! I froze up immediately. I'm in deep shit. Did Lizzie know about the accident? The reason I didn't want to tell her was that she already had enough to worry about, what with this thing about us moving in together and her mother. Would she understand the reasons for me keeping this from her? Would she forgive me?

Then my face drained of all color as another horrible thought crossed my mind. What if... What if she thought that I was cheating on her, having something on the side with this Cathy Hamilton? She wouldn't think that... would she?

"Josh? The phone?"

I snapped back to reality. Reaching out with shaking hands, I tentatively took the phone from her. "Tha... Thank you." I managed to spit out.

Smiling mysteriously, Lizzie got up and walked out into the living room. "I'll be out here."

I started to call out to her, explaining that there was no need for her to leave, but it was already too late. She was gone. Shit. I rubbed my temples. I could feel the beginnings of a major headache coming on. Oh yeah! That's exactly what I need. A hard-on with no release in sight and a fucking headache. What a fucking shitty day this turned out to be...

"Umm... Hello?" came the voice.

Royally pissed, I picked up the phone. "What?" I grunted, taking care to hide most of my hostility.

"Umm... Mr. Shepard?"

"What is it?" I was quickly losing patience.

"I... I wasn't intruding on anything, was I?" The uncertainty and the fear were clearly audible. I could feel my anger fade away, replaced by guilt. Ahh, the miracles of PS Digital.

"No. Don't worry about it. It's just... just nothing. What is it, Miss Hamilton?"

"Well, the doctor told me that I would be discharged today... "

"Congratulations." I said, actually really meant it.

"Thanks. Anyways, both my parents are busy, and it's Charles's day off... "

Charles? Who's Charles? "Charles?"

"Yes. Charles is our chauffeur."

Damn, I was impressed. I had guessed that the Hamiltons were rich, judging by the fact that the mom didn't work. Chauffeurs were expensive to keep these days.

"... and I was wondering if you could maybe come by the hospital and take care of the discharge papers?"

Well, seeing that the mood has been thoroughly ruined here, why not? "Sure," I answered with forced cheerfulness.

"Great! Oh, the doctor said around noon. Is that alright with you?"

"That'll be fine. I'll be there around then. Bye."

"Bye."

Turning off the cell phone, I massaged my forehead. All right. Time to face the music...

I walked out into the brightly lit living room. Lizzie was sitting on the sofa, reading what appeared to be a novel. I didn't know how to begin.

"Ummm... Lizzie?"

She turned toward me. Sensing my discomfort, she smiled disarmingly. "Yes, Josh?"

Feeling more and more like an idiot, I tried to explain. "I... I feel that I should... ummm... explain what just happened here."

"Yes?"

"Well, this Cathy Hamilton is not what you think she is... "

More smiling. "And just what did I perceive her to be, Josh?"

My face was scarlet now. "Well, I was afraid that you might of thought I was cheating on you... "

"Is that right?" She closed the book. "And were you?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean... Yes, that's what I though you might have guessed. But no! I didn't cheat on you! I swear I didn't... I would never... " God, I was fucked up. Groaning, I flopped down on a chair.

Chuckling, Lizzie stood up and walked over to me. Kneeling down in front of me, she took my hands and bid me to stand up. With my face down, I did.

"Put your arms around me," she whispered. Puzzled, I did as I was told. She took my hand and started to waltz around, swing and grinding her hips against mine. Mystified, I followed her lead.

Placing her head on my shoulder, she began to hum. Though unidentifiable at first, I started to recognize it as she went on.

"Dido's Here With Me?" I asked. I felt her nod.

Smiling, I gripped her waist tighter, pulling her groin against mine. "You thinking about the first time we danced in here?"

Another nod.

We danced past a blackened stain on the carpet. I gazed down at it lovingly. "Remember how this happened?" She blushed and buried her face into my chest.

We danced for a while, not really needing actual music. We both remembered the song well enough. We danced, both lost in the memory...

I can still remember the day as though it was yesterday. The day was the fifteenth of September. Why would I remember that day, you ask? That was the day that me and Lizzie first turned serious. It was the first time she had given herself to me. It was the day I found true love.

Lizzie and I had been going out for just about a month. In that time, we've gotten to really know each other. She learned that, if asleep when cuddling, I would snore. Not a loud snore, mind you, but it was a snore nonetheless. I learned that, when kissing, she liked to have her lips nipped at. Armed with the knowledge of each other's likes and dislikes, we made small changes to accommodate the other. It was a relationship based on mutual understanding, on give and take. It was better than your average relationship. Well, better than most one-month relationships anyway.

The fifteenth of September was approaching. I didn't know just how serious she took me, but I felt myself slowly falling deeply in love with the beautiful girl with blond hair, hazel eyes, and the sweetest disposition. I had met her on the fifteenth of August. She had came in one night to buy books and had left with me on her arms. The first night we met I took her out to dinner. We ate at a nearby Tony Roma's, just sitting in a booth and talking the entire night away. On that first date I learned about her quickness to laughter and blushing, her aversion to lobsters, her dog Pepsi and the circumstances that led to its tragic demise,... well, the list goes on and on. In fact, we talked so much that the manager had to walk up to us, politely cough to get our attention, and courteously reminded us that it was ten minutes past closing time. I walked her back to her apartment then, and had received a kiss as a reward. I floated home that night.

Now, almost a month later, I would be celebrating our one-month anniversary. I had the whole night planned out. I talked to her roommate for hours on the phone, making sure that I had her favorite foods and wines down without err. Oh, how I begged her to take Lizzie out that night, just so I could set the place up. After promising Lakers tickets, she finally agreed to take Lizzie out to some charity ball. Of course, this plan had its flaws. I had to beg off when she asked me to accompany her to the ball. Saying 'no' to her that night was the hardest thing I had to do in my life. It still is to this day.

I toiled during the four hours that the Lakers tickets bought me. I cooked. I placed candles all around the room. I even burned my fingers lighting all fifty of them. But it would be all worthwhile, I had thought to myself that night, if she were delighted.

And she was.

I was sitting down on the sofa taking a breather when I heard the arguing outside the door.

"What do you mean you're taking off?" That was Lizzie's voice. She sounded teary. What's going on?

"Well, I'm really sorry that you had to spend tonight umm... alone, but I have plans with Mark."

"Brenda!"

"I'm sorry! I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Footsteps hurried down the stairs.

I could hear the sobs through the door. A few minutes later, a key slid into the keyhole.

Grabbing a long-stemmed rose from the vase, I sat back down. I was actually trembling with nervousness. Here she comes.

The door opened to reveal a very beautiful (and stunned) Elizabeth. She was wearing an exquisite light blue dress. Tight in all the right places, it really accented the swell of her breasts and hips. Now I felt sorry that I had turned her down. It would've been heaven spending the night dancing with her.

It was then that I notice her puffy-red eyes. Damn! She really had been crying. I went to her and hugged her.

"Lizzie? What's wrong?"

Her body was stiff. She didn't return my embrace.

"Josh, what's going on? What's all this stuff?"

"Just something I planned. But seriously, why are you crying?"

She pushed me away at this and stared me in the eyes. There was a gleam in the hazel. Was it anger? Happiness? Tears? I had no clue.

"'Planned'? You mean you planned this? What for?"

"It's our one-month anniversary. Have you forgotten?" To say the least, I was crushed. She had forgotten.

"No, I haven't forgo... " She stopped, as if pondering something. "You mean you planned this? Is this why you didn't want to go to the ball with me?"

Then it hit me. The reason for the tears, the fight with Brenda, everything. "You thought that I didn't want to go to the ball with you?"

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Yes. I thought that you had forgotten about our anniversary. I thought that you didn't love me enough to take me to the ball. I thought... "

I placed my finger on her lips, stopping her in mid-sentence. Smiling, I kissed her softly on the forehead. "How could you ever think that? I'm crazy about you. I love you. I worship you." I paused to look deeply into her dazzling eyes.

"I adore you."

She smiled, and positioned her head on my shoulder. "You never said such things before."

I stroked her hair. So silky... So smooth... "Sorry. You never knew my feelings before? You never noticed how I look at you?"

She sighed happily. "I know now."

We stood there in the doorway for what seemed like an eternity. An old couple walked down the hall, and gave us the weirdest look. I chuckled.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her voice muffled by my shoulder.

"We should go in. People are gawking at us, giving us dirty looks."

"Are they?"

"Yeah."

"Let them."

Smiling, I led her inside anyways. Closing the door with my foot, I guided her to the table. Pulling a chair out, I bent down to place her on it. She refused to let go of my neck. Pulling my head back, I kissed her softly. With that, she removed her arms.

I walked across the table and sat down. We gazed at each other; the two candles on the table drove the darkness away. I pulled a bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice.

"Perhaps a toast would be in order?" I asked. She nodded.

I poured hers first, then filled my glass. Picking it up by the stem, I raised the glass of bubbling liquid. She did the same.

"What should we toast to?"

She pondered. "To you and me?"

I smiled. "To you and me."

Downing the glass in one gulp, I swirled the fluid in my mouth. Not bad, but I've had better. Lizzie, on the other hand, had not. As she swallowed, I could see her eyes water from the carbonation. I smiled as I poured us another, this time only a little for her. Raising my glass again, I thought about what to toast to.

"To many more candlelight dinners in the future, but without the champagne?"

She giggled. "Is it that obvious?" she asked as she sipped from her glass carefully. Mine emptied. I poured another round. Her eyebrows arched up.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Shepard?"

"What if I am?" I leaned across the table. She met me halfway, and our lips connected. I could taste the champagne on hers.

"I'm not adverse to the idea." I smiled and kissed her again.

She stood up. I could tell the champagne has already taken effect. Her face was flushed, her footing a little unbalanced. She held her hands out to me.

"Care to dance?"

I rose, and took a hand in mine. Raising it to my lips, I gently caressed the middle finger with my tongue. "It would be my pleasure."

Following her lead, we walked between the sofas. She wrapped herself around me. I kissed the top of her head.

"Josh?"

"Yes, love?"

"I need music. I'm a terrible klutz."

I smiled, and picked up the stereo remote. "Tell me when to stop, ok?" I went through her collection of three CDs. Two were of the rock persuasion. Not suitable at all. The last one was of something soft.

"Is that Dido?"

I checked the indi-glow display. "Yeah."

"Number three, please."

I pressed the appropriate buttons. The song came on. The song is the title song for some TV show. Roswell, I think.

"Here With Me?"

She nodded. "Yes."

We danced for the duration of the song. Though no a klutz, the champagne had made her one. She stumbled many times, with me keeping us both in balance. She giggled gaily.

"I think we should retire to the bedroom before we break our necks."

Though no complaints came to my mind, I had to make sure this was not a drunken offer. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Needing no other encouragement, I picked her up and walked into the bedroom. Placing her on the side of the bed, I drank in her beauty. Soon, I was just as drunk with desire as she was.

Turning her around, I stroked her neck, letting my fingers rest there a moment before reaching for the small zipper. Slowly, I slid it downwards. The dress parted, revealing to me the strap of her bra. I leaned forward and planted my lips on the neck. Moaning, she shrugged the dress off her shoulder. It flopped to the ground. She turned around and kissed me.