Chapter 10

"Sean wanted me to tell you that the pizza was the best he has ever had."

Vanessa laughed out loud as she shared her lunch hour with Elizabeth. Elizabeth was only more than happy to meet up with her old friend after their last get together almost a month ago. She knew that Vanessa was a busy woman but she thought it strange that her best friend had gone so long without even calling her and she said as much.

"Yeah, well I've been busy lately," Vanessa said. Elizabeth wasn't buying it for one second.

"Vanessa..."

"Alright," her friend capitulated. "After seeing you with Sean I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. You two are the perfect couple. Sean treats you so well and I'm real happy for you."

"But..."

"But look at me," Vanessa complained. "I'm an attractive woman like you and I've got no one. Sure, I've had boyfriends but they were just flings, nothing serious. I want something so much more but I scare all the men away with my brains; they're intimidated by me. I can't find a man that can care for me in the ways I want to be cared for. Thirty-four just like you and as single as they come, you've already been married once and looks like you're on your way to getting hitched again although this time I agree with you on Sean, he's a keeper."

So that's what has been going on. Elizabeth never thought Vanessa would have man problems, she was hardly ever without a date. "But if a guy isn't going to accept you for who you are then he's not worth seeing. You deserve better than that."

"I know that," Vanessa replied testily. "That's why I've never been able to keep a man, they can't deal with my way of life or something. I don't know. What I do know is that I want to settle down but can't find anyone to settle down with. All the guys I've met so far can't understand me. It's so frustrating."

Elizabeth reached her hand across the table. "You'll find someone. There's someone for everyone."

"Yeah, well, I wish he would hurry his ass up," Vanessa smirked.

The rest of Elizabeth's day was uneventful. Work was work and she decided to head over to Sean's and maybe have dinner there. He had a strange class schedule and sometimes would come home late so he gave her a key to his place if she wanted to see him on a weekday. Elizabeth turned the lock on the door and entered. She did not expect to see what she saw, her heart breaking at the sight.

There stood Sean and Cheryl kissing.

Sean's eyes snapped open in surprise. He hastily pushed Cheryl off of him and called after Elizabeth but it was too late, she was already down the stairs. The bastard. She knew it. She knew it from the start. He had a thing for Cheryl from the start and had admitted it. She knew it was too good to be true, she was too old for him. Elizabeth got into her car. Sean was right there as she pulled out as he tried calling out to her but she couldn't hear him through all of her tears.

Sean ran up the stairs frantically and flipped on his cell phone. He speed-dialed Elizabeth's number but she wasn't answering. When he got to his apartment he found Cheryl standing there, fidgeting with nervousness. "Get out," he said.

"But Sean..."

"I said get out."

"What do you need her for anyways? You can do without her money if that's what you're dating her for. I'm your age. I understand you. I've been there for you just like you've always been there for me. Just let her go. We can be happy together. You've always made me happy. Sean, I do love you. You don't need her."

Sean almost slapped her right then but he had more important things on his mind. Instead he grabbed his keys and threw Cheryl out the door. He locked it and flew down the stairs. "I don't ever want to talk to you again," he yelled over his back as he ran for his car. Sean probably broke several traffic rules as he sped towards her house. The drive did, however, give him time to think. Cheryl had just broken up with Derrick and Sean did what he could to console. Somehow his friend came to the conclusion that she loved him and had always loved him but didn't know it. It wasn't until lately that he had begun to fade out of socializing with his friends and spend more time with Elizabeth that Cheryl realized how much he comforted her. She said Derrick didn't make her happy like Sean did but she just didn't realize it until now. That was when she kissed him. Perhaps three years ago Sean would have been thrilled to hear such news but that just wasn't the case. He had moved on with his life. He had Elizabeth. He hoped he still did.

Frantic with fright, Sean unlocked the door to Elizabeth's house and poured through it, looking for her. He didn't find her. Where could she be? Where would she go? He thought about it as he furiously paced back and forth in their bedroom. Not where. Who. Vanessa. Sean looked for Elizabeth's Rolodex and found it. S... T... U... V. There, Vanessa, Sean scribbled down the address and number and ran down to his car. Again, he peeled down the highway and was surprised that he didn't get pulled over. Vanessa lived in a classy upscale apartment complex downtown. The street in front of her building was wet from a broken water main but Sean didn't slow. His car slipped and skid as Sean frantically tried to regain control but he was just going too fast. His car slammed into a streetlamp, putting him in a dead stop. Luckily, Sean's car came equipped with an air bag and he had his seatbelt on. The door was stuck so he kicked the window open and crawled out. Sean himself was uninjured but his car was a different story. He barely noticed.

Sean ran into Vanessa's building and quickly asked the doorman what floor Vanessa's room was on. Sean didn't bother with the elevator and took the stairs. Five flights and several wrong turns saw Sean at Vanessa's door. He thumbed the bell. A moment later he saw a shadow cross the peephole.

"Vanessa," he called. "It's Sean. I need to speak with Elizabeth. Is she there?"

"Sean, what are you doing here? I'm kind of busy right now. Can you come back later?"

Sean noticed she didn't open the door. He looked at his watch. It was six in the evening; too early for her to be with a date. Elizabeth was in there.

"Vanessa," Sean said through the door. "I know Elizabeth is in there. I'll give you three seconds to open that door or I'll open it myself. One... two... three." He gave her another second to reconsider but didn't hear any attempt at opening the door. Sean took a few steps back and then charged. His flying double sidekick blew the door clean off its hinges, sending woodchips flying. Sean's eyes swept the room. Vanessa sat on the floor by the blown in door, stunned from the impact. He heard muffled crying from the bedroom. Sean ran towards the sound and saw Elizabeth lying on the bed sobbing. She turned her tear-streaked face in his direction with all the pain and anguish of a world lost. Sean watched in horror as her face changed from grief to fear at the sight of him.

Whimpering, Elizabeth crawled off the bed and into the corner furthest from him. Sean walked slowly towards her but she only huddled closer to the wall. Sean heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to find a stranger standing in Elizabeth's doorway. He was a tall man with jet hair, steely gray eyes and a broad, wiry frame. The look on his face was a picture of calm. "Is there a problem?"

Sean took a careful look at the man. The man was balanced on the balls of his feet, his stance looked relaxed but was ready to spring into violence if need be. But his eyes said something else; he was playing it by nose. "No," Sean replied. "No problems. I just need to speak with my girlfriend here. There's been a misunderstanding that I have to clear up with her. If you could just excuse us for a couple of minutes please."

"Eric," Vanessa came into the room. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I need some help with the door, please."

Eric left the room. Sean turned around and sat down by Elizabeth in silence for a few minutes. He didn't bother trying to touch her; she'd only flinch away. He sighed. "Let me tell you a story," he began. "There was this boy, a very lonely kid. He never made many friends; never let anyone close. He went to school like a normal kid, imagined kid things. But his family moved constantly and he was never able to build up any longtime friends. All he had was his mother, father, and sister. He never related with his father or sister, father was always at work and his older sister had her own friends to play with. So he only had his mother to talk to. She was enough for his little heart. She was a wonderful woman. But one day she got sick. The little boy didn't think it was all that bad, people got sick all the time and then they got better. That was just how it was. His mother didn't get better though. She died from a fever in the hospital. The boy was alone in the world for the first time. He had no one to talk to, not family or friends, nobody. His father kept him at home because he wanted to keep a close eye on his son because his sister... Well, let's just say his sister is another story. So he lived his life alone even though there were always people around him.