As he plays, she thinks of her day and how she is going to decide. She listens looking at the fire glowing in the fireplace, then she grabs another glass of wine, and he stops playing. He sits back down next to her and asks, “Did you like it?”
“You have such a nice voice. I bet between the voice, the artistic talent and looking like a Greek god, you get all the women. They probably wet themselves just being in the room with you.” She looks amused at her comment.
“You seem to have ignored my charms. How can you and no one else?” He looks intensely into her eyes.
“Because, I have enough problems. I don’t need to add yet another.” She remarks with a cool tone to her voice.
“Who says I would be a problem? Besides, I am not trying to charm you. I realize you must get away from your romantic relationships to figure out exactly what you want. I just want to be your friend. I get so lonely here sometimes. It’s just nice to have someone to talk to.” He pours another glass of wine.
“So, what do you think you are going to do about your problem?” He watches her face, waiting for a change in emotion.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I keep trying to figure out who I love, but I can’t.”
“Maybe, you should ask yourself who you can’t live without. Or who you can’t stand to see with anyone else. Maybe if you even love either one of them? It could be purely physical."
Feeling extremely uncomfortable she decides she better escape the situation. “Well, this has been an eventful day. I probably should get going.” She says as she tries to change the subject and cut him short.
“Would you watch some T.V. with me before you go? Everyone else down here has a family or a significant other. The nights tend to be the loneliest.”
“Sure, I will stay.” She smiles as she relaxes back down on the couch. He turns on the T.V. and puts on a hospital show. She drinks up her glass of wine and takes another.
“Have you ever seen this show?” He turns to her.
“Yes, it’s a good one. I always find E.R. and doctor shows to be fascinating. Not to mention, the characters are so likeable. You care what happens to them.” She drinks her last glass of wine, then puts it down on the table in front of her. They sit quietly together for a while, as they watch the show.
Afterwards, they watch another episode. Kelly’s head starts swimming from the wine. Strange thoughts run through her head as she watches the show. He finishes another glass of wine. “So why are you alone? Surely, you could have any woman you want.” She turns to him. Sadness spreads across his face. She puts her hand on his and notices that it is still cold.
“I would rather not say.” He looks down at the fire.
“Oh, so you find out all about me and my problems, but you won’t let me in on yours. I see how it is.” She laughs.
He takes her hands in his as he turns to her. “I lost my love too. That is why I moved here. So, I could run away. I figured if I didn’t have to deal with it, I could forget about it, but it hasn’t worked yet.”
“The difference between us, is the fact that I must go back to my life. I must decide one way or the other. Having children that count on you, makes all the difference in the world. You can just stay gone and you don’t have anyone who counts on you to be there for them.” Sadness creeps into his eyes.
“Accept, it’s what makes me so lonely.” He looks at her as he still holds her hand.
“I am not leaving until you tell me what happened. I mean it.” She looks at him expectantly.
“Fine. My fiancé ran away with my best friend. They moved to England just after she left me and got married.” He gets up and walks over to one of the windows. Joel stares out into the night, looking at the waves crashing on the beach.
She comes up behind him and stands next to him to look out at the water. “So beautiful, the stars and the waves look. I am so glad I came here, it’s so peaceful.” She takes a minute to relax. “I am sorry that she left you, she clearly didn’t deserve you. I know that it feels like the end of the world, but it isn’t. When you work up the courage to face up to what happened and get back out there, you will find someone who will be your whole world. Till then, you can talk to me. Maybe, we can figure out how to deal with our problems together.” She smiles at him.
“Kelly, can you stay for a bit longer? I have not talked about this with anyone before and I’m a little upset. I really don’t like being alone this way.” He wonders secretly if she could be the answer.
“Sure, let’s watch the rest of the episode. I’m dying to find out if Annie gets together with Andy or Joe.” She sits back down on the couch. Joel walks back over and sits next to her. He notices that she is a little cold, so he gets a blanket and drapes it over her.
“Your hands are so cold. Come here and get under the blanket with me. We will keep each other warm.” She says sweetly as she smiles at him. He slides in under the blanket and his body touches hers. She feels shivers run up and down her spine again.
She watches the show and gets excited when she sees that Annie gets together with Joe. “Yes, I was right! I thought for sure that she liked Joe more.” She turns to look at him as the wine has taken its toll on her.
“Kelly, I think you should stay the night. I think you drank too much wine and I’m not too sure you can make it across the beach by yourself.” He looks concerned. She takes his hand under the blanket and notices that it is still cold.
“You know, whenever my hands are cold, I put them here.” She puts his hand between her thighs innocently.
“Yes, it is very warm, but I am not you. When a woman puts my hand between her legs it usually means something else.” He withdraws his hand as he immediately starts to feel his cock harden in his pants.
“I don’t make a habit of taking advantage of drunk women, It’s not o.k.”
“Oh, sorry. I did not mean anything by it. I just noticed that your hands are always cold, and I wanted to warm you up.” She feels silly for making him uncomfortable.
“Seriously, you can stay in my bed, and I will sleep on the couch. I have a long shirt you can wear to bed, so you will be comfortable. Come on.” He stands up and grabs her hand. She walks with him to the bedroom and watches him pull out a shirt for her to wear.
Before he can get past her, she slides her dress down and takes off her bra. She throws them down on a chair by the bed and she grabs the shirt from him. Standing almost naked in front of him, he just stares. She smiles, “Hey, snap out of it. I am sure you have seen your share of naked women before. It shouldn’t be such a shock.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting that. Did you know that your perfect?” Joel stands there still staring at her body. He starts to feel hot all over and a sigh escapes his mouth.
She puts on the shirt and slides onto the bed. “I can’t sleep in this bed all warm, knowing that you are cold and uncomfortable on the couch. It’s plenty big for the both of us.” She smiles again and pulls back the covers.
“Come on, you know you want to.” She jokingly insists.
He stands there thinking about it for a minute and then takes his clothes off down to his boxers and slides in next to her. “There, now don’t you feel better?” She asks him as she snuggles up next to him.
“Yes.” He grins as he puts his arm around her.
She lays her head down on his chest and falls asleep, he just watches her. He thinks to himself, it’s a real good thing that I am such a gentleman. Otherwise, I would be taking advantage of her right now. I just can’t believe that she stripped right in front of me, and I didn’t pick her up and make love to her right there. Boy, I can be stupid. He smiles and then after a bit he falls asleep.
In the morning, he wakes up before her. As he makes breakfast, she gets out of bed and sits on a stool by him. “I made you a smoothie to help with your headache. Here.” He hands it to her.
She smiles and asks, “Did I strip in front of you last night? I wasn’t too sure if it was in a dream or real.”
“Yes, you did. I was shocked and just stared. I am sorry. It’s been a while since I have had anyone naked in front of me.” He looks a little embarrassed.
“What did you put in this? It’s really helping me, thank you.” She quickly changes the subject.
“Oh, a little bit of this and that, but mainly some herbal pain relievers.”
“Thank you, again. You’re a life saver.” She gets up and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “I had better change and get home to take a shower, then I must go to the store. I need to get some groceries and necessities for my stay. Thank you, for letting me stay the night and taking care of me. I will talk to you later.”
She walks into the bedroom and changes without shutting the door. He does not realize that she didn’t shut it as he walks by while she is changing. He backs up and stares until she gets the dress over her head. He quickly walks away pretending not to have seen her. Suddenly she appears in front of him thanking him, then she gives him one last kiss on the cheek and leaves.