MORNING GLORY

Chapter 16

Lou was halfway into unconsciousness as she soaked her body in water. Although lying in the bath relaxed her body, nothing seemed to relax her troubled mind. She was so upset that everything seemed funny. She wanted to laugh at how unhappy her life had turned out to be and cry at how worse her life could get.

Congratulations, she told herself as she rinsed, you have just reached the lowest of the low, the bottom of hell! A knock on the door alarmed her. Assuming it was Charlotte who had promised to see her that afternoon, Lou absentmindedly wrapped a towel around her slim figure and opened the door. The sight of Kid in front of her hotel room was too good to be true that she knew it must have been some hallucination formed by her disillusioned mind. She quickly slammed the door shut, and as she leaned against the door, her breathing grew harder. It couldn't be him. This must be a dream. Oh my God! I've finally lost my mind! I'm imagining things.

The knocking persisted. She attempted to ignore it, but after a few more minutes of waiting for it to disappear, she knew that it couldn't be just another dream. No way! Why would he come here? How did he know I was here? What if he's looking for another person and stumbled in the wrong room? What if he's really here to see the person next door?

Doubts circled in her mind as the knock on the door continued. She wrapped the towel that had come loose tighter around her. Taking another deep breath, she opened the door and stuck her head out so that it was the only thing he could see. She thought that it must surely be another man, and her exhausted mind had somehow displaced Kid's handsome face in place of that man's face.

But staring straight at her was a pair of crystal blue eyes, and she could no longer deny what was in front of her eyes. It was truly him! She returned his gaze for a moment before saying in a tired voice, "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong room."

He continued to look at her. Her eyes that were red from hours of crying told the whole story. "I'm sure I have the right one."

"How can I help you, sir?' she said politely as she opened the door a little wider.

Despite his shock at seeing her with only a towel, he quickly recovered and maintained self-control. This might be his last chance to set things right between them, and he was not about to screw up. "Lou, why are you calling me 'sir'?" he asked, emphasizing the word, sir. He never knew that this word could come out downright negative.

"What do you want me to call you?"

With hands on his hips, he said, "How about calling me my name?"

"I don't even know what it is," she told him which was true enough.

He sighed, frustrated that she was really making him work for it. "Lou, please, I need to talk to you."

"Then talk to me," she told him.

"Can I at least come in?"

Am I still dreaming? Dreams often feel real, she thought as she opened the door wide enough for him to get through. He certainly looks something like a dream. She studied him stealthily, hoping he would not notice her scrutinizing gaze. He's definitely too good to be true.

Kid observed the room with her unpacked luggage and slightly wrinkled bed cover. He turned to her, surprised that she was finally looking at him after days of ignoring him and calling him 'sir'. His heart broke as he saw her teary eyes. He realized that she had spent her whole day practically crying her heart out, for even her lashes were wet. "Lou, you okay?"

She looked away from him and grabbed the robe to cover herself. "How did you know I was here?"

"I-I-" he did not quite know what to say. He hadn't thought of any good explanation. "I was getting a package from someone who was staying at the hotel. I guess I stumbled in the wrong room."

She was not pleased with his response. From his features, she could tell he was lying. "If you went to the wrong room, then go find the right one." She opened the door for him, indicating that she wanted him out.

"Lou, I'm sorry. I came for you."

"For me?" she asked. The concept of him coming to see her was so odd that she wanted to laugh. "You came for me?"

He nodded, hoping she would not get upset although he could tell that she already was.

"Kid, I don't need this right now. Please go. Just leave me alone!" She crossed her arms and looked out the window. She wanted to come across as if to her, he did not exist although deep inside her was dying inside to hold him. Her hands ached to touch him. Her mind grew restless at the mere thought of him.

"No, I won't," he said firmly. "Hear me out, Lou. I came here to apologize. I know lately I've been cold toward you. I'm sorry for whatever I put you through these last few days. I thought there was something going on with you and Chris, and I was wrong."

She turned to look at him. "Chris? How did you know about Chris?"

"I saw him at the dance, and Jimmy and Jesse explained everything."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"Honey, I have no reason to be mad. You have every reason to be mad."

There was no anger left inside her, and she could not even pretend to be angry. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

"Lou, let's forget about it, okay? Why don't we start all over?"

"I don't know," she said as doubts clouded her mind. "Too many things have happened. I mean what about Samantha?"

"What about her?"

"Kid, don't do this. You and her. I can't do this. It won't be fair to you or me."

"Lou, Samantha and I are over. It never really felt right between us."

"You're right," she nodded sadly as tears began to water her eyes.

"Lou, I wasn't talking about you and me. I was talking about Samantha and me."

"Kid, why did you come here? Did you come here to break me apart? I think I already am," she told him as she sat on the bed with her hands in her face as a sign of complete distress.

"Lou, where are you going?"

"I don't know. I plan on staying here for a while, and after this, I don't know."

"Why don't you come live with Rachel? You know she's changed since you left. She really misses you. I guess it can get pretty lonely with plenty of guys to take care of."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Is he that blind? Why can't he see why? "Kid, I just can't. It's just too much for me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe you have something to do with it."

"Me? Am I keeping you away?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she ran her fingers through her hair in despair. "I don't wanna answer that."

"Lou, remember the time I said I love you?"

"No," she lied.

"Well, I meant it. I do, and I want us to be together."

"Kid, are you drunk or something? I don't think you know what you're saying or you wouldn't have said it."

He sat next to her in bed. The need to get closer to her was becoming unbearable, and he knew he had to do something. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears and kissed her cheek softly. He continued to caress her lips with his kisses until he finally felt her body relax. "I love you," he whispered in her ear as he kissed her again.

"Kid, please don't do this. You're making it more difficult than it already is," she told him as she returned his passionate kiss. If she had previously thought that seeing him in front of her hotel room was too good to be true, kissing him now was certainly more than just too good to be true. It was impossible to be true, yet it was happening.

"Lou, don't leave. You can stay with Rachel if you like."

She put her arms around him and buried her face in his chest as she wept uncontrollably. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes," he suggested as he caressed her arm. He kissed the top of her head lovingly. He never thought that loving someone as much as he loved her was possible. He cupped her face in his hands and said, "Lou, let's forget about what happened between us. Let me make it up to you."

"You already did," she said with a silly grin.

"I'm not talking about this," he said, taking her lips in his. "I wanna set it right between us."

"You already have."

He rose from the bed, afraid that he would not be able to maintain his cool composure if the intimacy between them got too heated. He picked up her luggage and opened the door.

With a confused look on her lovely face, she asked, "Kid, what are you doing?"

"Well, let's go. You can't stay here. Rachel will be happy to see you."

"Kid, we're leaving? Now?"

He frowned, mystified at her present reluctance to come with him. "Yes, Lou, we're going now. C'mon." He was halfway out the door when she grabbed his arm.

"Kid, are you crazy? Look at me! I'm not even dressed yet! You just want me to walk outta here with nothing but a robe on?"

Good God! he thought as he stared at her. In his excitement and relief that she had forgiven him, his preoccupied mind failed to register that she was not wearing anything decent. Hell, she could have walked out of the room and cause a scandal because of his stupidity. He immediately closed the door. "Lou, honey, I'm so sorry. What was I thinking? I don't think I was even thinking!"

She smiled at his manly charms. She loved the uneasy expression carved in his handsome face. She loved how he hurriedly closed the door and unzipped the luggage to find her something to wear. You just love looking at him, she told herself.

"What are you looking at?" he said with a charming smile.

"Nothing," she said as she slowly walked over to him. She put her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him. "Don't you think we should stay here for a while? I mean we haven't been alone in quite a while. This room's already been paid for. We might as well stay here, and get our money's worth."

"That sounds real good," he said, kissing her back. "But we should get going. I want you to be comfortable. I don't think we need this right now to complicate your life even more."

"You can complicate my life all you want," she said softly, looking straight into his blue eyes. She felt like she found heaven when she stared into his eyes.

Unable to resist her irresistibility, he obeyed her every wish and stayed with her until the sun set. Although they came very close to dancing between the sheets, they were merely content with being together, feeling eachother. He knew that she was still in distress even if much of it had disappeared. She fell asleep in his arms as he lie awake to watch her in golden slumber.

She woke up with his arms around her and with the sound of his heart beat in her ear. It was the first peaceful sleep she had in a very long time. She glanced up at his face and was surprised to see him awake. "Kid, I'm sorry." Embarrassed, she removed herself from him and rose from the bed.

"Sorry?"

"I've been lying on your chest for several hours. No wonder you can't sleep."

He chuckled. "I didn't mind at all. Trust me."

She smiled at him, still stupefied that he was really there in front of her. When things turned for the worse, she was usually alone to face the problems and to pick up the broken pieces. This time, it was different. "Are we leaving?"

"Lou, you wanna walk out of here with nothing but an unfastened robe?" he asked innocently, cocking an eyebrow in her direction.

Her cheeks reddened at the realization that she was standing before him with her robe wide open. Maybe he didn't see anything, she thought to make herself feel better. But the handsome, all-knowing grin on his face told a different story.

"Don't worry. Your body looks as good as it feels to touch," he complimented her, which only made her blush even harder.

She picked up his shirt from the floor and tossed it to him. "You sure Rachel won't mind?"

"Lou, she's been very lonely since you left. Sometimes she would just stare out the window and say that maybe you're coming home. She's this close to losing her mind," he told her as he buttoned his shirt.

He helped her get dressed, and even the simple task took almost an hour. They just could not get enough of eachother. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. You're the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

She kissed him tenderly. "No, I think I'm in second place."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think Katy's the most beautiful sight you've ever seen."

He wanted to laugh. Here they were in the room with the glow of the setting sun reflecting in the curtains, with their arms around eachother, sharing an intimate kiss, and she wanted to talk about a horse!

"What's so funny?" she asked, seeing his widening grin.

"Lou, Katy's not even close," he told her sincerely. "How did Katy even cross your mind in a moment like this?"

"I don't know," she said. "Sometimes when I look at you, I think of Katy."

Uh-oh, he thought worriedly. "Is that good or bad?"

"Hmmm . . . When it comes to you, anything is good," she concluded.

"Well, when I look at you, I think of Teaspoon."

She pulled away from him. "Teaspoon? Why would you think of Teaspoon? That's hardly romantic!"

"Well maybe not Teaspoon. Maybe Cody."

"Cody! Now that's downright insulting!"

He pulled her into his arms as she feigned to be mad at him. "You can ride as good as he can run his mouth."

She smiled. "Why, that's sweet, Kid. I've never heard anything as romantic as that."

"Well, should we get going?"

She nodded as she locked her arm in his. Their playful banter continued as they rode in town, and for the first time in her life, Lou did not feel like a lonely soul on the bare, treeless streets of Rock Creek. Finally she did not feel so lonesome and melancholy; she did not feel like an outsider. She had found a place to belong, a place to stay. More than that, she found a family that patiently waited for her return.

Out of the long, stormy nights and dull, rainy days that she endured and lived and died for again and again, the past had passed and the time had come and gone, and in the end, he remained. Reflecting back, the cold, tormenting past that she believed would last eternally now seemed to be just another restless night that delivered a promising day, and at last, she knew he was her morning glory.

THE END

[Send feedback to the author]

[The Reading Room - News] [Other Stories by HBK] [The Reading Room]