And Jovikitn65 where are you?
Richie stepped on the sides of the automatic band and pushed the button
to turn it off. His legs were burning from the exercise but it felt good. He
picked up his towel and wiped the sweat off of his face.
Then he turned around to the other, Jon, Dean and a personal trainer were at the gym too.
“You done already?” Jon asked.
“That was five miles, man.” Richie told him..
“I’d run ten.” Jon bragged.
“You ain’t running nowhere.” Richie walked over to the bench press Jon was on. “How much you lifting there?” He took a closer look at the weights, not waiting for Jon to answer; he knew he could do more. “I can double that.”
“Not stopping ya man, there’s another one, let’s see how much you can do.” Jon challenged.
“Fine.” Richie stepped over to the weights and took double of what Jon was lifting.
Dean and their personal trainer stood on either side of the bench press Richie was on.
He stretched his arms and grabbed the bar above him. He lifted it up and down to his chest to push it back up. Only to repeat it another three times.
Once the bar was safely back in its place, he turned to look at Jon. “Your turn.” Richie challenged back.
“Okay fine, but I can still run faster than you.” He gave in.
“Asswipe.”
“Fuckhead.”
Richie sat up again and looked at the clock on the wall.
“I better get back to Sarah.” It had been over an hour by now, almost two.
“Gonna do some bed exercises?” Jon teased.
“Don’t go there.” Richie said defensively.
“What?” He only meant it as a joke.
“Just don’t, it’s…” He looked at Dean and the trainer. “Well, I don’t want to tell you with everyone around.”
“Everything alright?” His tone had changed to worried.
“Yeah, some things are just hard for her.” He couldn’t tell him more here.
“I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I know. See you later.”
Richie got his stuff together and went back to the hotel room for a shower.
He used his key card to open the door.
Inside he took his towel from his shoulder and dropped it on the floor, his water bottle he placed on the table.
“Sarah?” He looked up to the couch, she hadn’t said anything when he walked in, or even reacted.
She still didn’t react, so he walked over to her and sat down next to her on the couch.
When he sat close next to her, he noticed tears in her eyes.
In his mind he cursed, that was the second time he left her alone and she had been crying when he returned. Last time it was his fault, did he cause this too?
He reached out to turn her chin towards him, when he touched
her; she jumped and looked at him.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asked gently, her eyes were already red from crying.
“I’m not sure.” She said quietly.
The next tear that slipped from her eye, Richie wiped away, he let his hand curl around the side of her face.
“Then why are you crying?”
“I don’t know.” She started sobbing.
“Hey baby,” he soothed, “come here.”
He pulled her in close so her head was resting on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and started stroking her hair.
Already, he could feel his t-shirt getting wet from her tears but let her cry until she started sniffing and calming down, a good five minutes later.
“Sweetie,” he tried again, “what’s wrong?”
Sarah sniffed again. “I think I’m a little overwhelmed.” She wiped her tears but didn’t move away from him.
“What’s overwhelming you?” He asked just as gently as everything he said before.
“Being away from home again but so far.” She started.
She was feeling homesick, was that it, he thought.
“But I want to be here with you.”
He stroked her hair again, showing that he appreciated that.
“But it scares me too.” She wiped at her tears again. “I haven’t felt this in a very long time.
He was glad to hear how she felt, but understanding too.
“For God’s sake, I had sex!”
Richie smiled at that.
“And it was really good.” She added with a smile he didn’t see but it was definitely there. “And I talk to people without being as scared or thinking of what could happen.” She listed everything.
“So you made progress.” Richie concluded for her. “That’s good.”
Sarah nodded against his chest.
“It’s just a lot at once?” He asked.
“It is.” She confirmed.
“You know I’m proud of you for doing all those things, even though you’re scared. I’m glad we have this and we’ll keep your pace to wherever it goes.” He said soothingly and encouraging. “When you got on a plane for me, for us, I knew we’d be alright and you’d be even better. ‘Cause isn’t that what it was all about? Facing your fears and doing it anyway?”
He was still stroking her hair and Sarah still hadn’t moved, he bent down and kissed her hair. “I’m proud of you.” He repeated. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed but don’t do it on your own, talk to me.”
“I know.” She nodded against him.
She hadn’t moved because the close contact with him felt good, she didn’t want to move away from him, she liked being close to him.
That he didn’t loosen his grip on her comforted her just as much as the feeling of him stroking her hair.
“I love you.” She said.
“I love you too.” He hugged her even tighter.
They were quiet for a few minutes, taking comfort from their silence.
Finally Richie broke the silence.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She quickly apologized.
“For what? Being overwhelmed by your feelings?” He asked.
“I guess.” Sarah shrugged.
“Just talk to me, about everything. I’m not gonna get angry because you feel mixed up.” He explained.
“Everything?” She asked suspicious.
“Everything.” Richie confirmed.
“Okay.” She nodded before she continued. “You really stink.
Richie laughed. “I just ran five miles!”
Sarah finally sat up and smiled at him.
He saw a happy smile but a sad face, her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks flushed and tearstained, it pulled at his heart that she had to feel that way.
He tilted her head and kissed her softly.
“You still look beautiful.” He said.
Sarah covered her cheeks with her hands, feeling the heat of her flushed skin. “I must look horrible.” Realizing that she had been crying for an hour, she couldn’t look pretty right now.
“Not to me, but you are right, I stink, I need to shower.”
Sarah nodded, he really did.
“I think you need to phone your kids.” He said gently, maybe that would help too.
Sarah nodded again, he was right.
Richie got up from the couch and stretched. “I’m taking you out tonight by the way.” He bent down again for another kiss, making it long and tender.
“Right, shower.” He stood back up and walked to the bathroom.
Sarah’s voice stopped him and made him look over his shoulder.
“Wait.”
He turned around.
“I’ll come with you.”
Facing all her fears.
Then he turned around to the other, Jon, Dean and a personal trainer were at the gym too.
“You done already?” Jon asked.
“That was five miles, man.” Richie told him..
“I’d run ten.” Jon bragged.
“You ain’t running nowhere.” Richie walked over to the bench press Jon was on. “How much you lifting there?” He took a closer look at the weights, not waiting for Jon to answer; he knew he could do more. “I can double that.”
“Not stopping ya man, there’s another one, let’s see how much you can do.” Jon challenged.
“Fine.” Richie stepped over to the weights and took double of what Jon was lifting.
Dean and their personal trainer stood on either side of the bench press Richie was on.
He stretched his arms and grabbed the bar above him. He lifted it up and down to his chest to push it back up. Only to repeat it another three times.
Once the bar was safely back in its place, he turned to look at Jon. “Your turn.” Richie challenged back.
“Okay fine, but I can still run faster than you.” He gave in.
“Asswipe.”
“Fuckhead.”
Richie sat up again and looked at the clock on the wall.
“I better get back to Sarah.” It had been over an hour by now, almost two.
“Gonna do some bed exercises?” Jon teased.
“Don’t go there.” Richie said defensively.
“What?” He only meant it as a joke.
“Just don’t, it’s…” He looked at Dean and the trainer. “Well, I don’t want to tell you with everyone around.”
“Everything alright?” His tone had changed to worried.
“Yeah, some things are just hard for her.” He couldn’t tell him more here.
“I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I know. See you later.”
Richie got his stuff together and went back to the hotel room for a shower.
He used his key card to open the door.
Inside he took his towel from his shoulder and dropped it on the floor, his water bottle he placed on the table.
“Sarah?” He looked up to the couch, she hadn’t said anything when he walked in, or even reacted.
She still didn’t react, so he walked over to her and sat down next to her on the couch.
When he sat close next to her, he noticed tears in her eyes.
In his mind he cursed, that was the second time he left her alone and she had been crying when he returned. Last time it was his fault, did he cause this too?
He reached out to turn her chin towards him, when he touched
her; she jumped and looked at him.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asked gently, her eyes were already red from crying.
“I’m not sure.” She said quietly.
The next tear that slipped from her eye, Richie wiped away, he let his hand curl around the side of her face.
“Then why are you crying?”
“I don’t know.” She started sobbing.
“Hey baby,” he soothed, “come here.”
He pulled her in close so her head was resting on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and started stroking her hair.
Already, he could feel his t-shirt getting wet from her tears but let her cry until she started sniffing and calming down, a good five minutes later.
“Sweetie,” he tried again, “what’s wrong?”
Sarah sniffed again. “I think I’m a little overwhelmed.” She wiped her tears but didn’t move away from him.
“What’s overwhelming you?” He asked just as gently as everything he said before.
“Being away from home again but so far.” She started.
She was feeling homesick, was that it, he thought.
“But I want to be here with you.”
He stroked her hair again, showing that he appreciated that.
“But it scares me too.” She wiped at her tears again. “I haven’t felt this in a very long time.
He was glad to hear how she felt, but understanding too.
“For God’s sake, I had sex!”
Richie smiled at that.
“And it was really good.” She added with a smile he didn’t see but it was definitely there. “And I talk to people without being as scared or thinking of what could happen.” She listed everything.
“So you made progress.” Richie concluded for her. “That’s good.”
Sarah nodded against his chest.
“It’s just a lot at once?” He asked.
“It is.” She confirmed.
“You know I’m proud of you for doing all those things, even though you’re scared. I’m glad we have this and we’ll keep your pace to wherever it goes.” He said soothingly and encouraging. “When you got on a plane for me, for us, I knew we’d be alright and you’d be even better. ‘Cause isn’t that what it was all about? Facing your fears and doing it anyway?”
He was still stroking her hair and Sarah still hadn’t moved, he bent down and kissed her hair. “I’m proud of you.” He repeated. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed but don’t do it on your own, talk to me.”
“I know.” She nodded against him.
She hadn’t moved because the close contact with him felt good, she didn’t want to move away from him, she liked being close to him.
That he didn’t loosen his grip on her comforted her just as much as the feeling of him stroking her hair.
“I love you.” She said.
“I love you too.” He hugged her even tighter.
They were quiet for a few minutes, taking comfort from their silence.
Finally Richie broke the silence.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She quickly apologized.
“For what? Being overwhelmed by your feelings?” He asked.
“I guess.” Sarah shrugged.
“Just talk to me, about everything. I’m not gonna get angry because you feel mixed up.” He explained.
“Everything?” She asked suspicious.
“Everything.” Richie confirmed.
“Okay.” She nodded before she continued. “You really stink.
Richie laughed. “I just ran five miles!”
Sarah finally sat up and smiled at him.
He saw a happy smile but a sad face, her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks flushed and tearstained, it pulled at his heart that she had to feel that way.
He tilted her head and kissed her softly.
“You still look beautiful.” He said.
Sarah covered her cheeks with her hands, feeling the heat of her flushed skin. “I must look horrible.” Realizing that she had been crying for an hour, she couldn’t look pretty right now.
“Not to me, but you are right, I stink, I need to shower.”
Sarah nodded, he really did.
“I think you need to phone your kids.” He said gently, maybe that would help too.
Sarah nodded again, he was right.
Richie got up from the couch and stretched. “I’m taking you out tonight by the way.” He bent down again for another kiss, making it long and tender.
“Right, shower.” He stood back up and walked to the bathroom.
Sarah’s voice stopped him and made him look over his shoulder.
“Wait.”
He turned around.
“I’ll come with you.”
Facing all her fears.
I'm glad she is finally opening up to him!
ReplyDeleteNow on to the shower!
Well, very nice this section...me too with Richie in the shower ...I'm waiting the continuation... :)
ReplyDelete