Dream Lover (8 page)

She shut her curtains with more force than they deserved then slumped down in a chair nearby. Finally, the tears fell and she cried until she was all cried out.

The next morning proved to be a beautiful one. The sun was shining brightly and you would never know there had been a terrible storm the night before. John knew though. He remembered everything that happened the previous night.

He thought about the kiss.

The look in her eyes after she pulled away from him was haunting him still. He'd let his control slip for a moment and it had cost him. He felt like a bonehead. And he'd tell her as much when he apologized.

He was slightly bothered because he'd had the same dream he had been having for years now of Susan. He didn't know why he was still dreaming of her, when he no longer desired her.

He did notice that in the dream he didn't call for her this time. But he still could not see her face. She just stood there in the black orchids. Looking like an angel.
Hardly,
he thought. He also realized that he did not go after her. But he still had a strange longing feeling for the woman.

He stopped short and blinked.
Black orchids.
His mind began racing. When did he start having those dreams? Almost five years ago, after he'd met....

He shook his head and smiled brightly as everything became clear. That would explain why in his dream she never responded to Susan's name, why she never turned around. They were similar in build, though he would say Liz was much more curvaceous than Susan.

At the time when he'd first met Liz right after Susan left him, they'd both had long hair. Susan had cut hers into a stylish bob since then, while Liz kept hers long and curly. Except for last night.

And then there was her exotic scent. There was no denying that Liz smelled like the flowers the woman was always surrounded by in his dreams. Black orchids.

How could he not have realized before now?

He laughed out loud. All this time, all these years, he had not
been dreaming of Susan. He'd been dreaming of Liz.
She
was his saving grace. She was his dream lover.

It seemed he even owed her an apology in his dreams. He'd start with reality.

He knocked on her door and waited for an answer. When none came, he called out to her.

“Liz?”

He waited a moment, and there was still no answer. He put his hand on the doorknob, and then hesitated to open it.

What if she was getting dressed? What if she was not dressed yet? The thought that she might possibly be naked behind the door made his body stir.

He admonished himself for having that thought at the moment and convinced himself that if she was not answering, she was probably still sleep.

He opened the door just barely and whispered to her. “Don't throw anything at me,” he joked keeping his eyes to the ground just in case he was wrong about her being undressed. When there was no response he looked up and around the room.

Her bed was made and the room looked as if no one had even been there. He started to get an unsettling feeling, but decided he was probably just jumping to conclusions and figured she was just downstairs having breakfast with Lila.

He headed to the kitchen and stopped short when he remembered what went on last night in there. He didn't want things to be awkward. But he wasn't going to lie to
himself; he wanted to explore these new feelings he was developing for his best friend. But it was clear she did not feel the same way. He would just have to convince her to trust him on this new journey. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to see her again.

Lila was alone in the kitchen. He looked around confused. “Where's Liz?”

Lila looked up at him. “She went home last night.”

Boy you really messed things up,
John thought to himself.
You scared her so badly she ran out in a thunderstorm, the one thing she is most afraid of, to get away from you.
He was riding up the elevator to Liz's apartment. When Lila told him that she'd seen Liz getting in a cab from her bedroom window last night after they'd talked in the kitchen, he didn't waste anytime getting home. He stopped by the florist, to get her favorite flowers to go along with his apology.

He felt a strange ache in his chest, remembering how he'd looked out his window when he got home only to see Liz had shut her curtains. He'd stopped by his place to take a shower and change clothes.

The elevator door opened to Liz's floor. He made the quick walk to her door and knocked.

Liz knew it was him. She stood there staring at the door, much like she had last night when he'd knocked on her bedroom door at the chateau.

He rested his palm against the door. “Peaches,” he called to her. “Peaches, I know you're in there. Please open the door.”

He sounded so
desperate; she went to the door and opened it.

He gave her a good once over. She looked like she hadn't slept all night. Even still, she was unspeakably beautiful. He tried to lighten the mood by bringing some semblance of their regular selves to the conversation. “Geez Lizzie, you look like hell.” He'd always been honest with her before. No sense in changing that now.

She glared at him. “I didn't get any sleep last night.”

He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Yeah, I had quite a difficult time sleeping myself. My fault for both of our sleepless nights I suppose.”

She continued to stare at him not speaking. She glanced at the flowers, and then looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. She recognized her favorite flowers.

“Look Lizzie, I came to apologize for last night. I let things get way out of hand and I'm sorry.”

She stood there silent for a moment longer, then visibly relaxed. She stepped back so he could come in and she took the flowers he handed to her.

“I was so worried, how things would be after that kiss,” she said. “I'm so glad we will be able to work things out and have everything back to normal, they way it use to be.” She headed for the kitchen to put the flowers in some water.

“I think you misunderstood me Peaches; I said I was sorry for things getting out of hand, I didn't say I was sorry for kissing you.” She froze. He could see her visibly tense up again.

Might as well get it all out,
he thought. “And I don't want things the way they use to be or 'back to normal'.”

She turned around slowly. She was trembling. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “It will ruin everything.”

He moved towards her very cautiously. “Or,” he said slowly, “It could make everything so much more wonderful.”

“We've been friends way too long.
Best
friends.”

“Who better to be lovers than best friends.”

He'd said it.
Lovers.
She shook her head. “What has gotten into you John? Are you feeling these strange feelings because Susan is getting married?”

He rushed over to her and grabbed her arms and shook her gently. He glared at her.

“Susan has
nothing
to do with what I'm feeling for you. Do you hear me? Nothing!”

All she could do was nod her head. He let out a deep sigh. “Look Lizzie. When I saw Susan, all the feelings I thought I would have seeing her again were not there. I was completely and one hundred percent over her. She just sat there with her
fiancé, nose in the air like she was the queen of everything. It didn't take long to realize the real reason she'd left me at the altar. I was a struggling cook and she would clearly be marrying beneath her.”

Liz couldn't help but cup his face in her hands. As usual when talking about Susan, that fire was in her eyes. “Susan was a fool to let you go. And a horrible person if she couldn't stand by you while you fought for your dreams.”

He reached up and held her hands in his and leaned his forehead against hers.

“Peaches, I don't know when things changed for me, or how, or even why. But this feeling...it's not going away for me. And I'd rather face it head on and see where it leads us rather than run from it.”

He looked her in the eyes. “Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel it too?”

She let out a shuddering breath. “Johnny, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel it too.” She felt his hands squeeze around hers with hope. “But I'm scared. What if things don't work out? I couldn't lose you as my best friend. What if....”

He stopped her talking by leaning forward and giving her the gentlest kiss on the lips. He kissed her once more then pulled away. “You just have to trust me. Trust us. Trust this.” He rubbed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “I've always been there for you and that isn't going to change, not now or ever. Have I ever steered you wrong before about anything?”

“No,” she replied looking down.

“I'm not wrong about this either. I just know it.”

She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself. “I need time to think about this, Johnny.”

He smiled and headed for the door and she followed him. He turned and gave her another sweet kiss. “Take all of the time you need Peaches. I'm not going anywhere and you know where to find me.” And then he slipped out of the door.

John was in his office at his restaurant the next day when he got a very pleasant surprise in the form of his younger sister Miranda. She entered his office, jubilant as always.

“How's it going big brother?”

“Hey Randi,” he said standing to hug her. “It's going well, how are classes?”

She shrugged. “They are going well so far. No problems.”

Randi was in her final semester of getting her Master's degree in journalism.

“And how's work?”

“You know how it is, the glamorous life of a copy editor,” she replied deadpan about her job at the upscale magazine
Zenith.
He knew what she really wanted to do was become a photojournalist. Unable to find any place to hire her as a photographer, she'd found a job with the magazine as a copy editor after receiving her Bachelor's.

She sat down in the chair across from his and stared at him.

He stared back. “What?” he asked. She was always good at reading people.

“What is going on with you?
Really?
”

He sighed, exasperated and began to talk about the things going on between him and Liz.

“She is still afraid, so I'm not rushing anything.”

Randi beamed at her older brother. “Oh I just knew it! I knew it from the day I met her! Of course it was too soon after that whole Susan debacle. And I knew something was up with her today, even with her being sick and all-”

“Wait a minute. Lizzie is sick? You've seen her already?”

“Yeah, I went by your place first and since you weren't there I went to see her. She's got a real nasty cold. How do you not know that? When was the last time you seen her?”

“I talked to her last night, but she seemed fine.”

“Well she's in bad shape now. I made her some soup before I left and told her I'd be back by before heading to Mom and Dad's.”

He nodded only half listening to her, now concerned about Liz. She smiled at him.

“When are you going to go check on her?”

“As soon as I let the manager know.”

Liz rarely got sick.
I never should have gone out in that stupid thunderstorm,
she thought.

She was grateful for Randi stopping by. They had always been very good friends. That also seemed like another factor regarding this possible relationship with John. If things went badly, she'd not only lose him as a friend, but she would also lose his sister's friendship as well.

It was just too much for her to think about, especially with a terrible cold.

She was
lying on the couch, when the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Randi returning to check on her as she promised she got up and headed to the door. She knew Randi would fuss at her for not finishing her soup, but she just didn't have an appetite.

When she opened the door her eyes rounded like saucers. John was standing there, loving smile on his face and grocery bags in his hand.

She thought of her appearance and went to slam the door in his face but he stopped it.

“I've already seen you, Peaches, you might as well let me in.”

“No!” she said behind the door, trying to close it.

“And why not?”

“I'm sick, you can't be around me.”

“I already let Marnee and the other managers for the restaurants know I'd be away until further notice. It's all taken care of.”

“You can't come in here John. I must look like the swamp thing.”

“I've seen you look a mess time and time again Peaches.”

She was silent.

“Why would you care about how you look around me all of sudden unless....” He let the rest hang in the air, but she knew exactly what he was implying and defiantly swung the door open as if to prove a point. She glared at him for a moment clearly annoyed then began to have a coughing fit. He sat the bags down by the door and picked her up and carried her back to the couch.