From Now Until Infinity (2) (3 page)

I hit him playfully on the arm, “Okay. Where are we going then?”

“New Orleans, Doctor Collins. I have a fun weekend planned.” He’s so pleased with himself that it’s almost nauseating. “Our plane leaves in two hours so we need to get moving.”

I shake my head and follow him out of the private room. He pauses at the exit of the wine room and holds the door open for me. We walk through the restaurant as his hand is firmly on the small of my back and he gently directs me toward the exit. It’s a sweet and protective gesture. To my surprise, no one stops us to discuss football or shake his hand or pose for a picture.
This is really nice!

He hands the valet his ticket, and we wait for his car. When I see a maroon hybrid Cadillac Escalade pull up, I know what he’s done.

“This is the car that I bought you, isn’t it?” He just smiles at me and opens the passenger door.

This is the first time that I’ve seen the car except for on the Internet when I purchased it. I have great taste. It’s a very nice car even though it’s eight-years-old.

He tips the valet and easily slides in the driver’s seat.

Once we’re on the road and headed to the airport, Colin looks at me with a smug smile. “You know how I hate getting rid of cars. Big Bertha sends her regards and says she misses you.”

“Your insurance agent must give you a very nice Christmas gift every year,” I tease. “So, what am I doing for clothes this weekend?”

“Well, your wonderful assistant said that he packs for you all the time so I have an overnight bag ready in my trunk.” Colin informs me with great glee. He’s really obnoxiously proud of himself.

“Colin, you know that you don’t have to do this. I don’t need trips and money to make me happy. I’d have been perfectly happy lying on the coach and watching movies with you all weekend,” knowing full well that this is the truth. I’ve lived through football off season before and I know this is the calm before the storm. When his mistress football calls, Colin will answer with as much devotion and determination that he shows me. We need to be spending as much time together as possible being normal because once football begins, I’ll see Colin long enough to say good morning, and he might get to kiss me goodnight.
Look at me! I am preparing my mind for us to be together during the football season.

“I know that, baby. But I want to share something with you.” His boyish excitement is contagious.

I can’t help but sit there smiling like a fool. Colin’s happy, which makes me happy.

* * *

Once we are safely sitting in first class away from his fans with me sipping a glass of white wine and Colin drinking water, I lean over and whisper in his ear, “This is the most exciting thing that I’ve done in a long time. Thank you.”

He pulls back and smirks, “Charlie, if going away for the weekend is the most exciting thing that you’ve done in a long time than you need to get out more. How do you normally spend your weekends?”

Once again, I’m taken aback. How can I feel so comfortable with him, but not know how he spends his free time anymore, and he doesn’t know what I do for fun. “You go first. Tell me about your life during the off season,” I prompt.

He stretches his long legs (as much as he can on an airplane) and begins, “Well, I guess I hang out a lot with some of the guys on the team. As you know, I’m very popular because I’m the designated driver.” Colin gets a rather guilty look on his face when he makes the comment about being the DD.

I think, “Yeah. I remember you poisoning yourself last weekend. I bet that’s a big deterrent from getting shit faced.” Instead of saying that, I smile and wait for him to continue.

“We usually eat dinner and go to clubs. Sometimes everyone comes over to my house and we play video games or watch movies. I don’t know. I guess I always have fun, but I’m not sure really what I do,” he confesses.

And before I can stop myself, “When you guys are going to these clubs, is it to pick up girls?”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Sometimes. Why? Are you jealous?”

I don’t like him laughing at me. I shouldn’t have asked the question because I knew the answer. Jealousy’s not an emotion that I’m familiar with. The only guy that I kinda/sorta dated since Colin and I broke up was Adam. He was a decent guy. We were at Harvard together, and he really liked me. I thought he was nice enough, gave me someone to hang out with on the weekends, and was a great study partner. During residency, I caught him having a heated make out session with a nurse. Instead of freaking out and feeling jealous, I simply told him, “Hope she’s worth it.” I turned around, left, and never spoke to him again. I heard through the years that Adam talks about that incident as the biggest regret of his life. It shocks me that something as traumatic as catching your boyfriend feeling up another woman should bother you. Yet, I really have never given it much of a thought.

I decide to lie to Colin because I’ll never admit to being jealous. “I’m not jealous. It’s not like you were cheating on me.”

That’s what comes out of my mouth, but it’s not what I feel. There’s a strong part of me that really believes that he was cheating on me. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and take a sip of my wine. I know that the flight attendant is going to be taking my glass from me any second for takeoff.

Colin leans over and whispers in my ear. His warm breath sends chills down my spine. “I think it’s so hot that you’re jealous at the just the thought of me sleeping with other women when we weren’t together. It makes me hard.”

I look down at his pants and sure enough, he is. Men! He reaches down and adjusts himself so it’s not so obvious.

“Well, Mr. McKinney,” I say in an authoritative voice. “What doesn’t make you hard?” Before he can answer the question, “Let me tell you about my weekends. My exciting night life will definitely help your condition.” I dramatically drop my eyes southward.

He laughs at my obvious acknowledgement of his erection. I love that I make him laugh. I go on to regale Colin with exciting stories of fund raisers, gay clubs with Brad, and going dancing with my sisters. It’s really so exciting that I’m sure that he’s going to fall asleep on me.

When I’m finished, he replies with a slight shake of his head, “I just can’t get over the fact that you haven’t met anyone. You’re fuckin’ gorgeous, smart, and god, your tits are perfect.” He quickly adds, “Not that I’m complaining.”

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you believe. You know me, Colin. I’m not the kind of girl who sat around and fantasized about being married or having kids. When I played Barbie’s as a little girl, Barbie was a doctor who lived in her dream house alone. The first floor was her practice. She treated Ken’s dumb ass when he hurt himself in a surfing mishap. Skipper needed stitches for falling off of her scooter.” I pause for a second to collect my thoughts and make sure that I say this correctly. “Falling in love with you at nineteen-years-old was a complete blindside for me. I thought that I’d think about love after medical school. I never expected for us to be more than a causal relationship. You didn’t fit into my plans, but I’m so thankful that your ankle didn’t heal correctly and you chose my dad to do your surgery.”

I pause for a second reading his face because I can tell that I’m not communicating what I want to say properly. I don’t know how I can make him understand that he changed the course of my life in a very good way even though we ended up with broken hearts in the end.

“Let me try this again,” I say as I grab his large hands in mine. “After we broke up, I spent a lot of time believing that our relationship had been a mistake - that you had essentially ruined me for anyone else. I worried that I’d never feel love or happiness again. In a way, I think that you did ruin me,” I stop what I’m saying and position one of his hands over my heart. I want for him to feel the emotion rolling off of my soul.

“Colin, you ruined me in a good way. You set the bar so high for any other guys that no one had a chance of reaching it. Every man that I‘ve dated since you and has not measured up. So with that being said, you’re stuck with me,” I tease shrugging my shoulders trying to lighten the mood.

He leans over and plants a soft, gentle kiss on the spot of my chest where I placed his large hand. “There’s no one that I’d rather be stuck with. My biggest regret’s that I didn’t talk to you after your medical school graduation ceremony. Maybe I’d saved myself a lot of shit years.”

“Speaking of medical school graduation ceremonies… when do I get the story on that one?” I ask.

At that moment, the flight attendant interrupts us to remove our glasses and inform us that we’re about to take off.

I flash Colin a “saved by the bell” look and he just sheepishly shrugs. I’ll get the story from him one day.

Chapter Two

WE ARRIVE at our hotel a little after five in the evening. I’m exhausted after a night of not sleeping, three surgeries, and an afternoon of surprises. I need a nap if I’m going to be any fun this evening.

Colin looks at me with knowing eyes and wraps his arm around me as we exit the elevator onto the floor that we’re staying on. “Baby, I have some phone calls to return when we get to the room. Why don’t you take a hot bath and have a nap? I need you well rested for what I’ve got in mind for tonight,” he says winking at me. When Colin turned his phone on after we landed in New Orleans, it went off like crazy. Someone or someones were desperately trying to reach him. When he saw all his messages, he got a look of disgust on his face and shoved his phone in his pocket.

“Okay,” I agree. “As long as you don’t let me sleep too long.”

“Deal!”

Of course, Colin rented us a suite. I appreciate the thought, but I’m still not comfortable with throwing money away. Then, I walk into the bathroom and see the giant two person shower and a bathtub that’s so large it could be a small hot tub.
Maybe upgrading to a suite isn’t such a bad idea.

Colin sets up shop at the dining room table and is on the phone having a heated conversation with someone when I emerge from the bathroom in nothing but the hotel offered bathrobe. I’d hoped to entice him into a little foreplay before my nap, but I can read his body language and tell that he doesn’t want to be disturbed.

When he notices me, he holds up one finger telling me to wait. He says to whomever he’s speaking to, “Hold that thought for one second.”

Then, he gets up from the dining room table and walks to me pulling me into a tight embrace. “Take a nap, beautiful girl. I’m going to be awhile.”

He kisses me to soften the blow of my dismissal, and I walk back into the bedroom dropping my robe on the floor. I crawl naked into the very comfortable bed. I’m a bit sad that he isn’t joining me, but I understand work rearing its ugly head.

I fall asleep wondering what he has planned for us this weekend.

* * *

From somewhere in my sleep drenched mind, I hear, “This is bullshit, Mark.”

I roll over and look up at the ceiling. Colin is really upset about something, and he’s yelling at his agent who has been with Colin since he declared himself for the draft. I’d feel very sorry for the guy that has had to put up with Colin for so many years, but I know that Colin pays him a fortune so I guess it’s like hazard pay.

“What the fuck do you want me to say? The answer is no. Not no, but hell no! Would you like for me to make the phone call?” Colin yells.

I get out of bed and slip the hotel bathrobe back on and walk into the living room of the suite. Colin’s back is to me and he’s staring out the hotel window at the Mississippi River. He must sense my presence because he turns around and walks toward me, grabbing my shoulder with his left hand and squeezing it. This’s the universal sign that Colin's upset. The degree that my shoulders are squeezed is a direct correlation to how upset he is. By the way that he’s gripping my shoulder, this is really bad.

“Fucking forget it Mark. I’ll have Aiden call and deal with it. Maybe he can make some head way,” he says disgustedly. There’s a long pause and then Colin says more calmly, “Yes. I understand what you’re saying. I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

He ends the call and pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry that I woke you, baby. I didn’t mean to yell so loudly.”

I reach up and rub my hands up and down his back. He has taken off his leather sports coat and is just in his slacks and green T-shirt that’s now untucked.

“Anything that you want to talk about?” I ask.

“I don’t want to taint you with this bullshit,” he says kissing my forehead. “I’m going to go to the lobby and call Aiden. Why don’t you start getting dressed? We’ve got dinner reservations at eight o’clock.”

I’m not letting him off the hook that easily. I know that we just got back together, but he has to let me into all aspects of his life. Colin has a knack for compartmentalizing. When we dated previously, he did a great job of keeping me uninformed about anything that he thought might upset me. I’m not willing to have another relationship like that. I grab his hand and gently lead him to the sofa. He follows behind me and sits down next to me. I crawl into his lap, straddle him, and wrap my arms around his neck hugging him tightly. He reaches up and puts his arms around my back squeezing me to him. We stay like this for a long while. Finally, I lean back and look into his beautiful green eyes. “Colin, tell me what’s going on. I can’t be supportive of you and your career if you don’t share with me.”

He looks away from me and whispers, “Please don’t ask me to tell you. I don’t want anything to ruin our weekend together.” My stomach drops and heart aches for him.

“I’m going to do nothing but worry about what’s going on. Then, my mind will start churning up possibilities. Whatever it is, please tell me. It has to be better than what I’m imagining,” I reason with him. I have a feeling that this has to do with Sasha.

Colin tries to stand up, but I shift my weight so he knows that I don’t want him to stand. If he really wanted me off of him he could easily move me, but I’m not making it easy for him to run away.