This Time Forever (3 page)

After Elliott had finished his sandwich,
he decided to take a drive to get a feel for his new surroundings.   He didn't think it was possible, but the drivers in New York were just as bad as the ones in LA.   He was able to find a place to park the car for a bit.  He was walking and making mental notes of streets and various shops that he would be returning to.  He stopped and got himself a bottled water.  As he was opening the bottle, he glanced up quickly and thought he saw a familiar face.   He tried to get a closer look, but before he could, her back to him and she was entering a building.  Elliott crossed the street and went inside the building.  Once inside, he was greeted by a tall, pretty woman.   He took note of the establishment and knew he was in the wrong place, but asked her if a slender, petite woman with dreadlocks was there.  She explained that she was not at liberty to give him that information, but asked him if he would like to leave his name and number and she could check to see if anyone there knew him.  He told her that would not be necessary because it looked like he had come to the wrong place.  Nah, he thought to himself.  Couldn't have been.  He suddenly felt foolish for even thinking it.   Heat must be affecting him.  He took a few sips of his water and went to his car and drove back to his house.

When he arrived at his house,
Elliott's neighbor was outside.  He got out of the car and walked over and introduced himself.  "Pleased to meet you, Elliott," said Mr. Dolan.  "So, you're buying Eddy's place, I see?"  "Oh, no sir.  I'm just visiting for a bit.  Thought I'd see how things are on the East coast."  Mr. Dolan said "I see, well, you never know.  You may decide that you like it enough here that you'll want to take up permanent residency."  Elliott chuckled and agreed.  "There's Carol."  A silver Prius pulled into the Dolan driveway and a petite woman with gray hair stepped from the car.  She was dressed in white pants and a lightweight, sleeveless, lavender top.  "Carol, honey, this is Elliott," Sam Dolan said.  Carol smiled and Elliott said "Hello, Mrs. Dolan, it's very nice meeting you."  She replied, "And you as well, Elliott.  We were hoping to get to meet you soon.  We both have such hectic schedules.  I own a boutique and Sam sees his patients in the office and then at the hospital."   They spoke on a while longer and made tentative plans to have dinner one evening. 

Chapter 4

"E, my man, it's great to see you" Elliott greeted Elias
with a handshake and brief hug.  "Well, it's only taken what, 15+ years to get you up here?  It's great seeing you too, man.  I'm sorry I wasn't able to get over to the house right away, but you know how things can be."  Elliott shook his head in agreement.  "So, tell me, how are things in Cali?" E inquired.  "Pretty much the same as the last time you were there.  Nothing much has changed.   I've been so busy with work, though, that if things have changed, I might not have noticed."  They talked on a bit more about their busy careers when Elliott asked Elias about his family.  "Oh, man, they are great.  I gotta tell you, in school, I never would have thought about being a family man. " Elliott chuckled as he remembered what a ladies' man E had been during their college days.   He was from one woman to the next, sometimes even managing to wrangle dates with women old enough to be his mother.  But, that was just E.  "Yeah, I know.  So you can imagine how surprised I was when you told me you had met a woman and said she was 'the one.'  I couldn't believe it."  E nodded in agreement and said "Well, you're going to meet Elizabeth later on.   She can't wait to finally meet you after all these years of me talking about you.   She's really something, man.  I can't say enough about her, but you'll see for yourself tonight."  "I'm looking forward to meeting her, too.  What about the kids?  Are they going to be there?"  E took a sip of his water and said, "Yeah, but only for a little bit.  You know how they have their own plans and stuff, but they will be there."  Elliott was still marveling at his friend.  "Here you are with a wife, kids, a great job, and living in the city that never sleeps.  You did alright, you know."  E looked at his friend for a moment and replied, "Have you been serious about anyone since your last girlfriend?"  Elliott replied that he'd had some dates, but none of those dates really turned into relationships.  He blamed it on work and the fact that the women he had come into contact with just were not the ones for him.  He did not elaborate any further.   "Well, you never know.  Maybe something as simple as a change of state will give you a new outlook."  Elliott shrugged his shoulders.  They talked a while longer and firmed up their plans for dinner that evening before leaving the outside eatery. 

When he arrived back to his house, he still had a while before dinner at E's house, so he decided to see if anything good was on TV.  He found HBO's "House of Lies" and decided to watch it.  He found himself so engrossed in the storyline that he almost lost track of time.  He walked from the TV room to his bedroom and found a pair of dark slacks and a dark blue button down shirt to wear that evening.  Just as he was getting ready to get into the shower, his phone rang.  "Well, I guess it was too much trouble for you to pick up the phone and tell me that you were going out of town" the high-pitched voice on the other end said.  "Who is this?" Elliott asked.  "You know damn well it's Sara."  She said "Look Elliott, I don't appreciate being blown off the way you . . . "  Elliott felt his temper rising and cut her off.  "I'll tell you just like I told Daniel.   I don't report to you.   You need to get it through your head that we have never been and will never be together. "   She replied hotly, "Well you weren't saying that when . . ."  Before she could finish, Elliott hung up the phone.    Elliott returned to the bathroom and took a shower.   As the steam rose, some of the tension and anger from his prior conversation seemed to lessen.  He put the conversation out of his mind as he got dressed for dinner with E and Elizabeth.   He gave himself a final inspection, and upon deciding that he looked okay, he headed out the door dinner.

Elias' home was as beautiful on the outside as it was on the inside.   It was a big house, but not overstated or imposing.   The lush green lawn, sugar maple trees, and other foliage was an inviting and peaceful site.   Before Elliott could ring the doorbell, E was already there opening the door.  "Did you have any trouble finding the place?   Since it's kinda off the beaten path, sometimes it can be hard to find."  Elliott replied, "Nope, it was pretty easy, but I think GPS took me through the scenic route."   A woman's voice replied "Well, then you took the best route.  The scenic route is just beautiful."  Elizabeth came into the living area and greeted Elliott with a warm hug.  After her initial feeling that she had seen Elliott before, she said, "It's so nice to finally put a face with your name," Elizabeth said.  Elliott said, "It's definitely nice to finally meet you face-to-face as well."  They went into the spacious living area just off the foyer and chatted a while longer while the aroma of Elizabeth's roast beef with vegetables filled the air with its delicious scent.  "If you'll excuse me, I think dinner is just about done.  I'll go check out what's going on in the kitchen and will let you know when everything is ready."   "Okay, babe.  Do you need any help with anything?" E asked as Elizabeth exited the room.  "I've got it all under control," Elizabeth replied.  When she had exited the room Elliott said "Wow, dude, I know you told me she was pretty, but she is absolutely beautiful."  E chuckled and said "Yeah, she's truly something else, man.   She and the kids are the best thing to happen to me."  Elliott feigned tears and said "Aw, man, that's so freakin' beautiful."  A few minutes later Elizabeth returned to the living area and announced that dinner was ready.  They went into a small, beautifully appointed dining room with French doors.   There was seating available to accommodate eight guests.  The china closet and its contents were simple and elegant.  Once they sat down and started to eat, E said teasingly to Elizabeth, "Honey, Elliott was just going on and on about how good-looking you are.   For a minute there, I thought I was gonna have to deck him or something."  Elliott chuckled and said "Well, I just call it like I see it.  My friend here did pretty good for himself."  Elizabeth blushed slightly and said "Well, you gotta know at my age it's mostly smoke and mirrors.  And E's a pretty good guy."  With that they decided to raise their champagne glasses to good food and good friends. 

Just as they were finishing dinner, and after touring the house with E and Elizabeth, the door to the front hallway opened.    "Oh, hey you guys, come and meet my Elliott."  EJ and Mariah both greeted Elliott with handshakes.  They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before the kids excused themselves.   "Wow," Elliott said.  "I've definitely got some serious catching up to do.  A beautiful wife, a beautiful home, beautiful kids . . . you outdid yourself, old man."  E and Elizabeth chuckled and Elizabeth said "Come on now, Elliott.  You mean to tell me a man as handsome as you, living in LA, doesn't have hotties lined up for miles?"  He gave a brief laugh and told her that his busy work life did not leave him very much time for dating.  Elizabeth responded "Well, that's it.  You're in New York now.  There has to be someone here for you.  We just have to set you . . . Before she could finish her sentence, Elliott was laughing and holding his fingers in a cross saying "No way, I recently swore off being set up on anymore blind dates.  That definitely does not work for me."  "Well, if you change your mind, I know a couple of . . .  This time E cut her off and said, "Give the man a break.  He'll get out there soon enough."  She shrugged her shoulders and dropped the subject.   At the end of the evening, as Elliott was driving home, he thought about what a nice life E and Elizabeth have.  He had to admit to himself, he did feel a pang of jealousy, but he was very happy for his friend.  He just wished he could find someone to love like that. 

Later that night as E climbed into bed next to Elizabeth she turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face and said "I have the strangest feeling that I have seen or met Elliott somewhere before."  He raised his eyebrows at her and said "Really?  Perhaps he's a past lover or a lover from a previous life," he teased as he softly kissed her neck.  "You're so silly.  I'm just saying he has one of those faces that seem really familiar.  You know that feeling you get when you . . . "  Yeah, I got a feeling right now.  Let's just think about that feeling.”  She looked into his handsome face as he pulled her on top of him and slipped her nightie over her head, revealing her long, slim body and firm, high breasts.  "Jeez, you're beautiful," he said huskily.  She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips.  When she sat up, he propped himself up against the headboard so that he was facing her.   He brought her closer to him and took her hardened nipple into mouth, alternating between licking and sucking.  Liza moaned softly.  She was sliding her wet, hot mound up and down the shaft of his ever-growing erection.  She smiled seductively and said "You'll say just about anything to have your way with me, won't you? "  He smiled back at her and asked "Is it working?"  She raised herself up slightly so that he could enter and stroke her deeply and sighed, "Oh, yes, it is definitely working." 

When Elliott arrived to his house
he felt very keyed up.   He played the voice messages on his phone and checked his email.  There was nothing of any significance so he decided to watch some TV before going to bed.   While he was watching TV, his mind started to drift to the night's events.  E and Elizabeth were a great couple and they had made him feel so welcome in their home and lives.  He sensed that Elizabeth felt odd about him, though he couldn't exactly pinpoint why he felt that way.  It certainly wasn't anything she said or did, as she had been gracious to him during his visit.  Perhaps she just felt that he needed to have a wife or at least a girlfriend.   Whatever the reason, he liked her and E had made the right decision in marrying her.     He was beginning to feel a bit sleepy and was on his way to bed.   On his way to the bedroom he stopped as his computer again and looked up an address that he intended to visit the following day.  Once he had written the address onto a piece of paper, he turned off the computer and went to bed. 

Chapter 5

Rene
e had been in a business meeting all morning and was looking forward to having a few moments alone to herself before her lunch date with Kayla and Matt.   Just as she was about to settle into her chair, Kay bounced enthusiastically into her office.  "Mom," said Kay, "You did remember that Matt and I are having lunch with you today, right?"   Renee looked at Kay briefly and did an exaggerated eye-roll and said "Duh, like I would forget that you guys are paying for my lunch today.  Of course I remember.   I just need to send off a couple of emails.   After Renee sent the emails, she and Kay sat chatting about school and her new apartment.  Kayla was about to call Matt when Renee's receptionist knocked on her door and said that someone was there to see her.  "Oh, you mean Matt, yeah?   He knows to just . . . "  When Renee saw who it was that was there to see her, she couldn't believe her eyes.   Her stomach felt like an elevator plunging to the bottom floor and she had the world's biggest lump in her throat.  "Hi, Renee" Elliott said.   Before Renee could respond, Kayla came to the door and was saying "It's about time you got here.  We've been waiting for you forever."  Kay stopped so quickly she almost fell over her own feet, and had such a strange expression on her face.  "Hi.  I'm Elliott James, an old friend of Renee's."   Kayla just stood there, dumbfounded.  Renee finally said "Elliott, it's been such a long time."  Her voice sounded far away and not like herself to her own ears.  "Yes it has," Elliott replied.  "Kayla is my daughter . . . "  Before she could finish her sentence Elliott said "I could tell.  She's so much like you."  By this time Matt had come into the office and saw his mom and sister standing in the doorway talking to someone.    When Matt took the last few steps to reach them, he was stunned by what he saw.  The man that was talking to his mom and sister looked exactly like him, except for their skin complexions.  Where Elliott's skin was white, Matt's skin tone was chocolate brown like that of his mother.  Outside of that, both men were almost equal in height, same slim, muscular frames, same beautiful eyes.  Elliott was now just as stunned as Matt and Kayla.  When he looked at Matt it was as if he were looking into a mirror.  He didn't know what to do or what to say.  Even the office staff had become quiet and observant.  Finally, Kayla broke everyone's silence and said "Maybe we should go into Mom's office."