Howie glanced over at the passengers seat and smiled tenderly when saw Chemelyn leaning against the door, her cheek pressed to the cool glass, eyes closed in sound slumber. She had reason to be tired; their trip had been exhausting. He couldn’t remember having walked that much in a long time.
The elephant experience had been everything he had intended it to be in his spontaneity. It had even proven romantic; amorous thoughts hadn’t left his mind for the entire ride. The feel of Chemelyn’s body against his, the captivating expression of wonderment on her face, and the way her eyes lit up were enough to challenge any man’s good intentions.
After their unforgettable time courtesy of Ramona, it had been off to the aquatic portion of the zoo where they encountered dolphins, all manner of fish, and even two Buluga whales. Chemelyn had been completely enamored with the large white mammals, prompting Howie to arrange their photo taken together beside the sea beasts. The Polaroid photograph had turned out beautifully.
Howie reached for it from the dashboard as he drove. Just before the picture had been taken, the whales had been rough housing, splashing water everywhere. Needless to say, some of the offending liquid had splattered in their direction, wetting things a bit. The camera hadn’t missed any details; tiny droplets of water glistened in Chemelyn’s hair, summoning the memory of her standing rain soaked on the city street on his last day in Seattle three months prior.
Howie turned the Jeep down the street which led to Chemelyn’s loft. The Sound’s calm waves sparkled off to their right as he maneuvered the car along the curb, pulling to a stop. Putting on the brake, Howie shut off the ignition as Chemelyn shifted in her seat, her movement reclaiming his wandering thoughts.
Her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a sleepy smile as her green gaze met his. “Have a good nap?”
“Mmmhmm.” she murmured contentedly. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on you.”
“I didn’t mind. Come on, we’re back.”
“Already?” she asked. When he nodded she released a pent up sigh of disappointment. “Thank you for today, Howie.”
“Thank you, Chem.” Tenderly, he reached across the seat to lightly brush several strands of hair from her cheek. His thumb stroked softly across her skin as his eyes remained focused on her features. Gently, the pad of his thumb delicately grazed her lower lip; she drew in a sharp breath. Slowly, Chemelyn raised a hand to caress Howie’s cheek, laying her palm against his olive complexion. His lids drifted closed, brow furrowed slightly as he concentrated on her touch. Her lips pressed a velvet kiss to his temple. So fragile was the sensation, Howie was not entirely sure it wasn’t only the breeze. All doubts were put aside however, with the feel of her supple, smooth mouth along his jaw, his chin. He could feel her warm breath on his lips, though they did not meet. His eyes eased open, chocolate orbs meeting her emerald spheres. Words passed between them, unspoken and yet understood so well. Cupping her face with his hands, Howie leaned toward her mouth, unable to keep himself in suspense any longer. So tenderly they kissed, time froze upon their contact. When it could not last a moment longer, the embrace broke as silence enfolded them in it’s sweet arms.
Without speaking, Howie steeled himself then opened his door, climbing from the Jeep. Quietly, he came to her side, helping her from the car. They entered the building, and made their way up the staircase, where Howie deposited Chemelyn on her doorstep.
The key slid into the lock too slickly, the door opened too easily, and the time for their goodbyes came all too swiftly.
*****
Howie’s footsteps echoed emptily on the stairwell as he descended from Chemelyn’s apartment. Thoughts swirling, he was deeply regretting not accepting her offer to stay in the loft. In his heart, he knew he had made the right decision, but that didn’t make living with it any easer when all he wanted was to hold her in his arms all through the night. He pulled the door to her building open, allowing the humid evening air to wash over him.
The day had turned uncommonly muggy, no longer comfortable. The conditions had remained even after nightfall. Surprisingly, Howie found himself desiring something cool and refreshing. Something cold that could relieve his aversion to the weather. Something like......A couple burst through the shop door on his left, stumbling out onto the sidewalk as they laughed at a hilarious joke only they could comprehend. Howie’s focus turned to the store the pair had just exited; a smile grew on his lips.
*****
Chemelyn had just curled up on the window seat in her bedroom when she heard a faint rapping on the front door. No doubt, Malone had finally decided to make an appearance at the loft, intending to finesse the details of the day from her. With a heavy sigh, Chemelyn raised herself from her comfortable position. The hem of her pajama bottoms, much too long for her slight frame, dragged on the floor as she traipsed down the stairs through the living room. The knocking persisted, and Chemelyn opened the door with words of reproach on the tip of her tongue.
“Malone, could you be any more......” the sentence died on her lips as Howie grinned back at her surprised expression.”.....impatient.....”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Chem, but I’m definitely not Malone. And if you were me, you’d be impatient too.”
“What are doing here? I was all set to mope around before crawling into bed, and now - here you are!” she laughed.
“Didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?” he teased as Chemelyn moved aside, ushering him inside the loft.
“I had hoped not.”
“Good, because I took a chance and you’re still up. In the mood for dessert, perhaps?” Howie wheedled, holding up two plastic bags which had previously gone unnoticed by Chemelyn. Her face lit up as she nodded her head vigorously. Howie chuckled and followed her into the kitchen.
“What did you bring?” she inquired, peering into one of the bags as Howie helped himself to several spoons from a drawer. Playfully, he slapped her hand away, shaking a finger in her direction.
“Now who’s straining at the bit?” She placed her hands on her hips in mock annoyance, eliciting a smirk from Howie. “I’ll lay everything out on the coffee table while you locate some napkins, okay?” he invited himself into the living area, making himself comfortable on the couch. Chemelyn hid a smile and retreated into the recesses of the kitchen in search of the elusive package of paper napkins.
Howie felt a smile tug at his lips as his heart swelled with love at the sight of her adorable figure. She scurried around, her attire completely forgotten. Howie couldn’t remember a time when the women with which he had become involved hadn’t worn silk, satin, or another equally seductive fabric. He found Chemelyn’s taste for cotton, cloud print pajama bottoms endearing. Coupled with a white tank top, the outfit made her down right irresistible, to be sure. Her brown tresses had been gathered in a messy knot at the crown of her head, and Howie longed to reach forward to pull them free of their restraint. Shaking himself visibly, Howie attempted to return his attention to the matter at hand. Chemelyn chose that moment to reappear with the proffered items.
“What’s all this?” she asked in wonderment, jaw slack as she appraised the spread on the coffee table.
“Dessert.” he replied simply, enjoying her reaction.
“All of it?”
“Uh huh.” The two gazed down upon the several dozen small containers of ice cream. Chemelyn gazed up at him, her desire for an explanation evident. “I ran into a problem at Baskin Robbins.”
“And that would be?”
“I didn’t know what flavor was your favorite.”
“So you bought them all?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Although, I must tell you they were out of Mountain Blackberry and Cherry Cordial.”
“Somehow, I don’t think we’ll miss them.”
Exchanging a smile, the pair settled down at the coffee table, their backs resting against the sofa. Howie’s legs extended under the low table while Chemelyn tucked her bare feet beneath herself. “Where do we start?”
“Well, we could go about this methodically, each trying a flavor then comparing....”
“Or?”
Howie grinned mischievously. “Or we could be completely illogical, haphazardly reverting back to our childhood while we shove spoonfuls of sweet into our mouths, throwing all caution of an ice cream headache to the wind.”
“Sounds like a plan.” she responded handing him a utensil, reaching for the container of Chocolate Swirl as she spoke.
An hour later, Chemelyn was certain she would not soon forget the night she had shared with Howie over 31 flavors of delectable ice cream. The cold substance had seemingly loosened their tongues as never before, and they covered topics of conversation rapidly.
“No, I mean if you had to choose.”
“That would never happen.” she scoffed.
“Okay, what if the world was coming to and end and you could grab only one box. What then?”
“I guess I would go with the vanilla pudding.” Chemelyn shrugged, giggling. “What an insane conversation!”
“I think it was the Pistachio Pumpkin.”
“That could very well be. When you said you wanted to know everything about me-”
“Oh, I meant it!” Howie assured her, shoving a bite of Strawberry Cheesecake in her mouth. He watched in amusement as her indignance faded to pleasure. “Good, huh?”
Chemelyn swallowed. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, Mr. Dorough.”
“You bet I do.” he whispered, his eyes sparkling suggestively. Chemelyn took the opportunity to lean close, brushing against his arm, sending goose bumps on his skin.
“Don’t be a tease, Howard.” her breath on his neck and the tantalizing distance of her lips from his ear induced shivers down his spine as he worked to control his breathing.
“You should talk, Ms. Clavaro.” he responded, finally acting on his wish to see her hair flowing about her shoulders by pulling the clip from her tousled coif. “Much better....” he murmured, burying his nose in her rose scented strands with a sigh. “I could stay like this forever.” he confessed softly, inhaling deeply. Chemelyn silently nodded her agreement, wrapping her arms around his neck, urging him closer. They remained like that for some time, the ice cream forgotten, left to melt in their containers on the coffee table.
“Do you have any regrets?” he asked quietly.
“About what?” Chemelyn’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Anything.....anything at all in your life.”
She thought for a moment. “I regret not telling my father that though I loved and him and wished him happiness, I needed him. Sometimes I think that perhaps I didn’t make that clear. If I had, he might not have....”
Howie nodded his understanding and peace reigned for several minutes. “I don’t have any regrets. Perhaps a few things regarding my career, but those come and go.”
“What do you mean?” Chemelyn lifted her head to gaze at him intently. “We’ve never really talked about what you do.” Howie sighed, knowing the truth of her statement.
“Seven years ago, by signing a contract, I gave up my right to a normal life. I had an inkling of what star status would include but I was soon very disillusioned when it came to the level of privacy one receives.” he paused then, as if trying to ascertain whether or not Chemelyn was following him. She nodded and he continued. “There are days when I pray for five minutes alone. Five minutes of peace; solitude which never comes. Do you know, this is the first time I’ve been away from the guys in months? Not just living in my own space, but away from them. Chem, I love those four like brothers, but sometimes....”
“It’s too much.” she supplied softly. Howie sighed, grateful of her grasp of the situation.
“Yes, too much. The fans, God bless them, are wonderful to us, but overstep their bounds on a regular basis.” he admitted. Chemelyn’s confusion was painted clearly on her features.
“I don’t understand. Your fans...?”
He laid a hand against her cheek, lovingly caressing her skin. “Chem, I keep forgetting you haven’t been to one of our concerts, or seen the repercussions of my lifestyle. It’s pretty wild.” he confided. “We’ve been mobbed, had fans sneak into our hotel rooms, attempt to bribe security; you name it, they’ve done it. Sometimes it just seems as though the fish bowl we’re living in is shrinking rapidly and there’s no place left to go. I’m so weary of this charade.” Chemelyn smoothed her palm across his forehead, wishing she could ease his worries. “You know what I love most about you?” he asked suddenly, turning to her feverently, grasping her hands tightly within his own.
“What?” she whispered, thinking as she did that she would gladly do anything for this man.
“You don’t treat me as ‘Howie D’. When I’m with you, I’m free to be Howard Dorough. No more and no less.” His eyes bore into hers intensely, the magnetic connection between them stronger than ever. “Promise me it will always be like this.”
“I promise. I’ll be forever yours.”
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