Sweet Kisses: Chapter 11

I looked at the small slip of paper that I had clutched in my hand. 1311. I had half the street to go. I was going to make a stop at Lizzy's sister's house.
I saw her even before I had reached the house. She was getting grocery bags out from the trunk of the car that had picked her up that day at my house.
I pulled up quickly next to the curb. Lizzy turned to see who had just pulled up. When she saw me, she turned around and ran up the front porch and slammed the door behind her. I jumped out of the car and ran up the front porch stairs.
"I'm sorry! Oh, Lizzy! I'm so sorry!" I knocked on the door. "Lizzy I know that you're in there! Please, I beg of you, let me in! Let me explain!" I pleaded to the closed door. When she didn't answer, I leaned my head against the cool wood of the door, defeated. I wasn't sure that even my sweet, sweet Lizzy, could forgive me for what I had done and for following her here when she specifically told me not to. I don't think I would have forgiven me either.
"Nick, there's nothing to explain! It's plain and simple!" The door opened and there was the crying, tear-stained face of my Lizzy. "Nick," she stopped. I reached for her, but she pulled away from me. I couldn't take it. It hurt me so much to see her pull away from me like that.
"Please, Lizzy, let me explain." My words were choked back in my throat. I reached out for her hand again, this time thankful that she didn't pull away. "I need you." I looked her straight in the eye, not caring that tears were pouring out from my own. Her blue eyes were shining with tears of her own.
I saw her bite her lip. I moved up until I was directly in front of her. "I need you." I repeated, whispering the words. I leaned down and kissed her.
"No," she said, pushing me away from her. "No, Nick. I can't." Her voice was tight and wobbly. She took her hand out of mine. "I'm sorry."
"Lizzy, wait!" I begged when she started to close the door. The door stopped, mid-shut, then began to open slowly. "Lizzy, please. I drove out here to see you. Just let me explain. Please."
She stood there, staring at me, not knowing yet whether she wanted to let me in or not.
"Elizabeth? Who's at the door?" A distant voice called from inside the house. I guessed it was her sister. I heard shoes clicking on the tile floor. The door opened wider and there stood who I assumed to be Lizzy's sister. "Who are you?"
"Nick." I said, wiping my eyes.
"Oh." Her hand came to her mouth. She turned to Lizzy and said, "I'll be in my room if you need me. I'll let you decide what to do." She turned and left the two of us alone on the door stoop. Neither of us said anything. Lizzy just opened the door even wider and moved to let me step in. I did and she shut the door behind me. I followed her into a living room and sat down on the couch. Lizzy sat across from me in a recliner.
"Explain." Her softly spoken words echoed in the tiled room.
I locked my hands together. "Well…"
"Start from the beginning. When we first met."
"Well, the night before I met you," I took a deep breath and said, "Me and my girlfriend at the time, who you met a couple days ago, reached an ending point in our relationship. She's always been that way, always ordering me around as if I were her personal servant, but always making sure that I was gonna stay with her, like she was afraid of losing me or something. The night before I met you she said to choose between her and my career. I told her that I'd decide later and then hung up, not letting her say another word. I got Brian's advice on the issue and he told me to avoid phone calls from her and to mingle with other girls to see if Clarisse Ann was really the one that I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. So that day at the coffee table I decided to talk to you guys. When I saw you, I was taken back by your feistiness. You were one of the only girls to say such harsh words to me since I was taken out of school to be in the group. It had been a while since a girl had dissed me like you had, so I was really affected by your words." I ran a hand through my hair. I looked at Lizzy; she was curled up in the recliner, looking at me with absolutely no expression on her face.
"Go on." She prompted.
"Well, I wanted to let you know that I wasn't really what you thought. So I followed you around and tried to apologize. When you didn't let me, when you wouldn't even listen…I don't know it's like you had me on a hook. I loved how you were playing games with my head, with my mind. Without even realizing it, over the next few weeks, I developed a thing for you. I don't know how, but Brian sensed it before I did. He called my crush. When you came and asked me out before the concert, I was elated. From then on, you were the only one for me. Clarisse Ann would call nearly every day. I never answered one of her calls. I deleted every single one of her messages after the first week. I never thought of her until I heard her messages and within seconds, I deleted her from my mind as well. I thought that after a while she'd get the point that I chose my career over her. When she showed up, I had the worst feeling of being trapped again. The whole time that I was dating her, I felt like I was trapped in her spell and I had to do everything she said. With you, I felt so at ease with everything! With myself, with you…like I never had to watch every step that I took. Lizzy, I'm sorry that I didn't just call her and tell her it's over because I knew that somehow she'd end up bullying me into choosing her again." I stopped and looked at her. She had her hands over her face and her shoulders were shaking. I knew that she was crying. "Oh, Lizzy, you have to believe me! I love you too much to loose you now. I need you, Lizzy. I love you."
She nodded her head so slightly that I wasn't even sure that she had done it. I got up from where I was sitting and moved over to the recliner and squatted down in front of her.
"Lizzy," I reached up and smoothed back her hair. She still didn't move her hands from her face. I placed both of my hands on her thighs. "Do you forgive me?"
Her hands muffled the laughter that she let out. She wiped her eyes and smiled at me. "Yes."
I smiled and gave her a hug. "I love you." I whispered into her ear.
"I love you too." She whispered back, then laughed again.
I moved away from her, took her face in my hands and kissed her softly.
"Again." She said. I did.

Chapter 12
Back to story index
Return to Hosted Stories Index
E-mail the author
More stories by Daisy