Tony crossed the room and sat on
the ottoman directly in front of her. He
leaned forward and clasped her hands in his.
Hers were trembling. For a
moment, he just sat there, watching the light rise and fall of her breasts as
she refused to look at him. Her scent
was intoxicating and an all-too-familiar neediness spread through him. It made him sick to know that she was still
having such a difficult response to him.
Didn’t she know that this relationship she insisted upon was driving him
insane with loneliness and longing?
Hadn’t he done all he could over the years to prove his devotion to her? He leaned forward and kissed her gently on
the forehead. On the cheek. On the side of her throat where that pulse
was beating wildly. He heard a small
sigh escape her as his lips traveled lower, to her collarbone, and then brushed
against a thin chain she was wearing beneath her tee shirt.
Suddenly, Val jerked away from him,
her eyes wide with panic, her arms guardedly hugging her stomach.
“Val?” Her body was trembling slightly. Why? What
the hell was wrong? Tony stared at her
as his mind raced over those past few minutes trying to figure out what he had
done.
“Tony, please leave,” came out as
little more than a whisper, a desperate plea.
And then he figured it out. He reached over and pulled the chain from
beneath her top. A filigree ring dangled
from it, the pinkie ring he had bought in memory of their first Valentine’s
Day. The swirling heart design was
unmistakable. He tilted her chin up,
forcing her to look at him. He wanted
her to see the confusion that was wracking his thoughts.
“You don’t wear it where anyone can
see it, but you haven’t broken your promise, have you?” he asked bitterly. No answer.
“Have you?” he demanded.
“No,” she admitted faintly. “I haven’t broken my promise.” She closed her eyes for a moment to keep the
tears of fear and humiliation from spilling over. Outside of moving it from her hand to this
chain, or removing it on rare occasions, wearing his ring was a promise she had
made and kept; and her loyalty betrayed her.
“Then why have you forced us to be apart? You treat me like you don’t even want to be
in the same room with me; and yet, you still wear my ring? I don’t understand, Val.” His confusion was fading and Tony was
angry. He was hurt. He stood and stepped away from the hassock to
keep from grabbing her shoulders and shaking some sense into the
situation.
“I don’t want to do this right
now.”
“Alright,” he conceded. “When?”
Valerie just shook her head and closed her eyes, blocking out the sight
of his eyes expressing a myriad of feelings she did not want to see. She could feel him staring at her and sense
the depth of his frustration. A few
minutes later, she heard the soft click of the front door closing and sighed in
relief.
The living room was decorated in
soothing tones of blues and purples and magentas with large-leafed tropical
plants in front of the picture window.
The sun shone into that room for most of the afternoon, making it a
calming space. But as soon as Tony left,
it felt icy and empty. Likewise,
coldness crept into the pit of Valerie’s stomach and she couldn’t stop herself
from shivering.
A showdown was coming – soon. One she had been avoiding for three
years. Well, Tony had finally found ammunition
to force her hand. He’d left tonight,
but that meant nothing. It was clear she had run out of time.
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