The Life I Want To Live With You

Dreams and Desires - Chapter 40

It was around midnight, and after spending a few hours talking and working things out with Lisa, Michael decided to stay the night. He lay in bed, waiting for Lisa with patience, but he couldn't shake the jealous thoughts he had about Danny, the man Lisa had recently met. Seeing Danny in her apartment stirred up a lot of insecurities.

Michael saw Danny as a rival and didn't want Lisa talking to him, but Lisa had a different perspective. It reminded Michael of his past jealousy towards Daniel, which he eventually overcame because of their long-standing friendship. However, Danny was different. He was involved with Scientology, and Lisa barely knew him. Michael suspected he could be sent by David or her mother, Priscilla, especially since they had been in touch for a while.

"Danny, it's okay. Thank you for trying to help," Michael heard Lisa say from the living room.

"Thank you for trying to help," Michael muttered under his breath in a mocking tone.

Lisa giggled. "No way we're going to do that. He would kill me."

Michael sat up, scratching the back of his head, and walked to the doorway. He saw Lisa sitting on the couch with a phone at her ear. He stared at her with mixed feelings, wanting her to hang up but not wanting to be rude. The way she spoke to Danny made his stomach churn. He lingered there for a moment, watching her, then headed to the kitchen to clean up after their takeout.

"Wait a minute. Michael, I can do it," she said, looking at him while still on the phone.

Michael shook his head. "It's fine. I have nothing to do anyway since you're on the phone talking to... him." He emphasized the word 'him' and walked away, putting on his shoes and grabbing the trash.

Lisa didn't respond immediately. "Danny, I'll call you tomorrow, maybe. I'm very sleepy," she lied to avoid further questions, especially since Danny had witnessed their argument and Michael's anger. Lisa hung up, put on her sweatshirt, and locked the apartment before going to find Michael.

She saw him throwing the trash, his expression deep in thought, which she knew was never a good sign.

She walked up to him as he closed the garbage can. "Oh, you finally stopped hanging on the line," he said, jealousy lacing his tone.

Lisa rolled her eyes gently, giving him a look that said, 'Tell me what's wrong, or I'll make sure you do.'

"Don't look at me like that," he said, walking past her.

She frowned and gently took his hand, stopping him. "Hey. He is just a friend. I love you, not him," she said softly, looking into his eyes.

Michael stopped, ignoring her stare. His tense hold on her hand relaxed slightly. "You promise you aren't going to leave me for him?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

Lisa giggled. "Silly you, of course not. Now stop being jealous of him." She gently pulled him by the hand, guiding him past the street.

"I'm not..." he began, letting her guide him but still confused. "Where are we going? It's the middle of the night."

Lisa smiled at him. "Yeah, and you should have brought your jacket, but don't worry, it's not too far."

Michael followed Lisa, still feeling a bit uneasy but trying to push away his jealousy. He knew he had to trust her, but seeing her with Danny had stirred up old insecurities. They walked down the quiet street, the night air cool but not too cold.

Lisa squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I know this is hard for you, Michael. But you have to trust me. Danny means nothing to me the way you do. He's just... someone who's trying to help."

Michael sighed, looking up at the stars. "I do trust you, Lisa. It's just... I've lost so much. I can't lose you too."

"You won't," she said softly, stopping to look into his eyes. "I promise."

They continued walking, the silence between them comfortable this time. After a few minutes, Lisa led Michael to a small park. It was empty, the playground deserted, and the streetlights casting a soft glow on the grass.

"This is where I used to come when I needed to think," Lisa said, sitting down on a bench. "Especially about the baby we lost."

Michael sat beside her, feeling a bit more at ease. "It's peaceful here."

Lisa nodded, looking towards the playground. "I used to imagine what it would have been like, coming here with our child. Pushing them on the swings, watching them play. It was my way of dealing with the pain, I guess."

Michael's grip on her hand tightened. "I wish I had been there more for you, Lisa. I wish we could have gone through that together."

Lisa leaned her head on his shoulder. "We can't change the past, Michael. But we can learn from it. We have to fight for us. No more letting other people come between us."

Michael wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "I love you and I'm willing to fight. For you, for us."

They sat there for a while, soaking in the calm of the night and each other's presence. Slowly, the tension began to melt away, replaced by a renewed sense of connection.

That moment made them feel closer to each other. The fact that she could be so open with him after everything that happened made him realize how much he had been missing her: her soft skin, her beautiful hair, and the spark in her eyes. He missed those green eyes, the very thing that had made him fall in love with her. Now they were staring at him because he had sunk into his thoughts and had been staring at her for a good minute while she was looking at the playground.

"Why do you stare at me like that?" she asked with a little smile.

He looked at her lips, seeing her smile, and smiled back, looking down. She put her hand on his thigh. "Tell me," she whispered.

He put his hand on hers, took it gently in his, and brought it to his lips to kiss. Lisa touched his face with her other hand. "Are you okay?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder while he still held her other hand to his lips, looking at her. "I love you," he whispered against her hand.

She slowly took her hand away and sat even closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder. "I love you too," she said, putting her chin against his shoulder to look at him.

He smiled gently, looking back at her. "Now you're staring at me, huh?"

They shared a laugh together, and Lisa kissed his cheek, putting her head back on his shoulder.

"I think we should go back to my apartment," he said, kissing her forehead.

She nodded gently, and they followed the same path back.

The moment they walked inside and Michael closed the door and locked it, he asked, "Now what?"

Lisa looked at him, slowly putting her arms around his neck and giving him a soft kiss. He melted into the kiss, grabbing her by her waist as they walked backward to the bedroom. She unbuttoned his shirt while he played with her shirt. They kicked open the bedroom door, exchanging kisses and deeper, faster breathing. They quickly found themselves on the bed, the world outside forgotten as they held each other close.