Unconditional Love

Love's Confession

For what seemed like an eternity they just stood, leaving the world behind, entranced by each other's eyes, communicating their thoughts silently. Their hearts beating faster as their breathing became erratic, Connie stepped close so her chest was just brushing up against Jacob and the impulse became too strong for him to control. He placed his hands either side of her cheeks and kissed her with the passion and love that he'd tried to suppress. She immediately returned the motion with an equal sense of lust unable to restrain herself any longer.

....

As their quickened breathing settled, she laid her head on the rise and fall of his chest which lifted at a greater speed than usual. Connie drew lines against skin, tracing the firm form of his abdominal muscles whilst smiling to herself as she savoured her moment of undisturbed happiness. Jacob's hand rested on her head, as his fingers gently massaged through her glossy hair and he thanked his lucky stars that the woman of his dreams, undeniably, felt the same way he did towards her.

For a moment, they were both relieved of all the troubles that would circulate their minds daily and the only thing that crossed their thoughts, was each other. Jacob knew how he felt, the words had never been said but he'd admitted them to himself a while back. They were always on the edge of his lips and he felt them threatening to slip out now.

"Connie what is it?"
A sound heard from Grace's room caused her to sit up suddenly and she sighed to herself whilst rubbing her forehead with her fingers in frustration. Reality had hit her with all its strength. Her mind, which, seconds ago, was filled with the singular thought of Jacob was now circulating a whirl of negativity as a distinct emotion overwhelmed her. She felt as if she had betrayed Grace, gone behind her back at the soonest possible chance and that once again, she'd failed her. Connie sensed an inner conflict growing as she couldn't imagine how she'd explain to Jacob that it wasn't going to work, not after what had just happened between them. And yet, despite her care and need for him, she wasn't prepared to risk losing her daughter.

Jacob's confusion was apparent in his tone when he asked again what could possibly have happened to ruin the simplicity of the perfect moment they had just shared and she responded with a hurt in her voice that was all too familiar.
"Jacob, we can't. I shouldn't have let this happen. I'm so sorry, it's not you, it's...'

"Grace."

Her head snapped towards him in surprise as different reasons relayed to be the first she thought most likely as to why Jacob would say that.

"What?" She asked, deciding to hear it from him opposed to listening to her own speculations.

He took a moment to respond. A moment to decide whether he wanted to share the conversation he'd had with Grace, but he knew Connie wouldn't let it go and that without her being aware of how Grace now felt, they'd never be together.

"Grace." He finally spoke. "She told me about the ultimatum she gave you."

Connie interrupted before he could continue. "So you knew what was at stake and yet you still persisted. You refused to accept the fact I broke it off and continued to try and win me back knowing I could lose her if I gave in to you?"

She stood in anger and began to walk away from him towards the door but he leaped from his position on the bed in order to catch her hand before it grasped the handle.

"Are you going to let me finish?"

She raised an eyebrow still clearly frustrated with him and the situation as a whole but he took her response as a 'yes', leading her back to the bed as she reluctantly followed.

They sat close beside each other and he placed one hand on hers and used the other to brush a stray hair, that had fallen to her face, back behind her ear and she kept her head down, unable to think clearly when looking at him directly.

"That day when you had the meeting, when you saw Grace crying...well she'd told me everything."

Connie still couldn't see how this would lead to him excusing himself.

"Connie." He said, lifting her chin and turning her face so she could see the honesty in his eyes.
"Grace confided in me, and I'm guessing she hasn't said it to you yet. After she told me about the decision you had to make, she explained that she regrets it now, that she wants you to be happy and I think she sees just how much I love you and...." He stopped. They'd slipped. The words he had held onto for so long finally left his lips.

He tried to read her expression, to know if she'd pull away and panic but he couldn't tell. She was taken aback, he knew that, but before he could express a retrieval of his confession he felt her lips lock onto his with a passion and emotion he had not received before. Although she had not said the phrase back, he knew, wholeheartedly, that Connie Beauchamp, the woman who had stolen his heart, loved him too.