WHAT NEXT?

Chapter 8 (WHAT NEXT?)

Chapter 8

She was holding the collar of his shirt while her eyes were closed and her lips were moist and slightly parted. She looked very innocent and baby-like in the candle light. Ryan couldn't help but admire her beauty, but he gained his senses when she sneezed lightly.

"Why don't you change Lisa? I will wait outside" He said sweetly and slowly removed her hand from his shirt and stood up.

"Lisa? Are you listening?" He asked when she didn't respond.

Her eyes were still closed and and she sat there motionless. Ryan was already tensed to see her previous behaviour and now she wasn't even saying anything.

"Why don't you say anything? Talk to me, Please?" He sat next to her and held her face in both his hands. He came very close to her and kissed her forehead softly.

"Lisa, please?" Her quietness had started to worry him when she gently opened her eyes. She tilted her head a little and looked into his eyes desperately, trying to find something she never had. She didn't feel like saying anything but some feelings were creating a havoc in her heart.

"Did you say that you love me?" She asked him. He didn't know what to say. He did love her and he had accepted that in front of her a few minutes ago, but repeating it right now seemed difficult.

"Umm.. you should change.. you will catch fever otherwise." Overcome with emotions his hands left her cheeks and he got up hesitantly. There wasn't enough light in the room but she could still see his face change colours.

"You didn't answer me. Do you love me Jack?" She repeated her question once more.

'Jack....... She doesn't know....... What will happen when she finds out? What if she doesn't love me back? What if she leaves me? What explanation will I give her? Should I tell her the truth?'

"How does that matter?" He said, trying to close the topic.

She suddenly got off the bed and stood near him.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" She asked him again while looking into his deep eyes. He didn't want to lie to her anymore, keeping the truth from her made him feel guilty and sad.

"There is something you don't know...." He said.

"There is something you don't know either!" She smiled.

"What? You are not Lisa but somebody else?" He could just think of such probabilities.

"No...I am very much Lisa..! And the thing you don't know is....is... that I love you!"

"You do? What about Ben?" He wanted to know.

"That was just a fling.... It wasn't true love...But I know one thing. THIS is true love." She murmured and placed her hands behind his neck and stood on her toes, trying to match his height. His hands automatically clutched her waist helping her to stand that close to him.

"I... I... Love you too" He said that feeling afraid of his own feelings. He was going to tell her the truth but she was standing so close to him, she was lost in his eyes, she was going to be his. He didn't want to disrupt it. He didn't want to give it all away just for a few lies he had told. The truth didn't matter any longer.

'If she loves me, then it doesn't matter what my name is! Jack or Ryan. It's still me!'

She was moving close to him. Their lips were about to touch, it was a perfect moment.  He had been waiting for this ever since he had seen her for the first time. It was finally happening when a question popped into his mind and he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"What happened to you earlier? Why did you behave that way?" That was it. The spell was broken, he asked the wrong question at the wrong time.