No More Running

Together... at last?

I remember being held all through the night and light hands holding onto me as I retched into the toilet almost too often. I smiled when Alec's face flitted into my mind. I moved and came up against warm skin. I opened my eyes and came eye to eye with Alec. For a moment I could only blink trying to register what I was seeing. Alec's eyes came closer as I felt a light kiss on my lips. This was real! I scrambled to sit up. Alec did the same and helped me sit up against the head board. I looked around and saw that I was in a different room. My suitcase was at the foot of the bed. I looked over at Alec with his bare chest exposed to the streaming sunshine through the half opened curtain.

"How...?" I started as I felt my cheeks warming over.

"Good morning baby." He greeted. My eyes widen with the endearment.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked again. I pulled the sheets higher to my chin. I nodded. He leaned over and kissed my forehead and got out of the bed. I was relieved that he was in shorts; I would definitely not know what to do if he wasn't. He walked into the bathroom and a few minutes later I hear him go into the shower and his rather catchy voice singing to Pharrell William's 'Happy' song. It brought a smile to my face. A few minutes later he came out with only a towel around his waist. For a moment he just stood there looking at me looking at him when I suddenly realized what I was doing. I dived into the bed. He chuckled. I did not come out until I hear him leave the room.

I pulled on a white purple sleeveless sundress and shoved my feet into white sandals. I checked myself in the mirror and saw a healthier version of me as if last night never happened. Taking a deep breath I pulled the door opened. I was met with a sweet aroma of pancakes. I let my nose lead me to the kitchen and the man at the table reading the morning paper. He prepared breakfast and not only that; there were three red roses in a clear vase on the breakfast table. He looked up as if sensing my presence. He folded the paper and set it aside. He stood up and pulled a chair next to him for me to sit. I sat and he sat beside me. He took some pancakes and served it with some maple and strawberry syrup on it. He pushed a glass of fresh orange juice towards me and set his own breakfast.

I was starving so I ate everything on my plate silently. The pancakes were very delicious just how I liked it. I sighed happily as I pushed my empty plate away from me. That was when I realized he had stopped for a while now and was smiling meaningfully looking at me pigging away. Once again I felt my cheeks warming up. He stretched over and wiped the corner of my mouth. Automatically the tip of my tongue swiped the corner of my mouth that it touched the tip of his finger. I froze and looked at him. For a moment his eyes darkened but cleared again just as quickly as he chuckled at my frozen face.

* * *

We were seated on a loveseat couch overlooking the beautiful green scenery. I was so lost taking into the beautiful scene in front of me that I did not realized Alec was staring at me.

"You are so beautiful..." He commented softly. A soft breeze started blowing and I reached up my fingers to tame my short. He reached up to take my fingers and I turned to look at him. He looked at me so lovingly that I was wondering if I was just dreaming. Clutching my fingers he lifted them to his lips and I just watched as he kissed them one by one.

"We need to talk Dawn..." I tensed. I was expecting this. I pulled my fingers to my side.

"I..." I looked away. I did not know what to say.

"Last night... Dawn... you were sick? All through the night." He commented.

"I am not... sick. I am..." At that moment his phone rang on the table in front of us. I managed to glance at it before Alec took it. Bianca... that was when reality struck me in the face. I felt the world crumbled around me. He was in a relationship and I was almost about to blurt out my condition.

"Excuse me..." He said as he stood up to answer his call. He went to the railing of the deck. I stood up as well. He turned back at me and saw me get up. I waved at him and smiled with all the love I could show him in the smile. I calmly entered his bedroom and started picking up my things back into my still unpacked suitcase.

"What are you doing Dawn?" His voice startled me that I dropped my toiletries on the floor beside my suitcase. He grabbed my toiletries from the floor and returned them to the bathroom.

"No... No Alec." I said going after him. I glanced at the clock next to the entrance door to his bedroom. It was a quarter after two; it means I have enough time to get to the airport and take the six o'clock flight away from here. Alec has a different idea to where I was supposed to be as he placed my toiletries in the bathroom cabinet and suddenly turned to face me. He leaned towards me and encircled my waist. He picked me up and carried me to the bed. He sat me down gently on the bed and sat back on his heel in front of me.

"No more running Dawn... I am done with it." He said softly but firmly. He lifted his hands and clasps my face gently. I shook my head in denial.

"No Alec... I can't... not again." I started.

"I love you Dawn... before and also now." He admitted without giving me any chance to have my say. I immediately pulled away.

"Please Alec... no, don't do this." I said as I turned towards the window. He came behind me.

"I am serious Dawn. I don't think I can let you go anymore." He pulled me towards a door which I thought was his closet before and threw it open. It was full of clothes. Woman's clothing. I gasped as I realized whose clothes they belonged to.

"I tried countless of times to get rid of them... but I just could not. These are yours, how can I throw them away." He pulled open a drawer and I saw the wedding shots.

"Alec... but you have another woman now." I said looking back at him. I was confused. That was when he led me back to the bed and sat me down again.

"Yes, I thought about going into a relationship with her. But... I saw you last night and I knew I just can't do it anymore." He said.

"But..."

"Dawn..." He got up again and went over to the bedside table and pulled it open. He reached in and took a black velvety box. He got to his knees in front of me again. He opened the box and I gasped again. The two wedding bands and my engagement ring were sitting in beautifully side by side.

"Yes Dawn, I still have them. I looked at them every day and thought how we were almost married. You almost became mine. I knew that it was wrong then because of Angela. I found out she was suicidal. I never noticed that part of her before. She couldn't accept that I wanted to break up and threatened me that she will die if I don't come back to her. But then... you told me that you were pregnant. I was furious because I thought I really ruined you that night when I got drunk. Then I found out that you lied and at that same time I also found out that Angela... Angela was in the hospital because she tried to commit suicide. It was too late but I had to leave you. I was full of guilt." His confession was destroying him that I had to pull him into my arms. For a while I was the only one who was crying but then I noticed that my shoulder was a bit damp.

"I am so sorry Alec... I was only thinking about having you that I went to that extent and never thought of what you were going through." He pulled away and finally sat beside me on the bed. He interlocked our fingers together; he leaned towards me and kissed me on my forehead.

"Dawn, can we start again. I want to court you the right way. Let's get to know each other all over again. Go out on dates and make out like other normal couples do." He smiled as I look up at him. It was like the sun coming up in the morning. His face was radiant and beautiful and filling up with happiness. I wanted to tell him the secret but I was still unsure. I need to find the time. The right time.