Ricki and Pete: My love will not let you down

The hotel room

Ricki went to the toilet and called Pete.
It wasn't very late, but Ricki preferred to tell Pete to get ready to take her from the hotel.
Pete had pretended it was Maureen calling and went outside the restaurant to answer. He told Ricki to wait another call before to be driven to the hotel.
Coming back to his friends, Pete started having the feeling that something would have went wrong that night.

About half an hour later he greeted his friends and went to the hotel. He booked a double bed room and paid for it. Then he sent Ricki a message telling her all she had to say to the reception. Eventually he called her to make sure she knew it all.

"Do you want me to drive you to the hotel?" asked Sal.
Ricki accepted and got in the car with him.
Sal turned on the radio and put in a CD with some rock classics.
Ricki felt wide awake and happy listening to those songs. They sang along together and for a while they felt a little closer than usual.
Guitars solos drove Ricki crazy and she let a tearof happiness fall across her face.
"Oh my God, that's amazing!" Exclaimed Ricki.
Sal got closer and kissed her on the cheek, right were the tear had left its mark.
Ricki suddenly shut up and closed her eyes.
Nothing else happened, but Sal smiled and opened the door.
"Destination reached" he said.
Ricki reopened her eyes and got out the car.
She entered into the place followed by Sal and almost whispered to the receptionist to not be heard by her friend. "Brummel, double bed room"
The girl nodded and gave her the keys. "Room 27, third floor"
Ricki thanked her and turned to Sal to say goodbye, but he said he wanted to stay a little bit more with her, "We still have a lot of things to say and I don't know if we'll meet again".
"I know Sal, but we can't tell each other all that has happened in almost 20 years in just one night" Ricki said, inserting the key in the door lock.
"I think we can" he replied putting his hand near her jaws.
"Look, I have a boyfriend" she answered, removing his hand from her face.
"I thought you were on a break"
"I feel like we're on a break, but it must be the hard moment we're living" she said, feeling stupid for telling Sal about her relationship with Greg "and I know he's gonna come here in these days and I don't want him to find me with another man... he wouldn't have let me come here if he didn't trust me. I don't wanna break his heart".
"Well,okay... I didn't get you when we were young, I don't see why something should happen right now" he said, trying to move Ricki and make her change her mind for at least one night.
Ricki raised her shoulders and she felt weirdly embarrassed. Sal didn't want to be just a friend, he never accepted Pete and he didn't hide a smile when Ricki told him before she was divorced.
"Good night" said Ricki turning the key and entering in the room, not even waiting for an answer.

The light was turned on and briefly after she had closed the door she heard Pete's voice:"Are you alone?"
Ricki walked towards the balcony and found Pete hiding in the corner.
She laughed:"What are you doing here?"
"I was staring at the stars"
" I hardly believe you" said Ricki, softly slapping his shoulder.
He wrapped one arm around her waist and passionately kissed her.
"I miss you" muttered Pete.
"I'm here" giggled Ricki touching his hair.
They came back into the bedroom and kissed again, but this time Pete started undressing Ricki.
She didn't say a word, although what Pete was doing looked a little weird, she wanted it and let him take her t-shirt away while she tried to unbutton his shirt.
"Shit" Ricki whispered, sitting on the bed "I forgot the keys outside.
"Jesus, wait, I'm gonna take them". Pete slowly opened the door and took the keys away from the lock. He looked around to make sure nobody was in the corridor, but unluckily Sal noticed that Ricki had forgot the keys and was waiting for her to come out and take them. He had known Ricki since she was a teenager, since she was just Linda, and after years he still remembered some of her peculiarities like not looking somebody in the eyes and shaking when she was nervous. He felt she was shaking when she removed his hand and for the last bit of conversation she looked more at the door than at him.
" I knew something was happening in there" he said to Pete.
Ricki fastly put her clothes on again and reached Pete.
Seeing her, Sal continued:"I didn't think you were such a liar"
"Look, I told you the truth, but the situation it's complicated" said Ricki.
"Have you ever heard about privacy...why were you standing there?" Exclaimed Pete.
"I wasn't surprised to hear about your divorce, I knew he wasn't right for you...but finding you together as lovers...well that's ridiculous" said Sal walking away.
"Sal, please, you don't have to tell anybody about this. I'm conscious of what I'm doing, but I don't wanna cause any more problems to Pete's family" begged Ricki.
"I can't promise you".
Pete runned to him and stopped him in front of the elevator :"I love Ricki. We chose separate ways, we have different lives and believe me it wasn't easy to accept. We easily fight when it comes about our children, but when we're alone, when I look into her eyes, my heart beats like the first time I went to the bar she was performing in, just to talk to her. This moment it's just a brief illusion of what we would be now if we had not been selfish. You know, I cannot imagine living without my wife, but I cannot even imagine a truer love than what I feel for Ricki. I love her and she loves me, believe it or not. I'm the right one"
"If you say so..." Sal said taking the elevator "Goodbye Linda".

Ricki didn't say a word, she laid on the bed and just nodded when Pete asked her if he could turn off the lights.
Pete was confused, he couldn't claim if Ricki was feeling that way because of him or because of Sal or because all they were doing. His heart cried watching Ricki in that mood and it was identical to when they had had their biggest fight, right after she came back from L.A.
Back then, though, Pete didn't do a thing he was about to do in that moment. He laid by her side, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her neck and her shoulder. He held her tight and enjoyed her silence.
"Would you hate me if something happens between you and Maureen?" Whispered Ricki.
"I think I won't" reassured her Pete.
"Why?"
"Because I know what I'm doing and I know I'm your accomplice"
"Did you really wanted to make love to me before?" She kept on asking.
"I don't know, I was feeling jealous"
"We're not a couple, you have no reason to feel jealous"
Pete breathed in deeply:" I know..."
"By the way, Brummel, I love you too and I don't regret any, any of the things happening right now" said Ricki, finding herself again, in that lost moment.
"I don't either" concluded Pete, softly nipping Ricki's lower lip.