The Lawes Girl

18

Marvin was talking. Saying more words than mama and Lulu. He had conversations with Lucille. But as amazing as it was to watch them, as usual, he couldn't be a part of it. Especially since he didn't understand most of what his son said. Lucille had to interpret it. It didn't stop him from talking to him. When he went to pick up Marvin with Lucille, she asked him... Marvin if he remembered Nick. And since then, Marvin called him Nick. Disappointing...

   It was the second time they were going out. Lucille and Nick that is. And again, Marvin was crying and saying something about not wanting her to leave. At least that's what it sounded like. Marvin clung to her. Renee smiled at her grand son. "I'm just going out with papa okay?" Did Lucille just say that? He froze. It wasn't noticeable because he hadn't moved in minutes, but still. Wow. He decided; he had to try. "I'll be back soon. Just stay with grandma."

    "No!" His tiny hands held on tighter.

"Renee." Lucille called. 

    Renee stepped forward and began pulling Marvin away. "Come on sweetie. Mummy would be back soon."

    Through their dinner, Nick was his business self. Not giving anything away... No. He was pretending. Keeping his raggedy nerves in check. Unable to just say the words. Second course over and still nothing. Not that they weren't talking. But the plague of not deserving her was strong. Wes has a better chance than he does. The fool couldn't see it. 

    When she was done with her dessert, he just watched her. A well manicured dark green nail polished index finger rested tenderly on her lower lip, elbow on the table, thoughts far away. He smirked. "He'll be fine."

    She sucked in a deep breath. "Hmm?" Her eyes meeting his.

"Marvin."

    "Oh." She scoffed. "I just imagine he's crying all night."

"He was okay last time. And he spends nights there."

    "Haven't you heard?"

"Mmm?"

    "It's a mother's job to worry." He threw his head back laughing. The waiter appeared with the cheque. 

     He took her home. He followed after her as she rummaged through her purse for her house keys. Another day, another failed attempt at- "You've wanted to say something all night." Lucille's sudden turn to face him was startling.

    "What?"

"Say it." Nick blinked. "Say it." Those two words were pressuring. "You don't want to?" She taunted. It was... not right. "Thank you for dinner Nick. I believe I've made it up-" She turned around, heading for the front door. 

    Nick grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. She gasped. He made her face him. Both hearts racing. Heat building between them. He leaned forward. Eyes looking into her's. "Be with me." His words were a whisper.

    No no no no. It can't be. His simple request was going to destroy everything. She regretted asking him to speak up. Did he know how she felt? She thought the months he would be away for would cure her of her rising feelings. But him returning... like an unwanted pet, she was sure if she ignored it it would go away and now this? "Nick." Her voice betrayed her.

    "Be with me." His had left her arm and went up her neck. His fingers slowly moving down her soft skin to her chest, leaving a trail of blazing heat. His fingers moved back up. All the way to her face. Lucille was lost. "I-"

    No. She had to fight it. "You can't possibly be serious." She took a trembling step back. She felt too far away from him.

    "I am. I've felt this way for so long." She scoffed in shock. "When you left that night, all I wanted was for you to come back. But you wouldn't talk to me. Melanie was an attempt at what I wanted- want with you. A real relationship. But she wasn't you and you made so much of an effort to ignore me." She opened her mouth to speak. "That present. That I tried to give you, I went out that night to get it. I've never-" He shook his head. Whatever the word was, he lost it. "Be with me." He stepped forward. Starting where he stopped; his hand on her face. His eyes shifted from her eyes to her lips. His thumb grazed her lips. Up... down... "Lucille." His voice grew deeper.

    She wasn't resisting. She was supposed to be resisting. But she stood there. Looking into his eyes so full of honesty and... want. Had he been hiding this too? All this time. His face was getting closer to hers. His eyes had turned into slits. Wait. She was trying to think. It wasn't working. Between his touch, his words and their closeness, her mind was in chaos. His lips touching her gave her goosebumps. His lips parting to take hers made her body burn. It was nothing like the first time. It could never be compared. His arms slid round her waist. Pulling her body into his, holding her there with no desire to pull away.

    After what felt like forever in each others arms... although it was just three minutes and a little more. They got into Lucille's house and talked all night. More than they'd ever done before. With more laughs than Lucille could have ever imagined. Her fantasies of them being together only involved... what did it matter? When ever the thought of him being closer than he should with her snuck up on her, she'd push it as far far away as she could. And yet. Hours ago he'd told her just how he felt.

    Nick was aware of one crucial thing. Having followed Lucille into the house and sat close to her, stroking her arm like it was the best thing in the world and smiling so much, she hadn't told him if she felt the same. Granted she kissed him back. But she hadn't told him anything. That didn't matter to him... yet. 

    As the night turned to morning during their intense stares at each other and their unending conversation. The sweet sweet mood of the livingroom changed when Lucille said, "So since that night?"

    He knew what she was referring to. "No. Why do you think I always offered you a ride?"

    "I assumed you were being courteous."

He scoffed. "Hardly." Her eyebrows raised as she gasped. "If only you hadn't been so stubborn."

    "Excuse me?" She pulled back, tilting her head. 

He shrugged. "If you had accepted my present. Or at least talked to me after... maybe things wouldn't be the way they are."

    "So it's my fault?" She pulled back some more. 

"It might as well be. You ran out of my place like you were running for your life. If you aren't so prissy then-"

    "Prissy?!" Her eyes widened. 

"Yeah. Prissy. Miss perfectly princessy Lucille. No one has to know my last name. Everyone is beneath me."

    "That's not me."

"I beg to differ. You play just the right amount of nice before you turn cold. You acted like being with me was the worst thing ever. And we both know that's not true." He wasn't trying to brag.

   She got up. "I- wait! Pardon me for not wanting to be your next conquest. I heard the stories. Witnessed the endless phone calls. It was laughable."

   "Yet you were in my bed."

"I regretted it."

   "Prissy Lucille. Can't handle a one night stand that could have been more. I wasn't your first."

   "I'm aware of that. But you are you."

"Not anymore." He stood up too. "I wanted more. But you wouldn't look at me. So I decided to let it go. At least tried. You think you're above mistakes? If you hadn't been so... you, then we could have found out together. I could have accepted him then."

   "Oh really? That doesn't make sense. If you wanted us to be together that badly, you wouldn't have pretended."

   "You dropped the news on me like a tree. And I wasn't ready for that. And unfortunately, I forgot about my feelings for you." Her eyebrows raised again. "My feelings were a thought. Not a certainty. And I was with Melanie, and working. I had to put what I felt aside and I didn't really feel them again until after I left. Who knew how deeply involved we would have been when you found out. I would have been happy... maybe. Or at least you wouldn't have been throwing the fact that we weren't even friends in my face. Or anyone else's."

   "No!" She shook her head "Don't try to blame me for this."

"You're not above being blamed Lucille. You blame me everything else."

   "You deserve to be blamed. You thought we could have had something? For how long? If you weren't ready when I told you, how ready would you have been if we were together?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "Would you have stayed and not pretended? Or would you have just run off?"

   "We could have been in love. We could have been anything. I know how I felt at the time. But I was trying to work with what you showed me. Which was mild hostility. Melanie was... I was with her because I thought I could have what I imagined with you with her. But she wasn't you."

   "You barely knew me."

"That's not the point. It didn't stop me from wanting to be with you. Not just in the same room for hours, more than ten feet apart. Not just through hours of silence and occasional words. But for more. I wanted to talk to you and laugh with you. And hold you because I never really got to. But you just ignored me." She looked past him. Staring at the swimming pool. The new day sunlight hitting it. "Like you're doing right now."

   "I have to go get Marvin." She didn't look at him. 

"I'll go. You rest." She looked at him. "I'll bring him back. And if he's crying, he'll be in your arms before either of you know it." He left.

   "Where is mama?" Marvin asked.

Nick bent down to his level. "She's at home. She sent me to come get you."

   "You understand him now." Bryan pointed out. 

"No. I just sort of guessed."

   "Mama." His eyes got misty. Ready to cry.

"I'll take you to her right now."

   "Why didn't she come herself? She always comes for him." Renee asked and pointed out. 

   "I told her I'd do it."

Bryan's eyebrows furrowed. "What did you do?"

   "Nothing!" Nick groaned. "I just came to get him."

"Were you with her all night?" Bryan asked.

    "Yes." Marvin's face changed and he started to cry. Nick reached for the bridge of his nose but stopped. Feeling a headache coming. 

    "Are you okay?" Renee asked. 

"N- yes. Just-" He carried Marvin who started kicking. "I have to go." 

    "I want mama!"

"I'll take you to her right now."

   By the time he got back, he wasnt angry. And marvin's crying had reduced. The nanny took Marvin from him when he got back. Informing him that Lucille was in the bedroom. Lucille sat up when he knocked and announced himself. They both raked their hands through their hair at the same time. "Hey." She said calmly. 

   "Hi." He took long slow strides to her bed side and bent down. "I-"

   "I want to be with you." She interupted him. Nick smiled instantly. He didn't want to and couldn't hide it. "I never thought I'd feel this way about you. But I do." She bent her head. "You calling me prissy- do you not like who I-"

    "No no. That's not it." He cupped her left cheek, raising her head, her eyes meeting his. "I like who you are and your princessy attitude. It's part of why I like you." He smiled.

    "I thought about it and you're right. We should have talked about it. I'm sorry."

    "Don't be. Are you kidding? Compared to what I did."

"But it's still-"

    "It's okay." He kissed her forehead then moved down to her lips. "Let's just be together." He wrapped his arms round her. Marvin pushed the door open, running straight for the bed.

   Silence consumed the boudoir. Madison, taking off her earings after the cocktail party she had attended, while Quincy packed a suit case for a trip he was about to leave for. He had at smile on his face which Madison noticed as she walked up to him to help her with her zipper and then her hair. Carrying his cologne to him as well. "What is it?" She placed the bottle in his case and backed him.

   He turned to her, one hand on her hip, his other fingers on the zipper. "Someone is going to be very upset when she finds out something."

   "Who'll be upset? Find out what?"

Which question to answer first... "Nina. Lucille and Nick are dati-"

   She gasped, turning to face her husband with wide disbelieving eyes. Her hair collapsing down her shoulders. "What?" He went right back to packing. Still smiling. "Since when?" He shrugged. "How did you even find that out?"

   He turned to her, tilting his head as if to say 'you should know better than to ask that.' Nevertheless, she wanted an answer. "On my way back from that business dinner with the Clements last night, I saw them together."

   "Why do you keep things from me for so long? Did they see you?"

   "They were too busy having a staring contest."

"I remember you said he told you he was in love with her."

   "That's hard to forget information." Back to packing.

"I can't believe this. Does Bryan know?" She gasped, grabbing his arm when it occurred to her. "Nina." Quincy smiled. "She's going to be so upset. Do you think she knows?"

   "Everyone will know if she knows."

"At least Marvin's parents are together."

   "You know, I thought exactly that. But try convincing Nina about that."

   "Tell me again, which part of this has you smiling?"

   Geegee strolled in ten minutes after Nina and Lucille did. Wes had already been waiting. They were in a private room in a restaurant. Conversation had started round the table almost immediately. Then they ordered dinner. "Nick is coming."

   "Nick is coming?" Nina asked already disagreeing with what ever Lucille was going to say next.

   Lucille shrugged. "He had a business thing two blocks away. He'll be done soon and he-"

   "I don't care. Why did you invite him? And why didn't you tell me when we were leaving the house? I would have stayed home."

   "He just wants to say hi."

"Ugh! Don't ruin my dinner please." Geegee and Wes shared a look, then darted their eyes on both sisters. Wes chuckled. 

   Halfway through their meal, Nick entered the private room. Nina's hostility was more visible than the look on her face. She noticed how Nick's eyes searched for Lucille and how his lips turned up just a little bit when he saw her. The air between them had changed... Lucille and Nick that is. Nina's eyebrows furrowed. Watching Nick walk over to Lucille. She wasn't the only one watching. She wasn't the only one who noticed the difference... The unexplainable thing. Breathing seized up among the other three when Nick placed his arm on Lucille's shoulder and she turned just as he bent his head, planting a kiss on her lips. Nobody needed to know more.

   "What?" There was the rhetorical question from Nina, wide eyes and a drawback from Geegee and a glare from Wes full of confusion and disbelief. Expressing what Nina voiced.

   "Umm..." Lucille looked at Nick accusingly. 

"I couldn't help it. I'm sorry." 

   "Are you really?"

"Yes."

   "Excuse me. I should" Wes stood up, looking around. Refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Certainly not the slightly panicked and sad eyes of Lucille. "I- I Umm... training. Early tomorrow." He was out of the room. Headed for the back door.

   Lucille followed after him. Leaving Nick with two very angry ladies. One more so than the other. He felt uncomfortable. 

   "Wes!" Lucille called out after him. Jogging just a bit to catch up with his large strides. He was already standing by the valet booth waiting for his car when she caught up with him. "Wes."

   He turned to face her abruptly. "You're with him?"

"Was I supposed to wait for you?" Should she have said that? 

   He stepped back. "You knew?"

"Everyone knows Wes." His car arrived.

   "Why didn't you-"

"What? Tell you? You wanted me to tell you how you feel about me?"

   "I-" He was handed his car keys. Then they both stepped aside. 

"You wouldn't have wanted that. It's your feelings. I couldn't express them or tell-" She lost the words. "I just couldn't. It wouldn't be right. Would it?" He didn't speak. "Would you have wanted me to?"

   "No. But-"

"But what? I watched you give up on all the chances you had. Every time you opened your mouth to tell me and snap it shut again. For no reason I could possibly think of. You were so close to kissing me remember? That night? I thought maybe this is it. But nothing. You didn't do anything."

   "But him Lucille? After everything he put you through?"

"It just happened. And he told me how he felt. Why couldn't you do that?" She stepped forward. "Why couldn't you tell me?"

   "Because I knew you didn't feel the same way. I'm crazy in love with you. But you don't feel the way I do. Not in the way you look at me." Now he tells her.

   "But I could have." He scoffed and looked away. "I know how that sounds but it's the truth. I could see us together. Closer than ever and looking into each others eyes. But you. You just couldn't-"

   "You wouldn't have felt the same way."

"I wasnt against it. All you had to do was tell me... show me at least. But you couldn't. Wouldn't. And I never understood why." Wes looked away, shaking his head. "Tell me Wes."

   "It doesn't matter, you're with him now."

"It matters to me. It always has."

   "I didn't want to lose you. Nothing would have hurt more than being rejected by you. And that terrified me. I didn't want to risk it."

   "You've had more girlfriends than-"

"They weren't you."

   "Wes-" She tilted her head. 

"You're beautiful. And amazing. You're the daughter of billionaire who's independent and couldn't possibly need me."

   "That's not true."

"Really? Which part?" She blinked, saying nothing. "I suppose I couldn't hide how I felt even though I thought I was doing a really good job of it." He scoffed. "Should have realised it when the kids thought I was Marvin's dad." Lucille closed the distance between them, shaking her head and reaching for his arm. "Nick knows it too. You don't need him." She wanted to speak. "You feel something for him. Unlike with me." He raked his hand through his hair, glancing back at his car, refusing to look at the eyes begging him to do just that. 

   "Wes, if-"

"We're friends Luce. So don't worry. good night." He saw her run her hand through her hair before he got in his car. Keeping his eyes on the steering wheel as he started the engine. Knowing the look on her face will haunt him. Just as his ultimate decisions when it came to her would too.