Their Heats Desire

Chapter 8

Hearing the concern in Rita Lee’s voice for her niece caused Andrew to wonder what was going on. If there was any way he could help, he would. He gave Rita his number just in case... In case of what? What could he do—he wants to help, but... why would it matter to him? He promised himself and Sammi he wouldn’t go there with this woman.

In the days following his meeting with Rita Lee, they had several conversations, and every time Andrew spoke to Rita, she asked how he and Sonia were getting along. What was there to say except the truth that Sonia hasn’t even acknowledged his presence? Most of all, he pondered what Rita asked him to do, keeping an eye on Sonia.

Andrew knew then that something was wrong— he didn’t mind keeping an eye on Sonia if she let him. It all got him thinking about his brother and the causes of their fallout.

William didn’t agree with anything Andrew did or said. For some reason, William felt threatened by how close Andrew was with Cheryl and the kids. There was never a thought of infidelity in anyone’s mind except William’s. William knew the situation, so why did it bother him how Andrew’s time was spent? When William could not be there for his family, Andrew was.

These thoughts caused Andrew to sigh— it hurt William when Andrew gave Cheryl and the children his attention. Attention a husband and father should give to his family. William thought Andrew was interfering, but he was only doing what came naturally to him.

They fought, argued, and not listening to one another, and William stated he did not want to be partners anymore. Andrew took as much as he could, and when it got out of hand, he left, not just down the street or to another town. He moved halfway across the country.

Shaking his head, Andrew pushed the thoughts out of his mind saying, I have to get on with my life." He didn’t want to think about his past anymore, so another unwanted thought popped up, Sonia. Darn, he didn’t want to think about her either. He still can’t figure her out or the attraction he feels for her. It had to be the baby, but he wanted to prove that he was wrong and decided to socialize. He called Sammi, and they went to one of the local nightspots.

With Sammi’s help, he started dating and going to clubs with the guys when he had time. That didn’t last long. Andrew needed something quick. He even took his new admin Jan to dinner.

Jan’s nice enough, good-looking, and any man would be lucky to be with her, but... She’s very attractive, but that did not matter to Andrew. It was never an option to give up. Even if it meant that the choice was not a great one, Andrew was determined to forget Sonia Harding. Jan seemed like the only option at the time, and so he began to date her. Three times the charm, but not for Jan, all Andrew could think about was Sonia.

At dinner, Andrew sat there half-listening as Jan went on about what happened at the office while he was at the site. Andrew didn’t hear a word Jan said, but the moment she asked him about his day, Andrew looked up and asked, “what did you say, Jan?”

“Andrew you okay? You seem distracted.”

“Ah yeah . . . Look, Jan, I don’t want to mislead you in any way. I don’t think we should see each other socially and work together. This will be our last date. Don’t get me wrong, you're a lovely young lady, but I don’t think work and dating should mix.” Andrew realized that his feelings for Sonia are more than he wants them to be, but he can’t go on pretending that they are not there. He has to try and see if it could be more.

Jan has plans of her own, and that is to get Andrew Hastings as her lover. That night, as Andrew took Jan home, she was all but undressed for him, and all he could think about was Sonia.

Andrew knew then he made the right decision. Then he began wondering where he would start with Sonia and how he would begin to get close to her. Who could he turn to for help? A woman’s point of view was what he needed, so he called Sammi as he was on the way home and asked her if she was free for dinner tomorrow night. Of course, she said yes. Now, he can sleep easy knowing that he might have a chance.

The next day rolls around, and Andrew’s excited about his dinner date later. He can’t wait to pick Sammi’s brain, but now it’s time for work. The day was a gruesome one, so when it was time for him to leave and meet Sammi, he was all but ready to do so with ease.

Nothing was seeming wrong with how the evening started, but Sammi knew there was something on Andrew’s mind. He started it with a general conversation before they ordered, and once the food arrived, he went to his main point.

“Sammi how would you go about breaking the ice with someone you like, but they don’t notice?”

Sammi looked up at him and wondered if he’s found someone special finally. “Why? Do you have feelings for anyone in particular?”

“Sammi just answered the question. How would you handle it?”

“This is not like you; you always charm the women. Okay, Andrew, what gives?” Sammi asked.

“Let’s say I met someone and want to get to know her better,” Andrew asked.

“what aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing, just give me some ideas, please,” Andrew said, hoping to keep Sammi at bay long enough to get things going with Sonia.

“Huh, alright, it all depends. Do you see this person often?” Sammi responded and wanted to know what was going on.

“Yes, almost every day,” Andrew added with a smile.

Sammi took note of the smile but continued, “Does she show any signs of liking you?”

“I don’t know. I ….never really noticed.” Andrew was so taken with Sonia, has not considered if she has feelings for him.

“Then my friend, maybe you should approach her. Who is she, anyone I know, because I know you took Jan out a couple of times.”

“No, it’s not Jan. Anyway you don’t know this person.”

“Where did you guys meet?” Sammi asked, trying to figure out who this woman could be.

“That’s not important. She doesn’t seem interested,” Andrew replied with a hurt look.

“How do you know that, did she tell you?” Sammi was into it now. If she could help Andrew get his love life on track, then she is all for it.

“Well, not really. Her actions, among other things that happened at the beginning of our meeting, say it all.” Andrew said, with the hope he had slowly slipped away with each incident.

“Really, like what?” Sammi wanted to know what has gone on between the two already.

“Well I kinda got too personal; you know, asking too many questions about her life. It happened the first time we had dinner, but I don’t want to get into that.” Andrew wanted to get past the preliminaries and see what he could do to gain Sonia’s attention.

“That... wait you’ve already had dinner with her and didn’t tell me how to come.” Sammi was upset that he was keeping things from her.

“Sammi, I need you to concentrate.”

“Okay, fine, what you said doesn’t mean anything. You know how your brother read our actions the wrong way.”

“Well, you sisters can give a brother a hard time. It’s just different with her...” Andrew's look and tone softened.

“Oh-my-gosh Andrew Hastings you’re in love. I’ve never seen you like this with... Leigh. Wow, ah, alright, back to the subject at hand. You should start by being a friend and maybe things will develop. Do little things, that’s all we sisters want. She’s a sister isn’t she?”

Yes, she is.” His mind was on what she said became a friend, but how. Then, several thoughts came to mind. There are so many things he can do, like clean up around the outside of the house. He does live there, too. Andrew can fix anything that needs fixing. These are things he can do. Then maybe she would begin to talk to him and they can become friends. Even closer than that, he could become a special friend, someone she could have fun with and talk to, things of that nature. He began to smile and form a plan.

Andrew would make sure she was eating right while making certain suggestions to Sandy. This was something he wanted to do— something he can put his whole heart into. There’s no way he can do half the things for her that he did for Cheryl and the others, but he will find a way to get close to her. Sandy and James are on their way in.

Sandy and James refuse to let Sonia take her walks alone anymore. Sandy went out with her in the mornings she could, and when she couldn’t James or Rita did. The doctor said it was good for her and the baby. Josephine recommended this after what happened and suggested that she do it as much as possible.

They got upset with Sonia because she would still go out by herself when no one was around, which they felt was dangerous. So Sandy decided to get Andrew involved, and maybe he and Sonia could come to neutral ground.

Sonia woke up one day and decided to take a walk early… alone. She had another bad dream, and since work was out of the question, a walk was what she needed to calm her.

Sonia sat and watched the sun peak over the horizon from the front of the house. While there, she began to think about her life as it was now and the dreams she’s been having. Soon, there were so many emotions, and they overwhelmed her. It became too much for her, and she had to release it somehow. That release came in the form of tears.

Andrew was out for an early morning run when he happened to see Sonia sitting there crying. The instinct to console her kicked in, and he sat down beside her and held her, not saying a word, waiting until she was ready to reveal all.

Sonia, who at this point didn’t care, who was comforting her, held on to him and cried even harder.

After some time, the tears started to slow, and she felt she could speak. Sonia apologized. “I’m so very sorry.” She said,

“Don’t be. Do you want to talk about it?” Andrew asked, concerned that she could affect the baby.

Realizing that it was Andrew, Sonia felt relief and began to open up to him about her life. She revealed what happened between her and her father and how her mother did nothing to stop it.

Family problems are something Andrew understands well. He did not press her for anymore, but she gave it. He found his opportunity to be there for her if she needed to talk. Holding her for a while, she began to sniffle, and it was then he asked if everything was ok with the baby. “Is the baby alright?”

Sonia pulled away, looking at him. “How did you... how long have you known?”

“Since the day we met.” Andrew was glad that it was finally out.

“But you didn’t say anything. Why?” Sonia was shocked that he knew but did not say anything.

“I was waiting to see if you would tell me.” He wanted more than anything to kiss her right now.

“I was.” She said, looking down at her hands. “I just didn’t know how to tell you or what you would do.”

“Sonia, what could I do? This is your place. Either I accept it or move out.” They looked at each other, their eyes locked, held, while he leaned in close and said. “I’d very much like to stay.”

Sonia felt his breath on her face. It was warm, sensual, and even inviting, but she looked away. Just being this close to him sparks feelings in her that she thought were dead. This meant she was beginning to care. Her heart began beating faster she could feel the heat rising in her body, and her pulse began keeping pace with her heart. Sonia realized he was not so bad after all.

Clearing her throat, Sonia pulled away from him, thanking him for his generosity, and then she got up and started towards the house. They didn’t speak about it anymore. That conversation was their secret, and no one would know.

Several days after that first meeting on the beach, they met up and talked. Even though Sonia has no intentions of getting involved with Andrew in any way, she could not help feeling at peace every time she was in his presence.

Andrew found it easy to just let her talk while he hung on to her every word. Then he’d watch her as he spoke about his life and his family. He even told her about his brother and his sister-in-law. They found out that there were similarities in each other’s situations and that they were more alike than not.

Sonia kept the fact that she was spending time with Andrew a secret, realizing that he was a nice person to know. Andrew was handy to have around, especially if something needed fixing. His skills were vast, and he left no job undone. But for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to tell Sandy just yet. She sensed that Andrew was loyal and wouldn’t say anything.

It’s so funny that this stranger has come into her life and has become more trustworthy than most of the people already in her life.

They were now into a routine. Andrew felt Sonia was finally settled with having him upstairs. Then the strangest thing happened, one day, Sandy came by his place to have a chat with him about Sonia. Andrew sat back and let her lay out her whole plan. Once Sandy began the conversation with “Sonia needs,” he was already planning what to do. Sandy was concerned about Sonia having to have regular exercise and how walking was the recommendation from her doctor. Sandy told him that Sonia was taking those walks alone most of the time because, Sandy, James, and Rita, were not always available to take them with her. It was causing Sonia not to be able to take those walks she needed and loved. They, Sandy and James, were wondering if Andrew would consider taking those walks with Sonia if it wasn’t an imposition. “Sandy, I'll be happy to help out any way I can.” Andrew was more than happy to accommodate them. What better way to get close to Sonia, which he hoped she wouldn’t mind?

Sandy then mentioned to Sonia what she discussed with the others and Andrew.

Sonia wasn’t as quick to say no this time. She didn’t mind and tried not to seem anxious because no one knew that she and Andrew had been spending time together already. Sonia found him easy to talk to, and he seemed to understand what she was going through with her family. He’s having problems with his own family also.

For the next several days, everyone took turns walking with Sonia and noticed a change in her attitude. She’s smiling more, happier than before, and they could not figure out what caused the change.

It was Andrew’s turn, and he was more than ready. They talked about life and what they want from it. How can they make things better for themselves and their families? They expressed their views about politics, their likes, and their dislikes. They even talked about church and being more spiritual. They laughed, they played, and it was apparent that they enjoyed each other’s company. Soon, the bond was formed, and a friendship blossomed.

Andrew enjoyed spending time with Sonia, and anytime he could get away from work, he made it his business to do so. He spent time with Sonia without anyone being the wiser. Just in a short space of time, she began to smile more and laugh.

Andrew prayed that nothing would spoil their time together or the way things were going between them.

Sonia found herself humming songs throughout the day, upbeat songs, and romantic love songs, and it’s all because of Andrew Hastings. There are times in the middle of her work she would think about him and wonder what he was doing right at that moment; Sonia smiled. Being around him has been such a joy. Now she wonders why she ever thought about not liking him at all. She hopes that no one, including Sandy, notices the change in her toward Andrew. This was her little secret. If Sandy were to find out… "Well, Sonia could only wonder about how she would react." Just as Sonia was thinking about Sandy, she came strolling through the door.

“Hey girl what’s up?” Sonia said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Nothing much, how are things?” Sandy noticed and was happy to see Sonia smiling like that.

“Good, good, no more morning sickness, no more dreams, life’s good.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Well, I came to tell you some good news.”

“What?” Sonia looked at her friend and saw happiness and wondered if she was finally pregnant.

“James and I are going away for about three weeks. A second honeymoon if that’s what you want to call it.”

“Oh, great girl. You two deserve this time alone. Wait! When. Why didn't you tell me this before?”

“Well, we were planning it for a while but didn’t know if we could do it. But now you’re fine, and Andrew help. We decided to go ahead and do it.”

“Well, it’s about time.” Sonia was happy for them but was she ready to be alone with Andrew... She’s not going to think about herself right now, James and Sandy needed their time alone with each other. She was happy for them.