Sorry I have taken so long to start to post. I was ill and then there was Christmas. I also can not get the highlight to work on the snippet bit.
Remember Love by Rosa17
One of the special joys of December is telling others we care and remember love.
Part 1
With frozen fingers Kate cupped her hands about the shovel. The snow had fallen thick that night and the blanket it had created appeared like frosting on a Christmas cake. She shivered and her warm breath fanned as it hit the zero temperatures. She should really invest in a pair of gloves, or at least pop into the thrift shop and buy a pair there. Standing around in the cold was not going to help she decided, but shovelling away the snow from her front path would.
By the time she had finished she was as warm as toast, with the exception of her fingers and toes. With a heavy sigh she put the shovel back into the outside store and headed indoors to make a cup of hot chocolate.
The steam rose from the cup in circles before disappearing into the cold room. The woman eyed the gas fire and shook her head, instead padding to her bedroom to retrieve a third jumper. She would turn the heat on later when it got really cold. Despite the brightness of the snow it was dark inside her home. She lived in a one storey dwelling. The house had one bedroom, one bath, a small living room, tiny kitchen and a minuscule attic. It had not been modernised for years and held an air of nostalgia about it rather than datedness.
Times were hard, the credit crunch had seemed to hit a lot of folk this winter and with Christmas just around the corner, many families would be going without a lot this year. Kate had been hard hit. She had been made redundant three months ago from her job in an overcrowded office. The partitioned wall from her neighbouring colleagues had always made her feel as though she worked in a match box instead of a large floor of a building. Since then work had not seemed to have called her name. She had tried a bit of temping, but it seemed it was not enough to cover her bills and see her nineteen year old son Andrew through college.
Things hadn’t always been like this, but since she was widowed three years ago and found that her husband had left massive debts, her life had taken a turn for the worse. The life insurance and the selling of their four bed, three bath house had covered the debts but it had left nothing on which to live. Even Andrew’s college fund had been used by her late husband in order to try and sort out his money worries before he took his own life.
The’ little shack’ that she now resided in, named that by her late husband, had been the home of a great aunt who had passed a way when Andrew had been ten. Kate had held onto it in her own name and now was grateful for that decision. In the years between she had visited once or twice a year to check that all was well, but it had for the most, been neglected of love and attention. Now Kate wished she had spent more time restoring it to its former glory.
Kate tucked a wisp of fine blonde hair behind her ear, in three jumpers her slender body was still cold and she walked round her home ending up in the kitchen. Looking in the larder she noted there was nothing substantial for dinner that evening. A can of beef soup sat on its own on the shelf. She just might have to go to the store in the morning, which just happened to be Christmas day. Now though one day seemed to merge into the other and it did not seem to matter that the following day was a special occasion for most people. Turning she eyed her purse sitting on the worn counter and rifled through for her wallet, inside there were a few twenty dollar bills and she knew she could not use all of that on food alone over the festive period.
Andrew would have to wait for her to send more of her hard earned cash. Her last temping job had finished last week and she did not start the new one until the Monday after Christmas. It did not matter that much she thought. He was a good boy, he worked between lectures and studied most evenings. Luckily for both of them he would be spending Christmas at his girlfriend’s house. A girl she had yet to meet, but had spoken with on the telephone. Kate suspected that Andrew was a mite embarrassed to admit to, not the area in which his mother lived, but the house.
A modest row of Christmas cards sat along the window sill in the lounge, some with funny greetings, others cute or humorous and some reflecting the true meaning of Christmas. They were all shapes and sizes and for the most part expensive, from people she used to know but still kept in touch, with a card once a year. She passed them by, needing to keep moving and noticed that the corner looked bare. In the attic she had a tatty plastic tree that had belonged to her great aunt. Perhaps putting that up and decorating it would put her more in the Christmas spirit.
Upstairs in the attic made downstairs in the main house feel warm, she randomly picked the three boxes she thought she needed and headed back to the lounge to assemble it all. An hour later the tree stood looking a little sorry for itself, some of the branches were so bent out of shape that no manipulating had made any difference. The decorations dated back on the most part to the 1950’s with the exception of the one or two items she had made as a small child and sent her great aunt as a Christmas gift.
Among the decoration was a beautifully crafted hand carved nativity set and she placed this on the dresser. She had forgotten about this item, it was so beautiful that she cradled each piece in her hand before setting it down in its place to create the manager scene. Her eyes rested to the third and final box which she had opened and quickly discarded, realising instantly that it held things she didn’t want to remember. It contained all manner of things of her first love and an unrequited love at that. Perhaps that was why she went out and fell pregnant with Andrew soon after and felt forced to marry her late husband in what turned out to be a disastrous façade of a marriage.
She didn't want to remember love -- not that one anyway because if she did the hurt would start all over again and she just couldn’t bear that. It had taken her years to heal, her heart crusted over with scars that threatened to burst into fresh wounds every day. No. Best not go there. Not today. Not any day. With a decisive nod of her head, she carefully placed the lid back on the box and moved towards the stairs. Back to the attic, under the eaves. Let it be immersed in dust and cobwebs again. Let it be forgotten -- just like he had forgotten her heart.
Kate felt better when she had hidden the box again; she checked the temperature of the water in the cylinder and decided that a warm bath would take the chill off her bones. Perhaps she was getting old, but that could not be so, she was only thirty eight, that was still young wasn’t it? She asked herself. Of course it was, her inner self replied. But she still had doubts. Looking in the mirror she saw a woman who had faint smile lines about her mouth and eyes. It was not how she felt inside. She was just beginning to realise that however old you were, inside you probably felt as young as you were when you were twenty.
As she settled into the warm bath, the heating clicked on and the little house in which she lived began to thaw. From the outside one would be forgiven for thinking that her dwelling was someone’s garden shed or summer house. It had a small private back yard which backed onto the sea, but was flanked on both sides by big luxurious houses. No one in a million years would guess that this little treasure of a house even existed, especially on the shore of Cape Cod.
Full Version: Remember Love - Rosa17
RomanceFanFiction.net > The Highlights - A Place To Start > Seasonal/Holiday Challenges > 2008 Seasonal/Holiday Challenges > Season's Readings - Winter Challenge 2008
My goodness that was contrary colour highlighting but I got it to stick for you! And now can I see Wheeeeee 
I'm excited to read this one because it's in Cape Cod and I'm hoping beyond hope..... 
With frozen fingers Kate cupped her hands about the shovel. The snow had fallen thick that night and the blanket it had created appeared like frosting on a Christmas cake. She shivered and her warm breath fanned as it hit the zero temperatures. She should really invest in a pair of gloves, or at least pop into the thrift shop and buy a pair there. Standing around in the cold was not going to help she decided, but shovelling away the snow from her front path would. You totally captivated me with this first paragraph -- amazingly descriptive, I could see my breath in the air and my fingers were starting to go numb by the end of the post! You've made that little house come to life and created a sympathetic character in kate. I can't wait to read more.
kav
I'm excited to read this one because it's in Cape Cod and I'm hoping beyond hope..... QUOTE
With frozen fingers Kate cupped her hands about the shovel. The snow had fallen thick that night and the blanket it had created appeared like frosting on a Christmas cake. She shivered and her warm breath fanned as it hit the zero temperatures. She should really invest in a pair of gloves, or at least pop into the thrift shop and buy a pair there. Standing around in the cold was not going to help she decided, but shovelling away the snow from her front path would.
kav
Welcome to the challenge, Rosa!
I've missed your stories. Like Kav, your writing is so descriptive it is a joy to read. I especially loved this line...
But these words really spoke to me.
Then this line really hit home.
Now, I'm very intrigued with Kate and I can't wait for more. I, too, am hoping the same thing as Kav, cause I think I'm thinking the same thing she's thinking!
Lynn
I've missed your stories. Like Kav, your writing is so descriptive it is a joy to read. I especially loved this line...
QUOTE
The snow had fallen thick that night and the blanket it had created appeared like frosting on a Christmas cake.
I wanted to swipe my finger in the snow and lick it, knowing it would taste like my favorite frosting. But these words really spoke to me.
QUOTE
A modest row of Christmas cards sat along the window sill in the lounge, some with funny greetings, others cute or humorous and some reflecting the true meaning of Christmas. They were all shapes and sizes and for the most part expensive, from people she used to know but still kept in touch, with a card once a year.
I don't know why, maybe b/c I sent out Christmas cards this year to family and friends for the first time in many, many years. Then this line really hit home.
QUOTE
It was not how she felt inside. She was just beginning to realise that however old you were, inside you probably felt as young as you were when you were twenty.
It is exactly how it feels, especially the older you get. Now, I'm very intrigued with Kate and I can't wait for more. I, too, am hoping the same thing as Kav, cause I think I'm thinking the same thing she's thinking!
Lynn
Yay! I Rosa story!!!
You've already got me captivated by this. I was actually shivering as I read.
And I hope I'm on the same track as the others and think I know just where this might be leading.
Lindsy
You've already got me captivated by this. I was actually shivering as I read.
And I hope I'm on the same track as the others and think I know just where this might be leading.
Lindsy
Thank you. I wonder if this is where you thought it might lead to. 
Part 2
Myles exhaled, it had been a long journey, the weather was bad and the roads clogged up. After his flight had been cancelled he had opted to drive to the family vacation home at Cape Cod instead. What he wanted was a long hot shower, dinner and then time to relax and as Howie would say, ‘chill’. His father watched as Myles entered the hall and dropped his bags from a great height. Instead of receiving a father, son hug, all Myles had was a glare that the floor could be scratched. Myles was not in the mood; he gave a nod of his head that he had seen his father and headed off to his suits of rooms at the end of the house. The view from here was magnificent out along the bay. The se; what he could see of it was choppy, the snow was falling, gently now and still lying upon the frozen earth. For some reason the carol, ‘See Amid The Winters Snow’ came to mind. He shrugged it off lightly and went for the one thing that could not wait, the long hot shower.
Feeling the water cascade over his tired body rejuvenated him; he worked the shampoo into a frothy lather and then rinsed, taking time to use his designer conditioner as well. The musky scent of his soap filled his nostrils and he almost lost himself in the moment of the shower. Refreshed and recharged Myles left his rooms dressed casually, in a pair of beige pants and a festive red jumper, with shirt and tie beneath.
On his way downstairs he passed his sister’s room, her door was ajar and he knocked lightly upon it, politely waiting for her permission to enter her personal space. She was sitting cross legged on the bed, not ready for their evening meal at all, attired in a warm snugly looking cream towelling robe. Anne looked up at him, smiled and kneeled up for a hug. It felt strange as her arms encased him. Myles returned the embrace for once feeling grateful he had a sibling to share his life with, after the long years they had spent trying to outdo the other. This; what they had now, a companionable relationship was far better.
Anne was looking at an old photo album, when Myles sat on the edge of the bed. He turned the book so that it was his way up and flicked through the pages; the pictures were placed haphazardly in there and were not a window of Anne’s past, but his.
“I found it. Under one of the boxes in the attic,” she offered as way of explanation of its sudden appearance. “Makes you wonder where they all are now doesn’t it? I bet you have not kept in contact with any of them.”
Myles shook his head; she was correct he had not made contact with any of them for years, not even on face book. Truth be known he was not a big fan of face book. Bobby and Tara were always going on about it. It had seemed that Jack had added a few fair maidens to his friend list, girls or women now who had once probably had a secret crush on him. Not one in their right mind would have had a crush on him, Myles Leland the third, he decided with a small inward grin. He had been popular in his own way, but that was not in the same way that Jack was still popular today. Jack though was taken, finally, after years of beating about the bush during the summer he had finally tied the knot with the then Miss Thomas and it appeared so far they were living their own happy ever after. Not so much could be said for him. He still lived alone with the incessantly annoying Mr Webber next door.
He flicked through the pages of the album, faces he recognised and some he did not. Halfway through he came to a picture of himself between two pretty girls, one a former girlfriend Dara and the other a girl he had a secret affection for; Kate. What had happened to Kate?
Myles remembered she was someone he had always wanted to be with, but had never quite got round to telling her so. Myles laughed inwardly, more thoughts of Jack and Sue came flooding into his mind. He too had been a turtle boy and lost the one girl he had truly liked. He hoped she was happy in her life. Not long after the picture had been taken she had fallen pregnant after a whirlwind romance and married the father of her child. He was a few years older than Myles and more than that, a man Myles had not liked at all.
Pushing his memories back to the recess of his mind he regarded his sister through steady eyes. She said in a quiet voice, but one which held no measure of compromise. “Tell mother and father I will be down shortly for supper.”
Myles nodded, she had changed since Callaghan and Merced days, now she worked for an IT firm, it was so removed from what she had trained and studied to do and yet Myles knew she was happier for it. He wondered if he could be happy, find someone, have a happy ever after, just as Sue and Jack had found theirs. Sometimes, like now though it was an impossible dream, but weren’t dreams however unachievable supposed to come true at Christmas?
Part 2
Myles exhaled, it had been a long journey, the weather was bad and the roads clogged up. After his flight had been cancelled he had opted to drive to the family vacation home at Cape Cod instead. What he wanted was a long hot shower, dinner and then time to relax and as Howie would say, ‘chill’. His father watched as Myles entered the hall and dropped his bags from a great height. Instead of receiving a father, son hug, all Myles had was a glare that the floor could be scratched. Myles was not in the mood; he gave a nod of his head that he had seen his father and headed off to his suits of rooms at the end of the house. The view from here was magnificent out along the bay. The se; what he could see of it was choppy, the snow was falling, gently now and still lying upon the frozen earth. For some reason the carol, ‘See Amid The Winters Snow’ came to mind. He shrugged it off lightly and went for the one thing that could not wait, the long hot shower.
Feeling the water cascade over his tired body rejuvenated him; he worked the shampoo into a frothy lather and then rinsed, taking time to use his designer conditioner as well. The musky scent of his soap filled his nostrils and he almost lost himself in the moment of the shower. Refreshed and recharged Myles left his rooms dressed casually, in a pair of beige pants and a festive red jumper, with shirt and tie beneath.
On his way downstairs he passed his sister’s room, her door was ajar and he knocked lightly upon it, politely waiting for her permission to enter her personal space. She was sitting cross legged on the bed, not ready for their evening meal at all, attired in a warm snugly looking cream towelling robe. Anne looked up at him, smiled and kneeled up for a hug. It felt strange as her arms encased him. Myles returned the embrace for once feeling grateful he had a sibling to share his life with, after the long years they had spent trying to outdo the other. This; what they had now, a companionable relationship was far better.
Anne was looking at an old photo album, when Myles sat on the edge of the bed. He turned the book so that it was his way up and flicked through the pages; the pictures were placed haphazardly in there and were not a window of Anne’s past, but his.
“I found it. Under one of the boxes in the attic,” she offered as way of explanation of its sudden appearance. “Makes you wonder where they all are now doesn’t it? I bet you have not kept in contact with any of them.”
Myles shook his head; she was correct he had not made contact with any of them for years, not even on face book. Truth be known he was not a big fan of face book. Bobby and Tara were always going on about it. It had seemed that Jack had added a few fair maidens to his friend list, girls or women now who had once probably had a secret crush on him. Not one in their right mind would have had a crush on him, Myles Leland the third, he decided with a small inward grin. He had been popular in his own way, but that was not in the same way that Jack was still popular today. Jack though was taken, finally, after years of beating about the bush during the summer he had finally tied the knot with the then Miss Thomas and it appeared so far they were living their own happy ever after. Not so much could be said for him. He still lived alone with the incessantly annoying Mr Webber next door.
He flicked through the pages of the album, faces he recognised and some he did not. Halfway through he came to a picture of himself between two pretty girls, one a former girlfriend Dara and the other a girl he had a secret affection for; Kate. What had happened to Kate?
Myles remembered she was someone he had always wanted to be with, but had never quite got round to telling her so. Myles laughed inwardly, more thoughts of Jack and Sue came flooding into his mind. He too had been a turtle boy and lost the one girl he had truly liked. He hoped she was happy in her life. Not long after the picture had been taken she had fallen pregnant after a whirlwind romance and married the father of her child. He was a few years older than Myles and more than that, a man Myles had not liked at all.
Pushing his memories back to the recess of his mind he regarded his sister through steady eyes. She said in a quiet voice, but one which held no measure of compromise. “Tell mother and father I will be down shortly for supper.”
Myles nodded, she had changed since Callaghan and Merced days, now she worked for an IT firm, it was so removed from what she had trained and studied to do and yet Myles knew she was happier for it. He wondered if he could be happy, find someone, have a happy ever after, just as Sue and Jack had found theirs. Sometimes, like now though it was an impossible dream, but weren’t dreams however unachievable supposed to come true at Christmas?
Wonderful!! So . . . I'm assuming Kate is near where Myles is at this very minute?? Lovely posts, and can't wait for more!
QUOTE
I wonder if this is where you thought it might lead to.
Absolutely! And Myles had a crush on Kate. I love where this is going and can't wait to see how they meet and what feelings Myles might still have for her. QUOTE
Sometimes, like now though it was an impossible dream, but weren’t dreams however unachievable supposed to come true at Christmas?
Yes, even for Myles! Dream big, Myles....dream big! 
Lynn
QUOTE
and the other a girl he had a secret affection for; Kate. What had happened to Kate?
I knew it!!!!! I just knew it!! and I'm 
I'm so excited...especially since he had feelings for her as well.kav
I don't suppose Myles would just happen to go on a nice rejuvenating run in the morning and just run into the former object of his affection, huh? Of course, that would be nice and exciting!
Lindsy
Lindsy
Thank you, this will be a shortish story but I hope that you will enjoy reading it.
Part 3
Christmas day had the unthinkable happening at the house in Cape Cod. They had run out of butter. Myles parents could not believe such an oversight had occurred and gave the housekeeper a few sharp words to say the least. Myles who did not want to be cooped up all day with sparring and criticizing parents volunteered to go and find a store which would be open.
Even the housekeeper laughed at his words, the thought that a shop would be open on Christmas day here was unbelievable. Nevertheless Myles was not to be deterred; such was his need for some time and space away from it all. He wrapped up warm and set off for what could prove a long and jaunty expedition in his father’s car. He discovered he had to drive some long and slow miles before he came across a small convenience store. Its Christmas lights seemed to call out to Myles through the snow that even as the wipers cleared, fell once more to obstruct his vision. He parked up and was only a matter of minutes before he returned to the car. Several moments later he was crawling back the way he had come.
The snow was turning from a busy flurry to a full storm; he had trouble seeing through the flakes which the windscreen wipers had no or little effect in getting rid of. It was almost as if an accident that he spotted a blob of red amongst the white carpet of snow. Gently he pressed down on the brake and came to a standstill. To his right on what should have been the sidewalk, but due to the weather was undistinguishable was a hunched figure, trying to pick up provisions from a paper bag that had succumbed to the weather.
It was with trepidation that Myles decided to brave it and fight the weather to help this person who was clearly in distress. Surely the food did not mean so much that they had to struggle to carry it back home in its entirety without adequate means in which to carry it. Fighting the elements he got out from the car, pulling his scarf across his face and his collar of his coat up, to provide some protection from the harsh wind and snow. He reached the figure by which time he realised was female and knelt down beside her, picking up the items that she could not. With gestures he ushered her to his car. The woman looked at him with an odd expression in her eyes, which ranged from distrust to faint recognition rolled into one, and he was very pleased when they were both sitting within the warmer confines of the car.
Myles pulled the scarf down so that he could converse with her, she was shivering he noted and he wondered how long she had been a victim to the weather.
“I will drive you home if you tell me where you live,” he said as he started the engine.
“Myles?” she replied.
He paused in his actions, she knew him. Did he know her? Her voice seemed to be an echo of his past. Turning he studied her hard and in an instant he knew, he saw that the woman in front of him was the girl he had once known. She was in fact the girl who he had seen in the picture yesterday; Kate.
“Kate?” his voice came out cracked and hoarse. She smiled at him sadly and he didn’t understand why. “I am staying here for the holidays, my parents have a house. What about you?”
“It has been a long time,” she answered instead and he nodded. She was just as beautiful now as she had been when he was nineteen, except now they were more mature he could appreciate her beauty far more.
“Where can I take you?” he asked again. He felt mesmerised by her steady gaze and wanted for some totally unknown reason to run his finger down her face and cup her cheek and then kiss the fullness of her lower lip with his mouth. He pushed that thought briskly away; he was supposed to be offering her a hand in her distress not seducing her.
“Home,” she whispered, and he knew in that moment that she had felt the same emotions as he had, out of the blue and inappropriate under the circumstances as they were.
Part 3
Christmas day had the unthinkable happening at the house in Cape Cod. They had run out of butter. Myles parents could not believe such an oversight had occurred and gave the housekeeper a few sharp words to say the least. Myles who did not want to be cooped up all day with sparring and criticizing parents volunteered to go and find a store which would be open.
Even the housekeeper laughed at his words, the thought that a shop would be open on Christmas day here was unbelievable. Nevertheless Myles was not to be deterred; such was his need for some time and space away from it all. He wrapped up warm and set off for what could prove a long and jaunty expedition in his father’s car. He discovered he had to drive some long and slow miles before he came across a small convenience store. Its Christmas lights seemed to call out to Myles through the snow that even as the wipers cleared, fell once more to obstruct his vision. He parked up and was only a matter of minutes before he returned to the car. Several moments later he was crawling back the way he had come.
The snow was turning from a busy flurry to a full storm; he had trouble seeing through the flakes which the windscreen wipers had no or little effect in getting rid of. It was almost as if an accident that he spotted a blob of red amongst the white carpet of snow. Gently he pressed down on the brake and came to a standstill. To his right on what should have been the sidewalk, but due to the weather was undistinguishable was a hunched figure, trying to pick up provisions from a paper bag that had succumbed to the weather.
It was with trepidation that Myles decided to brave it and fight the weather to help this person who was clearly in distress. Surely the food did not mean so much that they had to struggle to carry it back home in its entirety without adequate means in which to carry it. Fighting the elements he got out from the car, pulling his scarf across his face and his collar of his coat up, to provide some protection from the harsh wind and snow. He reached the figure by which time he realised was female and knelt down beside her, picking up the items that she could not. With gestures he ushered her to his car. The woman looked at him with an odd expression in her eyes, which ranged from distrust to faint recognition rolled into one, and he was very pleased when they were both sitting within the warmer confines of the car.
Myles pulled the scarf down so that he could converse with her, she was shivering he noted and he wondered how long she had been a victim to the weather.
“I will drive you home if you tell me where you live,” he said as he started the engine.
“Myles?” she replied.
He paused in his actions, she knew him. Did he know her? Her voice seemed to be an echo of his past. Turning he studied her hard and in an instant he knew, he saw that the woman in front of him was the girl he had once known. She was in fact the girl who he had seen in the picture yesterday; Kate.
“Kate?” his voice came out cracked and hoarse. She smiled at him sadly and he didn’t understand why. “I am staying here for the holidays, my parents have a house. What about you?”
“It has been a long time,” she answered instead and he nodded. She was just as beautiful now as she had been when he was nineteen, except now they were more mature he could appreciate her beauty far more.
“Where can I take you?” he asked again. He felt mesmerised by her steady gaze and wanted for some totally unknown reason to run his finger down her face and cup her cheek and then kiss the fullness of her lower lip with his mouth. He pushed that thought briskly away; he was supposed to be offering her a hand in her distress not seducing her.
“Home,” she whispered, and he knew in that moment that she had felt the same emotions as he had, out of the blue and inappropriate under the circumstances as they were.
Wow! What started out as a trip to the grocery store turned into quite an emotionally-charged scene! Beautiful!
Reunited after all this time, but I have the feeling that Myles isn't going to like the conditions in which she's living. And I have the feeling that Kate might just be too proud to accept whatever help he might offer, thinking of it as a hand out.
Still, I hope Myles offers to help in some way at least.
Lindsy
Still, I hope Myles offers to help in some way at least.
Lindsy
thanks
Part 4
Myles was shocked by the sight of Kate’s home; it must have shown on his face for she sighed despairingly. He could not quite believe that something so quaint and tiny was hidden away amongst the great houses which lined the road, of which this was off. He had reached it via a track which he previously believed led down to a boat or summer house. He was half right in his assumption for the tiny cottage was not more than that really from the outside.
Myles found himself carrying Kate’s wares into the house. The house appeared even smaller within, perhaps that was because he was quite tall. But it seemed as though he could stretch his hands out and touch either side of the house and not move a muscle. On closer inspection that was not quite possible. He set her food on the counter, noticing she had bought the barest provisions to see her through; Milk, butter, bread, eggs, coffee, some cans of soup and a slab of cake. Not much for Christmas at all. Myles watched as she set the water on to boil.
“Coffee?” she asked, it was the least she could offer as he had been so helpful and not only that it was Myles. Myles; the man she had thought about for so many years. Inviting him stay a few more minutes in her company was surely not a crime.
Myles wondered if he should refuse, his family were waiting on him for the butter. But something drew him to her, always had, although he had not acted upon it in the years gone past.
“Yes thank you,” he returned.
Kate would have offered to take his coat but their breath was showing in the room as they spoke. Not wanting to have her guest leaving with pneumonia she overlooked that and handed him a mug of steaming liquid and suggested they went and sit in the lounge. They sat on the two-seater sofa, his presence seemed to fill the room and she struggled to breathe. Finally she managed small conversation, she asked him of his life in the years that had passed by. Myles filled her in briefly with his life at the bureau and the team which had long since become his true family. Then he asked Kate about her life. It was a painful question one which was loaded with far more than he felt he should be privileged to know. And yet as she outlined the past years of her life into no more than half a dozen sentences, Myles knew that he wanted to know everything abut her.
It was with great reluctance that they parted. Myles’ cell phone had them realising the time had sped by. His father could be heard on the other end of the line asking whether his son had been in a pile up, or ploughed the car into a brick wall, or used his car for an undercover mission with the FBI.
Myles apologised as he stood, thanked Kate for the coffee and walked to the door. Kate followed to see him out; she had already decided she would watch from the window, just to see him as he drove away, out of her life once again.
It was by accident he caught sight of the mistletoe hanging above her doorway. It had been more of an accident that it was hanging there in the first place. A little old man had come selling the stuff door to door and Kate had felt sorry for him and bought a sprig. The old man himself has fastened it onto the door frame and told her it would bring her luck. Kate did not believe in luck but had humoured him anyway.
Before Myles had time to think and rationalise the situation he acted. As his head dipped down to Kate’s level, his hair flopped in his eyes and he wondered if that was a bad move in itself, but he pushed it aside. He felt an overwhelming desire to kiss the woman before him, just as he had yearned to do as a younger man. He felt the first stirrings of passion as his lips rested against hers and then with a tentative moment he moved them to discover that their lips fitted together perfectly. Kate tugged on the lapel of his coat and suddenly his arms fitted about her frame, which under the layers of sweaters was slender and supple in his hands. He delved deeper into the kiss seeking her tongue and sighing with delight when they stroked each other seductively. The kiss was quickly developing a mind of it’s own as it spiralled deeper into a passion fuelled tryst, that was their only existence in that moment in time. With a ragged exhilaration of breath she tore herself from the kiss and looked into his eyes which were muddled with confusion and desire.
He mumbled then as he was the one to move out of the embrace, fumbling with the latch of the door and letting himself out into the snow. Myles barely noticed that it had ceased snowing; all that he could think of was the kiss. It was a replica of a kiss that took place in his parent’s house one night when he threw a party in their absence. There had been a summer storm and in that the power had been severed. During that time he shared a kiss, and thought up until that moment which had just past, it had been with his girlfriend Dara, but now kissing Kate he began to realise the truth. It hadn’t been Dara at all; it had been the one girl he had been to shy to approach, the girl that his heart had truly belonged to, even though he had never said. The kiss had been his and Kate’s.
Part 4
Myles was shocked by the sight of Kate’s home; it must have shown on his face for she sighed despairingly. He could not quite believe that something so quaint and tiny was hidden away amongst the great houses which lined the road, of which this was off. He had reached it via a track which he previously believed led down to a boat or summer house. He was half right in his assumption for the tiny cottage was not more than that really from the outside.
Myles found himself carrying Kate’s wares into the house. The house appeared even smaller within, perhaps that was because he was quite tall. But it seemed as though he could stretch his hands out and touch either side of the house and not move a muscle. On closer inspection that was not quite possible. He set her food on the counter, noticing she had bought the barest provisions to see her through; Milk, butter, bread, eggs, coffee, some cans of soup and a slab of cake. Not much for Christmas at all. Myles watched as she set the water on to boil.
“Coffee?” she asked, it was the least she could offer as he had been so helpful and not only that it was Myles. Myles; the man she had thought about for so many years. Inviting him stay a few more minutes in her company was surely not a crime.
Myles wondered if he should refuse, his family were waiting on him for the butter. But something drew him to her, always had, although he had not acted upon it in the years gone past.
“Yes thank you,” he returned.
Kate would have offered to take his coat but their breath was showing in the room as they spoke. Not wanting to have her guest leaving with pneumonia she overlooked that and handed him a mug of steaming liquid and suggested they went and sit in the lounge. They sat on the two-seater sofa, his presence seemed to fill the room and she struggled to breathe. Finally she managed small conversation, she asked him of his life in the years that had passed by. Myles filled her in briefly with his life at the bureau and the team which had long since become his true family. Then he asked Kate about her life. It was a painful question one which was loaded with far more than he felt he should be privileged to know. And yet as she outlined the past years of her life into no more than half a dozen sentences, Myles knew that he wanted to know everything abut her.
It was with great reluctance that they parted. Myles’ cell phone had them realising the time had sped by. His father could be heard on the other end of the line asking whether his son had been in a pile up, or ploughed the car into a brick wall, or used his car for an undercover mission with the FBI.
Myles apologised as he stood, thanked Kate for the coffee and walked to the door. Kate followed to see him out; she had already decided she would watch from the window, just to see him as he drove away, out of her life once again.
It was by accident he caught sight of the mistletoe hanging above her doorway. It had been more of an accident that it was hanging there in the first place. A little old man had come selling the stuff door to door and Kate had felt sorry for him and bought a sprig. The old man himself has fastened it onto the door frame and told her it would bring her luck. Kate did not believe in luck but had humoured him anyway.
Before Myles had time to think and rationalise the situation he acted. As his head dipped down to Kate’s level, his hair flopped in his eyes and he wondered if that was a bad move in itself, but he pushed it aside. He felt an overwhelming desire to kiss the woman before him, just as he had yearned to do as a younger man. He felt the first stirrings of passion as his lips rested against hers and then with a tentative moment he moved them to discover that their lips fitted together perfectly. Kate tugged on the lapel of his coat and suddenly his arms fitted about her frame, which under the layers of sweaters was slender and supple in his hands. He delved deeper into the kiss seeking her tongue and sighing with delight when they stroked each other seductively. The kiss was quickly developing a mind of it’s own as it spiralled deeper into a passion fuelled tryst, that was their only existence in that moment in time. With a ragged exhilaration of breath she tore herself from the kiss and looked into his eyes which were muddled with confusion and desire.
He mumbled then as he was the one to move out of the embrace, fumbling with the latch of the door and letting himself out into the snow. Myles barely noticed that it had ceased snowing; all that he could think of was the kiss. It was a replica of a kiss that took place in his parent’s house one night when he threw a party in their absence. There had been a summer storm and in that the power had been severed. During that time he shared a kiss, and thought up until that moment which had just past, it had been with his girlfriend Dara, but now kissing Kate he began to realise the truth. It hadn’t been Dara at all; it had been the one girl he had been to shy to approach, the girl that his heart had truly belonged to, even though he had never said. The kiss had been his and Kate’s.
i hope she doesn't do a runner
cath
cath
Wow . . . that was wonderful. So, they've kissed before . . . and Myles has just now figured out that it was Kate . . .
QUOTE
The kiss had been his and Kate’s.
And now they have relived it... and he's running away like a frightened puppy! Myles go back!
Lindsy
Well, I think the little old man was right, that mistletoe did bring her luck. After all, Myles just crossed her path again after all these years and she's just been thinking about him too. Their first...er...second...kiss was exquisite. So much emtional turmoil there. I love it.
kav
kav
Thank you.
Part 5
Back at his family vacation home Myles felt stifled, as if the air was sucking the life out of him. His parents were talking of himself and Anne, bettering themselves in the year ahead. How they had not lived up to their parents expectations. It reminded Myles of his childhood and after an hour in their company he switched off mentally.
It wasn’t until they were sitting down eating lunch and his parents were beginning a tirade of discrimination against those who were not so well off this Christmas that he finally snapped and had enough. He stood suddenly, his chair hit the floor with force and even Anne looked at him with a stunned expression on her face. His hair had flopped in his eyes and he gave a twist to his head and ran his hand through it, to adjust the style.
“Myles!” his mother admonished. “Please do sit down and finish your lunch.”
“I am not a child mother and I have not been one for over twenty years. I will not sit down while you talk about people that you don’t know and assume their lack of monetary worth has bearing upon who they are as people. It is not how much money we have, it is who we are inside.”
“Where did such nonsense fill your head?”
“The FBI, well more precisely Sue Thomas, now Sue Hudson. She came into all our lives. We as in the team I work within. I for one wished her out of it initially. I thought she a misfit, but in actual fact it was I who was the misfit not her. She has taught me many things through her love of God and her love for others about her. She tries to see good in everyone and I am sure if she was here right now she would be trying to see some good in you. I don’t know what that would be, but I know that she would find something.”
“You have feelings for this Sue woman?” his father asked. “Didn’t you just say she was married?”
“I have feelings for her like a brother, like I have feelings for Anne nothing more. But I do have feelings for a woman, they have lain dormant for many years and now I wish to see my feelings come very much alive.”
He moved then and walked around the table to the serving side table. After beckoning to the housekeeper instructed her that she should fill some containers with the surplus food, as well as from the kitchen, while he himself went to pack.
His mother wailed after him while his father sat where he was and shouted for his son to see good sense. Anne sat silently in her chair hoping that she would be overlooked. Never had Myles defied their parents like this in their lives. This was certainly a turn up for the books and she wished him all the luck in the world, wherever he was off to.
It seemed quicker to Kate’s home this time and he was soon knocking at the door with his arms laden with all manner of Christmas fare. Kate opened the door; she has discarded her day clothes for sloppy pyjamas and a chunky sweater, but to Myles that made her so much more desirable.
“May I come in?” he asked, suddenly nervous. “I brought some food, that should not be allowed to go to waste, with me.”
She smiled then and stepped aside so he could walk in. How could she refuse such an offer? She was starving. Not only for food, but for his company and perhaps for another kiss or two, before the fairytale like day came to an end and she crashed back to reality once more.
Part 5
Back at his family vacation home Myles felt stifled, as if the air was sucking the life out of him. His parents were talking of himself and Anne, bettering themselves in the year ahead. How they had not lived up to their parents expectations. It reminded Myles of his childhood and after an hour in their company he switched off mentally.
It wasn’t until they were sitting down eating lunch and his parents were beginning a tirade of discrimination against those who were not so well off this Christmas that he finally snapped and had enough. He stood suddenly, his chair hit the floor with force and even Anne looked at him with a stunned expression on her face. His hair had flopped in his eyes and he gave a twist to his head and ran his hand through it, to adjust the style.
“Myles!” his mother admonished. “Please do sit down and finish your lunch.”
“I am not a child mother and I have not been one for over twenty years. I will not sit down while you talk about people that you don’t know and assume their lack of monetary worth has bearing upon who they are as people. It is not how much money we have, it is who we are inside.”
“Where did such nonsense fill your head?”
“The FBI, well more precisely Sue Thomas, now Sue Hudson. She came into all our lives. We as in the team I work within. I for one wished her out of it initially. I thought she a misfit, but in actual fact it was I who was the misfit not her. She has taught me many things through her love of God and her love for others about her. She tries to see good in everyone and I am sure if she was here right now she would be trying to see some good in you. I don’t know what that would be, but I know that she would find something.”
“You have feelings for this Sue woman?” his father asked. “Didn’t you just say she was married?”
“I have feelings for her like a brother, like I have feelings for Anne nothing more. But I do have feelings for a woman, they have lain dormant for many years and now I wish to see my feelings come very much alive.”
He moved then and walked around the table to the serving side table. After beckoning to the housekeeper instructed her that she should fill some containers with the surplus food, as well as from the kitchen, while he himself went to pack.
His mother wailed after him while his father sat where he was and shouted for his son to see good sense. Anne sat silently in her chair hoping that she would be overlooked. Never had Myles defied their parents like this in their lives. This was certainly a turn up for the books and she wished him all the luck in the world, wherever he was off to.
It seemed quicker to Kate’s home this time and he was soon knocking at the door with his arms laden with all manner of Christmas fare. Kate opened the door; she has discarded her day clothes for sloppy pyjamas and a chunky sweater, but to Myles that made her so much more desirable.
“May I come in?” he asked, suddenly nervous. “I brought some food, that should not be allowed to go to waste, with me.”
She smiled then and stepped aside so he could walk in. How could she refuse such an offer? She was starving. Not only for food, but for his company and perhaps for another kiss or two, before the fairytale like day came to an end and she crashed back to reality once more.
QUOTE(Rosa17 @ Jan 1 2009, 07:45 PM) 
She smiled then and stepped aside so he could walk in. How could she refuse such an offer? She was starving. Not only for food, but for his company and perhaps for another kiss or two, before the fairytale like day came to an end and she crashed back to reality once more.
Oh please tell me that Myles won't let her ever crash back to reality ever again -- or at least not her old reality!
kav
QUOTE(Kav @ Jan 1 2009, 03:41 PM)
Oh please tell me that Myles won't let her ever crash back to reality ever again -- or at least not her old reality!
kav
DITTO!! I love it when Myles goes into protective mode!
Go Myles!
Good for him for standing up against his parents, telling them, finally what he really thought about the way they lived.
And I highly doubt that Kate should ever feel like she's crashing back to reality when Myles is with her. Which means, they should never be apart. Ever. Hear me Rosa? Never!
Lindsy
There is no way you cannot believe in fate, and love, and caring when you read a Rosa story!!!
Welcome to the Challenge, Rosa, and thank you for this wonderful journey of discovery!!!
Joy
Welcome to the Challenge, Rosa, and thank you for this wonderful journey of discovery!!!
Joy
Oh thank you, but this is just a little short story, with hopefull some feel good warmth in.
Part 6
As soon as he stepped over the threshold he took over, and Kate let him. She watched as he familiarised himself with her poky kitchen. Not once did he comment on the lack of modern equipment or the fact that he had to kick the oven to get it working. Half an hour after his arrival they sat side by side on the small sofa, the TV showing a Christmas feel good movie, with their meal set on plates on their laps.
The meal finished, the plates sat on the floor and they sat glued to the television screen and yet, neither saw, or heard any of it. They both felt every breath the other took and each movement and sigh.
Together they turned and spoke. “Kate!”
“Myles!”
Then both broke out into soft laughter. “Ladies first.” Myles added with a gesture of his hand.
Kate took a deep breath and said nervously. “I did not expect to see you back, but I am glad you came. Did you ….Are you going back to your family…?”
“I suppose eventually. Thanksgiving perhaps, or Christmas next year.” He shrugged. “We do not get on well; never have. Although not one of us would admit that. I am sure they will get over the fact I left prematurely.”
“When do you have to go?” she asked, really wanting to say, ’please don’t leave, stay.’
“Sunday night. I have to work Monday.”
“You…you will stay here?” she asked, unsure. She had little or not experience of dating. Andrew’s father had been her only boyfriend in college, despite the fact that she had kissed Myles during one summer storm.
“You asking me to?” he asked. He could not quite believe this was happening. It was occurring so fast he felt as though it was a dream. That he would wake up to Bobby nudging him that the dealer they had been watching, had finally made an appearance.
Kate, her hands shaking ran her cool fingers down the side of his face. He covered her hand with his own trembling one, and they stared deep into each others souls. Time ticked silently by and the drone of the television disappeared into a void. Myles forced himself to breathe, her beauty was breathtaking, it was more than what she was clothed in, it was Kate’s essence which radiated around her like a halo and magnetised him. He felt nineteen all over again, when he looked into her eyes.
“Do you remember?” he asked, his voice a mere whisper.
“The kiss,” she replied, echoing his thoughts like no one had ever even come close to before. They both knew Kate was not referring to the kiss under the mistletoe that morning but the kiss many summers past.
“I did not know, not until today that it was you that day,” he breathed. “If I did I would never have let you go.”
Kate smiled at him, tears beginning to moisture her eyes. Myles instinctively ran the pad of his thumb across them to wipe the pain of the years gone past away.
“So many things happened after that. Things I regret, things I wished and prayed to turn out differently.” She whispered.
“We can not change the past. I know that now. We can only be who we were put on this earth to be. Maybe it wasn’t our time then to be together. Maybe we had to go through all that we have experienced to come to a place where our lives were ready to be united as one.” Myles uttered. Probably one of the most insightful things he had ever said about himself.
“You have changed, a lot, for the better,” she told him. His eyes filled with a pride and blossomed with the love that had started as a tiny bud when they were both teenagers.
“Kate….”
They seemed to inch forward at the same time, their pulses began to soar with expectation. Myles moved and delved his hands into her hair, drawing closer to him. Heat and desired flashed in his eyes and were mirrored in her own. Simultaneously their eyes closed and their lips touched. Lightly at first, but with the introduction that morning the kiss was soon sending sweet seductive warmth through their bodies.
As Myles trailed a series of kisses along her jaw she sighed with pleasure and summoned the courage to say. “Stay, please stay with me Myles until you have to return to DC.”
His eyes which were drugged with passion, said yes as he barely managed to nod his response. His lips found hers once more and he kissed her with an intensity that he did not know he was capable of. Kisses turned to caresses and caresses turned to much more. Sometime during the evening they moved to the bedroom, and finally they fell asleep locked in each others arms.
Part 6
As soon as he stepped over the threshold he took over, and Kate let him. She watched as he familiarised himself with her poky kitchen. Not once did he comment on the lack of modern equipment or the fact that he had to kick the oven to get it working. Half an hour after his arrival they sat side by side on the small sofa, the TV showing a Christmas feel good movie, with their meal set on plates on their laps.
The meal finished, the plates sat on the floor and they sat glued to the television screen and yet, neither saw, or heard any of it. They both felt every breath the other took and each movement and sigh.
Together they turned and spoke. “Kate!”
“Myles!”
Then both broke out into soft laughter. “Ladies first.” Myles added with a gesture of his hand.
Kate took a deep breath and said nervously. “I did not expect to see you back, but I am glad you came. Did you ….Are you going back to your family…?”
“I suppose eventually. Thanksgiving perhaps, or Christmas next year.” He shrugged. “We do not get on well; never have. Although not one of us would admit that. I am sure they will get over the fact I left prematurely.”
“When do you have to go?” she asked, really wanting to say, ’please don’t leave, stay.’
“Sunday night. I have to work Monday.”
“You…you will stay here?” she asked, unsure. She had little or not experience of dating. Andrew’s father had been her only boyfriend in college, despite the fact that she had kissed Myles during one summer storm.
“You asking me to?” he asked. He could not quite believe this was happening. It was occurring so fast he felt as though it was a dream. That he would wake up to Bobby nudging him that the dealer they had been watching, had finally made an appearance.
Kate, her hands shaking ran her cool fingers down the side of his face. He covered her hand with his own trembling one, and they stared deep into each others souls. Time ticked silently by and the drone of the television disappeared into a void. Myles forced himself to breathe, her beauty was breathtaking, it was more than what she was clothed in, it was Kate’s essence which radiated around her like a halo and magnetised him. He felt nineteen all over again, when he looked into her eyes.
“Do you remember?” he asked, his voice a mere whisper.
“The kiss,” she replied, echoing his thoughts like no one had ever even come close to before. They both knew Kate was not referring to the kiss under the mistletoe that morning but the kiss many summers past.
“I did not know, not until today that it was you that day,” he breathed. “If I did I would never have let you go.”
Kate smiled at him, tears beginning to moisture her eyes. Myles instinctively ran the pad of his thumb across them to wipe the pain of the years gone past away.
“So many things happened after that. Things I regret, things I wished and prayed to turn out differently.” She whispered.
“We can not change the past. I know that now. We can only be who we were put on this earth to be. Maybe it wasn’t our time then to be together. Maybe we had to go through all that we have experienced to come to a place where our lives were ready to be united as one.” Myles uttered. Probably one of the most insightful things he had ever said about himself.
“You have changed, a lot, for the better,” she told him. His eyes filled with a pride and blossomed with the love that had started as a tiny bud when they were both teenagers.
“Kate….”
They seemed to inch forward at the same time, their pulses began to soar with expectation. Myles moved and delved his hands into her hair, drawing closer to him. Heat and desired flashed in his eyes and were mirrored in her own. Simultaneously their eyes closed and their lips touched. Lightly at first, but with the introduction that morning the kiss was soon sending sweet seductive warmth through their bodies.
As Myles trailed a series of kisses along her jaw she sighed with pleasure and summoned the courage to say. “Stay, please stay with me Myles until you have to return to DC.”
His eyes which were drugged with passion, said yes as he barely managed to nod his response. His lips found hers once more and he kissed her with an intensity that he did not know he was capable of. Kisses turned to caresses and caresses turned to much more. Sometime during the evening they moved to the bedroom, and finally they fell asleep locked in each others arms.
beautiful, i'm so pleased myles has found himself someone special
cath
cath
Wow . . . . But where's her son? Wouldn't he be on break from college now?
But where's her son? Wouldn't he be on break from college now?
Deliciously perfect. They were both lonely in different ways and you're brought them together at the perfect time.
kav
kav
I'm glad they both listened to their hearts and souls!!!
Joy
Joy
Beautiful. I'd say more, except my brain is just a big ol' pile of mush.Lindsy
Gina, in the first post I wrote that her son was staying with his girlfriends family for the holidays.
Thanks for all your replies.
Part 7
Kate woke to feel Myles stroke her arm. The last time she had given into desire she had fallen pregnant and had to marry; now she felt vulnerable. What if she had made another mistake?
“Myles?” she said softly into the night. She looked out of the window; they had not in their haste closed the drapes. The night was clear, and soft snowflakes fell in a docile dance to the ground below.
“Yes,” he whispered, not wanting to break the idealness of the moment. Did he deserve happiness as much as Sue and Jack? Did he have the right to love Kate openheartedly and without restriction? To claim her as his one true love, the woman who had held his heart all this time and would forever more? He knew deep down that the answer was yes, he could hear Sue telling him so even as he thought about it.
“I have nothing,” she breathed a sigh of relief, there she had said it, told him the truth, She had nothing of momentary value to give to a relationship.
But Myles was steeped in the ways of Sue Thomas and had he not been so, things might have turned out so very different. But sometimes timing is everything. And this time was right for Myles and Kate.
“I do not want or need wealth. I have wealth. All I want is you. I love you Kate I have always loved you. Sounds a bit clichéd especially for me, but it is true. I don’t think that until I recognised what I have always felt for you was love, that I could have even said anything like that.”
She turned in his arms, so that they were face to face, mere inches apart and replied. “I know that I rushed into my marriage, that I didn’t love him not really. I pretended he was you. Each time I kissed him and we made love I pretended he was the man I loved, but the truth, the reality of the situation was that he was not. He married me because he felt he had to, not because he wanted or loved me. And in the end the marriage was in name only, we even had separate rooms. I thought then that I never felt so alone in my life. But when he died and I ended up here, I realised that this was what it truly was like to be alone. I cut myself off from my so called friends, I was ashamed at how I was living and yet for the first time, living on my own and having my independence I have begun to feel alive.”
“I too have pretended to be someone I am not, more than once and it never seems to pay.” He replied gently. His hand stroked her face in the utmost tenderness and she sighed with the thrill of his touch.
They smiled then together, realising that perhaps now was the time for them to share more than one solitary night together.
“Back then, when we were no more than kids… the time I kissed you. I always knew I loved the girl I kissed that night. When I kissed Dara again I knew it was not her, it was just not the same and then you disappeared. I was bereft, now I feel I have a second chance. Have I?” He asked feeling insecure, he was no good at relationships, in his opinion it should be left to the experts. D seemed pretty good in that department.
“Andrew?” Kate said, suddenly wondering what he would make of all of this.
“Andrew your son is part of you, and to me that is more than enough. I would love to meet him.”
“Myles let’s start over. Let us make this time ours to cherish to grow old together, to each have someone to call on, to rely on and to know that in our hearts we belong together and are home with each other, no matter where we might be.” She implored, suddenly feeling a new strength well up inside her like a spring. All of a sudden she felt confident of who she was and who she had become, but most importantly who they would become together.
“Kate,” he ran the pad of his thumb along her lower lip and she kissed it in return. “I want that too. Come to DC with me? We can keep the house come here for an idyllic get away. Say you will?” Myles asked. He had never been so bold before but his heart knew that this was it. The moment he had been waiting for all his life and he didn’t need another twenty years to know he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kate.
She nodded through a haze of tears, tears which she didn’t realise or know where or why they came from. “Yes, yes Myles I will. I love you.”
“And I love you too,” he replied, this time it dint not feel clichéd to say the words, it felt right. He enveloped the woman he loved in his arms and held her close, not knowing what the future would bring, only holding the knowledge that the future was with he and Kate together.
The End.
word count. 6307
Thanks for all your replies.
Part 7
Kate woke to feel Myles stroke her arm. The last time she had given into desire she had fallen pregnant and had to marry; now she felt vulnerable. What if she had made another mistake?
“Myles?” she said softly into the night. She looked out of the window; they had not in their haste closed the drapes. The night was clear, and soft snowflakes fell in a docile dance to the ground below.
“Yes,” he whispered, not wanting to break the idealness of the moment. Did he deserve happiness as much as Sue and Jack? Did he have the right to love Kate openheartedly and without restriction? To claim her as his one true love, the woman who had held his heart all this time and would forever more? He knew deep down that the answer was yes, he could hear Sue telling him so even as he thought about it.
“I have nothing,” she breathed a sigh of relief, there she had said it, told him the truth, She had nothing of momentary value to give to a relationship.
But Myles was steeped in the ways of Sue Thomas and had he not been so, things might have turned out so very different. But sometimes timing is everything. And this time was right for Myles and Kate.
“I do not want or need wealth. I have wealth. All I want is you. I love you Kate I have always loved you. Sounds a bit clichéd especially for me, but it is true. I don’t think that until I recognised what I have always felt for you was love, that I could have even said anything like that.”
She turned in his arms, so that they were face to face, mere inches apart and replied. “I know that I rushed into my marriage, that I didn’t love him not really. I pretended he was you. Each time I kissed him and we made love I pretended he was the man I loved, but the truth, the reality of the situation was that he was not. He married me because he felt he had to, not because he wanted or loved me. And in the end the marriage was in name only, we even had separate rooms. I thought then that I never felt so alone in my life. But when he died and I ended up here, I realised that this was what it truly was like to be alone. I cut myself off from my so called friends, I was ashamed at how I was living and yet for the first time, living on my own and having my independence I have begun to feel alive.”
“I too have pretended to be someone I am not, more than once and it never seems to pay.” He replied gently. His hand stroked her face in the utmost tenderness and she sighed with the thrill of his touch.
They smiled then together, realising that perhaps now was the time for them to share more than one solitary night together.
“Back then, when we were no more than kids… the time I kissed you. I always knew I loved the girl I kissed that night. When I kissed Dara again I knew it was not her, it was just not the same and then you disappeared. I was bereft, now I feel I have a second chance. Have I?” He asked feeling insecure, he was no good at relationships, in his opinion it should be left to the experts. D seemed pretty good in that department.
“Andrew?” Kate said, suddenly wondering what he would make of all of this.
“Andrew your son is part of you, and to me that is more than enough. I would love to meet him.”
“Myles let’s start over. Let us make this time ours to cherish to grow old together, to each have someone to call on, to rely on and to know that in our hearts we belong together and are home with each other, no matter where we might be.” She implored, suddenly feeling a new strength well up inside her like a spring. All of a sudden she felt confident of who she was and who she had become, but most importantly who they would become together.
“Kate,” he ran the pad of his thumb along her lower lip and she kissed it in return. “I want that too. Come to DC with me? We can keep the house come here for an idyllic get away. Say you will?” Myles asked. He had never been so bold before but his heart knew that this was it. The moment he had been waiting for all his life and he didn’t need another twenty years to know he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kate.
She nodded through a haze of tears, tears which she didn’t realise or know where or why they came from. “Yes, yes Myles I will. I love you.”
“And I love you too,” he replied, this time it dint not feel clichéd to say the words, it felt right. He enveloped the woman he loved in his arms and held her close, not knowing what the future would bring, only holding the knowledge that the future was with he and Kate together.
The End.
word count. 6307
beautiful story, loved it
cath
cath
So beautiful. Rosa, it's so great to find a story from you every now and then. I hope you keep coming back to visit.
Lindsy
Lindsy
What a magical Christmas story! Thank you for giving Myles a happy ending! I can just imagine what the team will say when he comes back to DC with Kate. At first they might be a little suspicious but once they see the two of them together they'll recognize that they're made for each other. Wonderful story, Rosa!
kav
kav
Don't you just love when an old love finds you again and gives you a second chance?? What a beautiful story, Rosa!! I love that in a trip that Myles didn't want to take, he found all he had been looking for!!!
Thanks for sharing!! Amazing, as always!!!
Joy
Thanks for sharing!! Amazing, as always!!!
Joy
That was such a vivid and descriptive story! I loved it!
P1-Part 3-10 – The awkwardness of meeting an old crush-love made me smile. And she very adroitly changed the subject when he asked her where she lived.
P1-Part 4-13 – Oh, what a
It was Kate he kissed all those years ago? Can’t wait to read more!
P2-Part 5-18 – Yeah, Myles defied his parents. Way to go Myles!!!!!!
P2-Part 6-23 – She asked him to stay….and
P2-Part 7-29 – Have to agree with the others. This was a beautiful story…of love finding them after so many years. Wonderful Rosa!
Lynn
P1-Part 4-13 – Oh, what a
It was Kate he kissed all those years ago? Can’t wait to read more!
P2-Part 5-18 – Yeah, Myles defied his parents. Way to go Myles!!!!!!
P2-Part 6-23 – She asked him to stay….and
P2-Part 7-29 – Have to agree with the others. This was a beautiful story…of love finding them after so many years. Wonderful Rosa!
Lynn
Glad to see a story from you. I was very happy to see Myles follow his heart.
Dianna
Dianna
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