Monday morning, my boss, Sue, walks into my office with a copy of the paper in her hand. She sets it down on my desk.
So, this is the mystery man? she asks, pointing to the paper.
Yes, that`s him, I reply, smiling down at the picture of Vin kissing me.
Settling in a chair, she comments You know, I was a little worried about you going on a trip with someone you had known for only a few weeks, but after seeing this yesterday, I realized that I had worried for nothing. But I`ll let you in on a little secret. I`m jealous as hell of you right now. And I`m not the only one. I`ve heard comments as people pass my office.
I knew things were going to be different after I saw the picture last night. I`m not going to say that I`m sorry, because I`m not. I never expected anything to come after the weekend in New Orleans.
It surprised the hell out of me when he said he wanted to see me again.
This trip has shown me a side of him that not very many people know
about. I`m not going to throw that out the window just because some
people can`t handle the fact that we might actually have feelings for
each other.
Don`t worry what other people say or think.
I won`t. But I don`t want there to be problems here at the office.
Getting up from the chair, adding, Don`t worry. Things will die down
and get back to normal before you know it.
I hope so.
Surprisingly, the day went by without much said about the picture in
the paper. A few nasty looks and comments here and there, but hey,
that`s to be expected. I called Jennifer and gave her the update.
Driving home, I debated on whether or not I should tell Vin what had
happened, and decided that he`d probably get a kick out of it. I opened
the door to the apartment to find Vin sitting on the couch working on
his laptop.
I walked over and dropped a kiss on his bald head. Hey. How was your
meeting today?
He looked up and grinned. Pretty good. How was your day?
I wish you could have been a fly on the wall, I replied, then sat
down beside him and filled him in on what had happened, leaving out the
conversation with my boss.
He started laughing. How did you handle it?
I ignored them. The way I look at it, they are just jealous, petty
women. If they aren`t happy, then they don`t want anybody else happy.
And Heaven forbid if a lesser creature than themselves finds someone
that make`s them happy.
Vin grabbed on to that. Do I? he asked.
Do you what?
Make you happy? He did nothing to mask the concern on his face.
I hesitated, trying to find the right words without giving too much
away. Who wouldn`t be if they were in my shoes?
You`re not answering my question, Gwen. Do I make you happy?
Leaning my head back against the couch, I took a deep breath. More
than you know. When we`re together, you make me feel like I`m the only
person in the world. When we`re apart, I can`t wait to see you again.
You took me to your home in Colorado and you`re staying with me this
week. If that`s what you consider happy, then I guess that`s what I
am.
Now, see. That wasn`t so hard, was it? he said, leaning over to give
me a kiss.
Time to change the subject. What do you want for dinner? I ask,
getting up off of the couch.
I was thinking Italian. I was in the kitchen earlier and saw your
stash of take-out menus. Do you ever cook?
Not very often. I`m usually at work until 6 or so, and by the time I
fight the traffic coming home, I`m too tired to cook. I usually just
eat a salad for dinner, then spend the rest of the evening either
working, reading, or writing. Since you`re going to be here all week,
I`ll go to the store later and get some things so we can stay in and
cook.
Sounds like a plan.
We drove to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, where the wait was
going to be about 30 minutes for a table. But when the hostess saw Vin,
she ushered us right in. He pulled my chair out and waited until I was
seated before taking his own seat. The look on her face was pure
jealousy. Oh well, I`m used to it now. The waiter came and took our
order, and dinner was served a short time after that. It was delicious.
While we were eating, he commented, You mentioned earlier that you
write. I didn`t know that.
Not many people do. It`s just something I do in my spare time, when I
have it.
What do you write?
Fiction and romance.
Can I take a look at some of it?
Why? It`s just a hobby.
Just humor me.
Oh, alright. Now my turn. I know it`s probably none of my business,
but what are these meetings about?
My production company is looking into filming one of my movies in the
area. We`ve been meeting with the location scouts, looking at different
places that would work for different
parts of the movie.
You know, I hadn`t really thought about that part of your life, the
writing and producing. Which do you like more?
Each has it`s own rewards. For me to star in a movie, I have to
believe in the story. If I do that, then the character that I play will
be someone that everyone can relate to. If I don`t believe in it, I
don`t do it. When I write and produce, I have control of everything. I
write about things that I know. I have all of these ideas running
around in my head and when I put them on paper, I know exactly how I
want the scene shot, what I want the end result to be.
That has to be a heady feeling, seeing your own ideas come to life.
It is.
We finished dinner and then went to the grocery store. While Vin was
driving, I made a list of things to get. Vin stayed in the truck while
I went in and bought the groceries. When we got back home, we put up
the groceries and I went into the bedroom to change, hoping that Vin
would forget about reading my stories. Unfortunately, that didn`t work.
So? he asks as I walk back into the living room.
So what?
Where are your stories?
Walking over to my desk, I flip through the disk holder and find the
one with the stories on it.
Handing it to Vin, I say, Just remember, this is a hobby.
He takes the disk and pops it into his laptop, pulling up one of the
stories.
After a few minutes, he looks up at me. Gwen, this is good. It`s a
little rough in places, but you`ve got the basics down. How long have
you been doing this?
Off and on for a couple of years. Like I said, it`s a hobby and I do
it when I have time.
Do you realize that with a little training, you could become a very
good writer?
Don`t even go there.
Gwen, just hear me out. Let me help you.
Why?
Because you`ve got a natural talent for this. What would it hurt?
Choose one story, I`ll help you with it, and we`ll see what happens
after that.
Nothing will happen after that because I`m not going to pursue this.
We`ll see. Just come over here and sit down. I want to show you some
things.
He went through the first part of the story, making minor changes here
and there. The story flowed better after that.
See, all you need is a little training and this could be on the best
sellers list. I just happen to know a writer that would love to get his
hands on you, I mean, help you with your work. He says, grinning.
Well, since you put it that way. Maybe.
Gwen, you won`t be sorry.
This became the norm for the evenings. We would eat dinner, then curl
up on the couch with his laptop and pick apart my story. Vin was a
great teacher and I learned a great deal from those few nights with
him. We had finished the first story and Vin was taking it back with
him.
Each night, when we were finished working, if you could call it that,
we would make love for hours at a time. Sometimes it was slow and hot,
while others it was wild and crazy. Vin was a master when it came to my
body, knowing where to touch at just the right time, knowing what I
needed even before I did. He made me feel things that I had no business
feeling. It was going to be a big adjustment when he left and went back
to California.
The week flew by, just as I figured it would. Vin`s flight was
scheduled for 4:00 on Friday afternoon and I took off work early so I
could go to the airport with him. It was a quiet drive, each of us lost
in our own thoughts.
He pulled into the parking garage and found a spot. Turning to me he
said, Gwen, you don`t have to go in if you don`t want to. I`m sure
people will be snapping pictures again. We can say good-bye here in
private if you want.
That`s not what`s wrong. I`m just wondering what`s going to happen
between us now. You`re going back to your life while I`m staying here
and going on with mine.
I`ll be back. The feelings I have for you will not go away just
because we`re not together, he said, leaning over to kiss me.
When I finally pulled back, there were tears in my eyes. Vin, I don`t
want to sound ungrateful or anything, but we have totally different
lives. I`m just a nobody from Texas who has no clue how to even begin
to compete with the glamour of Hollywood.
But that`s the kicker, Gwen. You don`t have to compete with anyone or
anything. It`s YOU who I care about, nobody else. And who cares what
others say or think. As long as we`re happy, to hell with everyone
else. Now, are you going to kick me out here or go inside with me?
Inside, definitely. I added, opening up the door.
The airport was busy and people were everywhere. But for us, it was
like we were the only two people there. Everyone faded into the
background as we walked to the terminal where his flight would be
boarding in a little while. We sat and talked, trying our best to blend
in with the other people. When they announced that his flight would be
boarding in a few minutes, Vin pulled me up from my seat into his arms,
kissing me one last time.
When we finally broke apart, he looked into my eyes and said, This is
far from over. I`ll call you in a few days.
And with that, he turned and boarded the plane. I stood there and
watched until the plane had taken off and was in the air, then turned
and made my way back out to the parking garage. I drove back to my
apartment, where I curled up with a book and read all evening. The
house was quiet, almost too quiet, since I was used to Vin being there.
A little while later, the phone rang.
Hello.
Hi. Did I wake you up? No, I was just reading. What time is it
anyway?
It`s 10:00 here so it must be 12:00 there. Reading, is that it?
No, I`ve got Matthew McConaughey tied up on my bed. I laughed.
Ouch, that hurt. Moving on with your life already?
Yeah, I figured that since he`s a Texas boy I`d probably see him more
than I`ll see you.
You`re so full of shit. He laughed.
Seriously, I`m lying in bed reading the book that I started a couple
of weeks ago, before my life was turned upside down.
Upside down? You say that like it`s a bad thing.
No, not bad. Just different. But I wouldn`t change a thing. How was
the flight?
Long and boring. I kept thinking back to the last time I was on a
plane. He started to laugh.
Well, that was definitely the best way to pass the time while flying.
I couldn`t agree more. I just wanted to call and let you know that I`m
home. You`ve got my numbers if you need anything, right?
Yes.
Ok, I`ll talk to you in a few days.
Vin?
Yeah?
Thank you.
For what?
For everything.
It has been my pleasure. I`m here if you need anything.
I know. I`ll talk to you later.
Bye. And with that, I hung the phone up and fell asleep.
Gwen
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