It's All Coming Back To Me Now
By: Shellie - shelliemg at gmail.com
Chapter 10"Someone’s knocking on the door!" she could hear Justin yelling from down the hall and cursed. He was obviously yelling at her since he and Taylor were the only other two people in the house.
"God damnit, Justin!" She yelled as she headed down the hall in her nightgown. She snatched open the door and startled the UPS man almost into dropping his packages. "Oh, sorry. Hello."
"I have some packages here for a Shannon James."
"That’s me. But I didn’t order anything."
"Well, someone did. These are for you."
She signed for and took the three boxes thanking the man before heading into her room, excited to see what the surprise was and who it was from. She climbed onto her bed, breaking into the box marked "1".
Inside she found the pale gold sweater and the cream skirt. Exact sizes. There was a little card that read, To my one and only.
Her eyes filled with tears as she ran her fingers along the furry material. God she loved that man. The contents of the second box brought her up short for a moment, the pale gold exquisitely detailed panty and bra set not what she was expecting. There was another card. NO expectations just for your enjoyment.
The third box was smaller. She opened it carefully and this time the card was on top. 8p.m.? 555-9632. She found two smaller boxes inside. One held the most beautiful pearl necklace and the other, matching pearl earrings. "Oh my god." She whispered as she touched the pearls delicately. She reached for the phone and dialed the number, his voice mail answered. "See you at 8," was all the said before hanging up quickly.
**
JC’s palms were sweating as he made the final steps to Shannon’s door. He knocked and took several breaths as he waited. It whooshed out of him in a rush when she opened the door. She was unbelievable. "Shannon…you’re so beautiful." Her eyes glowed like amber in the sun against the yellow of the sweater. Her hair was silky and dark around her shoulders and her smile…it was his favorite part of all. And it was directed at him.
"Well, thank you, Joshua. You’re looking pretty handsome yourself." She teased and he reached for her hand. "Where are you taking me?" she asked as she let him lead her to the car.
"Just this place. Kind of cozy, kind of like home." She watched silently as he maneuvered the roads like second nature. She knew long before they got there where they were headed and it was extremely hard for her not to cry right then and there.
He pulled up to the curb outside of Lou’s and ordered her to stay put until he came around to get her. Arm in arm they entered and she laughed as she noticed "his" table held a tiny hand written sign that read "reserved." It was adorned with a vase and a single red rose and try as she may, the tears just wouldn’t stay back this time. "Joshy, I can’t believe you did this." She received hugs and words of praise from Lou and Lucy who had switched shifts to be there to see her and they took their places across from one another at the table.
"I haven’t been here in so long, Josh. Thank you for bringing me back."
"Well, I wanted to take you somewhere that the memories were still good….of us I mean. When we were here…" he wasn’t sure how to explain what he was saying but she understood.
"I know. When we were here…it was so new. Untainted."
"I want to tell you that I am not expecting anything from you, I just wanted to be with you….and, well…incase if makes a difference…Bobbie’s gone. She went home after the tour and I’m letting her stay. We’ve only talked once and it’s…it’s just over. I wanted to you know."
"Well, I’m glad. And not because I am just being a bitch. You just didn’t like her JC and you were miserable when you were with her. You need someone who’s going to love you in every way. Who will touch you and make love to you and show you how beautiful you are. She couldn’t do that for whatever reason. It just wasn’t fair to you, no matter how perfect everyone else thinks she is."
"I know that now." He smiled at her sadly, " I think I’m doomed now though."
"Why is that?"
He watched his fingers as they picked at the edge of the table instead of at her, fearing what her eyes would say in return. "Because I don’t want to feel any other touch than yours."
"Maybe your not as doomed as you think you are."
His eyes raised to hers, hope shining from them like a light. "That’s my prayer. I say it with every breath."
They dined in virtual silence, each lost in their own memories from the past… hopes for the future. He paid their tab and led her to the car, again not telling her where they were headed. This time she had no clue. It was a place she’d never been.
He pulled into the drive of the medium to large brick home and when she saw her car sitting in the drive she looked over at him curiously. "Where are we?"
"My house. Is that okay?"
"Oh. Yeah…I was just surprised to see my car…um, I mean that car."
He laughed. "The car is yours. I bought it for you. All the stuff is yours. What the hell am I going to do with it? I’m not big into wearing women’s clothes."
She laughed and he motioned for her to get out. She followed him to the door and she looked around nervously half expecting someone to pop out and tell her that she didn’t belong here. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning to wave her in. "Welcome to my humble abode." He smiled. God Joshua was a beautiful man. Her tummy flip-flopped as she brushed past him, knowing she felt his hand brush her hips lightly as she did. She looked over her shoulder at him and his smile turned mischievous and he winked.
"You better behave, Joshy boy."
He pushed the door shut behind him, "I am, I am."
"Your house if beautiful."
"Want a tour?"
"Sure." He showed her through the house, pointing out his favorite things, items that meant a lot to him etc… but the things the noticed most were there the things that once belonged to her. He’d incorporated every piece of her apartment into his house. Even the living room furniture had been added to the "tv room". Her photos, the trinkets he’d sent, everything. The final room they entered was his bedroom. It was large and cozy, cluttered in a very comfortable way with things he held dear to his heart and there she saw, on his night stand, was the framed picture of her on the swing. He’d taken it on her 18th birthday. She smiled at the memory.
"And this is my closet…filled to over flowing." One entire side was filled with her clothes. It was almost like she lived here in this place to which she’d never been.
"This is weird, J."
"What?" he looked over at her curiously as he shut off the closet light and pulled the door closed.
"Seeing all the familiar things. Things that used to be at the apartment."
He shrugged looking down at the photo beside his bed he picked it up as he began to quietly explain. "I wanted you around me. I found myself stopping by there every day to visit you even though you weren’t there. I even slept there sometimes…in our bed. How fucked up is that?" He sat the frame back in its spot and looked over at her.
She turned, moving to the window staring down into the pool shining in the darkness. "It’s not that fucked up. I’d have gone too…but I left my damn key. When did you move it all here?"
"This past week. I brought the last of it over yesterday. You can take any of it you want with you, it belongs to you. But that photo…you can’t have it."
"I don’t think I can take and of it. It all fits so nicely here."
"I rather like it myself…my home is so much homier now. It’s still missing you though."
She closed her eyes, wanting to turn to him…yet still scared. She’d almost completely let go of the past but it still dangled there by a strand…the hurt, the loneliness…would it really be different? Would it start out great and grow bad over time like before? What if she didn’t realize it…she hadn’t last time and then it had been too late. She watched him approach in the window her eyes locked on his face. His hands raised to rest on her shoulders.
"I know you’re scared of me…of the past…the future. But I promise you that you have nothing to worry about anymore. I’ve lived without you for months. I was incomplete…unhappy. I never want to be that way again. I want to love you like you deserved to be loved…cherished…I want to take care of you for a change…pamper you, spend my every waking moment tending to your needs." Her body was magnetically drawn back against his and she sighed with relief as she felt at home for the first time in well over a year.
"I never thought I’d want this again. Not after the way things were, Josh. I will never put up with that again. I’m too different now. You have to accept me the way that I am, and not try to mold me or change me into someone that I’m not."
"I don’t want you to change. I love you, Shannon. The you that you are now. The you that you always have been deep down. That hollow…shell we created wasn’t you…and I didn’t love it. But I do you…I have for so long. Please…just …let us see what could be."
She turned, her arms sliding around him, her face burrowing into his chest as they held each other tight. "I love you, Josh. I never stopped."
He pulled back slightly, lifting her face to his as he smiled down at her, his sapphire eyes brimming with unshed tears. "That, my love, is the most beautiful song ever to grace my heart. I love you, Sha. Don’t ever forget it."
There were nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed
If I just listened to it
Right outside the window
There were days when the sun was so cruel
That all the tears turned to dust
And I just knew my eyes were
Drying up forever
I finished crying in the instant that you left
And I can't remember where or when or how
And I banished every memory you and I had ever made
But when you touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it's all coming back to me
When I touch you like this
And I hold you like that
It's so hard to believe but
It's all coming back to me
(It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now)
There were moments of gold
And there were flashes of light
There were things I'd never do again
But then they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than any laws allow
Baby Baby
If I kiss you like this
And if you whisper like that
It was lost long ago
But it's all coming back to me
If you want me like this
And if you need me like that
It was dead long ago
But it's all coming back to me
It's so hard to resist
And it's all coming back to me
I can barely recall
But it's all coming back to me now
But it's all coming back
There were those empty threats and hollow lies
And whenever you tried to hurt me
I just hurt you even worse
And so much deeper
There were hours that just went on for days
When alone at last we'd count up all the chances
That were lost to us forever
But you were history with the slamming of the door
And I made myself so strong again somehow
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then
But if I touch you like this
And if you kiss me like that
It was so long ago
But it's all coming back to me
If you touch me like this
And if I kiss you like that
It was gone with the wind
But it's all coming back to me
(It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now)
There were moments of gold
And there were flashes of light
There were things we'd never do again
But then they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than all your laws allow
Baby, Baby, Baby
When you touch me like this
And when you hold me like that
It was gone with the wind
But it's all coming back to me
When you see me like this
And when I see you like that
Then we see what we want to see
All coming back to me
The flesh and the fantasies
All coming back to me
I can barely recall
But it's all coming back to me now
If you forgive me all this
If I forgive you all that
We forgive and forget
And it's all coming back to me
When you see me like this
And when I see you like that
We see just what we want to see
Al coming back to me
The flesh and the fantasies
All coming back to me
I can barely recall but it's all coming back to me now
(It's all coming back to me now)
And when you kiss me like this
(It's all coming back to me now)
And when I touch you like that
(It's all coming back to me now)
If you do it like this
(It's all coming back to me now)
And if we. . .
THE END