COME TOGETHER - DELETED SCENE
SPOILER ALERT: only to be read after completing the series!
I yawned and opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the night. The air was too salty for Chicago. Waves roared as they hit the shore. Miami. The arms around me tightened as David sighed into my hair. “You okay, honeybee?”
I nodded into the pillow. “That wine earlier dried me out. I’m going to grab some water.”
“I’ll get it,” he said but remained where he was.
I kissed the underside of his jaw, smiling as I listened to his breathing even out again. I eased out of his grasp and downstairs toward the kitchen. Just as I hit the bottom step, I heard Gretchen’s voice and paused at the entryway to the living room.
“You’re a kook,” she said.
“You’re bossy,” said a male voice.
“You’re pretentious.”
“And you put on a front.”
I held my breath and peeked around the corner at Gretchen and Brian, who sat face to face on the couch in the middle of the night. They stared at each other, blue against blue, eyes narrowed with determination. I prepared to break up their quarrel, but they laughed.
“Am I really that bad?” Gretchen asked.
“That’s what I’m wondering.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Am I?”
“I think there’s a lot more to you than you let on. I also think I might like what I don’t see better than what I do.”
She looked at her hands. “That’s not very nice.”
He studied her a moment. “Pardon my language, but I won’t ever bullshit you, Gretchen. If there’s anything you can count on me for, it’s the truth.”
“So then tell me what happened that night.”
His eyebrow arched. “Which night? You mean our first date?”
“First and last,” she pointed out.
“You’re still upset about that, I see.”
“Upset?” she asked through what I recognized as a forced laugh. “I’m not upset, I just, like, I’m curious—”
“You know you’re beautiful.”
She stilled, her mouth still open.
“There’s no denying that,” Brian continued. “But in my line of work, I have to do a lot of schmoozing. I’m constantly at galleries, openings, parties, what have you. All I see is perfect hair, heavy makeup, and expensive clothes.” He took a deep breath, his eyes scanning her face. “You’re part of that perfect, flawless scene. I need a woman who’s real, someone who’s comfortable without any of that.”
“I can be comfortable,” she bristled.
There was no mocking in his answering laugh. “Somehow I doubt that.”
Her bottom lip protruded slightly, and his gaze dropped to her mouth.
“I’m teasing,” he said with a soft smile. “I hope I’m wrong about you, actually. But our first date, you put up a shield with me.”
“I did not put—”
“You did,” he cut her off. “You don’t even realize when you’re doing it. You didn’t tell me anything I couldn’t find out by asking Liv or by Googling you. You wouldn’t stop checking your cell phone, and I suspect your multiple trips to the bathroom were to comb your hair or re-apply your lipgloss.”
She frowned but said nothing to deny it.
My eyes widened when he pushed off the arm of the couch and inclined toward her. “You know what I want?”
Her response was a soft, unintelligible noise.
Brian leaned slightly closer and took a few of her blonde strands between his fingers. “I want a girl whose hair I can run my fingers through. A girl,” he paused, and his eyes dropped to her lips, “I can kiss spontaneously without her yelling at me for smearing her lipstick.”
Her posture wilted. “I wouldn’t yell,” she said breathily.
There was a moment of deafening silence as they looked at each other. I realized I’d been holding my breath but didn’t dare risk making a sound by releasing it.
“I didn’t kiss you back because I respect you,” Brian said, lowering his hand from her hair, “not because I didn’t want to.”
“Respect me?”
“If I kiss you, I want it to be the real you.”
“So you’re saying . . .” She paused and seemed to search his eyes. “You wanted to? Kiss me?”
“Yes, princess,” he said, but he inched away and leaned back against the arm again.
It was the first time in a while I’d seen her flush. Her eyelashes batted a moment before she spoke. “I think I should go to bed.”
“Stay,” he said without hesitation. “Talk with me. Just talk.”
Her hand rose to her lips, and she bit her thumbnail. “Really?”
He nodded.
“All right,” she said slowly. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Everything.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes.
He pushed his hand through his own fair hair before grinning. “But I suppose we must start somewhere. So let’s start with you. Tell me more about the real Gretchen.”
I smiled to myself and shook my head as I turned and tiptoed up the steps. Deciding against a glass of water, I made my way back to David’s warm arms.
I nodded into the pillow. “That wine earlier dried me out. I’m going to grab some water.”
“I’ll get it,” he said but remained where he was.
I kissed the underside of his jaw, smiling as I listened to his breathing even out again. I eased out of his grasp and downstairs toward the kitchen. Just as I hit the bottom step, I heard Gretchen’s voice and paused at the entryway to the living room.
“You’re a kook,” she said.
“You’re bossy,” said a male voice.
“You’re pretentious.”
“And you put on a front.”
I held my breath and peeked around the corner at Gretchen and Brian, who sat face to face on the couch in the middle of the night. They stared at each other, blue against blue, eyes narrowed with determination. I prepared to break up their quarrel, but they laughed.
“Am I really that bad?” Gretchen asked.
“That’s what I’m wondering.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Am I?”
“I think there’s a lot more to you than you let on. I also think I might like what I don’t see better than what I do.”
She looked at her hands. “That’s not very nice.”
He studied her a moment. “Pardon my language, but I won’t ever bullshit you, Gretchen. If there’s anything you can count on me for, it’s the truth.”
“So then tell me what happened that night.”
His eyebrow arched. “Which night? You mean our first date?”
“First and last,” she pointed out.
“You’re still upset about that, I see.”
“Upset?” she asked through what I recognized as a forced laugh. “I’m not upset, I just, like, I’m curious—”
“You know you’re beautiful.”
She stilled, her mouth still open.
“There’s no denying that,” Brian continued. “But in my line of work, I have to do a lot of schmoozing. I’m constantly at galleries, openings, parties, what have you. All I see is perfect hair, heavy makeup, and expensive clothes.” He took a deep breath, his eyes scanning her face. “You’re part of that perfect, flawless scene. I need a woman who’s real, someone who’s comfortable without any of that.”
“I can be comfortable,” she bristled.
There was no mocking in his answering laugh. “Somehow I doubt that.”
Her bottom lip protruded slightly, and his gaze dropped to her mouth.
“I’m teasing,” he said with a soft smile. “I hope I’m wrong about you, actually. But our first date, you put up a shield with me.”
“I did not put—”
“You did,” he cut her off. “You don’t even realize when you’re doing it. You didn’t tell me anything I couldn’t find out by asking Liv or by Googling you. You wouldn’t stop checking your cell phone, and I suspect your multiple trips to the bathroom were to comb your hair or re-apply your lipgloss.”
She frowned but said nothing to deny it.
My eyes widened when he pushed off the arm of the couch and inclined toward her. “You know what I want?”
Her response was a soft, unintelligible noise.
Brian leaned slightly closer and took a few of her blonde strands between his fingers. “I want a girl whose hair I can run my fingers through. A girl,” he paused, and his eyes dropped to her lips, “I can kiss spontaneously without her yelling at me for smearing her lipstick.”
Her posture wilted. “I wouldn’t yell,” she said breathily.
There was a moment of deafening silence as they looked at each other. I realized I’d been holding my breath but didn’t dare risk making a sound by releasing it.
“I didn’t kiss you back because I respect you,” Brian said, lowering his hand from her hair, “not because I didn’t want to.”
“Respect me?”
“If I kiss you, I want it to be the real you.”
“So you’re saying . . .” She paused and seemed to search his eyes. “You wanted to? Kiss me?”
“Yes, princess,” he said, but he inched away and leaned back against the arm again.
It was the first time in a while I’d seen her flush. Her eyelashes batted a moment before she spoke. “I think I should go to bed.”
“Stay,” he said without hesitation. “Talk with me. Just talk.”
Her hand rose to her lips, and she bit her thumbnail. “Really?”
He nodded.
“All right,” she said slowly. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Everything.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes.
He pushed his hand through his own fair hair before grinning. “But I suppose we must start somewhere. So let’s start with you. Tell me more about the real Gretchen.”
I smiled to myself and shook my head as I turned and tiptoed up the steps. Deciding against a glass of water, I made my way back to David’s warm arms.