He was interrupted, as the door opened, and Samantha walked in smiling.
“I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago,” she said, continuing his sentence. She stopped before him embracing him in her arms. He smiled.
“Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you,” he said, placing the book down on his desk.
Samantha kissed him softly, and laughed when class went wild. Some of the students even clapped while the “Woo’s, awe’s and nice Professor!” filled the air. Christopher laughed, and blushed, then cleared his throat.
Samantha chuckled, and turned around pretending to whisper to the students, but speaking loud enough so that everyone would hear. “That’s from Persuasion,” the students laughed, and clapped.
“Hey! I was going to quiz them on it!” Christopher protested, but was unable to hide the smile. He turned to the class. “Are you not planning on greeting the Professor?”
“Good morning, Professor Johnson,” they said, in unison.
She nodded graciously. “Take five, please,” she told the class, and faced Christopher. The students began to talk among themselves. “Christopher William Ainsworth,” she said, crossing her arms, and tapping her right foot against the floor. He made a face.
“Oh, goodness. I’m in trouble aren’t I, Princess?”
She nodded. “You know what I remembered, that you obviously did not? You were supposed to buy the turkey last night.”
He smacked his forehead. “Oh I completely forgot! I’m sorry, Princess.”
She shook her head. “I’m leaving this afternoon, and I want to have everything ready. You are making me hyperventilate, Christopher!”
He chuckled, and cupped her cheek. “I know you are nervous, and excited about your Father finally coming here, but there’s still time. I’ll have everything you need by the time you come back. I promise.”
Samantha sighed. “It’s just that my Dad is finally going to be here with me, and I want everything to be perfect. You know how long I’ve waited for this, how much I miss him.”
“I know, Princess. I’ll get it today. I promise,” he smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile too.
“Ok. You’ll go with me to the airport, right?”
“Of course. This is my only class today, so I’ll be ready in about forty-five minutes.”
She leaned into him, and he placed a kiss on her forehead. He looked at her smiling. He loved when she did that.
“Ok, I’ll wait for you at Maggie’s,” she turned to leave. “Bye, guys” she said, waving to the class.
“I love you!” He shouted after her. She turned, and smiled. “I love you too.”
Christopher faced the class once again. “Ok, guys. Who can tell me what Jane Austen meant by that statement?” He looked around the room. “David, can you tell me the sentiment she wanted to convey?” David stood up, and shrugged.
“Sorry, Professor Ainsworth. I was too distracted by the hot professor kissing you, to pay attention,” the other students laughed, and Christopher chuckled.
“When are you proposing, professor?” Another student shouted at him.
“Now Stephan, let’s not get distracted shall we?”
Stephan shrugged. “I’m just asking, because if you won’t I’ll give it a go. She is gorgeous!” Laughs erupted again.
Christopher laughed, shaking his head. “Ok, ok. Settle down. Let’s go back to the matter at hand, Persuasion.”
Done with the class Christopher walked into his office to gather his things and be on his way. Setting the books on the bookcase he sat at his desk, and stared at it while his student’s comment crossed his mind.
“When are you proposing, professor?”
He chuckled, and reached into the drawer taking out a small velvet box from it. He opened it and stared at the diamond ring inside. It was an exquisite Princess cut, one and a half carat diamond, framed by two round diamonds in an eighteen-karat white gold antique setting. It had small rubies encrusted along the band, adorned with intricate detailing. It was a vintage ring from the sixteenth century, which was believed to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth the first. It had taken him a year to track it down, until he finally found it at an auction. It had also cost him every pound he had kept aside in the bank from the sale of his previous house, but she was worth it.
He smiled. “This is perfect. It has rubies, her favorite stone, and it’s fitted for a Princess,” he said as he turned it around in his fingers admiring it. “My Princess is going to love the history of this ring. Loving Queen Elizabeth as she does, and sharing her name, it couldn’t be more perfect, or special. It was definitely worth the wait,” he thought, placing the ring back in the box, and returning it to the back of the drawer. He stood, put on his blazer and scarf on, and walked out the door.
*
Samantha sat with Maggie, on the balcony of her apartment. They drank tea as they overlooked the park.
“Oh my God, Maggie. I’m so excited I can hardly breathe,” she said, her eyes tearing up. Maggie held her hand.
“I know, my friend. I’m very happy that you finally get to bring your Father here, after all this time.”
She nodded. “Five years, Maggie. Five years I’ve waited for this. He will finally be with me, and he won’t have to work at that awful factory anymore. I will get to be with him again. He’s all I have left.”
Maggie smiled. “That’s not true, my friend, you have Chris, and you have me too.”
Samantha smiled. Maggie had become the sister she never had. Although at the beginning, it had been a bit hard for Maggie to accept her relationship with Christopher. She had been Abby’s best friend, and had seen firsthand how much Christopher had suffered. She expressed that it might be too soon for them. She said they needed time to heal before committing to each other. She knew Maggie was just being a good friend, but the reality was that Christopher and Samantha needed each other. Eventually, Maggie accepted it and was happy that Christopher was finally living again. He seemed to be moving on from the tragedy, and his pain. Maggie was sweet. She cared about them, and was always honest with them. Something that Samantha really appreciated in her.
“So, how many days are you going to be there?” Maggie asked, her taking her away from her thoughts.
“Well, I’m leaving today and returning on Wednesday the twenty-first. But my flight leaves this afternoon and I will be arriving there about midnight, then on Wednesday we are coming back in the morning, so three days. Of course that is assuming my Dad has everything ready, and managed to do everything I told him to do, which is highly unlikely. So we’ll see,” they chuckled. Maggie nodded, and then became pensive. Samantha noticed the change in her and held her hand. “What is it, sweetie?”
Maggie looked at her, all traces of laughter gone. “Do you think he will be there? Do you think you’ll see him?”
Samantha took a deep breath, feeling the weight of Maggie’s question. “I don’t know,” she looked down and shook her head. “That’s a lie, I do know… yes, he will be spending Thanksgiving with his family. The only times he’s ever missed a holiday with them, were when we were at Harvard. There were two years where I couldn’t afford to travel home, and he stayed so that I wouldn’t be alone. He spent them with me… chances are he will be there.”
Maggie nodded. “What are you going to do if you see him?”
“I’m not going there to see him. I’m going there for my Father.”
“But what if you see him?” Maggie pressed.
She shook her head, giving in to the question. “I don’t know.”
“Do you still love him?”
Samantha closed her eyes, and suddenly felt her phantom heart, the one that loved him, Jonathan’s heart, beat one single thump in her chest, answering the question. She opened her eyes looking down and nodded silently, feeling the sting in her eyes. She looked into
Maggie’s eyes.
“He was my best friend for 17 years, and I loved him for as long as I can remember, that just doesn’t go away from one day to the other.”
“But what about Chris?”
“I love him too,” she answered feeling Christopher’s heart beating strong, pumping blood into her body. His heart was the one keeping her alive for the past five years.
Maggie looked at her, concerned. “Please be careful. Only when you truly let go of that love, will you be free from its hold on you,” her eyes teared up, and she looked down as she continued. “I really don’t want Chris getting hurt again. He’s been through enough, and he’s my best friend too. You make him happy, Samantha. Please don’t let that change,” she said, looking at Samantha, pleading. A tear ran down her face.
Samantha took a deep breath and nodded. “And he makes me happy.”
They heard a knock at the door and turned to see Christopher walk in. Maggie wiped her face discreetly, and smiled hugging Samantha.
“Thank you, my friend,” Samantha whispered, kissing her cheek, and got up.
“Hello beautiful, ladies,” Christopher said, greeting them, and walking to Samantha. He held her in his arms, and gave her a long and tender kiss filled with emotion, that made her melt.
Samantha pulled back, and looked into his eyes completely smitten. “Wow, maybe I should travel more often.”
He chuckled. “I was just thinking about you in my office, Princess. I wanted to kiss you that’s all,” Samantha turned to Maggie blushing. Maggie laughed.
“Ok, please go home. I don’t need to witness these kind of indecencies,” they chuckled, and Samantha turned to hug Maggie once again.
“Bye, my friend. I’ll see you at my house for Thanksgiving, ok?”
Maggie nodded. “I’ll be there,”
Christopher kissed Maggie’s cheek and pulled Samantha’s hand, walking towards the door. Maggie looked at them as they walked away together, and sighed.
An hour later Samantha walked out of the shower, wrapped herself around in a towel, and proceeded to blow dry her hair.
“At what time do you need to be at the airport, Princess?” Christopher asked from the bedroom of their home— six months after they decided to be together, they rented a house near the university, the area they loved so much and moved in together. They made it their home, and had been living there ever since.
“At 12:30pm, Christopher. My flight leaves at 2:48pm,” She stepped out of the bathroom in her towel, and walked towards the closet. He sat on the bed and smiled, as he admired her from afar. She took out a pair of black skinny jeans, a black ribbed turtleneck, and a black and white flowered scarf. Then pulled out a long, form fitted red coat and placed everything on the bed. Samantha dug in once more and walked out of the closet with a pair of shiny black leather, knee-high boots, with high heels. Christopher sat there, just staring at her while she assembled the outfit on the bed and stood back to assess it. He chuckled.
“It’s perfect, Princess. You’ll look gorgeous in it as usual. You have such a great fashion sense.”
She laughed. “Oh, that is not me, at all. It’s all Maggie. I swear, she virtually has to tell me what to wear every day. I made my suitcase based on the outfits she told me to take.”
He laughed. “Well, then I’ll have to thank her for making you look so delicious all the time.” Samantha smiled, and walked up to him, sitting on his lap and putting her arms around his neck. She gave him a sexy smile. “Delicious Huh?”
He gave her a crooked smile, and surprised her by pushing himself off the bed and flipping her around so that they both fell on the mattress. She fell on her back and him on top of her. She squealed.
“Oh my god, Professor! I never imagined you could be this spontaneous.”
He gave her a devilish smile. “Oh, you don’t know the half of what I’m capable of,” he kneeled on the bed taking his shirt off, then laid on her again.
Samantha smiled and kissed him. “Mmm, Professor. I really should have taken this class before,” she said, unzipping his pants and pushing them down and off to the floor with her feet.
Christopher closed his eyes as he felt her hands caressing his body. He kissed her neck, smiling on her skin, and causing her to shudder. “You are a bit behind, as a matter of fact, but there’s no need to worry. I’ll give you a few extracurricular activities so you are able to catch up,” her fingers caressed the back of his neck and she guided him to her, she reached for his lips, kissing him passionately. She pulled away breathless, and then looked at him arching her brow.
“Or maybe I can just save myself some time, and seduce my Professor. I might know of a thing, or two he might thoroughly enjoy.”
“Is that so?” he asked, undoing the knot that held her towel. She nodded smiling. “Then I like that idea much better,” he held her in his arms, lifting her off the bed, and swiftly pulling the towel off her body.
“Oh, professor!” she said, kissing him while he laughed. His lips sought her breasts and she arched into him wrapping her legs around him. Pleasure shot through her as he began to move against her, loving her.
Christopher stood at the airport with Samantha, just outside the gate before she had to go in. He held her waist and kissed her with tenderness. She returned the kiss with passion, remembering their earlier play time session at the house. He pulled away from the kiss, laughing.
“Princess, have I got to remind you that I’m not going to be on the plane with you? I think you should not be kissing me like that, unless you plan to meet in the bathroom with a perfect stranger.”
She chuckled. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she said, hugging him tight.
He sighed. “I know, Princess. Me too.”
They held each other in silence, while they waited for her flight to be called. A few minutes later he lifted her chin, and looked earnestly into her eyes.
“Do you think you’ll see him there?”
She nodded. “He should be visiting his family for Thanksgiving.”
Christopher took a deep breath, holding her face in his hands. “I know there is a part of you that still loves him, but if you do see him, please remember that you love me too. Please, remember that I love you, Princess. Always.”
She looked at him, pained. “Don’t say that to me, please. I would never purposefully do anything to hurt you, to compromise what we have,” she whispered to him, as the pain of his request cut through her.
He hugged her again, kissing her temple. “I know, Princess, but I’m not a fool. I know the intensity with which you loved him,” he closed his eyes.
“I love you, Christopher. I’m yours now, not his.”
He nodded and lifted her chin, claiming her lips and kissing her again and again. Silently praying she would come back to him, and still be his. If she did, he would propose to her. Only then would they truly belong to each other.
*
Jonathan woke up early, and jumped into the shower. It was Saturday morning and he had a big case he was working on. He had planned to go to the office for a few hours. He needed to prepare a few things for the trial next week, before he had to head off to the airport. He was traveling home, to spend thanksgiving week with his Mother and Grandma Rose, as he did every year.
He stepped out of the shower, dried himself, and strode naked into his walk-in closet. His eyes swept the clothes, trying to decide what to wear. He settled for his Armani baby blue turtleneck, his Dior jeans, and his Valentino brown leather loafers. Stepping out fully dressed, he went into the kitchen, and pressed the button on his espresso machine. Turning on his heel, he walked through the living room, and opened the glass double doors to the balcony of his downtown penthouse apartment. His forearms rested on the railing, as he admired the city view.
Once Samantha said goodbye, Jonathan had fully concentrated on his work. Mainly, he did it to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t think about her. This however, made him excel at it, turning him into one of the top five la
wyers at the firm. He soon learned to enjoy the rewards that came with it. The first thing Jonathan did when he started making money, was pay off his Grandmother’s mortgage. Grandma Rose and his Mother had taken money out on the house to be able to help pay for Harvard. He paid the rest of his student loans, bought new furniture for her house, new clothes for them, and a new car for his Mother. He also began sending them money every month, so they could be taken care of. His Mother no longer had to work, and was home now with Grandma Rose taking care of her, due to her old age. The second thing he did, was purchase a beautiful penthouse apartment, in the top luxury building of the downtown area. A Mercedes, and a brand new designer wardrobe, since his work demanded that he looked his best. Especially, because of the high-end clients he dealt with on a day-to-day basis. However, these things hadn’t made him miss her any less. He secretly wished she were here, to share his success with.
He looked at the city and suddenly Samantha’s face crossed his mind, smiling at him. He shut his eyes, and shook his head trying to make the image go away.
“She’s not here!” He shouted at himself, frustrated. His palm slammed on the balcony rail with force. He took a deep breath pushing his hand through his hair and walked back into his apartment.
Fifteen minutes later, Jonathan walked out of the elevator at the office, his travel mug and a pastry bag from the coffee shop at the corner, in hand. He suddenly stopped.
“Rose? I didn’t know you were going to be here today, sweetie, I would have met you for breakfast,” he said, confused, as he walked toward the reception. He usually had breakfast with Phil and Rose, but they didn’t work on Saturdays. She looked at him, smiling.
“Hey, butt face,” he chuckled, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I wasn’t going to come today, but Chantelle called me this morning and told me she wanted me to do some research for her, to help her get all caught up on her new case. So I had to.”
He shook his head. “Did you get something to eat?”
“Not really, I didn’t get a chance. She wanted me here ASAP.”
His blood began to boil. “I’m going to have a talk with Chantelle. I’m fed up with the way she treats you. Why can’t she just bother her own assistant?”
Chasing Time: A Love Through Time Novel Page 19