by R. J. Dillon
“Yes, beautiful?” he said, turning to look at her.
“Thank you for being there for me,” she said.
“Always, beautiful. Always.” Gavin turned out her light and went to do as he said.
Later in the evening, Gavin went to check on Faith to make sure she wasn’t having any trouble sleeping. She was resting peacefully. He walked over to check on her. He knelt down next to her, stroking her hair. A single tear was running down her face. He wiped the tear away, stood up and put his hands in his pockets. He turned to look out the window, staring into the night.
Faith shifted her weight around, opening her eyes as she did.
“What are you doing?” she said sleepily.
“I just wanted to check on you,” he said. “Go back to sleep.”
Faith closed her eyes almost as quickly as she had opened them. Gavin continued to look out the window, staying close in case she needed him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The following morning, Gavin woke up at his usual time and went for a run. He had a lot on his mind and figured the fresh air would do some good. When he got back home, he checked in on Faith. She was still sleeping. ‘Good,’ he thought. He went to his bedroom, took off his sweaty clothes, and took a shower.
Faith was still resting when Gavin emerged from his bedroom, clothed and ready for the day. He went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He turned on the stove to warm up some water for some tea, while cutting up some fresh fruit, placing it in a bowl. He got a tray from one of the cabinets, sat it on the countertop, and carefully placed the fruit, a mug for the tea, honey, and a glass filled with filtered water on it. Grabbing a fork and napkin from a drawer, he stopped, remembering one more thing. Gavin got some scissors and walked to the front of his house. He clipped a single flower from a bunch, brought it back in and put it in a small vase with water. The kettle began to whistle quietly as the water boiled inside. He turned the burner off, and poured the hot water over another chamomile tea bag in the mug that was sitting on the tray. He sat the kettle on a cooling pad, picked up the tray, and went to wake Faith up.
She was groggily moving around, yawning and rubbing her eyes when he entered the room.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, walking to the side of the bed that she had slept on.
“Hi,” she said sleepily, smiling. “What’s this?” she asked, sitting up against a pillow behind her. Gavin sat the tray down in front of her.
“Breakfast in bed, of course,” he smiled. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said, amazed at how sweet this man could be.
“I was up, and I wanted to surprise you. Besides, you need the nourishment, even if it’s just a little fruit. I figured you wouldn’t want to eat much more than that.”
Faith nodded. “You would be correct. Are you going to eat with me?”
“I will sit with you, sure.”
“I’ll share,” she said, smiling.
Gavin sat down and allowed Faith to enjoy her breakfast. She shared her fruit with him, though he wanted her to eat most of it.
Sipping on her tea, she asked, “Are you going in to work today?”
“Not really. I need to go talk to Adrian this morning, but that’s it. I have a few errands to run after that. I’ll be back before lunch.”
“Okay,” she said.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m sore, and still a little tired,” she said, nodding. “I’m doing okay, though.”
“Good,” he said, gently stroking her cheek. “I want you to rest today, alright? Don’t try to move much. I put some ibuprofen on your tray to take when you’re finished. That will help with the soreness. The chamomile will help you relax. If you find you can’t sleep, the sleeping pills they prescribed at the hospital are in that drawer.” He pointed to the nightstand. “You only need one. If you can help it, try not to take them. They’ll throw your sleeping patterns off.”
Faith nodded in agreement, thankful that Gavin was there to take care of her.
“The remote for the television is in the same drawer, and there are magazines and books stored on the shelf below it if you want to read or preoccupy your mind,” he continued.
Faith finished everything on her tray, including taking the ibuprofen. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” he gently said. Gavin stood up, taking the tray with him. He took it to the kitchen and returned to say goodbye.
“I don’t want to be away from you long, so I’d better go. Don’t be stubborn,” he said, glaring at her sternly. “Get some rest. We’ll get you out of this room when I get back.”
“Alright,” Faith said disappointedly. She was planning to get up as soon as he left.
He kissed her on the cheek again and left.
Gavin stopped at Agnes’ desk before going in to see Adrian. He didn’t want to interrupt any meetings he might be engaged in.
“Hi, Agnes. Is Adrian free?” he asked.
“He is Gavin. He’s expecting you,” she nodded.
Gavin knocked on the door and opened it at the same time.
“Gavin. I’m glad you’re here. Come in. Sit down,” said Adrian, motioning him in.
Gavin sat down and said, “There are some things we need to discuss.”
“Yes there are. What would you like to talk about first?” asked Adrian.
“Carter. What do we do about him?”
“Well, he definitely should be fired. As far as I’m concerned, he is fired. However, Faith still needs to decide whether she’s going to press charges or not. She has a very forgiving heart. I think we should wait to see what she wants us to do.”
“Forgiving or not, he can’t be around here. I almost killed him,” said Gavin, getting angry just thinking about it.
“I understand. I’m angry about this, too,” consoled Adrian.
“No, I don’t think you’re hearing me. I was one punch away from killing him. I don’t think he should come back here.”
“Oh, I see. Well, how about we tell him to take three weeks leave of absence to give Faith time to heal and tell us what she wants us to do?”
“Six,” said Gavin flatly. “She needs more time than that.”
“Alright, six it is,” Adrian agreed.
“Without pay,” Gavin continued.
“Six weeks without pay. Are you sure?” asked Adrian.
“Positive,” Gavin stated.
“Okay. What’s next?” said Adrian, moving on.
“We need to replace the carpet in Faith’s office. We’ll also need to have the wall by her door repaired and painted. Anything that might remind her of last night needs to be removed,” Gavin said.
“I already started working on that. Building management will be sending someone up this afternoon to look at the damage and give us a quote for everything. I figured you might be bringing that to my attention.”
“Thank you,” said Gavin.
“How is she doing?” asked Adrian, concerned.
“She says she’s fine, but I don’t think it’s really hit her yet. She’s sore, from the bruising,” answered Gavin.
“She still hasn’t talked about it yet?”
“No. I won’t press her to do so. She’ll talk when she’s ready. We always do,” said Gavin.
“Besides being angry, how are you holding up?” asked Adrian.
“I’m trying to be strong for her, but I’m an emotional wreck. My mind is a warzone.”
“The two of you have gotten close since the Denver trip. I could tell when we had our meeting earlier this week,” Adrian said, raising his eyebrows.
“You’re the second person who’s noticed. Are we that obvious?” asked Gavin, astounded that their secret was no longer a secret.
“I wouldn’t say that you were trying to be obvious. I could see it in your eyes, and from the way you interacted with each other in conversation,” responded Adrian. He leaned forward in his chair and
looked directly at Gavin.
“I don’t understand everything I’m feeling right now. I hurt for her, I’m angry this happened to her. I’ll do whatever I can to protect her. I’ve never felt this way before about anyone. Not even-,”
“I know,” Adrian said, nodding. “Do you love her?”
“I’m not quite ready to say that yet. Not because I don’t want to, I just want to be sure.”
“When you know that you love her, tell her. She’ll need to know,” said Adrian.
“I will. We’ve always been honest with each other, unless we’re not ready to talk about something,” replied Gavin.
“Speaking of which, have you told her about what happened between you and Carter?” asked Adrian in a serious tone.
“No. I’m going to tell her this afternoon or tonight. It’s time she knows.”
“I agree,” said Adrian. “Faith is a remarkable woman, Gavin. I hope that things work out between you two. It’s good to see you happy.”
Gavin sighed deeply. “Thanks.”
“What’s that all about?” Adrian frowned.
“What if I hadn’t forgotten my phone?” asked Gavin, shaking his head and looking into his lap.
“Gavin, son, you can’t look at it that way. You were here when she needed you the most. You kept the worst from happening,” said Adrian.
Gavin nodded.
“You know, you’re getting ready for another trip in a week. The repairs on Faith’s office probably won’t be complete until you get back. Why don’t you take next week off?” suggested Adrian. “Faith will need you. I’ll cover any meetings you have scheduled.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to her about it,” Gavin said. He stood up to leave. “Thanks.”
“Sure. Keep me posted on how she’s doing,” Adrian said.
“I will.” Gavin turned and left. He ran several errands before returning home.
Faith was sitting on the living room sofa when Gavin got home. He walked in with several bags. She quickly laid down low in the cushions, and under the pillows. She was supposed to be in bed.
“Someone is not where they’re supposed to be?” he said, smiling as he sat the bags down.
She tried to hide, but it was too late.
Gavin moved the pillows she was covered with. “You are so stubborn,” he laughed. “I told you to stay in bed until I got back.”
“I cannot stay confined to four walls. What fun is that? Besides, my legs aren’t broken, they’re just sore,” she smiled. “I like your house. It’s nice.”
“You walked around?” Gavin asked, stunned. “You should have been resting.”
“I was bored. You were gone forever. I didn’t want to watch any ‘baby mama’ shows, and there are only so many surveys I can take from the magazines you left. We’re compatible, by the way. At least that’s what one survey said,” she giggled.
He chuckled. “It’s good to see you smiling. How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” she said, nodding.
“Faith, are you sure? It hasn’t even been twenty four hours,” said Gavin, raising his eyebrows.
Tears were building in her eyes. She looked away, trying to find a way to change the subject. She eyed the bags on the floor.
“Where did you go?” she asked, wiping her eyes.
‘That’s what I thought,’ Gavin thought. “I went shopping. I have a question for you,” he said.
“What is it?” asked Faith.
“Well, you’re already staying the weekend. Adrian and I would like you to take next week off. Then, we’re scheduled for our next trip on Friday. Would you like to spend the week with me before we leave?”
“Meaning you’d take the week off?” she asked.
“That’s what I mean by spend the week with me, yes,” he smiled.
“I don’t have any clothes. I have nothing but what I’m wearing,” she said, pulling on her shirt.
“Well,” Gavin said, standing up and going to get the bags, “I took the liberty of finding out what size you are, shoes and all. I’m pretty familiar with the style of clothes you like to wear, so I bought you a few things.” He sat the bags down next to her so she could look.
“This is a lot of stuff. No wonder you were gone so long. You didn’t have to do this. Besides, I normally don’t pack this many things. I usually recycle my clothes after a week.”
“Then you’ll have clothes you can leave here,” he said, hinting that he would like her to visit more often. “So, how about it?”
“It does make sense, and it would be nice, and easier. Let me think about it, okay?” said Faith.
“Alright. I’m going to start lunch while you look through everything. Are you hungry?” he asked, standing and going to the kitchen.
“Starved.”
“I can keep it simple, or I can get sophisticated. Which would you like?” he asked.
“Let’s keep it simple for lunch. Are you actually going to cook?” she asked, surprised.
“Of course. I cook all of my meals. I have a degree in culinary arts. It kept me busy for a while after college. I was still pretty low on the totem poll at C&A,” he said, as he searched the refrigerator for what he wanted.
“Wow. That’s pretty amazing,” she said. She had her arms crossed on the back of the sofa, with her head resting on her arms, looking into the kitchen.
“Do you like cheese?” he asked, looking back at her.
“Love it. It’s my weakness,” Faith smiled.
“I thought I was your weakness?” Gavin flirted.
“That’s a given,” she giggled.
Gavin pulled several types of cheese from the refrigerator, sliced some focaccia bread, and took out a pan from the cupboards. He sprayed the pan lightly with oil and sprinkled some garlic pepper and parmesan cheese inside, then covered it with a slice of bread. On top of the bread he placed a slice each of cheddar, provolone, and mozzarella cheeses, added a few sun-dried tomatoes, and covered everything with a second slice of bread. Once one side was grilled, he sprayed the pan again, repeating the garlic and parmesan steps, and flipped the sandwich. He cut up some strawberries and put them on one side of a plate, cut the sandwich in half, and then prepared another one.
“What do you want to drink?” he asked.
Faith was pulling clothes from the bags that Gavin brought home. He knew her better than she thought. Each item she looked at was something she would have chosen.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having. What are you making? It smells delicious,” she said sniffing the air.
“I’m almost done. I’ll be there in a second,” said Gavin.
He put their plates, drinks, and napkins on a tray and carried them over to the table sitting in front of the sofa.
“This is the best grilled cheese you will ever eat,” he said, sitting the tray down.
“Seriously? It’s cheese and bread,” she teased.
“Take one bite and you’ll be begging me to make you another one,” he grinned as he sat down next to her.
Faith had her legs crossed and was sitting sideways. He handed her a plate and a napkin. She took a bite of her sandwich to see what all the fuss was about. She chewed slowly as she enjoyed every second and every flavor contained in that one bite. With her eyes closed, she smiled dreamily as if she had just found heaven.
“Gavin, this is awesome!” she exclaimed. “You’re right. This is the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had.”
They finished their lunch and talked for a while. Faith was getting tired from all of the excitement of the afternoon. The ibuprofen she had taken that morning was beginning to wear off, so Gavin gave her a couple more. She laid down on the couch and rested as Gavin cleared their plates and cleaned the kitchen.
“Did you like the clothes I picked out for you?” he asked.
“Actually I did. You know me pretty well. I’m not going to ask how you knew my bra and underwear sizes,” she said sleepily, moaning, yawning and stretching all at o
nce.
He chuckled. “Are you falling asleep in there?” said Gavin, looking out over the countertop. He didn’t address the bra and underwear issue.
“Almost. I can’t believe how tired I am,” she said, closing her eyes.
“Your body has been through a lot. You rest. I’ll hang your clothes up when I’m through in the kitchen,” he said.
She didn’t respond. He finished up in the kitchen, dried his hands, and went to check on her. Faith was fast asleep. He quietly picked up all of the shopping bags, carried them to her room, hung the clothes that needed to be, and folded the rest.
Faith woke up after sleeping for a couple of hours. Gavin was reading in a chair nearby.
She looked over at him and said, “Hey.”
“Hi, beautiful. You’re so peaceful when you sleep. How are you feeling?” he asked, sitting his book on his lap.
“Good,” she said stretching and sitting up. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing really. I’ve been trying to read this book for months, but there’s always something else that distracts me.” He picked up the book and started reading again.
Faith laid silently, thinking about staying with him for the week. She decided it would be the best scenario with all that had happened. Besides, being away from Gavin was getting harder on her. She enjoyed being around him.
“I want to stay with you this week,” she said without turning around.
Gavin put his book back down, “I’m glad. I was hoping that would be what you decided.” He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the best way to share what happened between himself and Carter almost seventeen years ago.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Remember when I told you about when all of my sleeping around started?” he asked.
Faith shook her head yes.
“It’s time for you to know why,” Gavin said, sighing deeply.
Faith sat up, crossed her legs and waited for him to start. He got up and sat next to her on the couch.
* * *
Gavin walked across campus to his apartment. They were approaching their last week of school and graduation. He had a big surprise planned for his girlfriend of two years and couldn’t wait to get started. Carter was home when he got there.