Peter rolled off of Cora panting. "That was great." He huffed catching his breath. "You want something to drink?" He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans.
"Sure." She pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around herself, then followed him into the kitchen. "Peter, can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure, babe." He handed her a glass of orange juice. "Make it quick though. We have an early recording session in the morning and I've got to get some sleep."
"It's about us." She leaned against the counter. "I want to know what we're doing."
"Having a good time, I thought." He smiled. "You're not getting serious on me, are you?"
"Yeah, I am. Peter, I love you." She replied seriously.
"Don't." He said firmly.
"Why not?" Her voice cracked.
"Because you'll only get hurt." His eyes, which had been so full of love just moments before, were now dark and cold. "I like you, Cora, but please don't ask any more from me."
"Maybe you should have told me that three months ago." She yelled.
"We have a good time together, why can't we just keep things they way they are?" He ran his fingers down her bare arm.
"Because I'm not the same person I was three months ago." She pulled away from him. "I love you and I know somewhere deep inside you love me too, but this just isn't enough anymore." She walked back towards the bedroom.
"Cora, where are you going?" He followed her.
"Home." She pulled a sweater on over her head and put on her jeans. "You have an early session in the morning." She walked over and kissed him softly on the lips. "Good bye Peter."
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"I thought I'd find you here." Madison walked up behind Peter. He was kneeling down next to Danielle's grave. "Cora is leaving tomorrow." It had been a month since Cora and Peter broke up and she had decided to move back to Nebraska to finish nursing school.
"I know." Peter stood up. "Mick told me."
"You're just going to let her go, aren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"I have to." Peter stated quietly.
"Why?" Madison took him by the shoulders. "You love her and she loves you."
"You're right, I love her." He looked down at Danielle's grave. "I love her more that I ever thought possible…more than I loved Danielle."
"Peter…" She started.
"If I had loved Dani more…" The words caught in his throat.
"No, Peter, don't do this." Madison took his chin in her hand. "Danielle didn't die because of you or because you didn't love her enough or because I didn't love her enough. She died because she made the wrong choice. Nothing can change that." She smiled up at him through the tears welling up in her eyes. "Its time to let go of the past. You deserve to be happy." She kissed him gently on the cheek and walked away.
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"Flight 231 for Omaha, Nebraska is now boarding." The loud speaker boomed. "All passengers please proceed to Gate 7."
"That's me." Cora said to herself gathering her purse and jacket in her arms. Madison and Micky had wanted to bring her to the airport but she had talked them out of it. This was hard enough without a tearful goodbye.
She slowly walked towards the gate and was about to hand her boarding pass to the stewardess when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Peter standing there. "Peter? What are you doing here?" Her eyes grew wide.
He took her arm and pulled her to the side. "Cora, I…" He stumbled. "Cora, don't go."
"What?" She looked up at him with confused eyes.
"Don’t go!" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Stay here with me. I need you."
"Final boarding call for Flight 231 for Omaha, Nebraska." Again, the loud speaker boomed.
"You don't need me." She pulled away from him. "I have to go."
He watched her walk away then reached out and grabbed her again, whirling her around to face him. "Cora, I love you." He stated firmly.
"How come you're just telling me this now?" She could feel the tears stinging her eyes.
"Because its taken me this long to realize that it was okay to let go of the past." He smiled down at her, gently tracing her face with his fingertips. "I love you. Please don't go."
Cora looked up at him then threw her arms around his neck. "I love you too."
He picked her up in his arms and kissed her then, gently and passionately.
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That night Peter told Cora about Danielle and together they cried. Once the tears stopped, he knew that his grieving was over. The lock on his heart was broken and now he could start living again and loving…with Cora.
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