The sun peeked above one of the many trees that lined the street, letting a single ray of light gently flow onto Kevin Neelan's bedroom carpet. The morning breeze swayed the curtains from side to side, as the birds began to sing ever so loudly outside the window.
Kevin sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing out the window. "I'm not looking forward to this morning," he muttered, shaking his head.
Kevin got out of his bed and stubbed his toe on the bureau that stood next to his bed in the process. "This must be a sign," he angrily told himself, heading over to the closet to grab his clothes for work.
Inside the bathroom, he performed his usual routine, which consisted of taking a shower, getting dressed and shaving. While he was shaving, he almost cut his chin. "Damn," he muttered, sliding open the medicine cabinet looking for something to put on it.
He looked at himself in the mirror as he slid the medicine cabinet shut. The day could only get better but something made him think differently.
Lalie Mills smiled as she clutched the pillow next to her, obviously enjoying a pleasant dream.
"I remember when you used to ask me if we could take a break," Lalie told the person sitting across from her, as she shuffled a deck of cards in her hand. "I never thought I would be asking it, but I am now."
"A break?" the person sitting across from her asked. "I told you that I would never leave your side. Didn't you hear me when I said that?"
"Of course," Lalie replied, taking his hand.
The man seemed to fade away as a ringing began to drain this image out.
"Phil," Lalie groggily muttered, as she opened her eyes and found herself in her bed. She squinted her eyes as she looked over at her alarm clock ringing away. Angrily, she turned it off, got up and got ready for work.
Downstairs, Carole Mills and Harold Mills were sitting by the kitchen table as Lalie entered.
"Are you ready for your first day back at work?" Carole asked her, as Lalie marched into the kitchen wearing a sleeveless blue blouse.
"I'm a little nervous," Lalie admitted, taking a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with water. "This is the first time I'm going to see Kevin since James called me about the divorce," she whispered.
"I'm sure it will go well," Carole assured her as she noticed her attire. "I see you're wearing the blue blouse that Heather bought you."
Lalie looked down at her blouse, and showed off her tan arms. "Going to Florida was the best idea. I really needed that vacation," she told her mother. "It was nice seeing Aunt Nora and Heather again."
"I know you were a little reluctant about going because of the situation Kevin is going through," Harold chimed in.
"Kevin needed his space," Lalie told him. "James said that he hadn't even talked to Georgia since finding out. I think they both needed some time to deal with that on their own."
"I hope they'll get through this ordeal," Carole remarked, sincerely. "It's a shame that happened."
"It is," Lalie replied. "Vivian did have that affair, though."
"Are you sure that's all there was to it?" Harold wanted to know. "They could have worked through that."
"His age, though!" Lalie exclaimed, as she grabbed her pocket book. "Wish me luck," Lalie said, as she headed toward the door.
Vivian Baker flipped through the morning newspaper as she put the coffee cup up to her lips.
"This is awful," Vivian commented with a disgusted look on her face as she dumped the coffee out in the sink. "How did the coffee get so cold?"
Vivian set the coffee maker to make a fresh pot, as she heard the doorbell ring.
"Hi Kevin," Vivian greeted her son as he walked in.
Kevin stood in the center of the living room as Vivian followed.
"Today is Lalie's first day back at work and I don't know what the hell I am supposed to do," Kevin told his mother in frustration.
"Didn't James tell her about the-?" Vivian cut herself off, trying not to say that word.
"Divorce?" Kevin finished her sentence. "Yeah, he did," Kevin answered. "That's not the point, though," he added. "How am I supposed to go through with this engagement when true love doesn't exist?"
Vivian stepped closer to Kevin as her eyes widened. "Your father and I had numerous problems. It was too much for two people to handle," Vivian explained. "You and Lalie won't have to worry about that."
"It doesn't matter how hard a person tries, nothing will last forever," Kevin told her, raising his arms.
"Yes it does!" Vivian exclaimed. "Look at Lalie's parents."
"Let's just call it luck," Kevin concluded. "People try all the time to make a marriage last and it doesn't always last."
"Are you talking about how you and James tried to make my marriage last by taking us to those counseling sessions?" Vivian asked him, finally understanding what he was talking about. "The situation was out of control by the time we attended those sessions. Maybe if we had gone to them sooner…"
"This is no time for 'Maybe's' and 'What if's'", Kevin told Vivian in a serious tone. "What's done is done."
Vivian gently led him to the couch to sit him down, and he did. "Listen," Vivian whispered. "Don't let this get in the way of your engagement."
"She doesn't even know that I have a brother or sister who I haven't even MET," Kevin yelled out, ignoring Vivian's advice, and standing up. "I have to go to work."
Vivian tried to speak but no words came out as Kevin left the house.
"That went well," James Neelan commented from the stairs, having overheard everything.
Vivian turned around to see James standing there.
Lalie stepped off the elevator and onto her floor to find her desk covered in balloons and flowers.
Lalie laughed as she made her way over to her desk expecting to see a note from Kevin attached. "Kevin shouldn't have done this," Lalie said, as she looked at the red balloon tied to the back of her chair.
"He didn't," a voice from behind her called out. "I did."
"Georgia," Lalie acknowledged, a little surprised. "You shouldn't have."
Georgia Caldwell walked up to Lalie, a smile across her face as she did so. "Of course," Georgia told her. "This is your first day back after that ordeal."
"Thanks, Georgia," Lalie told her in a sincere tone. "How are you enjoying Pennsylvania and your new role at the bank?"
"I like it," Georgia replied. "The penthouse is everything Father said it would be. I'm glad Savannah agreed to give my apartment key back since my lease wasn't up until next month."
"Savannah?" Lalie asked in confusion.
"My sister," Georgia answered. "I'm sorry, I forgot you didn't meet her," Georgia apologized. "Savannah Caldwell, sister, pampered all day but never satisfied."
Lalie raised her eyebrows at Georgia's description. "And I thought MY sister was a handful."
Lalie and Georgia shared a laugh as Kevin got off the elevator.
Lalie watched on as Kevin quickly glanced over in their direction and went into his office.
Georgia turned around to see what Lalie was staring at and then turned back to Lalie. "I know you want to go talk to him," Georgia figured as she leaned into Lalie. "Did you hear about the-?"
"Yes, I did," Lalie quickly replied before Georgia could say the word. "Georgia, I honestly have no idea what to say to him," Lalie whispered in a frantic tone.
"I felt the same way with James," Georgia confided. "Listen, just be yourself, I'm sure he'd notice more if you were being obvious about your discomfort."
Lalie looked down at her attire and straightened out her shirt. "That's true," she said. "Thanks, Georgia," Lalie whispered.
"No problem, Lalie," Georgia winked as she headed off into the direction of her office.
Lalie took a deep breath as she walked to Kevin's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Kevin yelled from the other side of the door.
Lalie opened it and walked inside his office, closing the door behind her.
"You're my fiance," Kevin told her as Lalie walked in. "You don't have to knock like that."
Lalie blinked as she heard Kevin's words. "You're right, I-" Lalie stuttered.
"I can see you caught those Florida rays," Kevin pointed out, looking at Lalie's arms.
"I'm sorry," Lalie immediately said. "I know I shouldn't have gone on that vacation."
"Given my situation?" Kevin asked her in a serious tone. "You don't have to change for my sake, if you want to go on a vacation, then don't let my problems stop you."
"That's not what I meant," Lalie told him, her voice beginning to tremble. "All I meant was that I should've been here for you instead of gallivanting off to Florida."
"Here for me in my time of need, though," Kevin reiterated. "I don't want people to change for me."
"No one is changing," Lalie told him in a convincing tone.
"You would have been changing if you decided not to go on that trip," Kevin told her. "That means that our relationship would have been built on a lie if one of us is changing to better suit the situation that's given."
Lalie shot him a confused look. "You just took the situation and made it ten times more complicated."
"Am I supposed to change?" Kevin frankly wanted to know. "Are you supposed to change?"
"If anyone has changed, it sure wasn't me!" Lalie cried out in frustration as she headed for the door.
"Lalie, wait," Kevin called out as he stood up.
"What is it?" Lalie wanted to know, turning around slowly.
"We need to talk about our engagement," Kevin replied as Lalie walked back over to his desk.
Chapter 2
Hosted {Fiction}
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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