Chapters 7 to 8: If These Walls Could Talk
Chapter 7:
Theresa arrived at the Book Café and
found a table. Beth came over and brought her the iced tea she
ordered. She looked around for Sheridan but didn't see any sign of her
yet. She looked at her watch and realized she was a few minutes early.
Theresa was nervous and she began drumming her fingers on the table.
She started worrying about her situation at hand, and tried extremely
hard to focus on the pleasantries in her life. However, things hadn't
been so great lately. Her relationship with Ethan had been strained
recently. They were fighting a lot, yet they tried to mask their
problems by working them out in the bedroom. Yesterday was just a good
day. She did love Ethan, she truly did, but they seriously needed to
work through some issues or else their relationship would never move
forward. What she needed most was her best friend, but Whitney made it
on the tennis circuit and was out of town. She was grateful that she
had Sheridan to talk to.
Sheridan walked into the Book Café and saw Theresa sitting at a table
looking like she just lost her best friend. 'Poor thing.' She made
her way over to her and sat down.
"Hey." Theresa looked up and gave her a half smile.
"Hi Sheridan. Thanks for meeting me. I just really needed someone to
talk to."
"Theresa, you know you can come to me for anything. So…what happened?"
Sheridan asked, concerned.
Theresa drew in a deep breath. "Well, I fell asleep at Ethan's last
night, and ended up sleeping until 8:30. I woke up and was freaking
out because I knew what Mama would do if she found out. I yelled at
Ethan to wake him up and he drove me home. We got in a fight about me
being honest with Mama and asking her to let me stay the night with
him. He told me I should be more mature about the whole thing and I
got really angry. That's how it ended because when we got to my house
I jumped out and slammed the door."
Sheridan sat and took this in. "What happened with Pilar?" Theresa
closed her eyes and saw the horrified look on her mother's face when
she threw the cold hard truth at her.
"I tried to sneak into my room before Mama saw me, but it didn't work.
She asked me where I had been. She was furious. I told her that I was
at Ethan's and she got upset. She reminded me of the rules and I
snapped. I told her to get real and that I had been having sex with
Ethan for over a year." Sheridan's eyes opened wide. 'That doesn't
sound like Theresa at all.' "I feel horrible, Sheridan. I never meant
to be so harsh when I told her. She told me that we would continue
this discussion when she got home from work and she stormed out of the
house."
"Wow. Theresa, I'm not sure what to say. I think that it's good that
you finally told Pilar. She's one of the most understanding people I
know. You just really caught her off guard this morning. I'm sure the
reason she was so upset when you got home was because she was worried
about you."
"I know she worries about me, and I love that about her, but sometimes
I wish people wouldn't worry all the time. I'm so tired of being
treated like a child."
"Who treats you like a child?"
"Mama, Luis and…" her voice trailed off.
"And who?"
"Ethan," Theresa said quietly.
She had never said that out loud to anyone before. It was like this
thing in the back of her mind that had been bothering her, but somehow
found its way to the surface.
"This is about a lot more than Ethan bringing up the fact you should
talk to Pilar isn't it?" Theresa nodded her head. "What's goingon?"
"I don't know. We've been fighting so much lately, Sheridan. Usually
we fight because he is trying to tell me what's best for me. Don't get
me wrong, I know he's just concerned for me and I highly value his
opinion, but lately I want to start pulling my hair out for relief from
listening to one of his lectures."
"I don't get it. You two seemed so happy yesterday."
"I know. Yesterday was a good day…one of the best we've had in a long
time. We've been trying to solve our problems by hopping into bed, and
today I realized that it's not solving a damn thing. I mean, when I'm
at school, I have all of these new friends that I hang out with and we
have so much fun. We go out on the weekends…well, the weekends that
Ethan and I don't spend together. When I'm with my friends, I feel
young. I feel like a college student having fun. I get to make
decisions for myself. Whether they are right or wrong, it's up to ME
to make them. If I stumble and fall, then I get to pick myself up and
dust myself off. ME! No one else."
Sheridan sat and listened as Theresa poured her heart out about
everything. She knew what she was going through…at least the
independence part of it. "Do you feel like Ethan keeps you from making
these choices?"
Theresa nodded her head. "Sometimes. When we talk on the phone, I'll
tell him about some party that I went to or something I want to do, and
I get a lecture about being careful and whatnot. I know it's just
because he's been there already and done everything that I am just
beginning to experience, but don't you think I should be allowed to
experience them too?"
"I think you should do whatever makes you happy, Theresa," Sheridan
said honestly. "You're young and you have your whole life ahead of
you. I guess my question to you is do you want that life to include
Ethan?" Sheridan saw the look of shock on Theresa's face.
Life without Ethan. She never thought about such a thing. "I loveEthan."
"I know you love him very much, but that's not what I asked."
"I've loved him my whole life. I don't know how to not love him."
Sheridan sat her hand on Theresa's. "Maybe that's your answer then."
Theresa looked confused as if she was trying to piece together a
difficult puzzle.
"If you've been in love with him your whole life, then you don't know
anything else."
"Are you saying that…" Theresa began, but was cut off by Sheridan.
"All I'm saying is don't base your future on something you think you
want. KNOW what it is that you want and go after it. It's tempting to
stay in a comfort zone, but sometimes the walls of your comfort zone
can enclose around you."
Theresa looked down at the table. Sheridan had given her a lot to
think about. Sheridan looked at her watch and she had to get back to
the office. "Theresa, sweetie, I have to get back to the office. I'm
so sorry that I have to leave."
Theresa shook her head. "No, I understand. Thank you so much for
meeting me. You've given me a lot to think about I'm also sorry that
I bothered you. You have so much going on with the wedding andeverything."
"Nonsense. I'm always here for you whenever you need me." She stood
up and hugged Theresa. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"I will. Thanks again." She managed to muster a small smile and
watched Sheridan walk out the door. She looked at her watch and
realized she needed to get back to work as well, but she just couldn't
go back with everything that she had on her mind. She got her cell
phone out and called her boss and asked if she could have the afternoon
off. Theresa left a tip on the table and decided to go for a walk.
She had a lot of thinking to do and hoped that the fresh air would do
her some good.
Ethan sighed as he walked back into his office. He had just finished
his lunch break. He didn't accomplish much all morning because he kept
thinking about Theresa. 'Why do we have to keep fighting?' He thought
about the day they had yesterday. It was perfect. He felt like they
were finally on track again, but he chalked it up to wishful thinking.
He saw his secretary and decided to see if she called.
"Hi Maggie. Did I get any messages while I was gone for lunch?" he
asked hopefully.
"No Mr. Bennett, there haven't been any calls for you," shereplied.
"Thank you," Ethan said sadly and walked into his office.
He sank down into his chair like a ton of bricks and began thinking
about her for the thousandth time that day. Ethan knew without a doubt
that Theresa was the one he wanted to be with, but he wasn't so sure if
she felt the same way anymore. They had been drifting further and
further apart lately and it was killing him. He looked up and saw the
picture of her he kept on his desk. He picked it up and looked closely
at it. She looked so happy. Her eyes were sparkling and they were so
full of love. Ethan felt a half smile form on his lips as he looked at
her beautiful face. He tried to remember the last time he saw that
look in her eyes, and he realized that it had been a long time. A wave
a sadness washed over him at that moment. "What is happening between
us, Theresa?" he whispered.
Theresa walked into the Lopez-Fitzgerald house. She felt the burning
in her eyes from the tears she had been crying. She thought a lot
about the talk she had with Sheridan and her relationship with Ethan.
The first thing she needed to do was apologize to her mother and work
things out because she needed her now more than ever. She felt the
tears well up again and walked back to her room and flopped down onto
the bed. Once her head hit the pillow, she began sobbing. She cried
for fighting with Ethan, for the horrified expression on her mother's
face this morning, and for all of the mixed emotions that were running
rampant through her. She rolled onto her side and clutched the pillow
as the tears fell rapidly. Theresa cried so hard that she didn't hear
her mother come home.
Pilar walked into the doorway of her daughter's room. She saw her
crying and felt her heart break for her. "Theresita?" she whispered.
Theresa slowly rolled over and saw her mother standing there. It only
made her cry harder. Pilar walked to the bed and sat on the edge.
Theresa sat up and wrapped her arms around her mother and sobbed on her
shoulder.
"Mama…I'm so…sorry," she managed to say between sobs. She was crying
so hard now that she was almost choking on her tears. Pilar hugged her
back and tried to calm her down.
"Shh mi hija. It's okay." She continued to hold Theresa until her
sobs started to slowly subside.
Theresa pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Do you want to talk about why
you are so upset?" Pilar asked gently. Theresa nodded her headslightly.
"I want to apologize for my behavior this morning and disrespecting you
the way I did, Mama. It was so uncalled for and you have no idea how
terrible I feel about it."
"I felt awful when I left this morning. I should have stayed and
talked to you instead of storming out."
"No, Mama, you had every right to be angry."
"I'm not angry Theresa. I worry about you. I just want to know why
you couldn't talk to me about it in the first place."
"I don't know. I guess I thought you wouldn't understand."
"I may not agree with every decision you make mi hija, but they are
your decisions. Did you talk to anyone?"
"Yes, I talked to Sheridan." Pilar smiled.
"I'm glad you talked to her. Sheridan has been wonderful for ourfamily."
"Yes she has. I talked to her today about things too."
"What else is wrong? Is it Ethan?"
Theresa felt her eyes well up again and she poignantly told her mother
everything that had been going on. Pilar took everything in and
realized how much Theresa had changed in the last two years. She was
growing up. Pilar felt the need to hold back her own tears.
"So, what does this mean, Theresa?"
"I have no idea. As much as I hate to say this, I may need to take a
break from Ethan."
Pilar felt her jaw drop open and she just looked at Theresa…she
couldn't believe the words that just came out of her daughter's mouth.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 8:
After work, Sheridan decided to go shopping and buy some new things for the honeymoon. 'Six days, Luis.' She
found some new swim trunks for Luis that she thought he would look good
in, so she bought those as well as two new bikinis for her. She walked
into Victoria's Secret to buy some new lingerie. Between all the
shopping she was doing and the showers that had been thrown in her honor,
she was set in that department. She saw a beautiful black nightgown and
held it up. Seeing it made her think about the first time she and Luis
made love.
**Flashback**
Sheridan and Luis had managed to overcome the countless obstacles in
their path and were finally dating. They still had to endure occasional
static from her family, but she ignored it the best she could. Things
had been heating up for awhile, but they had yet to take their
relationship to the next level. Something always seemed to get in the way, but
this particular weekend, Sheridan was determined to have absolutely no
interruptions when they were together.
Luis walked into the station and found a note on his desk. He opened
it up and smiled when he saw that it was from Sheridan.
Luis,
Meet me tonight at this address…I have a surprise for you! I wrote
directions on the back. Have a great day! I can't wait to see you tonight!
Love,
Sheridan
Luis grinned and wondered what she was up to. He was certainly
curious, but he had a strong feeling that tonight would be very special for
the both of them.
Sheridan drove to the cabin as fast as she could. She was so excited
about tonight, she could hardly stand it. She had a lot to do before
Luis arrived, so she left early. When she arrived, she saw that the
place was clean, but it needed some sprucing up. She grabbed all of the
things she brought with her from the car and took them inside. She
immediately walked into the bedroom and saw a beautiful king sized bed. She
put fresh sheets on it and made the bed. Next, she put lots of candles
around the room and surveyed her work. She nodded, satisfied with it
and walked out into the living room.
Sheridan put some more candles around the room and built a fire in the
fireplace. Her mind was in overdrive thinking about what tonight would
hold for them. She couldn't stop smiling. She put a tablecloth on the
table and placed two tall candles in the center. She then walked into
the kitchen to get dinner ready.
When she had the lasagna in the oven and the salad chopped up, she
looked at her watch and realized she needed to get ready. She hurried and
took a shower. She sprayed her perfume in all the right places and put
on her black pants and a light blue button up shirt with three-quarter
length sleeves. She walked back into the living room and began
lighting the candles that she put out earlier and turned on the stereo. As
soon as she finished lighting the last candle, she heard the door open.
She looked up and saw him in the doorway and immediately felt a huge
smile form on her face. "Hey you."
"Is this the right place?" Luis asked with his boyish grin. Sheridan
made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You bet it is." She looked up into his soulful brown eyes and felt
her knees go weak. Luis leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips.
Luis pulled his arm from behind his back and produced a red rose for
her. "This is for you," he said handing it to her.
Sheridan inhaled the wonderful scent of the rose and smiled bashfully.
"It's beautiful, thank you."
"You're welcome," he whispered.
"I hope you're hungry." 'In more ways than one.'
"I am."
"Good." She had a nervous smile on her face and chewed on her bottom
lip. "Well, have a seat." 'God, get it together Sheridan!'
Luis did as he was told and Sheridan went to get plates and wine
glasses. She opened the cabinet and saw that the wine glasses were on the
top shelf. She tried to reach them, but she couldn't quite make it. She
was about to call for Luis when she felt a warm body behind her. She
inhaled deeply the smell of his cologne and felt her heart beating
rapidly. He reached the glasses and set them on the counter. His arms
wrapped around her waist and she leaned back against him. "Were you
looking for those?" he whispered in a husky voice. She felt the tingle up
her spine from feeling his breath on her skin.
"Mmm hmm. Thanks." She knew she needed to break away from his embrace
soon or else she wouldn't be able to control herself. She reluctantly
got up the courage to spit out "Let's eat." She heard Luis laugh
lightly and he kissed her cheek and unwrapped his arms from around her
waist. He walked to the table and sat down. Sheridan took a second to
compose herself and then brought two plates of food to the table. She sat
down and Luis poured them each a glass of wine.
During dinner, they talked about the day and how well things were going
between them. They told each other stories from when they were young
and they were laughing and having a wonderful time. Luis offered to
clear the table, but she insisted. She took the dishes to the kitchen and
returned with dessert.
"I made dessert," she said cheerily. Luis looked up at her and saw she
only had one dish of chocolate mousse in her hand.
"You only have one."
Sheridan gave him a sly smile and seated herself on Luis' lap. "I
thought we could share it," she said softly. She watched the smile spread
across his handsome face.
"Always full of good ideas, aren't we Miss Crane?" Sheridan smiled and
got a spoonful of the dessert and held it in front of his mouth. Luis
looked into her big blue eyes and slowly leaned in to eat the mousse.
"Mmm…this is great."
Sheridan watched as he savored the dessert she just fed him. She felt
the temperature in the cabin rise about 20 degrees from looking into
his eyes and seeing the manner in which they looked back at her. He had
a way of looking at her which set her soul on fire. Luis took the
spoon from her hand and scooped some of the dessert. He slowly brought it
to her mouth. As she leaned in he teasingly pulled it back and she
smirked at him. She leaned in closer to him and slowly took the mousse
from the spoon. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the taste of the
chocolate in her mouth. When she opened them she met his eyes again. There
was a different look in them this time. It was full of desire and
wanting, and she was certain it was the same look she had in her own eyes.
Sheridan brought her hand up to his face and caressed it softly. She
lowered her eyes to his mouth and gently outlined his lips with her
index finger. They were so full and soft and she felt the warm breath
escape his mouth as her fingers committed its shape to her memory. Luis
reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair away from her eyes. Their
faces were only inches apart and she could feel his breath on her neck.
She slowly leaned in closer to him and lightly brushed her lips over
his. Sheridan heard a soft moan escape him and she kissed him full on
the mouth. The kiss started off slow and sweet, but his tongue gently
parted her lips and it intensified quickly. She had one arm wrapped
around his neck and the other moved up so she could run her fingers through
his hair. Luis was caressing her back with one hand and the other was
resting on her thigh. They continued to kiss for a couple of minutes
and Luis began to slowly move his hand up her thigh. Sheridan was on
fire for him and realized that all sense was about to fly out the window.
She remembered the surprise she had for him and it took everything she
had in her to find the willpower to pull away from him. When she did,
she saw the confused expression on his face.
"Luis I…" she began, but was interrupted by Luis.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, afraid he may have been pushing things.
Sheridan smiled at him. He was always so thoughtful and caring.
"No, Luis. Nothing is wrong. I forgot that I had a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" he asked curiously.
"Mmm hmm…do you want it?"
"Will I get to kiss you again if I say yes?" he asked with a grin.
Sheridan giggled at him. "Yes."
"I'm sold. Let's see the surprise," he said excitedly.
"Okay, go sit on the couch and I'll be right back," she said with a coy
smile. She started to stand up but Luis wrapped his arms around her
waist so she couldn't.
"Where's my kiss?" She smiled again at him and leaned in to kiss him.
"Now, let me up." Luis shook his head. "Please," she whispered
seductively. Luis reluctantly let her up and watched her walk into the back
room. He got up and made his way over to the couch and sat down
watching the fire dance in the fireplace.
Sheridan walked into the bedroom and closed the door. She leaned up
against it to steady herself and catch her breath. 'He is amazing.'
After she caught her breath, she got in her bag and pulled out a long,
black silk nightgown that had spaghetti straps and a slit on one side that
came up to her thigh. She laid it on the bed and stripped her clothes
off quickly. She slipped the nightgown on and lit the candles.
Sheridan checked her appearance in the mirror and smiled. 'This is it,
Luis.' She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Sheridan saw Luis crouched down putting another log on the fire. She
quietly walked in front of the couch and waited for him to turn around.
"Luis" she said softly. Luis turned around. His mouth fell slightly
open and his eyes were dancing. She saw his eyes travel looking at her
from head to toe. He stood up slowly and a smile formed on his face.
"Sheridan, I…I'm speechless." Sheridan blushed and Luis walked towards
her. "You look absolutely beautiful," he said sincerely as he looked
lovingly at her.
"Thank you. Do you like your surprise?" she asked with a playful smile.
"OH YEAH." Sheridan held out her hand and Luis took it and stepped
closer to her. "You never cease to amaze me," he whispered. She looked
up at him and saw the look she had seen earlier at the table, but it was
more intense now. She knew he wanted her just as much as she wanted
him. Sheridan grabbed his other hand and started to lead them into the
bedroom, never removing her eyes from his.
When they stepped into the room, Luis took a moment to look around and
saw the room aglow with candlelight. He brought his hand to her face
and lightly traced it with his finger. Sheridan closed the gap between
them as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Luis lowered his head
and met her mouth in a heart stopping kiss. It was loving and wildly
passionate all at the same time. He cupped her face with both of his
hands as they continued to kiss while Sheridan ran her hands up his back
and brought them around front and ran them over his chest. Luis trailed
his kisses from her mouth to her cheek and down to her neck. She
tilted her head to the side to give him more access and let out a soft moan.
She ran her hands down his chest slowly and stopped at the bottom of
his sweater. Sheridan grabbed his sweater and began to lift it over his
head. Luis raised his arms and she freed him from this article of
clothing. She admired his well-defined torso for a moment and then met his
gaze. She leaned in closer to him and planted a trail of kisses over
his chest and up to his neck. From his neck she kissed his cheek and
found his mouth again. She kissed him fervently and he responded
hungrily as his hands roamed up and down her sides. Luis slipped a finger
under a strap on her nightgown and gently brushed it off her shoulder. He
kissed where the strap had been and did the same to the other side.
Sheridan's eyes fluttered shut feeling the tender kisses Luis was placing
on her skin. Her hands found his belt and undid it. She unbuttoned
his khakis and slowly unzipped them, allowing them to fall to the floor.
Luis stepped out of them and looked deeply into her eyes. He brushed
the straps all the way down and the nightgown covering her body became a
distant memory.
Luis inhaled deeply as he admired her beautiful naked body. He smiled
seeing the way she glowed in the candlelight. His mouth sought hers
out and scooped her up in his arms. He led her to the bed and gently
laid her down. Luis slowly lowered himself on top of her and kissed her
again. He trailed hot kisses down her body and she moaned his name as
her fingers dug into the bed. Sheridan was aching to kiss him again.
Luis looked up and saw her head leaned back and her eyes shut tight. It
was the most beautiful and exciting sight he had ever seen. He kissed
his way back up her body and met her mouth again. She kissed him with
a force she didn't know she possessed and wrapped her arms around him.
Her hands ran down his back and she slipped his boxers down. Luis met
her eyes just to make sure this is what she wanted and saw her crystal
blue eyes sparkling as she looked back. She smiled the smile he loved
so much and he knew he had never wanted or needed someone as much as he
did with her right at that very moment. He kissed her again and they
began to make love. It was the most passionate experience either of
them had ever had. He was so tender with her and Sheridan fell deeper in
love with him at that moment.
Sheridan lay wrapped in his arms with a smile plastered on her face.
She looked up and saw Luis smiling at her. She sighed happily and
rolled onto her side so she could get a better look at him. Luis brought
her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
"Luis…WOW!" She was having a hard time finding the right words and
that was all she could get out. Luis chuckled at her.
"I know, Sheridan. In all of my wildest dreams, I NEVER dreamed it
could be like that." Sheridan kissed him sweetly and looked into his big
brown eyes.
"I love you," she whispered. Luis felt a grin tugging at the corner of
his mouth.
"I love you, too." Sheridan felt her heart soaring. She was on a
remarkable high that she never wanted to come down from.
**End Flashback**
Sheridan smiled happily remembering that special night. She bought a
few things and headed home.
Theresa was sitting on the couch watching TV. She had managed to stop
crying about an hour ago and was comforting herself with a pint of Ben
& Jerry's. The phone rang and she practically jumped out of her skin.
Pilar walked into the room.
"Do you want me to answer that?" Theresa nodded her head.
"If it's Ethan, please tell him that I'm not here or I'm sleeping."
Pilar just nodded her head.
"Hello?"
"Hello Pilar, it's Ethan."
"Hi Ethan."
"Is Theresa there?"
"She is, but she didn't feel well when she got home from work, so she
took some medicine and went to bed."
"Oh," he said sadly. "Well, I don't want to wake her. Please tell her
that I called and that I hope she feels better."
"I will, Ethan. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Pilar hung up the phone and looked at her daughter. Normally she
didn't like to lie, but she knew that Theresa had a lot on her mind that she
needed to work out.
"Thank you, Mama."
Pilar kissed her cheek and went to bed.
Theresa laid on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "What am I
going to do?"
To Be Continued...
