A Slow Burning Fire (26 page)

She had a drink in her hand that she swirled casually. “Good to see you again. Surprising, but good. Didn't I tell you to stay on the other side of the room from me?”

“You're the one who came to talk to me,” he said with more calm than he felt. “I didn't even notice you were over this way.”

Katie pouted and placed a hand on her hip. “How could you not notice me? Whatever. I think I also told you to look a little more hip. What are you wearing? It's so… disgusting!”

So is what you have on, but you don't hear me complaining.
He raked his lower lip between his teeth. “Is there something I can help you with?”

She leaned in toward him, her free hand moving from her hip to his hair. “I thought I'd say hi and see if you could help me. My
boyfriend
seems to be lost in tequila and some blonde twin models. Maybe if he sees me with —”

“Sorry, I can't help you out there. Why don't you just talk to him? Pull him away? Make a scene? You're pretty good at doing all of those things,” Bryce said, stepping back.

“Oh, come on! No one is going to think anything of it if they see us dancing and being sweet to one another. After all, most of the fans want us to be together anyway. It would make for some fun rumors if nothing else.”

“You know I'm not interested in doing that kind of thing. I never have been,” he said tersely. “If you'll excuse me, I need to find Arial.”

“Arial, Arial, Arial!” Katie shouted. “That's all you ever cared about! All you ever wanted! What happened to the love you felt for me?”

Bryce glared at her. “You lost that love and trust when you cheated on me, several times. I might not have known about it, but I can tell you the moment you checked out of our relationship. I was an idiot to think I could make you love me when I knew you didn't care. That was my fault. You're right, I should have just ended it sooner, but I stuck around because you meant everything to me. Whether you want to believe me or not, you were my priority. You've lost that, and I'm not stupid or blind anymore. Arial actually loves me and she wants the same things. We're…”

“Perfect for one another?” Katie scoffed. “She's no better than anyone else here. There's a reason love doesn't last in these parts. We're all selfish. You are, I am, and so is she.”

He shook his head. “She's different. Maybe you're right about me, but not her.”

“If that was the case, then why did I see her go up to the VIP room with Marcus? Hmm?” She nodded and took a swig from her drink. What did he ever see in this woman? This was the kind of behavior that turned him away from the party scene when they were dating. “Arial went up there, and I bet she's just going to use him to advance her career. I bet that's all she was doing with you, too, when you had your magical adventure out in cow land!”

Bryce's gaze darted towards the upstairs where the VIP room was located. He could tell the lights were on by the faint light showing through the cracks in the blinds. Beyond that, he couldn't see much else. If she was up there, it couldn't be for something scandalous, could it?

“I don't believe you,” he said.

“It's true!”

“You'll say anything to —”

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he turned to see Lisa. She gave him a sad smile. “She's not lying. I saw her go up with him. They've been together all night, and she's been letting him get kind of close. You know, for her. It could just be friendly, but she did say she was going to do whatever she could to forget about what happened for a night.”

Katie pursed her lips together triumphantly. “Told you. Maybe now you'll change your mind about helping me out. I think I've done two favors for you already.”

He shook his head. “I'll help you out by going home, so I'm not so much of an embarrassment.”

****

Arial descended the stairs, tears in her eyes. How could she have been so stupid to think that Marcus was interested in actually being her friend? She should have known better, and now all she wanted to do was call a cab and go home. No, what she wanted to do was talk to Bryce, but she was even more embarrassed than ever. He would be disappointed when he heard. Maybe he'd change his mind about wanting to be with her.

From the stairs she caught sight of a brown and neon green plaid. The sandy blond hair on the guy matched Bryce. Who else would wear such a horrible shirt in public? He turned his face and she caught a good look at his profile. It was Bryce, and the sadness in his expression said it all. He knew about Marcus already. What was he doing there? She had to stop him from leaving, but there was no way she could get to the entrance in time.
If I can at least catch him before he gets to his car…

****

As Bryce stepped out into the night, again the cameras started to go crazy. This time, he didn't smile or wave. He pulled the collar up on his shirt, kept his head down, and walked to where the valet would be bringing his car. Normally, he'd have waited inside and away from all the chaos, but he couldn't stand being in the club any longer. What if Arial left the room with Marcus and they looked happy? He wouldn't have been able to stand seeing that.

Arial.
He shook his head.
And I can't escape her out here either. It's like someone keeps saying her name in my ear.
And that's when he realized the paparazzi were saying her name. Behind him, toward the front, he could hear the shouts, the cameras clicks going crazy all around. Arial stood in the doorway. Their gazes locked on one another, and the next thing he knew she was running down the sidewalk toward him. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips tight against his.

****

Arial poured all of her love into the kiss, and she felt him open his mouth to her slightly. That was the moment she knew everything would be okay. She didn't care about the cameras capturing the whole thing. All she cared about was him.
Let the world see how we feel about each other.

He stared down into her eyes. “We need to talk,” he said softly. She could barely hear him, but she understood what he was saying just by the soft look on his face alone.

“We do,” she said. His sports car pulled up in front of the sidewalk. Moving one of his hands to the small of her back, he guided her toward the passenger side, helped her in, and then went around to drive. Once they were both buckled in, he began to get them away from the crowd. It took a moment, since the photographers were still going nuts over their little show, but soon they were cruising through the city.

“It took me a moment to figure out what was wrong,” he said. “I mean, I thought you were just hung up on the fact that Katie and I dated. Yes, we were together for a long time, and we haven't been broken up for long. At the same time, I don't think it takes rocket science to know that you and I have a bond. This isn't a rebound because I wouldn't risk a rebound with you. You're too important to me. Everything I feel for you is real.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I —”

He put a hand on hers. “Let me finish, please.” He inhaled slowly. “I had an interesting conversation with my brother. He opened my eyes to a few things, and I need to apologize. I pushed you into singing with me at the fair. I guess I was so caught up in the atmosphere, I didn't stop to think about how you might be feeling. We should have talked about it more.
Really
talked about it. And we should have really talked about us, before I started spouting off all of my ideas. Don't get me wrong, I still feel the same way as I did when I first told you. I do want to grow old with you. I do want to have our own private piece of land to enjoy and have some quiet. But I should have talked to you about it all first instead of just spouting it off like it was going to happen. At the end of the day, I don't care where I am as long as I'm with you.”

Arial closed her eyes as she listened to him talk. She had to absorb the whole moment, as well as his words.

“I shouldn't have accused you of still being hung up on her. Not after seeing how much she broke you down after all these years. You never treated me like a rebound. You've been nothing but respectful of me.” She laughed, thinking about Marcus and how he had not been. “When you said you wanted to stay in Ohio, it scared me because this is my life. I may not completely fit the scene, but I love what I do. Performing, telling a story, even being in the center of the buzz, is kind of a high for me. Which is why singing with you didn't bother me as much as it could have. I did need the experience and the push. You're good at doing that, encouraging me to go to new places with my work. Acting, singing, they’re the only thing in my life that feels like… like it's what I'm supposed to be doing. My calling. The only other thing that feels so right to me is being with you. Remember when I said I didn't have a home? That's because I only feel like I'm safe and secure and whole when I'm with you. Home doesn't have to be a place, does it? It can be a person, too.”

He nodded. “It can be, yes. I wouldn't ask you to give up what you want to do with your life. Trust me, I'm not in any kind of a hurry to quit acting either. My new projects are exciting, and there are a lot of stories to tell and a lot of people I can still help. I don't know if I'm as involved in it as you are, but I love it all the same. When I said I wanted to grow old on a farm, I was thinking we'd be long retired by then with kids of our own.”

“You want to have children with me?” She laughed.

“I want everything with you. If you'll have me, I mean. We don't have to rush anything, but that's my ultimate goal. To be with you forever. To have you as my wife.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I want those same things. Well, maybe not the farm, but we can talk about that later. If you're thinking after retirement, that gives me a lot of time to figure out where I want to be.”

He nodded. “Lots of time. So you still want to be with me?”

“Of course I do. I'm sorry I freaked out.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. “It's all water under the bridge now. We're going to say and do a lot of stupid things. There will be other freak-outs. That was nothing compared to a number of others I've been through.”

“True.” She laughed.

“And I know that whatever happened between you and Marcus…” He swallowed. “I know it didn't mean anything. You were upset and —”

Rolling her eyes, Arial snorted softly. “One fight isn't going to make me throw away all my morals. I'm not your ex.” She looked at him pointedly. “He made a pass at me, but I'm not that dumb. Nor was I that heartbroken to do something so crazy. In my heart I knew we'd work things out. I just needed a little space so I could think. Then I wanted to remember who I was and where I was. This place is as opposite from Ohio as up is from down. I missed it while I was gone, but it doesn't take too much for me to remember why I live the life I do.”

Bryce sighed as if relieved. “I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you, too.”

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Bryce looked handsome in his tuxedo. She'd seen him all dressed up before at other events, but nothing compared to that moment. Then again, Arial might have been a little biased since it was their wedding day.

The celebration was small and simple. Close friends and family were invited to her family farm in Ohio. Her parents had cleaned out the large shed where her father kept all of his equipment and turned it into a beautiful masterpiece. Twinkling lights hung from the rafters and support beams. The whole room had a winter wonderland theme to it. White cloths were over the tables, white roses with small red rosebuds in vases decorating the tops. Glittering snowflakes were spread over every surface.

“Are you ready to have our first dance, Mrs. Valentine?” Bryce asked before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“I believe I am,” she said and smiled. Taking his hand, she walked with him out to the dance floor. “You're pretty presumptuous, thinking I'm going to take your name instead of having my own.”

He laughed and spun her in close to him. They started their dance, a classic, simple waltz. “Would you prefer I take yours? I'm not picky, you know. All that matters is that you're mine.”

“I was kidding,” she said. “I was planning on changing my name. Perhaps even publicly. Wouldn't that be a statement to everyone? That this is serious.”

“I saw somewhere that there's a bet going on about how long we're going to last.” He brushed some of her hair with one of his hands. Most of it was piled on the back of her head in a rose-shaped bun and sprayed with glitter. Her dress had a small train that swished around her as they moved. “I don't know if I've said this yet, but you look beautiful.”

She kissed his lips. “You have said it before, but go ahead and say it again. And let them make bets about us. We'll prove them all wrong.” Their love was deep and real and not easily shaken.

“That we will,” he said softly. He kissed her again, deeper this time, and she lingered in the feeling of his soft lips against her own. She would never get tired of doing that with him, and she couldn't wait to give herself to him fully for the first time that night. During their courtship up until the wedding, he'd been nothing but a dream. They’d had their fights, like any normal couple did, but even that added on to her affirmation that they were meant to be together forever. When they made love for the time later that night, then she would be complete. They would be one.

The future was theirs to explore. Not everything was set in stone, but they didn't need it to be. All she needed was him.

About the Author

J.F. Jenkins
lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.

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