A Wedding Affair (The Wedding Affair) (11 page)

“Well I gotta reach the pedals don’t I?” he pushes the start button as my Cadillac comes to life, the pop-up navigation comes on with a wave of the hand and he hits the home button. Clever bastard isn’t he as he maneuvers through the controls of my Cadillac with little effort ease and perfection.

Traffic is heavy as usual on a Friday night in downtown Cleveland
he makes a U-turn and follows into traffic, I glance over at him, his profile that I use to caress, his hands that use to hold mine. Memories of Tristan all laced with emotion heated by desire and that is why I buried them just too painful.

Tristan drives with little or no effort,
he navigates through the city, swiftly and in control, the streets are alive and busy with people, the midnight blue sky is seductive and beckons you, the Indians game has just let out, the casino is going strong, and there are people everywhere. He points towards the stadium as the brilliant fireworks light up the night sky.

“We must have won tonight look at the fireworks”
I open the roof and glance over at Progressive Field and we admire the display of red white and blue, they say nights like this do crazy things to people, you got that right hell looks what it’s done to me!

I take stock that Tristan
is still a good driver, he never speeds and he handles my car with precision and confidence. He reaches for the button on the steering wheel he turns on the music and hits some other button and the sound resonates clear and crisp. I am dazed and buzzed as I look out my window at the people enjoying a summer night in Cleveland.

The
lyrics echo in my mind wow do they fit perfect, boy am I
CRUISING FOR A BRUISING
sing it Basia!

Tristan
whisks us away over the bridge, downtown behind us as we head towards the residential area of the urban sprawl that we call Ohio City, a quaint little area that is home to The West Side Market, countless beer gardens and of course my family Church, and our family home that I recently moved back into about two years ago.

The area I live in,
is one of the oldest neighborhoods here in Cleveland, the district is filled with eclectic shops, café and boutiques, wonderful up and coming restaurants great old churches, a library that we all did our homework at as kids quant old Victorian houses and streets that look like so picturesque.

This area is near and dear to my heart because all
of us kids grew up here. We played here, we made our communion and confirmation here, my parents were married here, and we went to school here, it holds a lot of fond memories that are easy to remember.

I moved back into
to our family home, about two years ago, I wanted to be close to the store and I just missed the area, I use to live in a condo near my old job that I had with you know who sitting next to me, but I like living in a house rather than a condo and I was fleeing Tristan and this seemed the best way to ward him off for the past two years and gosh it was working until Ian decided to try a new restaurant.

Wow a thought crosses my mind, is all this meant to happen and do I have Ian to bl
ame for this? Apprehensive, worrisome as I know this is not going to sit well with anyone when I tell them what I have been doing and with whom. I put my thoughts aside for the moment.

We sit in the comfort of technolog
y, my navigation girl giving directions to my house, maybe he won’t remember where my house is!

Wishful thinking on my part,
Tristan knowing where I live is not good and I am distracted as the music fills the air so we don’t have to speak, I am grateful for that, we talked too much tonight, and what I have found out is frankly none of my business, it has nothing to do with me I guess that is my solace. I don’t know as my thoughts are scattered and now interrupted as I am brought back from my daydreaming by,

YOUR DESTIATION IS ON YOUR LEFT!

Tristan pulls into the driveway and parks by the front door. I get out digging in my purse for my keys, Tristan gets out of the car twirling my keys.

“
Looking for something?” he walks over to me at a glacial pace, I look up at him, that killer sexy smile of his makes me smile.
shut the damn thing off will ya!
I grab the keys from him open the door and turned off the alarm, I leave my purse and keys on the entry hall table, I look back at him with hands in his pocket rocking on his Gucci loafers.

“Tristan come in please”
he follows me in and just looks around I start turning on lights and he looks amazed, as he enters my home and looks around at my oasis.

M
y home it’s a huge old Victorian, with fifteen foot ceilings, arched doorways, a cherry and white winding staircase that takes you up to the second floor where all four bedrooms are and of course my killer closet, more on that later.

The
parlor with the original working fireplace, houses the television, the room is filled with big comfy chairs, a huge sofa that you just want to sink into and of course my collection of books and fashion magazines that flank the walls, built in book cases that are behind the bar, the floor to ceiling windows are all dressed in champagne and gold. The huge mirror that enriches the fireplace is over one hundred years old, the mantel is adorned with family photos and to the right of course my father’s bass which is still in the corner as he left it.

My
formal dining room is palatial; it’s long and narrow with a huge Persian rug that anchors an oval cherry table which seats eight to twenty. All the floors are original, I had them stripped and restored to their grandeur right down the gold inlay that frames a boarder around the room. The walls are all cream and champagne, the huge floor to ceiling bay-window is where the grand piano lives. And on the wall as you first come in is my MONA LISA that I bought when I was in college on my first trip to Paris on a school field trip.

The
state of the art kitchen I did in a French theme, the floor looks like cobblestones, its coral, cream and slate title reminded me of the cobblestone in France. The huge mural over the bistro table is of a corner café in Paris, the window seat has pillows and drapes that invite you to sit and read while you enjoy a croissant.

I love to cook and entertain
a lot so I wanted a kitchen you feel comfortable in that is cozy inviting and warm. The cherry French cabinets adorn the walls and the pantry houses the refrigerator and all my kitchen gadgets and small appliances.

“Do you live here all alone?”
Tristan asks as he enters behind me.

“Just me and Mon
a!” he looks at me puzzled as I point to the gold framed image of the Mona Lisa as she greets everyone as they enter the dining room.

Tristan glances over to the picture and then looks back at me with his playful grin.

“So your roommate is framed, and you’re fit to be tied?” yes he is funny I will give him that, his humor also knows no bounds he has always been the closer, with charm and sexy banter as his key weapon, I was forever under his spell.

This time not so much an effect
as just a shock, I look at him and shake my head always quick with the wit this arrogant son of a bitch will be as challenging as ever as I take a deep breath.

I turn on some lamps
and walk into the parlor over to the bar and grab the bottle of grey goose, Tristan just watches me move about. I answer his unasked question.

“
Why stop now, at least I’m home right? You want a drink?”

“U
m …I think I had enough”

“S
uit yourself Tristan”

“D
on’t you think you’ve had enough?” I look over at him and my reply is more for shock value than anything.

“I want more than enough
!” well shock is not what I am looking at, damn it’s that sexy smile of his that he is giving me, complete with his teeth clinching his bottom lip, and shaking his head at me, sexy glares can’t keep this going, I believe a change of venue is what we need. On that note I walk pass him bottle in hand as I head towards the kitchen.

“
I need ice” he follows me into the kitchen I fill my glass with ice and walk out the French sliding doors out to the stone terrace that overlooks the pool in the backyard.

Tristan follows me and he is impressed

“Wow this is like nirvana, what a way to relax after work”

The whole backyard is
illuminated by a stone wall with lights scattered throughout the grounds, my brothers are landscapers they did all of this when I moved back here.

“I
t’s so peaceful out here after a grueling day of dealing with men all day, customers attitudes and business in general, present company included” my smile lets him know that I am being my sarcastic self.

Tristan takes his jacket off and puts it on the back of the patio
chair; we sit next to one another looking out at the water in the pool.

“Aria this house is you, I have very fond memories of you and I in your old house,
oh the meals you made me, dancing in your kitchen, I remember like it was yesterday” Ok he is getting serious again change gears, I take a sip of my vodka, wow we gotta eat, a thought crosses my mind, I take a sip of my grey goose on ice it is cool refreshing so I down the glass and I see Tristan as he just looks me in surprise and wonder.

“H
ey are you hungry?” my question is suggestive but anything I say to him comes off that way.

“Hungry for what Aria?
” his is cute and most discerning, that look on his face right now is why I he gets me wet. Damn him after all this time he still pulls at me, but I can’t let him know the effect he has on me,
God knows what he will do.

So I give him a
goofy look don’t make me hurt you! And try to lighten the mood between us.

“I have something that I think you migh
t like” he looks at me with sinister intent.

“Do you now?”
oh he is as ever challenging as his sexual innuendo is overflowing and oozing out his every pore.

“Y
es and get your mind out of the gutter” I say smiling as I grab my glass and walk back through the French doors to the kitchen.

“C
ome on, I will warm it up” he is always quick with his mocking sexual undertones like I said he has teased me sexually and it still has the same effect on me, I am hot and bothered in places he should not have access to.

I fix myself
another drink as slice a lime as I get busy with warming up a midnight supper for us, all this drinking and no food, no wonder I am coming unglued, well
coming
being the operative word here.