Love Left Behind (13 page)

By the time dessert
came out, I was feeling flushed with happiness but also uncomfortably full. I
felt like I was going to pop.

"I don't think I
can eat another bite," I groaned. "The last time I ate this much was
Thanksgiving."

"Okay,"
Jackson replied mischievously. "I guess I'll just have to eat your
chocolate bread pudding."

He reached over as if
he was going to grab my plate when I had second thoughts.

"Well..." I
said, drawing out the word. "I guess I could make room for dessert. It
would be a shame to not even taste it."

Jackson grinned as he
started eating his apple tart.

"This is really
good," he said after his first bite. "You have to try it."

He scooped up a bite on
his fork and reached across the table for me to taste. I opened my mouth and
accepted the bite, feeling warmed by the intimacy of the action.

"Wow, that's
good," I said. "I can see why this is your favorite restaurant."

I took a bite of my
bread pudding and the apple tart was instantly forgotten.

"Oh my God,"
I said. "You have to try this. It's incredible."

I reached over with a
spoonful of bread pudding for Jackson to taste, mimicking his earlier gesture.
Jackson guided my hand with his, taking the bite of bread pudding from the
spoon. Instead of releasing my hand as he ate the bite of bread pudding, he
kept hold of it, gazing at me. He then smiled and turned my hand over that was
still clutching the spoon, softly kissing the center of my palm with an open
mouth and tasting me with his tongue.

He then released my
hand and it fell limply onto the table. I felt boneless as I looked at him, his
gesture making my lower body tighten.

"What was that
for?" I asked, surprised at how breathless my voice sounded.

Jackson smiled slowly.
"I wanted a taste of the sweetest dessert. You."

It was a good thing I
was sitting; otherwise, I would have melted into a pool of desire.

"Boy, you sure
know how to flatter a girl," I joked, but my voice sounded unsteady.
"You must have to beat them off with a stick."

Jackson wasn't smiling
at he gazed at me. "There's only one girl I'm interested in. I have a
feeling that's not going to change for a long time. If ever."

That's when I realized
that Jackson would be my undoing.

The theater was already
bustling when we arrived even though there was still half an hour left before
the start of the show. It was a small venue with only about a hundred seats,
but the cozy space gave it a convivial feeling, as if friends were gathering to
spend an evening together. People had brought their own drinks and were sharing
bottles of wine. Jackson greeted numerous people as he guided me to a seat in
the front of the theater.

"Go ahead and get
ready," I urged as I sat down. "I'm fine. Don't you need to change
and get into makeup or something?"

Jackson smiled.
"This isn't exactly a big production. It's more of a 'show up as you are
and start acting' type of deal."

"Either way, I
can't wait to see it! When you're a big movie star I can say that I knew you
when."

"If that ever
happens, you won't have to say that, because I'm betting you'll be right beside
me."

Jackson leaned down and
gave me a quick kiss. "Just come backstage afterwards. Enjoy the
show."

He walked away and I
watched his retreating back as he stopped to talk to multiple people. Jackson
had a way with words that left me breathless.

I waited with
anticipation, watching people arrive for the show until it was packed to
capacity. When the lights darkened signaling the start of the show, it was all
I could do to not bounce up and down in my seat in excitement. I couldn't wait
to see Jackson onstage.

Claire came out first
and she looked beautiful, the stage lights giving her a luminous quality. Her
blonde hair was gleaming and her movements were lithe and graceful. There was a
single chair and table on stage and she sat down, facing the audience and
speaking directly to us.

"Before Matthew, I led a pretty boring life. Here in Bankford,
Missouri you don't get much excitement. The biggest news around here was
getting a multiplex so that we didn't have to drive to the next town to watch a
movie. But I was happy. I liked my job at the local diner, my days filled with
chatting up customers and slicing pie. Dating the town deputy wasn't too shabby
either. Charlie was kind, good-looking and great in the sack. Life was pretty
good and I was happy.

Then Matthew came into town.

Matthew was a stranger, something we don't get too often in Bankford. I
served him coffee and a slice of blueberry pie, not realizing that he would
change my life.

I don't know if the change was for the better or for the worse. Let me
show you what happened. Then you can decide."

The stage darkened and
when the lights came back on, the stage was set as a diner and Jackson was
onstage. As I watched the story unfold, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was
mesmerizing, his presence commanding the stage, and the audience was quiet and
still as they were absorbed in the play. Jackson's intensity rolled off of him
in palpable waves. I could feel his exhilaration when his character and
Claire's were discovering each other, and his pain and anguish when they were
separated.

A part of me had been
worried that I would feel jealous watching Jackson and Claire pretending to be
in love with each other. Jackson had warned me that they had kissing scenes and
I had braced myself for it, not wanting to let it bother me. But as I got
involved in the story, I forgot that it was Jackson and Claire on stage. I got
wrapped up in the story of Matthew and Annie, Claire's character. I laughed at
their missteps of getting to know each other. I cried when they realized that a
future together would hurt the people they loved. Until finally it was just
Annie on stage by herself again, addressing the audience.

"I still live in Bankford, Missouri. I still spend my days serving
pie. But my nights belong to the memories of Matthew. I'm not sure if my life
is better or worse now. But I know I wouldn't change a thing. Because for a
brief period of time I knew what true happiness was. True happiness was
choosing Matthew."

The theater darkened
and the audience rose to their feet, cheering. I stood up, clapping loudly, and
noticed that I wasn't the only one wiping away tears. The stage lights came
back on as the cast came out for their bows. Everyone drew loud applause, but
the audience was thunderous as Jackson stepped up for his bow.

I clapped my hands
until they tingled. I knew that I had seen something special in Jackson
tonight. He had the ability to draw you in and believe everything he was
feeling. It was because of his eyes. His eyes had the power to show every
emotion he was experiencing, making you experience them as well. The small
theater was an unintended benefit since the modest size allowed you to see
every nuance of his expression, every shifting emotion of his eyes.

Jackson grinned at the
crowd and my heart skipped a beat when he caught my gaze and winked at me. I
smiled up at him, feeling ridiculously happy and proud.

After the cast returned
backstage and the theater lights came up, I maneuvered my way through the crowd
towards the stage. I heard snippets of conversation as I was jostled around and
I knew I hadn't been the only one affected by Jackson's performance.

"The guy who
played Matthew was amazing! What's his name?"

"Oh my God, I was
practically sobbing when Matthew confessed his feelings to Annie."

"The guy who
played Matthew is seriously hot."

Hearing people gush
about Jackson made me ecstatic and proud. It also gave me a secret thrill that
the man all the girls were gushing about was interested in me.

I stood on my toes and
craned my neck when I got to the backstage entrance. I had expected to have to
give my name to some bodyguard or security person to gain entrance, but since
this was a small do-it-yourself production, people just swarmed in unchecked.

I caught sight of
Claire and waved my hand, catching her attention. She smiled widely and
motioned for me to make my way to her through the crowd.

"Excuse me,"
I said repeatedly as I weaved through the crowd. I gave Claire a hug when I
reached her.

"The play was
great, you were amazing! I almost bawled like a baby."

Claire's eyes were
dancing and she looked exhilarated. "Thanks! It never gets old, being
onstage. I'm glad you liked it." Claire nodded to her right and I looked
in that direction. I saw Jackson being mobbed by audience members and he looked
in his element, talking and laughing easily amongst them. He caught sight of me
and said something to the crowd around him. He then started moving towards me.

"What did you
think?" he asked, grabbing me around the waist. His eyes were sparkling
and their green depths shone with happiness.

"You were
incredible! I got so caught up in the play that I forgot who you were and
believed that you were Matthew."

"Thanks," he
said, giving me a quick kiss. "Now let's get out of this mob scene."

"Don't you want to
soak up the adulation of your fans?" I asked wryly.

"I appreciate it,
but I'd rather be alone with you."

"Actually, I told
Claire earlier that we would get a few drinks with her after the show."

The corners of
Jackson's mouth turned down. "Can't we do it another night? I thought we
could just go back to my place."

"I know what your
nefarious plans are," I said with a smirk. "You're just trying to
have your way with me."

Jackson widened his
eyes innocently. "I just thought you'd want to get your skirt." He
then gave me a slow smile. "And I'd like to see you wearing it again with
nothing else but those heels.

I laughed, shaking my
head, but I couldn't deny the heat shooting up inside me at his words. "We
can do that afterwards. I don't want to just abandon Claire after I agreed to
drinks."

Jackson gave a small
sigh but acquiesced. "Alright. You win. Let's just try to keep it to one
drink. Claire has a tendency to drink a little too much after a show."

We weaved our way
through the crowd towards Claire who had moved across the room to speak to some
fellow castmates. Jackson was stopped every few steps by someone expressing
their enjoyment of the show.

"Ready to
go?" I asked Claire when we reached her. She had just finished talking to
another cast member.

"Yeah, let me just
grab my bag. Why don't I meet you guys outside in front of the theater?"

Claire disappeared into
the crowd and Jackson and I made our way outside. He grabbed my hand and pulled
me over to an awning a few doors down. We were in front of a flower shop and
Jackson hid us behind a large flowering potted tree.

"Let's wait here.
Otherwise, I'll have to make small talk with everyone."

I laughed at Jackson's
evasive tactics. "What are you going to do when the paparazzi chase after
you when you're famous?"

Jackson grinned.
"I doubt that'll ever happen, but if it does, you can be my personal
bodyguard."

"Considering
you're probably at least six inches taller than me, I doubt I'll be a good
shield for you."

Jackson leaned down and
kissed my neck, working his way up to my ear and lightly biting my earlobe.
"You'd be too distracting for me anyway. If you were in front of me, I
couldn't keep my eyes off that sexy little ass of yours." To make his
point, Jackson reached down and gave it a squeeze.

"Behave!" I
laughed, shooing his hands away. "Otherwise, the owner of this flower
store is going to have us arrested for public indecency."

"I can't seem to
keep my hands off you," Jackson said with a wicked grin. "It's not my
fault you're so irresistible."

I squealed as he made a
grab for my behind again and I was pushing against his chest, trying to evade
his hands, when I caught sight of Claire a few feet behind Jackson. She was
watching us with an unreadable expression, but when she saw me notice her, she
just gave me an amused smile.

"Hi, Claire,"
I said loudly, giving Jackson a look of censure.

Jackson turned around,
still smiling widely. "Hi, Claire," he parroted.

"I can take a rain
check on drinks if you'd like," Claire offered with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head.
"No, no, we still want to get a drink. Jackson is just trying to be
charming and failing miserably. He doesn't realize women don't respond well to
grab-ass."

"And here I
thought I was being smooth," Jackson said with a shrug. He grabbed my hand
and led us towards Claire. "Should we be predictable and go to
Max's?"

"No, let's go
somewhere else," Claire answered. "There's a lounge a couple of
blocks away that we can go to. It won't be as noisy as Max's."

Jackson looked to me
and I nodded. "Sounds good to me. I don't really care where we go."

As we walked over to
the lounge I couldn't help gushing about the play.

"Seriously, it was
amazing. I completely forgot who you guys were. You just became Annie and
Matthew to me.

"Trent, the
director, really wanted the audience to feel the despair and love between me
and Jackson. During rehearsals, he used to make us sit completely still across
from each other and had us just stare into each other's eyes without saying a
word. He said it brought our emotions to the surface."

Jackson snickered.
"I kept telling him that all I could think about was the cramp in my leg
from sitting still for so long. That, and what I was going to eat for lunch
later."

"Jackson,"
Claire said scowling. "Don't make fun of the process. I think it really
helped us."