Unexpected

Chapter 20

Melanie woke up to a beam of sunlight coming in through the gap in the curtains. She was alone in the bed and could hear the shower running. For a moment she debated joining him but she was warm and comfortable and didn't want to move.

Within minutes she heard the shower turn off. He came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, using another one on his hair.

"Good morning," he smiled at her, walking over to the bed.

He sat on the edge and kissed her. Her hands reached up and pulled him close.

"Good morning. Are you coming back to bed now?"

"Is that what you want to do? Spend the day in bed? You don't want to get out and enjoy the sunshine?"

"Eh. The sun is overrated," she smiled up at him. He yanked the covers off of her and swatted at her bare ass.

"Go take a shower. I'm taking you to breakfast."

She whined but got up and headed to the bathroom. Within 45 minutes they were headed out.

They ate breakfast at a nearby diner then wandered around on foot. A few times Brian was recognized and he obliged fans with autographs and photos, Melanie often being the photographer. She didn't mind. Everyone had been really friendly.

By late afternoon they decided to head back to the hotel. He had told her he wanted to take her to a nice dinner prior to her flying down and had told her to pack something nice. It had been a really warm day and they both decided they wanted to shower again before dinner. He tried to get her to join him but she told him he'd have to wait until later.

At 7:00 she came out of the bathroom fully clothed.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

He was sitting on the end of the bed and looked up at the sound of her voice.

"You look gorgeous," he said getting up and walking over to her.

She was wearing a spaghetti strapped, tight fitting ruby red colored dress, knee length with a slit up the front right leg. She had it paired with black strappy sandals.

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He leaned down and kissed her neck, smelling her sweet perfume.

"And you smell as good as you look. I can't wait to get you out of that dress."

"That'll have to wait until later," she said, pushing him away. "Let's go now or we'll never get out of here." She headed to the door and he followed closely behind her.

He hailed them a cab and gave the driver the name of the restaurant. In about 15 minutes they pulled up outside an upscale seafood restaurant. He helped her out of the cab and they went inside. He gave his name to the hostess and they were immediately escorted to a table for two.

He ordered them a bottle of wine and before their lobsters had arrived they had already drank half of it. They were relaxed and comfortable and neither could think back to a time when they had been happier. It had been a long time for both of them.

Over dinner they discussed a variety of topics - his tour, stories from the ER, childhood stories,  movies... The conversation never fell flat and never stopped. They had shared a second bottle of wine and were both drunk by the time they left the restaurant a few hours later.

They stumbled out into the warm night air, arms around each other and laughing. They had no other plans for the evening so they decided to just walk. A few blocks from the restaurant they came upon a bar. The sound of many voices and loud classic rock music came from within.

"Wanna get a drink?" he asked her. She laughed.

"Yeah, I could use a drink after all that lobster and wine."

The bar was crowded but they managed to find a table. Brian went to the bar and came back with a beer for each of them. They continued to laugh and tried to have a conversation about nothing but the volume in the bar impeded with it. After five beers they were ready to leave. Brian asked the bartender to call them a cab and they stepped outside to wait.

Their ears were ringing but the air felt good on their hot skin. Brian backed her up against the building and kissed her. It was sloppy and wet but neither of them noticed. In their hazy minds at that moment they were the only two people in the world. They were there for what seemed like hours and were only brought back to reality by the sound of the cab horn.

They laughed as they tumbled into the car. Brian managed to mumble out the name of their hotel and they resumed their make out session in the back seat. It was a blur of lips and hands and hair.

When they got to the hotel Brian paid the driver, tipping very generously, and they staggered their way through the lobby to the elevator. When they reached their room Brian fumbled with the key card. He couldn't get it to work. He was laughing and she loudly shushed him, taking the card from him and trying it herself. She couldn't get it to work either. More laughter ensued and he took the card back from her and turned it around. It worked and he turned the door handle, tumbling into the room.

She followed close behind him and turned on the light. As soon as the door clicked shut they were once again tangled up in each other, making their way over to the bed. She collapsed onto it, pulling him with her. After a minute of kissing he announced he needed to pee and said he would be right back.

She laid there waiting for him, the room spinning around her. By the time he got back she was asleep, passed out from the alcohol. He kissed her neck trying to wake her, but it was pointless. He fell over next to her, an arm draped around her waist, and was out in seconds.