Chapter 24 – Aftermath
The next morning came too soon for me. I woke as the light began to fill Brooke's bedroom. I was still holding her close to me. I was completely still, not wanting to disturb her sleep by moving. I smelled her hair and thought of the wonderful places I would like to take her, away from the chaos of this place and this game. She was meant for better than this, all these women were.
I am not sure how long we laid there while I watched her sleep. I did not mind one second of the time that passed and I was somewhat aggravated when it came to an end. The ringing telephone woke Brooke at almost noon. She was quite startled by it and I gingerly attempted to help her adjust to the new day that had arrived.
"You need to get the phone," I whispered to her.
She nodded with her head still on the pillow. Her arm reached away and picked up the cordless handset. I listened as she spoke in short sentences, mostly positive and negative responses. She replaced the handset to its base and rolled over to face me. She was simply gorgeous. She smiled at me playfully before speaking.
"That was Emma," she informed me. "She says that everyone needs to take today to cool off and rethink if they want to continue with this game. She said we should enjoy the day and meet her and everyone else tomorrow morning at the office at 8am."
"That is a lot to take in," I admitted. "I am guessing that she did not mention where everyone else currently stood."
"She didn't say a word about it," Brooke confirmed. "She did say that we should not reach out to anyone else. She wants everyone to have there own space."
"So the game is in limbo," I surmised.
"I guess it is," she deferred. "What do you want to do today?"
"I want to take you out to lunch," I declared. "So let's get ready."
We got up and took our time getting ready. We maneuvered around each other in and out of the bathroom, lightheartedly. I watched her wash her face and apply a light layer of makeup before she finally announced that she was ready to go. I really did not want to leave her alone for a single moment.
"Were you worried I was going to take forever to get ready," she questioned me.
"Not at all," I disclosed. "Let's just forget the game today. I really just want to spend all my waking moments with you. You are infectious."
She smiled at me but did not respond. I wondered if I had said too much right there. I wasn't sure that was possible after what Brooke had said to me last night, but I still worried a little. We headed out the door and off to lunch.
We ate at a small café downtown, sitting outside and enjoy the fall air. The day was cool and dry, but very bright. Brooke looked like a movie star with her sunglasses on. The conversation was light and witty. Every moment with her was another moment farther from the game. This slope was getting slippery. When lunch was over I surprised Brooke by taking her to the movies instead of taking her home. I let her choose whatever film she wanted to see and of course she picked the current romantic comedy.
We sat in the theater, laughing through most of the movie, not from the content of the film but from the banter going on between us. We poked fun at the story, the actors, the cheesy lines and the sentimental moments. This girl was melting me completely. In the moments when we weren't whispering between us, I continued to wonder if I should vote to shut the game down tomorrow if the opportunity arose.
I shook off that thought as we exited the theater and headed home. When we were safely back at Brooke's place, I decided I was going to go for a run before the afternoon ended. I changed into some more appropriate cloths, threw my sneakers on and was out the door. I jogged to the complex exit and down the road. I moved at a fair pace but my thoughts were like lightning.
Should I vote to end the game? If the game continued, who would be in charge? Was Emma going to take a more active role? What the hell was happening? What was going to happen?
I ran, faster as my thoughts haunted me. They tormented me as I picked up my pace to a full sprint. I found myself back in the complex, sprinting towards the front door of Brooke's unit. I stopped on the doorstep, out of wind and totally worn. I bent over to catch my breath, wanting to be somewhat composed before I entered the house. After several long minutes I entered, finding Brooke sitting on the couch.
"Did you out run all your questions," she asked me.
"Not a chance," I admitted. "I am sure you must have questions too."
"Let's get this out of the way right now," she exclaimed. "I want this settled so we can enjoy our night together. I have questions, but I don't care about the game anymore. I care about you. I won't pretend but I will play since I know you have strong feelings for the other women. I trust you and will follow your lead. If you want to play, I will play, since being with you once in a while is better than being without you 100% of the time. If you don't want to play, we will figure something else out. I am with you, not the game."
I stood there, speechless. I stared at her, hardly believing her honesty and directness had moved me like they did. I had to process all of that.
"Thanks," I responded. "I am going to take a shower and digest all of that."
She smiled at me and I headed up the stairs. I went into my room and used the bathroom in there instead of the bathroom that was attached to Brooke's bedroom. I stripped out of my sweaty running cloths and stepped into the single stall shower. The water flowed over me and I prayed it would clean my mind. I needed help preparing for tomorrow. I thought of everything as I was standing there. I thought of all these women.
Vivian, who had some deep rooted feelings for me but her violence last night had scared me. Emma, who started this and then stepped away, but still always kept her finger on the pulse of the game. Nikki, who I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with and now found myself missing. Leslie, who needed me for strength. Penny, who I needed for sanity. And now, of course, Brooke, who had captured pieces of me, pieces that I thought had died in my divorce.
My train of thought was quickly derailed when I heard the shower door open. I opened my eyes to see Brooke stepping into the shower, completely naked. She stood directly before me, her back to the wall, mine to the water. She closed the door when she was entirely inside and looked up at me. I could hear her breathing in the small space we occupied.
"Forget the game for the rest of the night," Brooke said to me, finally breaking the silence. "Treat me like I am yours and yours alone. Treat me like you love me."
