Bumping Into Love (Tales From The Wasatch Range)

[Webster]

...in a nutshell, this is the story of how Stephanie and Elizabeth met and fell in love. A simple, if long-timed story, if you think about it...    :r

...first, though, a short prologue...  
Prologue: June 2013 - Salt Lake City

Sitting around the table on the back deck of their house in the northern edge of the Avenues, Stephanie glanced over at one of her guests and smiled. They - her and Liz, a couple of neighbors, along with some friends they'd met over the past few months - were enjoying a quiet housewarming party, one planned a few weeks prior but that had been pushed back as Steph and Liz had waited for the closing papers on their house to finally come back from the lawyers' office. After returning, they decided to go ahead and throw the party anyway, figuring the delay was well worth it.

Looking around the house, one would be hard-pressed to recognize it from the house they'd first seen back in March. After hours and hours of cleaning, painting, renovating - and numerous trips to a nearby hardware store for advice, help and supplies  - both of them had transformed Stephanie's old house into something befitting a young, married couple, complete with a crossed American and rainbow flag picture that one couldn't help but avoid seeing as one entered from the kitchen door.

After a moment, Stephanie looked over and asked, "What was that again, Kara?"

"Oh, I was just wondering," Kara replied, "about you and Liz. My husband was just remarking earlier that you two seem perfectly made for each other and I thought I'd ask sometime," trying not to seem intrusive with her question.

Blushing for a moment, Stephanie thought, How do I begin to explain..., looking over towards Liz and watching her mix with the crowd outside, ..but its' a story I'd gladly tell, over and over again. "Let me get another drink first and I'll tell you the whole wonderful story, okay?"

...and so we begin...
note: from this point on, the story's going to be told through Stephanie's eyes...and there will be a few bits of adult language and themes at times; you have been duly warned.
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April 2005 - Camp Geiger, N.C.
Auxiliary Maintenance & Communications Facility East

Come on, wheres' the damn connection? I kept whispering to myself as I stood outside, bent over at the waist, my head underneath the hood of a Humvee, trying to install a SINCGARS radio and having a hard time of it. After a good deal of effort - and a few painful twinges from getting the occasional shock as I continued trying to install the radio, I let out a long whistle as I closed the back of the radio cover and closed the hood.

Looking around, I caught - to my pleasant surprise - a gorgeous woman walking towards me. She looked close to my age - twenty-six, I thought -, was about my height - I guessed at the time about 5'8" or 5'9" - with long, slightly-past-the-shoulders light blonde hair, a nice figure all-around. (Me, I'm around 5'11, with shoulder-length black hair and a wiry athletic yet beautiful figure.) She looked stunning but something was telling me that something was wrong.

"Excuse me, is there anyone here who can help me?" she asked, pulling off a set of aviator shades as she stood there. She stuttered and looked both embarrassed and very pissed off; what caught my eye, though, were her bright blue eyes, which seemed to blaze with a fire that accented her overall beauty.

Taking off my fatigue cap, I smiled and tried to defuse her anger. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked, taking another moment to look at her. Dressed in boot-cut jeans, black sleeveless jacket and a mid-length sleeved white blouse, it confirmed my initial opinion of her from the moment before.

"I'm having some trouble with my truck back there," she said, pointing back with her thumb towards a large, slate-gray Silverado which had its' hood up, "and I'm at a loss as to what could be wrong. Could you take a look at it?"

"Certainly," I said, sliding my fatigue cap into a back pocket and walking over with her to her truck. "Nice truck," I said as we walked up to the front. Leaning inside, I took a quick glance inside, checking some of the belts and hoses before taking another look around. "Let me look underneath a second," I added, getting down on the ground and wiggling my way under the truck to look. After a few moments, I got back out and stood up in front of the truck. "Let me pull the truck into the maintenance shack over there," I told her, "and see if I can someone out here to help." Technically, I knew I was pushing it: only military vehicles were allowed in the maintenance shack...but I also knew there were exceptions to that very rule, and I knew that because on a few occasions, the marines that worked inside the shack were also very good vehicle mechanics who were willing to bend the rules once in a while.

"Sure, no problem," she said, handing the keys and stepping aside so that I could climb inside. Driving it into one of the maintenance bays, I whistled over to a nearby marine and told him what was going on, After a quick conversation - and me pulling rank of him: he was a lance corporal, I was a senior airman, one step up the ladder from him - I walked back outside to join the other woman, who was rubbing her nose with her index finger and thumb. "There was something definitely sketchy, but I couldn't pin my finger on it," I said to her. I waved over the maintenance tech I had been talking to and asked him to go over the truck, from stem to stern. "Yes, Airman," he replied, getting right to work.

As we walked back inside the air-conditioned office where I worked most days while the JASOC - the Joint Air Support Operations Center - out at Courthouse Bay was being renovated, I realized to my shock that I hadn't even introduced myself. "Before I forget," holding out a hand towards her for a handshake, "let me introduce myself. Senior Airman Stephanie Harrington," I said.

"Elizabeth Halliday," the other woman replied, accepting my handshake with a firm - check that, very firm - grasp. "Everyone calls me Liz, though; I think only my parents and my Uncle Thomas ever call me Elizabeth anymore."

"Nice to meet you, Liz," I replied.

"I hate to ask, but how much is this going to cost me," Liz asked. "I mean, I don't know if it would cost more or --"

"Well, your serpentine belt was beginning to fray, and the diesel engine inside your truck was sounding funny, so I asked the tech inside to work on both," I said to Liz, running in my mind how much it would cost her. "Without having to ask the techs - or crack the books open - I'd say the belt and the engine work are going to cost about $150 dollars or thereabouts - and that's if you took it off-base - give or take how long they work on it back there," pausing as I sat down behind my desk.

I knew what I wanted to say but to this day I'm still at a loss as to why I wanted to say it. "But dinner with me wouldn't cost you a cent."

 

[Webster]

"Excuse me?!" Liz said. She had a semi-offended look on her face but I knew better; I'd seen her checking me out earlier.

"You're excused," I replied, leaning back in my chair and thinking, Who is she kidding? Not me, that's for damn certain...

"I'm not a..." Liz stammered out, now trying to backtrack her way out of her earlier remark.

"Lesbian?" I chuckled and shook my head slightly towards her. ""Of course you're not, but I watched you checking me out earlier. I'm only asking you to dinner, Liz. One meal. It'll be about two hours of your life."

Before either of us could say anything else, a knock on the side door entering the maintenance bay interrupted our conversation. Looking over, I saw that it was Lance Corporal Kennedy, one of the maintenance techs assigned to the facility. He had a grim look about his face as he stood there at the door.

"Airman, Lance Corporal Paulson had us run a full diagnostic. You were right, it does need a new serpentine belt. Its' also running like it had never had a proper oil change in its' life; Danny says we're going to have to flush the entire engine out."

"Damn it!" Liz groaned, once again rubbing her nose and muttering a few choice words.

Thinking fast, I had an idea. "Dalton, are you the only tech back there in the maintenance bay right now?"

"Yes, Airman," he replied rather sheepishly. LCpl. Kennedy was the most junior E-3 at the maintenance facility and I sometimes felt sorry for him over the ribbing his fellow marines would give him. But I also knew he was a damn better mechanic than either LCpls' Paulson or Rodgers and so I decided to challenge his mechanical skills.

"Its' just before 1600, Lance Corporal Kennedy," I said, glancing at my watch. "If that Silverado is ready to go by 1900 hours, I'll personally vouch for you when you go up before the next promotion board, alright? We have a deal, Lance Corporal Kennedy?"addressing him in a tone similar to that of a drill instructor.

"Yes, ma'am, I'll have it ready by then!" he snapped, turning swiftly on his bootheels and running back into the bay.

Looking back over at Liz, I said to her, "Its' going to take him probably three hours or so to work on your truck. You can either wait in here, alone..or you can go to dinner with me. Choice is yours." Standing up, I grabbed by BDU jacket and enlisted garrison cap, then headed for the door. Liz paused for a moment but I figured she'd rather not stay behind because she jumped up and followed me out to where all of us - Air Force and Marine personnel combined - who worked in the temporary JASOC facility kept their vehicles, along with other assorted vehicles that were kept on base.

"Which one's yours?" Liz asked as she looked over the four cars I had stopped in front of.

"Technically, all four of them," I beamed as I stood back and watched the amazed look on her face. "Which one do you want to ride in?"

"Oh, I don't know," she replied, trying to remain indifferent..but I knew better; Liz definitely had an opinion hidden inside and I wanted to know. Walking up behind her, I pointed to the first car. My arm slightly brushed her shoulder; Liz flinched a little but didn't move away.

"That one is a late 70's Ferrari GTS 246 ," I whispered, standing close to her ear. Moving my arm, I pointed her towards the second car. "That's a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, similar to the one in the movie Bullitt."

She nodded weakly and I continued on. "That one is a 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the last one is my own vehicle, a 2004 Ford GT that I bought at a government auction last year after I returned from Iraq."

"The Bullitt one's nice," Liz said with a slight stutter. I noticed her face was somewhat flushed and I knew I was getting to her.

 

[Webster]

"The Bullitt one it is," I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the car, which - as I remember at the time - belonged to one of my fellow combat air controllers who was on temporary duty down at Hurlburt Field. I opened her door for her and then got in behind the wheel. Driving carefully out of the parking lot, I wasn't worried about whether a senior NCO or an officer would come by and wonder where the duty enlisted person - me - was at; most of the people in my chain of command usually took off for home prior to 1600.

Once we were on the road, however, we made great time exiting Camp Geiger via the back roads and soon pulled up to a nice French restaurant I frequented in Jacksonville (NC). Walking in - and after a rather short wait - the maitre'd sat us at a great little table that I'd sat at plenty of times before, both with colleagues and fellow military from Camp Geiger and by myself. We ordered quickly and our plates came quickly, along with her drinks - Liz a light red wine, me a sparkling mineral water.

As we joked about a few things, I said to her, "See, coming out with me wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. Listen, Stephanie," Liz said, "I apologize for being as rude as I was back there on the base after you'd asked me out--"

"Don't sweat it," I smiled, "besides, I got you to come out with me anyway, didn't I?"

The rest of our meal went very effortlessly; Liz and I joked and laughed as if we'd been friends for a long time, not as if we'd just met or something. I couldn't believe how comfortable Liz seemed to be with me; I'd expected her to be quiet and awkward but she seemed to be really relaxed and enjoying herself. To be quite honest, I had asked her out for the sheer challenge of it but the more our first date - if you want to call it that - went, the more I genuinely enjoyed Liz's company. She didn't seem as pretentious or uptight as she had come off at first and it also genuinely felt as though I was falling for her. It was a little frightening, to be sure.

Looking at my watch, I saw that it was almost 2000 hours - 8pm. We'd been at that restaurant for at least three hours - and to this day, I don't think we've ever had a restaurant date last that long as that very first one. After finishing our meals, I drove Liz back to the base and back to the auxiliary maintenance facility where we'd first met. Pulling up to the bay, we saw that Liz's Silverado - which she still drives to this day, I might add - was out front, ready to go.

Walking over, I saw that there was a note stuck underneath the windshield. Looking at it, I chuckled lightly: it was Lance Corporal Kennedy. "Stephanie, the truck's ready to go...and don't worry about vouching for me at the promotion board; I don't go up until the end of the year at the earliest. Signed, LCpl Kennedy. P.S.: Great catch, boss; that blonde's hot!" Sliding the note into a blouse pocket, I grabbed the keys and handed them to Liz. "Here you go," I said to her.

"Thanks," Liz said, looking at her truck with a broad smile across her face. As we stood there, she once again tried to apologize for what she'd said earlier and I waved the apology off. "Don't sweat it...but I would like to go out with you again."

"That sounds nice," she replied. Pausing for a moment, she walked back towards me a bit. "Stephanie, I'm not really a lesbian. I don't know about this..."

"Relax, its' just like a regular date except its' with me and not some guy," I said to her. Then, out of the clear blue, I leaned in and kissed her cheek. Liz appeared shocked but said nothing, instead just smiling and nodding a bit. Reaching over for my purse, I grabbed a blank card and wrote my cell number and the auxiliary facility's number down, handing it to her. "Like I said, relax. Go home and enjoy a nice glass of wine or a bubble bath or whatever you enjoy doing then call me and we'll make plans. Or you can drive off and throw away the card, your choice."

"Alright, I'll call you," she said suddenly, as if to head off any doubt in her mind. I thought, she'll call, its' written on her face.

"That sounds great," I replied, smiling but feeling a little uncomfortable, as if neither of us wanted to leave but knowing that we couldn't stay either. As she climbed into her truck, I leaned in and whispered, "Good night, Liz."

"Good night, Stephanie. Talk to you soon," she replied. As she drove away, I kept thinking to myself, for not being a lesbian, she sure was interested in talking to me again. It seemed as though I'd really lucked out with her...though she was a bit rough around the edges, but there was something there that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Things might work out but then again they might not; as they say, only time would tell the tale.

 

[Webster]

After making sure everything inside the facility was in its' proper place and secured for the evening, I headed out to my car and drove home, making good time along the way. Eventually, I pulled into the driveway of my modest two-story home just outside Jacksonville and shut the car off. The house was located in a quiet, almost rural part of eastern North Carolina and abutted against a broad old-oak forest, a bit far from Camp Geiger but well worth it. Thanks to a lot of income saving since enlisting back in '98 - and money from an inheritance following my paternal grandfather's passing a few years before - I could afford not only the house but also a few acres around it as well.

It was 1700 square feet, with three bedrooms, two baths, an attached garage and a swimming pool in the back...and all of it was mine. When I got home popped open a bottle of dark red wine and started running a bath; after the interesting day I'd had, I was ready to relax. After making sure the water was the right temperature, I stopped the bathtub and watched it fill. As the steam rose from the water's surface, I added some bath oil. With the click of a small remote, smooth jazz began playing; throw in a few candles and I was ready to unwind.

After turning the water down so that the tub wouldn't overfill, I went into the bedroom to undress, setting aside the BDU's I had worn and reminding myself to stop by one of the base laundries and drop off several sets of BDUs' for cleaning. Next came off my fatigue shirt, followed by both my bra and underwear...now I was ready for my bath.

Getting in, I used my foot to turn the water off and began to relax, letting the water flow around me. I relaxed maybe all of thirty seconds when my cell phone rang to the tune of The Air Force Song. Reaching over, I grabbed it from where I'd placed it on the mat nearby. "Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Stephanie. This is Liz...Liz Halliday."

"Oh, hey, Liz," I replied.

"Well, you told me to call you so...so I did. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time--"

"You didn't, Liz...so, I assume this means you want to go out with me again..."

"...yeah, I'd like to sometime."

"That's great. Come by the communications and maintenance facility about 6 or so. We'll go out to dinner; I know this great Italian restaurant on the waterfront between Jacksonville and New Bern."

"What should I wear? Is it formal or..."

"Liz, relax, babe. Dress as you did today."

"Alright."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Me too. Night, Stephanie."

"Night, Liz," I replied, setting the cell phone back down and relaxing once more, shaking my head as I did. She was still pretty uptight, like she was worrying over everything that could happen or something. I'll work on that, I thought as I finished my bath and soon afterward headed to bed. Crawling in between the sheets and tried to sleep but found myself having trouble; all I could do was think about Liz. I didn't know when I finally fell asleep but by the time I did, it was soon time to get up, dress and head back to base.

 

[Webster]

Next day..

The next day went a lot smoother than I imagined; besides finishing the work of the first TACP humvee that I'd been working on the day before, I also managed to get four more ready with full comm equipment installed...but all day, I couldn't get my mind off of Liz. 6pm - 1800 hours - came a lot sooner than I had realized and I was finishing up the SINCGARS install on the fourth humvee when I felt someone hand touch my shoulder.

Not knowing who it was, I was shocked to see Liz standing there, silently standing there and smiling.

"Oh, God, Liz, I am so sorry...I just, I just lost all track of time," I said to her, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"If you can't make it, Stephanie, that's okay," she replied, a look of sadness now crossing her beautiful face.

"Don't be silly," I stammered, trying to relax myself as I spoke. "Look," I said, "let me tell the maintenance techs what needs to done so they can close up after me and we'll head out," smiling at the end. It seemed to brighten her up and, while Liz parked her own car outside, I went back inside and told LCpl. Kennedy what needed to be done before he could close up the facility for the night.

Walking back over, I waved at Liz and gestured towards the Ford GT that I had mentioned the day before. "Is this yours?" she asked with some amazement. I smiled and nodded; for a senior airman like myself to drive a sports car like the GT definitely drew some attention.

"Yeah, I bought it last year after returning from Iraq at one of those government auctions, where they sell all the stuff the Feds' seize and all that. Well, I've always liked sportscars and stuff, so when it came up for auction, I took out money from savings and lucked out, got it less than 1300." Unlocking the passenger door, I opened it for Liz and both of us got in. As we headed down Wilson Boulevard off the base and drove onto U.S. 17, Liz nervously laughed, "What, are you kidnapping me or something?"

"No, we're going to my place first so that I can change clothes," I said, adding, "Let me call ahead to the restaurant while I remember." After a brief conversation with someone at the restaurant - in Italian, I might add - I hung up the phone and slid it back into my purse.

"That sounded interesting," Liz said, looking at me a little oddly. I wasn't sure what look it was, but it definitely had a tinge of lust to it.

"Took Italian all four years I was in high school," I said. "If I weren't from Utah, everyone would swear I was from Italy."

"Well, it sounded very beautiful," Liz replied.

"You know, that's the second time, Liz, that you've said I'm attractive," I said, laughing loudly. This caused Liz to stutter and try to backtrack her words, which got me to laugh some more. "Jesus, relax, okay? I'm just ribbing you a little," I said as we turned off onto the road leading to my house, adding a moment later, "I think you're gorgeous, as a matter of fact." Liz blushed very red but stayed silent until we pulled into my driveway.

"You live here?" she said, another round of amazement in her voice. I was getting a little bored of hearing her say that; while both of us can say that we have enough money to live comfortably well, hers' what what they would call 'old wealth' while mine would be of the newer kind. "Yeah," I said as we drove into the garage. "Make yourself at home and I'll be right down."

After we went inside, I headed upstairs to change out of my BDUs' and get ready. Since my hair was a mess from keeping it in a bun while on-duty, I brushed it out and pulled it into a ponytail. Changing out of my BDUs', I pulled out a pair of dark slacks from my closet and slipped them on, followed by a sleeveless white blouse. Low cut, it showed off my chest rather nicely...Liz would have a pretty good view. Completing the ensemble were a pair of patent black pumps and a brown leather jacket. Taking a moment to slip on a slim watch, I headed back downstairs.

As I stepped off the last stair, I noticed Liz looking at a portrait of a young woman hanging over the fireplace, spinning around as she heard the sound of my heels. "Wow, you look...amazing," she said, Liz said before catching herself. She tried to play it cool, blushing as she stood there.

 

[Webster]

"Thank you," I replied, with enough pride to ensure a one-way ticket to hell. Liz nodded and we headed back on our way. Judging by how fast we were going, its' a miracle a state trooper didn't pull us over on the way there but we got there in one piece. Pulling up to the valet, I handed him the keys and both Liz and I walked inside. Greeting the woman at the maitre'd's stand, I realized she was the same one I'd spoken to earlier. After a quick conversation in Italian, she escorted us to a private, secluded table.

As we sat down, a waitress headed over and asked us what we'd like to drink. Liz ordered a white wine while I ordered a sparkling water...one thing I never did was drink and drive; with my security clearance as a combat air controller, a DUI would kill it just as fast as a judge would my license. After we ordered our drinks, I asked the waitress to send some live music over to our table. For some reason, the waitress started trying to hit on me from the very start...while this wouldn't bothered me most times, it should've been obvious to her that what Liz and I had wasn't business and I made a note to let the maitre'd know about it later.

A few minutes later, a mandolin player walked up and started playing and Liz seemed very impressed. For some reason I wanted to make her happy and I was thrilled that I could do so. It made me happy to see her happy..and it caught me a bit off-guard. We both ordered our meals and dined and listened to the beautiful music playing; several times, I felt Liz brush against me whenever she uncrossed and recrossed her legs. I knew she wasn't doing that on purpose and was simply trying to remain comfortable in her seat but the motions were driving me mad. At one point I was tempted to run my foot right across the length of her legs as we sat there but I someone managed to hold off, simply deciding to watch her instead. As the mandolin player finished, I thanked him and gave him a large tip.

Right then, the waitress came back and asked us if we'd like some dessert. "I don't know...what should I get..," Liz said, trying to navigate the dessert menu.

"Let me," I asked; Liz blushed but nodded yes. Taking a moment, I looked at the menu and said to the waitress, "We'll have a zeppole, a cannoli and some cheesecake with the chocolate ameretto," I told the waitress, while Liz looked in amazement, not knowing I had plans for that dessert.

A few minutes later, our desserts arrived. "Wow, it all looks so good," Liz said.

"Here, try this first," I said, passing her the cheesecake and watching as she took a bite. By the look on her face, I could tell she enjoyed it. "This is good...," she said, continuing to pick at the cheesecake while I looked at the other dessert items in front of us. I knew, right then, I had to turn the level of our date up another notch or two. We were getting along great but I wanted more...and the answer was right on the two small plates in front of me.

Grabbing the zeppole from one of the plates, I simply took a bite; using a fork would've made a mess of it. "Man, this is a really good zeppole," knowing I had but one shot and that I had to take it, no ifs', ands' or buts. Picking up the rest of the doughnut, I offered it sensuously to Liz. "Here, try this, Liz. I know you'll love it."

Liz leaned forward rather tentatively and took a bite between her fingers. She looked like she had enjoyed it but then gave me a shy look. "Its' really good, thanks."

"If you think that's good, then you've got to try this cannoli," I said to her, setting the rest of the zeppole down on the plate and offering her the cannoli, extending it across the table. She took a small bite and, like before, said it was really good. I took a bite as well and agreed with her about it.

It was then that I made another big move; after seeing that a bit of the cannoli filling had dripped onto my finger. I picked up the rest of the cannoli and said, "You can finish it," holding it between my thumb and index finger. Liz leaned forward and took the remainder of the cannoli into her mouth; as she did, my index finger extended and slipped between her lips. Liz didn't seem put off by it, instead letting her lips close around my finger; I was in sheer heaven. After a moment or two, I took my finger out of her mouth but kept my eyes locked right on hers'. She blushed once more as I finished sucking my finger clean.

"You should try this cheesecake," Liz said, pushing the plate over towards me. There was still a good bit of it left .

"Nah, I'm stuffed," I replied, adding, "I'll take a small bite, though." Yes, I know I was pressing my luck but I figured what the hell; I wanted more. I'll come right out and say it: I wanted all of Liz and not just her body. After cutting a piece with her fork, Liz offered it to me. Looking at the way she was holding the fork, she figured that I would simply take the fork from her but instead I leaned forward seductively and ate from her fork. Looking back, I figured it was time I pushed things along some more so I grabbed the rest of the zeppole and offered it to Liz. This time it was Liz who took the seductive route as she took a swift bite of it, almost taking a finger or two with her.

"Damn, girl, I need those for work," I laughed, smiling over at her.

"Steph, I figured it was either that..or you were going to put your finger back in my mouth," Liz replied in a playful yet seductive voice. She wasn't the least bit uptight anymore, I noticed.

"Well, as they say, honey, no risk...no reward," I said, offering her the rest of the doughnut. As she took the rest of it into her mouth, I almost wanted to jump in my seat as she stared right straight eyes, sucking on my finger in an almost blatant sexual manner. Several quiet but sexually charged waves of pleasure washed through me; I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had a girl in my bed.

"I give you points for bravery," Liz said rather cheekily, wiping her lips with a napkin as we sat there. Seeing the waitress nearby, I motioned for her, asking for the check and also telling her that I hadn't appreciated her coming onto me as she had during mine and Liz's date, emphasizing the point to the waitress with some very curt language in Italian that even had Liz shocked for a little bit.

 

[Webster]

"My God, Steph, what did you say to her?" Liz asked in the same tone as she'd had the day before as the waitress walked away from our table.

"I simply asked for the check, Liz," I told her rather sharply, adding, "I also told her I didn't appreciate her hitting on me like she had been doing the whole night. If it was just me with some of my fellow air controllers or others form the base, that'd be one thing...but on a date, no way." Inside, though, my thoughts were swirling; I kept thinking, I hope you didn't just fuck everything up here, Stephanie. I paid the bill, leaving the waitress a larger tip than the waitress probably deserved and we headed back out of the restaurant.

For most of the entire drive back to Camp Geiger and the auxiliary facility, I think maybe one or two words were spoken between us and I feel sad; I really missed the conversations between Liz and I. As we parked beside Liz's car, she finally spoke, a melancholy tone in her voice.

"Steph, I'm really sorry if I upset you earlier. I was really having a good time and everything..." she said, gazing over towards me as we sat inside my car.

"I had a pretty good time, too," I replied, being completely honest with her about it.

'Would you like to go out again sometime? I'm free next weekend from Friday through the weekend." Liz gushed; I knew right then she was interested in me as well.

"I actually have plans that...," I started to say before realizing I needed to change tack, seeing as it had broken Liz's heart. "I'm supposed to help judge at a small car show next weekend in Rocky Mount...why don't you come with me, Liz? It'd be an all-day affair but I'd really love your company," I said, hoping I hadn't screwed up again.

"Yeah, I'd really like that," Liz replied. "What should I wear..."

"It's very casual, Liz," I told her, "but we'll have to leave early; it starts at 9:30. You know where the off-base parking lots are just past where 17 crosses Wilson Boulevard? Park in Lot 2 next to the Puller Gate. We'll leave about quarter after seven or thereabouts but I'll meet you there and then we'll head up to Rocky Mount."

"Sounds good. I'll meet you there--" Before Liz could finish, I leaned over and brushed my lips against her for the barest second. I doubt you could've called it a kiss but I didn't want to freak her out or anything; I also wanted to take my time, build things up for down the road. I just wanted to show Liz how interested I was in her. "I look forward to it."

Liz seemed surprised but not shocked or anything like that; I was pleased by that...and by the fact that she didn't slap me across the face or anything like that. As Liz got out of the car and began heading to her own car, she turned and walked back over to me. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against mine in a lightning-quick kiss....

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Present-day...
"....and that was the end of our second date," Stephanie said, Kara seemingly transfixed. By now, Kara's husband, Lt.Col. Matt Wiser - a combat air controller stationed at Hill..and my former commander back at Geiger, Stephanie remembered from a previous conversation - had sat down to listen as well. Meanwhile, the housewarming party was still in full swing. After a moment, Kara asked, "Well, what happened next?"

 

[Webster]

One week later...

After a week that seemed to pass by very quickly, even with every day filled to the brim - communications training, range firings, a 36-hour road march/TACP exercise and so on - 6am Saturday came and I was up at the second or third ring of the alarm clock. After getting out of bed, I took a quick shower, trying - and failing miserably, I might add - not to think about Liz and got dressed casually as I said to Liz the week before. Black stonewash jeans, a light sweatshirt (an Air Force sweatshirt, if you must ask) and a pair of dark tan ankle-high boots were the wardrobe of the day for me. After grabbing my brown leather jacket, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and headed out the door ready to spend a full day with Liz.

Arriving at the parking lot that I'd mentioned to Liz last week, the sun was just beginning to peak above the trees just next to the Puller Gate. Pulling into a space near the exit and a few minutes later Liz's Silverado pulled into a nearby space; my heart skipped a few beats and I felt a little freaked out 'cause of it.

When I saw Liz walking over to my car, I had to smile and laugh a little bit, especially when I saw what she was wearing. Liz had on a pair of denim shorts which came down to about mid-thigh and a cute yellow collared-button shirt, with black strappy sandals that graced her adorable feet. After we greeted each other, we hopped in the GT and headed up to Rocky Mount.

As we drove, I said to her, "You look very cute, Liz," the sounds of classic rock playing from the CD changer.

"You look really good too," Liz replied. "I feel a little weird, though...like I won't fit or something. Oh, what's the word I'm looking for here," she continued. Wrapping my arm around her, I pulled her close to me. "You mean you look too girly, huh?" I said.

"No, not that...oh, I don't know, what's...oh, I don't know, Steph. I feel like I won't fit in or something," Liz said, surprising me by pressing herself into my shoulder and staying there as we drove along. I kept an arm around her and lightly rubbed her arm a bit.

"I wouldn't worry about it. This is how I usually dress when I'm not on-duty back at base or when I'm on leave. Besides, I like how you look, Liz, and everyone at the car show's just gonna' have to deal with it." Liz laughed a moment before letting herself fall more into my shoulder. We made good time to the car show and somehow during the drive up there Liz managed to fall asleep, her cheek brushing against my shoulder. Her shoulder pressed against my ribs and I enjoyed every minute of the drive up.

After pulling into the space assigned to me as one of the judges there, I started to wake Liz up from her slumber. "We're here, Liz, wake up," I whispered, patting her arm a bit to try and wake her. Gently touching her face witt my fingers, I tried once more, whispering to her softly. That seemed to do the trick as Liz finally awoke and looked around. "Oh, I'm sorry I fell..."

"Don't sweat it," I replied, kissing her cheek. We both got out of the car and walked inside the main show-hall - filled to the brim with hundreds of cars from all over the eastern part of North Carolina, hand-in-hand as if we didn't have a care in the world. (Even if one of my fellow TACP operators from the base had seen me with Liz like that, it still wouldn't have bothered me.) As someone who knew a lot about cars and all things automotive, it'd been an honor to have been selected as one of the show's judges, so I expected the day to be a blast.

Liz, who seemed a tad lost in the environment of it all, just clutched my hand and soaked in the atmosphere, walking by my side happily and asking a few questions here-and-there. In turn, I'd point a few things out, mention something about one car or the other...Liz followed along marvelously, gushing about how pretty all the cars were. Once in a while, I'd point out something that would momentarily confuse her but she'd come back with a responsive answer that I simply loved to see from her.

"Yeah, that does make sense when you think about it," Liz said at one point, leaning up closer to me, her hand still in mine, her fingers locked with mine. As the noon hour arrived, the first set of awards were given out; it was then I noticed how cold Liz was. Even though it was early April and we were inside an enormous open-air circus-style tent, the air was unseasonably cool and I felt a little bad for her. She was surprised when I let go of her hand and offered her my leather jacket for her to wear. "Here you go, babe; it'll help keep you warm. I should've told you to bring one."

After a moment, she slipped on the jacket and grabbed onto my hand. We walked over to the next section; cars were lined up all over, ready to judge. I thought Liz might get a little bored or something but she stayed by my side, occasionally asking a question and sometimes offering a thought or two that had me impressed as I asked questions to the various car owned...this was a side to Liz that I hadn't noticed and it made me fall for her even more.

 

[Webster]

After a little while longer I caught sight of the time and realized we hadn't eaten anything for lunch. "Ohh, why didn't you remind me?" I asked her as we headed over towards the food court, "I feel awful for it."

"I didn't even think of it either," Liz replied, shrugging off my complains and even bumping shoulders with me. Walking up to one of the stands, we both ordered lunch - Liz had a slice of pepperoni pizza and a beer, while I had a hot dog with chili and slaw, plus a soda - and headed over to one of the picnic tables to enjoy our grand lunch.

"Want a bite, Liz?" I asked, offering her my hotdog. She took a bite, then giggled as she wiped a little spot of chili from her lips. We shared our food and I even took a sip or two of her beer as we sat there. After about an hour, we threw away our now-empty plates and drink cups and went back inside for the last round or two of judging. As the last round continued, I asked Liz off-hand if she'd like to pick which car she thought should be my choice for winner in that last round. To my surprise, the low-rider she picked was the same one that I would've picked in her place; to say I was impressed was an understatement.

As the car show wound down, we moseyed around the exhibition areas, taking our time as we walked around. Throughout the whole time we were there, Liz soldiered on and seemed to fit in just fabulously. By about 6:30 or so, we were ready to head back down the road to Jacksonville.

Once we were safely on the road back down the highway, Liz snuggled up close to me, my arm resting over her shoulder. As we passed U.S. 70, I noticed Liz clutching one end of my jacket; she had her face pressed against it and I thought that maybe she wasn't feeling well or something. "Something wrong?" I asked her, gently rubbing her arm.

"No," she said, looking over at me and blushing a bit. "It's just..the jacket, it just smells like you, Steph...it smells good." Now I was the one blushing. Liz has always been - and always will be - such an adorable woman. I simply could not believe that this was the very same woman who I had met just over a week ago; it was...dare I say it, like we were simply made for each other.

I gave her a quiet nod and focused back on the road; the last thing I needed was for us to have a wreck on the way back. It was about a quarter-after-eight when we got back into Jacksonville and I asked Liz if, since we made it early, whether she wanted to hang out at my house for a while. Liz accepted and my heart took off like a Thunderbird at full song; I would get to be alone, with her, at my house...did I mention we'd be alone?

Pulling into my driveway, we got out and headed inside, still hand-in-hand. She asked for a glass of wine and I agreed, though I was a bit hesitant. I knew she'd have to drive at some point back to her house and I didn't want her going anywhere the least bit tipsy or drunk...but I figured one glass wouldn't hurt her.

We sat on the couch in my living room - closely - and we talked about this and that. A long while - and several glasses of wine later, I might add - Liz asked about the portrait above the fireplace. It was a charcoal-and-pencil drawing of a young woman, dressed in 1840s' era frontier clothing, the majestic Wasatch Range in the background. "It's beautiful, Stephanie. Where'd you get it?" she asked, pointing over to it.

I remembered her staring at it intently the week before as I spoke. "I drew it," taking her hand and leading her over to it. Pointing to the bottom corner of the drawing, I showed her my initials and the date it'd been drawn. Liz continued to stare intently at it before turning to face me. "Who was she?" she said quietly.

"My third great-grandmother, who was also named Stephanie Harrington," I told her in a quiet voice. "When I was young, I spent some time one summer at the LDS Church's Family History Center in Salt Lake and researched my family's lineage. She, I came to find out, was part of one of the first Mormon pioneer wagon trains that arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the late 1840's...in fact, I was later told that she was part of the very wagon train Brigham Young himself was with when he uttered the famous words, 'This is the place.' in 1847. I still have the lithograph that's been passed down through each generation of Harringtons'," pausing to withdraw a small, ancient, lithograph of my antecedent for Liz to look at.

Liz stared at the photo, then at the drawing...then back at the lithograph before looking back at the drawing. I watched her as she went back and forth between them. Though I was still on the outside, I was nervous on the inside By telling her about the drawing and its' history, I had just opened up another part of what made me me and it actually scared me a little to know that I was opening myself up to her in such a manner as this.

After a while, Liz handed the lithograph back to me, which I placed back inside the back of the picture frame the drawing was in. Looking over towards me, Liz saw the look on my face and whispered to me, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be--" Before I could say anything else, Liz leaned over and kissed me, her lips soft and warm against mine. I felt like I could get lost in them forever.

 

[Webster]

After a second or two Liz pulled away. "I'm sorry about that too," she said with a soft voice. Grabbing her hand, I pulled Liz back to the couch. Once there, I kissed her...I couldn't help it, I just wanted Liz so badly. We pushed ourselves together more and I could taste the cherry lip-gloss on her, it felt so divine on her. I was pretty sure I almost fainted when Liz's tongue slipped into my mouth. We were making out like a couple of high school kids on a Saturday night but our positions were awkward so I reached out, grabbed her hips and pulled her onto my lap; Liz jumped up and straddled mine.

My hands were on either side of her face, cradling her gently and her hands snaked around behind my neck. She backed off for a moment and I used that as an opportunity to kiss her cheek and along her neckline. "Ohhh...," Liz moaned, holding my head as I continued on towards her chest. I guess I was getting a little crazy for her so I grabbed her shirt and flung it open, not bothering to unbutton it as I did; thankfully, none of the buttons broke off.

As I continued tracing little kisses along her throat, I looked up for a moment and noticed that Liz was trembling, her eyes closed tight. She looked terrified. I sighed and sat back on the couch; Liz looked down, her eyes barely open...I could tell the wine had loosened her a good bit, perhaps too much. I didn't know about her, but I wanted our first time to be when she was lucid and excited, not drunk and scared.

"What's wrong, Steph?" Liz asked, her hands sliding from behind my head down to behind my neck.

"You didn't do anything wrong, baby," I whispered to her, kissing her lightly to prove my point. "But you don't want this, at least not yet. Look at you, you're petrified."

Slumping down in my arms, Liz let out a sigh. "I"m sorry. I do want you, I...I was just nervous, that's all."

"Liz, you look terrified. How were you going to let me finish if you couldn't even look at me?" I wasn't angry so much as I was nervous about her; I didn't want to rush in if she wasn't ready to go along and I'm pretty sure she wasn't ready this time.

"Steph, I don't know...I--"

"Don't..don't apologize, Liz," I told her, "you didn't do anything wrong." Reaching up to her, I pulled her face down and gave her another kiss. "Whenever we have sex, you have to want it...until then, I can wait. But you need to talk to me, Liz; if you're not ready or anything or if you're scared, tell me. I can wait but we can't undo anything once its' done." I grabbed the ends of her shirt and slowly began buttoning it back up. She smiled and hugged me tightly afterward.

Since sex was out of the question, I grabbed the remote and we watched some television for a while until both of us finally fell asleep, snuggled up close to one another.

It was about half-past four in the morning when I finally woke up. I had been lying on my back on the couch, Liz snuggled in her arms on top of me. We'd been up late making out and we were both a little bit tipsy from the several glasses of wine we'd drank the night before. Lowering the volume on the television, I gently woke Liz up so that we could lay back down somewhere more comfortable.

"Huh?" was her reply, asking sleepily as she began waking up herself.

"Babe, let's go to bed. Our backs will thank us for this later on," I replied, kissing her forehead before getting up from the couch, reaching out for her hand as I did. Liz took one look at her watch and got a little bit frantic.

"Steph, I have to get home; I can't sleep here all night--"

"Liz, you shouldn't drive right now. Please, let's go to bed and later on I'll drive you back to your truck once we're both sober. C'mon, there's even a guest room upstairs if you want to sleep there," grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the couch onto her drowsy feet.

"Stephanie, I..." I silenced her with a kiss and we headed up to my bedroom. Once there, I changed out of my clothes and threw on a pair of silk shorts and a light t-shirt. Liz asked for a shirt so I got her an oversized t-shirt and changed as well.

"The guest bedroom's down the hall on the right if you want to sleep there tonight if you feel more comfortable," I said to Liz, feeling slightly embarrassed at the shape of my bedroom as we stood inside.

"That won't be necessary," Liz said with that adorable smile I love so much. She slid into bed next to me and cuddled into the sheets. Breathing deeply into the sheets with her eyes closed as she had earlier with the jacket, she whispered, "it totally smells like you, Stephanie."

"It better, I'm the only one who sleeps in here," I said with a slight deadpan tone as I snuggled up behind her, my arm wrapping around her stomach. She sighed seductively as I pulled her against my chest As she leaned her head back into my shoulder, I added, "but not anymore, love." It just felt so right to have her with me at that moment and I let myself think for the first time right then, Stephanie, you've found your soulmate....

After a little while we soon fell asleep once more; I spent the remainder of the night with my face just buried in her hair. I could smell Liz's gentle fragrance and it was more comforting than anything I'd ever known in my life. A couple of times, Liz would scoot herself closer to me and I'd hug her a bit tighter and bury myself in her neck some more, kissing her neck a few times whenever either of us would awaken. I couldn't help myself; it was simply meant to be.

 

[Webster]

The next day, I woke up rather late and, much to my surprise, the bed was empty. I knew Liz was somewhere in the house but it hurt me to think that I was alone, but it was also hurt me to think that she was alone as well. In a sense, this also scared me as well; not only had I fallen for Liz...and fallen hard for her, but I was now feeling, in some way, a pain I'd never felt before in my heart. It was the pain of separation.

Creeping out of bed, I made my way down the hallway, towards the stairs, wondering just where Liz was. As I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed Liz pacing downstairs, almost directly in front of the drawing I'd told her about the night before. Standing there, I could hear Liz quietly talking to herself. She hadn't heard me, so I stood at the top and listened to her words.

"Liz, what were you thinking?" she kept repeating, over and over. Her words felt almost like the pain I was feeling in my heart but I couldn't move for the longest time...I simply continued to listen. "What are you doing? Come on...that was crazy...think about it.."

"Think about what, Liz?" I finally asked from the top of the stairs, working up enough courage to ask her. My arms were folded across the bannister and I leaned against it so that I could see her better. For a moment, Liz's face showed shock but soon broke into a genuine smile.

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself," Liz replied, smiling as she walked to the edge of the stairs. "Well, are you coming down here or do I have to go up there for a kiss, girlfriend?" For a split second I was torn between bitching at Liz or simply walking down the stairs...I eventually decided on neither, simply opting to feel my way through the moment and see what Liz's reaction would be. I slowly walked down the stairs and greeted Liz at the bottom. She met me at the bottom step and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug.

"So, what were you doing down here alone, Liz?" I asked her with a pointed yet pained look. "I awoke and was surprised when I found myself alone."

""I...can we sit?" Liz asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the couch. She sat down at one end and I sat down just a few feet away, though given the look on her face, she would've preferred if I had sat closer to her. "I want to be honest with you, Stephanie," she started, a slight downcast tone to her voice. "I came down here to clear my head a bit; when you were holding me last night, I couldn't really think straight, I..." She hung her head in her hands and I felt instantly bad for her, although she'd confided me that, like me, she was also attracted to girls, she hadn't come out to her parents like I had years before. We were sorta' like flip sides of the same coin and it made me feel bad for her, like I had forced myself into her life, making her like me instead of respecting her for being herself.

"Last night was a mistake. I made a mistake and I'm sorry," I said, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. "I shouldn't have forced you to come out with me in the beginning; the dates and then yesterday were all too much..."

"Steph, it wasn't your fault," Liz said, cutting me off as we sat there on the couch. Taking my hand into hers, she continued. "I really do like you and I really wanted to go out with you; I just regret leaving you last night. And last night, I really liked everything and I just wanted to give you what you wanted, even though I knew I wasn't ready..and that scared me, Steph. This is just a whole lot for me to deal with but please, don't push me away, Stephanie...please don't..."

I reached over and swiftly grabbed her; Liz fit into my arms and it confirmed my thought from last night about her, that we really were made for each other. "I'm sorry, baby. You're doing fine, don't worry," I whispered into her ear, holding her tight to me. I held the back of her neck and kept an arm tight around her waist. I don't know how long we sat there like that but it seemed like an wonderful eternity.

Eventually, Liz leaned back and looked up at me with loving eyes. "So, what's on tap for today?" she said with an almost childlike expression, her eyes shining like beacons in the night. I kissed her gently on the lips as we sat there, just because I felt it.

"That's up to you," I told her, placing my hands on her hips. It felt good to touch her in those simple, inconsequential ways.

"Well, we could go back to bed..."

"Liz, you aren't ready and we both..."

"Stephanie, would you let me finish?" Liz asked, laughing as she playfully flicked at my shoulder. "What I was going to say what that we could spend the day watching movies in bed. I saw that you've got a pretty impressive period drama collection - thankfully no Downton Abbey, I hate that show - so I figured we'd relax, pop up a large batch of popcorn if you've got any and watch movies the rest of the day. Besides, I'm a bit tired from walking all day yesterday."

I agreed and that's how Liz and I spent the rest of our first weekend as a couple together.

 

[Webster]

Liz and I continued our relationship - sans' a three-week period early on that I had to spend away from her down at Ft. Benning, courtesy of airborne re-qualifications that were a part of being a combat air controller - as we had that first weekend for a couple of months after. I kept myself in line for most of that time but there were times when things would start to get really hot and Liz would stop me; I had no problem with that. But as time went on, I noticed that things would slowly go further down the line before Liz would stop me.

In the beginning, Liz would stop me if our kissing became too wild. If I leaned her back against the couch or pressed her against the kitchen counter to kiss her, she'd stop me after a few moments. But then, I noticed that while she wouldn't stop my kissing her, she'd stop me running my hands over her; I'd trail a hand over her ribs or her hips or down her back and she'd stop me. Then it would proceed from there over time and she'd stop me kissing her neck.

I understood these signs coming from Liz and soon I was stopping myself from taking things too far because I knew it would reach the point where her next protestation would be me taking her clothes off and I didn't want to be tugging at her shirt only to have her stop me...so after about three months or so, I was working on my own self-control more than anything else...

...until that one night in early August when things seemed to line up just right for both of us...though, given the circumstances at the time, one would wonder if the Keystone Cops hadn't organized everything the way things went at first. One night, I had invited Liz over to my place to hang out...being it was a Friday night, I figured she'd spend at least the night at my place and I planned accordingly. She parked in my driveway and walked in the house; I was in the kitchen, plating some barbeque and other foods from a takeout joint nearby that we often frequented onto a couple of plates. She sauntered into the kitchen and gave me a sweet kiss. "Hey, girl," she said in that sweet voice of hers.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked as I continued getting our plates ready. She pulled herself up to the counter and watched.

"I'm good, love. I missed you today while I was at work. I just couldn't stop thinking about you," she replied, crossing her legs and sitting back as if she were sitting in a proper chair. "It seemed as though the day would simply never end..."

"I told you already, you should quit, Liz," I said, playfully slapping her thigh as I reminded her. I had lost count of how many times I had mentioned that to her. Liz worked as an interior design specialist for her father's decorating company in Jacksonville. She hated the long hours and demanding clientele...but she loved her father. Her family were 4th or 5th-generation Jacksonville natives and the Halliday name was well-known throughout that part of North Carolina, almost like my family name was back in Salt Lake City and so she had a lot of things riding on her shoulders.

As our relationship had progressed, I'd gotten to understand that, as we were flip sides of the same coin vis-a-vis our own lives, her parents were flip sides of a very similar coin as well. Unlike me, Liz had - at least not to my knowledge at the time - never come out to her parents and while she loved her father - I mean, what daughter wouldn't? - her mother was a whole different story...but Liz was her daddy's little princess. Praising her work ethic -which rivaled mine, though the circumstances of our jobs were vastly different - he'd reward her with more work, which would tire her out more than she would ever admit.

"I can't quit, Steph, you know that," Liz said, leaning forward and eating a bite of chicken barbeque from my plate. Then she continued. "Besides, who would then pay for all those pretty little outfits you like seeing me in?"

I knew Liz was joking but it came with an edge to it. In a sense, she couldn't quit: her father's company managed hundreds of accounts, from Jacksonville up to New Bern and down to Wilmington, even as far west as Fayetteville and Rockingham and for all the work Liz's job paid very well. It didn't bother me much; we both loved what we did. It was then that I thought of a solution to her problem...at least, at first I thought it was a solution.

"Why don't you start your own interior design company?" I asked her, stepping around the counter so that I could be closer to her. Slipping in front of her, she hooked her legs around my waist and drew me up to her.

"Very funny, Stephanie," Liz laughed, putting her hands on my shoulders. Even if we never got anywhere physically speaking those first few months, Liz loved to hold me and be close to me.

"No, I'm serious," I insisted, laying out my reasoning for why she should open her own interior design and decorating firm. I knew, from watching her in that regard, that if she did so, it would be a successful - very successful, maybe - chance for her to show her independence, prove to her father that she truly could succeed on her own as a businesswoman.

"Stephanie...," Liz said, almost admonishing me as if I were a small child whose fantasies were getting too big for her own britches. That was something which back then irritated me to no end but which I've come to know and love...Liz's innate, almost preternatural ability to bring me back down to earth at certain times.

"Baby, I see where you're coming from..but I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of step," Liz said almost quietly. "I mean, I know things are going great for us but what if I do strike out on my own like that and things don't work out? Or worse, if they don't work out and you decide not to wait for them to? Then I'd be out a job..and out of a girlfriend as well. I just...I just don't know if I'm ready."

"Liz, I won't ever stop wanting to wait for you, you know that," I replied. "But I understand," I added in a honest tone as I grabbed her hips and pulled her close to me for a kiss. I added a kiss on her cheek for the hell of it and then I walked away from her, pushing her legs off of my waist. We both got our plates and headed into the living room to eat. It was like a thick fog had rolled into the house; neither of us really knew what to say to each other.

 

[Webster]

Over the past few months, I had tried everything I could think of to take our relationship to the next level, but it seemed Liz was never ready. When I noticed she was using her purse as a mini-suitcase of sorts, I offered her a bedroom drawer...no dice. One time, she'd waited outside my house for over an hour when a training exercise back at Camp Geiger ran well over and I was later getting home; I'd offered her a key to the house but she declined. A few weeks earlier, I'd been in Fayetteville, browsing some of the jewelers' shops when I'd seen a beautiful, thin-chained gold necklace...I purchased it with the intent of giving it to Liz as a gift but...you guessed it, she declined it.

So the necklace sat in my nightstand drawer upstairs, the spare key was still in its' place on the kitchen counter and the bedroom drawer I'd cleaned out for her to use still remained empty. What Liz didn't know - and what I didn't know how to express to her - was that every time I tried...and every time Liz denied me, I'd cry just as soon as we were apart. Put simply, I was at my wits' end; I simply didn't know what to do.

I picked at my meal, unable to eat much of anything. What should've been a quiet, pleasant meal had become an awkward mess. Setting my plate down on the empty space between Liz and I, I sat back on the couch and pulled my legs up to my chest. As I sat there, my eyes drifted to the portrait of my antecedent and wondered what that Stephanie would've done in my position. My mind drifted back and forth, my thoughts a jumbled mess...I felt like crying my heart out to Liz but frankly, I just didn't know how to tell her what I was feeling inside.

"Steph, is everything okay?" Liz asked, a look of obvious concern about her face as she brought me out of my trance. It'd been like I hadn't seen her there for the longest time. I watched the concern on her face as she waited to me to say something, anything...but what? I felt as though I were in a barrel tumbling over Niagara Falls and I didn't know how or where I'd end up when the barrel stopped rolling.

Looking over, I sighed and sarcastically deadpanned, "Peachy," without a trace of emotion in my voice whatsoever. My eyes returned to the drawing above the mantle as I sat there, wishing I could trade places with my ancestor. She was the only trace of my family still with me; after my parents had all-but-disowned me, I sometimes had felt like I had no one in this world that I could turn to...now I'd found someone who did but I wondered if this...her...everything, had all been but a dream.

"What are you thinking, Stephanie?" Liz asked once more, sliding over to where I was sitting, her hands gently caressing my legs as I sat there, my knees up to my chest, my chin resting on my knees. "Steph, you've got to let me in there," she pleaded. Hearing that, I thought to myself, Wait..I had to let her in? She was the one keeping me out...

I stood and walked over to the mantle, resting my arms on the brickwork, tapping my fingers along its' edge. I wanted to yell at her, yell everything I was feeling, so I turned to walk towards her...and then stopped. How could I ask her to want me again? As much of a cliche' as it sounds, I wanted her to want me, to want to be with me. I went back to the mantle, only to turn around towards her. I was going to let her know what I was thinking. It was only fair to Liz; I couldn't leave her in the dark like this.

"Elizabeth, I'm not keeping you out...I'm trying with every fiber of my being to let you in. I don't know how much else to say that than by giving you a key to my house, by giving you a key to my life...but you didn't want it," my voice a desperate beacon that I hoped would reach her. "I just...I just don't know what else to do. I don't know what to do." Walking over to her, I leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry for ruining dinner, Liz," I said, on the verge of tears, "I'm sorry.."

Without waiting for a reply, I walked out of the living room and headed upstairs. Walking into our bedroom, I leaned against one of the bedposts...and just broke down standing there. For several minutes all the accumulated tears, the accumulated emotions just poured out of me like a dam that had just broken...I just stood there and sobbed, the sounds of my tears the only sounds one could hear. I felt as though I were drowning, thrashing about blindly for something, anything..anything to hold on to, to save me...

 

[Webster]

...then, as if someone had thrown a life preserver or rope out into the rapids, I felt someone's hands on my hips, pulling me backwards. Now, I don't know how long Liz had been standing there near the bedroom door, listening to my tortured sobs...but I knew her touch; I knew those hands by memory. At my lowest point, she had come to my rescue, saving me from the rapids ahead...as we stood there, I knew what I had to tell her.

"Elizabeth, I'm in love with you," I whispered silently to her, my back still turned to her. As much as I wanted to turn around and tell her that, I was frozen in my tracks. But it wasn't because of what I feared I'd see in Liz - things like fear, doubt, uncertainty, insecurity - but of what I feared I wouldn't see - love.

But as much as I wanted to face her at that moment, I couldn't...I was like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle; there was nowhere to go. I was two, three feet away from the bed yet there was nowhere to go...I certainly couldn't run back downstairs. There was an awkward silence in the air; I felt tortured by the silence and wanted to say something - anything - but I couldn't. Liz's hands gripped themselves tighter on my hips, then wrapped themselves around my stomach, drawing me back against her. As we stood there, I could feel her warm breath sensuously flow along my neck and down to my shoulder..then she did the one thing I absolutely had not expected her to do.

"Stephanie," she whispered, leaning up close to my ear and gently nipping at it as we stood there, "I love you too." As I felt her lips kiss at my neck and gently trace themselves there, I could've cried had I any tears left to cry. She had just said the one thing that mattered to me in this whole world...at that moment, nothing else mattered. Not our jobs, not the necklace I'd gotten her, not the house key I wanted to give her...nothing else mattered. I'll say it right now: I had Liz's heart and she had mine. As I kept my head resting on her shoulder, she continued. "Stephanie, I'll..I'll take your key or your necklace if that's what you want me to do but...but those things don't matter to me; they certainly couldn't make me love you anymore than I already do. Every day we're apart, I can't stop thinking about you and I don't need a necklace or a house key to remind me of what we have." I could feel her breath pause as she added, "I love you more than anything in this world..and nothing, Stephanie, nothing, can change that."

I could've cried at her words, but I literally had no more tears left to cry. From the very first time that I'd seen her back in April, I had wanted her to say those very words. Liz was perfect for me, in every sense of the word...and so was I in turn perfect for her.

After a few moments, Liz kissed my neck once more and said, "I'm going to grab our plates and we can finish eating up here," before releasing her grip on me and heading downstairs. She returned a few minutes later carrying both our plates, along with two wine glasses and a bottle of Paso Robles' wine. To this day, I still don't know how she managed to carry all that upstairs without dropping any of it on the way up. She placed both plates and everything else on the nightstand table by my bed then grabbed my hand and dragged me into bed. When she noticed that my mood hadn't much improved, she pushed me down onto the mattress and jumped on top of me. Her hands roamed up and down my sides, tickling me without mercy or quarter given. "C'mon, Stephanie, you really need to lighten up--"

Before she could finish her thought, I flipped her over and pinned her down. I didn't say anything, I didn't tickle her, I didn't do anything. I simply stared down, right into her slate-blue eyes. After a few moments, I hopped up off of the bed and walked over to the nightstand, rummaging through it before finding the necklace I had gotten her, still in its' black velvet box. Clutching it tightly in my hand, I sat back down silently next to Liz.

"I'm not asking for a whole lot," I began, "I'm not...I'm not trying to pressure you into more than anything you're not ready for yet. I just think that since I love you, I should be able to give you things, small things like this," setting the necklace case down on the bed between us. "When I saw that in the jewelry store window, it made me think of you..it reminded me of you, of looking into your eyes and how I feel whenever I do. I bought it," looking away for a moment so that I could compose myself, "to show you that I was thinking of you, not to try to impress or spoil you or anything..." Before I could finish, Liz slid the box back towards me.

"Steph, even after what I said, you just can't accept it, can you? I love you...and I don't need anything more than that, why can't you accept that?" She started to walk towards the door but I reached out and grabbed her hand before she could leave. Spinning around, she faced me, tears forming in her eyes. She tried to turn away from me but I grabbed her hips so that she could look at me. I pulled her closer to me; her knees pressed against the inside of my thighs but she kept trying to turn from me. My arms went around her waist and I held firm to her.

"Liz, like I said, when I saw that necklace, I realized..I realized that I can't be happy in this world without you; it was as if I was looking right at you and you were looking right back at me. All this time, I wanted to tell you how much I love you...but it wasn't until tonight that I finally worked up the courage to say it. I can't make you feel what I feel so I try to do the next best thing: I show you how much I love you. It's got nothing to do with money or power or gifts or anything like that...Liz, I..love..you."

 

[Webster]

I stood quickly, both of us face-to-face. Tossing the necklace box aside onto the floor, I took Liz's face in my hands. Our lips touched gently at first, then with more passion. Her hands slid under my arms and moved up my back, holding me tight to her. As we kissed, Liz started backing up with me firmly in her arms, her soft hands trailed up and down my back, from my shoulders to my hips and back again. Liz backed right up to the bed and I was shocked when she didn't stop.

I paused our kiss to back up a moment and look at Liz's face. She just smiled, a cute and sexy smile, grabbed hold of my shirt and pulled up both onto the bed. Liz fell onto her back and I landed on top of her, gently falling as I did. As we continued kissing, Liz sucked gently on my tongue and almost refused to let go; after a moment's pause, I then took her bottom lip between teeth, gently nipping my way along. Liz giggled and we kissed once more, my lips trailed along her cheek and down her neck, her skin smelling..and tasting like vanilla; it was a sensational feeling.

As her hands continued to roam up-and-down my back, I propped myself up on one arm, using the other to play itself along her ribs. I didn't push any further than that, so I was very shocked when Liz's hands slid further down and began pulling at the hem of my shirt. Liz had never been that aggressive before...never.

"Mmmm...," I moaned out at the touch of her cool hands upon my bare skin but I still wasn't quite sure if Liz was ready to go all the way. Grabbing her hands, I pulled them to her sides. "Liz, we should stop...." I tried to say, but Liz's hands broke free, running her fingers along my ribs. "Liz, we shouldn't..." I repeated, only to have her fingers trace themselves along my ribs, causing me to shiver. "Liz..." I said once more, only to have her fingers continue tracing along my ribs to the underwire of my bra. "Liz--"

"Stephanie," she said, "I know what I'm doing." She moved her hands back around to my back and began kissing at my neck, gently tugging the skin as she did. "I love you, and I'm ready."

Those words immediately - and I mean, immediately - turned me on. To this day, I don't quite believe...no, correction: I've never been that sexually charged in my life as I was that night. I wanted to rip every bit of Liz's clothing right there and taste every inch of her but I paced myself. Letting her remove my shirt, my lips once more resumed exploring her neck, kissing and pausing every so often to nip at her skin as well. Trailing down to the front of her throat, I paused so that I could remove her shirt before kissing her once again. I was consumed with passion; I couldn't get enough of her. My lips trailed a little lower towards her chest; Liz responded by heaving her chest out towards me.

I was about to ask her if she really wanted to continue but then she ran her fingers through the locks of my black hair and she just held fast to me. I looked into her slate-blue eyes and she looked right back into my bright blue eyes. She gave me a slight nod and I continued once more exploring her. As I continued to kiss her, my fingers undid the clasp of her bra, gently pushing it aside...

Spoiler

...before me were the most perfect pair of breasts that I've ever seen in my life. They had to be a full C cup and easily were a good deal larger than my somewhat average B size ones. Her nipples were as hard as granite, practically calling my name. They were a beautifully light shade of pink; mine are more of a light brown color. I looked once more into her eyes and Liz gave me another half-nod, her eyes partially closed. I lowered my head and set about to complete the most important thing I'd ever set out on, giving Liz more pleasure than anyone had ever done.

Holding her breasts gingerly in my hands, I placed tender kisses all over them without going anywhere near either nipple. As I got closer and closer, Liz moaned louder but I kept going as I had started, making sure to kiss every inch of skin around them before going to them. Running my thumbs over her nipples, she shuddered and moaned loudly at the merest touch, she was that sensitive.

I kissed her right nipple and Liz shuddered once more, heaving her chest up towards me. My tongue snaked out for a moment to tickle at her skin and she jumped at the touch. I looked up at her with a discreetful eye and noticed that while her eyes were still partially closed, there was no fear whatsoever on her face, only pleasure. Watching her for a few moments, I closed my lips around one nipple while my fingers flicked at the other....

Spoiler

"Oh, God.." Liz called out as she arched her chest toward me, pulling me harder down onto her. My arms snaked themselves around to her back and held her close as I continued pleasantly torturing her breasts, every so often switching between nipples. Meanwhile, my hands seemed to take on a life of their own, roaming every inch of Liz's body - her hips, her shoulders, her thighs - every part of her succumbing to my touch.

"Please, Stephanie, I can't take this anymore...please...." Her breathy sighs and pleas were too much for me. She pushed at my head, her hands still firmly entangled in my locks. Reaching her stomach, she relented a little, opting to play with my hair and let me take the lead with her. As I undid the buttons on her shorts and removed them, my lips never stopped planting little kisses across her stomach, occasionally flicking my tongue along the underside of her breasts and around her bellybutton.

"Come on, Steph, you're killing me here," Liz complained as she tried to force me ever further down. Sliding my hands up and down her thighs, I soon removed the last of her clothes from her body, Liz giving a pleasurable squeal as I did. "Take your clothes off...hurry," her sweet voice sighed out, almost driving me over the edge right then.

Pausing to get up off the bed, I took off - no, tore off - my own clothes as fast as possible, almost certain in the knowledge that as fast as I had torn them off of my body, most would end up getting trashed eventually. Didn't bother me, though, as I had more important things to tend to...

Spoiler

...climbing back onto the bed, I picked up where I had left off. Gently kissing her as I snaked my way downward, her hands still pulled at my hair but not in a demanding or leading way, simply twirling my hair in her fingers and sighing deeply when I finally made it to her thighs and beyond. I pressed my head against her thigh and breathed in her scent; it made me a little bit lightheaded.

I started kissing her thighs, planting small kisses like I had earlier, occasionally hitting that space between her and her thighs, that sensitive place of hers which made her jump and moan out my name...oh, how I love to make her do that. Even today, I can still play Liz like a concerto violin master down there..and I must admit, she can do the same thing to me as well...but I digress.

I finally held back no longer, parting her with my fingers and giving her a broad stroke with my tongue, wisely avoiding her button as I did. "Oh, dear god," Liz moaned loudly, bucking her hips up towards me as I continued, savoring her taste of her. As my tongue continued its' lovely assault, my fingers stealthily crept up and flicked at her. "God, Steph, I'm so close...I'm so close," Liz breathed out., clutching my hair tightly in her hands as I brought her right to the precipice and then took her all the way over. I knew right when I had brought her over that point from all the 'oooohs' and 'aaaahs' and words you can't repeat in public that Liz sighed and moaned that night. She jumped a bit when I flicked at her once more before she pulled me back up into her arms.

"Stephanie, that...was...amazing," Liz sighed, kissing my lips as we laid there on the bed. I kissed her back, slipping my tongue into her mouth the same way I had done so down below. "Liz, I am nowhere near done with you," I whispered into her ear.

She moaned a bit at the sound of my words and simply nodded, a gorgeous blush covering her face. I kissed her cheek, opting this time to let my fingers do the talking instead of my tongue. Liz sucked in her breath as I found her, then lost what little bit of restraint she had once more as I took her over the same pleasurable precipice as before.

She turned her head from me, burying her face in the pillow, using to muffle her cries and screams of pleasure and ecstasy. For what seemed like forever, Liz cried and bucked and thrashed about, her body seeming to shake in one very earth-shattering explosion of pleasure and desire...

 

[Webster]

...as Liz slowly came back down from the orgasmic cloud she'd been on, I let myself come back down to earth as well, snuggling up close to my lover as we continued to lay there on the bed. Grabbing Liz's face in my drenched hands, I turned her towards me. "Liz, you don't have to hide from me," I said to her, brushing gentle kisses across her cheek and her forehead. "I love you and I want you to enjoy yourself. I want to see how good I can make you feel."

Liz nodded, kissing me as we laid there. We must've laid there, cuddling one another for what seemed like forever but the silence that enveloped us wasn't awkward but comforting, relaxing. It was the silence of two people who were truly, madly and passionately in love with one another. Eventually I could feel Liz's breathing slow down as she lay in my arms and I figured she had fallen asleep. A few minutes later, I soon fell asleep myself.

Liz woke up a couple hours later to find herself alone in our bed; unlike a few months before, this time I had been the one to get up out of bed. I was seated a few feet away, sitting on a small, comfortable leather table chair, sketch pad in hand. I had been sitting there for a while, drawing charcoal and color pencil drawings of Liz as she had tossed and turned in our bed, completely naked. Rolling over, she groggily opened her eyes.

"Hi," she said in a gravelly voice that was part sleepy, part sexy. Her slate blue eyes seemed to shine like diamonds.

"Hi," I grinned, flipping a page in my sketchpad over as I began drawing once more.

"I heard some noise...are you drawing me, Stephanie?" Liz asked, a bemused yet puzzled look on her face. "How sexy of you." I laughed a bit and kept on drawing, eventually adding one more drawing of Liz to the dozen or so I'd already drawn of her. Closing the sketch book, I placed it back inside the nightstand and sat down next to my girlfriend. Leaning down, I kissed her cheek, my fingers brushing a few more stray blonde locks out of her eyes. "Liz, in case I hadn't said it before, I love you. I love you more than anything in this world; I want you to know that." Knowing how Liz had spoken about having been heartbroken before - the result of a few failed relationships of hers' in the past - I added, "I won't ever leave you, I won't ever hurt you, ever. I promise you that," pausing to tenderly kiss her on the cheek. "And I won't ever cheat on you, not in a million years. Of those things, you can be sure of all of them, Liz...all of them."

Liz smiled and threw her arms around me, kissing me very deeply, very passionately. I stayed calm, even as she - for the first time in our relationship - took the lead and pretty much made love to me the same way that I had the night before. I simply can't describe how it felt; I loved her so much that it was impossible then - and just as impossible now - to describe the feelings I must've been feeling.

Yet, for everything that had taken place between us up to that point, neither of us could know that the toughest part of our relationship was still in front of us...and that it almost ended up crashing our relationship on the very rocks and shoals of society.

 

[Webster]

...present-day...
"Rocks & shoals?" Kara asked, wondering just what Stephanie was referring to.

"Bear with me, Kara," Stephanie said, continuing on....

------------------------------------------------------------------

..back to 2005...
After that August night, Liz and I were practically inseparable, happy in each other's company and in the company of others. Yes, there were a few of my fellow airmen - and a few marines, come to think of it - at both the auxiliary facility and eventually back at the JASOC who didn't like our relationship but as I said to Liz months before, I didn't really give a damn what anyone thought.

Yes, I knew there was a risk: by openly having a relationship with another woman, I was risking a lot - my career as a combat air controller, future advancement up-the-ranks...there was even - slight as it was - the chance that someone further up the chain of command might object to what was essentially my flaunting of the military's Don't Ask-Don't Tell policy and attempt to bring me up on charges. That was the worst risk: even if I beat those charges, my military career would essentially be over...but dammit, it was a risk worth taking back then, and by God, I'd do the same thing today, that's how much I loved Liz.

I still remember the days when it seemed our relationship hit every rocky shoal imaginable...we'd been together for nearly 8 months; the night we encountered those rocks n' shoals was a cool, December evening. The night was beautiful and, for a change of pace, I'd been spending more and more time at Liz's house. It was a two-story brownstone house in one of Jacksonville's more well-to-do neighborhoods but I loved the place just as much as my own simply for the fact that it was hers'.

Liz was lying in the bed naked, while I was standing near an opened window, a sheet wrapped around myself enjoying the night air. "You look really sexy over there," Liz purred in the sexiest voice I'd ever heard. I glanced over my shoulder to look at her; she was lying on her back, the bedsheets barely covering her exquisite figure. Her blonde hair was tussled and slapdashedly thrown all about her beautiful face. Her face was still a little flushed from our lovemaking earlier and I coulda' swore I saw a little bit of me on her lips from where I was standing.

"Yeah, well, come over here and try to do something about it..." Before I could finish my thought, the sounds of someone driving up, followed by the flash of headlights caught my eye. "Hey, babe, looks like you've got company...a dark Cadillac CTS--"

"Damn!" Liz groaned, quickly dashing out of bed and heading over to her closet.

"What's the problem?" I quietly said, wondering just what was going on as Liz rushed around the bedroom, trying to get dressed as fast as she could. "Hey, baby, what's wrong? Who is it out there?"

Liz rushed over to me, grabbed my face and planted a divine kiss on my lips. "Stephanie, I love you more than anything than in the world, but my parents..."

She didn't have to finish that remark, for I knew exactly what she was saying. Stepping back in shock, I said, "They don't know you're..."

"Exactly," Liz said as we stood there. "I've wanted to tell them for a few years now but never worked up the courage to.' Stepping close to me, she planted another kiss on my lips and added, "Stephanie, I love you so, so much. Never doubt that but please, stay here while I talk to them. Please." After another kiss, Liz headed out the bedroom door and downstairs to talk to them.

Pacing around the room, I could hear snippets of their conversation...even I wanted to, I couldn't avoid to. Liz's bedroom jutted a little ways out over the living room so even if I wanted to ignore their conversation, I couldn't so I just sat down and said a quiet prayer for Liz.

As I sat there on the bed, I couldn't help but remember - for some strange reason - something I'd heard, years before in high school - a quote by the great Mormon leader Brigham Young, who towards the end of his life in the 1870's, was remarked to have said that, "All of us, whether we are of the church or are Gentiles, have our own road to walk. Regardless of what we do in this world, we must walk it ourselves, hopeful in the knowledge that God will guide us accordingly." Now, it would seem odd for an agnostic - as I was back then - to think of that, of all quotes, it stayed in my mind the whole time Liz was downstairs talking to her parents.

 

[Webster]

Eventually, Liz came back upstairs and sat down, a forlorn look on her face. Sitting down beside her, I gave her a hug and asked about what had happened between her and her parents. For what seemed like forever, Liz just sat there, not really knowing what to say to me.

After a while, she looked over at me, a look that was half-anguish and half-shame across her face. "They want to invite me to dinner Friday and..."

"And what?" I asked, still trying to comfort her as we sat there.

"...and when I asked if I could invite you," Liz said, "that's when my mom and I started arguing," pausing to wipe a few tears from her face. "I wanted to tell them right then, I wanted to come out to them right then...but I chickened out--"

"It's alright, its' alright," I said quietly to her, not having the heart to tell her that I'd heard pretty much the whole conversation - or argument, as Liz put it - and that it was simply eating Liz up inside. As we sat there, I realized that I didn't really have anything to say to her about it...I mean, what could I say? I remembered what had happened when I came out to my parents..and those memories still cut deep inside me to this day; I could only imagine what Liz was going through back then. I also knew that I couldn't push her on it, that she was going to have to decide, one way or the other, whether she wanted to stay in the closet...or step right out of it and challenge the world to do something about it.

Meanwhile, the next few days seemed to drag on for both of us. We didn't speak to one another about it but it seemed to hang in the air like weather inversions over the Salt Lake Valley. Then, one day, while I was working outside around the house, I heard Liz's Silverado pull into my driveway. Walking into the garage from the back of the house, I'd barely gotten a few steps inside when I saw Liz walking towards me, that same forlorn look about her but this time with a whole lot more anguish to it that from a few nights before. "Liz, what is it? What's wrong--?"

Before I could say anything, Liz slumped to her knees on the garage floor, trying - and losing it, bit by bit, I noticed - to keep composed but I knew something had happened. (To this day, I've never seen Liz like that.)

"Remember what we talked about a few nights back?" Liz asked. I nodded; I knew what we talked about. "Well, I..", pausing for a moment, "when I went to dinner with my parents out at their place...I told them. I came out to them and told them I'd found someone - you - that I loved..." I didn't say anything as she continued. "Well, the three of us started arguing about it - about everything - and now I'm afraid...I'm afraid I'm all alone now...and they blamed you for it, Steph!"

Getting up, she walked right over to me and pushed me back with both hands, knocking me against a shelf in my garage. As I shook my head and tried to comprehend what had just happened. "Yeah, I said that. I came out to my parents and now they don't want to have anything to do with me! They said they were ashamed of me, ashamed of what I was; no matter what I said to them, they kept saying that. I did it..I told them because I love you, Stephanie; I told them I loved you with all my heart and now my parents don't love me anymore..."

Liz, once more, fell to her knees on the garage floor...this time, she broke down and started sobbing, weeping uncontrollably. It tore my heart into innumerable pieces and tears began forming in my eyes at the sight of her like that. Rushing over, I dropped to my knees and pulled her tightly to me. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her, rocking her back and forth. She held onto my arm very tightly and cried heavily on my shoulder. Helping her to her feet, I walked her inside the house and we both sat down on the couch.

As we sat down, I simply felt gutted for Liz, remembering all the emotions I'd gone through years before when I'd come out to my parents. I almost thought I'd destroyed both her life and her career as we sat there but try as I might, I didn't know what to say to her. Eventually, I worked up the courage to speak. "Liz, I don't know what to say. I just..I just never wanted you to end up like me, without family or relatives to go to or to depend on..."

"Just tell me..." Liz said in-between sobs of despair and anguish, "just tell me that you love me, Stephanie. Tell me I didn't do this for nothing..." though I could clearly understand where it came from.

"Baby, I never stopped loving you," I whispered to her, still trying to comfort her. "I never stopped and I couldn't stop loving you even if I tried." I pulled her close to my chest, simply kissing the top of her head as we sat there. After a while longer, I then dragged her upstairs. Once there, I helped her get into bed, tucking her crying frame in. For the rest of the day, I simply sat nearby and grieved over what she must've been going through, doing everything I could think of to make her feel good.

After making sure I wouldn't have to leave her side - which meant calling my section leader back at Camp Geiger, Capt. Wiser, and letting him know what was going on, I spent three days - three long, agonizing days - trying to nurse Liz's broken heart. Nothing seemed to work; she barely ate anything, even after I demanded that she eat something, anything. Liz just slept..and sobbed..and slept some more...and sobbed some more. Finally, I knew I was going to have to intervene and so I kissed her forehead and told her I'd be back soon.

"Steph, promise me you'll be back," Liz said desperately, even though she was in my house and I wasn't about to run away from her.

"Always, Liz," I said, sealing my words with a kiss. Running out the front door, I got in the Ford GT and high-tailed it into Jacksonville, right straight for the design and decorating firm Liz worked at, the one her father owned. I figured I had to do something and so I figured if I spoke to her father, spoke to him straight from my heart and told him his daughter needed him, maybe that might get through to him somehow.

 

[Webster]

Pulling into a parking space nearby, I strided as fast as I could go, walking inside and right past the front desk receptionist, who started yelling at me, asking if I had an appointment or something. Ignoring her, I took the stairs two, three steps at a time, pausing when I got up to about the third floor or thereabouts. Looking around to get my bearings, I spotted a set of doors and began walking towards them. There was a sign on one, in big yet subdued lettering - Charles Halliday, CEO/Founder, Halliday Design - and I headed straight for them.

Walking through them, I came face-to-face with Liz's father, who was sitting behind a large oak desk with a disdainful look on his face. I didn't blame him for having that look; for all I knew, he probably thought I was stark raving mad, barging into his office like that. "Excuse me, miss. May I help you with something?" he said.

"Sir, my name's Stephanie Harrington," I said to him just as that bitch of a receptionist walked in, threatening to call security and asking Mr. Halliday if he wanted her to do so. Waving her aside and telling her to step outside, he repeated his question.

Grabbing a nearby leather chair, I sat down at the edge of his desk and looked right at him. "Sir, your daughter needs you," my voice pleading with him to listen to me. By now, I wasn't angry anymore; I would've groveled if it helped.

"Look, Ms..."

"It's just Stephanie, sir," I said, not knowing why I said it but hoping just the tone of my voice might get through to him.

"Stephanie, I can't," he said, looking as though he was a lot older than he was - fifty-one - at the time. "Look," he continued, looking as though he was struggling to say something, "I don't know what you may think of me but I'm not the bad guy you may think I am. Elizabeth is..she's my pride and joy, my little princess but I can't let her do this. I can't stand by and let her ruin her life." Her father seemed so sincere that, even if I wanted to, I couldn't hate him or dislike him over what he was saying. From where he was sitting, he was honestly doing what he thought was best for Liz. "I love her more than anything, but on this I have no choice."

"Mr. Halliday, I don't know what else to do for her," I said, seemingly on the edge of tears by that point. "Liz is at my house right now, lying in our bed, crying her heart out. She has been doing that for three days straight now. Now, I don't know what you and your wife may think of me and I'm not here to make you like me, sir, or make you think I'm best for her. I just need her to be okay..and she needs you. Sir, I love your daughter more than life itself, but she loves you just as much."

"Stephanie, I can't," he started, still struggling with what to say, "and even if I could, my wife would have a coronary. She doesn't approve of your...'lifestyle', Ms. Harrington, and I can't let Elizabeth throw her life away to be with you. I wish I could help," he said. For several agonizing minutes, he sat back in his chair, trying to come to terms with everything, trying to decide what to do. Then he leaned forward in his seat and looked right at me. "You really do love my daughter, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, more than anything and I'll do anything she needs...and if she needs me to go away so that she can patch up things with you guys then I'll do that. I just...I just want her to be happy and she can't be happy without you guys."

Running a hand through his hair - which I coulda' swore had grayed right there in his office as we spoke - Mr. Halliday looked around the office a few moments before looking back at me. "You know, I let my wife - that shrew - convince me that this was for the best, that if we forced Elizabeth to make a choice, that she would choose correctly...little did I know that maybe Elizabeth actually did make the right choice." As he spoke, I noticed he was no longer hesitant in his words or what he was saying. "Stephanie," he said, parsing his words for effect, "I'll apologize to Elizabeth..but I can assure you, my wife won't. This might - no, check that, this will - break up our marriage, but I can't let that shrew of a wife do this to our daughter. I won't."

"Please come and see her...please." By then, I was almost ready to bawl if that's what it woulda' taken, but he simply nodded his head and pointed towards the door. Getting up and grabbing his coat, he followed me out to where I had parked earlier. I drove back to my place, her father close behind...I pulled onto the side of the road just next to my driveway so that Mr. Halliday could drive straight in. I led him inside and Liz called out to me from the kitchen without even seeing who was there.

 

[Webster]

"Stephanie...you're back already? I was scared you might've run away from me and all my craziness..." Liz's voice sounded so small and she sniffled as she spoke, breaking my heart as she did. She walked out of the kitchen...and gasped at the sight of both me and her father. "Dad?" she whispered at first before repeating her question in a stronger voice, all the while looking back-and-forth between him and me for what seemed like forever. She finally ran into my arms and hugged me tightly, whispering how much she loved me a million, million times. When she finally let go, she looked over at her father rather sheepishly..and wouldn't you know it but he looked right at her the same way.

"Elizabeth Anne, I am so, so sorry. Can you forgive your father for being such a jackass?" When she walked over to him, he stretched out his arms and picked her up a little bit as they embraced. He swung her around like a toddler and at that moment I fell for him also. I loved him simply because he loved Liz and for the fact that he was willing to forsake his own marriage to make sure Liz was alright.

"Daddy," Liz said quietly, "I love Stephanie and I will not leave her. I won't."

"I know," he said, "I know..and I won't ask you too either." Liz's dad kissed her on the cheek and stepped back from her a little, running a hand through his hair. Taking off his glasses, he held them like a pointer and pointed them over towards me. "You know, Elizabeth Anne...I have never met anyone in my life, besides myself, who loves you more than that woman does. I simply wanted you to do what was best for you...but I never stopped to think that you already had."

Looking back over towards me as the three of us stood there, Liz walked into my outstretched arms rather blushingly. "I love you," I whispered to her as we hugged each other. She whispered those words back to me. After a few moments, I whispered to her, "Liz, I'm going to give you and your dad a few minutes together. I'll be upstairs, baby, whenever you're done we can talk."------------------------------------------------------------------I must've lost track of the time but some while later Liz found me sitting on our back balcony, nursing a glass of red wine. She sat in my lap with a huge smile on her face; I could tell she'd been crying but she looked happy. Her slate-blue eyes shone brightly and I marveled at how gorgeous Liz was, both inside and out. I had been so wrong about her when we'd first bumped into each other, all those months back. There was simply no other person in the world for me to be with than her...and judging by the look about her, the feeling was mutual.

"Everything alright, Liz?" I asked her, my arms encasing around her waist. Her arms took hold of my shoulders and she looked at me, slightly shaking her head.

"No, but they will be," she replied. "I have you, Stephanie, and everything'll work itself out. I don't know whatever it was that you said to get my dad to reconsider but thank you."

"Liz, I just asked. To be honest, I really didn't know if it would work but I had to do something," pausing to brush a hair from her face. "When you told me that you hadn't come out yet to your parents that night, it reminded me of what I went through with mine..and I just didn't know what to say or do that night. I just didn't want you to end up like me, without family or relatives to lean on and..." I had to turn my head or else I was going to lose it right there.

Looking back at her, I continued to hold her tightly as she sat in my lap. "Besides, I could never stop loving you," holding her tightly to my neck and gently kissing her face. "Elizabeth, I will love you forever and nothing in this world will ever change that, ever. You're everything that I've ever wanted and everything I've ever needed." As we sat there on the balcony, I could feel tears roll down my neck and I could tell she was crying. I wrapped my arms around her back and held her tightly to me, whispering to her words of love and devotion in both English and Italian as her chest convulsed against mine.

After a little while, she took a deep breath and kissed me before whispering, "God, Stephanie, I love the way you smell. I've been obsessed ever since we first me."

"Well, that's what 100 dollars a bottle will get you--," I started to deadpan, only to have Liz place a finger right on my lips as if to silence me.

"No," Liz said. Though her words were soft, their delivery was as hard as silk-wrapped steel. She kissed at my neck and I could swear she left the imprint of her lips on my skin. "No, I know that perfume and while I can smell it on other women, it's never the same as when its' on you...never as good. You just smell so good all the time, Stephanie."

As we sat there, I turned her around so that we were both looking out towards the woods behind our house. I pulled her into my arms and she snuggled herself into my side as we sat on that big balcony chair. She once again placed her face into my neck as I reached over for the glass of wine. Peering out over the balcony, I looked out at the old-oak forest behind the house as a solitary tear crept down my face. Everything felt so peaceful, so at ease..it was a feeling that I had wanted all my life, a feeling of peace and contentment, the kind that says everything is going to be okay after all.

As I continued to look out upon the forests, I knew there were going to be a lot of changes in my - no wait, our lives, I thought, and at that moment, with the night sky beginning to sparkle above, I knew exactly the question that I had to ask Liz...the one question that couples from time immemorial have asked their beloved. Leaning forward a little, I whispered, "Marry me, Liz...marry me."