017. relax
I open the door to our hotel room, needing nothing more than to collapse on my bed and take a nice long nap. Until I see her. She's laying on her stomach, eyes closed and folded arms acting as a pillow. I walk over, sitting on the bed beside her, and put my hand gently on her back. She smiles, opening her eyes.
"Hi," I say softly. "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better."
I nod, knowing how hard this case has been on her so far. And with no ending in sight, I wonder how much more she can take. I start rubbing her back and find out just how tense she is from the knots I find there. "Kel, relax." I whisper, letting my fingers work their way up to the back of her neck.
"That feels great."
"Well, someone I know quite intimately has said that these fingers are capable of working great feats of magic." I say with a sultry tone and look to find her eyes on my own, her cheeks somewhat flushed. "When we get back to Los Angeles, I plan on reminding her just how magical my charms are." I drop my hands to her lower back, knowing it's a favorite spot of hers, and feel her shiver under my touch.
"She's a very lucky girl." I hear her say between deep breaths.
"No, I'm the lucky one." I lean down and kiss her exposed neck then pull back, having every intention of easing her tension with a nice, long back massage. But she turns over on the bed, sitting up to come face to face with me, eyes meeting mine. "Hey, beautiful."
"I love you," she whispers, catching me off guard.
She's never said that to me before, always remaining somewhat cool when it comes to our relationship. When I first found out about her past relationship issues, I vowed not to push her, to let her move at her own pace, and that's exactly what I've done, not taking her occasional aloofness personally. I knew that it was going to take time for her to let me into her heart.
I watch as panic flickers in her eyes and realize she's waiting for me to respond. I quickly pull her into me, giving her a kiss that hopefully eases all her doubts. But knowing it's not all that she needs, I say, "I love you, too." Her lips recapture my own, and for the first time, I'm certain that her heart's really mine.