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Rain. Every stinkin’ time I go to Yellow Springs, it rains. I was at Sam and Eddie’s, one of the local book shops, when the real downpour started. Luckily, Back Chat (the best coffee shop ever) was right next to the book shop so I just ran next door to wait the storm out.

Stepping into Back Chat is like stepping into a whole different world. It’s like going from Yellow Springs, Ohio’s own hippy-town, to an exclusive beatnik coffee shop possibly somewhere in New York or L.A. where they only let movie stars in.

I sat at a table and pulled out my pack of Dunhill Special Reserve. When the waiter came by, I ordered a cup of English style tea and lit a cigarette. I bobbed my head to the free form jazz playing over the speakers and waited patiently for my tea. The rain was really coming down outside and I sighed at the realization that I was probably going to be having more than one cup of tea. As I looked around, I took another long drag from my cigarette and then choked. I recognized someone, but no, it couldn’t be! But, he looked so much like him! Stylishly dressed yet casual, make-up subtle... make-up! It had to be. Yellow Springs is a free spirited town, but that’s a rarity even in the city of Dayton. The only time I had ever seen a man dressed like a woman in this area was when I was at a gay club in Dayton. Of course, the guys there weren’t straight transvestites, they were drag queens. Big difference.

" Miss, here is your tea," I heard the waiter say from my right side. He startled me so badly I nearly jumped out of my seat.

"Thank you, sir, I’m going to have my tea over there at that table," I said pointing towards the transvestite sitting at the table in the left corner of the shop. "You can bring my check to me over there. "

" Very well, miss. Enjoy your tea, " he said as he walked away. I stood up cautiously. Did he notice me? What would I say? I decided the best approach would be for me to act like I didn’t know who he was. I approached him carefully. As I got closer to his table, the man noticed me and looked up from his paper.

"May I sit here? " I asked, my heart in my throat.

" Um, yeah, I suppose, " he replied, looking confused.

"I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Hi, my name is Kelli, what’s yours? " I asked him, trying not to seem nervous.

At this point he really looked confused. I guess he was surprised that I didn’t   know who he was. I think it intrigued him at the same time.

"My name is Eddie, it’s very nice to meet you, Kelli, " he answered, putting his paper away. "If you don’t mind my asking, why have you come over here? " he asked, lighting up a cigarette. My God, how was I supposed to answer that? I had to think quick. I decided to just tell him the truth.

"Well, it’s not everyday I see a guy quite like you, " I said, winking at him.

"Oh, you mean in a skirt and wearing make-up, " he said, rolling his eyes as if he was quite annoyed.

"Oh, no no, that’s not what I meant! " I explained, "I meant, oh gosh, I’m so embarrassed, " I buried my face in my hands for a second, " I meant as attractive as you, actually, " I spoke, muffled through my hands.

"I’m sorry, what was that? " Eddie leaned forward. I took my hands from my face and looked him directly in the eye.

" You’re very attractive, I just wanted to get a better look. Are you surprised "? I asserted. He looked surprised even though I don’t really think he was.

"Do you know who I am? " he asked me with a look on his face as if I wasn’t fooling him.

"No, " I managed not to smirk, even though I knew I was lying. Somehow, by the grace of James Mason, I managed to seem genuine. "Should I know who you are? " I asked him, still trying to seem authentic.

"No, I suppose not. I’m just a guy, like any other, " he smiled. Now two were playing this game. I was playing him as if I didn’t know who he was and he was playing me like he was no one special. This was going to get very interesting.

"So, I take it from your accent that you’re British, am I right?, " I asked him even though, since I knew who he was, I obviously knew he was British. However, I was still playing it as though I didn’t know.

"I’m from London. I take it from your accent that you are American, am I   right? " he said in a very facetious manner.

"Yes, I’m from right here in Ohio, " I smiled at him and took a sip from my tea, "I’m sorry, I know that was a dumb question, but I didn’t want to mistake you for being British if you were Australian or something, " I explained.

"Well, you were right, I’m from England. Do you live here in, oh, what is it? " he asked, looking away as if he was inside his own head, trying to remember what the town was called.

"Yellow Springs. No, I live about twenty minutes away from here in Fairborn. I’m a student at Wright State University, " I finished, trying not to bore him with too many unnecessary details.

"Ah, college girl. What year? " he finished his cigarette and put it out, exhaling a cloud of glorious smoke. I extinguished my cigarette as well.   

" I’m in my second year. I’m looking to do something in veterinary medicine. I’m curious, what brings you from London, England to Yellow Springs, Ohio? " I inquired.

" I got stuck at Dayton International Airport on my way to Los Angeles, long story. Flights have been a bit screwy since the unfortunate events, I gather, " he explained, drinking from his cup. We avoided the subject of the recent tragedies.

" O.k., that explains how you got to this area, but what brings you to Yellow Springs? " I asked, truly
curious.

" Well, I’m stuck here for a couple of days and I wanted to find some place more interesting to go for a
while, so I asked around and this seemed to be the best place to come. It has character. I’ll keep it in mind
the next time I want a relaxed and groovy place to hang out, " he elaborated.

" Cool. Yeah, I love Yellow Springs. It’s a relaxed and groovy hippy town, " I laughed, trying not to throw
in more quotes from Dress to Kill and give myself away.

"Are you sure you don’t know who I am? " he asked me again.

"Why, are you someone famous? " I laughed as if I didn’t know.

"Um, no," he seemed to stammer as if he was trying very hard not to give himself away, I just keep
thinking that I may have seen you somewhere before. " Have you ever been to London? " he said, making
a quick save.

"I haven’t been outside this continent, " I grinned and took a breath, feeling silly just then. I’m not very
well traveled, I said, looking down at my cup of tea.

" You’re still young, you have plenty of time," he smiled. I couldn’t get over how relaxed I was beginning
to feel. It was so easy to talk to him. He was so friendly and didn’t seem bothered at all that I had just come
over and started talking to him.

"You’re so very nice. Most people would be a little annoyed if some random person they didn’t even
know just came over and started bothering them," I said, starting to wonder if I was indeed bothering him.

"Oh, it’s no bother. Besides, you seem very nice. You came over here with good intentions. You’re not here
to make fun of me or anything. Small towns don’t always mean small minds, " he paused a moment,
"What did you mean when you said you wanted to get a better look?" he asked, sounding as if he still
wasn’t sure I was telling the truth about not knowing who he was. " Well, I thought you were cute and I just had to get a closer look," I blushed.

"Well, do you like what you see now that you are closer?" he asked, piercing me sharply with those deep
blue oceans he has for eyes. He leaned toward me as if he was very interested in me. That made me
slightly uncomfortable because at that point I wasn’t sure what was happening anymore. I just looked at
him, trapped in his penetrating blue gaze.

Before I could answer, the pounding sound of thunder shook the coffee shop. I gasped and Eddie looked
toward the entrance. Most of the shades were pulled down over the windows that day, but one remained
open nearby and I could see that it looked very bad outside.

"My God, was it storming like that when you came in?" Eddie asked me, looking shocked.

" No, it was merely raining. It doesn’t look too good out there now. The weather here is atrocious
sometimes. Don’t worry, Xenia is usually where the big tornadoes hit. We should be fine," I tried to sound reassuring. I gulped the last of my tea. "Tornado?! You mean like a cyclone? Oh I don’t like the sound of this at all, " he replied, starting to look
worried.     

"Eddie, we’re in the Miami Valley, this is not an odd occurrence. Of course, even though it rains every
time I come here, it’s never done this," I said, again looking out the window.     

" It rains every time you come here? Well done! This time you’ve managed to cause a thunderstorm! " he
managed to joke. The comedian fought it’s way out of him and I think eased his nerves a little. It seemed
like until then that he was holding back, but now he was being the Eddie I expected him to be. I did
wonder, however, if he’d had it with me and wanted me to leave him alone with his paper.

" I’m sorry, do you want me to go?" I asked him seriously. He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"No, not at all. I was only joking. Please stay, talk with me, " he said, putting his hand over mine on the
table. A chill ran down my spine. I signaled the waiter and ordered another cup of tea. Eddie handed the
waiter his cup of now apparently cold almond amaretto to be refreshed.

" Eddie, I uh, uh. Hmmm," I stammered, trying to find the words for my reaction. "What is it, what’s wrong?" he asked, still having not taken his hand away from mine.

" I’m feeling a little um, uh I don’t know," I replied, feeling embarrassed because I knew that he didn’t
think the same of me as I did of him. "I’m sorry, had I not come over here being a complete ass, you may
have been out of here and not stuck here waiting out this possibly dangerous storm," I said, looking down
at his hand still covering mine. He took his hand away to receive his coffee from the waiter. The waiter
sat my tea down in front of me and I folded my hands in my lap. We thanked him for our drinks and then
looked at each other again.

" You know what? I don’t care. This is very nice. I admit, you’re not the first to approach me the way you
did, but still, it isn’t every day a cute young girl like yourself comes over just to get a better look at me, "
he winked.

" Well, you are very sexy and I am very flattered," I blushed again. Suddenly, the thunder seemed worse
and we both looked out the window again. Eddie looked worried again and I decided to try to distract him.

" So, you said you were on your way to L.A.? What were you to be doing there?" I asked him, trying to get
him to look at me and not out the window. "Business trip," he answered shortly. I’m guessing he found me more interesting than rain and lightening because after he answered me he kept his eyes locked on mine.

" Oh, that’s cool. Do you like it here in America? " I asked him, locked in his smoldering gaze.

" It’s alright. I like the big cities, but I like this particular small town quite a bit," he answered, seeming as
if he was calming a bit.

" This is one of my favorite places to go. Have you had a chance to shop here?" I asked him, thinking of
all the wonderful dresses he must of looked at in the shops.

" Actually, this was my last stop from spending most of the day here. I’ve been to some lovely shops. So
many beautiful dresses and wonderful smells. One of the shops across the street, Earth Rose? Yeah, that
was it. It was pretty much empty so I tried a couple of dresses on and I actually bought one of them,"
he said, picking a bag up from the floor and showing it to me.

" I have a couple of dresses from that particular shop. Did you check out Pangaea? They have a lot of
interesting things," I asked, jumping at the sound of more crashing thunder.

" Oh yeah, Pangaea. That was a really nice shop. I bought some natural beauty supplies from there," he
said, taking a smaller bag from inside the larger bag and showing that to me as well. Our conversation
was interrupted by the unnerving sound of hail.

" Hail, this can’t be good, " I said, looking out the window again. At this point I really started to get worried. " What’s happening?" he asked with a shocked look on his softly painted face.     

" Well, this isn’t odd, but if the wind picks up more, we could be in trouble," I answered him frankly.
I think the look on my face scared him because he started to get fidgety.

" What do we do?" he asked, looking quite nervous. I thought for a second.

" Tell you what, let’s move over to one of the couches where the outside isn’t so visible and we’ll just ride
this out together," I said, putting my hand over his this time, "C’mon, let’s go over here. " He gathered his
things and stood up. We walked over and sat down on an empty sofa. The storm raged outside, but the
hail was brief and stopped within a few minutes. Eddie and I settled down next to each other and
continued our friendly chat. Does this happen a lot here? he asked calmly.

" Most storms that hit in this general region are severe. Very rarely does it develop into anything more
than a frightening experience. I’m sure there’s no real danger. It’s like what they always say about
Ohio, besides that all the weirdoes come from here," I smiled.

" What is it that they say?" he leaned toward me again.

" If you don’t like the weather, stick around ‘cos it’s gonna change," I said, taking a drink from my cup.
He laughed and lit another cigarette.

" It reminds me a little of England, the rain and all, " he laughed to himself.

" Yeah, I heard about that. We had a French exchange student my first year of high school who tried to
convince me I never wanted to go to England because it rained 364 days of the year. It didn’t work, partly
because I didn’t like him," I explained, lighting a cigarette of my own. Our dialogue continued. " Why didn’t you like him? "

" Well, I don’t mean to sound prejudice against the French or anything, but obviously you know the
general stereotypes we Americans expect from them. Well, at first all of us girls thought he was sexy
because he was European and even though he was French, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Unfortunately he didn’t represent his country very well and proved every stereotype true with the
exception of one. "

" And what was that? " " He didn’t smell." Eddie laughed madly at my last sentence. I laughed with him, but suddenly felt strange, as if there was something more going on between us than just a friendly chat. Of course I had to be wrong. He probably had a girlfriend back in London or one waiting for him in L.A. I knew there were thousands of women like me around the world that wanted him, and he and I had only spent mere moments together. There was no way he was interested. I got a sudden sharp feeling of depression. He noticed it on my face and his face changed to one of concern again.

" Kelli, are you alright?" he asked, placing his hand gently on my shoulder. I had to think quickly.

" I’m just a little sad because as soon as this storm is over we’ll go our separate ways and I hate to see you
go. You’ll go to Los Angeles and then back to England and I’ll probably never see you again," I said
plainly, feeling as though I had said too much. I took my eyes away from him. At that moment, the storm
seemed to weaken. How appropriate.

" Well, I’ve got one more day here and I don’t mind having some company this evening. Part of the reason
I’m in this particular area is because the only hotel with a vacancy was the Holiday Inn in a nearby city
called... Beavercreek? Yeah, that’s right. I saw some nice restaurants in that area. I suppose we could
continue this over dinner tonight," he offered sincerely. Dinner? Did he just ask me out on a date?
Naaaaah, that’s not possible. " Dinner? Tonight? Oh, I don’t know, " I choked, looking him in the face again.

" Oh c’mon, it’s on me. Is it because I’m a stranger? You came over to me to begin with, I should be more
worried about your intentions than you are of mine, " he said, nudging me with his elbow in a playful
manner.

"Well, it would be nice, but I don’t feel right about it. You hardly know me, I can’t let you buy me dinner,"
I looked him seriously in the eye.

" Oh, it’s no trouble. Believe me, I’m very secure financially, " he chuckled, " C’mon, we’ll have a wild time.

" Oh, alright, " I gave in, " Where should I meet you," I asked with a smile.

"Actually, I thought I’d be a gentleman and pick you up," he answered with a look of confusion on his face.

" Well, I do live very close to that edge of Beavercreek, but I think it’d be better if we met at the restaurant
of choice," I explained, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. Beavercreek, what kind" of a name is that for a city?" Eddie asked jokingly.

"Well, it’s better than Middlesex! " I replied with a bit of a giggle. A strange expression came over Eddie’s
face, but after a few seconds, he finally laughed.

" You know, I guess you’re right. Middlesex does sound kind of odd when you think about it," he
laughed. "So, about dinner... what’s a good restaurant around here? "

" My favorite is Cooker. They’ve got great steak," I answered, licking my lips at the thought of a well
done restaurant quality sirloin.

" Hmmm, sounds good. Right, what time?" he asked me, again looking very interested in me. " Well, if you know how to get there, I suppose I’ll just meet you there about seven?" I asked him, half waiting for him to change his mind. This couldn’t be happening, it was too weird. As we were talking, the storm had calmed and all but diminished. The sun was beginning to show and it looked safe to leave.

" Right, that sounds good. I’ll see you then, " he said, looking as if he was ready to get up.

" Well, the storm has finished. I suppose we can leave now, " I said, readying myself to stand. He stood up
slowly and I popped up with him. He paused for a moment and gave me a good long look. He sighed
and picked up his things. I never did figure out what that was all about. We paid our bills and walked
outside. " Come, I’ll walk you to your car," he said with an expression on his face that I couldn’t decipher.
I nodded at him and he proceeded to walk me to my car. Since Yellow Springs is too small for it to be
necessary to drive everywhere, one basically parks in the two hour parking zone and then walks around.
It makes it quite a ways back to the car when one is done, but it’s worth it. We were silent until about the
half-way point and then I broke the awkward silence.

" How will you get back to your hotel? Do you need a ride?" I asked him, my voice breaking.

" I’ve got a rental car, I know the way," he smiled at me. When we arrived at my car, I stopped and turned
to face him. He got a look of amazement on his face and pointed to my car.

" What, what is it?" I said, looking at him with major confusion. He pointed at the car parked in front of
mine. Then I was really confused. Finally, he spoke. " I don’t believe it, is that a coincidence or what? "

" What’s a coincidence? "

" This is your car? " " Yes, what’s the problem? "

" You parked right behind my rental. That car right there is my rental car! "

" Wow, could this be fate? " I joked.

"Well, at least I won’t have to go far, eh?" Eddie smiled widely and then looked down at his watch,

"So it’s 4 o’clock now, I’ll see you in about three hours, right? "

" Yeah, I’ll see you then," I replied, my voice shaky.

"Right, until then my dear," he said taking my hand as if he was going to shake it, still being very playful."
Instead of shaking my hand, he kissed it. I about fell over. He waved as he got into his car and I then got
into mine. He drove away before I did because I had to take a moment to have an anxiety attack. I finally
put the key in the ignition and started my car. I drove home and proceeded to get ready for dinner.

It took me an hour and a half to decide what to wear and how to do my make-up, but I got it sorted. I arrived at the restaurant and parked in a conspicuous place. I looked for his rental car, but didn’t see it.
Ten after seven and still no sign of him. I started to feel really silly and contemplated going on home. A
quarter after seven and a familiar car pulled in. It parked next to mine and the driver got out. It was him!
He was wearing a different outfit than before. He was wearing vinyl trousers, a modest blouse and now
even less make-up. I stumbled out of my car and met him at his.

" Sorry I’m late. Shall we? " he asked, gesturing towards the entrance. I nodded and we proceeded to go
inside. We got a table and sat down.

" This is a nice atmosphere, I like the ‘80s pop music," Eddie smiled. " Yes, forgive me if I sing along, " I agreed. The waitress came quickly and we ordered our food and drinks.

Our drinks came and we continued talking. Somehow things seemed more awkward than necessary at this
point, at least for me. It didn’t seem to bother Eddie very much. He decided it would be good to go a bit
deeper than small talk so he started to ask more probing questions.

" So what attracts you to men who wear make-up? " he asked, running his finger round the edge of his glass.

" I don’t know, it’s always been there. I’ve never really questioned it. If I may be completely open here,
I don’t know if it’s got something to do with me being bisexual or what. It seems like about any celebrity
guy I’ve liked or crush I had in high school has been a guy who has worn make-up and/or a dress at least
once in his life, "I confessed. "Oh, your bisexual. Well, I don’t know if that would have anything to do with it, but if you’re looking for
an explanation... "

" But I’m not. It doesn’t bother me that I like transvestites. I think that’s part of the reason I’m so fond of
Queen... "

" I’m sorry, Queen, or the queen... "

" Is the queen a transvestite? "

" Uh, it’s possible. But if she is, she’s quite a bad one," he said as seriously as he could, though we both
ended up laughing. I thought that was quite an odd joke to be made by an actual transvestite, but by the
look on Eddie’s face, I got the impression he was thinking the same thing. He shook his head and I smiled
at him, continuing on as if it wasn’t said.

" No, I meant the rock group from your country, Queen. You know, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor... "

"Yeah, I know who they are," Eddie said, looking at me as if I was patronizing him.

"Yeah, I figured so," I said, looking down at my drink. We met eyes again very quickly. Our food came
quicker than anticipated. The waitress sat everything in front of us speedily and then was off again.

Things were a bit quiet during the actual dinner, but we did share some more conversation. " So, back to what we were talking about before... you like transvestites, " he paused and took a bite of
food. Once he swallowed, he continued, "Do you like me so far?" he asked, taking a quick drink.

" I like you a lot, actually, " I replied honestly.

" I fancy you quite a bit myself, " he said after he swallowed some more lager. I was sipping my virgin
daiquiri at the time and I choked as he said that. I didn’t choke badly and managed not to embarrass
myself too much. He asked me if I was alright and I nodded as I took another drink to ease my coughing. " I’m quite flattered," I coughed.

"It’s a shame we have only this one night. We’ve just begun getting to know each other. I didn’t expect to
be meeting someone like you on this trip. Of course, if things had gone as planned, we wouldn’t be having
dinner right now. I guess I’m a little glad to have gotten sidetracked," he confessed, taking another drink
from his nearly empty glass.

" Well, it’s been very nice hanging out with you. I’ll probably never forget this," I admitted. " I hope I don’t. I’ve really enjoyed myself today. Even though I got stuck in that storm, I got to meet
you... and before that, do a bit of shopping. If you hadn’t been there I probably would have lost it. I’m not
familiar with the weather here the way you are, y’know, " he explained. What was going on now?
I didn’t want to misinterpret what he was saying as him really liking me if he was just being friendly.
I was really confused and frustrated. Our meal was coming closer to the end and I wasn’t sure what to
make of all this.

" So, what are you up to after this is all done?" he asked me as we finished our meal.

" I don’t know, I’m thinkin’ I might go down to Blockbuster and rent some movies," I answered,
swallowing the last bite of my steak.   

" Oh really, what kind of films are you into?" he asked, lighting a cigarette. "I like a lot of different kinds. I like silent films, comedies, action, drama, sci-fi, anime. All different kinds," I said, hesitating to light up just yet.

" Silent films? Like what? "

" I love Metropolis a lot. I’m still waiting for my copy of the DVD to come into the shop. "

" Have you ever seen Nosferatu? "

"Not yet, but I did see that movie that was about the making of it, Shadow of the Vampire. "

" What did you think of it? "

" It were crap," I said, somehow trying to sound British or something. " What? "

"It was too slow for it being fiction. If it were nonfiction, I could understand, but it was fiction.
Could have spiced it up a little bit," I explained, having full knowledge that he was in that film.

" I thought it was alright," he coughed a bit.

" And what was with that guy, the guy with the hair? Y’know, the guy that played the actor in the movie
with all the make-up. He was a nice-looking guy and all, but, I don’t know, I tried to keep from laughing,
Who was that guy? "

"Oh, some bloke, apparently," he stammered, "Do you like more modern films or older ones the best? " " I like both quite a bit. I like the fantasy flicks from the 1980s," I said, finally lighting a cigarette.

"Who is your favorite actor?" he asked as if he was waiting for me to say Eddie Izzard.

"David Bowie," I answered him quickly.

" David Bowie? "

" Yeah, ever since I saw Labyrinth when I was a child, I’ve been drawn to his films. Labyrinth is my most
favorite movie. He was brilliant in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. I collect his movies and I have
most of them on video," I shared with him.

" Well that’s interesting. What are some of the newer films you like?" he asked, taking a long drag from his
cigarette.

" I’ve got a pretty decent list of films I’ve liked over the last couple of years. Let’s see: I liked Fight Club a
lot, American Beauty was brilliant, X-Men, Mystery Men, Little Nicky, What Women Want... Lots of great
movies the last couple of years," I said, cataloging mostly movies I had seen in the theater between 1998
and 2001.

" Mystery Men... what did you think of that one," he asked, sounding curious for obvious reasons. " I loved it. It was very funny and I liked the Disco Boys a lot, even though I don’t particularly like disco
very much. That scene where the Bowler and Tony P. have their little showdown; I’m upset that she kills
Tony P. but one of them had to win, and lets face it, I’d do them both," I giggled, knowing well that he
played Tony P.

"So you would’ve done a Disco Boy," he nodded, folding his arms and looking proud.

"Just the one, the other one was a jive turkey," I said, using a quote from Tony C.

" Ah, I see, " he said, looking very pleased. " Well, I suppose I’d better get on my way, beat the late rush at the video store," I said, wiping my hands on my napkin and tossing it to the plate.

"Well, I hate to see this night end so early," Eddie said, finishing his last drink.

"Well, you can tag along if you like, " I offered, hoping he’d hang out with me the rest of the night.

"I suppose, I’ve got no other place to be, " he said, taking a star mint from the tray with our check on it
and popping it into his mouth. He paid the bill and I ate the other star mint. After we left, he followed me
to Blockbuster and we went inside together.

" I loved this movie," I said as I picked up Marat/Sade from one of the DVD shelves. "Wow, that’s a deep film," he said, looking at it over my shoulder.

" It was amazing. Brilliant film. Frighteningly true pophecies," I continued to rave. We looked at lots of
different films, some we had both seen, some only one of us had seen but both of us avoided the films
he was in even though they were in plain sight. I checked to see if my copy of Metropolis had come in yet,
but it hadn’t so I gave up and just rented a couple of films I hadn’t seen yet. I took my videos from the clerk and we walked outside.

"So, now what? Are we to go our separate ways? It is getting kind of late," I said, dreading going home
after such a nice evening.

"Hmmm, I don’t know. I am getting a bit tired," Eddie hesitated.

" Well, would you like to get a cup of coffee or something?" I asked him, no longer sure of my intentions
with that question. " Um, yeah, o.k., " he answered with a smile.

"Very well, Mr. Izzard, very well," I purred as I walked ahead a bit.

Eddie grinned, Very well indeed.

PART II

"I'm sorry, miss, we just have plain coffee right now. Would you like tea instead?" the waitress asked, trying to be accommodating.

"No thanks, I'll just have coffee then. I'd like some cream too," I said, settling for straight coffee instead of a cappuccino. I brushed my shaggy crimson locks out of my eye and looked to Eddie again. He was staring at me, looking quite intrigued. The waitress finished writing on her pad and took off toward the kitchen.

"So, you knew all along. Well, I sort of figured that out during dinner. You liked Tony P., eh?" he asked me, lighting yet another cigarette.

"I liked you," I answered frankly. I looked him directly in his perfectly lined stare.

"I see. You are a clever young thing. You had me fooled at first. Very clever indeed," he said as he blew smoke up at the ceiling of the hotel restaurant.

"I don't know if I'd say clever. I handled it," I laughed, remembering how freaked out I was when I first found myself in front of him. The waitress came back with our coffee and our check. She thanked us and left us alone. It didn't seem that the restaurant was going to close any time soon, though it was getting late, so we just hung out and chatted up a storm. Talking of storms, it began to rain again, but we hardly noticed anything outside of each other at that point.

"Were you nervous?" Eddie, asked me as he absentmindedly stirred his coffee. "You mean you couldn't tell?" I laughed again.

"Well, a little bit, yeah," he replied, looking down at his coffee with a smile.

 "I was so very nervous, but you put me at ease. It's nice to have had the chance for us to get to know each other a little without that whole celebrity thing getting in the way," I explained as my mind turned to the bit in Dress to Kill about keeping the chat sexy while having coffee. He gave me an odd look.

 "So, what you're saying is that if you had approached me with emphasis on my 'fame,' we wouldn't have been able to get to know each other, right? I suppose that makes sense and I can understand your approach, but that still leaves me with one question. Would you have approached me if you really didn't know who I was?" he asked, looking a little disappointed in me.

 "Yes, but knowing who you are helps. Don't misunderstand my saying that, though. I mean you appeal to me because of my impression of who you are, not your celebrity status. That just makes you inaccessible in my view. I mean, well, it's complicated," I tried to explain. He nodded as if he was following me so I just assumed he got what I was saying.  

"Well, Kelli, I think it's a little unfair that you feel that way.  I might be considered famous or a celebrity, but I'm just an ordinary bloke. I'm just like anybody else. I'm only human."  

"Well, let me ask you something. If I had come up to you and just asked you for your autograph and stuff, would we be here now?" I asked him directly.  

"Probably not. I see what you mean. Well, all that aside, we are here now. Famous or not, I do like you. I appreciate that you like me despite what celebrity status I might have. I hope that so far I've met your expectations," Eddie said, looking nervous for some reason.  

"So far, you have far exceeded my expectations," I confessed, my mind turning again to the coffee bit in Dress to Kill. "I like you a lot. I like my men like I like my coffee, sweet and... uh... creamy?" I fumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Eddie went from nervous to confused. Again, thunder interrupted our conversation. I rolled my eyes, sighed and looked out the window.

"Again with the storming! I'm moving," I joked, feeling my face lit brightly by a flash of lightening.

"It sure does storm a lot here," he sighed, looking bothered.

"Well, it looks like I might be here for a while. Do you mind?" I asked, watching more lightening strike outside. My pale skin seemed to glow in the flash, reflecting the light almost like an aura. I wondered briefly what he may have thought of that. I wondered if he noticed me at all physically. I watched his eyes watching me. He almost seemed distracted by something else even though he kept his eyes on me.

"I don't mind at all as long as you finish what you were saying before," he said, licking his spoon seductively. I wondered if he meant it or if he was just being cute. Either way, I liked it.

"What was I saying before?" I asked as if I didn't remember.

"Creamy men, something like that," he said, the left corner of his mouth curling into a half smile.

"Um, well," I paused and picked up my spoon. As expertly done as in Dress to Kill I motioned over the spoon, "Ah, the curve of the spoon, the curve of your... ass... I'm not gonna lick your ass, but you get the idea," I said, quickly putting the spoon down.

"Oh won't you?" he pouted and then grinned. "I do believe you're flirting with me."

"Using your quotes, no less. I'm sorry."

"Where exactly is this leading?" he asked with a suggestive smile.

"I dunno, where do you want to go?" I asked, making eyes at him.

"I'm not really sure," he said, his smile fading.

"I'm sorry, am I being too forward?" I asked, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"No, no it's alright. I've been leading you..."

"On, you’ve been leading me on, right?" I interrupted, trying not to seem annoyed at the thought.

"No, I've been leading you toward... well, I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this," Eddie scratched his head undecidedly. More thunder from outside. We both looked out the window next to us and sighed."I don't think we should sit here much longer, that lightening is getting bad," he said, looking at me with unsure eyes.

"We've pretty much finished our coffee. We could take this to the lobby," I offered.

"Hmmm," he paused in thought. "Yeah, that's a good idea, let's go sit down in the lobby," he said with certainty. We signaled the waitress and paid the bill for the coffee. As we walked toward the lobby, I felt his hand on the small of my back for a brief moment. It was all I could do to keep from collapsing in a heap on the floor. I walked ahead a bit, unable to control my speed in my excitement. My temporary separation from Eddie’s side would cause me now seemingly convenient injuries. People had been in and out from the front desk and tracked rainwater on the floor that I didn't see. I slipped in the water, twisted my left ankle and fell down hard, hurting my right shoulder trying to catch myself.

"Are you alright?" Eddie asked, rushing to my side.

"Uh, I think so. My ankle's twisted and I've hurt my shoulder, but no head injuries," I said, grabbing my shoulder and catching my breath.

"Let's get you upstairs, do you need me to carry you?" he asked, sincerely concerned.

"No, if I could just lean on you, I'll probably be o.k.," I answered, trying to get up. He helped me up and I put my arm around him. He smelled so nice, I breathed him in. He helped me onto an elevator and took me to his room. I leaned against the wall as he unlocked the door.

"C'mon, I'll help you inside," he said, taking my arm around his shoulders again and guiding me to the bed. Once he turned on the light, he innocently sat me on the bed, slid off my sandals and pulled my skirt up over my ankle so he could look at it.

"It's starting to swell a little, you're not going anywhere for a while. Hang on, let me get you some ice," he said as he grabbed the ice bucket and left the room.

So there I was, in Eddie Izzard's hotel room, on his bed. How was I supposed to handle that?! I could still smell him, a mixture of tobacco and a hint of cologne.

He came back quickly and got a washcloth from the bathroom. He wrapped the ice in the cloth and handed it to me. I put the ice on my ankle and looked up at Eddie. I think I was wondering what was supposed to happen next. He just looked at me, the same as I looked at him.

"Does that feel alright?" he stammered.

"Yeah, it's feeling much better, thank you," I answered as I shook off the pain from my shoulder.

"Is your shoulder alright?" he asked, coming closer to me.

"Honestly, no, it hurts worse than my ankle. I think I jammed it or something," I said, trying to rotate my arm and being unsuccessful.

Eddie got up on the bed with me. I suddenly felt scared, unsure of what to do next. He sat next to me, looked me softly in the face and then gently put his hands on my shoulders. I couldn't look at him, not directly anyway. I felt so self conscious. He squeezed gently and felt my right shoulder carefully.

"Does that hurt," he asked me very close to my face.

"No, it feels nice," I forced out, choking on my words. I was finally able to look him in the eye.

"Here," he said as he moved behind me. He pulled on my arm and I cooperated with him as he stretched my shoulder back to feeling near normal again. He continued to rub my shoulders. I could feel his breath on my neck, very soft and warm. I shivered a moment, trying very hard to hide my arousal. We remained quiet for quite some time before he broke the silence.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked me, still working my shoulders deeply.

"Good, very good," my voice felt hoarse.

"Are you alright?" Eddie asked me, sounding concerned.

"Fine, I'm fine," I choked on my own breath, "Right as rain, if you'll forgive the expression," I said, clearing my throat.

"You don't sound like you're just fine. Is something wrong? I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he said, stopping a moment. He stuck his head over my left shoulder and looked at my face. He was so cute just then. Not that he wasn't cute before, but he was particularly cute in that moment.

"I just don't want to get the wrong impression from what's happening in this situation," I confessed, suddenly ready to shut myself up.

"What impression are you getting?" he breathed in my ear. I fell back into him. He caught me by the shoulders as I leaned backward into his chest. He didn't seem shocked or surprised.

"Kelli, are you alright?" he said, his voice still breathy.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, that was completely involuntary. My body took over. Got a mind of its own. Bad body!" I joked as I tried to sit back up again. He stopped me. I sat for a moment, him holding me firmly to him. I turned my head up at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked him softly.

"I'm sorry, my arms seem to have a mind of their own for the moment," he smiled. We looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. I felt his grip loosen and turned fully toward him.

"So, now what?" I asked, brushing my hair out of my eye again. Thunder crashed outside, but we felt no danger. It was really more of an electrical storm and it only intensified the mood. The light was dim except for the intermittent lightening outside. It chased across the sky and shined through the hotel room window, catching our faces in a brilliant flash. We stared each other down, hardly blinking.

"I don't know," he began softly, "What do you want to do?" he asked, voice a bit shaky.

"I couldn't tell you that," I giggled and looked down away from him. I suddenly felt his fingers under my chin. He gently lifted my face back up toward him.

"Do tell," he demanded.

"Uh uh," I said with eyes wide. Trapped again in his glittering blue gaze, I could say no more. He watched me with great anticipation as I waited with baited breath for what he was going to do next.

"Well, I can tell you what I'm thinking," he said, moving in for the kill. I didn't know what to do, I just saw his face coming closer and closer to mine. He kissed me softly. My eyes remained open though his were closed. I kissed back, surprisingly halfheartedly. He pulled away slowly and looked with great warmth into my eyes.

"My ice is melting," I said, still quite wide-eyed. He gave me a strange look and then laughed.

"I can get you some more if you'd like," he said, starting to stand. "Um, o.k.," I replied shortly.

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that," he apologized, moving away a bit.

"No, no, it's quite alright. It just surprised me. I liked it a lot, I'm just on the verge of an anxiety attack, that's all," I said, shaking off my apprehension.

"Oh, don't do that. I'm not worth that kind of stress. Just relax, it's o.k.," Eddie insisted. He regained his original position next to me. I felt so strange and I couldn't decide what to do. I waited and waited to wake up. I wanted to talk about what was happening before taking any action, but I had no idea what was going on anymore.

"Eddie, dude, what is going on here?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just weird. Here I am in your hotel room with you. You rub my shoulders and then you kiss me. This whole thing is stampeding headlong toward something big and I just, I just-"

"Kelli, Kelli stop. I was afraid this would happen."

"Afraid what would happen?"

"Well, that you would freak out. Look, just settle down. Just because we are here now doesn't mean we have to do anything."

"Hey, I'm not freaked out. I'm cool. I'm calm cool and collected," I insisted with a bit of a glare.

"O.k., O.k., you're cool," Eddie paused a moment, "I don't believe you," he finished under his breath.

"You don't believe me? I can handle this, I can handle you. You don't intimidate me," I said trying to seem tough.

"Who said I was trying to intimidate you?" Eddie asked with a laugh.

"No one, no one did, but I feel that you think that I think you are intimidating and you think that I am star struck and can't handle being with you like this because of that and now I'm just rambling so I will shut up now and let you talk because now I just sound dumb," I said, lots of words spilling out of my mouth with hardly a breath in between them.

"You know, you are quite a character. You are so cute," he laughed warmly.

"I am? I'm flattered that you think so. So, you said something before about us 'doing something,' or not, actually. What were we supposed to be doing now? Shagging?" I said, bringing myself closer to him.

"Well, I had the impression that was your intention," Eddie smiled, bringing his face very close to mine.

"My intention?" I challenged him.

"Yes."

"Well, what's your intention?"

"Tell me yours first," he insisted.

The air was thick with sexual tension. One could feel the moments build upon each other, bigger and bigger. The feeling was at a point where something was going to happen, but neither one of us was sure what or when.

"I do have one intention," I purred.

"What's that, are you sure you can 'handle it?' or is your state of mind much to fragile, you star struck girl you," he challenged me.

"I can surely handle it. I would have done it before, but I wasn't sure how you would react."

"You never know until you try. Get on with it, girl. Too much talk and too little action!"

"Right." I placed my hand on his vinyl clad leg. I caressed it, it felt very warm and smooth against my hand. He smiled with a bit of arousal showing through his perfect blue oceans.

"That's very nice. How does that feel?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Erotic," I breathed as I tested to see how far he would let me go. He didn't stop me, in fact, he practically invited me.

"Is this what you meant by a cup of coffee?" Eddie asked, his voice breaking slightly. He closed his eyes a moment.

"I wasn't sure what I meant at the time, but thinking on it now, I'm pretty sure I meant this," I said as I tested him to the limit. He still didn't stop me, and I was becoming more than a little aroused. I wondered if he was going to test me in the same fashion. The answer came so fast that I could barely finish my thought. I felt his hand on my outer thigh through my skirt, making it's way up to my rear. We looked at each other and smiled.

"Is this what you meant by accepting my offer?" I asked him, leaning toward him.

"Not originally. Not totally anyway," he answered shortly. "I do prefer this kind of coffee to the one we started wi-" I interrupted him with a kiss. I went at him with such force that I ended up pushing him backward on the bed. He didn't fight me. We kissed with a rapidly growing passion.

My heart pounded in my chest as I felt the room seem to become much hotter. I forgot about the pain in my ankle and shoulder. I forgot about the thunderstorm raging outside. I forgot about the immorality of one night stands. For one moment I was in complete bliss. I had Eddie Izzard making love with me. Hot, moist bodies thrashing about on a bed in a posh hotel room, straddling the threshold between pleasure and pain. It was better than any dream. Each person's make-up smeared on the other's face. Reality was a blur. All we knew was that it felt good and we went with it.

When it was all over, he held me and kissed the top of my head. We lay there, sticky with sweat, panting, and completely exhausted.

"Wow, that was well worth it," I giggled with delight.

"I almost want to miss that plane tomorrow," he breathed.

"Don't, you've got things to do in L.A. A lot of fans will probably be there and you don’t want to disappoint the Izzardites, do you?" I insisted, looking up at him. His make-up looked melted. I realized then that he was wearing a lot more make-up than I originally thought. He was still breathing very hard, looking very distant. "Eddie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just feel bad that after all this, I'm leaving tomorrow. We'll probably never see each other again.

"It's o.k. I'm just glad that we took advantage of the opportunity while we were here. I'll never forget it as long as I live. I've had such a wonderful time with you. Thank you." He kissed me, turned out the light and we lay there in the dark.

Morning came and I awoke from a wild dream with a gasp. Disoriented and quite confused, I looked at an unfamiliar ceiling for some time before I looked to my side and saw Eddie laying there still asleep. He looked absolutely angelic. I watched him for some time. I contemplated leaving before he would wake from his sleep. I thought maybe I should just go and leave a note for him, but then I realized how badly that would cheapen the experience. I decided instead to wake him.

"Eddie, Eddie wake up," I whispered softly as I gently shook him. After a couple of tries, his eyes finally opened.

"G-morning sunshine," I said softly.

He gave a big yawn and then rolled toward me.

"Good morning. What time is it?"

"About ten o'clock."

"My flight leaves around one," he yawned again, stretching. "Won't you stay for breakfast?"

"Sure, if you'd like," I said, taking his hand and kissing it softly. We took a few moments to cuddle and pillow talk before I got dressed and watched him get ready for his flight. He helped me limp down to the hotel restaurant. We shared the continental breakfast that the hotel provided and prepared for the big goodbye.

He walked with me as I limped to my car and we stood together for the last time. The sun shown beautifully in a finally cloudless sky.

"Well, I guess this is it," I sighed, fumbling through my bag for my keys.

"Yeah. I had a wonderful time. I'll always remember Ohio quite fondly," he smiled sensitively.

"Godspeed to you, safe journey and all that jazz," I said in my best British accent. I shook his hand playfully.

"Thanks, you have a safe drive home."

"You'd better get moving or you'll miss your plane, Mr. Izzard," I teased.

"I'm going, I'm going. Take care of yourself. I'll be thinking of you," he said softly.

"I'm always thinking about you. I'll never look at my videos the same way again," I laughed, still trying to keep the mood light. He laughed warmly and hugged me. He felt so warm and soft in the crisp autumn air and I savored every moment of it. Good squeezy. We finally separated and looked each other over one final time.

"There aren't words to express what I'm feeling right now. I just thought I'd tell you that since you're probably expecting me to say something important right now," I said, scratching my head.

"I understand. I've really enjoyed the time we spent together and I hope you enjoyed it too," he smiled, though he seemed a little sad.

"Tremendously," I said, taking the opportunity for one last kiss. "Enjoy the rest of your stay in America, I should let you go now."

"I will."

"I hate awkward goodbyes."

"So do I."

I hugged him one more time and we said goodbye. He waved as he watched me drive away. I wondered on the way home if I'd done the right thing. When I got home, I sat in the chair in the living room, the first time there since I had gotten ready for dinner the night before. I turned on the television and lit a cigarette.

When reality finally sunk in, it hit me. I had spent the better part of an afternoon and an entire night with Eddie Izzard. It was something that I had only dreamt about before. And it wasn't the fact that we made love, it was more that I got to spend time with him as a person. That's when the full realization point hit. It was never just a cup of coffee. It was one fabulous experience in my life with a very special person that would never be forgotten. It was more than a dream come true.

PART III

"Hello? Yeah, she’s here. Hey Kelli, someone on the phone for you," I heard Aaron say from the kitchen shortly after he answered the phone."

"Who is it?" I asked, busy on the computer. He walked into the living room seeming impatient."

"It’s some guy," he said, handing me the phone. He gave me a sharp
look of suspicion, but I wasn’t sure why. I was sure it was one of my friends."

"It’s probably Ryan or Chris or somebody," I said, putting the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Kelli? You have no idea how hard it was to track you down," a familiar voice breathed with an all too familiar accent. I looked at Aaron. He was still watching me with a very hard look on his face.

"Who is this?" I asked, though I was pretty sure who it was.

"It’s Eddie. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten me," he joked.

"Hold on one moment," I told him as I started toward the bedroom.

Aaron stopped me before the door.

"Who is it?" he asked me seriously.

"It’s Chris, it’s private. I think he’d appreciate if I talked to him in private," I explained. His face softened and he let me go. I went into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Eddie, I can’t believe you called me. How did you get this number?"

"Long story, I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk with you."

"O.k., let’s chat then. How are you?"

"I’m alright, been doing the appearance thing and working on a play."

"Oh yeah, the Joe Egg thing, I read about that. How did it go?"

"Really well. I’m back in the states now."

"Wow, really? Where are you?"

"The airport."

"Which airport?"

"Dayton International." My heart started to pound in my chest and I found myself short of breath. A long awkward silence followed.

"Kelli, Kelli are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I’m still here. W- what are you doing there?"

"I was hoping you would pick me up and we could spend some time together. I’ve really missed you. This might sound silly but, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. I need to see you, even if it’s for the last time. I’ve got a feeling you’re not exactly a free woman. That was your boyfriend that answered the phone wasn’t it?"

"Um, yeah. I’m not gonna lie to you Eddie. If I tell you something, do you promise not to hang up angrily and hate me forever?"

"How could I hate you? You’re the reason I’m here. I obviously like you a lot or I wouldn’t have even given you a second thought and believe me, you’re all I’ve thought about since October. Please, Kelli, tell me. What is it that could be so bad?"

"O.k., here it goes. My boyfriend who answered the phone... Oh God, this is so hard."

"It’s o.k., take your time."

"It’s just that, well, for one thing, he lives here... with me... he lives with me, we live together and..."

"And this is a long term thing, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that, but that’s not the worst of it... We’ve been going out for three years. I’m sorry Eddie, I didn’t mean to make you the other man."

Another pause. "Eddie, are you still there?"

"That is pretty bad... You cheated on him with me. Does he know?"

"Absolutely not. Listen, Eddie, I still really like you... more than just as a fan, and I’m very sorry if knowing this now hurts you. You’ve probably changed your mind about wanting to see me, huh."

"I still want to see you. I knew before calling you that us starting relationship would be a long-shot, but it’s a little disappointing to know for sure that it’s out of the question. Besides, what we had was really just a short fling, right?"

"Oh, I think it was more than a fling. We really liked each other, it was special. It wasn’t like we spent the whole time having, well, you know."

"Yeah, I suppose you’re right. So, can I see you? Is there any way we can meet?"

"I have to get rid of Aaron. I could tell him what’s going on, but that would be awkward because he told me to be honest about stuff like this and I lied to him about our original encounter. Otherwise, I kinda don’t think he’d mind. He knows what a tremendous crush I have on you as a fan. That still doesn’t make it o.k., but you know-"

"We don’t have to go to your flat, we can figure it out when you pick me up."

"There’s another problem. I’m not really a city driver and I don’t know how to get there. Can you get a cab or something?"

"I can take a taxi to wherever you want to meet."

"Um, o.k. can you meet me... oh where can you meet me... how about the mall? I could meet you at either of the Elder Beerman entrances at the Fairfield Commons Mall in Beavercreek. Is that o.k.?"

"Let me write that down..."

I repeated the information for him and we settled on meeting at the mall in an hour. I told Aaron that Chris wanted to go for coffee. After a couple of bad coffee jokes and being grilled over why I wasn’t just going down the street to his apartment for his famous cup of Joe, I finally managed to get out the door and to the mall.

Surprisingly enough, I found Eddie immediately. He was smoking a cigarette outside the exact entrance I parked near. He looked marvelous. Blonde spikes, leather jacket and dark denim trousers. No make-up and a fresh goatee free face... and very very sexy. He didn’t recognize me at first, I had changed my hair color yet again to a color called Sangria (a deep burgundy auburn), but he soon realized who I was when I approached him."Hi, Eddie. You look wonderful as usual," I said as I came nearer to him.

"Oh, Kelli, it’s so good to see you," he said as he tossed his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and embraced me firmly. I hugged him back with the same zeal.

"Eddie, I’m sorry," I said as I felt tears in my eyes. I shuddered as I fought back my emotions. He seemed to sense my feelings even without seeing my face as it was buried in his shoulder.

"C’mon, darling, let’s go sit in your car for a minute, have some privacy," he said as he guided me back to my car. We got inside and sat down.

"Oh, Eddie. I’m sure you must think I’m awful. I can’t imagine you still wanting to see me after what I told you over the phone," I felt myself start to cry.

"Kelli, Kelli listen to me. What happened between us had nothing to do with the relationship you’re in. How could you know what was going to happen? We had a little romance and sometimes romance happens when you least expect it," he said as he put his arm around me. I started to sob in the least embarrassing way I knew how.

"You are such a smart man," was all I could whimper at that point. He held me and stroked my hair. I tried to gather myself, knowing that he should be the one in my position because I had lied and betrayed his affections.

"I get the feeling this should be reversed. I hurt you, I should be trying to comfort you, or something," I sniffled.

"I’m really not that hurt. Being the other man is kind of sexy. I actually feel honoured, in a dirty sort of way," he managed to joke. I regained my composure and fixed my smeared eyeliner with my thumb. "There you go, see everything is o.k. What do you say we do some shopping? We’re here at the ‘mall.’ Come on, retail therapy," he convinced me. We got out of the car and he smiled warmly at me in the
cold February air.

We made the food court our first stop. Eddie’s eyes lit up like I’d never seen them when the Haagen Dazs stand caught his eye. With food from the China Gourmet and Sobes on trays, we sat at the loneliest table that could be found. We started by catching up on the last couple of months. We talked about Joe Egg and what a challenging yet successful role he had in the play. We talked about Aaron and our relationship. All was well and good until Eddie dropped an unexpected and strange request on me.

"Tell me about your family," he asked, drinking from his Sobe.

"God, why?" I blurted.

"You probably know my history from all the bios that are available out there, tell me yours."

"I don’t want to."

"Why not?"

"My background here in Ohio is way different to yours in, well, all the places you’re from." This comment got a laugh out of Eddie.

"I realize America is very different from Europe and elsewhere. I’m sure I can understand."

"I grew up in the country in a redneck town. Rednecks, if you don’t know what they are, are closed-minded, homophobic country-folk that just aren’t open to new ideas."

"Do I sense a bit of bitterness?"

"A bit. I was treated very badly by my classmates in school."

"Why?"

"Stupid reasons. I was a gay-lover because I liked Queen and David Bowie. They just didn’t agree with a lot of the things I was into and a lot of my ideals."

"What’s this got to do with your family?"

"Nothing really, I suppose."

"Well, tell me a bit about them."

"My parents are divorced, my mom still lives in my hometown and my dad lives in a town nearby there. The rest of my family are spread out in that general area. They’re all pretty cool, but that’s as much as I want to say."

"Why so secretive?"

"Well, lately there have been some issues and I don’t want to get into it. Please, lets talk about something else," I insisted. Eddie gave me a strange look. He almost looked insulted. He couldn’t understand that I didn’t want to tell things so personal to a person with whom I wasn’t supposed to be having a serious relationship. He didn’t need to know that when I was child, I witnessed my father abusing my mother and that my closest family was made up of potheads and alcoholics... and Jehovah’s witnesses."

"Well, you have a right to your privacy. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you. I’m full-up. Where do we go now?" Eddie asked, wiping his exquisite mouth with his napkin.

"I don’t have much money, but I do enjoy window-shopping. I can show you around the mall," I offered, finishing my Sobe.

"Great, let’s go. I have already seen a store I want to go into," he smiled, nodding toward Wet Seal (a terrific women’s clothing shop). I smiled to myself, knowing that he’d love that store. We laughed and talked as we window shopped. I tried to convince him to try something on in Frederick’s of Hollywood, but failed. He did agree, though, that it would be fun to play in a lingerie fantasy. Subsequently, I dragged him to the naughty section of Spencer Gifts.

"Have you ever seen the music video to the Queen song, ‘Body Language?" I asked, picking up a box of edible body paints.

"I think I remember something about it getting banned from MTV years ago, but I don’t recall seeing it," Eddie replied, making odd faces at an erotic boardgame.

"All the models in that video had suggestively placed arrows painted on their bodies. I always wanted to do that with edible bodypaint," I said with a sinister smile.

"Maybe next time," he smiled and turned to me. I felt my face drop. What did he mean by that? I just smiled awkwardly and shook it off as a joke. He laughed and kissed me on the cheek. I decided at that point it would probably be a good idea to get out of that store.

After buying a few little odds and ends, we finished our trip by visiting the Haagen Dazs stand. We sat with our ice cream and began the end of our visit together...or so I thought."

"So, how long are you here for? You didn’t just come to the states to see me, did you?" I asked, feeling a chill that I wasn’t sure came from the ice cream or getting personal with Eddie.

"Well, it was the main reason. I’m glad I got to see you. Kelli, I have something to ask you. Now don’t freak out, but, how would you like to come to Los Angeles with me for a few days?" he asked. I nearly choked on my ice cream.

"I can’t. I’ve got class and, of course, there’s Aaron. I know I told you we have a fairly open relationship right now, but for the meantime, until I move back on campus, we live together. I can’t just go and run off with you."

"Why not?"

"Oh, Eddie, where is this leading?"

"I want you to come away with me. You see, I was afraid this would happen."

"Afraid what would happen?"

"That if I saw you one more time, I wouldn’t be able to let you go."

My heart nearly stopped in my chest. I felt my eyes well up with tears and my lungs fill with a cold feeling of fear.

"Eddie, I, I uh-" I stammered, unable to reply.

"So, what do you say? Will you come with me? No pressure. I just wanted a chance with you," he confessed, as his ice cream began to melt.

"Eddie, I like you so much, but sooner or later I rub those close to me the wrong way. Trying to make this more than it is right now would just put us both in a world of hurt. I would just end up ruining everything in the end. I confess, I find myself falling for you, but I still love Aaron, and this is all so complicated.

"Kelli, I understand. You never know till you try, right? I asked you, you said no, that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends. You’re such a sweet girl. I hate to leave things on such an uncomfortable note. please, forgive me for being too forward. I’m falling for you the same as you are for me. It’s a shame we can’t work things out."

"It would never work out between us. We’re from too different worlds, you travel so much and I’m a student-"

"Yeah, and you are already attached."

"Yeah, that too," I chuckled, having forgotten momentarily.

"But it’s o.k., it was great while it lasted, right?" Eddie said, scooping his melted ice cream into his mouth so as not to waste it.

"It was wonderful." We sat silent for a few moments while we finished our ice cream. After a few awkward moments while still in the mall, we decided to go outside for a smoke.

"Let’s smoke in my car, I can turn the heat on," I offered. We sat in my car and I turned on the engine. He lit my cigarette like a gentleman and then lit one of his own. I cracked the windows and we began again with small talk.

"When are you going to Los Angeles?" I asked, shivering against the cold and fiddling with the controls to get some heat."

"Tomorrow afternoon," Eddie answered shortly.

"Where are you staying for the night?" I asked, hoping he didn’t intend to stay with me."

"I got a last minute hotel room in the same hotel I stayed in the last time. Can you give me a lift there? I don’t have any other way." he asked, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Yeah, the car is nearly warmed up, I can take you there now," I said, ready to move the car.

"Will you stay a while if we go now?" he asked, seeming sad.

"Yes, I’ll stay a bit." I pulled out of the parking space and drove us to his hotel. We had finished smoking by the time we arrived and just when inside. We settled down in his room and sat awkwardly together on the bed.

"Eddie, I don’t mean to seem rude, but, you weren’t intending for us to-"

"No, I just didn’t want you to leave yet," he interrupted me.

"Good, I just don’t think that would be a good idea after what we talked about," I sighed with relief. He pulled me close to him.

"Is there any way I can change your mind? I’ll romance you like no other can," Eddie breathed with a loving smile.

"Believe me, Eddie, I’d love to run off with you and live happily ever after, but it’s just not in the cards for us. We both know the mature thing to do here-" He interrupted me with a kiss. I didn’t fight him until he started to lean me back on the bed. I fought my carnal instincts and stopped him.

"Eddie, I can’t," I looked at him apologetically. He kissed me again.

"I know," was all he said in return. I found myself trapped again in his stunning blue gaze. We looked at each other for a long time before anything else was said.

"Eddie, I think I should go now," I said, beginning to stand.

"Maybe you’re right, we’ve put ourselves in a tricky situation here. I think we both know what will happen should you stay any longer," he said, standing with me.

"Here, let me give you my cell number, you can call it the next time you’re in town, if you’re ever in town again, that is," I said, fumbling through my bag for my journal. I took a page from my journal and scribbled my phone number on it.

"I’ll be back, you can count on that, darling," he smiled, taking my number.

"Well, goodbye," I said, starting for the door.

"Here, I’ll walk you to the car." He walked me to my car and we savored each other’s warmth before I finally got in to the car and left him there. I’m sure he stood out in the cold for some time, smoking another cigarette after I drove away from him... and ...I don’t think I want to talk about this anymore..."

"So, have you seen or talked to him since?" Laura asked as she sipped her strong cup of java.

"Not since then. Of course, it’s only been a couple of months. I still remember the last thing he said to me, though," I began as I exhaled a cloud of glorious smoke into the air.

"What was that?" she inquired as she leaned in with interest.

"Don’t worry, this story doesn’t end here. Until next time, my sweet,"

I quoted him, extinguishing my cigarette into the ashtray on the table.

"Wow, that’s beautiful," Laura sighed, resting her face onto her hands for a moment, "Are you still with your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, as far as I know he never found out. Well, you ready to go? Lots of places to shop here in Yellow Springs. Hope you didn’t mind sitting here outside. Back Chat is a nonsmoking establishment now. Damn hippies."

"Yeah, I can’t believe this is where it all began," she said, looking around and taking in her environment. I stood up and gave myself a chuckle.        

"And ironically enough, this is where it ends."

... or is it?

Part IV

Chapter 1
The hot water feels good as it beats against my back. My roommate hates my thirty minute showers, so I’m taking this one while she’s at class. The dormitories have plenty of hot water for everyone, so I’m not sure what her problem is. I’m shampooing my hair about now when my mind turns again to why today’s date bothers me. It suddenly hits me as the water washes down and clears the soap away from my body. Today is the one year anniversary of the day I met Eddie. Listen to me, I sound like it was something serious. We met once since then and talked a few times on the phone, but never was it anything more than a whirlwind romance. Or was it?
 
My boyfriend and I had since separated for financial and academic reasons. He went back to our hometown and I moved back on campus. It was the best for both of us and what happened with Eddie and I was inconsequential to that. I’m sure Aaron found some of his phone calls suspicious, but he never found out the why or who.   I smile to myself as I think of Eddie and how lucky I am to have met him and to
know him the way I do. We may not be together, but I find myself quite in love with him. I’d never tell him, that would be crazy. He’d want to whisk me away and make me his and we both know it would never work out. It’s funny how two people so afraid of a relationship together style  spend so much time romancing each other. I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s our relationship and we’ve been quite satisfied with it.
 
Oh, but that’s all in the past now. I haven’t seen him in eight months and I haven’t talked to him in about three, so I’m sure he’s forgotten about me by now. No use talking in present tense about our relationship, I suppose. I do like to reminisce. We had such a lovely romance, more than between star and fan. Sometimes I wonder why I let him get away. Should I have run away with him? Should I have given up everything I hate about my ordinary, mundane life and just run off with my knight in shining armor. Have I gone mad, am I making any sense?
 
I don’t know, but today I’m thinking the best way to celebrate my feelings would be to spend the day in Yellow Springs. An easy choice between class and the Glen. The October air is warm, yet crisp and I feel like taking it in. I’ll start at Back Chat. Can’t smoke inside anymore, but I can enjoy a latte outside. So, I’ll go to Yellow Springs; enjoy Back Chat’s new layout, take a walk through Glen Helen, maybe visit my friend Leah while I’m there and get a tarot reading. Do this, do that. but more importantly, what am I here to do? Remember.
 
Memory is like a box, a box of trinkets and things you keep from the past. Memory is also like a bomb, I think that’s self explanatory. In general, memory is a great yet very dangerous thing. It’s dangerous because it inspires thought and reflection. Reflection on good things, reflection on bad things. These are all things that effect your life as a whole. And it doesn’t matter really what the experience is that you remember, it’s how you interpret your feelings about it. My feelings about Eddie are dangerous not because they are bad but because I remember him with such a lust and loving that I can’t begin to describe my feelings about our short experiences together.
 
And so I sit here at this table, a soft autumn breeze causes my hair to caress my face not unlike his soft touch. I can almost feel his arms around me and his breath on my neck. I feel it now, his cerulean gaze piercing me as it does. I catch myself sighing at the thought of him near me again. Maybe I really was in love. Oh, how could I let him get away? I continue torturing my brain with these thoughts as I sip my
coffee. I decide to find a distraction and look around myself only to find the warmest autumn vision sitting just behind me. Wrapped in rich browns that bring out his crystal azure stare, there he sits
watching me. He smiles and lights a cigarette.
 
 
Had he been there the whole time? He must have just arrived not too long ago. How clever of him to sit patiently behind me. Very clever indeed...
 
Chapter 2
 
So now what do I do? Should I approach him, or wait for him to approach me? He sits and waits as if to suggest I’m to make the first move. Very well. I stand and stumble toward him. Once I reach his table, he smiles widely at me.
 
"May I sit here?," I hear myself say, much like I said to him the first time we met.
 
"Yeah, I suppose," he replies without missing a beat. He watches me sit with great anticipation in his eyes.
 
"I couldn’t help but notice you from my table, I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true," I smile, trying to keep from laughing.
 
"How are you?" he asks softly.
 
"I’m great, now," I reply, taking a drink from my cup.
 
"I figured I’d find you here," he says, taking a long drag from his cigarette.
 
"You too came here to remember?" I ask, looking around myself.
 
"Yeah, remember," he says simply, finishing his cigarette.
 
"Oh, Eddie, I’ve been doing so much thinking today. Why did we run away from each other the way we did? Why didn’t we try to make it work? Obviously we’re both here for a reason," I managed to sputter.
 
"I have been pondering the same thing," he says, elegantly running his finger round the paper rim of his coffee cup. "I’ve missed you so much. I keep trying to forget you, but your face and your scent invade my dreams at night. I can hear your voice, feel your body... oh Kelli, you’ve infected me."
 
"Infected you?"
 
"Yeah, with the love disease," he smiles playfully.
 
"You’re such a goof," I laugh heartily.
 
"Yep, admit it, you love that about me," he smiles, savoring a sip from his coffee.
 
"Yeah, I uh, uh," I stammer, not sure if I should admit that I love him.
 
"Come on, you know you want to say it. It’s the truth isn’t it?"
 
"What’s the truth?"
 
"Only you know that," he finishes his coffee.
 
"Who knows the truth about anything," I say sadly, my mind turning to something else. Now is not the time to think about earlier issues with family things that have nothing to do with Eddie.
 
"I’m sorry?"
 
"Nothing, I got distracted by another thought. One track mind, train got derailed," I try to laugh.
 
"Oh, is it about something we talked about before over the phone?"
 
"Yeah, but let’s not talk about that. You want to know the truth. Does this truth have to do with feelings?"
 
"Yes," he leans in, "Specifically your feelings for me. There are some, aren’t there?"
 
"I shouldn’t, Eddie," I say, taking a big gulp from my latte.
 
"Come on, you know you want to," he smiles, very childlike.
 
"Eddie, lets take a walk through the Glen. Have you had a chance to see the Glen? It’s lovely this time of year," I say as I stand. He gives me a strange indecipherable look and then stands with me.
 
"Right then, if you want to avoid the subject that much more, to the Glen," he says, sounding impatient as he tosses his empty cup into a nearby trash bin.
 
I drive us to the Glen and crunch through the leaves to park. We get out of the car and take in our surroundings. I imagine his thoughts.
 
"This is where she’s going to tell me she loves me," is what I imagine him thinking to himself as I watch him smile at the orange leaves. I take his hand and guide him down the path into the Glen. The trees surround us and cause in me the familiar feeling of being transported into a fairyland. The outside world doesn’t matter here. There is a very true magic about this place. It’s in the glimmering sunlight
through the trees, it’s in the dusty ground, it’s in the crisp autumn air. I can smell the rich reds, oranges and browns in the leaves. It fills up my senses with nature and peace. I turn and look at Eddie. He is smiling at my side, breathing in deeply the fresh country air. I take him down to the creek and find my favorite place to sit. The Glen is surprisingly empty and we have perfect privacy. No sound but that of the gentle waterfall nearby. We sit on the edge of the large rock face and watch the water below.
 
"Isn’t it beautiful here?" I ask brightly.
 
"Absolutely enchanting," Eddie says, his breath taken.
 
"You’re beautiful. Have I ever told you that?" I ask him, fidgeting.
 
"Only in the way you look at me," he replies softly, "Have I ever told you that you’re beautiful?"
 
"You don’t have to. I hate being told that."
 
"Why, it’s a compliment."
 
"Because, I know it’s not true."
 
"How could you say such a thing?"
 
"Because, that is true."
 
"It’s not. You have no idea."
 
"Really? I’m flattered. You’re the second non-psycho who has told me
that. The only other guys who said so were either psycho or just trying to get me into bed... or both."
 
"Well, you said I was the second sane nice guy... who was the first?"
 
"Aaron. He meant it. The others... ugh."
 
"That’s terrible. I mean, that you’ve been treated that way, not your boyfriend. Is he still your boyfriend?"
 
"Yeah, but we’re not as exclusive now that we’re apart, so this is o.k."
 
"Oh," Eddie sighs, putting his arm around me. I snuggle against him and breathe him in. We sit silent and I start thinking hard about what I want to tell him. He holds me close and it feels so right. Finally, I find myself blurting most awkwardly:
 
"I love you, Eddie." He squeezes me and then pulls my chin up with his fingers so that he can kiss me. When we finish, he whispers in my ear:
 
"I love you, beautiful."
 
Chapter 3
 
We sit for a while, just enjoying the silence and each other. I suddenly feel a change in the mood. I feel so open and connected to Eddie. It feels as though all the unspoken feelings and thoughts can finally be told. I want to open up to him about all the things he wanted me to. Unsure if it will kill the mood, I decide to ask.
 
"Eddie, do you remember the last time we met, when you asked me about my family and I wouldn’t tell you?" I ask awkwardly.
 
"Yes, you were very sensitive about it. When we talked over the phone you opened up some, but never went into explicit detail. I remember you telling me about the drug problems and stuff and about your dad’s mental illness. Is there something else you want to talk about?" he asks sincerely.
 
Without going into completely explicit details, I explain to him about my past. I tell him about the domestic violence I witnessed. I tell him about the good times I had with cousins when they were my best friends. I spill my guts. He listens quietly with great attention.
 
"Now I get your reluctance to answer the phone sometimes. You don’t talk to your father? I understand, it must be very hard. He said some very horrible things to you. Trying to kill your mother is no laughing matter."
 
"And he roared with laughter, it was disturbing. Over the last year,
I’ve been trying to deal with the things I was unable to deal with then. My past came back to haunt me. I thought I had put it behind me, but only just behind me. I think it finally chased me down last year. It’s been rough, but I’m doing quite well now."
 
"I’m sure it’s never been easy to talk about. I hope talking about it
has helped you. I can't stand to see you in pain," Eddie squeezes me tight. He looks deeply into my own blue-green oceans and moves in for a welcomed kiss. We sit and chat for a couple more hours until it gets
too chilly to sit there anymore. We enjoy the magic trip back out to
the car and then get in and leave.
 
"Eddie, have you ever had a tarot reading?" I ask, lighting a cigarette and trying to drive at the same time.
 
"Yeah, wasn’t very good," he replies as I pass him the lighter.
 
"Ah, then you need to meet Leah," I say, driving onto the main drag of
Yellow Springs.
 
style='mso-tab-count:1'>        "Leah?"
 
"Yeah, she’s my psychic friend," I say seriously. Eddie laughs. "No, seriously, she’s a friend of mine who gives tarot readings. She’s totally for real. You’ll see," I insist.
 
"Oh, I’ll see, eh? She’s good then?"
 
"Do you have fifteen bucks?"
 
"What?"
 
"I’m sorry, quid? Dollars? Money?"
 
"Yeah, I’ve got some cash."
 
"Well, then we’re goin’ to see Leah," I say, parking in a two hour spot and turning off the car. I look at Eddie to find a look of skepticism come over his face.
 
"Right then, let’s go."

Part V

Chapter 1

"Hi, is Leah here?" I asked the young woman at the counter.

"No, she’s gone home for the day," she replied, staring down at the appointment book in front of her.

"O.k., thanks," I said, annoyed at her for avoiding looking up. She must have been a bit uncomfortable with Eddie standing there. I wanted to ask her what the matter was, hadn’t she ever seen a transvestite before? I had better manners and just kept my mouth shut. When I looked at Eddie to see if he had noticed her averting her eyes, I saw that he too was avoiding eye contact with not just her, but anyone near enough to see him in the spa. Surprisingly enough, he was getting a lot of odd looks, mainly from the customers. I felt bad for him and took his hand. I marched away proudly with him at my side.

We left the building and met the cool autumn breeze outside. The whirring sounds of downtown traffic echoed in the evening air. Even hippie towns have their rush hour traffic, I suppose. As we walked toward where we parked, we stopped at a small deli for sandwiches. After a bit of dinner conversation over corned beef, I whipped out my handy dandy cell phone and speed-dialed Leah at her home. I told her I had a friend I wanted to meet her and that he needed a reading. She invited us over for tea and tarot and as soon as we finished our food and drink, we went on over.

We parked not far from Leah’s house, but still found it to be quite a walk. The sun had begun to set in the gray autumn sky, casting brilliant color over the horizon. We watched it set as we approached Leah’s porch. She greeted us and we went inside.

“Wow, you have a lovely home,” Eddie complemented, looking around at all of her knick knacks and authentic Cherokee items.

“Leah, show him your medicine drum,” I insisted, pointing to the drum hanging from the wall.

“Ah yes, I received this when I was initiated into the Cherokee tribe,” Leah explained, taking the drum from the wall.

“You’re a member of the Cherokee tribe? This is so cool,” Eddie said, taking the drum from Leah and carefully looking it over.

“Well, Kelli is of Cherokee heritage. Didn’t she tell you that?” Leah said, giving me an odd look.

“Kelli, you didn’t tell me you had Native American blood,” Eddie said, handing the drum back to Leah.

“Yeah, I’m one eighth Cherokee. Can’t tell by lookin’ at me can you?” I laughed.

“Hmmm, an Englishman and a Cherokee. Doesn’t quite fit right, does it?” he laughed in return.

“Alright, so you sir are here for a reading?” Leah smiled.

“Yes, very true. You are very accurate,” Eddie joked.

“Let’s say we get started then,” Leah smiled again, walking into the next room for  moment.

We sat at the kitchen table and Leah brought her cards out. Eddie opted for the physical world reading as opposed to the spiritual one and shuffled the cards as asked. He was then asked to separate the deck into three piles and then watched skeptically as Leah felt the energy over each pile with a rising motion in her hand. She picked up each pile in the order the energies were the strongest and proceeded to start the reading. She flipped her long raven locks behind her shoulder as she began.

“Now, do you have a specific question you want to talk about, or is this just a general reading?” Leah asked.

“I know it sounds a bit cliché, but I’d like to know about my love life,” Eddie smiled. Once Leah took her eyes from him, he gave me a sly look. I smiled back at him and then Leah took our attention again. She began to deal the cards in an indecipherable pattern.

“Something has changed recently in your life. There is a young lady that you’ve had great affection for who has just recently become a serious part of your life,” Leah began.

“Yes, and she is quite young,” Eddie joked slightly, flinching as I stomped his foot under the table.

“There is an incredible amount of love and affection between you two. You have a very strong spiritual connection as well as physical,” she continued.

“Very much so,” Eddie agreed with a smirk, trying to behave himself. It took a while before he decided to take the reading seriously. It wasn’t until Leah brought things up only he could understand from his past that he seemed to get into it. I watched his face change as she talked and dealt her cards: skepticism... amazement... uncertainty... astonishment... just plain thunderstruck.  After all of that, it came down to the most significant moment in the entire visit.

“Now is the time for your final question,” Leah said softly.

“I want to know what’s going to happen with my current relationship. Should I do whatever I can to stay with this girl?” Eddie asked, avoiding looking directly at me.

“Let’s see,” she breathed, dealing a few cards. A look of bewilderment came over her face. She dealt a few more cards. They only seemed to baffle her further.

“Hmmm, that’s odd. I don’t think this has ever happened before. It doesn’t say how it ends. I’m sorry, Mr. Izzard. Granted, everything comes up roses for now, but it’s all in the present tense. The cards won’t reveal the future at this point. This could mean the future of your relationship is all up to you, but I suppose you could come back and try again some time,” Leah apologized.

“That’s quite alright. You’re obviously a very gifted woman. Roses huh? Thank you, it was a wonderful reading. Very accurate,” Eddie said, the shock still not fading from his face. Though the readings are normally fifteen dollars, she gave this one on credit. Eddie had forgotten his bag in the car and we didn’t really want to walk all the way to the car and back in the cold darkness. We thanked her for the reading and finished the last of our tea.

I drove Eddie back to his rental car. Luckily enough, though his car sat in a two hour space all day, there was no ticket.

“Where do we go now?” I asked Eddie, leaning against his rental.

“Actually, I have some things I want to take care of,” he looked at his watch, “Could you meet me outside my hotel at about nine o’clock? I’m staying at the Fairfield Inn this time,” he asked with a devilish smile. I gave him a suspicious look. I knew he was up to something.

“Sure, what’s up?” I asked, piercing him with my own blue-green stare.

“Just show up out front, and wear your best dress,” he smiled and kissed my hand.

After Eddie got his bag from my car, we both got into our own means of transportation and went our separate ways. I found myself stuck listening to the radio, because it’s very dangerous to look on the floor for a missing CD book while trying to drive. I really wanted to listen to “One Year of Love” by Queen on the way home because of how much it reminded me of Eddie and our situation at this point. Disappointed but still quite excited, I rushed on home. I put on full make-up and my favorite dress. I had lined my eyes in plum suede and painted my lips with a color called “Wicked.” The dress was a creamy white spaghetti-strapped number with glittery lines streaming down it. It skirted down just past the knee in the front, and the back flowed just to the ankle. I put on my sexiest strappy matching heels and drove like a mad woman down to his hotel. This was to be a night neither of us could forget...

Chapter 2

I arrived at the hotel and found a parking space immediately. Feeling just a bit apprehensive, I exited my car slowly. As I did so I saw a gorgeous vision waiting for me at the door of the hotel. I approached to find him holding a white rose delicately against his lips. He was wearing a black (woman’s style) blazer, neckline plunging down, and leather trousers. His lips were painted a deep burgundy, his eyes lined in kohl, cheeks lightly blushed. I wanted him right there and then. If I wasn’t so inhibited, I would’ve knocked him clean off his three-inch chunky heels. Without a word he handed me the rose, guided me inside and, after dodging a few odd looks from the other patrons, took me to his room.

Eddie unlocked the door and opened it slowly in front of me. A beautiful, romantic vision met my eyes. The room was lit by nothing more than subtle candlelight.  I could see a large bed with the covers pulled back to reveal rose petals of three different colors scattered about. Red, white and pink. A bottle of champagne was chilling on a corner table next to a small CD player... and my CD book! He had stolen it so that he’d have romantic music he was sure I’d like. One of my Pure Moods CDs was playing softly as he walked on in front of me. I stepped in and closed the door.

Eddie stood in the middle of the room and watched the amazement on my face. He smiled to himself, as if to give himself a high-five somewhere inside. Though everything was more romantic than I could have ever imagined, I was feeling more fear than anything.

“I- is all this for me?” I stammered, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Tears of joy, tears of fear... I really wasn’t sure.

“Yes, it’s all for you,” he smiled, taking two long-stem wineglasses from behind the champagne bucket.  He poured us each a glass of the bubbly and we drank with arms interlocked. He pulled me to him and kissed me hard. Our lipsticks met, mine not smudging much because I had used Lipfinity. I could taste the champagne from his mouth. He guided me to the bed and sat me down. My apprehension didn’t leave me. I felt pressure... pressure to be sweet... pressure to be beautiful... pressure to be, well frankly, good in bed. Eddie picked up on this, he could see it in my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, looking concerned.

“I’m sorry, am I not good company?” I asked sheepishly in return.

“The best, but you look like something’s wrong. Is all this too much fuss?” he asked, looking apologetic. After a couple more drinks from our glasses Eddie took each glass and sat them on the nightstand.

“No, no it’s wonderful... I just... I just...”

“You just what?”

“I just don’t deserve all this,” I replied honestly.

“And just why not? Every woman deserves a little romance. I told you before that I could romance you like no other,” Eddie smiled widely.

“And you were right, but I still don’t see... Why all this fuss for me?” I asked, blushing.

“Because, I want you to stay with me. Will you be mine? Listen to me, I sound like it’s bloody St. Valentine’s Day,” he said, pushing out a joke.

“Oh, Eddie. This time it’s different. If you want me, I’m all yours,” I said, kissing him passionately. When we parted, he gave me a big smile.

“So, I did good?” he asked, very childlike.

“Fantastic!” I smiled.

“I’m so glad we’re doing this,” Eddie sighed, taking his glass delicately into his hand. He smiled and took a quick drink.

“Doing what?” I leaned in.

“Well, being together. We never gave ourselves a chance. Such a pity it took us so long to get here,” he breathed, taking another sip.

“Maybe now is our time,” I said, taking my glass from the table and swirling the champagne around. I watched the bubbles chase each other and laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, just watching the bubbles. I’m easily amused sometimes.”

“Would you be amused if I did this?” Eddie crossed his eyes and stuck out his formidable tongue. He made a funny noise and then blew a raspberry. I laughed at him, realizing he was just trying to make me feel more comfortable. It worked.

“You’re more than just a funny guy. Even before we met, there were many more things I liked about you besides your comedy,” I said, leaning against him. He put his arm around me and held me close.

“Do tell,” he smiled down at me.

“Well, obviously, you are very sexy.”

“Obviously?” Eddie blurted, looking at me like I was crazy.

“Well, maybe you don’t realize it but, I think it’s fairly obvious. Your big blue eyes, soft highlights. Your kissable red lips. Your voice is heavenly, especially with that accent. I’ve always had a thing for gorgeous blonde, blue-eyed British guys.”

“Oh really, who else?”

“No, no. It’s silly.”

“What’s silly?”

“Who I liked before you. A huge age gap, thirty-two years.”

“My God! How many years are between you and I?”

“Nineteen.”

“Really, that many? I guess it doesn’t really matter, though. Who was this bloke you fancied so much?”

“Well, you know how I like Queen, right?”

“You love them as far as I can tell.”

“Roger Taylor, the drummer.”

“Oh, I see. Anyone else?”

“Prince William.”

“Oh all the girls say that. Well, let me tell you something. Not to change the subject but,” Eddie paused a moment, “You have no idea what I was thinking when you first approached me in the coffee shop that day, do you?”

“Probably thought, ‘oh no, who is this nutter coming at me. Some psycho fan, I reckon,” I said, making a guess at his thoughts.

“No, not at all. Actually, what I was really thinking was, ‘my God! Who is this lovely read-head coming towards me? Is she really coming towards me? I hope she‘s coming for me.’ I was hoping you had come to chat and not to hassle me. And, slightly to my surprise, you came to flirt! What I’m trying to say is that... I knew as soon as I saw you that you would be special. And here we are! You really are so lovely. You’re fun to be around, you’re easy to talk to. You are beautiful,” he said, squeezing me against him.

I was so happy I could have cried. I just smiled and nuzzled against him. My level of comfort had become full and I realized that he really cared about me. No matter how I felt about myself, he thought I was terrific. I suppose that’s what love is all about.

Chapter 3

“Eddie?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really love me?”

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to make sure.”

“Is it so hard to believe?”

“No, I just wanted to hear you say so.”

“I love you. Do you really love me?”

“I love you, what’s not to love?”

“I could say the same for you.”

“O.k.”

“Now stop asking silly questions.”

“O.k.”

I pulled away from Eddie slightly. He looked at me so softly. The warmth in his eyes could have heated the entire city of Beavercreek. I thought I saw his lips tremble slightly. He looked as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t.

“Eddie,” I breathed awkwardly.

“Yes,” he choked.

“You are a beautiful man. Inside and out,” I declared firmly.

“I don’t know what to say,” Eddie hesitated. I just smiled at him. An awkward silence followed.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, standing up. I sat my glass on the nightstand and so did he. As I walked away, I turned just before reaching the door. Eddie sat back, bracing himself on his elbows. He flashed a quick, shifty smile. Again, I knew he was up to something. I gave him a dumbfounded look and went on into the bathroom. When I was finished with my business, I washed my hands and lingered at the sink. I looked myself over in the mirror.

The glitter had shed some from my dress. I tried to think pleasant thoughts about my appearance. My make-up was still perfect and as far as I could tell, I looked damn sexy. Suddenly feeling very excited, I tried to gather myself and not giggle like a schoolgirl. Once I diminished some of my giddiness, I left the bathroom.

I came out to find the most sexy thing that has ever met my eager eyes. Eddie was lying on the bed in a most seductive position wearing a black bustier with blue and silver bits on it, a black thong, dark stockings and fluffy toed heels. I loved the way he looked. I wanted that image burnt into my brain forever. For once, I was speechless.

“Mmmm,” he purred, “I think we’ve had enough small talk for now,” he breathed, stretching not unlike a cat. Some of the rose petals fell to the floor as he moved. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to look at him like that forever.

“Wow, Eddie. You’re just full of surprises tonight,” I choked, still staring.

“As well you know,” he said, his voice coming low. “Are you just going to stand there?”

“No, I’m gonna do something,” I stammered, my eyes watering from not blinking.

“Well then?” Eddie demanded, kicking his shoes to the floor. I picked my jaw up off the floor and switched the CD to Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe’s beautifully romantic pop opera, Barcelona programmed on repeat, of course). I removed my painful shoes as he coaxed me onto the bed. As I crawled up onto it, he pulled me on top of him.

“It really doesn’t matter what you do. Just let me love you,” he breathed, kissing me softly. And so, I did...

to be continued...