Элла Франк - Exquisite

“Hey Mase?”

Turning he looked at her and winced a little. “Hey Wendy.” he paused and shrugged, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a shit.”

Smiling at him she nodded. “Apology accepted. You really have been a shit, but I guess that’s what family does right? We forgive one another?”

He reached out and hugged her. “Yep we do.” Nodding and hugging him back she smiled up at him as he asked. “What’s up?”

“I left some paperwork down in your office in a manila folder, could you go and grab it for me?”

He stepped back and went to turn, then stopped himself and said softly, “I’m expecting Lena tonight. Can you grab me when she gets here?”

Wendy smiled and nodded. He walked away hoping Lena was going to show and suddenly worried for a moment that she wouldn’t. Moving down the hall he made the turn to the left and stopped at his door unlocking it. Then he pushed it open and walked through. Turning he flicked on the light and what he saw as he turned back to face his desk made his heart kick up and beat so fast he thought it would pump right out of his chest. Lena had come after all.

Lena watched as Mason’s eyes tried to take it all in. She’d removed everything from his work desk and placed an old picnic blanket over it. On one corner of the desk was a red rose and on the opposite corner lay a sunflower and she was she was sitting right in the center of them with her legs hanging over the edge clutching some tulips. She was dressed in the same pants she had worn on their first date. They were black with a pinstripe and on top she wore a cream blouse that buttoned up to just under her neck and tucked into her pants. Purposely, she had pulled all her hair back and tied it into a prim bun at the nape of her neck and beside her sat a small picnic basket. Her eyes were glued to him as he looked over everything without moving a muscle. Finally he faced her and their eyes locked.

“Lena. I thought we’d be meeting out in the dining room.” he paused, “How’d you get back here?”

Taking all of her courage in her hands, knowing this was probably one of the most important moments of her life, she tipped her chin up and answered.

“Wendy let me in. I wanted to talk to you.” she stopped and licked her lips, “I hope you don’t mind.”

Shaking his head she noticed he was about to move so she held a hand up and said softly. “Please stay where you are. I need to tell you some things and I don’t think I can do it if you come any closer.”

He swallowed then nodded silently, keeping his eyes on her. Then he asked, “What is all of this?”

Smiling at him slowly she jumped down off the table and place the tulips where she’d been sitting. She could feel his eyes on her as she turned and reached for the red rose. Taking hold of it she brought it to her nose and took a deep breath inhaling the beautiful scent, then she walked over stopping a few inches from him and as she looked up into his eyes she felt her heart ache with how much she loved him. It was time to set that free, to lay all her cards on the table and let him do what he would with them. He’d either pick them up and hold them close or he’d throw them away. She was hoping he’d hold her close.

“Our lives have been filled with flowers, you and me, from the very beginning. A year or so ago I met a man.” she watched as he started to say something but she held the rose up and placed the petals against his mouth and watched as they lay against his lips. “Shh. Let me get this out, or I never will.”

He took a deep breath and nodded letting her know he was ready for her to go on. Pulling the flower back she lifted her eyes to his again and continued.

“He was sent over to deliver me some roses.” she grinned up at him and held the rose between them twirling it back and forward. “He was the most irritating man I’d ever met and he drove me crazy that day.”

He blinked down at her but remained silent as she’d asked.

“I remember thinking about him after he left and how gorgeous his blue eyes were, even when he was annoying the hell out of me.”

She dropped the rose down by her side and tilted her head.

“Then I ran into him by accident, in this restaurant. It just so happened he owned it and he smiled at me and pulled out those dimples and blackmailed me into a date.”

His mouth opened and he said softly, “It wasn’t blackmail.”

Lena felt a grin tug at her mouth, “Yes it was. You told me you wouldn’t spit in my food if I went on a date with you. Such a romantic Langley.”

“Me? You Googled me.” he defended with the start of a smirk.

Shrugging Lena turned and walked back over to the table where she placed the rose back down. Reaching out she opened the picnic basket and pulled out a bottle of wine. Looking over her shoulder she was surprised to notice Mason had stayed by the door. The only difference now was that he was leaning back against it and his ankles were crossed. Pouring some of the liquid into a paper cup she moved back to him letting her eyes take him in. When she stopped just a little out of reach he arched a brow and she held out the cup.

“Our first date was a disaster. I was wearing this.” She said motioning to her clothes, “What was I thinking? Then you kicked me out. The second date though. Hmm” she hummed closing her eyes thinking about sticky kisses. Then she opened them and focused on his mouth and when her eyes raised to meet his she was happy to see his lids had lowered just a little.

“What about the second date?” he asked with that deep voice that seemed to stroke over her skin.

Grinning at him she replied, “The second date was juicy.”

He nodded slowly, liking that answer and she noticed a twinkle started in those blue eyes. Looking down at the cup in his hand he asked, “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

Lifting a shoulder she shrugged and asked, “Would it work?”

“Judging by lately, probably. However, my choice of drink is usually scotch not wine these days.”

“Hmm.” she said nodding, “Well I think maybe you should try that one. It’s good I’m told.”

Bringing the cup up to his mouth he took a sip and she watched his face morph into an expression of someone who looked like he’d just sucked a lemon. She gave him props for not spitting it out but then she started to laugh.

“Just reminding myself of how you wooed me on our picnic.”

“Augh!” he said as he looked at her with a look of absolute disgust, “That wine is disgusting.”

She laughed as she turned and walked back to the table. Looking over her shoulder she said softly, “Well you picked it.”

“Geez, seriously that is horrible. I can’t believe you remembered it.”

Reaching up she tugged the elastic from her hair and let it tumble down her back. Shaking it out she looked at him once more and replied with a wink, “Well it does leave a lasting impression.”

His eyes roved over her and she wasn’t sure what he was referring to when he murmured, “That it does.”

Mason’s brain was trying really hard to stay focused. When he’d stepped into his office he’d been blown away by the scene in front of him. There sitting on his desk was the Lena he’d first met. The woman who had crawled in under his skin and somehow burrowed deep into his heart.

The hair was perfectly severe, the clothes were so proper and so incredibly buttoned up, he was going crazy thinking about her in the mini skirt from the other night and comparing the two. Somewhere along the way during their relationship, Lena had relaxed. She’d come undone. However, as she stood in front of him reminding him of all the things that had brought them together and as she shook that long beautiful hair out and down her back, his mind went blank.

He dropped the now empty paper cup on the floor and watched her reach out and pick up the sunflower. Turning to him he saw her green eyes were wide and serious as she moved toward him. He straightened up against the door, and straddled his legs apart slightly, but other than that stayed glued to the spot, since it seemed to be working for them, and waited. When she got to him she reached out like a little girl and held out the sunflower. He gently reached forward and took it from her and she smiled up at him and he felt his walls crashing down. Her eyes showed him how much she trusted him and the words that came out of her mouth confirmed it.

“You gave me my sister back.” She shook her head letting the hair fall back over her shoulders. Then her eyes met his again. “For so long I denied myself any kind of contact or emotion when it came to Carly. No one could get through to me.” she paused and blinked up at him. He could see tears forming in her eyes and she let them fall as she went on.

“Not my mother or father. Not the psychiatrist they sent me to and not even your mother.” she pulled in a deep sob like her heart was hurting and he felt his ache as well. “But you, you got inside and gave her back to me. For that alone I have to fight for you.”

He moved a little but she shook her head and took a couple of steps back and held a hand up, “No, please let me finish.”

Blinking wet eyes up at him he nodded at her, becoming frustrated at not being able to talk, but not really knowing what he would say anyway. He watched as though he were seeing it in slow motion as she reached up and unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt. Reaching behind her, to the desk, she clutched the small bouquet of tulips and stepped forward to him again.

He knew what those represented, and knew where she was going. What he didn’t know was if he was ready to hear it, but he knew as he stood there he had to let her say it if they were ever going to move forward. Holding the bunch of colorful stems to him he shook his head once. She kept her hand extended and raised her eyes to his.