Heartbeats Away From Disaster

Careful not to get my cast wet, I skillfully washed my hair using only one hand and then quickly washed my body off. Once I was done, I turned the shower off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it securely around my body before I stepped out.

It took me a few minutes longer than I wanted, but within five minutes I had my body dried, my hair wrapped in a towel, and was dressed in a bra and a pair of panties. I opened my closet and gazed inside, wondering what to wear to the interview today.

Justin had scheduled for us to interview a handful of bartenders to take up the fulltime position that had become available at the restaurant. Seeing as how I would be working with the new bartender extensively on a day to day basis, as well as while planning events, Justin thought it would be good for me to be there in helping with the selection process.

I pulled out a pair of black slacks, and a classy yet simple cut white blouse, and made a move to pull them on when the sound of my ringtone made me stop my actions. Setting my clothes down on the edge of my bed, I grabbed my sidekick from my bedside table and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mitzi, it's Matt." Matt's voice was hurried and filled with worry.

"Hey Matt, what's up?" I asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, have you heard from Craig?" He asked.

"No, well, not since last night." I admitted. "Why? What happened?"

"We rolled into New York last night, and when we woke up this morning, Craig wasn't anywhere to be found. We thought that maybe he just went out to take a walk or something, but he never came back, and no one can get a hold of him." Matt said quietly.

"What? But, where the hell could he be?" I asked. "And what the fuck is he thinking? You guys' first show is tonight."

"I don't know, Mitzi, but, if he calls you or anything, let us know, okay?" Matt requested. "I have to go, we have to go do sound check, but, I don't know what we're gonna do since Craig's not here … " Matt trailed off, mumbling a few incoherent words under his breath.

"Matt, last night ... Craig and I got into a fight." I admitted.

"I know, sweetheart." Matt whispered. "Craig told me about it."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I said some things that I didn't mean, and I can't help but feel that what's happening today is because of me. If you talk to him before I do, can you tell him that I'm sorry? Tell him," I paused momentarily, swallowing down the dry lump in my throat, "that I love him too."

"Babe, you'll have a chance to tell him that yourself." Matt assured me. "And don't worry about Craig, I'm sure he's fine. I'm just worried about where he's at is all."

"Matt, I'm sorry." I repeated.

"Shh, it's not your fault, Mitz." Matt said.

"I can't help but worry about him, though." I admitted. "You know how he can be from time to time."

"No, no, don't you even start to think like that." Matt said sternly. "Right now Craig feels that he has to prove himself to you. If anything, he's sitting somewhere thinking of what to do to win you back."

"But Matt, I'm still scared. It's gonna drive me insane, thinking about where he could be."

"Mitzi, please, don't freak out, okay?" Matt said. "Craig will turn up, and he will be perfectly fine."

"Okay." I mumbled.

"Okay." Matt mocked quietly. "Are you busy today?"

"I have an interview I have to go sit in on." I said. "I have another hour; I'm getting dressed right now."

"Well, finished getting ready." Matt said. "I'll call you later on this afternoon, okay?"

"Okay." I whispered. "I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye, Mitzi."

'Bye." I said softly before I ended the call.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, getting control of my emotions. Despite what Matt said, I knew that all of this was my fault. If I hadn't have said the things that I did last night, Craig wouldn't be MIA just then. I don't know why I didn't take him back on the spot. I guess I was so caught off guard by his call that I just froze on the spot, my defensive side going up in an instant.

So, instead of telling him that I loved him too, I shut him down. Hell, I probably broke his heart. I was being stupid, and selfish. Playing the same games that he had been playing with me before he decided to grow up.

And in doing so, I just might have screwed up the most meaningful relationship I've ever had in my life.

Reluctantly, I got by to the business at hand, and finished getting dressed. Back in the bathroom, though, I couldn't contain myself, and a couple of tears fell silently down my face. Cursing to myself, I hastily wiped the tears away and concealed any redness or puffiness with a little bit of powder. I finished putting on the rest of my makeup, and then unwrapped my hair, letting it air dry the rest of the way.

Not knowing what else to do, I moped around my house until about fifteen minutes before the interview. I went to my bathroom and ran a brush through my hair one last time before I grabbed my phone, purse, and car keys.

Driving a stick shift while one wrist is in a cast can be pretty interesting to say the least. Luckily for me, it had been my left wrist that was broken, meaning that I had no problem shifting. It was tricky, though, having to shift while turning a corner.

About ten minutes later, I had arrived at the restaurant. I drove across the parking lot, heading toward my usual parking space when I saw a familiar figure already waiting there for me. My mouth dropping slightly in surprise, I parked my car, turned the engine off, and got out in a hurry.

"Damn it Craig, where have you been?" I growled, upset that he had me worried about him being off somewhere in trouble when in fact he was right here in Rochester Hills. "Matt just called me and told me that you were missing, and that you weren't answering your damn phone. You've had us all worried to death, Craigery!"

Despite the pissed off look I was giving him, Craig couldn't help but let a smug smile pull across his lips. He reached over, taking my hands in his and held them tightly.

"You told me that hearing me say the words 'I love you' over the phone wasn't good enough," he whispered, "so, I decided to drive back home to tell you that I love you face to face."

"But," I hesitated for a second, shaking my head slightly, "you drove all the way back here just to tell me that?" I asked slowly.

"I love you Mitzi," Craig said softly, "I told you, it's not just a best friend sort of love; it's the cliché sort of head over heals, stand outside your window with a radio over my head, do any fucking thing you ask of me love. I love you Mitzi, and I'm asking you one last time to be my girlfriend."

"Damn it, Craigery," I whispered as I felt my eyes starting to tear up.

The confident look on Craig's face faded away, and was replaced by confusion as he stared down at me. He released one of my hands and reached up to gently caress my cheek, while his other hand tightened its grip, not daring to let me go.

"Mitzi, please, I - "

"What the fuck took you so long to tell me that?" I asked.

"I did tell you last night." He said defensively, his voice a tad higher due to his nerves. "And you said it wasn't good enough."

"Do you know why I got with Lyle in the first place, Craig?" I asked.

He frowned slightly, and shook his head.

"Matt convinced me that if I were to make it seem like I moved on, that you'd realize you really did love me. I've been waiting for you for these past six months to tell me that you loved me, but you never did. I almost thought that you were never gonna say it to me." I whispered.

"I told you I loved you many times throughout these past six months, sweetheart," Craig said softly, "I just don't think you quite heard whenever I said it."

"Craig, my hearing is just as good as ever."

"I didn't always say it with words, Mitzi." Craig mumbled. "I think that you were smart enough to piece two and two together Mitzi, but I think you were just either too proud, or too scared to acknowledge it. You learned a lot time ago that I was still in love with you; you were just going to deny it until you heard me say it aloud."

I opened my mouth to shoot back some sort of witty retort, but instantly closed it when no words came to mind. There were no words that came to mind, because there were no words that could contradict the truth. Everything Craig had said was right; it wasn't until he said it though, that I realized it was true.

I had known all along, I was just too scared to acknowledge it.

Craig shifted his weight slightly, reminding me that he was still waiting for an answer to his main question. Biting my lip, I reached up with my free hand and ran my fingers across his lips. They trembled under my touch, as if my answer was the difference between a life or death sentence.

I lowered my hand to his shoulder to steady myself as I stood on my tiptoes, and reached up, pressing my lips to his. Kissing him like I've never kissed him before, I didn't need to use any words to tell him my answer.