Another Heart Calls

Meredith stood in Charlotte’s kitchen watching Charlotte prepare dinner for her and Marty since the guys were due home within the next hour. Meredith had just finished telling Charlotte about what had transpired between her and Janelle the previous night.

“I can’t believe that she just showed up at your apartment and told you she’s still in love with your boyfriend!” Charlotte exclaimed as she put the pasta into the boiling water.

“I don’t know whether to believe her or not,” Meredith admitted. “I mean she says she’s not going to do anything to try to break us up or to try to get with him.”

“I can’t believe you actually believe her!” Charlotte exclaimed. “Come on, you know she’s going to try to go after him.”

“Maybe that’s for the better,” Meredith said softly.

Charlotte spun around on her heel, staring at Meredith. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“I just mean, maybe they’re meant to be together or something,” Meredith mumbled.

“Not this again!” Charlotte said. “Come on, you can’t be serious.”

“I don’t know, Char,” Meredith told her. “I mean she’s been in love with him for over ten years now. I’ve only been dating him for six months.”

“Do you love him?” Charlotte questioned.

“What?” Meredith exclaimed.

“Do you love him?” Charlotte repeated as she looked at the pasta to see if it was getting close to being done or not.

“Of course,” Meredith told her. “Of course I love him.”

“Well, then, there’s your answer. You don’t let Janelle get in the way. You fight for him. Not that I think you need to fight for him. Patrick already told you that he wants to be with you and not her.”

“How do I know that he’s not wrong?”

“Mer, if you keep talking like this, I swear I’m going to hurt you!” Charlotte told her. “You two love each other. That’s all there is to it.”

“Except for the fact that Janelle also loves him,” Meredith added.

“Okay, we’re going to stop talking about this right now because I can’t get it through your thick head that you shouldn’t be worried about Janelle. So, let’s talk about…my wedding,” Charlotte finished with a smile.

“Okay,” Meredith said excitedly. “Do you have anything picked out yet?”

Forty minutes later, Meredith heard the front door open, and she looked in the living room to see Marty walking through the front door. He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Charlotte. “I’ve missed you,” he said in his heavy Czech accent.

“I missed you, too,” Charlotte said, smiling, as she turned around and kissed him.

“Okay, I’m out of here,” Meredith said. “I’ll see you two later.”

“Bye, Mer,” Marty told her.

“Go talk to Patrick,” Charlotte told her as she reached the door. She didn’t hear a reply, and she could just imagine Meredith shaking her head.

“Go talk to Patrick about what?” Marty asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Charlotte dismissed with a wave of her hand. “Meredith is just worried over nothing, and I think she needs Patrick to reassure her.”

“Okay,” Marty said, satisfied with the response.

Fifteen minutes later, Meredith was sitting in her apartment, debating whether or not she should go over to Patrick’s to talk to him. Maybe Charlotte was right, and she had nothing to worry about between Patrick and Janelle.

She stood up and began walking to the kitchen when she heard her doorbell ring. She promptly turned around and made her way to the front door. She opened it to see Patrick standing there, dressed up from returning from the road trip.

A smile formed on his lips as he walked inside the apartment. “Hey,” he said kissing her. “I’ve missed you.”

“It’s been like a day and a half,” Meredith laughed.

“It’s felt like longer than that,” he told her. “So, what happened while I was gone?”

Meredith looked at him, wondering if he had heard what had happened between her and Janelle. “What?” she asked.

“I just wondered if anything interesting happened while I was gone,” Patrick told her.

“Oh,” Meredith said, letting out the breath she had been holding.

“Mer, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Meredith said.

“Come on, Meredith. What happened when I was gone?” he asked.

“Patrick, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. What happened?” he asked, beginning to worry that something bad had happened.

“Fine,” Meredith said, figuring that if she didn’t tell him, Charlotte would do it for her. “Janelle told me something interesting,” she began.

“What?” Patrick asked.

“She told me she’s still in love with you,” Meredith told him.

“What?” Patrick choked out.

“Apparently, she’s been in love with you since before you moved away all those years ago, and she said that all those feelings came rushing back when she saw you again,” Meredith said while she looked down at the floor, not letting herself look in Patrick’s eyes, afraid of what she would see.

“Meredith,” Patrick began. When she didn’t look up at him, he put his hand under her chin and forced her eyes to look in his. “Meredith,” he repeated. “I don’t care that she supposedly loves me. I love you, and only you.”

“Really?” Meredith asked, unsure if he was speaking truthfully.

“Yes, Meredith. I love you. I thought you knew that,” he said.

“I do,” Meredith told him. “I just made myself believe that maybe you would be better off with her instead. I mean, she used to be your best friend, and she’s been in love with you for over ten years!”

“Meredith, I love you,” he repeated.

“I love you, too,” she said as she kissed him passionately, pulling on his tie to loosen it up, as they made their way back to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.