Status: Finished :)
I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart
She Always Knows What He Is Really Thinking
Marrietta stood nervously by the gate, waiting for Rodger's plane to land. It had been delayed nearly half an hour and her plane had come in an hour before. Her fingers tapped against the handles of her suitcase. She couldn't blink her eyes for fear of missing him if he came out and didn't notice her. She had barely been breathing for the past hour.
Inside she knew that this was a dumb idea. She knew that Rodger was going to walk out of the gate, see her and immediately start yelling. He might not even walk out of the gate. She hadn't been there when he had come home from work and her note on the refrigerator door had just said she had been grocery shopping. But going grocery shopping for a couple of hours while he waited around until he had to leave for the airport was a thin lie and she knew it. He might have reported her missing. Her might have gone looking for her.
She froze when the intercom crackled to life. "Flight 07892 from New York is landing at gate 22. Flight 07892 from New York is landing at gate 22." Marrietta took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer to the heavens as people got up from their seats to greet their family or friends as they came off of the plane. She didn't move when people bustled past her or flinch when a girl screamed in her ear at the sight of her boyfriend. She stared at the door blankly, waiting for Rodger to come out.
And suddenly, there he was. There were bags under his eyes, the results of the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep in days. One of his hands was wrapped firmly around his suitcase's handle but the other was fiddling with a pen that his mother had given him. His face was red from the tears he had cried on the plane when he could no longer hold them back. He was a wreck and that was exactly why he had wanted no one there to come and pick him up.
Rodger didn't even look at the crowd of people before he turned towards the hotel. Marrietta followed him at a distance, unsure of what to do or what to say. This was a whole different side of him that she wasn't used to seeing. A side of him that scared her just a little bit because he hid it from everyone.
He walked straight through the hotel lobby into the bathrooms. Marrietta stopped just outside the door, her heart beating faster than it had ever done before, and her brain screaming, You're stupid, you're stupid, you're stupid! as loud as it possibly could. She fiddled with a strand of hair and experimented with different ways of leaning against the wall. He was taking forever. She checked her watch. Not even a minute had passed.
Finally, he exited the washroom, his face looking much better than it had before. He started to walk right past her, but she grabbed onto his arm. When their eyes met, both of them were frozen for a moment, powerless against the shock of seeing each other there.
A long minute ticked past. Then, without a word, he took her hand in his and started walking. She had nothing else to do but let him lead her silently into a taxi, watch him load her bags into the trunk and then wait for him to slide in beside her. He didn't even look at her when he entered the cab; he just told the driver their destination and leaned back in the seat.
"Rodger?" Marrietta asked, her voice cracking on the single word. He glanced towards her, his usually welcoming eyes now cold and reserved. She shivered and continued quietly, "Are you mad that I'm here?"
He looked at her for a long time in silence. Only when the cab driver pulled over on the side of the snowy street and announced that they had reached their destination did Rodger speak again. His hand wrapped around Marrietta's and he whispered, "I would prefer that you hadn't come or at least that you had told me about it. But, what's done is done and I'm fine with your decision."
Squeezing her hand lightly, he slid out of the cab and walked around back to help the driver with their bags. Marrietta smiled to herself as she got out of the taxi. She could have sworn that during Rodger's speech there had been just a bit of happiness seeping into his tone. Somewhere, deep down, he had wanted her here to help him. Somewhere in his heart he actually wanted to share his feelings with her.
"Miss?"
Marrietta turned her head to see the cab driver staring at her.
"You're bags are in the house and I must get back to the airport. Could you please stop leaning on my car?"
"Oh," Marrietta took a step back, blushing wildly. Rodger caught her just before she slipped on the ice and she said, "Sorry."
The driver simply waved his hand, got into the cab and drove away. As soon as he was out of sight, she laughed. Rodger laughed with her and, to shut her up, planted a kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arm carefully around her waist and said, "Come on, my dad's been waiting for me and you know he loves you."
Inside she knew that this was a dumb idea. She knew that Rodger was going to walk out of the gate, see her and immediately start yelling. He might not even walk out of the gate. She hadn't been there when he had come home from work and her note on the refrigerator door had just said she had been grocery shopping. But going grocery shopping for a couple of hours while he waited around until he had to leave for the airport was a thin lie and she knew it. He might have reported her missing. Her might have gone looking for her.
She froze when the intercom crackled to life. "Flight 07892 from New York is landing at gate 22. Flight 07892 from New York is landing at gate 22." Marrietta took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer to the heavens as people got up from their seats to greet their family or friends as they came off of the plane. She didn't move when people bustled past her or flinch when a girl screamed in her ear at the sight of her boyfriend. She stared at the door blankly, waiting for Rodger to come out.
And suddenly, there he was. There were bags under his eyes, the results of the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep in days. One of his hands was wrapped firmly around his suitcase's handle but the other was fiddling with a pen that his mother had given him. His face was red from the tears he had cried on the plane when he could no longer hold them back. He was a wreck and that was exactly why he had wanted no one there to come and pick him up.
Rodger didn't even look at the crowd of people before he turned towards the hotel. Marrietta followed him at a distance, unsure of what to do or what to say. This was a whole different side of him that she wasn't used to seeing. A side of him that scared her just a little bit because he hid it from everyone.
He walked straight through the hotel lobby into the bathrooms. Marrietta stopped just outside the door, her heart beating faster than it had ever done before, and her brain screaming, You're stupid, you're stupid, you're stupid! as loud as it possibly could. She fiddled with a strand of hair and experimented with different ways of leaning against the wall. He was taking forever. She checked her watch. Not even a minute had passed.
Finally, he exited the washroom, his face looking much better than it had before. He started to walk right past her, but she grabbed onto his arm. When their eyes met, both of them were frozen for a moment, powerless against the shock of seeing each other there.
A long minute ticked past. Then, without a word, he took her hand in his and started walking. She had nothing else to do but let him lead her silently into a taxi, watch him load her bags into the trunk and then wait for him to slide in beside her. He didn't even look at her when he entered the cab; he just told the driver their destination and leaned back in the seat.
"Rodger?" Marrietta asked, her voice cracking on the single word. He glanced towards her, his usually welcoming eyes now cold and reserved. She shivered and continued quietly, "Are you mad that I'm here?"
He looked at her for a long time in silence. Only when the cab driver pulled over on the side of the snowy street and announced that they had reached their destination did Rodger speak again. His hand wrapped around Marrietta's and he whispered, "I would prefer that you hadn't come or at least that you had told me about it. But, what's done is done and I'm fine with your decision."
Squeezing her hand lightly, he slid out of the cab and walked around back to help the driver with their bags. Marrietta smiled to herself as she got out of the taxi. She could have sworn that during Rodger's speech there had been just a bit of happiness seeping into his tone. Somewhere, deep down, he had wanted her here to help him. Somewhere in his heart he actually wanted to share his feelings with her.
"Miss?"
Marrietta turned her head to see the cab driver staring at her.
"You're bags are in the house and I must get back to the airport. Could you please stop leaning on my car?"
"Oh," Marrietta took a step back, blushing wildly. Rodger caught her just before she slipped on the ice and she said, "Sorry."
The driver simply waved his hand, got into the cab and drove away. As soon as he was out of sight, she laughed. Rodger laughed with her and, to shut her up, planted a kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arm carefully around her waist and said, "Come on, my dad's been waiting for me and you know he loves you."