Thou Shalt Not

"Colin? Hello? Earth to Colin!" A loud voice pulled me back into the conversation I had drifted away from. I sat up right in my chair and looked at the rest of the table that was staring back at me.

"Sorry," I laughed bashfully and took a gulp of the beer in front of me. "She's got him good, doesn't she?" Friend and co-star, Georgina, laughed from beside me. We were having dinner with our Frozen characters as the story line was over and they were going back home.

"He's glowing!" Elizabeth squealed, causing the table to fall into a fit of laughter. "That's what happens when you get some from someone else other than Rosey Palmer." Sean laughed from beside me. I elbowed him in the ribs and laughed.

"It's all in good fun, mate. All in good fun. We're happy for you. And now if we could only get the other drama in your life thrown out, you'd be able to enjoy this more." Sean said as he shoveled a bite of pasta into his mouth. "I know, I know. First of the year." I said with a frustrated sigh.

"You're going home for Christmas, yeah?" Sean asked and I nodded. "How's that going to go?" Sean asked. I took a bite of my lasagna and shrugged. I chewed and swallowed before I spoke. "I don't know, really. I don't want to see them if that's what you're asking but it's probably inescapable." I scoffed. I didn't want to see her. I didn't want to see him. I wanted to see my son because I missed him like crazy but he wasn't my son.

He was not my son.
I had to let it go one way or another.

My phone vibrated in my front pocket and I quickly retrieved it, smiling once I saw who it was. "Is he doing this on purpose to fuck with us or is he really this swept away? Look at him smiling at his phone!" Georgina cried. "He is really that swept away, G." Josh concluded. "I'll be right back." I said and stood up from the table, answering the call before it went to voicemail. "Take your time, loverboy." Ginny giggled, wiping food from Oliver's mouth.

"Hey," I said ignoring Ginny's comment. "Loverboy?" Lacie chuckled. "They're just giving me a hard time." I laughed. "What are you doing, beautiful?" I asked and stepped outside, not even caring that it was cold outside and I didn't bother grabbing my coat.

"I'm thinking about you. I just got out of the shower." Lacie sighed. I closed my eyes at the visual. It had been only a couple days since I had seen her and held her body in my hands.

It had been a couple weeks since we had first had sex and from then on out it's been a race to who could get their clothes off first. I had never experienced a raw passion like this before. Yes, granted we were new together and lust was always working overtime in the beginning but this wasn't that.

I still didn't know how I felt about her still being with Gunner. I didn't know the lad and felt somewhat awful about screwing his girlfriend behind his back. It happened to me and I knew how it felt. Despite the conditions, I couldn't stay away from her.

She deserved me. She needed me.
I could give her what Gunner couldn't give her and wouldn't even try to give her.

Yes, he saved Lacie's life. I was thankful for that because had he not, I would have never got to even meet her but at the same time, Lacie just needed to say 'thank you' and walk away from him.

"Without me?" I joked, my eyes opening at the sound of a car horn. "Well you weren't here." Lacie pretended to pout. "Next time?" I asked. "Next time." Lacie laughed. "How's dinner?" Lacie asked. "It's good." I answered. "You know what? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called so early. I knew you were at dinner with your friends... I just wanted to hear your voice." Lacie sighed. "Don't apologize. I'm glad you did. I was getting shit from every angle in there." I laughed.

"Shit about what?" Lacie asked. "Us," I shrugged and leaned back against the cool brick of the building. "Uh oh." Lacie said sadly. "Nothing bad. It's all in good fun." I shook my head.

"Well, I'll let you get back to dinner. Call me later?" She asked sweetly and I smiled when I answered her. "Of course. I'll talk to you in a little bit." I said and we ended our call. I stood outside in the cold a minute before a chill overtook my body. I was pulled from my daydream and hurried back inside to finish dinner with my friends.

~*~

"You're coming home for Christmas, right?" Crystal asked over Skype. I sat atop of my bed filing my nails before picking out a pretty petite pink color.

"Yes. We'll be wrapped by then and I know you guys expect me to be home during Christmas." I said as I shook the nail polish bottle. "And let's not forget that a certain Irish someone will be in Ireland, anyway." Crystal sung as she played with the ends of her blonde hair. "Ah, maybe." I winked as I opened the nail polish and started to paint my freshly buffed nails.

It was true Colin was going home for Christmas. And under the current circumstances, it was best that I didn't go with him. He wanted me to and we talked about it but thinking it over, it was bound to be a very bad idea.

He spoke of dealing with some legal issues on his divorce before his lawyer took off for the holidays and I thought it best to not be around it. How would that honestly look to people?

I know how it would look - he was in a hurry to divorce his wife to be with a younger woman: his mistress. My stomach rolled at the thought of it.

"And NYE?" Crystal asked as she scrolled through her phone. "I don't know. I guess I'll be in L.A." I shrugged. "Ringing the new year in with you, Tom and... Gunner." I swallowed.

"Maybe next year will be better." Crystal smiled sympathetically. I nodded and finished a top coat on my nails. "Where is he tonight? He hasn't responded to any of my texts." I said, blowing on my wet nails. "You're texting him?" Crystal asked skeptically. "Yes. I have to. You know that." I scoffed.

"I haven't seen him." Crystal shrugged. "He's texted Tom a couple times but really, Lacie, it was to ask for money." Crystal said. It wasn't surprising in the least. "He has been in the guest house a few nights. The loud guitar riffs have told me so." Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of people who don't annoy me, how is Colin?" Crystal smiled. I couldn't help but to smile at the mere mention of his name. And bringing him up brought the last memory of us together.

The last night I'd seen him, he had put my body in positions they had never been in before. He sexed me one way and then sexed me back down the other. I think we had marked every room in his house.

I'd never be able to look at that dining room table the same way again. How many times had he made me come with his tongue? I had lost count. I was delirious by the time he was finished with me.

"That good, huh?" Crystal laughed suggestively. "Have I told you how good he is with his tongue?" I asked with an open mouth.

"Oh, bloody hell!" I heard Tom exclaim in the background. Crystal giggled and shushed him. "Do you ever go to work? I can't even talk girl with my bestie." I laughed. "I don't want her talking about that stuff with you, Lacie!" Tom exclaimed. Crystal scoffed the same time I did.

"Okay, we'll talk later. I'm going to get ready for bed. Morning comes early." I smiled and blew a goodnight kiss to my friends.