It's Called Love, Baby

"Your kid brother Todd and your parents."

"Right. You?"

"Um, well, um—"

"You're with that older woman, aren't you?" She tugs at her ponytail and her eyes narrow. "The one you dumped me for."

"Alexandra."

"Oh, now she's got a name. You wouldn't tell me during our drama."

Still holding his cups of fresh brew, he shakes his head. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

She rolls her eyes. "Right. Well, I hope you're happy. Listen, my folks are waiting upstairs and I'm sure this Alexandra doesn't want cold coffee. I was just about to get some for my mom."

Alex was right—he still feels has feelings for her, stronger that he realized. But what can he do? Not hug her, the thing he most wants to do at this terribly awkward moment. "Look, can we talk sometime, just the two of us?"

She flashes one of those joyless smiles, bitter and incredulous. "Talk?! Talk about what, you're new lady friend? Sure, Craig. I'll meet you under the boardwalk between First and Second Streets. Say around midnight."

"You're still pissed."

"Duh. No kidding, dude. Blame me?"

"Of course not." He stares at her beautiful face, the full lips, the high cheek bones, and her skin, glowing and tan, soft and blemish-free save for two tiny zits on her chin. In physique, she's a one-eighty from Alex—statuesque, with legs a mile long, portrait of the prep school field hockey and volleyball athlete she was up to graduation. Of all the hotels in all the beach resorts in all the world... "I miss you, Heather."

She shakes her head. "Sure you do. Look, can I get my coffee now? Like I said, my folks are waiting."

*****

Alex, towel wrapped around her, just finishes drying her hair when he returns to the room. Stepping from the bathroom, she says, "That coffee machine must be very popular. What took you so long?" He tells her, leaving out the visceral nitty-gritty. No matter, his solemn demeanor speaks volumes. She thinks back to what she said about reconnecting with Heather, regretting she said it. She meant it, kind of still does, but still...

After putting on bra and panties, she takes a cup and sits on a chair near the window. "So, do you know what room they're in? How long they'll be here?"

Alex sits slumped on the edge of the bed, coffee in hand. "No, I didn't ask."

She nods, crosses her legs and takes a sip. "Craig, you need to level with me. Is her presence here going to distract you from your time with me?"

"No way," he says, his eyes focusing on the tops of her boobs, slightly red from the sun. "I'm here with you, not her. She doesn't want much to do with me anyhow. She's still pissed."

After another sip, she says, "But let's say she did want to see you, then what? You admitted that you still had feelings for her."

"Only in the sense that I care what happens to her. I mean, I hope she finds happiness with someone else." He pauses, looks at her as if to see if she's buying it. Then: "She'll do okay. Come September, she's going to school out west, University of Colorado, I believe."

She senses that he's giving her a sugar-coated version of the truth—that he cares about this young lady more that he's willing to admit. Still, there's nothing to be gained for pursuing the matter except tension that could lead to a ruined trip. She nods, takes another sip of brew and stands up. "Okay. Meanwhile, we better get moving if we're going to make our six o'clock reservations at Harpoon Hanna's."

*****

Craig tries to forget about Heather through dinner, enjoying his succulent rock fish, losing himself in their conversation, thinking about the great sex to come. Alex's short, sleeveless, low-cut blue and yellow dress definitely helps, and so does that scent she's wearing. He likes the way she's put her hair up, and that plus her pink-frame glasses lend her a sophisticated, intellectual image. To his eyes, very erotic indeed.

After dinner, things get even more erotic when Alex suggests a walk by the water's edge after dark. With the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore, they stand barefoot in the sand, hugging and smooching, their hands wandering. Alex lifts her dress, then wraps her legs around Craig's waist while he holds her, pressing his crotch against hers, his cock rising to the occasion, then all but exploding when he discovers she's not wearing panties. "Thought I'd surprise you," she says, "so I slipped them off in the ladies room. Can you make love to me in this position?"

She says it almost like a challenge, one that he's not about to shy away from. He puts her down long enough to zip down the fly of his plaid shorts. Then, lifting her once more, he slips his stiffness into her honey pot, bucking his pelvis with his hands tucked firmly under her butt. "Like this you mean?"

"Yes yes! Ohmygod, exactly like that! You're too much!" She moans and shrieks and he grunts, struggling to hold her up in the humid, briny air. "Your arms must be getting awfully tired by now," she says.

He concedes as much and puts her down. "To be continued in the comfort of our room."

They're back on track by the time they enter Fenwick's lobby, looking forward to more fun. Craig doesn't see Heather, her parents and fourteen-year old Todd until they all gather at the elevators. He alerts Alex with a groan, and though she's never laid eyes on the Chaillets before, she knows by his reaction—and theirs—who they are. Major and Betty Chaillet know Craig well—he's been over their house enough during the over two years that he and Heather dated. They give him a token nod, then look at Alex, shaking their heads, noting silently that she's as old as they. Craig talks to Heather to ease the tension. "Coming from the boardwalk?" She nods and looks away.

"I'm glad they're not on our floor," Alex says after the Chaillets get off on the third floor. "Did you see the condescending way her parents looked at me?"

Craig nods. "Yeah. They might hate me more than Heather does."

"Well, I guess I can see it. I might hate my daughter's ex also if he hurt her."

In bed, Alex can sense that seeing Heather altered Craig's mood once again. He showed affection, but she knew that he wasn't feeling it, that he was simply going through the motions. "It's her again, isn't it?"

Craig sits up and leans against the headboard. "Yes."

"You still love her?"

"I don't know."

She sits up, joins him against the headboard. "Come on, Craig, you know."

He rubs her thigh. "Okay, maybe. Seeing her here..." He shakes his head.

"Seeing her here brought your true feelings to the surface, didn't it?"

He reaches for her hand. "Relationships are too fucking complicated."

She chuckles. "Yes, they are."

"Why is that?"

"Why? Because we're people and people are complicated."

They sit in silence for close to a minute. Then he says, "I've already hurt Heather. I don't want to hurt you, too."

She squeezes his hand, then plants a kiss on his cheek. "I know you don't. You're a nice kid. And I wouldn't be such a nice woman if I tried keeping you from someone you love. Remember what I said earlier about this being temporary for us. If you miss Heather that much, then go after her."

"What?"

"Just what I said."

"But—"

"Now listen to me." She does a half-turn and gets in his face. "I adore you, Craig, and I know you have strong feelings for me as well. Yes, I'd miss you terribly if we broke things off. There'd be tears, the whole bit. But I'd feel worse knowing you're pining for someone else when you're with me."

"So what are you saying, that I should make a play for Heather while we're here, while I'm with you?"

"If you want to."

He laughs. "You'd stand by and watch me do that? That's nuts."

"No, that's putting another person's feelings above one's own. It's called love, baby."

He lets that sink in for a few seconds. "She wants nothing to do with me now anyway."

"Don't be so sure. She's hurt and obviously still angry. It doesn't mean she stopped loving you."

*****

If only Craig knew how right Alex is. Heather never did stop loving him. Oh, she's angry, all right—took mucho self-restraint not to punch him when she saw him and Alex in the lobby. There's little doubt in her mind why she got dumped. Alex puts out, while she elects to keep her virginity until marriage. Craig never told her that; not that he had to. They'd go to third base and then Craig would get frustrated when she'd go no further. 'We're practically there,' he'd say, trying to break her resistance. He came close, so close, and if not for that Other Woman, she might have surrendered to what she wanted also. Heather broke down when she returned to her room after running into him at the coffee machine. 'Don't let it ruin your trip. He's not worth it,' her mom said in an effort to comfort her.

Easier said than done, but she tries. The next morning, after a restless night, she gets up early to work off some emotional steam in the Fenwick's 24/7 fitness room, filled with treadmills, exercycles and a multi-station cable and pulley contraption. Wearing tight shorts and a sports bra, she's just about to mount one of the treadmills when she hears footsteps behind her. "Oh, man, perfect timing. Damn it, Craig, I can't seem to get away from you."

"Maybe you're not trying hard enough." He stands there in T-shirt, shorts and track shoes. "Want me to leave? We can take shifts."

"That might work. Where's—what's her name?—Alexandra."

"Still sleeping."

She nods. "Long night of wild sex, huh?"

He sighs. "Heather, look, it you want me to leave, I will so you can be alone."

"How considerate of you."

When he shrugs and begins to walk out, she steps over, reaches out and grabs his shoulder. "Oh no you don't. You're not leaving here on my account, playing the victim. I never said I wanted you to leave." She confronts him just inches from his face, staring into his blue eyes, eyes that all but seduced her when they first met, eyes that Alex still finds irresistible. Feeling herself tearing up, she turns and hops on the treadmill. He hesitates before deciding to take the treadmill next to hers.

She starts off slow, then gradually increases her speed. Ten minutes into it, she's dripping with perspiration. She's into her zone, barely aware of the loud hum of the machines, barely aware of Craig's presence until she decides to glance over at him. When he looks back, she smiles and then revs her cadence even faster. "Catch me if you can," she yells. She's not surprised when he takes up the challenge—he ran cross-country in high school—yet she's still game, so when he matches her effort and then attempts to forge ahead, she cries out, "Okay, dude, match this." He does, and then she does, increasing her pace, upping the ante, until she can hardly breathe, until her lungs feel like they're about to burst.

Meanwhile, he's still hammering, watching her, grinning in triumph. "Had enough, Chaillet?"

"Okay, okay, you win," she sighs, barely getting the words out before cutting her pounding cadence to an easy jog.

"That was fun," she says when they step down. "Just what I needed to kick in those much needed endorphins." Her breathing still labored, she grabs a towel and wipes her face.

"Just what I needed, too," he says. "It feels good to see you smiling at me, to see that you might not hate me so much."

She dangles the towel around her neck, holding it at both ends. "I don't hate you, Craig. In fact..." She sighs, shakes her head.

"In fact, what?"

"Look, you hurt me, okay. Any girl in my shoes would react the same way."

"I know that. I also know—and Alex knows too because we discussed it—that I still love you."

She winces, shoots him a look of incredulity. "You told her you still love me? She must have slapped you silly."

"She accepts it. Not only accepts it, but encouraged me to try to get you back. Hard to believe, I know."

"Very hard to believe. She must really care for you."

"Yes, but we both know we're headed for a dead-end. You know, the age gap and all."

Feeling herself tear up again, she struggles not to break down. "How can I ever trust you again? You cold-cocked me, Craig."

"And I deeply regret that. Will probably regret it for the rest of my life. Meanwhile, in another month, we'll be at different colleges, over a thousand miles away. So maybe we can make the most of the time we have left."

She takes a few deep breaths. Then her breathing returns to normal. "Will you be on the beach today, in front of our hotel?" He nods. "Okay, I'll see you there."

He watches her leave the room, then returns upstairs to find Alex sitting up in bed, watching a morning talk show. When she asks him how his workout went, he tells her what transpired. "So we're supposed to meet today on the beach," he says. "But if you'd rather go somewhere else, maybe Assateague liked we talked about."

"No, I'm okay with it. She might be giving you another chance. Don't blow it."

"You'll still be with me?"

"Cheering you on. Silently, of course."

*****

Heather sits with her family a few yards from the water's edge. It's just past noon when she sees Craig and the Other Woman traipsing across the sand, Craig in cool surfer trunks, Alex in a black one-piece. They stop about thirty yards away and then set down their beach chairs. Craig sees her too. He waves and she waves back. She still finds it hard to believe what he said about Alexandra. Dead-end relationship or not, no woman is that generous. "This shouldn't take long," she says to her parents. Then, clad in a skimpy white bikini in the upper eighties sun, she walks over.

Craig stands. Briefly, awkwardly, they embrace. Alex then stands and extends her hand. "I'm Alex. Craig told me about your meeting in the fitness room. What he told you is true."

Heather shakes her hand. Still incredulous, she says, "What part of what he said is true?"

"The part about you two possibly mending fences."

Craig shoots Heather a smug, I-told- you-so kind of gin. "Let's take a walk," he suggests.

Heather looks to Alex for approval. "Honey, go on," Alex insists. "I've got plenty here to keep me busy," pointing to her iPod and books.

After telling her parents, who shake their heads in disbelief, she sets off with Craig. Once out of earshot, Heather says, "Alex seems really nice. I once thought it was just the sex when it came to her. But I suspect there's more." He admits as much, careful not to go overboard.

Before long, they're holding hands, walking along the water's edge, discussing everything from the weather to their angst over entering college. Then he gets more personal, brings up that time last August when they came down with their parents and bodysurfed, took walks on the boardwalk and snuck out one night and met on the beach where they almost consummated their love. "I know you won't believe this," she says, "but I wanted to as much as you."

"I kind of sensed that, but I respected where your head was at. So I didn't push."

She stops and faces him. Looking down, she runs her hands over his stomach and chest. "Okay, I'll confess. I never stopped loving you while hating you at the same time. If that makes any sense."

He brushes his fingers across her face, then runs a hand down the lovely curve of her back. "It makes sense. Only I'm hoping you're over the hate part."

She leans closer, presses her lips against his, letting her emotions fly where they might. Of course she loves him, never stopped loving him. She still might not fully trust him, but she can no longer fight what she feels. She was never ready to say the final goodbye, and she's sure as hell isn't ready now. When she comes up for air, she says, "That should tell you I'm over that part. Or do you need more convincing?"

He begins to choke up, something he never did in front of her before. "I don't deserve you."

She holds him tight, laughs through her own tears. "Damn right you don't. But you've got me anyway. I love you, Craig. Just please don't ever hurt me again."

Then she starts to bawl, which makes him stop, then begin to laugh. "Look at us, Heather, standing on this beautiful beach in this beautiful weather crying our eyes out. What's up with that?"

His laughter is contagious. She stops crying and then laughs with him. Then she sprints away from him, yelling, "Catch me if you can!"

*****

"Alex must really love you beyond reason to give up her room for a couple hours so we can be alone," Heather says, resting her head on Craig's chest.

"She's a fantastic lady. I could never repay her for what she's done for me. She's tutored me in everything, from math to love one-o-one."

Dusk is turning into night as Craig and Heather snuggle, naked and alone, and Alex drives to Rehoboth to shop. She always preferred Rehoboth's boardwalk to Ocean City's. 'Just be careful,' Alex had told him before she left. He is. He has to be, because he didn't bring a condom. This thing with Heather was so unexpected. Careful he is, employing the withdraw method, not always effective, but it will have to do for now. The best part is simply holding her, skin on skin, whispering words of love and hearing them said back. He keeps to himself the sadness he feels about them being apart when school starts. Still, she notices and then he tells her. She snuggles closer. "Cheer up, Z-man. We'll do as you said, make the most of the time we have left. And this is one hell of a great start."