Took me a while for this update, but here you go and thank you for being so patient with me!
Chapter 10: The Fantasy
The first time it happened she blamed it on the alcohol.
The second time it happened she could’ve said she was just emotional.
The third time, the fourth time… the fifth and sixth time… well she decided not to come up with any more excuses and just enjoy the time they spent together.
It had become a sort of special thing between them. Sometimes he referred to it as dates. But she liked to call it a rendezvous… it made it seem like some secret fantasy between two lovers - which is what it was. Either way, they both knew what would happen whenever they said it.
The first few times she initiated it. She picked the day and it was always at his apartment. As the days went by, she noticed he grew bolder. Before she knew it, he set the dates and she did not mind the change of dominance.
They learned each others likes and dislikes. She knew his favorite positions. And she had unwittingly revealed her most vulnerable, ticklish spots. She never grew tired of it - every time was like their first time.
Eventually, she spent whole days at his apartment, some days they talked and did things that normal ‘couples’ did. His apartment was their own little world… their haven from the real world - from
him. It was her own little excuse. If she didn’t think about him, he didn’t exist.
They joked and laughed, they shared their hopes and fears... A big step in their pseudo-relationship was when she asked him if she could wear his shirt.
“Of course you can. As long as you don’t wear anything else under it,” she remembered Greg saying.
After a while she started leaving some of her clothes at his apartment “just in case”.
She definitely looked forward to their little “date-rendezvous.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey, I was wondering about something.”
It was a lazy afternoon, one of those rare days where they both had the day off. Sara was laying on his sofa, her bare legs dangling of the side of the sofa. She was wearing the shirt he loved, and she grew fond of it as well.
“Yeah?” he replied.
Greg was sitting on the floor his head resting on her stomach and his eyes closed. She had to think it out, making sure to phrase her request in a way he would accept. She knew his soft spots, she was tracing slow circles on his shoulder and chest, taking her time before she answered.
“Do you… ummm… maybe…”
His eyes opened. She was stalling and it was obvious.
“What?” He looked concerned.
“Do you want to go out today?”
There. She finally said it. Now she waited for his reaction. He didn’t look upset… but he didn’t look excited either. He was just confused.
“Did you say… you want to go out? With me?”
“Yes,” she asserted. “Unless you don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Now he looked hesitant. Why was he so hesitant? She thought he would surely jump at the idea of going out on a real date.
“Depends - will I get lucky?” He was making light of the situation.
“I’m serious.”
She sat up, trying to explain.
“I want to go out and do something before I start showing. You know… I won’t want to go out when I look so obviously pregnant.”
Now he looked uncomfortable… even sad. She didn’t understand. Why was he acting like this? Was it the money? They could just as easily go to a park or something…
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why not? We should go out and do something fun.”
“Well, you wouldn’t want your husband to see you out with another man,” he replied dryly.
Her face fell. She felt so stupid. How could she forget? She was so caught up in their little fantasy, she almost believed they were really a couple. Going out was something that couples did -
they weren’t a couple. The reality hit her hard.
“I guess I burst your bubble. Sorry.”
He didn’t sound that sorry. He didn’t look as upset as she felt.
“No. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She got up and grabbed her clothes.
“Sara… I’m sorry about it.”
She just locked herself in his bathroom and tossed on her clothes. Everything was different now. She knew she shouldn’t be angry at him - after all, he was telling the truth - but common sense flew out the door and her hard-head kept her from apologizing.
Ten minutes later, she emerged fully dressed.
“I should go.”
He looked hurt, but she didn‘t care. As she walked downstairs she felt a small sob surface. Choking it down she walked to her car, painfully aware that Greg did nothing to stop her.
After two days of moping around - which everyone attributed to hormones - she stopped by his apartment, but she was too proud to go in.
‘More like too scared.’
The voice always had a tendency to speak up when it wasn’t wanted.
She missed him and she was hoping that he missed her…
After she got home, she called out to Gil. He wasn’t home. Good.
She used her phone for extra precaution. He didn’t know about them and she wanted to keep it that way.
It rang once… twice… three times…
“Hello?”
“Hi, Greg.” She decided she might as well get it over with.
“I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean to just storm out. You were right, and I should’ve listened.”
She could’ve sworn he took a deep breath. She was about to say something else when he responded.
“Sara, the past few weeks have been amazing. I… know you might not feel the same, but I have to tell you that I care about you… a lot. I just wish I was enough.”
“I don’t understand-”
“Please, just let me finish. If you care about your husband we shouldn’t be doing this. He doesn’t deserve to be lied to. If you and I are ever going to have any kind of relationship you need to tell him the truth. If you care about me, you should know that I don’t want to sneak around. I want you Sara… not just for sex. I love our conversations, the fun times that made me believe… we were a couple. I want a real relationship. I don’t want to be the other man.”
Silence.
What was she supposed to say to
that?
He asked the question that begged to be asked…
“So, who do you choose? Me or him?”
“Greg. You can’t just expect me to make a decision after springing your ultimatum on me! I still… care about Gil. He was the man I was chasing for so long. I don’t want to hurt him. And in some way I still care about him.” She tried to explain.
If only he could see her point of view!
“I guess you made your decision…”
“No, wait! I have feelings for you too. They confuse me and I wish it were easy. But I guess love isn’t easy.”
Her voice grew soft, “Greg I care about you so much; you’re the father of my baby,” She sniffled a little. She was trying not to cry.
“So you just care because I’m the father…”
“It’s more than that! Don’t do this… Sometimes I wish it was you who I married. Not him! We get along so well, I almost think we are married ... And it’s so wonderful…”
He didn’t say anything.
“But when I look into his eyes, I just can’t… I can’t leave him.”
She started to cry. Why did she let him hurt her like this?
“I’ll bring your clothes to you tomorrow. Good-bye Sara.”
“Greg, this isn’t fair! Please-”
He already hung up.
She flung herself on the bed, crying bitter tears of regret and heart break. Why would he do this to her? As she asked herself this, she knew in her heart of hearts that it wasn’t fair to lead him on. It wasn’t fair to them and it wasn’t fair to Gil.
But it didn’t hurt any less.
This couldn’t be a triangle without the ultimatum! Now who shall Sara choose? It won’t be in the next chapter, because (as you may have noticed) I follow a little pattern. First Sara’s perspective, then Grissom’s, then Greg’s. So looks like Grissom is up next chapter.