Love in the Night
Title: Love in the Night
Author: ofsoapsuds
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What she wouldn't give for him to see her.
"One, two, three, one, two, three," Bridget repeated as she tried teaching Christopher how to dance.
She winced slightly when he accidentally stomped on her foot, again. Chris groaned and pulled away from Bridget to walk across the room, away from the mess that was his dancing.
"I can't do this!" he yelled in frustration, running his hands through his short brown hair.
"You can! I promise that ya can!," Bridget insisted, trying to get Chris to understand that he could do this.
"No!"
Bridget sighed before walking to Chris and taking his hands into hers. She placed on of his hands on her waist and kept the other one in her hand. "Now I want you take a deep breath and exhale," Bridget smiled. "Good, now just feel the music. Let it guide you." Pressing play on the stereo, she began to dance hoping he would become confident and take the lead.
Slowly, he began to let the music flow through him and to dance moderately well. Chris smiled down at Bridget as they glided around the room. Both were proud when he did the turns well, and soon he was improvising the steps. By the time the song had finished Chris and Bridget were smiling brightly at each other.
Chris snatched Bridget into a fierce hug, a hug she happily returned.
"Thank you so much Bridget, I can't wait to show Jessie mah skills!" Chris joked, a smile actually showing how happy he was.
Bridget smiled at Chris before replying. "You're welcome! You know I don't mind." They hugged one more time before Bridget grabbed her purse that rested on a chair near the stereo and headed to the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said before heading down the stairs and out the front door. She quickly made her way to her car and before she had put her seatbelt on, she was out of the gravel driveway, stones flying about in her scramble to get away.
Bridget drove not caring if she was going too fast or if she couldn't see the road past the tears that clouded her eyes. It was because of those tears that she was nearly in a deadly wreck. She hadn't realized that she had drifted over into the other lane and nearly crashed head on into the Hummer that was in front of her. Swerving out of the way, she soon found her baby blue VW Bug in the field beside the road. It took her several minutes to calm down and catch her breath before she came off the sudden adrenaline rush and straight into hysterics. She rested her head on the steering wheel as she cried in agony. Why couldn't he see her as more than a friend? She wanted to know why. They had already admitted to one another that they really cared for each other and they'd be willing to date.
Bridget slammed her hands into the steering wheel with anger. The one guy she felt that she could love wouldn't look past their friendship to see her yearning for his affection. Okay there might be the small matter of his girlfriend that hindered him from being with her but he had already admitted that he didn't care for his girlfriend's family. Bridget sighed as she leaned back in her seat, turning the car off in the same move. There was no use wasting gas or battery power. She reached into her purse looking for her cell phone so as to tell her parents that she'd be home a little late. Finally finding it, she sent the message then threw her phone back into her purse. She jumped suddenly when it began to ring. Reaching for the phone she hesitantly looked at the caller id before pressing talk.
"Hello?" she asked guardedly.
"Her Bridg, I got a question for ya," came Chris' deep baritone voice down the line.
"A question?" Bridget sighed rubbing a hand across her face. "Couldn't you have just texted me the question?"
"I could have but that would take a while," he said grinning, something that she could tell by the tone of his voice.
"What is it Chris?" she asked unenthusiastically.
"What are you doing Friday night?" he inquired, excitement coloring his voice.
"What?" she asked confusedly.
"What are you doing Friday night?" Chris repeated in the same fashion.
"I don't know," she replied exasperated. "Probably just gonna spend the night on the computer. Why?"
"So nothing then?" replied Chris cheekily.
"Chris . . ." Bridget said, her tone reflecting her rapidly deteriorating patience.
"A group of us are going to the movies and I wanted to see if you'd like to come," Chris told her quickly.
"I don't know, Chris," she replied tiredly, quickly deciding that she didn't want to continue this conversation, it would only lead to heartbreak.
"Come on it's gonna be Jake, Jeny, Allie, and David. Well, me too."
"Jessie isn't going?" Bridget inquired already knowing what the answer would be. She was momentarily stunned when she heard his clipped reply.
"Nope."
"Why not?" she asked not really caring, a fact which was conveyed in her tone.
" 'Cause she and I aren't dating anymore."
Bridget sat there for a moment not quite comprehending what she had just heard. She willed herself to hope for a miracle. She had to force herself to calm down, to slow her breathing and her heart. "What? When did this happen?" she asked shocked.
"About ten minutes after you left," was his flippant reply.
Bridget was confused and it showed in her response. "Why?!"
"She said something about going ahead and getting over the pain of me leaving," Chris angrily replied his first true emotion about the topic.
"But I thought you were still going to be together even though you're going off to college?" Bridget questioned incredulously.
"Apparently not," he sighed in frustration, his breath causing a weird rumbling in the phone. "So are you coming or not?"
"I don't know, Chris," she said repeating her earlier answer to the question.
"Will you think about it?"
"Yeah, I will," she conceded.
"Okay! I'll let you go, you're driving," his voice sounding excited all previous anger gone.
"Sure, we'll go with that," Bridget said trying to sound convincing.
There was a tense silence on the other end of the phone but then it was broken by Chris' unsure question. "What?"
"Nothing," she said quickly hoping he would forget her answer.
"No what did you mean?"
"I'm not driving, my car isn't even moving," Bridget sighed.
"Why? Do you need help," Chris' voice sounding panicked.
"It's nothing; I just had to calm down."
"From what?" came his freaked reply.
"A near death experience," was the nonchalant reply.
"What?!"
"It's nothing," she insisted.
"No, it's not."
"I'm fine! In fact, I'm getting ready to head off again."
"No. Wait there and I will come."
"Fine!" Bridget said snapping the cell phone shut. She waited in her car patiently as she waited for Chris to appear. Nearly five minutes, she heard the rumbling of car engine pulling up beside her. She waited for him to come to her, seeing he was the one who had told her to wait. When he knocked on the window she slowly rolled the window down.
"You wanna tell me how you almost got into a wreck?" he asked leaning down and resting his arm on her window sill.
"Nope," came her petulant reply.
"Bridget," he sighed, "come on tell me."
Finally she relented. "I was crying and not paying attention."
"Why?" he asked confused.
"You," replied not looking at him.
"Me?" he asked pointing a finger at himself, not the Bridget saw.
"Yes, you," she said exasperated.
"What did I do?"
"Nothing," she whispered.
"Nothing?" he tone conveying he didn't believe.
"Yes. You haven't done a damn thing since admitting that you like me!" she yelled in frustration.
"Wha? You haven't done anything either," he pointed out.
"That's not the point!"
"Oh and what is that?"
"I can't just kiss you in the middle of the hallway. You have a girlfriend," he voice breaking slightly.
"Had! Had a girlfriend!" he yelled back at her.
"Not before tonight!"
Chris groaned and turned away from the car only to turn back around quickly. "Do NOT make this my fault!" he said pointing a finger at her.
"Don't think so highly of yourself," Bridget scoffed as she got out of her car.
"What is your problem?! It isn't like you just found out that your girlfriend of two years doesn't actually like you!"
"I like you, a lot, and you don't even notice!" Bridget sighed not even hearing his confession. "You just . . . " Bridget was suddenly cut off when Chris' lips connected with hers.
Both Chris and Bridget melted into the kiss even though it was slightly clumsy. Chris pulled back briefly to look into Bridget's eyes before leaning in again for another kiss. When they pulled apart again, Chris started moving toward his truck but he was unexpectedly pulled back by Bridget's voice.
"Chris!" when he paused and looked back at her she continued, "I'm sorry about Jessie, I know it hurts."
Chris nodded before replying. "Yeah it hurts but oddly not as much as I thought it would," he said smiling at her. As he turned back to his car called out to her. "I'll see ya tomorrow Bridg," the smile plastered on his face promising her that tomorrow was going to be a really good day.
She smiled back at him and then watched as he got into his truck and left her. She stayed standing next her car until she couldn't see his tail lights anymore and then she headed for her own car. Sitting in her own car she squealed with happiness before flopping back into her seat. With a smile permanently etched on her face Bridget started her car and headed back on to the road, a feeling of overwhelming happiness following her into the night and into the days to come.