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2021-02-25 04:47:35“Can I ask you something? Something personal?” he asked, his green eyes seeming to peer right through her.
“You can ask me anything.” Her voice was a whisper fluttering on the wind.
His lips didn’t move for a long while, as if he still wasn’t sure whether or not he should ask. Eventually, he said, “When I kiss you, when I touch you… is it… difficult?”
Her answer came quickly. “Not at all,” she replied, and she could see surprise in his eyes at first but then acceptance that she was being honest. She broke the trance and looked away. “I thought at first it would be. That is… for all of those years, I thought I would never be able to be intimate with anyone. But then, as you know, there was Ezra. And that was not at all what I was expecting either. But it wasn’t the same as… before.” The box was attempting to open, and she needed to find a way to slam it shut
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Once they had their packages, they headed for the door, and Bix immediately took everything but the bear and slid it into the trunk, as Charlie and Meg returned to their seats in the back, the bear sitting on Meg’s knees.“You’re quite fond of that fellow, aren’t you?” Charlie asked regarding the bear as Bix started the automobile.“He’s adorable,” Meg replied with a shrug. “Look at his cute little nose.”Charlie studied him for a moment. “He doesn’t look much like a Teddy to me, but then I was never good with names.”“Teddy?” Meg asked, looking at him with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”“All stuffed bears in America are named Teddy, don’t you know?”“What’s that now?”“Yes, they’re named after President Roosevelt.”Meg could scarcely believe her ears. “You name stuffe
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“How are you?” Kelly asked, ushering them in.Before Meg had a chance to answer, Ruth, who had been playing on the floor nearby, crashed into her knees, nearly knocking her backward. “Aunt Meg!” the little girl shouted, her red curls bobbing about. “You’ve come to visit at last!”“Hello, Ruthie,” Meg said, scooping the child into her arms. “It’s so nice to see you.” She squeezed her as tightly as she dared. “How have you been?”“Good,” Ruth answered, but soon she was wiggling away, her arms outstretched, shouting, “Uncle Charlie!” and Charlie took her out of Meg’s arms, laughing at her excitement.“If it isn’t my little friend, Ruth. Have you seen any dolphins out your apartment window?” he asked, teasing her.“No, silly,” Ruth said, wrapping her chubby arms around his neck. “There’s no water ou
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“Have you seen the papers?” Kelly asked, her face quite serious again, and Meg felt her stomach tighten as her friend stared into her eyes.“What papers?” Meg asked. “The ones about Titanic?’“No, the ones about you,” she replied, her eyes flittering to Charlie.“She hasn’t seen them,” he muttered, and Meg realized he must have read the newspapers himself.“What do they say?” Meg asked, feeling a bit of panic rising in her throat, wondering if someone had discovered where she was or had decided she’d committed some sort of violent crime or other atrocity.Kelly cleared her throat. “I have one. It’s weeks old, since it had to come across the Atlantic, and we all know how hazardous that can be.”“May I see it?”Kelly glanced at Charlie, who nodded at her, and then she crossed to her kitchen and returned in a moment
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She’d been in Charlie’s bedroom a few times before, but this time was certainly different. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach, some of the nervous variety, but most of them fueled by excitement.They were sitting on the edge of his bed, the door closed and locked, the drapes pulled tightly. She knew that there were a few servants elsewhere in the house, but they would leave the couple undisturbed at least until mid-morning. Glancing up at him, she could see that he felt much the same way that she did.“It turned out quite well, don’t you think?” Charlie asked, clearly meaning the wedding.“Yes,” Meg nodded.“Even though a few guests certainly had too much to drink.”She giggled, thinking of one older gentleman who had made quite a spectacle of himself trying to climb atop one of the tables to dance. He had been escorted out, but Meg was thankful for the diversion. For once, everyone wasn&r
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