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Date Posted: 15:57:12 10/17/01 Wed
Author: Leigh
Subject: Re: Holiday Chapter 22 (a)
In reply to: Leigh 's message, "Holiday" on 22:53:18 10/06/01 Sat

Chapter 22:


Nikita awoke early the next morning to find the place beside her in bed empty. Surprised, she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Michael?”

He was dressing quietly by the foot of the bed. Hearing her, he stopped, fingers suspended midway through the act of buttoning his shirt. “Hi.” He walked over, leaned down and placed a kiss softly at the top of her head. “Sorry I woke you.”

“Where are you going?” Nikita asked. Her voice was thick with sleep, a frown furrowed her brow.

“I’m expecting a call from Paris this morning,” he explained.

Michael resumed dressing. Nikita stretched, half-stifling a yawn, and then pulled her knees up to her chest. She covered herself with the blanket and watched him.

“Would you like something to eat before you go?” she offered.

“No.” He smiled at her and then sat down at the bed’s edge and bent over to pull on his socks and shoes.

Nikita noticed that he had picked up her clothes from the night before and folded them neatly over a chair. Her eyes shifted to Michael, focusing on the movement of his muscles beneath his shirt. Her frown deepened. Was he regretting last night?

She folded her arms over her knees and propped her chin up on top of them. She’d done the same thing too a few times in the past - slept with a date and then woke up the next morning with a bad case of morning-after-regret. She recalled that during those times she had also made a hasty early morning retreat using some work related excuse. Her heart sank. Was that what was happening now? Did Michael regret it? Nikita hoped not because she surely didn’t.

Feeling a sudden need for space, Nikita untangled herself from the sheets and climbed out of bed. She picked up her robe and slipped it on as she made her way to the bathroom.

Michael turned to watch her. He was struck again by her pale beauty as she stood from the bed and walked over to where her robe lay. He recalled the feel of her in his arms the night before, the smell of her skin, the taste of her mouth, and he felt the stirring of arousal again.

He closed his eyes briefly and forced the tempting thoughts from his mind. He’d had a difficult enough time restraining himself this morning when he’d woken up beside Nikita. He’d wanted to touch her, roll on top of her and kiss her awake and then press himself deep inside her and love her.

Love.

Michael sighed. His rising passion quickly doused by an emotion akin to panic. He liked Nikita a lot. But love? No. He couldn’t – there was no room in his life for that. And it wouldn’t be fair to let Nikita think otherwise.

Standing, he picked up his coat and then stood staring at the closed bathroom door. If he walked out now, like this, without saying anything, what would she think? She probably wouldn’t ever want to speak or see him again. Could he live with that? Was he prepared to not see her again? Several seconds passed while he listened to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

I could leave her a note, he reasoned. Tell her I had to leave and that I’d call her later. He thought for a while longer, and then shook his head and sat back down. Maybe there was no room in his life for a serious relationship but there was room for Nikita.

Michael sat on the bed thinking. She’d said herself the night before that she wanted to take things slowly. And, yes, they’d spent the night together - and Michael knew some people wouldn’t consider that taking things slow but somehow it had seemed right. He didn’t regret staying with Nikita and he hoped she didn’t either. What did bother him though was where all this was leading to.

Nikita had a full and very busy life. So did he. She was serious about her career, as he was serious about his.. And to complicate things more, they lived half a world apart. Yes he was opening a gallery here in New York but he had no intention of living here. Paris was his home and that’s where he wanted to stay. Even if they'd wanted to, Michael thought, it would be difficult to make such a long-distance relationship work.

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